Mineral Makeup is in!  Everybody is trying it!  Without a doubt, mineral makeup looks glowingly beautiful, but are you aware of the wonderful benefits of using Mineral Makeup or the consequences of not?

To give you some history...I never used much makeup up growing up.  If I did, it was a little blush and some lipstick, but I never used a foundation all over my face.  In fact, I always felt sorry for the girls who did because they couldn't hardly touch their faces without messing up their makeup!  You know the feeling, I'm sure. 

Well, in my early thrities my face started aging and my color was uneven.  To be exact, I had dark circles under the eyes and redness (rosacea, I suppose) across my cheeks and nose.  I hated going anywhere because I just felt so BLAH looking!  So, I started using foundation all over my face to help even out my skin tone.  It did help appearances, but all the stuff in traditional makeup can really wreak havoc on a woman's delicate facial skin.

As I was learning more about my son's chemical and food sensitivities, I was also learning that the stuff we put on our skin is absorbed into our bodies and we can have some pretty horrific reactions to all those chemicals...either immediately or over time.  So I got away from using the foundation and hated the way I looked all over again!

I then purchased an expensive brand of makeup that claimed to be hypoallergenic.  I liked the way I looked, but I soon realized that every morning after my shower and before I left the house, I had a headache.  So I experimented.  Two days without makeup...two days without headaches.  One day with makeup...one day with headache.  You get the picture.  My headaches were directly related to the stuff I was putting all over my face.  It didn't surprise me because after I applied it, it just seemed to constantly tickle my nose and irritate me.

Then I came across Mineral Makeup.  I love natural products, so I was excited to try it.  I've never been too great at putting on makeup, but I have to admit that my face looks the best it has in probably ten years!

Mineral Makeup is dye-free, oil-free, talc-free, perfume-free...pure crushed minerals.  You can't go wrong with that.  Now, the brand that I use does add a preservative to it (1/10th of a percent) because of cross-contamination.  The minerals by themselves are pure and are just fine as long as they stay untouched in that little jar.  However, as soon as we start putting our application brush in it, then on our face, and back in it, etc...we introduce bacteria.  Now, 1/10th of a percent is nothing...and if I don't react to it, I'd dare say nobody else will.  I like knowing I have that little bit of extra protection because makeup can be a breeding ground for yeast and mold and bacteria.

Mineral Makeup does not clog pores!  I've gone to bed with it on at night (you know when you're just too tired to go through the face washing routine) and still look great in the morning...and don't have breakouts!  In fact, my skin is looking so much better than it has in years, that I'm starting to get real lazy and mostly go to bed without taking it off...without breaking out.

The Minerals provide a natural SPF.  How much protection you want determines how many layers you put on...it's that simple. 

Another great benefit...I apply a rice setting powder first, then my foundation, then some blush and shadows, then I sometimes finish with "polished" for that shimmery look, and after all that I can scrape my nails down my face and don't have to pick makeup out from under them...honest!  I find that truly amazing.

Some women are concerned that mineral makeup looks shiny.   When i want that look, I apply my "polished" for that glimmer, but otherwise I'm not shiny.  Using the rice setting powder first really helps absorb our natural oil too.  People with oily skin would use the rice setting powder first and last to help control their natural oil production.  By the way, if you have oily skin and use products for oily skin, you're applying chemicals to your face to dry it out, thus causing your body to produce yet more oil.  What you need to do is concentrate on having HEALTHY oily skin or HEALTHY dry skin, whichever you've been given. Either way, mineral makeup will look absolutely beautiful on all skin types.

One last thing, if you use mineral makeup, don't use harsh chemicals to cleanse and moisturize your face.  What's the point of natural makeup if you're going to age your face with all sorts of chemicals?  Mineral OIL clogs pores and sits on the face.  DO NOT use a moisturizer with mineral oil.  Aside from not being healthy, it will sit on your face (instead of absorbing into skin) and when you then apply your mineral makeup, the makeup will not absorb into your skin the way it should and you won't get the right look of mineral makeup!

I hope this is helpful to anyone curious about mineral makeup!