Loose Powder

BareMinerals loose mineral eyeshadow was the first type I started buying and using when I started to get more interested in make-up about 10 years ago. I liked the colors and the fact that they were made from minerals. However, after several years of use, I started developing a slight allergy to the loose eye shadow (as well as the foundation). My eyes would water and itch whenever I wore them and after some trial and error, I discovered it was most likely due to the bismuth oxychloride in their products – the same ingredient that they advertise  as giving you a “glow.”

A couple years ago, I tried their matte foundations, which are bismuth free. It works great and my skin doesn’t itch like it used to when I used the regular foundation. Hoping they’d also adjusted their eye shadows, I’ve been trying samples off and on to no avail.

BareMinerals recently released their READY Eyeshadow palettes. They come in palettes of two or four colors and each color is a pressed mineral eyeshadow and do not contain parabens, binders, or fillers.

I really loved the dark brown shadow with aqua duochrome in the Vision palette, but I really disliked the highlight color. Instead, I picked Showstopper, which has two colors I liked a lot, both shades of purple.

Here are some photos of the palette:

Bravo is a very light bluish-purple and Encore is a purple with a slight blue shimmer. The palette has a mirror on the inside of the lid and comes with a small sponge applicator. I never use those, so I’ll probably end up losing it or throwing it out at some point.

The set on the left is without primer and the set on the right is with. The shadows are very soft and easy to blend. Obviously, they wear much longer with a primer, but even without a base of some kind, they last quite a while.

After wearing these for several days, I’m glad to report that I had no eye irritation! These shadows do contain bismuth oxychloride, so I wonder if the pressed nature of the palette means there is less fall out to get into my eyes. I would definitely buy another one of these palettes.

BareMinerals Ready Eyeshadow palettes are available at Sephora, Ulta, QVC, and other beauty stores. The 2.0 palettes retail for $20 and the 4.0 palettes retail for $30.

This past August, I went to Woodbury Commons to spend a Lululemon gift certificate and discovered that they had opened a BareMinerals Outlet. I had to stop in and see what they had, of course!

There weren’t too many things I wanted to – the last time I used BareMinerals eyes hadows, my eyes always itched like crazy. The company has some great colors, though, so i was hoping to try some new products and see if I still had that reaction. for under $10, I found the Liner Shadow Compact Quad II!

The  compact comes with fours colors of loose powder and a small brush. There’s also a mirror on the inside of the lid.

The third photo above shows the four colors and their names.

• Aquamarine – teal blue with slight shimmer
• Coffee Bean – brown with a slight red
• Firefly – light copper with a slight shimmer
• Retro – dark brown

Here’s a swatch I made using a web brush:

Colors from left to right: Retro, Firefly, Coffee Bean, Aquamarine

I do like the colors, but when applied dry, they’re very light. I’d definitely have to use a sticky primer like Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy or apply the shadows with a wet brush. I haven’t used them used them often enough to see if I get any sort of allergic reaction, but at least I will be able to wear them occasionally.

The design of the compact looks great, but I think those lids are going to get pretty mess if you kept this in your purse or bag. There are also two wells that you can use to mix the powder with water, which is convenient, but will probably also be annoying to keep clean. The included brush is okay for drawing wider lines, but I’d probably use a different brush for finer lines.

Overall, I like the teal and copper shadows, but haven’t really like using powder shadows for eyeliner. Still, it was an in expensive way to try BareMinerals eye shadows again. Personally, I wasn’t that impressed, so I won’t be buying more eye shadows from this company.

In my search for a peachy-copper eyeshadow, I stumbled across Glory Box Cosmetics, a San Diego based mineral make up company.

For my first order from them, I decided to go with their Sock It To Me set – a vegan eyeshadow primer plus three eyeshadow colors of my choice for $20 plus shipping.

The primer comes in a squeeze tube and the eye shadows come in the usual screw top containers with sifters. I also got two free samples in bags, which was a nice surprise.

