Mineral Makeup Application for a Flawless Finish - Foundation
By Candice Ramsay
Mineral makeup is one of the fastest growing industries in cosmetics and today's woman is choosing her products carefully. Mineral makeup has a myriad of advantages in that it can address problem skin, aging skin and normal skin types as well as have the convenience of delivering similar outcomes to conventional chemically enhanced makeup.
Like conventional makeup, mineral makeup has progressed to offer almost every color, shade and tint. Mineral makeup also comes in creams, liquid and powder making your application just as easy as conventional makeup. Mineral makeup also comes in differing coverages from light to heavy coverage. Interestingly, even a heavy coverage of mineral makeup will not harm skin if applied properly and with products from a reputable source.
You will need-
Cleanser, mineral eye cream, mineral moisturizer, mineral primer, mineral concealer, mineral foundation, concealer brush and two foundation brushes for a liquid foundation or one foundation brush and a kabuki brush for powder foundation.
Let's begin with preparing the skin for application. A clean face is a good start, followed by mineral eye cream and moisturizer. Why mineral eye cream and moisturizer you may ask? Your eye cream and moisturizer is as important to your application as your makeup. If you apply non-mineral products under your mineral makeup, you are creating a chemical barrier between the benefits you can derive from your makeup. Apply mineral eye cream with your ring fingers starting from the outer corners of your eyes and moving under the eyes towards your tear ducts. Only apply the softest of pressure to this area. Then start again from the outer corners of your eyes and work your way up just under the brows and smooth across eyelids. This area does not need as much as under your eyes as this skin is folded for most of the day and is not exposed to as much free radicals and pollution as the rest of your face.
Apply moisturizer with your fingertips starting from the driest areas first. With most women, this would be the outer areas of your face. This area seems to be most ignored while the "T" area gets all the attention. Make no mistake, your "T" zone needs as much moisturizer, however moving from driest to the "T" area ensures that your whole face gets sufficient moisturizer. This method will also help to fill in pores whilst going against "the grain".
Next, get yourself a good mineral primer. There aren't many on the market, but it is not hard to find. You will need a small foundation brush for application. Deposit a small amount of primer to the hand you are not using, preferably on the back of your palm. Dab the tip of your brush on the deposited primer and start sweeping your face starting from the "T" area working from the nose and working out radially to the rest of the face. The amount used should be enough to smooth out scarring and unevenness. You should not be able to see shine. Your brush work should be sufficient to blend to an almost matt finish. To achieve this, use a buffing motion, especially around the "T" zone.
Now you can apply your mineral concealer. Dab your concealer brush into your concealer - a little goes a long way. If you have any primer left on your other hand, dab your brush into the primer for a smooth application. Dab your concealer brush under your eyes and then draw a streak along under your brows. Use your middle fingers to pat the concealer into your skin under your eyes and again under your brows. Use what's left on your fingers to dab smile lines or other dark areas of your face.
Your foundation application will now be a breeze! If you are using a liquid mineral foundation, deposit a drop onto the back of the hand you are not using and dab the ends of your foundation brush. Do not use the same foundation brush as you did with your primer. Sweep your foundation from the nose radially out to the rest of your face. Use a buffing motion to mattify your face. If you have a kabuki brush, use this in a buffing motion after you have swept your face with your foundation brush.
If you are using a powder foundation, pick up some powder with your kabuki brush and dab and buff the powder into the cap of your powder jar until the powder see⁹ms even on your brush. Flick your brush to the side (or tap the handle of the brush on a hard and washable surface with the bristles facing down to remove excess powder) and start buffing the nose and working out radially to the rest of the face. Avoid the eye area if you have lines as powder tends to shift in the presence of creases. If you want to have full coverage in the eye area, collect a little more powder, shake and buff lightly while pulling your jaw downwards to open creases. Then pat lightly with your ring fingers until you are satisfied with the coverage.
Mineral makeup is certainly the best option if you are considering long term benefits. It is lightweight yet delivers great coverage without causing inflammation or irritation. In some cases, depending on the amounts of minerals present, mineral makeup can actually improve the overall health of your skin.
Candice is a wedding makeup artist and hair stylist specializing in modern and couture weddings. She keeps a keen eye on fashion and only uses mineral makeup and natural hair products on her clients. She is currently building a website as a resource tool for the world to use and be a part of. Keep an eye out for it.
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