The mineral makeup business today is booming! While most of the brands used to be lesser-than-known cult brands, now major drugstore brands like L’Oreal, Maybelline and Revlon are housing mineral makeup collections.
So what’s the big deal about mineral makeup?
I tried out mineral makeup for a number of reasons. One, because I heard it was non-comedogenic and good for sensitive skin. It was music to my ears! I absolutely hate putting anything on my skin, and have always avoided foundation and powders for fear it’ll look and feel too heavy, and make me break out. But still, I felt like I needed a little overall coverage for my skin, and to control shine in this hot climate I’m living in!
Anyways, I am definitely no expert as I’ve only tried 3 brands so far; Pure Luxe Cosmetics, The Body Shop Nature’s Minerals and Everyday Minerals. I also tried Bare Escentuals from a friend very quickly before washing it all of! (More on these brands later!)
With my experiences with Mineral Makeup being so-so, and hearing about many others negative reactions, I decided to really dig deep and see what the real pros and cons of mineral makeup were. Here’s what I found.
Note that the mineral makeup I am talking about are their powder foundations only.
CONS
- Negative Reaction to ingredients
Mineral makeup boasts very little ingredients so that it remains pure and natural, and clean on your skin. This is great! However, some haven’t been so lucky as there have been many complaints about these two popular ingredients, Bismuth Oxychloride and Mica.
Bismuth is said to be very itchy in hotter climates, and in worse cases your skin becomes so itchy it peels and your face turns very red and bloatchy.
When I tried Bare Escentuals for that 10 seconds at a friend’s house, I luckily didn’t have such a strong reaction but the itch was insane I had to wash it off immediately! From other websites and reviews, some have said that Bismuth have actually caused a lot of breakouts in their skin.
Mica, the other ingredient in mineral makeup, has been reported to also cause some breakouts, and new reports are saying that zinc oxide, another ingredient, is said to be pore-clogging.
- The Look
Of all the mineral makeup brands I have tried before, I always loved the initial look it gave. Matte, natural and light, what is not to love? My skin looked great, and most of all, it wasn’t heavy and didn’t look like a mask (my biggest fear).
However, like I said above, there were some not-so-pleasant side effects after a few minutes of wearing them. Looking closely at the Pure Luxe, it looked very cakey and it somehow looked like it had streaks on my skin and Bare Escentuals made me scratch my face like a dog!
Because of the ingredient Mica, some complain that mineral makeup gives a very shiny, oily look on your skin. And because they are powders foundations, they can actually accentuate fine lines, wrinkles and pores.
- Application
This is my biggest peeve. Obviously they are loose powders so they need a special type of tub. However, I’ve had one too many powder spills on my computer, floor, you name it. When traveling, it is a hassle and it’s quite messy.
PROS
- Skin Benefits
For those who are lucky enough to not get any skin reactions to the ingredients, mineral makeup is actually very pure and good for the skin! It’s non comedogenic and is great for those who has acne-prone skin. It’s looks very natural – like you have perfect skin already!
- Build-able Coverage
Mineral makeup is light, and therefore you can build it to whatever coverage you want – light, medium of heavy.
- Natural UV
Mineral makeup has natural UV and therefore protects the skin at the same time.
All in all, I personally like mineral makeup. (Read my review on The Body Shop’s latest mineral makeup line here.) Even though I haven’t had too many success with it, I have heard too many raves and I do love the initial look mineral makeup gives – perhaps I have just not found the right brand yet that keeps this look! Any recommendations? 
That being said, what are your thoughts on mineral makeup? Love it or hate it? I’d love to hear! 
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{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }
Great low down of the pros and cons! I’ve tried several brands of mineral foundation too and didn’t quite like it (mainly cuz my skin’s dry that most powder foundation cakes on me) until I started using Everyday Minerals original glow foundation. I don’t prefer it over liquid foundation but I do like it for school days when liquid just feels too heavy.
Recently, I tried Ellana Mineral Makeup and i love it so far.
Thanks for this post, btw.
I can sympathize with you on the Bare Escentuals. That was the reason why I broke up in the first place. It was so bad I had acne for 2 years. Never again will I go back to that.
Hey, thanks for all the comments!
