I have loved the idea of mineral makeup for a long time, even more so now with baby, I want to make sure what I put on my face doesn’t come off on hers and is safe for both of us. I have tried so many brands and been very Goldilocks about them-too this, too that, not enough of  ‘x’. I keep coming back to Laura Mercier’s mineral foundation. It’s finely milled and is very, very natural looking, it’s lighter than most so you can layer to achieve the perfect amount of coverage. I have found that the best mineral makeup in the world just won’t look great if you don’t have the right brush to apply it with. The Kabuki brush is the preferred mineral make-up brush, but I find them unwieldy to use and I like more control with my products. I am happy to have discovered that Sephora has the best mineral foundation brush I have used so far, it’s very good quality (no loose brush strands ever), very soft and leaves a flawless finish. Another brush that I have used that has rave reviews is this one, it’s super soft but honestly it didn’t work as well for me, but it’s worth mentioning because a lot of people love it and it’s good quality for the price.

I have dry skin so mineral makeup has been tricky at best for me. I found it near impossible to create the perfect combo to not end up with makeup that looked dry and cracked (not a pretty look). You can’t really apply mineral makeup right after moisturizing with traditional lotion type moisturizers because it just doesn’t work, a streaky mess! A saw once that people were mixing mineral foundation with balms and then applying, again a fail for me. The two things that have worked were surprising. The first is coconut oil (when it’s solid) I did this in the winter, a little goes a long way, I just applied to my face let it sit for a little bit (while I brushed my hair or teeth) and then applied the mineral make-up, it looked so smooth and natural and no streaking! I found I would have to set with a mineral veil because if I didn’t my mascara would raccoon on me, but it’s a small extra step, well worth it.

This summer I discovered the coconut oil does not work as well in the heat. I found a great alternative and it would also make a great substitute to a silicone based primer (sidenote: Laura Mercier also makes my favorite commercial primer), the product is called Butter by indie company Ellovi. I think the name is misleading, it is definitely less a butter (which I think of as fluffy) and more of a balm. An amazing balm that is smooth and fresh and not waxy at all (like balms can be). It’s an all around great product to have in your cosmetic arsenal because it has multiple uses (I use it as the best lip balm/conditioner around). I apply the Ellovi the same way I did the coconut oil, a very little goes a long way, let it ‘set’ and then apply my mineral foundation. It’s not as perfect as the coconut oil on me, but it works very well and is super easy. I am all about the easy right now.

Do you have any tricks for using mineral make-up? Have you tried the Laura Mercier brand?  I am admittedly a huge fan of the line in general. Let me know if you have any questions!

P.S. With this method I can even use my favorite sheer Tarte cheek stains without it looking like it’s sitting on top of my makeup!