This is just an initial review, I will do a real one after I have used this product for a few weeks.

Product: Everyday Minerals – Intensive formula
Price: USD 11.00 @ J.Lynne Cosmetics
Review:

My samples from J.Lynne came last week! As you can see, I ordered from the Warm and Golden palettes in both Medium and Tan. As all I bought were samples to determine a match for my skin color, I’m mainly going to focus on the color-matching aspect in this initial review. According to the website, Warm is designed for people with “soft yellow/peach undertones” while Golden is for those who have “true golden/yellow undertones”.

Comparing both the Medium formulas, you can see that the Medium Warm actually is darker than the Medium Golden. I found that Medium Warm would be a great fit for me in the summer, since it gave me a nice bronzed look. But since it is winter right now, if I wore it I would stand out because my skin has actually gotten lighter now that I have no sun to bask in. My only problem is that Medium Warm is good for peach undertones too, and it can end up making you look unnaturally pink. On the other hand, Medium Golden was a perfect fit for me!!

These are the Tan formulas and they definitely don’t fit my skin, if only because I’m not tanned in the winter. Tan Warm made my face look really dark and bruised. And don’t be tricked, the Tan Golden is actually not that dark in my opinion – the only thing different is how much more yellow it’ll make you look. The “yellow” in Tan Golden is extremely strong. You’ll know that it won’t match you because it’ll make you look cartoon yellow.

I know that most of you know how to test foundation shades by now, but for those of you who are just starting out: Please please please test it in natural lighting!! At first I thought that I was a perfect match for Medium Warm and Tan Golden until I stepped outside to compare. Also, don’t forget that you can always mix two different shades of mineral make-up to attain your perfect color! I used to mix my Everyday Minerals with Coastal Scents to get the correct shade for me. Overall, my results are:

Summer Foundation: Medium Warm
Winter Foundation: Medium Golden

My initial thoughts: fantastic full coverage, good staying power (much better than Coastal Scents!) and applies with a semi-matte finish. Loving it so far.

Initial Rating: 5/5

Product: Everyday Minerals – Intensive formula
Price: FREE (samples, only paid the shipping)
Review:

To be honest, I also mix some of my Coastal Scents Silk Cover foundation (see below) with my Everyday Minerals foundation to get a better match for my skin color – so I should probably do a review of it as well. I also bought Everyday Minerals in their sample form back when you could choose your own sample kit – I think they have pre-made “Try me Free” kits now, which I don’t really like that much. I have the samples in Sandy Medium, Winged Butter and Golden Medium. The Winged Butter is very, very yellow so I would beware of it unless you really have extremely prominent yellow undertones. My best shade is a mix of my Coastal Scents Tan Foundation, Sandy Medium and Golden Medium.

Ingredients: Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxide, Ultramarines.

I purchased all of mine in the intensive formula, which is meant to provide more coverage. It claims to give a silky near-matte finish and help control oil. In terms of oil control, I feel that it is pretty good because I don’t need to blot until the evening after I apply it in the morning. Don’t put too much on though, especially if you have uneven skin or active or healing/dried acne spots because you’ll end up looking cakey. I find that this doesn’t provide a dewy finish and is quite matte too.

I haven’t broken out since using this foundation, so I do have a pretty good impression of Everyday Minerals. In terms of coverage however, I find that it is medium at most. Its staying power lasts longer than that of Coastal Scents though so both has their pros and cons. That’s why I like mixing the two foundations together; I find that I get the perfect coverage and oil control that way.

Rating: 4/5

Product: Coastal Scents Silk Cover Foundation
Price: ~USD 2.00 per sample / USD 21.95 per 30 g full jar (8 g powder)
Review:

I bought these in their sample form and have actually never needed to invest in the larger jars yet, since I honestly don’t wear much foundation. They give very generous samples, it will last you for a while. This foundation is supposed to provide full coverage with a creamy texture and dewy finish. This is one of the reasons why I really like this foundation because it is a mineral make-up that provides full coverage – I’m all for full coverage that feels light on the skin.

I have the shades Medium, Medium 1.2 and Tan. Both Medium and Tan are actually very neutral, so if you need a warmer undertone I would try the Medium 1.2 because it is slightly warmer and more fitting if you have yellow undertones. It might be difficult to find your exact shade with one sample, so I would suggest trying a out a couple and even mixing some. I apply this with the Coastal Scents Pink Kabuki Brush and build until I get the type of coverage that I want.

Ingredients List: Titanium Dioxide, Sericite, Iron Oxides, Rice Powder, Boron Nitride, Kaolin Clay, Mica,Ultramarine Blue

In the image below, I only have some dark spots left over because I have been on a Tazorac & 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide treatment for about 6-7 months. The foundation does provide full coverage if your main concern is redness or spots but it will provide medium coverage if you have active acne or bumps.

