Here’s the powdery truth: loose or compact minerals can settle into wrinkles and make dry skin look much drier (and older skin look much older.)  Does this mean that over-50’s can’t wear mineral foundation in powder form?  No, but it does mean that skin must be prepared properly and the minerals should be carefully chosen and applied with a light hand. Using the most appropriate application tools and methods is also a prerequisite to a younger, radiant effect that makes the most of minerals’ age-diffusing properties.

Though it sounds like a steep learning curve ahead, it actually boils down to a little product research and some practice.  If you’re ready to give that too-dry mineral makeup you bought a second chance, try following these  application solutions from my esthetician’s bag of all-natural tricks:

1. Apply a nourishing natural serum such as pure hyaluronic acid which tones and plumps the skin, serving as a natural primer.  If you are opting for natural choices, you’ll want to avoid the harsh, pore-clogging chemical-based primers that many  cosmetic companies sell.

2. Use a natural moisturizer that absorbs nicely and doesn’t just sit on top of the skin. Remember the point of using mineral makeup is to let your skin breathe.  Too rich or heavy moisturizer will defeat your skin’s purpose and cause mineral makeup to be streaky or uneven.

3.  After the moisturizer is absorbed (5-10 minutes) pat a little bit of liquid jojoba  (I recommend Hoba Care) on more noticeably wrinkled areas like upper lip, laugh lines and crow’s feet.  Let it absorb.

4. Mix some loose mineral foundation  with a dab of moisturizer in a little dish or in the palm of your hand to make your own liquid makeup.  Apply lightly with fingers using gentle strokes.  You can mix up a small batch for the week and keep it in a lidded jar.  There are also excellent  liquid mineral foundation formulas available.

5.    With a flat concealer brush, use a mineral powder in a color slightly lighter than your foundation color as a concealer.  Press it onto any dark spots or visible capillaries that need camouflage.

6.    Using a mineral powder brush, tap off excess minerals and apply one or two very light layers evenly, starting at perimeter and ending with under eyes and upper lip when there is less powder on the brush, since you don’t want heavy powder  in those areas.  Look for your minerals to “set themselves” in about 10 minutes as the warmth of your face delivers a nice “melting” effect on the mineral particles.

Interested in a deeper lesson in mature skin makeup application?  I’m working on an e-book that covers the whole process with some photos!   Look for the announcement in January 2010 on my website –www.naturesface.com

Among the vast assortment of mineral cosmetics on the market, there are very few lines that represent a realistic full spectrum of skin tones.  When I originally set out to study mineral artistry and choose products to use, my main criteria were:
1. a color range that matches and works well on every possible client
2. moderate pricing
3. high-quality natural ingredients
4. made in the U.S. by a company advanced enough to go worldwide, small enough to be able to talk to someone on the phone when you need them.

Surprisingly, I found two companies that actually met my lofty criteria. and I absolutely love them. I’ve been happily ordering and reordering for several years now–since the ultimate proof of worthiness is customer satisfaction.  My customers are exceptionally devoted to their makeup, and they look fantastic!

A little bit about these magical companies...

Mineralogie www.mineralogie.biz (pronounced “min-er-ahl-oh-gee”) is a Dallas, TX division of Demaur Cosmetics originated by makeup artist Mary Van. The range of color is astounding, with new fashion shades each season.  Though not everything in the line is natural, there are plenty of natural formula items, with more being added all the time. Especially noteworthy are Liquid Hydration, a light liquid mineral foundation, and  SPF 26 loose foundation—both come in 31 colors from lightest to darkest. Plus they have great matte or shimmer blushes in 16+ colors, and outstanding lip and eye pencils.  View current colors on the Mineralogie website, accessible from naturesface.com.  Click on Where To Buy and click on your state on the map.  An in-person try-on is highly recommended, but if you’re not near a retailer, a limited selection of products and colors is available to purchase online from www.mineralmakeupsource.com.

Monave www.monave.com ( pronounced mow-nah-vay) is based in Baltimore MD, owned by Deb Bilezikian, whose skin sensitivity and problems in matching multi-cultural skin tones lead to the development of an ultra-pure mineral foundation which leaves out potentially irritating ingredients. The foundation colors are named after the people they were formulated for, in powder, liquid and cream formulas.  Their loose mineral concealer foundation give heavier coverage.  95% of the line is vegan, and their lipsticks and glosses are yummy customer favorites.  I stock Monave foundation samples, lots of lipsticks, some blushes and many shades of cream concealer–truly the best natural concealer I’ve ever used.

