Foundation : Beauty and Fashion Tech

DIY Mineral Makeup Kits From Bramble Berry

Here is fun item for the do it yourselfer, mineral makeup lover, or craft maven: Make Your Own Mineral Makeup Kits from Bramble and Berry. I spent a morning playing with the neutral and metallics kit and had a lot of fun. I also got some decent eye shadow from the process.

Below are some of the items before I got started (I supplied the larger measuring spoons and larger baggie). The entire kit contains: Titanium Dioxide, Dry Flo, Kaolin Clay, Sericite Mica, Super Pearly White, and the following pigments: Gold Sparkle, Bronze, Honeyed Beige, Sparkle Copper, Cappucino, Heavy Metal Gold, Vintage Grey, Patina Sheen, & Luster Black Mica. There are also 2 eyeshadow brushes, 5 mini measuring scoops, and 10 black containers to fill with your creations.

The kit contains all that you need to custom blend mineral foundation in varying levels of coverage and a variety of eye shadow shades. It also includes a booklet with recipes for various shades and well written instructions. I decided to make a light, medium and dark brown.

To get started, I followed the directions for a matte base and then added color from the included pigments according to recommendations in the book. It is fairly easy to increase or decrease shimmer by changing the mix of the base. The kit also contained a light brown sample. I didn’t end up matching that, but I liked what I got. My attempt at light was more of a neutral beige and my medium and dark turned out to be differing shades of taupe. Then I decided to make a darker brown/gray by adding a bunch of the darkest pigment. Mixing is pretty easy. Simply measure into a ziplock baggie, seal it, and shake! However, for mineral foundation, using a food processor or coffee blender to thoroughly mix the makeup is recommended.

Below are my finished eye shadows, the one on the far left is the light brown sample that came with the kit:

Here are skin swatches in the same order:

Oh, and I made a mess. Clutzy people like me probably should be more careful with shimmery loose powders! Fortunately it also was very easy to clean up.

Overall, I had a lot of fun with this kit and I liked the results. It would be a great gift or something fun for your inner do it yourselfer. There is also a kit for vivid eye shadow shades.

Bramble and Berry actually specializes in soap making supplies, so if you have an interest in that, also take a look at the rest of their site. In addition, they have a lip balm kit, that I just might have to try for Girl Gloss!

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Popularity: 14% [?]

Redpoint Foundations and Powder: Sheer, Beautiful Makeup

I have been playing with some Redpoint Cosmetics and have been impressed with everything that I tried. In the area of foundations, I tried two foundations: The DermaLift Foundation and the Transformative Dual Foundation. I also tried the HydraBoost Firming Powder.

The DermaLift Foundation is formulated with peptides and moisturizers for anti-aging and is mineral oil-free. The addition of such things is always welcome to me, but what really impresses me about this foundation is how light it feels–yet it still provides sheer to medium coverage.

Dermalift Foundation feels quite a bit like a light tinted moisturizer. This stuff is so lightweight that it simply feels great and blends very well. There are only three shades available though, which is a bit of a downside. But when a foundation is as blendable as this one is, fewer shades are needed because the makeup is more versatile. Nonetheless, I would like to see a few more shades, even though the light shade worked just fine with my fair skin.

Redpoint Transformative Dual Foundation is listed as a full coverage foundation, but I found it to be more medium in coverage. The foundation comes in a compact with two shades for a custom blend. Application is with a sponge. I liked the dual shade option because it allowed me to customize coverage a bit based on areas of pigmentation. It also allows for some use of the foundation as a highlight or contour color. I also found that it was nicely buildable. So,while overall coverage is medium, it can be closer to full with extra application. This is a good one for people who want some flexibility in their makeup.

The HydraBoost Firming Powder is good way to top off your foundation, or wear it alone for some light coverage and shine control. The powder is formulated to minimize fine lines and wrinkles, and feels quite nice. I loved it both as a finishing powder and as a stand alone product. For some reason, this one seemed to help tone down reddness for me a bit better than other powders, so rosacea sufferers might be particularly interested in it.

Redpoint cosmetics are available through the links above and at other online sources.

