Powder | Beauty and Fashion Tech

Makeup Forever Duo Mat Powder Foundation

Makeup Forever Powder Foundation is my new favorite! I have been looking for some time for the perfect pressed mineral makeup foundation. Then I branched out into looking at powder foundation in general, without focusing on whether they were classified as “mineral makeup.” That is when I found MAKE UP FOR EVER Duo Mat Powder Foundation.

Makeup Forever has really been impressing me lately and their duo mat foundation is the best pressed powder foundation that I have tried yet. I liked Amazing Cosmetics Mineral Foundation (link is to previous review) quite a bit, but Makeup Forever tops it for three reasons: First, it covers better. Second, it wears longer. Third, the included applicator is actually pretty good. I highly recommend Makeup Forever powder foundation for melasma sufferers and can pretty much guarantee that it will appear on my year-end best products list.

Makeup Forever Duo Mat Foundation comes packaged in a mirrored compact with a sponge applicator. Coverage from this foundation when applied with the sponge applicator is medium to full. Use a brush for a more sheer look. Because this powder foundation covers very well, it is perfect for those with melasma, hyperpigmentation, or redness, who have difficult areas to conceal. It is also oil free, and I have had no problems with it on my acne prone skin. In fact, as discussed below, I particularly recommend this one for people with oily skin becasue it contains mattifiers.

The look from Makeup Forever Duo Mat Foundation is also nicely matte. I often get annoyed with mineral foundations because mineral makeup tends to be on the shiny and shimmery side, especially if it contains bismuth—an ingredient that can also cause skin irritation in some people. Makeup Forever Duo Mat Foundation is not just oil and bismuth free, it also contains ingredients to absorb oil and sebum to retain a matte look. However, the product does not feel drying, thanks to an anti-dehydrating agent. Those with oily skin will likely appreciate this powder foundation the most, but it certainly would be wearable by those with normal and even dry skin, especially if a moisturizer was applied first. People with dry skin would likely be happier with a liquid or cream foundation though.

Makeup Forever powder foundation is not streaky and wears most of the day for me without needing reapplication. Frankly, it is the best powder foundation that I have tried yet and I imagine it will be hard to find one that beats it. It gets excellent reviews online at Sephora as well.

You can find Makeup Forever at Sephora stores for $32. I bought mine in the store. If you shop online, the color names are pretty accurate (e.g. my ivory is a standard ivory), but the shade swatches there look pinker than the actual product is. Sephora does take returns of open products if you order online and end up with the wrong shade.

Note, this article uses affiliate links, for more please see my disclosure page.

Popularity: 1% [?]

More Items From the Luna Twilight Makeup Collection

The Luna Twilight Makeup Collection will be available beginning tomorrow! (October 22, 2009) and is also now available for preorder. The line has some interesting items and appears to be very well designed. Last week, I looked at the palettes and creme blush. Here are few of the other particularly interesting items from the collection.

First Light Face Glow contains light reflecting pigments and can be used to soften imperfections and as a highlighter. The collection also includes a similar Body Glow product.

The Luna Twilight Mascara from the line is unique in that it includes a metallic shimmer in its formulation. I am quite curious about it!

Luna Twilight Moonshadow eye shadow has unique pairing of pigmented glitter dust and a light cream shadow that can be worn separately or layered.

Lip items from the collection are equally interesting, especially a nice looking stain/balm, and a combo DuWop Lip Venom and Stain where, depending on how you use the applicator, you can apply each separately or it can be shaken to use the products together. For more coverage of those items, see my write up at Girl Gloss on the Luna Twilight Makeup Lip Products.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Philosophy The Supernatural Makeup Collection

I tend to think of Philosophy for skin care, but the company has a new makeup collection out that focuses on skin friendly products for a natural look. All products are formulated with antioxidants and are free of Parabens, Phthalates, Talcs, and Sulfates. On the whole, it is a pretty impressive collection. One of the best items is the Philosophy The Supernatural Coloring Book™ . This adorable palette comes in a cute magnetic case and includes two neutral/natural eye shadow shades, two lip shades, a blush/bronzer, and two blushes–one powder and one cream. The items wear pretty well, and the shadows have pretty good pigment. The case and swatches are below.