The three colors I chose and the samples are described by the company as follows:

• Battersea – a beautiful, rich teal duochrome. While the shadow itself is teal, at certain angles, it flashes gold.
• Sun Will Set – a brilliant, deep peachy orange color. Do you ever want that slightly darker than skin tone shadow that makes you look like people on TV who “aren’t wearing makeup”? This is it!
• Bigger On the Inside – It is, of course, TARDIS blue! A perfect match to Eleven’s bowtie because ‘bowties are cool.’
• Lotion – It’s creamy, so creamy looking that it’s shocking it’s not actually a cream. And then it sheers out to a glimmering green highlight.
• We Belong – a blue-tinged black base with black and blue glitters (part of the Pat Benetar collection)

And of course, swatches!

From left to right: Sun Will Set, Battersea, Bigger On the Inside, Lotion, We Belong

Overall, I do like the consistency of these shadows. There is a minimal fallout and I would buy from this shop again.

The primer was a bit oily and difficult to use, but I’ll be reviewing that in more detail in another post.

Glory Box Cosmetics products are available on Etsy. Individual shadows are $5 each and the tube of primer is $12.

For the last month I’ve been after a orange/peach eye shadow that would look good on my skin tone. Having not seen anything in my local Sephora, I checked out Etsy and stumbled on Body Language Soaps, a shop that sells both mineral makeup and bath products.

I ordered a sample set of three shadows (and received a fourth for free):

Here are the shade descriptions from the shop:

• Eos – “a gorgeous golden pink shade with a metallic finish.”
• Anemone – “a soft delicate summer coral shade. It’s soft coral base is a warm peachy shade, and has warm golden metallic overtones.”
• Bubble Gum Pink – “this mineral eye shadow is the cutest shade of bubble gum pink! Soft pretty pale pink with a pearly finish!”
• Peacock – “gorgeous vibrant teal green”

And some swatches:

From left to right: Eos, Anemone, Bubble Gum Pink, Peacock.

Anemone seemed like the coral shade I was after, but it just wasn’t exactly right. I think on someone with fairer skin, it would look much better. Eos was a great pick, though! It looks pink in the container, but once applied, there’s a lovely gold shimmer, so it’s basically a pink/gold duochome. Very pretty! I also really like Peacock.

Overall, I thought the quality of these shadows are about average, but there are some interesting colors. A 3 gram sample jar costs $3.50 and while you will get plenty of shadow, be aware that the jars are not packed full. A full size 10 gram jar is $6.95.

You can buy Body Language eye shadows from their Etsy shop or website.

This Mineral Wear Correcting Powder is another Physicians formula 3-in-1. The powder is advertised to correct skin imperfections, smooth skin textures and skin tone. Like most of the other Mineral Wear the correcting powder is talc-free, hypoallergenic, fragrance free, non-comedogenic, and paraben free.

I tried using the correcting powder by itself, but I found it didn’t do much covering up or evening out of my skin tone. It mostly just made my complexion lighter. The correcting powdered consists of four colors, pink, yellow, green, and peach swirled together on the palette. The three main colors are Pink for brightening, Green to tone down redness, and Yellow to add warmth. The compact also comes with a built-in mirror and a flat brush. I have expressed my dislike of the brushes that come with the Physicians Formula compacts in the past, so I refrain from using the included brush and use a mini kabuki brush from eco-tools instead. Since the powder doesn’t work well as a primer or corrector for me, I’ve been using the powder as a finishing veil. In fact the powder works quite well as a finishing veil in absorbing any access oils or moisture on my face.

So if you are looking for an alternative translucent finishing veil this talc-free correcting powder might work for you.

Antoinette’s Revolution Cosmetics is a new indie company that opened in May 2011. You can currently buy their items at their Artfire shop.

During the first week of their launch, I purchased the sale listing of 6 pots for the 4 and with the launch coupon code, it cost me $17 + shipping. Normally, each full sized pot is $5 while samples are $0.75 each.

My order arrived packaged in pretty tissue tied with a ribbon and a lovely handmade card. A free sample of Comtesse was included!

