Mineral Makeup - Is the hype over? Or is the train starting up again?

Aaah life, getting in the way of posting about pretties.  Damn life.  
But now I'm on leave for a few months, so posting should be more regular now I can get things done during the day and not be falling asleep on the couch at 6pm (which has been my M.O. for the past however many months....)

I initially wrote this post months ago but never got around to "finishing" it, and now I've changed some of my opinions in favour of mineral makeup.  Again.  Because my skin has been playing up.  Again (immune system issues).

Is mineral makeup really better for your skin if you have allergies?

I certainly used to believe so - I went gung-ho about 7 years ago for Physicians Formula - first the cream and then the powder foundations. It was within my budget, it was easy to find and the reviews were pretty good.

The brush was crap.  It was very irritating so I had to invest in a separate kabuki brush.
source: Priceline, because mine are all gone.

ACTIVE INGREDIENTS: TITANIUM DIOXIDE, ZINC OXIDE. INACTIVE INGREDIENTS: MICA, TITANIUM DIOXIDE, BORON NITRIDE, ZINC STEARATE, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, LAUROYL LYSINE, CHLORPHENESIN, POTASSIUM SORBATE, RETINYL PALMITATE. MAY CONTAIN: IRON OXIDES (source - Priceline)

Then I got interested in mineral eyeshadows and so forth, I tired a few different brands and some indie brands as well.  Looking back, my skin was not at its best when I was using the mineral products.  I have moved on to different products and formulations as I have learnt more about my skin type and allergies.

I think what many people don't realise is that the pigments used in mineral makeup are the SAME pigments used in "regular" foundations.  What you will find is that the "regular" foundations have other products added such as preservatives, stabilisers (so the liquid doesn't split) and silicone for applications benefits like pore filling.  The mineral makeup that comes in a loose powder will generally have less ingredients, if its a liquid it needs a preservative of some sort.

So when a foundation touts itself as being a "mineral foundation", well technically they all are!

The main minerals are titanium dioxide, mica (which makes things look glittery/glowy), iron oxides and zinc oxide (also in sunscreens - makes things opaque).  Sometimes talc, tapioca starch or corn starch are added as fillers. The reason why you would need only a little of the powder mineral foundation is due to the higher concentration of pigments compared to a liquid.

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is used in products like paint (ever used a tube of Titanium White paint?), sunscreen, food dye and makeup .  It contributes to the opacity of the product, thickens the product and provides some UV blocking (sunscreen). Medium to full coverage foundations have a greater amount of titanium dioxide (mineral and "regular" foundations).  It is sourced from different minerals found in rocks.  Minerals are the building blocks of rocks and are compounds of different elements.

To compare powder versus liquid mineral makeup: Nude by Nature is a very population mineral foundation that is readily available in Priceline.  I would say it sits at the high-end of the drug-store level of foundations.

Liquid Mineral Foundation 30ml

INGREDIENTS: Aqua (Water), Simmondsia Chinensis [Jojoba] Seed Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Titanium Dioxide, Ceteareth 20, Tocopherol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Diheptyl Succinate, Iron Oxides [CI 77492], p-Anisic Acid, Glycerin, Glycine Soja [Soybean] Oil, Iron Oxides [CI 77491], Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Iron Oxides [CI 77499], Syzygium Leuhmanii Fruit Extract, Sodium Hydroxide, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Santalum Acuminatum Fruit Extract, Alcohol, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Xanthan Gum
(source - Priceline)


I wouldn't buy this due to the Lilly Pilly, Quandong and Kakadu Plum extracts

Its interesting to note that even though this is a mineral makeup, it still has stabilisers, thickeners, and binders in it as you would find in a "regular" foundation

Mineral Cover 15gms

INGREDIENTS: Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide, Magnesium Stearate, Kaolin, Jojoba Esters, May contain: +/- [C.I. 77491, C.I. 77492, C.I. 77499 (Iron Oxide), C.I. 77007 (Ultramarine Blue)].
(source - Priceline)

For both of these I have highlighted the minerals that are in the foundations.