I find that this foundation helps to control oil, since it does contain Kaolin Clay that absorbs the oil on your face. If I apply it in the morning, I won’t need to blot until around mid-day or late-evening depending on how warm it is outside. This foundation feels light on your skin but I am able to build to full coverage and it makes my skin look very silky and smooth. You do need to touch-up every now and then though. I also find that it can make my shallow acne scars more prominent as the day wears on, so its not that great if you have extremely uneven skin like me. Fortunately, its not that noticeable for me unless you’re really up in my face and staring. This foundation doesn’t have the most amazing staying power though, if you are slightly oily and blot, it won’t last the full 12 hour day.

Rating: 4/5

Product: TheBalm TimeBalm Concealer
Price: ~USD 18.00 @ Sephora
Review:

I purchased this product in ‘Light/Medium’ and I would have to say at the time, it was a good match for my skin. You might think that it is a lot of money for such a small pot but the product really lasts a long time. I bought this product well over a year ago though and I don’t think I’ve even used half of it yet. You only need a few dabs to conceal spots, so you can imagine how many dabs you’ll need to use up a whole pot. But since I have tanned, the shade doesn’t exactly match anymore so I don’t use it as a concealer per se. Instead I’ve resorted to using it on my lips, over Chaptstick and with gloss to create the ‘nude lip’ look. The product comes with a small sponge for application although I find that using my fingers works better.

The concealer did help to conceal dark spots on my face, but I would suggest against using it around your eye area if you have a lot of fine lines. I have extremely uneven skin around my eye area – I’m not really sure how to explain it, but the concealer will settle into your skin and make them even more noticeable. I would also suggest building up on the coverage slowly, if you over-do it your skin will end up looking extremely cakey.

Rating: 4/5
credit: image from Sephora

Product: Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil Finishing Powder
Price: ~USD 19.00 @ Sephora
Review:

I tried this product out along with the Bare Escentuals foundation and bisque that I purchased years ago. You may have heard how badly the foundation and concealer turned out for me, but I honestly think the mineral veil wasn’t that bad. I’ve used it alone before, after throwing away the foundation & concealer and it didn’t make my acne worse or anything. This product is used to set your foundation and soak up excess oil. It is transparent and doesn’t add any more coverage or color to your face. I felt that this product did a great job with keeping my face matte throughout the day but you definitely need your touch-ups if you’re as oily as I am.

The ingredients include: Zea Mays (Corn Starch), Corn Starch Modified, Zinc Stearate, Magnesium Stearate, Iron Oxides

I have heard that zea mays can also cause irrituation for certain people, but it is the main ingredient for a lot of other veils and finishing powders that I have seen. I would give this a try first before blowing a lot of money on it, to make sure you aren’t the one-in-a-million that is irritated. I sold this to someone else already, since my impression of Bare Escentuals was terrible and I just didn’t feel like using it anymore. I’ve resorted to just using my trusty blotting sheets to deal with any oiliness.

Rating: 3/5
credit: images from Sephora

Product: bareMinerals SPF 15 Foundation & Multi-tasking Bisque Concealer
Price: ~USD 25.00 for the foundation, USD 18.00 for the concealer
Review:

I bought these two products two years ago, back when the hype of “bareMinerals” was still fairly new and just starting up. Or at least, that’s when I first started hearing wind of it and decided to try it out. Biggest mistake of my life, let’s just say that much. I would say that after the first two weeks of usage, I was pretty pleased with the results since coverage was light to medium and I thought that it felt really light on my skin. This foundation was actually my first venture into any form of foundation – I used this before discovering BB cream, etc.

I remember feeling my skin itch slightly while using this foundation but I thought that it was just something that would go away with time. Unfortunately for me, I was one of those people who broke out in moderate to severe acne. While it did not develop into cystic acne, I’m sure it would have if I didn’t decide to stop using it and go see a dermatologist. I was prescribed Retin-A after this and it took nearly 6-8 months for my skin to semi-recover.

A main problem with this mineral make-up is in its ingredients. The ingredients for the foundation: Titanium Dioxide 12.6%, Zinc Oxide 21%, Bismuth Oxychloride, Mica, Iron Oxides. The ingredients in the concealer are similar: Mica, Bismuth Oxychloride, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Ultramarines.

The culprit for most people is the bismuth oxychloride, which is an ingredient that is responsible for the dewy, satin finish that the mineral makeup provides for your skin. It is a common ingredient that makes the minerals feel silky and stay on your skin better. Some people can go by without any irritation, I have two friends that continue to use bareMinerals and their skin is absolutely gorgeous, not a pimple in sight.

If you have sensitive, acne-prone skin – I would avoid this product all together. If you are itching to give it a try and don’t usually have skin problems, I would say go ahead and purchase a sample of it first to see if you react to the bismuth oxychloride.

Good news though, I know that they have released a new formula – the “Matte SPF 15 Foundation”, which does not contain bismuth oxychloride. I haven’t tried it yet but honestly, bareMinerals has lost a load of points in my book. I don’t know if I’ll ever try their products again.

Rating: 1/5
credit: images from bareMinerals website