Want to learn about Redpoint’s lipgloss? Take a look at my review on Girl Gloss.

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Popularity: 7% [?]

Lorac Breakthrough Performance Foundation

I am loving LORAC Breakthrough Performance Oil-Free Anti-Aging Foundation with SMS Complex - SPF 14. This foundation pretty much matches the name.

First off, the makeup is oil free, yet it has a moisturizing feel to it that I love. It is quite lightweight, but gives medium coverage. Best of all, it adds some anti-aging properties and SPF.

I have been wearing the Lorac Breakthrough performance Foundation for about a week now and have found that it both lasts all day, and quite simply has a very nice look to it. I have had no issues with it looking flaky or dry like I sometimes experience with many oil free foundations. It also provides enough moisture for my dry areas, without making the oily spots look shiny. This means that I don’t end up with foundation settling into fine lines and wrinkles, but I don’t end up looking like an oil slick by the end of the day either.

Another bonus: This one works quite well without a primer. It also is nice with one– pretty much all foundations are– but I have been very happy wearing it alone when I usually find the need for a primer with some other brands.

Bottom line is that Lorac has created a winner with this one. I definitely recommend it!

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Popularity: 5% [?]

Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Foundation, Concealer, and Powder

A few weeks ago, I reviewed a number of products from the Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Makeup line. This new line of cosmetics inspired by Carmindy of the show What Not to Wear, and author of the book The Five Minute Face, impressed me so much that I went back for more! I am pleased to say that Sally Hansen Natural Beauty foundation, concealer, and translucent powder all were of excellent quality.

Sally Hansen Your Skin Makeup is a silky smooth foundation with medium coverage. This makeup simply looks great. From the packaging in a glass bottle, to the smooth and blendable texture, it seems much more expensive than it is. I did find that it takes a minute though to blend in and settle, and I like it best when used in conjunction with a primer (this is true of most foundations for me though). Apply it and let it rest for a minute, and then apply your powder. The effect is quite nice. For fair skinned women, the lightest shade is very light– something I also appreciated. I would like to see a few more shades come out in this though.

Fast Fix Concealer is a nice creamy concealer, packaged how I like it–in a pot. The pot allows for good access to apply it with either fingers or your own brush. It is light and blends well, yet provide surprisingly good coverage for its light texture.

Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Fast Fix Concealer

Finally, the Natural Beauty Truly Translucent Loose Powder is a nice translucent powder for setting the makeup. The powder itself is lovely, and like just about everything in this line, it seems more expensive than it is, but I do have a gripe with the packaging. This one comes with a powder sponge in the cap that blocks most of the space for the powder to be shaken into the top of the container. The result is that it is harder to use your own brush with this one, not at least without risking a bit of a mess, and I don’t care for the sponge.

Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Loose Powder

I also tried out the Sally Hansen Natural Shine Lipgloss , which is wonderful stuff. For more on that see my review at Girl Gloss!The Sally Hansen Natural Beauty line remains impressive. You can find it at various drugstores and at ULTA Beauty.

Popularity: 27% [?]

Review: Elizabeth Arden Intervene Foundation

I am pretty darn enamored with Elizabeth Arden Intervene Foundation SPF 15, and that shouldn’t be taken lightly. I am picky, picky, picky about foundation! I tend to want at least medium coverage for my melasma and over pigmented areas, anti-aging benefits, some moisture, SPF, and a formulation that won’t settle into my fine lines and wrinkle (the lack of plural is intentional, I am in denial about any other potential wrinkles). Elizabeth Arden delivers, with a great new foundation aimed at aging skin.

I suspected that I would like it even before it arrived based on these items in the description:

SPF 15
Contains anti-aging ingredients
Contains antioxidants (Vitamins C and E)
Micro-mineral pigment technology
100% oil free
Medium to full coverage

My suspicions were correct. When I tried it, I was quite impressed. The foundation feels wonderful. Coverage is as promised–I would rate it at medium or slightly over medium–but there are no issues with it feeling heavy or settling into lines or my one wrinkle. I also found that it blends quite nicely, and the shade, soft shell, works fine with my very pale skin. The makeup also lasts a full day for me with no problems.