Connie, I liked Everyday minerals but I ordered all the wrong colors so I hardly wore it in the end! Will have to get the right color ’cause I’ve been hearing so much about it, and from what I could tell it seemed pretty good!
Oh and that’s another ‘con’ of mineral makeup, I find it so hard to find the right color online
Laarni you’re most welcome!
I will have to check out Ellana, I’ve never heard of it before!
Anne, you had acne for 2 years due to Bare Escentuals? :O That sounds awful…Did you ever find out why it made you break out like that?
i enjoy mineral makeup a lot sans the mess. this is a great review. very factual and something a lot could relate to. so, what foundation are you using now in exchange for your mmu?
hey Shen,
I had just bought the Body Shop Nature’s Minerals about a week ago which I’ve used once now; will write a full review on that soon once I’ve used it more…been stuck at home doing assignments, so I haven’t had a chance to fully use it yet!
I don’t wear foundation but before all these MMU experiments, I was using a loose powder by Lancome. It was actually very good but I thought I should switch to MMU since it was natural and after hearing so many good things about it!
Which mineral makeup do you use?
I originally liked the natural look mineral foundation gave me, but after an hour or two, my T-zone would start to look like an oil slick. Liquid foundation would never give me that. Of course, there was that problem with the rashes. Oh, and it’s messy!
Try the mineral foundation from Silk Naturals! I love them even tho the initial mixing drove me nuts. (You are given satchets of powder in diff shades and are suppose to “custom blend” your foundation yourself.)
Tine, I agree with you! I do look like an oil slick and if you look closely to your face after that, the product seems to create lines and look as if it’s about to slide off!
K, thanks for your comment
The mixing does sound time consuming but I guess its worth it if you get a correct shade? Does Silk Naturals do well in hot climates?
hey. really nice and informative. for myself i am still using normal compact powders. i dont find a real raison to change since its fine for me and no irritation. but i have heard allot about mineral makeup and will maybe test some samples and see.
I’ve read reviews on Laura Mercier’s Mineral powder. They say it’s really great,lasts long,looks great, no reactions and stuff. I’m thinking of going to the mall to try it out. I’ve had a salesgirl put The Body Shop mineral foundation on me, I felt like it didn’t cover anything
Write a review on Laura Mercier if you can, would love it 
Hey Puff, thanks for your comment.
I have heard great things about Laura Mercier’s line as well, but I found out it had the ingredient Bismuth, and from my experience with Bismuth from Bare Escentuals, it would mean my skin would go crazy with itchiness so I decided not to buy it! (The weather here is very hot, Bismuth tends to not work too well in hot climates.)
Where do you live? You should go try LM to see it it works for you… then tell me about it
Does anyone recommend LM’s mineral powder? I guess if everyone says it really is great then I can always sample it at the shop and run to the bathroom and wash my face off if it reacts badly! haha
my mom arrived from the US with bare escentuals mmu which she tried on me. it was way back 2005 and i didn’t even know about mineral make ups before, but it sure did give me the same effects it did on you. when mmu became a hit, i asked around and learned about Luminare (beautypod.multiply.com) which didn’t have any of the known toxic ingredients on mmu (bismuth oxchloride and talc)…it’s a bit pricey though compared to ellana. i asked ellana customer service about those ingredients and they replied about not having them. …can’t wait to try ellana on my next paycheck! =)
sunmom’s last blog post … Ella is WALKING!!!
Hey Sunmom … I will have to check out Luminare and Ellana. I tried something called Pure Luxe Cosmetics, where it didn’t have talc or bismuth, it’s not expensive at all. You might want to look:
http://www.pureluxecosmetics.com
My friend tried the MAC mineralize collection and it looked great! However, I read their ingredients and the first thing was Talc! Does anybody use MAC’s mineral collection?
hi! I tried Luminare Mineral Makeup.. and its really good on the skin..
jam’s last blog post … blackshoppe won the top seller for the month of january!!
Thanks Jam! Sorry I was so late to reply, I must’ve missed your comment.
oh.. that’s okay..
