Make-Up That Protects
Continuing our thoughts about how to protect la visage from the ravages of le soleil, PeaceBang has been investigating the virtues and vices of make-up that forms a natural and protective barrier on the skin by way of minerals.
She recommends L'Oreal Bare Naturale, http://www1.epinions.com/content_246490828420
and she recommends Bare Minerals.
Both of these make-ups -- one drugstore available and affordable, and other available at finer cosmetics emporia -- are applied with the tap-swirl-buff method, or perhaps the swirl-tap-buff method. Tap! Buff! Swirl! Buff! Tap! In any order, it's all kinds of fun!
Believe me, though, the application is easy once you get the hang of it. You turn over the container and whap it on the bottom to get some of the powder going, open the top, swirl your brush into the product, tap the excess off (into the garbage can for me, else it gets all over the vanity table), and buff it over the face with circular motions. It provides terrific, natural coverage that hasn't yet irritated my very sensitive skin, and it has a natural SPF of 15!! PeaceBang calls that pretty swell.
(I've heard bad things about Neutrogena Mineral Sheers, btw, and don't recommend it.)
A word of caution: these mineral based powder make-ups won't work nearly as well if you don't regularly exfoliate and moisturize your skin. And a word of encouragement: hey fellas, PeaceBang thinks that you could totally get away with wearing this on your face without looking like you're wearing make-up. Let me know if you've tried it!
The lovely people at Illuminare provided PeaceBang with samples of their entire line of liquid mineral make-up for those of you who aren't so much into swirling, tapping and buffing.
Illuminare stakes claim as the first producers of liquid mineral make-up and their products are really terrific. They have three different formulas of foundation, all of which PeaceBang found to her liking and easily applied with a nifty little leopard-print sponge they provided.
Because the product is very concentrated, you do need to take a few moments to blend, blend, blend around the nose, mouth and eyes, especially. You need only to use a pea-sized drop and it will easily cover your whole face. The make-up is extremely pure, it provides excellent sun protection (but do use a sunscreen underneath, always), and fantastic coverage. In fact, I would even wear this stuff on stage.
It goes on a little dramatic at first, but it settles into the skin and looks beautiful. It provides a bit more coverage than I usually like ( I tend to use a blendable base only on the red areas of my face) but given that it's pure and provides SPF, I may become a convert.
Say amen, somebody!
She recommends L'Oreal Bare Naturale, http://www1.epinions.com/content_246490828420
and she recommends Bare Minerals.
Both of these make-ups -- one drugstore available and affordable, and other available at finer cosmetics emporia -- are applied with the tap-swirl-buff method, or perhaps the swirl-tap-buff method. Tap! Buff! Swirl! Buff! Tap! In any order, it's all kinds of fun!
Believe me, though, the application is easy once you get the hang of it. You turn over the container and whap it on the bottom to get some of the powder going, open the top, swirl your brush into the product, tap the excess off (into the garbage can for me, else it gets all over the vanity table), and buff it over the face with circular motions. It provides terrific, natural coverage that hasn't yet irritated my very sensitive skin, and it has a natural SPF of 15!! PeaceBang calls that pretty swell.
(I've heard bad things about Neutrogena Mineral Sheers, btw, and don't recommend it.)
A word of caution: these mineral based powder make-ups won't work nearly as well if you don't regularly exfoliate and moisturize your skin. And a word of encouragement: hey fellas, PeaceBang thinks that you could totally get away with wearing this on your face without looking like you're wearing make-up. Let me know if you've tried it!
The lovely people at Illuminare provided PeaceBang with samples of their entire line of liquid mineral make-up for those of you who aren't so much into swirling, tapping and buffing.
Illuminare stakes claim as the first producers of liquid mineral make-up and their products are really terrific. They have three different formulas of foundation, all of which PeaceBang found to her liking and easily applied with a nifty little leopard-print sponge they provided.
