mineral makeup

If you're anything like me, you've probably got several shades of pigment, whether by MAC, Barry M or just plain mineral mica, which are in jars. If you're as clumsy as me, you've probably spilled them everywhere too. As a result of my clumsiness, I've stopped using my loose powder products so often, which narrows my makeup options down a bit.

I'd long heard of people pressing their pigments into palettes, so along with some supplies from Coastal Scents, I thought I'd have a go. Here's my step-by-step guide to pressing a pigment; I'm using blusher type shades and a large blush pan.

Gather some ingredients. Some pigment samples, a bottle of surgical spirit, an empty pan, and a stirring device. I used a cotton bud with the cotton removed at first, and later moved on to using a pearl-headed pin. You'll also need an extra cotton bud for dispensing the surgical spirit.




Start off by putting a few drops of surgical spirit into the bottom of the pan, by dipping a cotton bud into the bottle, then dripping it into the pan, to help the pigment stick.
Pile in your pigments. I think I used about half a teaspoon in total, per pan, to fill most of the space available.




Add a few drops of surgical spirit and mix mix mix with your cotton bud / pinhead. You're looking for a fairly creamy, medium thickness texture, a bit like cake batter - you can make it thinner, but it'll take longer to dry out. It's best to add the surgical spirit in a little bit at a time.





At this stage, I realised I didn't have nearly enough pigment in there. So I added some more. And some other colours, too, so I could build up an interesting shade. A couple more drops of surgical spirit, and a bit more mixing followed.





And then I ended up with a very pretty pink shade. To ensure that the surface is even, gently drop the pan from about an inch above the table onto the table surface. Repeating several times.
Leave to dry until any hint of glossiness is gone from the surface of your pigment mix.




Once the mixture is dry, pop a square of fabric (cotton or denim work well) over the top of it. Then, place something in the pan that's roughly the same size - for eyeshadow pans (which are smaller), coins work well, but for large blush pans, my Clarins facial oil bottle turned out to be the right size.




Balance a heavy book on top of the whole lot and leave to press.








Voila! A pressed pan of pale pink blusher. I popped it directly into my magnetic palette and went on to make another. The colour, you might notice, is a bit lighter than it looked when it was mixed up with the surgical spirit, so bear that in mind when mixing colours.




The colour pay-off of this is quite sheer, as I used mostly Apricot Pink pigment, which is a pale pink with lots of frost, and a small amount of Fuschia, which is more pigmented. The only downside I've found from this process is that the surgical spirit scent lingers on in the pressed pan - although I'm hoping that it'll fade in a few days.

I had a LOT of fun mixing colours and am quite proud of the finished product - and shortly will be on to filling up my empty 15 pan palette with eyeshadows too!

Coastal Scents are a US based supplier of affordable makeup and supplies for those making their own bath or mineral makeup products. In fact, they're also one of the main mica wholesalers, if you'd like to go directly to the source for your mineral makeup.

Pictured on the left is their Ultra Shimmer 88-piece eyeshadow collection, which is a bit of a bargain at just $19.95. Although I've not tried it myself, it's had some good reviews, most of which conclude that this massive palette has good colour payoff and huge variety for such a tiny price.

I ordered some empty palettes and empty pans from them last week (more on what I'm using them for later!). I paid $19.19 shipping (around £11) - which sounds fairly expensive, but is only an extra pound over, say, Space NK's next day delivery. I placed my order on Monday afternoon UK time, and at lunchtime on Friday, my goods arrived. Very quick service from the US for a relatively low price.

With such quick shipping and such a wide range of products, I'll definitely be buying again.

A few years ago, the internet exploded with mineral makeup companies. Their product was natural, inexpensive, easy to wear and came in a huge range of shades. To me it seemed like the perfect solution for acquiring lots of amazing shades on a budget, without putting my skin in danger from iffy cheap ingredients, and my drawers swiftly filled with lots of little hand-labelled sample pots. It's very cheap and it's a fun way to try out colour. Plus, mineral shadows are easy to blend and hold tight in place over a layer of UDPP.

Anastasia of Lipsticks and Lightsabers has a newsflash for me however - it seems many mineral makeup companies frequently just repackage wholesale micas at a hugely inflated price. And those wholesale pigments come from just one of two suppliers, whose prices are absolutely tiny in comparison. Claims of uniqueness, hand-blended-ness, exceptional quality or in fact any USP seem pretty flimsy in the light of this revelation. It's the same stuff, in a different jar, and it's five times the price..?