I tried the body shop minerals.. but it’s not pure.. and when i tried it.. my skin looks dry.. maybe it doesn’t fit on my skin.
and by the way.. i thought bismuth is not good for the skin.. most of the buyers check if there’s bismuth oxychloride content on the minerals..
but.. Luminare for me is the best..
jam’s last blog post … on-hand
Hey jam, glad you’re back!
Yup! I wrote about bismuth above, how I tried a powder from a friend who uses Bare Escentuals – yikes! My face went insane with itchiness! So I definitely try to avoid anything with Bismuth – I hear it’s because of the climate (it’s very hot here).
I’m sorry the Body Shop didn’t work for you! I thought it was alright, did the job well but I don’t think I’ll be repurchasing – I’ve been trying an organic brand that I really love the past two weeks, am gonna write a review up soon, look out for it
okay.. ill wait for your review..
you should try Luminare minerals also..
jam’s last blog post … Batch 7 pre-order ARRIVED
I bought the L’Oreal Bare Naturale despite balking at what I paid for it. I blamed myself for what now seems to be a simple case of product falling far below hype. I found it had the “beginnings of itch” – more like a sensation of extra tiny pins pricking. I blamed it on the brush (or how I used it) – now I know better. I also found it emphasized the tiny lines on my 45 y/o face. Finally, I kind of felt there was something a little off about the color or maybe how it laid on my face – couldn’t put my finger on it so I dismissed it. Suffice it to say that the itch & wrinkle emphasis was enough to keep it from being the revelation promised & reason to apply foundation rather than forsake it. Now where can I learn about the foundations that are supposed to “self-adjust” to your skin tone???
jam – Thanks! I will look into them … but I have two pots to finish first so after that
Hey Laura. I’m sorry to hear about your bad experience with mineral makeup! That itch you feel is from the ingredient bismuth, and I had the exact same time – so try to avoid makeup with that ingredient. There are many more mineral makeup without that ingredient, like Pure Luxe, The Body Shop Nature’s Minerals, and many organic lines. Just remember to check the ingredients list.
However, if you don’t like the way it emphasizes on wrinkles, you can switch to a liquid alternative. I haven’t tried so many of them, but here are some products that I’ve tried that you might be interested in looking at:
- http://www.beautyfool.net/laura-mercier-tinted-moisturizer-oil-free-review/
- http://www.beautyfool.net/aubrey-organics-silken-earth-translucent-base-makeup-review/
- http://www.beautyfool.net/the-body-shop-natures-minerals-foundation-review/
I hope I helped, and good luck!
How about the liquid foundations that claim to self-adjust to the color of your complexion? (Anyone notice Jessica Alba advertising both a foundation YOU custom mix/create & one that’s supposed to adjust itself?) How are they working out? I remember when they came out with the self-adjusting lip-sticks & what interesting novelty colors they turned (not real flattering)…
Hey Laura,
Those foundations are by Revlon, right? I don’t think they are mineral foundations, and to be honest the whole “adjusting to your skintone” sounds like a marketing scheme to me. There used to be a product of gel blush that was said to adjust to your natural blush color, however there were reviews online where some people just applied it to a piece of paper, and it just changed into some default pink color. So, these “self adjusting” colors just seem to adjust to some color that would look different on different skin tones, but are basically the same color.
I guess you can try them out but the “create your own” sounds like it would work more than the self-adjusting formula.
And yes, I guess since she’s the face of Revlon, it doesn’t really matter that she’s advertising two different foundations! Normally that won’t be “allowed” but I guess it’s the same company so nobody really minds
Let me know on what you find!
this is another brilliant review on different brands. and you will soon find out which ingredient made you itch!
http://www.cosmeticscop.com/skin-care-facts-mineral-makeup.aspx
I tried Lilylolo.co.uk – they are really affordable, have great sample sizes to try and I like the texture (and the fact that they don’t do the ingedients, that are bad for you).
I have tried Body Shops’s mineral foundation and it’s great! It does not give a full coverage but NATURAL smooth looking face. Considering I used to have a lot of breakouts, with mineral foundation, my face settled down. I strongly recommend this product to women who want to look naturally smooth velvety skin!
I love the Goodskin products (mineral powder) its from a line of Estee Lauder, its not heavy and had no reaction to the ingredients which it contained. I would love for you to try it out and hopefully you will agree!!