[ad_1]
There's no doubt that mineral makeup is becoming the rage. And there's a reason for that: women are finding these powder foundations to be easy to apply, actually fun to apply, and able to provide a smooth, flawless finish. In addition, women appreciate the fact that they contain natural sun protection. And many have noticed that over time their skin has fewer breakouts, and a decrease in any redness (which some call rosacea) – even with no makeup on!
Here's the problem. With this much popularity, there are so many products on the market right now. How does a busy woman choose the mineral foundation that is right for her?
Steps in Choosing a Mineral Foundation
The first thing you should know is that most online mineral companies and almost all the retail stores will accept returns. So you can usually buy a product with confidence, knowing that returns are accepted gracefully.
Second, some online companies, like Monave Minerals, Afterglow Cosmetics, Suncat Minerals, Cleopatra's Choice, and many others, offer samples for sale at a low cost. That means you do not have to commit to a product right away. You can send for samples from each of these companies, spend very little, and actually use the cosmetics before buying the regular size.
Another way to sample before buying, is to go to an Ulta or Sephora outlet, if there is one near you, and try the makeup on right there in the store. The benefit, of course, is that the salespeople really know their products, and can help you make your choices. Bare Minerals is in both these stores, and Urban Decay can be sampled at Sephora.
Foundation Colors and Undertones
If you want to choose a mineral foundation online, you'll have more companies to choose from. The websites have great photos of the colors – although some monitors may interpret colors slightly differently than other monitors. With that in mind, the mineral companies also give a written description of their colors. They'll tell you how sheer or opaque you can expect the product's coverage to be; they'll tell you what the finish looks like (whether it's matte, semi-matte, dewy, or lightly luminescent). They may also say whether a particular color falls into a warm or a cool category. Warm colors have bases that are yellow or gold; cool colors have bases that are more blue. Do not worry – these yellows and blues do not show up in the makeup. But they do give you that much more information to use when making your choices. Women with redness issues might choose a yellow-based foundation, which could cover the red better.
Kits
Some companies sell their minerals as part of a larger kit. Sheer Cover and Lauren Hutton Makeup do that. The advantage here is that they provide more than one shade of foundation and concealer – so you can mix them to get just the right shade for your unique needs.
Application Tips
When trying on a mineral foundation for the first time, make sure your skin is moist but not oily. If you use moisturizer, make sure it's completely soaked in before using the mineral powder. The brush you use – even on samples – is very important. Experts recommend a Taklon kabuki, which is a soft, rounded and very tightly packed brush. Synthetic brushes are far superior to animal hair brushes – they shed less, they're less apt to pick up contaminants, and of course they're vegan, which means animals for not being to be hurt.
Also when trying on a test foundation, apply just one thin coat at a time. You can always layer the makeup if you want more coverage.
After you've applied your test foundation, look at it in different lights – sunlight, fluorescent light, and incandescent light. Then apply a setting, or finishing powder, if you want more of a matte finish, and check your new makeup in the three different lights again. Foundation without setting powder on top gives a very different look than foundation with the addition of a finishing powder.
Working with mineral makeup is fun. Having a flawless complexion is fun. Mixing colors and experimenting with different brands is fun. With minerals, the tedium of daily makeup application has been replaced by creativity, and a shortened application time.
[ad_2]