Is it money for nothing? Widespread outrage at LimeCrime Cosmetics' prices and suggestive website copy suggests so. After testing the prettily packaged vibrant shades sold by Doe Deere, Anastasia is pretty sure she's been duped.

Since these products are all sold online in any case, it does seem to make a lot more sense to go straight to the source for your mineral colours if you're going to be cranking up the ol' Paypal account. And maybe have a go at mixing your own shades into the bargain. After all if so many small internet "companies" are doing it, it can't exactly be rocket science, can it?

TBK Trading's kits (see pic above) provide everything you need to get started. Their EZ Eyeshadow Kit costs around the same as a single high-end eyeshadow ($19) and allows you to mix over 25 of your own custom shades.

Here it is as promised, the super amazing Pür Minerals Thanksgiving weekend horn of plenty bonanza!  Up for grabs are 3 prizes worth $150 each full of fabulous Pür Minerals products (not necessarily the ones pictured, but ones just as good if not better)!  You will be able to enter once each day, as well as tweet once each day for an extra entry!  Better yet, Pür Minerals is calorie free (unlike pumpkin pie)!

The contest is open today, tomorrow and Monday.  Canadians only please!  All you have to do to enter is leave your answer to the question in the comments section along with your e-mail address - if you tweet or blog, let us know that too in a seperate comment! Your skill testing question is - What is The Shopping Channel's Today's Showstopper, the best value of the day (remember the answer will be different each day)?- You can go to www.theshoppingchannel.com to find out(and to drool over all the great things you might win)!  And make sure you check out The Shopping Channel - Monday, October 11th when Pür Minerals is launching new products - because it sure beats watching football!

Prologue: Mineral Makeup And I
Mineral makeup is not a new concept. Some of the companies specializing in it have been around for much longer than you'd think. Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics, for example, was founded in 1996. But it wasn't until Bare Minerals counters started popping up everywhere that I was fully aware of the option to use a foundation in a loose powder form.

So I tried. And it.did.not.work.
There were many reasons- from finding a matching shade to the unnatural finish. I wasn't too impressed with most of the SAs and their oddly buffed fuzzy android skin, and my face didn't look any better. The powder seemed to settle in my pores and dry my skin. It just wasn't right. I can tell you that the newer Matte formula is light years ahead of the original one, yet I still experienced dryness and the finish was not quite right.

The Story: In Which I Test Youngblood Mineral Foundation
I had a very positive experience with several other Youngblood products (why does saying it make me feel like a  vampire?), so I was willing to give their mineral foundation a try. I was sent the Mineral Basic Kit in medium and started working on my shaking and buffing technique.

The kit contains a Kabuki blending brush, two shades of mineral foundation (Honey and Tawny), Mineral Rice Setting Powder (medium), Crushed Mineral Blush (Rouge) and a sample of Hi-Definition Hydrating Mineral Perfecting Powder.

To my surprise, the Rice Setting Powder is supposed to go on first, right on top of your moisturizer, and act as a primer. I gave it a fair try and tested the powder in every kind of weather and humidity conditions (early spring is the best time for comprehensive product testing, by the way). The results were never thrilling. While the product is excellent when it comes to durability and hold, it comes at a high price of drying my skin to the point of flaking around the nose. It was not a matter of too much/too little product or buffing. I tried everything and my only conclusion is that this Rice Setting Powder is utterly not for me*.

But I didn't give up on the foundation. I was actually impressed with it from the very first time.I tried both colors separately and also mixed together with great results color-wise. It's a good match for my skin tone and can be adjusted according to season and mood. Honey is probably closer to my natural shade, but with a dash of Tawny it's as good as it gets.

 I started using the foundation over several primers, including the liquid Mineral Primer by Youngblood. They all worked perfectly and the mineral foundation applied and held very well. Once this issue was settled, I could appreciate the excellent coverage and very even skin the foundation created. Freckles and small sun spots disappear almost completely. To achieve this level of opacity with regular foundations I'd need to slather and frost my face with it. Not exactly desirable since these two dots on each cheek are the only thing I would even consider covering (normally I go for a very sheer look).