Each pot was sealed with plastic and the sifters were covered with a sticker to prevent spillage during shipping.

Here are swatches of the colors I ordered: (l-r) Dusty Rose, Damask, Masquerade, Ladies in Waiting, Versailles, la Fontaine, and the free sample of Comtesse.

I found the colors very smooth to apply and worked well over Fyrinnae’s Pixie Epoxy. Ladies In Waiting is a matte nude color that looks great on my skin tone. La Fontaine is an understated silver shadow that I like wearing with Dusty Rose. All of the colors are lovely!

Overall, I liked these shadows and would purchase more in the future as there are definitely some  more colors I’d love to try!

After reading a bunch of reviews online about various types of mineral powders with SPF protection, I decided to try Sheer Miracle. I purchased sample sizes of their foundation, finishing powder, blush, bronzer, and green and pink concealers.

The samples come in 1g jars, and they are sealed and clearly labeled. I was surprised to see that the foundation and finishing veils were full 1g jars with sifters. They were definitely worth the $2.50 price. It looks as though the foundation and mineral veils sample would last me about a month of daily use, since I only use a light coverage. The Green concealer and blush are also a decent amount, they are nowhere near full, but they do have quite a few uses in them. For the Pink concealer, since it is a cream it only comes with literally one tiny drop in the jar. For $2.50 I think that is a bit much. I’m sure there are a few uses in the sample, but it would be nice if the single drop were a bit bigger.

Mineral Foundation – Medium Light Neutral and Medium Tan

I generally use Medium Beige for Bare Escentuals foundations, and since I wasn’t sure what color I was for Sheer Miracle, I decided to try the Medium Light Neutral and the Medium Tan. Unfortunately, both colors didn’t work for me. The Medium Light Neutral ended up having a yellow undertone instead of a neutral undertone. As for the Medium Tan, even after being out in the sun hiking for hours, it was still a bit dark for me. Maybe after vacationing in Hawaii for a week, I can use the Medium Tan.

Aside from the poor color matching, the foundations are not matte so they still have a light shimmer to the powders, but not as much as the Bare Escentuals Original foundation, but the light shimmers does not bother me. The foundation gives pretty decent coverage and feels very light. Additionally, it is SPF 30 and I am all for longer sun protection for my face. It’s too bad the colors did not work for me. I would have loved to have had an alternate brand of foundation that cost less than Bare Escentuals.

Bronzer

Sheer Miracle only has one color for bronzer. I found the color to be a bit dark. I prefer my bronzer to be a bit lighter since my skin is already slightly tanned. But I guess with the darker bronzer color I just need very little of the bronzer, so the product would definitely last me a long time.

Blush – Sienna Rose

I picked Sienna Rose because it was recommended for those with Medium complexion. The sample has quite a bit of blush, and the blush is very pigmented like the bronzer. Just a very tiny bit of blush is enough to give your cheeks some color. I usually just tap the excess blush powder off of the cap and dip my brush lightly on the residual blush powder clinging to the cap for the amount of blush I use on my cheek, which is still ample color to give me a rosy hue. At first I thought it might be too much pigment to my liking, but the blush blends very well and gave me natural rosy cheeks with a hint of rouge.

The blush color is a rose color and has a bit of a shimmer in it, but when it is applied to the face, I don’t notice any shimmer on my face.

Finishing Veil – Matte

I really like this finishing veil. The veil is very light and you only need a little bit of powder for your whole face. Usually I would just dunk my kabuki brush once into the jar and that is more than enough to cover my whole face. This finishing veil kind of reminds me of the E.L.F. HD powder.

1g jar with sifter

Finishing Veil – Glow

Apparently, Sparkle is the new “Glow” because this finishing veil is SPARKLY. When I say sparkly, I mean sparkly because just after a dunk of my brush and a once over on my face, I looked like Twilight vampire. A couple years ago, this look might be fun, but if you do not want to look like the latest vampire fad. I would avoid this veil and stick to the matte. However, if you plan to be a sparkling fairy for Halloween, this veil would be perfect.