Perhaps my favorite item in the collection is the Philosophy The Supernatural Lit From Within™ Healthy Cream Blush. I tend to love cream blushes and this one, shown below in the shade Feel Warm All Over, is a nice peachy pink shade. It is high pigment, so if you are fair like me, a little goes a long way. If you are darker skinned and need extra pigment, this one should also hold up well for you.

The collection also includes an illuminating powder that I adore: Philosophy The Supernatural Moonlight™ Natural Illuminating Powder is a light finish powder with light reflectors and enhancers for an illuminating glow. It doesn’t look too shiny and does a nice job of providing an overall glowing look. My only complaint about it is that it has a sponge applicator, which isn’t my favorite way to apply powder.

Overall, this is an impressive collection. For a look that Philosophy The Supernatural Lipgloss from the collection take a look at my review on Girl Gloss!

Popularity: 2% [?]

Purely Cosmetics Mineral Foundation

Looking for bismuth free, high quality mineral makeup? Purely Cosmetics is the place to go. I gave several of the foundations a try and found that I got the some of the best coverage and overall look from them that I have ever gotten from a lose powder mineral foundation. The foundations are also actually pure. There are no irritants in them, and in particular, there is no bismuth—an ingredient that is present in a large number of mineral foundations, including many that use words such as “pure” in their name or advertising.

Pure Mineral Foundation provides smooth coverage with some decent oil absorption—it is recommended for normal to oily skin types. I tried the version with silk powder added, which made for great oil absorption, plus some extra sun protection. I sometimes get a bit shiny by the end of the day with some mineral makeup brands, but not with this foundation. Coverage was also lovely. The foundation goes on smooth, sits nicely on the skin, and is buildable. I added extra to cover areas of melasma and pigmentation with great success. The foundation lasted all day.

Purely Cosmetics Skin Smoothing Foundation contains silk for hydration, silica to blur fine lines, jojoba, and boron to reduce pore visibility. It is not recommended for very oily skin. It wore pretty much the same for me as the Pure Mineral foundation and had bit silkier feeling to it. It happened that my skin was being rather oily when testing it though, so the Pure Mineral Foundation worked better for me because it absorbed the oil better, although the skin smoothing foundation still worked pretty darn well for me.

Another Item I really liked was the Silk and Pearl Primer. This interesting powder primer does a bang up job at absorbing oil. I played with it both by using it with mineral makeup and, despite its marketing as a primer, with using it on top of liquid foundation. It worked well for both. Purely Cosmetics also has an interesting looking finishing powder, but I didn’t give that one a try.

Purely Cosmetics also has a nice line of brushes (the flat top foundation brush works great), brush covers ( a great travel accessory), eye shadows, and more. I will discuss the eye shadows in a later review. All products are affordable and of better quality than a number of more expensive brands. Starter kits and samples are also available. I highly recommend them!

Popularity: 2% [?]

Sephora Brand Pressed Mineral Foundation

Awhile back, I was searching and searching for a pressed mineral foundation that did not contain bismuth. I was already using Neutrogena’s pressed foundation (read previous review), but wanted something with a bit more coverage. I also found Jane Iredale PureMatte Finish Powder, but it is advertised as being sheer. After I had given up, I was in Sephora wandering around, and low and behold, they had one! Turns out that I really like it too!

Sephora Brand Mineral Double Compact Foundation SPF 10 is a medium coverage pressed mineral foundation with a bit of flexibility—included is a sponge that has different textured sides. One side gives a sheer to medium coverage and the other provides heavier coverage. I also got medium coverage applying the foundation with a brush, but I prefer the sponge with this one. It is available in a number of shades, and best of all, there is no bismuth!

