Best of Mineral Makeup

If you're into buying and wearing makeup, you would have definitely noticed a rise in the 'mineral' category at the makeup counters. First Bare Escentuals was all over the place advertising that their products were so pure, you could actually sleep in them, and then after that came a whole crop of new products that claimed to be purer, finer, more natural, etc. A lot of the older, more established brands, like Laura Mercier, also came out with a mineral-based selection. Since I have sensitive skin, I've tried a whole bunch of these products, and here are my picks for my favourites.

Bare Escentuals seems to be the most popular in this category, but don't be surprised if you have sensitive skin and it breaks out by the product- mine did. I know a lot of people who  did break out with it too, but then there are a whole bunch of people with oily skin that swear by it, so test it out and see if it works for you. The thing with mineral powder is, if you watch any of the how-to videos online, or have a good sales person who knows the product inside out, they'll tell you you only need the tiniest little bit. What would only cover your nose in a regular powder, will be worked into your entire face with a mineral powder, so I do recommend a round, wide brush, or a feathery flat one. The MAC 187 (pictured right) is the one I use and highly recommend. Anyhow, like I was saying, if you have oily skin or problem skin, mineral powder tends to look a lot better than regular powder, as it looks more natural and not cakey, which is why it has such a huge fan club with the people with oily skin. Another tip with mineral powder is to not put too much till your skin looks flawless. My skin tends to be quite red, and when wearing the powder I can apply it till it only covers most of the redness and then leave it and it automatically settles into the skin leaving it even-toned.

Perfekt-

I tried this on last year, and absolutely LOVE the product. It comes out of the pump as a light, airy mousse and glides onto your skin. The best part is that it is waterproof and sweat-proof as well, so you don't have to worry about the humidity in Dubai attacking it and it running down your face. This product has buildable coverage, but I really do find it works best on good, even skin that may just have discoloration or redness in it that needs to be covered. It is a mineral product, and also has a great body gel in it's product lineup too, that smooths out your colour and gives you a great shimmer- its perfect for the beach! As you can tell from the picture above, it's available at Sephora, although I don't know if it's available at the one in the Middle East. I buy my stock from Henri Bendel's too, so you can call them and have them ship it over if you want.

La Bella Donna-

I have tried every single powder under the sun, and there are only a handful that don't make me flake around the dry spots on my face. Out of those handful, there are only a few that actually look good! Smashbox used to be my previous favourite, along with the Laura Mercier Mineral makeup, but after trying Bella Donna, I've never wanted to use any other. I first saw the product at the Bergdorf's makeup counter, and the way it was advertised was that the powder was put into a glass of water, where it floated on the top. That was supposed to demonstrate how fine and light the powder was. I obviously thought it was a gimmick till the lady insisted I try it and that I'd never use any other powder again. You know what? She was right. I made my sister try it, and she too found herself discarding all the other powders she had used before. It is so light and doesn't look like you're wearing anything at all.. and a little goes a long way! On my last trip to New York I found that Bergdorf's had discontinued selling the product, but I know it is available online at www.belladonna.com. I use the loose mineral foundation in Caterina, which matches my skin colour exactly. So if you have a fair, Asian complexion, get that. Don't try to go darker or lighter with mineral makeup though.. As horrible as having a gray face looks with regular makeup, it somehow looks even more terrible with a mineral foundation on you!

Youngblood-

Every time I'd try to remember the name of the brand, I'd always think of True Blood- the famous (and bloody) TV show on HBO. There is nothing scary or vampy about this makeup line. Turns out it's named after its creator, Pauline Youngblood. Apparently Pauline had a bad case of cystic acne as a teenager, and therefore wanted to help people who had problem skin but were advised against wearing makeup. I just discovered their line on my last trip to New York, but I love the velvety feel of their products, and much like Perfekt, I found their product glides on your face, leaving you with a healthy glow. I am currently using their mineral primer and tinted moisturizer. If you don't even pick up their foundations or tinted moisturizers, make sure you pick up the primer, as it is amazing. Their products have no mineral oils, talc, alcohol, petroleum or fragrance, and feel like you're wearing nothing at all. I bought my products from Henri Bendel's, but you can also order them online at www.ybskin.com
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