I have since purchased this Mineral Cover due to my recent skin flareup in search of a foundation that would not irritate my skin and provide another layer of opacity to my makeup.


I have layered it over liquid foundations as a "setting type" of powder.  And it has worked very well in this manner.  It stopped my 3 layers of foundation flaking off and attaching to the flakes on my face without looking too dry and overly cakey after several hours.  By itself, I still need layers of this and it does go clumpy if my skin is still damp from moisturiser - so I have to wait for my skin to dry, which is the opposite of how I wear liquid foundation.  This also oxidises a little bit on me when I use it as the only foundation.

Side note - if you're Salicylate sensitive avoid anything with corn starch.  Its high in salicylic acid. Found this out the hard way with Physicians Forumla: Matte Finishing Veil which I bought when I was on the mineral makeup bandwagon.

For a while you could only find certain types of products in mineral makeup, such as the Mineral Wear Talc Free Correcting Powder.  I still use this and when I hit pan I won't repurchase it.  Since changing my routine I prefer liquid colour correctors and do not like the chalky/heavy feeling I get from the powdered mineral makeup.

Again, crap brush.  I use a separate powder brush for this.

Ingredients : Mica, Boron Nitride, Mineral Oil, Aluminum Distearate, Petrolatum, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol. May Contain: Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Carmine, Ultramarines

Now that mineral oil would put most mineral makeup purists completely off.  But mineral oil is a whole 'nother topic.  As is the Petrolatum.  I don't mind mineral oil as it doesn't irritate my skin.

So in terms of mineral makeup, I would say if you are super-sensitive you would need to buy a product that has as few ingredients as possible.  Avoiding the "enriched with" labels.  Its about reading the labels and being aware of what will work for your skin type.  And being flexible with how you use the mineral makeup to suit your needs and expectations.  For myself currently its not a product I can use alone to give my the cover I like.

Does anyone use a pure mineral foundation?  What has made you stay/change to that product?

When Cuddling your Teddy Bear and Smooshing your Cat just doesn't cut it (Comfort Hauling)

This is my biggest haul from RRS thus far.  I had been compiling a list and because of a short-term promotion at work for a month I could afford "All The Things" (within reason).

Why am I calling it a comfort haul?  Well when I clicked the "buy" button it was on a day where I'd been dealing with some epic health issues, which have since compounded, thus the lack of posts.

This represents the state of my brain for the past 10 days 

My allergies and immune system have basically done a riot and I've been off work for a full week with painkillers, antibiotics, allergy medications and topical medications.  But that was not the reason for the Comfort Haul, it simply compounded the issues and the stress and the panic I was feeling.

So this haul has actually been sitting in the dining room for a week because I could not function to even look at it.  Well, it made me upset to look at it.

Now I have pulled it together somewhat and am throwing this post out for you, because there are reasons for these purchases for my skin type when my immune system behaves and I am very much looking forward to being able to use these products once my course of medications from the dermatologist (finally have now been to one) finishes.

So with the RRS new shop sale on several ranges I liked AND free shipping on Mizon, lets haul!

Samples of Cera Cera cream, Shea Butter Steam Cream and Aloe Cleansing cream

Mizon part 1.... Aloe has been something I wanted to incorporate more into my routine and I had samples of the Mizon WaterVolume cream that I really liked and the Sleeping Mask had positive reviews from other who have a similar skin type to myself.

Mizon 2... More AIO Snail cream, the Night Repair sounded like it would be good to help repair my skin, the Collagen series because I had liked another Collagen cream this I had bought previously and wanted to expand on the range.

Mizon, uh, 3.... Snail Ampoule (kisses!) and the Placenta Cream, because why not.

BB cushions - now the Garfield was because GARFIELD and I needed childhood warm fuzzies, the Etude House is a green colour corrector and the Missha was a nice price (~$7-8 AUS).  Right now they would all be too sheer for my face (think sunburn red), so will have to wait for a proper use. 

Red Ginseng x 3 - I've been curious about this ingredient, Aloe x 9 because I LOVE THIS MASK and  Mung Bean x 3 - again ingredient curiosity.