There's a learning curve with a mineral foundation. You need to figure out just how much (how little, actually) product to use without overdoing it. Too much buffing is also not good, because it makes the skin have an unnatural, over-processed finish. One thing I haven't found a way to avoid is the mess. No matter how careful I am, some powder ends up on the dresser, mirror and assorted cats. I keep moist wipes at reach to at least prevent mineral paw prints all over the house. Not all felines are impressed.

The mineral foundation looks and holds especially well on humid days (we had a few very unseasonal ones in early May/late April). The only time I wasn't too happy because of some tightening of the skin around my nose was when the weather turned cold again. This is going to be a summer staple for me, but will be tucked away for winter.

As for the other components of the kit, I already told you how much I liked the mineral blush. The Hi-Definition Hydrating Mineral Perfecting Powder is also excellent. It gives a flawless finish, no matter which foundation I've used underneath. The one disappointment is the brush. It's not soft enough for my liking and on days my face feel a bit tender (it's allergy season, after all), the Kabuki blending brush felt almost too abrasive. I know good brushes. This ain't it.

The Bottom Line(s):
I'm very happy to add a mineral foundation to my arsenal of face-making tools. It's not going to replace my beloved Chanel liquid foundation, but some days I like an alternative, and this is a very good one.
Unless your skin is very active and oily, I'd recommend skipping the Mineral Rice Powder in favor of a good regular primer.
The blush and the Hi-Def powder are both worth trying independently. Just get a good brush elsewhere.

*I know some are going to ask, so here's what I'm working with, face-wise: I'm 39, so my spring chicken days are definitely over. My skin goes from nice and normal to very dry, depending on the weather. I have small-to-medium sized pores and rarely break out and rarely break out. No wrinkles other than three frown lines, no crow's feet but very large dark under eye circles. Biggest skin issue is the sensitive and dry zone on both sides of the nose.

The Mineral Basic Kit ($45)  is available online from the company's website (ybskin.com). The products can also be purchased separately there or in store at Henri Bendel. I was sent a free kit through the company's PR.

All photos by Giselle and me.

Disclosure:  This product was sent to us for consideration by PR.

The lovely Madevi of Facegoop very kindly reviewed this SheerCover set, which we were sent in too dark a colour for either of our pasty skins.  If you've not read Facegoop before, you definitely should - it's a beauty blog with a twist and one of our favourite sites of the moment.  Read on to find out what Madevi (and her partner-in-blogging E) made of SheerCover.




M: The nice girls at London Beauty Review have sent me this Sheer Cover kit to review, because I am dark(ish) and they are not. Certainly dark of soul.

E: And dark of brain. So, what is the powder?

M: Be patient, young jedi. To do it full justice, I would like to do this review in the style of a nerdy Apple fanboy unboxing video. Except, without the video. Because it's Easter Monday and I am typing this from the comfort of my bed. First, we have the plain white box.



E: I see. So far, so boring.

M: Inside the box you will find an ominous looking shiny black pouch thing, that is very difficult to photograph.


E: Bad glare?

M: Bad. Very bad. It is the Darth Vader of pouches.



E: OPEN THE POUCH M!

M: PATIENCE. Inside the box there is a DVD, and a little booklet, in which some terrifyingly smily American lady tries to be your FRIEND.



E: "Dear friend" it says. Even though she has never met you, and if she did, she would be scared witless.

M: Nope. Neither she, nor her perfect teeth, nor her head full of highlights have ever come near your craggy, pitted face, but still, she wants to hold you close to her perfectly formed bosom. What is more, she has supplied us with this DVD, that gently coaxes you to JETZT ANSEHEN!!


E: Bitte schön, können sie in englisch sprechen?

M: Dude, if someone asks you to jetzt ansehen, you jetzt anseh. And that is just what I did.

E: And????

M: In the Sheer Cover "Tips & Tricks" DVD (tricks - snicker), two fiendleshly pretty women tell normal (dowdy) women how to make the most of their looks.You know they are experts because they are both standing up, while the lucky lady (victim) has to sit in a chair, flanked by these two smiling monsters.

E: Wow. It's Like an alien experiment.

M: YES. Exactly like that. With less anal probing.

E: The cosmetic industry-alien alliance continues. Hmm, now I am looking at those brushes in a different light.

