What's so special about mineral make-up?

by Kristen Seymour (Subscribe to Kristen Seymour's posts)
Posted Mar 18th 2008 at 1:38PM

I freely admit, I haven't tried mineral make-up yet. I guess I'm skeptical -- I mean, what's so great about it? Yeah, it comes from the earth. So do brussels sprouts, and I'm not such a big fan of those.

Still, lots of people swear by it, so, I did a little research to see what all the fuss is about. Stylelist had a slideshow of different mineral make-up products and why they're superior to everything in my current cosmetics arsenal. And ... I'm still not sold, but here's what I learned:

It's made up of finely ground minerals from the earth, including titanium, zinc, diamonds and mica;
It is typically made without talc, perfumes, alcohol, dyes, and other irritants that can cause allergic reactions and breakouts;
It feels light and stays put all day without caking or fading;
You can find loose or pressed powder as well as mineral makeup for eyes, lips, and anything else you care to pretty up;
There are now brands available in a variety of price ranges, so even the cheapest drugstore beauty queen can give it a try.

I'm not about to toss everything I currently use, but I do like the idea of coverage that'll stay put all day and won't contribute to breakouts.

What about you? Do you have a product or a brand that you love? Is mineral make-up really that great? Let me (and other readers) know in the comments, and hurry -- I'm going to the drugstore tonight to make-up shop!

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Filed under: Beauty, Makeup
Tags: beauty, beauty products, BeautyProducts, cosmetics, makeup, mineral, mineral makeups, MineralMakeups, natural

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READER COMMENTS

(10)Add A Comment

k, 3-18-2008, 3:07PM

Love it. No more smearing makeup on everyone and everything. Would never go back to liquid foundation.

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megan, 3-29-2008, 8:39PM

I also love it, doesn't make my skin feel oily like liquid foundation does. Also it makes my skin look smoother, softer, and clearer and cleaner. I love it! I just bought the new mineral power by maybelline that comes with the little brush, it was about 7 or 8 bucks but its it will be the best 7 bucks you ever spent on cosmetics

Heather, 3-18-2008, 7:22PM

I use Physician's Formula mineral makeup, which has an organic line now too. You can get it at Wal-Mart, Walgreens, ULTA, CVS, Walgreens...pretty much anywhere. Great stuff!

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Suzy, 3-18-2008, 4:51PM

I use bare minerals and have used it for a couple of years. I'm not one to usually go for "Infomercial" products, but a friend of mine used it & swore by it. I love it because it really does look natural & you cannot feel it. I have pretty good skin, but my coloring can be uneven. No one even thinks I wear any makeup. I'm a cheater!

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Christina Warren, 3-18-2008, 5:28PM

I haven't tried the mineral makeup -- though some of the ads have been intriguing/tempting -- and the lady at Sephora was giving me a really hard sell two weeks ago (I just wanted some freaking eye shadow). I just don't know what benefit I would get, at least from a foundation, over Mac StudioFix stuff I've been using since high school. It's extremely lightweight, covers up EVERYTHING, matches my skin tone perfectly (and I'm uber, uber white), doesn't leave markings on clothes or people (unless it's really, really hot -- an even then it doesn't run) -- I don't know.

I hate loose powder makeup though, so I wouldn't be the ideal mineral makeup consumer. Spending an extra five minutes mixing my foundation color every morning just doesn't appeal to me.

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Rachel, 3-21-2008, 12:50PM

I use bare minerals and I LOVE it. I don't know how I ever lived without it. I just ran out and I had to use some other foundation in a pinch, and there is just no comparison. The mineral(powder) foundation has such great coverage without looking heavy, and stays on perfectly all day, even if I sweat! Seriously. I love it.

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Amanda, 3-23-2008, 8:15PM

I use covergirl loose mineral powder. I think its called bare essentials. Its amazing. I have even worked out with it on and it stayed in place and looked amzing. plus I dont get break outs anymore!!

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Sherry, 3-24-2008, 5:51PM

I think i might just try it out.

http://www.wealthandfreedompackage.com/Clothing.php

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Desiree, 4-10-2008, 11:24PM

I have tried both Bare Minerals and Philosophy's version of mineral makeup. Both have beautiful coverage. I found that Bare Minerals has more choices of colors. I am naturally olive/tan and have always had a difficult time matching makeup to my skin tone. The BIG plus for me is that I live in New Orleans where the humidity is unbearable in the summer and it stays on and doesn't feel icky. Ya'll have to try it.

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Abby, 5-08-2008, 10:50PM

I just started using Avon Smooth Mineral makeup and I absoloutely love it. My skin doesn't feel dry and doesn't cause me to break out. Nor does it make my skin crease. I'm 42 and there's no way you can tell.

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