2 boxes of my favourite snail masks because they were on special!

This is the most coherent I've been for the past 10 days, so hopefully I can get some more past reviews neatened up and posted for you!  I had one that I need to re-write because my own attitude and opinion towards the topic changed, but that's the way the cookie crumbles.

When have you Comfort Hauled?  And did you get to enjoy the haul?

Priceline 40% Off Skincare (July)

Oh Priceline.
Ooooooh Priceline.
You know the way to my heart.

On the 27/7 and 28/7 Priceline had one of its' pop-up 40% off sales for skincare.  These happen every 6 months or so, and I was in need, dire, dire, need of some items.
As much as I love my AB products there are some items that aren't AB that are Holy Grails in my routines.

I was down to the last scrapings of my last tub of Nivea Creme that I bought randomly a few months ago to supplement my supply.

Rationing. Every. Last. Bit.

Great Wall of Nivea

I do love my Nivea Creme.  I didn't buy enough in the last 40% off in Feb, so hopefully 12 tubs should see me through 6 months.  I use this on my face and on my body.  This is a product that I use everyday, twice a more, more if my skin is ridiculously dry.  If I could only have one skincare product left to use it would be this.

I also collected some of my favourite toner.

This doesn't claim to be for dry skin, but my skin is very fond of it. I'm halfway through my second bottle already so grabbed these.  I had tried a different toner after I finished a bottle of this but my skin was not as happy as before so I had to buy another bottle of this.  The different in dryness is noticeable.  I like to amp this up by mixing in some hyaluronic serum in with it.

Trying some of these Sukin items as they do have good reviews.

The Sensitive Cleansing Lotion seems to be massively popular.  Both times in these sales I've seen people grab handfuls and they always get emptied out early on.

Simple has some items that have a nice short ingredient list that were in travel sizes and thought they would be good to trial.

Simple has seemed a bit hit and miss, so if I can get a sample size or a trial size I would prefer to get that first rather than committing to a full item.

I've been interested in cream cleansers, as I'm searching for something to replace my Avene Extremely Gentle cleanser which is over $30.

This also had a lovely short ingredient list and has worked well so far but it smells of sunscreen and its disconcerting.  The first time I used it I had to double check that I had bought a cleanser....

So the Nivea and Toner were planned purchases and the others were items that caught my eye as I was rampaging through Priceline.  I looked at some of the serums and tried them and such but really balked at the prices.  I have been far too spoilt by RoseRoseShop and their prices.  My shop last Feb in Priceline was quite different to this shop.

What did you get in the Priceline Skincare sale?

Mizon WaterMax Moisture BB Cream

I have been on a hunt for a BB Cream as my skin has improved and I dont need 6 layers of foundation.
Here in Australia BB creams are, shall we say, orange.  Great for tanned skin.  I dont tan.
I tried Garnier (got it in a subscription bx that shall not be named), Nivea (let down city), samples from Maybelline (but Maybelline foundations always oxidise on me.  Not their concealers however..) and swatched Australis and my beloved Rimmel.
All were "Nopes", not even a "if I work it into my skin really well can I make it work?".  Oh and Australis oxidised like hell - my hand looked like someone had drawn a line in fake tanner.

So when I did my large haul from RRS I saw that Mizon had a BB cream that was also in their "free Shipping", and it was a respectable price, so I put it in the order.

Ingredients: Aqua, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, cyclomethicone, titanium dioxide, glycerin, butylene glycol, cetyl ethylhexanoate, sodium hyaluronate, cyclopentasiloxane, dimenthicone, crosspolymer, cetyl peg/ ppg-10/1 dimethicone, dsodium chloride, trehalose, natto gum, rosa hybrid flower extract, biosaccharide gum-1, sodium pca, sorbitol, glycine, alanine, proline, serine, threonine, arginine, lysine, glutamic acid, iris florentina root extract, viola mandshurica flower extract, aloe barbadensis leaf extract, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) extract, glacier water, sea water, betula platyphylla japonica juice, hydrolyzed coralline officinalus extract, butyrospermum parkii(shea butter), mangifera indica (mango) seed butter, olea europaea (oluve) fruit oil, helianthus annus (sunflower) seed oil, oenothera biennis (evening primrose) oil, disodium edta, polymethyl methacrylate, Ci 77492, Ci 77492, Ci77499 , phenoxyethanol, methyl paraben, propyl paraben, fragrance

