(mis)adventures in mineral foundations

I remember the days when I wore liquid foundation. And I cringe at the thought. Hey, I know there are some great liquid foundations out there, but almost ALL of them have not worked in my best interest. They are harder to apply, usually difficult to blend in, easily allows that dreaded 'mask' effect, and clog my pores instantaneously. My face can't breathe in a liquid or creme foundation. Throughout most of my high school career, I wore this one particular Cover Girl foundation that was entirely too wrong for me. It washed me out in all my photos and never failed to cast a grey shadow as it oxidized on my face throughout the day. Whenever I look at my sophomore year dance team photograph, I shriek at the eerie ghost that showed its face in my photo that day...oh wait, that's moi.

I just don't do liquid foundation anymore. Sure, I pick some up every now and then to try them out, but nope, never works out. That said, I LOVE MINERAL FOUNDATION. LOVE IT. My skin type is a pain in the butt, but also typical of the average young adult. This being a combination skin type and prone to breakouts. Sucks, right? Yeah, but I have found that mineral makeup works best with my skin type.

Okay, on to mineral foundations that I have tried in the past and my two cents. (In no chronological order):

Bare Escentuals Bare Minerals Foundation: NO THANK YOU. This foundation made me look like a miner. Mining silver ore. Cast a grey sheen on my face almost instantly along with some shimmer. this foundation made me itch!! It was the bismuth in it, I can betcha. Known to cause breakouts, itching, and rashes. No thanks...Color selection is very limited and very pricy, as well. Returned kit promptly. Used $$ to buy sandwich at Charley's Grilled Subs. yum

Philosophy the supernatural mineral Foundation: The packaging was just really bad on this foundation. It was a glass jar with a puff applicator. The foundation itself wasn't so bad (some shimmer, though). The puff was really hard to work with, and made coverage unreliable. Color selection, like BE was limited.

Covergirl TruBlend Pressed Minerals Foundation: Not so shabby, Covergirl. I actually liked this foundation! It came in a (cheap) flip top plastic packaging along with a brush. Might as well throw away this brush instantly because it is lousy. I used a soft, dense brush to apply the foundation. Coverage was light/medium. The only reason I don't rebuy is the ridiculous color selection~couldn't get the right shade without bringing back the 'ghost'. 6 shades, come on!!! People aren't: pale, not so much pale, dark, a bit darker, super dark, darkest ever....

Maybelline Mineral powder foundation: A commendable effort on Maybellines behalf. I found the packaging great. The screw top container with the sifter was reminisent of BE. The mini-'buki brush it came with was horrible. It was like a 5 y/o's play makeup brush. The coverage was hard to work with and tended to dry out my skin and feel heavy. It either applied too dense or light, even with patience and practice. Color selection was pretty diverse.

L'Oreal Bare Naturale mineral foundation: The best foundation I have tried. Continually go back to Bare Naturale. They actually have a great variety of colors available for most complexions, and even my perfect shade 'light ivory'. It really is a great foundation. Coverage is buildable. Easily covers any redness and breakouts. I have had no adverse reactions/breakouts directly from its usage. I can put this foundation on in less than a minute, and without a mirror! Only qualm is the packaging, I don't exactly like the kabuki they put on the lid, as it sheds its bristles during application occasionally.

Milani Minerals Compact Makeup: I've only tried this a couple times, but each time am more and more impressed. Milani didn't use talc in their formula for this foundation. This means it won't irritate most sensitive skin users or oxidize throughout wear. This foundation easily neutralizes redness. Consistency is silky smooth. Puff included is useless. Use a nice dense brush for application for best results. Just writing about this makes me want to try again! Found at CVS for less than $8.

Revlon Colorstay Mineral Foundation: And the winner of the losers goes to Revlon. Wow, this foundation was as useless as a hat on a car. No coverage, lousy packaging, and chalky formula.

Okay, I am sure I have tried others, but these are just the ones that pop into memory at this time. Mineral foundation has really changed my beauty routine. And for the good. I love how my foundation doesn't accentuate dryness or uneven tones like liquid foundations have perpetually done in the past. It really is trial and error, though in figuring out what works best for your skin and skin background.