Because the product is very concentrated, you do need to take a few moments to blend, blend, blend around the nose, mouth and eyes, especially. You need only to use a pea-sized drop and it will easily cover your whole face. The make-up is extremely pure, it provides excellent sun protection (but do use a sunscreen underneath, always), and fantastic coverage. In fact, I would even wear this stuff on stage.
It goes on a little dramatic at first, but it settles into the skin and looks beautiful. It provides a bit more coverage than I usually like ( I tend to use a blendable base only on the red areas of my face) but given that it's pure and provides SPF, I may become a convert.
Say amen, somebody!
posted by PeaceBang at 7:06 AM
9 Comments:
Amen! I'm a Bare Minerals convert. I think it is the only make up that looks better as the day wears on. And the Mineral Veil? To die for! (Well...figuratively speaking.)
My teenage daughter, with problem skin, has recently begun using this as well. She hates fakey-looking foundation, but needs a little coverage for her acne scarring, until it gets better.
I really recommend going to a bare minerals store if possible. That can be a big help in figuring out the right shade of foundation.
Y'know, I've taken to doing the swirl-buff method for the powder foundation I wear on occasion. Not a bad general practice, actually.
And thanks for the comment on tapping into the trash can. I like a lot about bare minerals, but the mess potential seems high.
I'm a big fan of mineral makeup, too. Nice, unobstrusive coverage, great for problem/senstivie skin, and stays on a lot better than liquid if your skin is oily.
Bare Minerals is nice, but Everyday Minerals and Physician's Formula are both good cheap alternatives. Everyday Minerals is available online and you can get Physician's formula at any drugstore.
One thing to keep in mind...some of these brands work better if you DON'T use swirl-tap-and-buff, especially if you aren't using a high quality brush. If you are having trouble, try just dipping the brush into the powder, smearing/dotting some onto the relevant areas of your faces and then blending.
Also, if your makeup isn't a perfect match with your skin tone, try buffing some loose powder onto your face, with particular attention to your jawline...it helps quite a bit.
I've been wondering whether Bare Minerals is good -- I tend to mistrust stuff on those late-night commercials as too good to be true, but I went to the website and it does look good. Anyone tried their starter package?
Also, it's "le" visage... (Sorry to be picky.)
The starter kit is a good way to, well...start.
I, too, adore the Bare Minerals powder... BUT! a word of caution: I came home from an all-day-outdoor event yesterday with a lovely protected face but a very pink nose. I could not figure out how my nose had gotten burned while the rest of my face had stayed safe, because I was particularly careful in my application of my SPF moisturizer and my Bare Minerals powder.
Turns out, I must have blown my nose at some point on my way to work, thus wiping off the powder without realizing it. Not good. And because I was wearing a mineral powder, I didn't bother to put sunscreen on my face at all that day, although I was careful to reapply everywhere else. Hence the pink nose. Please, learn from my mistake. If you blow your nose or wipe your face in any way, the mineral powder will come off, and you will need to reapply the powder or put on regular sunscreen.
PeaceBang does not speak the French. PeaceBang speaks the Spanish, and a little Italian. PeaceBang only uses French for pretention purposes, and is therefore excused from getting her articles correct.
Engarde! Touche!
Tapping into the garbage is such a waste! The lids of the Bare Minerals pots are meant to be used to get the right amount on the brush. Tap some of the powder into the lid, dip your brush, and tap on the rim of the lid. No mess, 'cause you're dealing with a smaller amount.
If you're traveling with your pots, put a cotton pad (the square ones, or an over-sized cotton ball will work, too) in between the lid and the "holey" cover, and you won't get spillage.
I love the Bare Minerals. I never wore foundation or anything along those lines until I came across Bare Minerals (a friend who went to cosmetology school put some on my face one day when we were about to go out). I don't like looking fake, and I also didn't want to mess with smear-age and other accidents of makeup. I don't worry about any of that with the Bare Minerals products.
About the SPF - the foundations have an SPF, but there is also a face cream they have that ALSO has an SPF. Apply the face cream first, then the powder, and you're good to go.
I really like their lip glosses and lip cream sticks. Best of all, they have shades that work on brown skin. And no animal testing.
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