It is a hydrating BB Cream - I have not found a BB cream for dry skin in my search from Australian shops.  They were all (the ones I tried) for normal, or even oily skin, essentially containing salicylic acid and mattifying ingredients.  So that in itself was another point towards this product.

I am please with how it has turned out.  It is a close colour match for my Rimmel foundations, just a touch greyer but that does not faze me overly as once you do the rest of your makeup you cant see any grey.  This BB cream doesn't inflame my skin at all (giving dark looks to a Nivea BB cream) and it doesn't dry out over the day so I still have a nice soft dewy look.  If my skin is a little flakey it will "catch" on the flakes, so use this on moisturised skin so it has a smooth base - or use a primer.

I cant use it when my skin is inflamed however, as it is too sheer for that even when layered and I think it oxidises if I layer it under my Rimmel foundation, but by itself it works very well.  I will definitely use this up.  If I cant find a better one (also trying out samples of Etude House Precious Minerals BB creams) I might repurchase it.

What BB Creams have impressed you recently?

Random haul from the City

I dont go to Melbourne CBD very often.  Maybe once or twice a year.

I had a mission in mind - to hunt down some physical AB Shops that had been listed in the AB and Australian Makeup Reddit forums.  Just to see what the prices were like compared to the online stores.

Walking past Haighs (one of the other missions of the day...) a few shops up I spied some sheet mask packets from the corner of my eye.  Wandered over into the shops - I initally thought it was an Asian Grocer because there were boxes of food and such.
There was a small section of the aisle that had Mamonde and Sexy Look masks so I was stoked to see them and picked up a few.  Went down the aisle and up the next one and realised that this was an AB store!  It had a range of products that I had eyeballed online and new some of the prices.
Some prices were quite comparable to online and shipping together.  Some I'm not sure of.  More research required.

THEN I went to the back of the shop where there was an aisle FULL OF SHEET MASKS.

SHEET MASK HEAVEN.

I was able to read the ingredients and make a choice easily - unlike online where I have to google the ingredients or hope for the best.
Most prices were quite reasonable as well! So nice to buy things and have them immediately and not have to wait 3 weeks or more and not have to convert the US$ to AUS$.

So a little haul.  Made even better by its randomness!  This will encourage me to go into the city again because I know where this is easily and found the other shop as well (did not have time to browse there fully).
With a list...

What random hauls have made your day recently?

Product Review : 3W Clinic Fresh Collagen Mask Sheet

Another sheet mask!

This is a simple one from 3W Clinic.  I bought this in a 10 pack off RRS waaaaay back in April and it was 80% so it may depend on how long stocks last (I tried ordering another type, but they had run out when I put my order in - but today 6/7/15, they still had these masks on the website).  I wish that RRS included an ingredients list - sometimes its really hard to find the ingredient list via Google.  Same with Sasa.  Just show a photo of the ingredients even!

This was the first sheet mask that really got me into the whole "lifestyle" of sheet masking - I had used random masks here and there but this was a purposeful bulk buy so I could mask more frequently.  I think I've used around 5 of them thus far.  They're a great go-to mask if you're not sure what your face needs in terms of treatments but really want to sheet mask (like after marking 60 exams in one day).

For me, there is not distinct perfume apart from the scent I now associate with Asian Skincare (like how my "It's Skin green base" smells and my Mizon Snail Ampoule smells).  Kinda sciencey and clinical.  Which I dont mind at all.  Having said that, I have a shocking sense of smell!

