Are mineral beauty products really worth it?
Evening Herald
Mineral based beauty products just got interesting with the bigger labels bringing brighter colours and added shimmer to the party.
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Ten mineral make-ups to try
Here are 10 great buys for lips, cheeks and eyes recommended by beauty writer Kirstie McDermott.
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Wednesday June 03 2009
Let me confess: I hate mineral make-up. Or, to be more specific, I really, really dislike mineral powder foundation.
When the craze for crushed rocks, ores and semi-precious gemstones took off a few years ago, I read so many hyperbole-filled blog posts and magazine articles about this stuff that it seemed to be nothing less than the second coming of Christ. "Wear it to bed!" trumpeted one brand, with another screaming, "it's so pure you can use it right after a chemical peel!"
The reality, however, was a little different . . .
Mineral foundations are the emperor's new clothes of cosmetics: messy, confusing, hard to use and prone to spills, there is a big learning curve, and they're rarely portable -- so no touch-ups on the go.
Plus, unlike fluid foundation which you can happily slap on with the tools nature gave you -- your paws -- you do need to buy proper brushes to get the best finish, so the cost can start to rack up.
While oily gals like minerals because of their sticking-power and shine-absorption properties, this sort of foundation rarely looks good on anyone with a mature or dry skin type. Well, unless you like clunky-looking coverage that settles into -- and accentuates -- every fine line and open pore, that is.
Those hassles were certainly the case with the niche brands that spearheaded the trend such as Bare Escentuals, but as the market widened and beauty corporations such as L'Oréal began to get on board with minerals, the possibilities suddenly became a lot more interesting: new product types, enriched formulas, better colours, textures and wearability are now the order of the day.
Okay, so they may not be the 'pure' formulation trumpeted by mineral evangelists, but they're a damn sight easier to wear.
So, while I'll happily admit to being impressed with Prescriptives' All Skins Mineral Make-up, in general, I'm still not a big fan of powder foundation.Where these products really shine is in eye, cheek and lip products -- oh, and these days, you'll even find minerals in skin and haircare, too.
Mineral pros
Mineral cons
- Kirstie McDermott
