Mineral Makeup has been around for a couple of decades, but it has gained popularity in the last few years.  With so many brands and a unique application system, mineral makeup can confuse new users.  This guide is designed to help you out.  I use products from several brands, so I will try to be an independant reviewer, whereas other guides hype only one brand.

• Preparing your face for Mineral Makeup
• Brushes
• Concealer
• Foundation
• Face Color
• Eyeshadow
• Finishing Powder

Preparing your face for Mineral Makeup:  As with most types of makeup, you should begin with clean dry skin.  If you tend to have dry skin make sure you prep your face with a moisturizer before applying your makeup. 

To help your makeup last through out the day, and to even out your complexion, I reccomend using a primer before applying your makeup.  There are a number of great primers out there on the market.  Most contain silicone, which is a great ingredient to smooth out your skin, and help your makeup go on flawlessly.  Some primers that I like are Smashbox Photo Finish Primer, Laura Geller Spakle and Sheer Cover Base Perfector.  If you don't want to spend a lot of money on your primer, a makeup artist's secret, is to use Monistat Soothing Care Chafing Relief Gel as a primer.  It is less than $10 dollars and can be found in your local drugstore, and is silicone based like most other more expensive brands.

Brushes:  There are a variety of makeup brushes currently on the market.  Ebay is one of the best places to find a great makeup brush set, or individual brush.  I suggest to invest in good makeup brushes.  Good brushes last many, many years and help you apply your makeup like a pro.  My favorite brush set is the Liana Beauty 7 piece Brush Set, this set comes with a combination of synthetic and natural hair brushes, they are extremely high quality and come with a chic case, my favorite Liana brush is their kabuki.  If you don't want to purchase a full set of brushes yet, a kabuki brush is an extremely popular brush for applying mineral makeup foundation.  Cat Cosmetics makes a nice kabuki brush as do Bare Escentuals and Lauren Hutton: Good Stuff.  If you are looking for an excellent brush to apply pressed powder mineral foundation I would highly reccomend the Jane Iredale Handi Brush.  Bare Escentuals has an extensive line of eye shadow, powder and blush brushes so if you need to pick up some extra brushes, I would check out the BE range.

Concealer: Before applying your mineral makeup base, I would highly reccomend using a concealer to cover up any imperfections that bother you.  I prefer to use a cream concealer over a powder concealer.  Sheer Cover makes an excellent cream concealer, and they are available in concealer duos to help you find the perfect shade.  I also love Lauren Hutton: Good Stuff concealers, they cover imperfections perfectly and are available to suite many skin tones.  I also love Amazing Cosmetics concealers, which are the Champagne of concealers.  Bare Escentuals and other Mineral Makeup companies make powder concealers, but I don't like them as much, and they can be drying to the skin, if you must try the powder concealer try Bisque.

Foundation: There is currently three types of mineral makeup foundation: Loose Mineral Powders, Pressed Mineral Powders and Liquid Mineral Foundation.  Loose Powders are messier than Pressed Powders, and are very hard to travel with.  I prefer pressed powder foundations, some good ones to try are PurMinerals, Sheer Cover and Jane Iredale, which come in gold beautiful compacts.  Jane Iredale has the most extensive color selection, if you have an average skin tone, try her Amber or Natural Pressed Bases, as these colors are the most universal Iredale colors.

Loose Powders are great to use for color mixing, as they blend easily, so that the user can create the perfect color.  Everyday Minerals makes a good product for a reasonable price, they don't put big money into advertising like the large companies, but they make a great product.  Bare Escentuals is the largest MMU brand, but I don't reccomend using this product if you have dry or sensitive skin.  Lauren Hutton, just released a brand new mineral makeup like called Aqua Elements, it is great new product.  And the packaging is great for a loose mineral powder.

Face Color: Included in the face color category are bronzers, blushes, and other products to give your face a bright, rosy, bronzed glow! 

There are many different types of minereal bronzers on the market.  The most common one is Warmth, by Bare Escentuals.  Many people own this product, due to its inclusion in BE started kits, however, I do not reccoment buying this product.  It is very dark, potent and is a flat color.  If you want to use a BE bronzer, I would suggest buying Faux Tan, Warm Radiance or the Soft Focus Warmth.  Both of those products will give you a subtle bronzed skin tone, without being harsh looking.  Other great bronzing products are Pur Minerals Marble Powder (Pressed Powder), Jane Iredale So Bronze 2 (Pressed Powder) and a great versitle product that can be used as a bronzer as well as a eyeshadow primer Minerale Glaze (Loose Powder, Hard to find).

As for the blushes, there are a number of great colors and powders.  Some blushes are loose powders and others are pressed powders.  I personally find the pressed powder blushes eailer to work with.  Jane Iredale makes wonderful pressed powder blushes, as do Pur Minerals.  I like working with bold, bright colors as they give your skin a youthful, rosy look.  My favorite loose mineral blush, is made by Mirenesse and the color is Sheeba, you just need a little bit to make your complexion come alive.

A great line of all over face colors is made by Bare Escentuals.  I belive that the radiance powders and face colors are the best products in the BE line.  Every single radiance powder they have come out with has looked great.  My favorites are Clear Radiance and Bare Radiance, but you can't go too wrong with any of them.  In addition to the radiances, I like the BE color true and Soft Focus Glee.

Eyeshadow: As with many other Mineral Makeup products there are two types of powders in the eyeshadow category; loose powder and pressed powder.  Loose powder eyeshadows are very versitle and I prefer the loose mineral eyeshadows to work with.  Loose mineral eyeshadows can be applied dry or with a wet brush for a "foiled effect".  Jane Iredale 24 Karat Gold Mine colors are my favorite loose mineral eyeshadows.  They are extremely unique and are made using 24-K Gold Dust.