Here is what the company says about it:

This silky foundation provides buildable coverage and protects skin with an SPF 10, while the long-wearing formula creates a luminous finish. Tested in order to minimize the risk of allergy, our mineral foundation is talc-free, paraben-free, fragrance-free, oil-free, and noncomedogenic. Use the dual-sided sponge to achieve your desired look: the fuzzy white side for light coverage, or the black spongy side for full coverage.

Good pressed mineral foundations are hard to find, so if you are looking for one, particularly if you want it to be bismuth free, check out Sephora’s offering!

Popularity: 2% [?]

M.A.C. Cosmetics Hello Kitty Kouture

Hello Kitty Kouture is now available at the MAC Cosmetics website and will be in freestanding MAC stores beginning March 5, 2009 (tomorrow). This high end collection features two new Dazzleglass shades with silver chain pendants, featuring Hello Kitty outlined in white Swarovski crystals on black and with a pink crystal bow ($28 each). I bought both and will post swatches on Girl Gloss when they arrive.

The MAC Hello Kitty Collection also includes a a polished silver Sheer Mystery Powder compact, featuring Hello Kitty outlined in white Swarovski crystals and with a pink crystal bow ($90). I splurged on that as well!

Popularity: 2% [?]

Makeup from DHC Skincare: Moist Color Base, Q10 Foundation, and Q10 Powder

DHC skincare is a Japanese skin care and cosmetics company. I have been a long time fan of DHC skincare products, especially their Olive Oil cleanser (read previous DHC review), but until recently, I had not tried much of DHC’s Makeup. So I decide to change that and sent in an order.

I decided to try out a combination of DHC foundation and makeup products to see how well I could achieve a look using them that would hopefully lessen the appearance of my melasma, but without using a full coverage foundation. I found a good mix for that. These item also contain Coenzyme Q as an anti-aging ingredient. So you can get some double duty action out of them!

First off, I applied DHC Q10 Moist Color Base . This product comes in several varieties:

Pink: Lends a rosy glow to diminish yellow undertones
Apricot: Adds warmth to liven pale, dull complexions
Beige: Balances uneven tones for a natural neutral look
Yellow: Ideal for moderate redness and unwanted pinkness
Green: Helps conceal severe redness issues

I used beige, which was advertised to help even out the appearance of discoloration. I found that it worked fairly well for that. The base is a light beige tone that doesn’t really tint much, but does help lessen the look of hyperpigmentation. Despite the term “moist” in the name, It came out quite matte, which I liked since I was fairly oily at the time that I tried it. Because of its shade, I think it would work for fair to medium skin, but those with truly porcelain skin or with brown skin might not find it very useful. The base acts quite well as a basic makeup primer, but if you want a true silicon primer, try out DHC Velvet Skin Coat instead (read review). That one is also clear, so it works well with all skin colors.

Next, I applied DHC Q10 Liquid Foundation. This is a sheer foundation with Coenzyme Q10 to add anti-aging properties. I appreciate double duty products, so I liked the idea of this item before I even tried it. Once I did try it, I loved the product. DHC Q10 foundation is sheer and a bit moisturizing, making it very comfortable to wear. Coverage is sheer, so while this doesn’t cover my melasma well alone, I found that it worked well in conjunction with the moist color base. For those wanting just a bit of sheer evening of redness and such, this foundation would be a good choice. One downside though is that the container rather small for the price point.

My favorite of the bunch was the DHC Q10 Face Powder . In fact, this has become my favorite facial powder, replacing my previous and more expensive favorite, Laura Mercier powder. This powder has a wonderful silky feeling to it and it sits well on the skin without overly settling into wrinkles and pores. The container is also of a decent size. I love it and will be a repeat purchaser.

Items from DHC skincare are generally available only online or through mail order. You are allowed to select four DHC samples with each order and their catalog comes with samples included, so it is a good mailing list to be on!