M: Anyway, there is a whole hour of this. I zoned out after about 10 mns, which is just what they want, I suspect. The gist of it is: wear Sheer Cover products. Even a village idiot could manage it, and it will make you pretty.

E: So? Did you try it???

M: Yes. Yes I did. Inside the pouch you will find a primer, concealer, two shades of mineral powder, a mascara, a colour palette, one concealer brush, and one powder brush.



M: It's a bit too dark for me just now, but would probably be fine in the summer. But here are my highly scientific, entirely objective observations:

1. The brush is scratchy. Not Bare Minerals scratchy, but scratchy. It's a bit like rubbing a twig covered badger on your face.

E: Ouch.

M: 2. I was scared of the primer, because as has been well documented elswehere, I have Angry Monkey Face syndrome. This is just a lot of silicone squeezed into a tube. I will wash it off the first chance I get.

3. The powder itself is OK. Not freakishly shiny, and it blends nicely.

4. I hate the palette full of tiny circles of colour. I HATE IT.



E: Why? What's it for, anyway?

M: It's supposed to be multi purpose colour for your face or something, but half of them are for your lips and half for your eyes, and it only comes with one tiny useless brush.

E: And they are not good?

M: No, they are crap. Also, because I AM a village idiot, I ended up putting lip stuff on my eyelid, and it was sticky.

E: The DVD ladies would be ashamed of you.

M: Yes, they would put me into the Sheer cover Dunce corner. The colours also have this frosty, robotic quality to them and I do not want to be a robot.

E: Pfff. Where is your sense of adventure, M?

M: I left it in Boots. 5. The mascara is actually very good. It's not clumpy, it lengthens and adds volume. It feels quite heavy though. Like someone has coated your lashes in gum.

E: Hmm. You need to develop stronger eyelid muscles.

M: I need to do eyelid pilates.

E: So, overall what's your verdict?

M: My verdict: lots of products, lots of information, but I found it all a bit overwhelming. Then again I find combing my hair overwhelming at the moment.

E: And the basic product?

M: Bof. I wouldn't use it. Overwhelming in the box, underwhelming on your face.

E: So, are we saying a paltry 8/20?

M: Yup. Sheer Cover, you've failed the Facegoop test. Even if you are from space, and will probably come to get us in the night for your nefarious powdery experiments.

One thing I really like about this stuff is the packaging. The "click lock and go" sifter is a pretty neat bit of engineering. Basically you can open or close the sifter holes by twisting the edge of the open jar (there is a serrated grippy bit to make this easy) to avoid spillage if you're carrying it around with you. There are plastic "bumps" to keep the sifter held in position. The jar itself is a solid but lightweight construction with pleasantly neutral branding.

The "flawless face" brush that was sent along with the powder is also of good quality, soft and pleasant to use. I am not sure what sort of hair it's made of (definitely natural hair and not synthetic). It sheds a bit, but not too much.

I wore the foundation, applied in swirl-tap-buff fashion with the "flawless face" brush, for several days running. And I don't know why, but I just didn't take to it. There's something about the feeling of it on my face that I don't like. It's kind of... there. I can tell I have it on whenever I move my face. It's not heavy, it's certainly not greasy, but it's not drying either. It just creates a sensation that I personally don't like, and for that reason I doubt I will repurchase.

That said, I'm confident that it will probably work a treat for other people, and it seems like a well thought out, good quality product. So if you are at all curious, I would suggest that you do go to the counter and have a try of it, especially if the promotion is still running when you read this.

Bare Minerals Original foundation costs £22 (8g) and is available from Bare Escentuals online, or via counters in department stores nationwide. There is also a stand-alone Bare Escentuals store in Covent Garden.

We've received a SheerCover mineral makeup kit from the PR agents for Guthy-Renker in the Tan/Dark colourway - which is too dark for both Sarah and I.  So, we need YOU - if your skin is likely to match the Tan/Dark foundations of Almond and Mocha, and you're prepared to write an honest, unbiased review of your experiences using the products, we'd love to hear from you.  Included in the kit:

• Instruction DVD
• Powder brush 
• Concealer brush
• Almond and Mocha foundations
• Lip to Lid sampler
• Concealer duo
• Extra length mascara
• Base perfector

If you'd like to help us out and try these products out, please email us at admin (at) londonbeautyreview.com by midnight on Tuesday 16th March.  Thanks!