As a cosmetologist, I wanted to share some of my findings/experience with you concerning natural mineral makeup.

Natural mineral makeup has been around a few years, but it seems the average person either hasn’t tried them, and many have never heard about them.  Basically, they are various minerals crushed to a very fine powder and used as cosmetics.   They are in a powdered type form.  

The main properties of mineral makeup are gentleness, long lasting, pure, and many have almost a healing type of action to various skin conditions.  Of course you will have to experiment to find which brands are your favorites. 

Personally, I am hypothyroid which means I have super dry skin, alligator skin.  Doesn’t matter what type of skin care products, etc. I use,  I have flaky skin.  All my life, no matter what makeup I used, it would be completely absorbed (thus disappearing) after about only 2-3 hours of wearing it.  I was also very nervous about mineral makeup because with having super dry skin I avoid powders of all kinds, plus I was worried about it making the flakiness look even worse.  I was SO stunned when I first started using mineral makeup on my own skin.  The first thing I noticed was after 12 hours of wear, it was still there!  No makeup has done that in my entire life.  The other thing I noticed was it did not look flakey at all, but very fresh and light.  Another benefit of mineral makeup is truly it feels like you are not wearing any cosmetics. 

I also have the challenge now of rosacea (extreme redness due to intense facial flushing).   Green underbase cancels red concerning color correctors, which is why it works on rosacea skin to cover the redness, yet be very gentle at the same time.   I tend to prefer Bare Escentuals as they give great coverage and have many shades to choose from.  

Whatever brand you go for, here are a few tips for using it. 

1. Usually less is better.  They are very concentrated, so a little goes a long way.  It’s common to use way too much at first.  You can always add another light layer on top if you go too light at first.
2. Invest in some good quality brushes.  They make all the difference in the world, be sure to gently wash them regularly.
3. If after using small amounts, with good quality brushes, things still don’t look right, or you’re not thrilled, next look at the possibility that you’re simply using the wrong shade.  Sometimes it takes experimenting to find what shade is best for your skin.  I found with Bare Escentuals, I wore a significantly darker foundation than I ever thought possible, yet it was the perfect shade for me.
4. Be sure to moisturize your skin preferably about a half an hour before applying mineral makeup.
5. Apply all your makeup except mascara & lipstick.  Spritz a fine mist of water on your face, then finish your mascara and lipstick.  I find this “sets” the makeup and gives a very fresh, young looking appearance.
6. Play with the colors and applications.  You can use blush colors as eyeshadow.  You can also brush on your lips, then apply some gloss over top.
7. The eyeshadows will tend to look shockingly stark when you first apply them.  Don’t worry too much about that.  After you apply the shadow, take a clean eyeshadow applicator and use it to blend and soften the colors.  They will soften right down to the perfect hue in most cases.

.By Valerie Garner. 

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