OVERALL RATING:
- EXCELLENT
- GOOD
- FAIR
- NOT GOOD
PRODUCT PROS:
- Matte finish (not "shiny")
- Lightweight air-whipped texture (not "oily")
- Marketed as staying on your face for 16-hours without need for touch-up, and actually seems quite true on my face
- Gave my face a subtle nice glow and sheen, probably from the mother-of-pearl and topaz (ground gemstones) in it
- Relatively cheap for ~$15 compared to high-end brands
- Ingredients list is pretty good (no comedogenic ingredients that I could identify, see below for full list)
- Convenient packaging; easy dispensing
- My skin did not react in a bad way to it (no redness, etc)
- Nice, pleasant powdery smell
PRODUCT CONS:
- Difficult to spread out evenly over dry patches on my face
- Fair 010 was a little too lightish and a bit pinky-white for my skin tone (very pale with golden undertones); the next shade of Fair/Light 020 was too pinkish beige.
MORE THOUGHTS:
I was looking for a foundation for my facial skin that also had SPF (sun protection factor). This had SPF 20 and an ingredients list that made me excited to try it out (full ingredients list below). I tried out the two lightest shades: Fair 010 and Fair/Light 020. The Fair 010 was the best match, although it still did not completely blend in well with the rest of my skin tone. It tended to accentuate the small dry patches near my nose, but not too noticeably. The texture is definitely like a lightweight, whipped mousse; much different from your traditional oily liquid foundations
I tend to get quite oily on my T-zone, and this helped control the shine throughout the day without looking fake. In fact, over the course of the day, it provided a subtle glow and sheen, like the surface of a pearl. This is probably because it has mother-of-pearl ground into it, as well as other gemstones like topaz and quartz (see full list of ingredients below). I really, really liked that aspect of this product.
I also became very excited to see that Silk and Vitamin E are some of the other ingredients. I was also pleasantly surprised to see that White Lily extract is also another ingredient in this product. White Lily (Lilium candidum bulb extract) is traditionally used to treat ailments like burns, and is used in wound healing and treating irritated tissue, as well as revitalizing the skin.
However, since it sort of dries into a mousse upon contact with my skin, it's difficult to spread out evenly over my face. Hence, I definitely would not recommend this product for people with dry skin or dry patches on your skin. It would be much better suited for people who naturally have oily skin.
Since I mainly need a product to cover up the ruddy, dry and darker colored patches near my nose/cheeks, I sadly don't think I will use this product anymore. But if you're more oily overall for your entire face, I would recommend this product!
INGREDIENTS:
Titanium Dioxide (3.8%), Zinc Oxide (2.0%), Dimethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Isodecane, PEG/PPG 19/19 Dimethicone, Aqua (Water), Caprylyl Methicone, Trisiloxane, Silica, HDI/Trimethol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Adipic Acid/Neopentyl Glycol Crosspolymer, Silica Silycate, Cyclohexasiloxane, Mother of Pearl, Topaz, Quartz, Cymbidium Grandiflorum Flower (Orchid) Extract, Lactobacillus/Eriodictyon Californicum Ferment Extract, Lilium Candidum Bulb Extract, Malva Sylvestris Extract (Mallow), Serica (Silk), Tocopherol Acetate, Dimethicone/Silsesquioxane Copolymer, Alumina, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Glycerine, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Trihydroxystearin, Methicone, Alcohol Denatured, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Ammonium Polyacrylatedimethyl Taurate, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Polysorbate 20, Polysorbate 80, Ethylene Brassylate, Caprylyl Glycol, 1,2 Hexanediol, May Contain (+/-): Mica, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499)
MY SKIN TYPE:
- Sensitive
- Combination (oily T-zone, dry cheeks/nose area)
- Redness/rosacea (?) around nose
- Large pores (since my middle-school days!) on nose and near cheeks
- Very pale with golden undertones (mixed Asian / Eastern European)
OVERALL RATING:
- EXCELLENT
- VERY GOOD
- FAIR
- NOT GOOD
PRODUCT PROS:
- Cheap for a mineral powder (~$12 for 9 grams)
- Scentless (no irritating fragrance)
- Easy to apply
- Perfect amount of coverage (I use a cosmetic sponge wedge to apply the product on my face)
- A very natural look; does not look like I am wearing make-up
- Controls my oil and shine throughout the day
- No irritating chemicals to my skin
- For sensitive or breakout-prone skin
- "Hypoallergenic"
- Dermatologist approved
- SPF 16; seal shows it's recomended by the Skin Cancer Foundation
PRODUCT CONS:
- The brush that it comes with isn't that great (I use a cosmetic sponge wedge instead)
- Contains preservatives like parabens (which actually are OK in small amounts and help prevent bacterial growth, so it's not *completely* a bad thing)
MORE THOUGHTS:
I bought the shade in "Translucent" from my local drugstore. It caught my eye because it was listed as "Talc-Free" and there is controversy over using talc in cosmetic products these days. I also like that it isn't overloaded with tons of chemicals like other powders and products are. I also really liked the ingredients list which show that it contains "squalane", "tocopheryl acetate", "kaolin", and "retinyl palmitate" (see full ingredients list below).