I like the inclusion of anti-aging and antioxidant ingredients in foundations and am pleased to see an increasing number of companies starting to include such formulations. Elizabeth Arden’s offering is definitely one of the best. I will be using the Intervene foundation for some time.

Elizabeth Arden products are available online and at various department and cosmetics stores.

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Popularity: 5% [?]

A New Neutrogena Face: Mineral Sheers Powder Foundation, Sheer Highlighting Blush, and Nourishing Eye Duo

I love the new sheer blushes that are coming out. Neutrogena has a great one, along with a number of other new items, and I had the opportunity to put together a pretty nice look with some of them.

Neutrogena Mineral Sheers Powder Foundation Mineral Makeup

First off, Neutrogena Mineral Sheers Powder Foundation (above) is a great improvement on Neutrogena’s mineral sheers makeup line and it is refreshing to see so many new drugstore mineral makeup lines coming out. The powder foundation is easy to apply, and because it comes in a standard compact, you can also use your own brush . I recommend a stiff kabuki brush and personally use the Bare Escentuals Handy Buki Brush, which is my favorite for all mineral makeup applications. For those who need a supplied applicator though, it also has a sponge applicator in a little compartment in the compact.

I got a nice medium coverage and even finish from the foundation and was pleased to see that it was not cut with talc or bismuth. It contains soy for skin health and has an SPF of 20. It lasted fine through an evening and generally worked well with my dry to combination skin. The dry spots didn’t flake, and the oily part stayed generally matte. The shade classic Ivory worked fine with my very fair skin. I have recently taken to wearing this nearly every day when I want something to cover my hyperpigmentation a bit (I have mild melasma) and want extra SPF, but don’t want a heavily made up look. Overall it is a great drugstore mineral foundation.

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Blends Sheer Highlighting Blush (above) pairs nicely with the mineral foundation. I really love this blush. It is quite sheer with a light shimmer to create a glow that does not look overly glittery. Like many Neutrogena products, it also contains various skin conditioners. I tried the shade Vibrant, which worked well on my fair skin, but would likely work fine on medium to darker skin tones as well. Overall, it gives a fairly light look that is perfect for the upcoming spring and summer.

Another new product that I love is the Neutrogena Nourishing Eye Duo (above). I tried this in Starry Night, which has blue gray and silver gray shadows. The shadows contain soy silk and vitamins, and have a light shimmer. What I liked about the duo was that for a drugstore brand, they were pretty well pigmented and the shades in this line are particularly nice. They are all good basic shades that just about anyone could wear, so I might go back and buy one of the duos with brown shades. The shadow lasted well, and I had no creasing issues. Overall, this is a good value shadow set that is also good for your skin.Neutrogena products are available online and at most drugstores.

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Popularity: 11% [?]

Chanel Foundations: Vitalumieries and Double Perfection Makeup

I know a number of women who swear by Chanel Vitalumi eries Foundation. I recently got a few samples of this foundation and had mixed results.

I love Chanel cosmetics, so I had high hopes for this rather expensive product. For my first try, which did not fare so well, I used the foundation over plain sunscreen and moisturizer. It went on fine and look fine, but I just plain did not see anything special about it to justify the price tag.

However, when I used the foundation over a silicon primer, I found that it really stood out. The product has some luminizing properties that for whatever reason did not really work well until used over a primer. At that point I loved it and prefer it over my less expensive foundations because my skin looked nearly perfect with it on. So the upshot is that Chanel Vitalumieres is one that I would happily wear when going all out, but would not likely choose for day to day use when I just want to put on moisturizer and a bit of foundation.

I also tried samples of Chanel Double Perfection Foundation. This one is quite nice, but it wasn’t right for my skin, which was particularly dry when I tried it. The foundation goes on wonderfully smooth and dries quickly to a matte finish. It then lasts quite well. For anyone without dry skin, Chanel Double Perfection is a wonderful foundation and comes recommended by many. But on dry skin, a mattifying foundation just doesn’t work for me. I’m hoping to try this one again in the summer, when I will appreciate the silky matte finish.

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Popularity: 14% [?]