I leave this on for at least 15 mins, up to 30mins. I want to find one of the Daiso silicon mask cover to see if that helps at all.  There is a generous amount of essence with the mask which I think helps with it lasting longer and not drying out quickly.  There is usually around 10mls left in the packet after taking out the mask.
As per usual I will have layered some toners and serums/ampoules before putting this on.

I love the moisture I get from this mask.  The collagen is very low on the list, so a "token" nod to collagen.  If it had been labelled as a "Hydrating Mask" probably more apt.  I think the glycerin and sodium hyaluronate do most of the hard work here.  Good thing my skin likes to drink those two ingredients up!  This is a nice mask to use in the morning as well - I wear it while I watch the morning news while I'm waking up and having my coffee (hey coffee masks...ooooh),  My skin can get ridiculously dry during the day and my makeup looks dreadful by lunchtime and I've observed on days I mask in the morning I still look decent by 3pm (end of classes).

I've got a large stash of masks I'm going through at the moment so I'm not in a hurry to repurchase.
What sheet mask got you into the "lifestyle" of sheet masking?

Holy Hyaluronic Acid, Batman

Such science

*sparkles*

I.Love.Hyaluronic.Acid.

I didn't get onto the bandwagon until this year, but hot damn, so glad I did!
I have very dry skin - even when its nice and clear I'll still get a tight, sore feeling if I don't moisturise in the morning.  Usually I'll feel uncomfortable by 10am.

I started off with Indeed Labs Hyaluron serum.  I bought one tube when it was 40% off at Priceline to try it properly (full price is $35 from Priceline), when glamaco had it for $15 I snapped up 5 tubes, and wish I bought more).  The serum itself is a clear and odorless gel that spreads quite far.  I usually use a pea sized amount which does my face, neck, decolletage and any leftovers I rub into my hands. This product is designed to be used after toner and before moisturising.  It in itself is not a moisturiser but enhances the ability for moisture to penetrate the upper layers of the skin.

I tend to use this serum in my PM routine, in summer I also use it in my AM routine, but in winter when I'm at work I don't use it in the AM routine.  I found that because the air at work is much drier and the change from a warm classroom to the cold outdoors amplified the drying out effect that can happen when using hyaluronic acid without enough moisture.

Then the obsession began.  I found that the Cetaphil Restoraderm had hyaluronic acid (sodium hylyuronate) in it so that joined my collection.  The Restoraderm is a body lotion and works well in summer.  Also acquired some Mizon ampoule samples to compare to the Indeed Labs.

  

I found at Daiso a hyaluronic acid ampoule which I will experiment with by adding to moisturiser and a hyaluronic acid spray.  I have been using the spray (pump bottle) by alternating it with the Indeed Labs serum and both seem to have the same effectiveness.

I bought some samples of the Hada Labo Hyaluronic Lotion (heavy and light) from Sasa.com and I use that at night on my dry skin on legs and arms, followed up by Nivea Cream and the results have been great.  I think this combo is more effective in winter than the Cetaphil Restoraderm.

I may calculate the cost per ml between the Indeed Labs serum and the Hada Labo heavy lotion because they are both very effective.  However I have to include the shipping cost for both of them because I cant see myself willing to pay the $30 or so at Priceline when I know I can buy it cheaper online and that's including shipping.

I know that all of these serums have different ingredients in them, and I'm not after the product with the most/best sized molecules of hyaluronic acid in them, but I want to compare them all to see what my skin likes best.  Your Mileage May Vary (YMMV), or even Your Moisture May Vary.  Different external factors will also have an influence on how well these perform.  The Indeed Labs serum was excellent in summer, but not so great in winter which I why I'm trialing different types and combinations of products.

Now this is just a topic application of the acid itself, so it only penetrates the very top layers and keeps moisture (essentially water) there as well which is why the skin is hydrated.  This is a highly effective humectant (humectants hold moisture), but you do need a product to then trap that moisture onto your skin which is your moisturiser and an occlusive layer like vaseline or Dermeeze for really dry skin on top of that.  Otherwise the hyaluronic acid can pull the moisture OUT of your skin (which is what happens in winter to me like I mentioned above).

What skincare technology or active ingredient have you become obsessed with?