What You Don't Know About Mineral Makeup

It seems that everyone is jumping on the mineral makeup bandwagon, regardless of the quality. More importantly, I have found many of the more popular, well known names to be a lesser product. I was first introduced to a bare minerals product by a friend, and was really happy with the ease of applying and the lightweight feeling. The fact that you can apply foundation, blush, shadow, and eyeliner in 5 minutes flat and look flawless, while actually doing something good for your skin can't be beat. When I see my 14 year old daughter actually apply foundation smoothly, and without lines around her chin, I knew it to be foolproof.

But upon further inspection, I noticed a few things. Many of the top names contain bismuth oxychloride - a known skin irritant. Last week, a high end national cosmetic manufacturer sold in drug stores came out with a "mineral make up" - who's first ingredient listed is talc! BE's top selling product is their mineral veil - an added layer to keep your makeup on your face - and an added cost. After comparing ingredients when deciding on a brand to purchase, you'll see the field is narrowed down quite a bit.

But what's something no one tells you to look for? How much are you getting for your money? Most foundations come in a 20 or 30 gram jar, but the net weight is only 2 or 3 grams of product. If you see something like 10grams as the stated size, you're getting somewhere between 1 and 3 grams of powder. They just tell you the container size, not the net weight. Because of these misleading properties, I began to carry my own line of mineral makeup: www.PurelyCosmetics.com. None of my products contain bismuth, talc, or any other unwanted ingredient: just mica, zinc oxide, and iron oxides, for the most part. And no mineral veil is necessary. We do offer setting powders, as well concealers and color correctors, but our setting powders are designed for the person who wants less luminescence. Foundations have a full 6 grams per jar. You buy what you want, when you want it. No pre-assembled packages (though there are packages available, YOU pick each color), no clubs to join.