If you’re in the Raleigh, NC area, contact Nature’s Face for a makeup session with Barbara Carr and have your skin tone expertly matched!

Clients will often show me their current mineral makeup when they want to fine tune their application and colors. Typically, they have been using mineral makeup for some time but realize they are not experiencing the optimum enhancement that minerals can bestow.  One look at their foundation inevitably reveals that their mineral foundation is not a good match for their skin color.  They may be unknowingly wearing a warm (yellow-gold) foundation which competes with their own cool (blue-pink) skin tone.  The result is a flat, less flattering effect which drains their natural radiance. Or they may be a golden girl wearing pink-y foundation. Or other variations of too light or too dark for their particular skin tone.

A  golden face on top of a very pink neck is a jarring combination.  Though covering up “the pink” is a prevalent maneuver in makeup artistry, it’s a roadblock on the road to maximum glow.  When you go against someone’s natural coloring, you see the negative difference in their overall image—eyes don’t look as bright, features seem to recede, and the person looks sallow or tired.  Yes, the ill effects of Pink Camouflage can be strategically fought by strong application of eye color, blush and lipstick, but this is not everyone’s realistic everyday makeup routine.  It’s so much more harmonious to follow our innate colors and do any redness-concealing within that palette.

In fact, a basic color analysis is the first step to a perfect foundation match.  Are you warm or cool?  Here are two quick indicators:

1.  Look at the palm of your hand against a sheet of white paper: warm skin is characterized by a yellow-gold palm, and cool skin has obvious pink or subtle blue coloration in the palm.

2.  Also look at the veins in your wrist, if you can see them.  If they look turquoise or green, you’re warm; if they look blue, you’re cool.

The best method for matching foundation is making three or more swipes of possible foundation colors with a cotton-tip applicator at the jawline. The object is to identify the one that seems to disappear into the skin–that’s your match!

More to come about finding perfect mineral colors for all skin tones.   If you are in the Raleigh, NC area you can book a private color analysis consultation with Barbara Carr, Licensed Esthetician /Mineral Makeup Artist / Certified Color Analyst. Call 919-845-4385 or email: barbara@naturesface.com

Six years ago I knew this would happen. Yes, I have good intuition, but in this case it was logic that told me the vast majority of cosmetic companies would come on board with their version of mineral makeup, some of them muddying up the original pure gene pool with inferior, chemically-filled formulas. I knew that poor ingredients would be hidden behind crafty wording, and that a zany range of mineral products from the excellent to the ridiculous would spring forth.

It seems obvious that some companies jumped on the bandwagon a little too quickly, taking a bypass on the road to good sensible formulation. It’s sad that women are buying the inferior versions, expecting to get the glowing results they see advertised by established leaders in the field who uphold the minimal-ingredient essence of mineral foundation that gives you serious sun protection and allows your skin to breathe and heal.

Using mineral makeup has become commonplace—a phenomenon arriving faster than logic predicted—so much so that many women have already amassed their share of rejects. I know because my clients tell me about their mineral makeup mishaps, the purchases they have added to their Bad Makeup Stockpile—the one we all have in a plastic shoe box or a bathroom drawer, waiting for the day when it might magically become Good because we spent too much to throw it away.

Many of my clients have tried mineral cosmetics from infomercials, department stores, drug stores and natural food stores. Their common complaints are: too dry, wrong color, skin irritation, or clogged pores. Usually they are referring to powdered mineral foundation, aka loose mineral foundation, which, in the best formulations, contains no real powder at all. It LOOKS like powder but is actually finely-crushed minerals and it goes on the skin with a silky, creamy look and feel. The typical ingredients in quality loose mineral brands are: zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, mica, iron oxides, boron nitride and bismuth oxychloride. (We’ll examine the merits and demerits of each one of these ingredients in future blog posts.)

In some lesser-quality or, shall we say, less skin-friendly brands, talc (think talcum powder) might be in the loose mineral foundation, potentially causing a number of problems. It seems that talc is used as an inexpensive filler. (Go ahead, check your mineral foundation ingredient label now.)

The first caveat is, talc is a possible carcinogen, so if you haven’t gotten rid of the baby or adult talcum powders in your household, replace them now with safer cornstarch powder. However, there is another reason not to use talc—it clogs pores—so why apply this comedogenic ingredient to our faces?

More wild, wild mineral info to come! Be sure to read About to see where we’re going with this blog.  See you at the next post–we would be honored to be one of your bookmarks.