I'm very careful about what I put on my skin, since it's quite sensitive. So I've done a lot of research into many of these chemicals. Since most people may not know what these ingredients are, I'll talk about some of them below.
"Squalane" is traditionally derived from olives, and is typically used to treat and prevent wrinkles. It is said to protect the skin from the sun's UV rays and moisturizes the skin to prevent dryness and chapping.
"Tocopheryl acetate" is more commonly known as Vitamin E, and works as a natural preservative, moisturizer and anti-oxidant. It has an established role in good, effective skin products, since olden times.
"Kaolin" is also used in many clay masks, to help draw out impurities from the skin and "clean" it, over time.
"Retinyl palmitate" is best known for its anti-wrinkle effects. It's converted to Vitamin A in the skin. It's considered to be one of the most effective anti-aging treatments and helps the skin to have that healthy glow. Well, I definitely saw that effect even when I immediately applied it to my skin! Also, this product doesn't contain bismuth oxychloride, which I was incredibly happy about. Bismuth oxychloride which is in BareMinerals products actually seemed to give my skin a rough time, as I best recall.
This product really gave my skin a nice, even glow. My face looked flawless after using this, which made me think, "Wow!" And that doesn't usually happen with many products I use.
This mineral powder absorbed my facial skin oil, concealed my pores very well, and provided a nice matte finish... which actually lasted throughout the whole day! Pretty surprising for a drugstore makeup find! I also love the fact it has squalane and vitamin E, to help "heal" my skin over time.
The reason I don't rate this as "excellent" is because it contains a small amount of parabens. Parabens are necessary to prevent bacterial growth in makeup products, but there is controversy over their use. There are some other natural alternatives like grapefruit seed oil, that this company could have used, which would also work very well as an anti-bacterial preservative.
The other reason I rate this product as "very good" but not "excellent" is because initially I experienced some reddening of the skin over the first few days, and some acne that was brought to the skin's surface. This is natural, since it contains ingredients that help purify the skin from the inside out. So initially, it would be expected to experience some acne. But over time, this acne should go away, revealing smoother and more radiant skin.
So it's more like a treatment and cover-up in one. If you are just looking for a cover-up, maybe you can try something else, but since I am still experiencing the "acne years," I want something to use as a treatment and cover-up in one product (at least during the day time), and this seems great for that purpose.
INGREDIENTS:
titanium dioxide (6.0%), zinc oxide (4.2%), mica, squalane, silica, boron nitride, lauroyl lysine, kaolin, retiyl palmitate, tocopheryl acetate, methylparaben, propylparaben. may contain: iron oxides, ultramarines.
MY SKIN TYPE:
- Sensitive
- Combination (oily T-zone, dry cheeks/nose area)
- Redness/rosacea (?) around nose
- Large pores (since my middle-school days!) on nose and near cheeks
- Very pale with golden undertones (mixed Asian / Eastern European)
OVERALL RATING:
- EXCELLENT
- GOOD
- FAIR
- NOT GOOD
PRODUCT PROS:
- Packed with organic ingredients that are known to be cell-repairing ("fixes" the building blocks of your skin)
- Packed with good natural antioxidants like pomegranate and vitamin E to protect the skin from environmental and bio-chemical stress
- Helps rebuild new collagen (framework for your skin)
- Smells sort of like fresh mown grass mixed with sugar
PRODUCT CONS:
- Expensive (~$50)
- Appears too oily on my face
- Difficult to apply makeup on top of it
- A bit difficult to apply (oil pump dispenser is a little hard to control and sometimes squirts in different directions; at least for my bottles)
- My eyes water and sting after a few hours if I put it on top of my eyelids
- A lot of other people don't seem to like the smell of it
MORE THOUGHTS:
I did not really notice this product balancing my skin oil production, since it mostly made my face look oily. However, I was determined to keep using it, because they use an excellent combination of ingredients which are very healthy for the skin.
Unfortunately, I think this may have contributed to some of my cystic acne when I paired wearing it underneath a silicone-based primer (Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer). I don't know if the combination caused my cystic acne, or if it was the oil itself. I have not had a bad case of cystic acne for years!
