Mineral foundation is something that has been on my radar for a while. It’s supposed to be ideal for atypical and sensitive skin as it’s lightweight, non-comedogenic and (apparently) you can even sleep in it which proves the lack of nasties in it. I had tried a L’Oréal Paris True Match minerals powder foundation before and liked the coverage but it contained talc which I think started to aggravate my skin after a while. So when I heard about The English Mineral Makeup Company I was pretty excited.
The English Mineral Makeup Company
Let’s start with a bit of background. The English Mineral Makeup Company are a brand new British brand, started by mother-daughter combo. Looking at the website, their products really impressed me (more on this later) but it was the personal touch that really won me over. When I was emailing the team with questions about the products (I am super paranoid about ingredients etc as my skin can react so easily), Jeanette (the mother from the mother-daughter team!) emailed me personally to allay any fears I might have, telling me that she herself has rosacea and that was part of the reason they had started the company. They couldn’t find the make up they wanted, so they made it! LOVE it.
All of the products are chemical free, here’s the official statement: “free from additives that can cause cause skin irritation and allergies such as parabens, mineral oil, perfumes, fragrances, dyes, bismuth oxychloride, talc, etc.” They are also cruelty free and the products contain SPF 15. Tick, tick, tick!
But firstly can we talk about the packaging…*swoon*. White and floral is always classic and beautiful, and it certainly does look very English! The powders come with little cloth pouches for travel which is very helpful.
The Mineral Foundation is their main product and I have been seriously impressed. It is described as being ideal for those with skin like mine, which is always nice to hear: “Anti-inflammatory, perfect for skin disorders such as acne, breakouts, rosacea, eczema, etc”.
It blends very gradually which gives a super natural finish and also means it gives controllable coverage. My rosacea redness is focused on my cheeks, nose and right side of my forehead, but this slow build up means that I can make sure the areas with no redness aren’t over-covered. When I first applied it, I wondered if it would be able to cover the redness, but with some patience it really does. And it does it without feeling cakey or heavy. For this kind of coverage to feel like I had nothing on my face is pretty incredible. The powder is so fine that it gives a lovely soft focus finish with no harsh lines or obvious ‘made up’ look. It is also long lasting: I wear primer under all foundation as I’m very oily and this stuck around until I washed my face before going to bed. There is a great range of 30 colours and they also do colour sampling so you can make sure you’ve got a colour match before purchasing. They also do a colour matching service which sounds pretty great!
The only negatives I would say is that it does take a while to apply – it’s definitely not one that you can just bung on your face and run out of the door! I’m getting quicker every time I apply (I’ve been testing it out for a few weeks), but as it’s a slow build up product I would say it takes about 10 minutes to cover all of my redness. When I was in a rush, I tried putting a light layer of liquid foundation on and then topping up with the mineral foundation which worked well. It’s also a bit messy, but this is just me coming from liquid foundation. I did get it all over my outfit the first day I tried it which I quickly learned from!
The foundations are £37 each, which is on the pricey side but powder goes a lot further than liquid so I think these would last for quite a long time. For the coverage and comfort these give me, I would happily pay that.
The Mineral Blushes come in matte or shimmer finishes and have so many beautiful shades so you’ll definitely find one to suit your skintone. They are super soft and natural looking as they are very easy to build. The blushes are £25 each.
The Fairy Godmother powder really intrigued me as it sounded like nothing else I’d ever heard of. I’ll give you the blurb from the website as they explain it the best! “This multi-tasking darling is a truly unique product. It’s an amazing night-time skin treatment and the perfect accessory to your mineral products. Use in the morning as a Primer under your foundation, or as a Finishing Phase over foundation.The EMM Fairy Godmother will dramatically change the appearance of your skin. It reflects light and gives the appearance of fewer wrinkles and fewer fine lines, a smooth texture, giving the look of baby-soft skin. Although it’s in powder form, it’s filled with Jojoba Oil and other natural antioxidants that nurture your skin.” Sounds pretty crazy doesn’t it! I’ve been using it as a finishing powder (it gives a lovely glow and helps the powder foundation last even longer) as I’m not too sure about wearing it overnight, I look forward to my lotion and potion nighttime skincare routine too much! I’m going to have to try it though, it might change everything! The Fairy Godmother powder is £55.
The Kabuki brushes are brilliant and I would really recommended ordering some as they are perfect for applying the mineral powders: they are really sturdy but so soft. They are great for really buffing the product into skin which removes tell tale tide marks. Plus they are small enough to pop in a handbag or overnight bag. They are £15 each.
You can find out more about The English Mineral Makeup Company HERE.
I’m going to do a video showing the application of the Mineral Foundation as I really want to show you guys the coverage and how natural it looks, if you’re not sold from reading this review, you will be after seeing that!
Do you like mineral foundations? What do you think to the English Mineral Makeup Company products?
Lex
