Though best known as foundation, mineral face makeup includes concealer, blush, eyeshadow, lip makeup, bronzer and finishing powder.
It's famous for feeling and looking better on the face than traditional face makeup.
You can choose from a luminous or matte look, find products suitable for dry, oily or normal skin, and you can even find mineral makeup in liquid form if you prefer liquid mineral foundation to powder foundation.
Not all powder foundations are very dry and powdery, though - pressed powders are not, and some loose powders have an almost creamy feel and work very well on dry skin.
Ingredients Mineral makeup is comprised mainly of finely ground and processed mineral pigments.
It frequently contains titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, which both provide some SPF protection.
The ingredients in mineral makeup foundations can vary a lot by brand.
Some contain primarily mica, and others are based mainly on titanium dioxide and/or zinc oxide.
The more luminous ones tend to contain bismuth oxychloride and shimmery mica, but there are also matte foundations without these ingredients that are often preferred by women with oily skin.
If you suffer from acne or rosacea or have very sensitive skin, you may be able to wear mineral makeup, but you may need to avoid a few common ingredients including bismuth oxychloride and mica.
To shimmer or not to shimmer If you are new to mineral face makeup, you give some thought as to whether you want shimmer in your face makeup and if so, where.
If you have oily skin, shimmery or luminous foundation may make your skin look oilier.
You might instead opt for a matte foundation that also includes oil-absorbing ingredients like kaolin clay.
But you can add a touch of luminosity by adding a shimmery finishing powder on top.
Like a little shimmer around your eyes? You can use a shimmery eyeshadow even if you use a matte foundation.
Just be aware that if you have deep creases in your eyelids a matte eyeshadow will hide them better.
With matte eyeshadow you can still get a pretty dramatic look if that's what you're after.
You can also use a shimmery blush to accentuate your cheeks or bronzer to give you a sun-kissed look.
Quality Consider the quality of the ingredients that go into your mineral makeup.
Just like you consider the quality of ingredients that go into your body, it's important to look at what goes onto your body.
Some of your makeup will be consumed through your nose, mouth and eyes, and some may also be absorbed through the skin.
Mineral makeups usually have safer ingredients and are free of ingredients suspected to be unsafe, like parabens, phthalates and talc.
Check the labels to be sure, though.
Some brands are better than others.
It's famous for feeling and looking better on the face than traditional face makeup.
You can choose from a luminous or matte look, find products suitable for dry, oily or normal skin, and you can even find mineral makeup in liquid form if you prefer liquid mineral foundation to powder foundation.
Not all powder foundations are very dry and powdery, though - pressed powders are not, and some loose powders have an almost creamy feel and work very well on dry skin.
Ingredients Mineral makeup is comprised mainly of finely ground and processed mineral pigments.
It frequently contains titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, which both provide some SPF protection.
The ingredients in mineral makeup foundations can vary a lot by brand.
Some contain primarily mica, and others are based mainly on titanium dioxide and/or zinc oxide.
The more luminous ones tend to contain bismuth oxychloride and shimmery mica, but there are also matte foundations without these ingredients that are often preferred by women with oily skin.
If you suffer from acne or rosacea or have very sensitive skin, you may be able to wear mineral makeup, but you may need to avoid a few common ingredients including bismuth oxychloride and mica.
To shimmer or not to shimmer If you are new to mineral face makeup, you give some thought as to whether you want shimmer in your face makeup and if so, where.
If you have oily skin, shimmery or luminous foundation may make your skin look oilier.
You might instead opt for a matte foundation that also includes oil-absorbing ingredients like kaolin clay.
But you can add a touch of luminosity by adding a shimmery finishing powder on top.
Like a little shimmer around your eyes? You can use a shimmery eyeshadow even if you use a matte foundation.
Just be aware that if you have deep creases in your eyelids a matte eyeshadow will hide them better.
With matte eyeshadow you can still get a pretty dramatic look if that's what you're after.
You can also use a shimmery blush to accentuate your cheeks or bronzer to give you a sun-kissed look.
Quality Consider the quality of the ingredients that go into your mineral makeup.
Just like you consider the quality of ingredients that go into your body, it's important to look at what goes onto your body.
Some of your makeup will be consumed through your nose, mouth and eyes, and some may also be absorbed through the skin.
Mineral makeups usually have safer ingredients and are free of ingredients suspected to be unsafe, like parabens, phthalates and talc.
Check the labels to be sure, though.
Some brands are better than others.