However, after using this for about 1-2 months, my skin tone became much more evened out, and I feel like the red patches around my nose became less prominent. My skin texture seemed more "even", although it did not completely get rid of my pores.
I plan to continue to use this under my eyes (dabbed on the bone right under my eye-circles), because it seems to reduce the purplish discoloration and wrinkle lines. It plumps up the area and helps it to look refreshed.
INGREDIENTS:
organic rose hip fruit oil, organic argan oil, organic jojoba oil, liquid shea butter, organic tamanu oil, organic pomegranate seed oil, organic evening primrose oil, organic borage oil, squalane, mixed tocopherol, organic pomegranate extract, organic green tea leaf extract, organic french rose extract, wildcrafted himalayan geranium oil, organic geranium oil, organic helichrysum oil, rose otto oil.
MY SKIN TYPE:
- Sensitive
- Combination (oily T-zone, dry cheeks/nose area)
- Redness/rosacea (?) around nose
- Large pores (since my middle-school days!) on nose and near cheeks
- Very pale with golden undertones (mixed Asian / Eastern European)
OVERALL RATING:
- EXCELLENT
- GOOD
- FAIR
- NOT GOOD
PRODUCT PROS:
- Cheap for a mineral powder (~$10 for 8 grams)
- Scentless (no fragrance)
- Easy to apply
- Non-irritating to my skin
- Pure ingredients
- No preservatives
- No oils
- No "fillers"
PRODUCT CONS:
- Coverage is too sheer
- Frequent touch-ups are necessary; becomes oily again fast
- Very little SPF (not intended as a sunscreen)
MORE THOUGHTS:
I bought the shade in "Translucent" from my local drugstore. It caught my eye because it had very natural and typically non-harmful ingredients as compared to other brands (see ingredients list below). I'm very careful about what I put on my skin, since it's quite sensitive.
Well, it didn't exactly give my face a nice glow, but I have to give it some credit for mattifying my face and providing a somewhat "even" tone, overall.
This mineral powder absorbed my facial skin oil, concealed my pores temporarily, and provided a nice matte finish... for the first 3-4 hours, perhaps. After about 6 hours, my face looked oily again, with very visible pores. Not worth re-purchasing! It may be delicate enough for my skin without irritating it, but it doesn't do the job of a good finishing veil powder for my skin. However, I am happy to see they are working to make their products more skin-friendly. My skin did not get red or irritated after using this, which was a good thing!
INGREDIENTS:
glass beads, boron nitride, isononyl isononanoate, carnauba wax, aloe leaf juice, tocopherol, panthenol. may contain +/- mica, bismuth oxychloride, titanium dioxide, iron oxides.
MY SKIN TYPE:
- Sensitive
- Combination (oily T-zone, dry cheeks/nose area)
- Redness/rosacea (?) around nose
- Large pores (since my middle-school days!) on nose and near cheeks
- Very pale with golden undertones (mixed Asian / Eastern European)
OVERALL RATING:
- EXCELLENT
- GOOD
- FAIR
- NOT GOOD
PRODUCT PROS:
- Creamy white texture
- Pleasant citrus grape scent
- Easy to apply
- Lightens my acne scars
- Excellent ingredients with a special patented formula
- Does not make my face explode into acne
- Evens out my skin tone over time
- Provides a good amount of moisture
PRODUCT CONS:
- Expensive (typically ~$68)
- Makes my oily T-zone look sort of oily; a powder or blotting is necessary
- Low SPF (only SPF 15)
- Very small bottle that can run out quickly
MORE THOUGHTS:
I have very sensitive skin with uneven redness near my nose, and was desperate to find a daily treatment cure. This product does a beautiful job of moisturizing and evening out my skin tone, without making my face break out into a lot of acne.
I also bought this product because I wanted something to lighten out the dark and ruddy spots on my face, especially old acne scars. This definitely helped with that.
However, the SPF is not that high (only SPF 15), but since I don't spend a lot of time in direct sunlight, this amount works well for me. Also, it has a very long ingredients list with many chemicals, which makes me uncomfortable to apply to my face.
This product is the only SPF cream that had truly worked for my skin over time, compared to the other SPF products I have tried. If this was more affordable and had a higher SPF, as well as a more healthy ingredients list (such as mineral sunscreen rather than chemical sunscreen), I would want to give it 10 out of 10 stars.
MY SKIN TYPE:
- Sensitive
- Combination (oily T-zone, dry cheeks/nose area)
- Redness/rosacea (?) around nose
- Large pores (since my middle-school days!) on nose and near cheeks
- Very pale with golden undertones (mixed Asian / Eastern European)
