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Kristen gives mineral makeup a try
This is my first time trying mineral cosmetics. Quite frankly, I've always been scared to death of mineral cosmetics. To me, they just don't sound easy to use and I am all about the ease and efficacy in cosmetics. I got the chance to try out the new mineral foundation and powder from J. Lynne Cosmetics. I received the Mineral Smooth Foundation in shades Ivory Warm 1.4 and Light Warm 2.4, and the Mineral Finish Powder in Ivory/Light.
Per the instructions, I put a bit of powder foundation in a bowl and lightly spray a brush with water or floral water. I then swirled the damp brush in the mineral foundation and it made it like a creamy, liquidy foundation. You take the brush and lightly apply it on your face. I first used circular, swirly motions and found that it put it on too heavy. So, on the other side of the face, I simply brushed it on with light strokes. This method worked much better and made the application not as heavy.
So, here I was with a cakey mess on one side and a lighter, but still matte finished on the other side. Of course, with any cosmetics, the art is in the application. I think this stuff will take getting used to. I do have large pores and some acne scars on my nose that are slightly pitted and unfortunately this made them look worse like I had these black dots on my face. However, where my face had no pits or large pores and I didn't apply too much, it looked nice. The foundation dried quickly, so if you apply too much, it's hard to fix without removing it. And speaking of dryness, this foundation was very drying on my skin despite my having combination skin and my face felt tight and wrinkly when I smiled. The shade Ivory Warm 1.4 was a better match for my untanned skin. The Light Warm 2.4 was way too dark. After a bit of trying new ways to apply it, I did find it to be nice to apply without the water.
Now, let's get to what I do like a lot and that is the Mineral Finish Powder. I really love this stuff! Unlike the foundation, which is too heavy for me, this stuff is light and easy to apply and provides such a gorgeous even finish to my skin. I first tried it as a touch up to freshen my powder and loved it. I then tried it as a setting powder on wet foundation and didn't find that it smoothed my skin like it did as a touch up. It's not drying either. My skin looked like it was photo-retouched. And it didn't settle into my pores or look cakey in any way. The color of the powder (Ivory/Light) was a perfect match for my skin. It covered any trace of redness I had. Luckily the sample I received will last me for a while because I really like it. I don't think it's good for portability as it is a loose powder requiring a fluffy brush.
Since I really liked the samples I received, I ordered more! I ordered four shades of Mineral Glow Illuminating Powder in Bare (bronzey pink shimmer), Moonlight (silvery-gold shimmer), Goddess (shimmery pale gold), and Sunrise (warm gold shimmer), plus two Multi-Dimensions Eyeshadow in Treasured (golden brown shimmer) and Hushed (nude gold shimmer), and finally a Soft Silk Blush in Shy (soft pink shimmer). If you are a lover of things that provide a soft luminosity, these are the products for you. They are soooo wearable by all skin tones and look good placed pretty much anywhere. Even though the eyeshadows have shimmer in them, I love wearing them to work because they are neutral toned and the shimmer doesn't scream out at you. The blush, Shy, is such a pretty light shade that looks great on and provides a soft, youthful flush to my cheeks. It's perfect for me since I don't like a lot of color on my face because of the emphasis I place on my eyes. The Illuminating powders are a hit on my list, too. Just like the aforementioned products, they do have a soft shimmer to them. Moonlight and Goddess are shades I like to put on my eyes, too, to layer it over another matte shade or to highlight my brow bone. Bare and Sunrise are great on my summer-tanned skin to highlight my cheekbones. In fact, these shades are versatile, as is the formula, so they really can be applied anywhere. I love to wear any of them on my chest, cleavage and shoulders for a shimmery look. I really like the versatility and the texture is feather-light.
Check out J. Lynne Cosmetics at jlynnecosmetics.com. I really appreciate the fact that you can order (for a very reasonable price, I must say) generous samples of the products before committing to purchase the full size. I am still using samples I ordered a couple of months ago!
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Posted August 14, 2005
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