Concealer – Green

The Green concealer works pretty well, but because I wear such a light coverage of foundation on my face, I have to work a bit on blending the green in to prevent looking like I have splotches of green on face. However, the concealer does give decent coverage. I may prefer using this concealer under a liquid foundation, but that’s just me.

Concealer – Pink

This pink under eye concealer is a cream and “more than meets the eye” is the first thing that pops into mind when I see the little pink dot in the sample jar. The little dot sample of the pink concealer does go a long way because you need very little to get the coverage you need under your eyes. I’ve used this sample for a while, and I still have quite a lot of the tiny dot left. The light pink color works well to lighten the dark under eye circles and goes on very smoothly. Also because of the lightness of the pink it blends easily with foundation.

Who knew that soft brushes could be bought without breaking the bank? For years I have been using cheap brushes I’ve found at discount stores, since I had always assumed that good quality soft brushes would cost me an arm and a leg and maybe an ear. But thanks to Cyn’s recommendation, she told me to give Ecotools a try.

Since there was another “Buy one get one free” sale at Rite Aid, which happens every so often, I picked up the 5 piece brush set for about $9.99 and the Retractable Kabuki Brush, but this review is for the 5 piece brush set.

This set comes with the following:

• Mineral Powder Brush
• Concealer Brush
• Eye Shading Brush
• Baby Kabuki
• Cosmetic Bag

Mineral Powder Brush

I used this brush for my mineral foundation and it works very well, and I just can’t get over how soft the bristles are.

Concealer Brush

This brush is still soft, but it is still stiff enough to apply concealer on a specific location without it spreading all over the place.

Eye Shading Brush

Again I love the softness of the brush, but I like my eye shading brushes to be a little stiffer. This brush might be a bit too soft for eye shading. Though I think it makes for good shadow blending and applications for a softer or natural look.

Baby Kabuki

I love this Baby Kabuki. This Kabuki is perfect to carry around because of its size. Because it’s not huge and not too small, I can apply my finishing powder all over my face quickly when I’m not at home. And like all the other brushes putting this on your face just feels like heaven.

Cosmetic Bag

This ecofriendly cosmetic bag is made of 55% hemp linen and 45% cotton. All the brushes fit neatly into the bag. However, the cream white color of the bag may get dirty very easily, but it is still a very cute and ecofriendly bag, but wish it was a darker color.

These brushes are “travel size” so they are nice and short and can fit into any makeup bag easily. The bristles are amazingly soft and they also pick up the powders very well. I have not noticed any shedding, and they don’t feel like they are going to shed anytime soon. The handles of the brushes are made from bamboo except for the Baby Kabuki. Bristles are synthetic taklon and 100% cruelty free, and lastly, the ferrule is made from recycled aluminum. So not only are these great brushes at a great price, but they are also earth-friendly.

After one usage of these brushes, I was in love, and I highly recommend these brushes. I will most likely review the other brush sets once I get my hands on them.

I have never used a foundation primer until I went to Sephora and had a little bit applied onto my face as I got color matched for some bareMineral foundation. After that little taste of foundation primer and how soft and silky it made my skin feel, I was hooked. However, I was not hooked enough to want to spend $21 on a tiny bottle of primer. So before going on a splurge, I got a couple samples of bareMinerals Prime Time Foundation Primer and the Oil Control version to make sure they didn’t cause me to breakout.

Prime Time Foundation Primer (1 fl oz. – $21)

This primer goes on smoothly and evens out my skin. I love the silky feeling I get from the primer, and it also keeps my foundation powder on longer. The silky feeling from the primer isn’t very oil and is quickly absorbed into the skin though after using this for a couple days it caused me to have minor breakouts.

Pros: makes skin feel soft and silky, not too oily, a good foundation primer

Cons: Expensive, causes minor breakouts on my oily skin.

