The Truth about Mineral Makeup

With all the chemicals found in foundations, covering your blemishes can be even more toxic than you think. However, with mineral makeup sweeping makeup counters at every store, there is a safer alternative for that beautiful flawless skin you yearn for. But how safe is mineral makeup?

Mineral makeup is a type of makeup that is made with finely ground minerals, the most common being titanium oxide, zinc oxide, and mica. It is first crushed into fine powder and then processed to create a range of colors.

These 3 simple ingredients, or the lack of other ingredients, is what makes mineral makeup a better alternative to other types of makeup.

However many of the mineral makeups offered today are full of other ingredients that detract from the benefits of pure mineral makeup.

One example is MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural that claims to be a mineral makeup but has more than  3 ingredients including…

Titanium Dioxide 7 %Mica, barley extract, wheat germ oil, ascorbyl palmitate, tocopheryl acetate, squalane, methicone, potassium sorbate, chlorphenesin, titanium dioxide, iron oxides, bismuth, carmine, chromium hydroxide green, chromium oxide greens, ferric ferrocyanide, manganese violet, ultramarines, yellow 5 lake, zinc oxide

It is important to carefully read the labels if you are looking for a pure mineral product.

Some ingredients that may cause irritation and are potentially harmful include talc, amorphous hydrated silica, cornstarch (zea mays), synthetic dyes, ferric ferrocyanide, and bismuth oxychloride just to name a few.

Basically, the less ingredients it has the purer the mineral product is and the better it will be for your skin.

However, not everything is so fine and dandy with mineral makeup.

One danger associated with this finely milled powder is that nano-sized particles can be easily absorbed into the skin or inhaled which can lead to health complications in the long run.

Although there is a potential threat associated with mineral makeup there are ways of avoiding it through consumer awareness. Here are some things you should know when using mineral makeup.

1. First off, you want to make sure the mineral product you are buying is not made with nano-sized particles and instead with microsized particles which are 1000 times bigger and are too big to be easily inhaled or absorbed into the skin.Many companies, like the popular BareMinerals, do not use nano-particles especially after the danger surrounding the use of them became known.
2. When applying the makeup you want to make sure you are using the right application technique known as the swirl tap buff (which I will go into further detail later on)
3. Lastly, when you are tapping or dusting the brush make sure  you are doing it away from your face.
4. You can also try applying your foundation wet, by mixing the powder with water, moisturizer, or primer.

The swirl tap buff technique is used when applying mineral powder and ensures you get the best (and safest) application as well.

What you need

-lid
-dense mineral powder brush like this brush from Sephora

Steps

1.Add a little powder to the lid

 

2.Swirl your brush on the lid making sure to pick up all the product

3.Tap the brush, far from your face, to remove any excess powder

4.Buff it in to your skin a circle motion, starting from your the inside and working out

Mineral makeup is a blessing for your face in a world full of parabens and synthetic colors, and with the right techniques it can lead to a flawless healthy complexion.