Prime Time Oil Control Foundation Primer (1 fl oz. – $21)

This primer is a lot thicker than the regular formula. The sample mini jar I had had a dollop of primer and it remained that way until I used it all. As for the regular primer, it is a lot oilier and the moment it was put in the jar it just started to coat the bottom of the jar, but the primer isn’t runny or watery just a bit viscous and not a thick gel like the Oil Control.

I found that because of the thickness of the Oil Control primer, I had to use more primer to cover my whole face, and it did not leave the nice silky feeling that the regular primer had. Also after about two hours, my face would feel very oily, oiler than usual, and I would have to blot out excess facial oil with blotting tissue. Maybe that is the function of oil control and it supposed to keep oil off the skin, but I really did not like the feeling of oil all over my T-zone. Also the primer sort of smelled like glue.

Despite these issues I had with the Oil Control Primer, the primer still did its job in keeping my foundation on; smoothing out my face and making my pores look smaller.

Pros: Works well as primer for mineral powders, did not cause breakouts

Cons: Expensive, primer is thick, does not have silky texture when applied, makes my skin feel very oily, smells like glue

After trying out these samples, I still could not bring myself to spend $21 on a tiny bottle of primer. But Cyn directed me to the Eyes Lips Face (E.L.F.) website and mentioned their primer ran for nearly half of the price of bareMinerals. So I figured it couldn’t hurt and gave it a try.

E.L.F. Mineral Infused Face Primer (.49 fl oz. – $6)

This primer was everything that I hoped for. Just a little pump and I have enough primer to cover my whole face. My face feels silky smooth and it does not cause me to break out. The primer is a great base for my powder foundation and does everything that the bareMinerals primer did. Though the main difference between primers is that it is not as viscous as the bareMinerals Prime Time formula, but the E.L.F primer is far from watery. Though the first time I used the primer, it did come out very watery, but it might have been because it was a really hot day because the next time I used it, the primer came out as a gel and has always been a gel-like texture ever since.

There have been complaints about the bottle pump being cheaply made and it stops pumping after several uses, but I have been using my bottle for a while and have not had any problems with the pump. The only minor problem I have is that the cap for the bottle is a bit loose and has a tendency to fall off when in my makeup bag.

Also you don’t need a lot of the primer to cover your whole face. I usually use only half a pump and it is more than enough to cover my entire face, so this little bottle should last you a while.

Overall I am very happy with the E.L.F. primer and will probably stick to it because it is much more cost effective for my tight budget.

Pros: Makes skin feel silky and soft, cheaper price, good foundation primer for mineral powders, has not caused me to breakout yet, don’t need a lot for whole face

Cons: A bit small, but two bottles of these still costs less than the other brand, cap for bottle not tight

Always on the look out for a great new gloss, I decided to try e.l.f.’s Mineral Lip Gloss. First, like everything else at e.l.f., they are a great price: $3 for a .22 oz tube and even less if you use any of the coupons that are often about.

I’d never used these glosses before, but as I’m trying to stop using makeup items that contain parabens, I was really attracted to the, “no parabens, no preservatives, no chemical dyes,” part of this gloss.

The ingredients are as follows:

Mineral Oil, Coconut (Cocos Nucifera) Oil, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Mica, Silica, Tocopherol Acetate(VE), Retinol(VA), Titanium Dioxide （CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Manganese Violet (CI 77742), Mica (CI 77019).

Mineral oil has a 2 to 4 rating at SkinDeep, but level 4 seems to be when it’s aerosolized. Still, that’s better than the ethyl-, methyl-, and butyl- parabens in cosmetics that rate a 5 or higher.

I picked Sorority Girl and Fierce as my first two colors. Of course the swatches on the site and the actual colors aren’t even close, but it’s okay. The colors go on sheer with a wash of color.

Having used both glosses for a few days, I have to say they are non-drying and if I’m not eating or drinking, they last for a few hours. They also aren’t very sticky, which is great.

I didn’t take a picture of the applicator wand, but it’s a standard doe foot. It doesn’t pull out much product, though, so I usually have to dip it twice for one application. Not a big deal.

Overall, I am a fan of these glosses and will probably keep one in my purse.