Mineral Make Up

Personally, I very seldom use make-up. I've never used foundation (never liked it), only used baby powder as a face powder, and only sometimes do I apply a little blusher. The only make-up I use often is mascara and some lip gloss.

Of course, I can get away with this because (1) I have good skin and (2) I work from home. It's a different story if you're working a 9 - 5 type of office job, or if you have less than perfect skin. For most women, make-up is a daily essential, and rightly so. After all, it is only professional to wear reasonable make-up to work so that one looks presentable.

The thing is, do we realise that the type of make-up we wear usually determines the type of skin we have?

Think about it, your make-up sits on your skin for at least 8 hours of the working day, if not more... 5 - 7 days a week, for years and years.... The impact does definitely add up doesn't it?

Therefore, if you want healthy clear skin, apart from a good cleansing, toning and moisturizing regime, it is imperative that you invest in the best quality make-up for your skin.

Hence the title of this topic...Mineral Make Up :)

If you're having light to moderate acne, I strongly suggest you take your foundation, face powder and blusher right now and start reading the ingredients list. Look out for ingredients like synthetic dyes (especially D&C red dyes), fragrances and preservatives (you may have to google just to make sure). If your make up contains these ingredients, then there could be a possibility that these are the culprits that are causing your pimple problem. I suggest doing 2 things: (1) Find a way to use less or lighter make up, especially foundation as they tend to clog your pores and not allow your skin to breathe, and/or (2) Switch to 100% Natural Mineral Make Up.

What is 100% Natural Mineral Make Up? To put it simply, it's make up made of all natural, finely ground minerals from the earth, without any of the chemicals, dyes, talc and preservatives found in traditional makeup.

The Benefits:

• It's purer formulation is more suitable for acne, sensitive, eczema and rosacea prone skin.
• Does not contain the known skin irritants that may be found in synthetic dyes, fragrances and preservatives
• Mineral make up that contain titanium dioxide and zinc oxide have anti-inflammatory properties, which can have a calming effect on the skin, particularly important if you suffer from inflammatory problems such as rosacea or acne.
• It's non-comedongenic, so it won't clog pores, and it's not going to aggravate an acne condition or cause a flare-up as easily as some traditional makeups can.
• Another big draw to mineral makeup are the claims of sun protection. With an average SPF rating of 15, at least one company, Bare Minerals, has the Skin Cancer Foundation seal of approval as a sunscreen. Do check if the brand you're interested in has SPF protection.
• Smooth, natural and long lasting coverage.
• Conceals, corrects and covers most known skin discolorations and conditions while still allowing skin to breathe.
• It is supposed to be water resistant, so you may not need to re-apply as often.
• True mineral make up has no expiry date since technically its made up of finely crushed rocks (mineral pigments). When kept dry and used hygienically, the natural properties of the minerals are not micro-organism friendly, which is why the mineral make up can last for a very long time.

Important Note:

• Check the ingredients of make up that claim to be mineral make up. Make sure that they do not contain any talc, preservatives, synthetic dyes and fragrances. Cheaper pharmacy brands that are labelled as mineral make up are most likely not 100% natural, so please read the ingredients list.
• Avoid mineral make up that contain the ingredient Bismuth Oxychloride. A pearlizing agent that gives mineral makeup that "candlelight glow," bismuth oxychloride is a mineral, but it's not found in the earth. Bismuth is a byproduct of lead and copper processing. Bismuth oxychloride is also frequently used to fill or "bulk up" or bind products. Bismuth oxychloride is considered a skin irritant and can cause itching and rashes and in large amounts it can cause cystic acne as well – it's one of the ingredients you should try to avoid if you have acne or rosacea or sensitive skin.
• Even if the make up is 100% natural, I do not recommend that you sleep in it. Always wash off all make up at the end of the day.
• Check that the mineral make up has the appropriate SPF factor that you need.
• Even though a product is 100% natural, there still could be a tiny chance that your skin is allergic to a specific ingredient. Therefore, when trying out a new product, always do a skin patch test to see if your skin develops any sensitivity towards it. If possible, buy a small sample size first so you can check if the shade and the formulation is right for your skin.
• Do note that most mineral make up comes in powder form (although you can get the pressed powder types). Unlike normal make up, they're harder and messier to apply on skin. It'll take some practice before one can perfect the technique.

The main reason I'm posting this is to stress the point that even if you have the best and most perfect daily cleansing, toning and moisturizing regime, if you're using make up that is not healthy for your skin, your skin may not show as much improvement as you'd like. Also, a healthy and balanced diet is important to maintain clear, healthy and younger looking skin for the long term.

Here are some links that I came across of local online suppliers of natural mineral make up if you're interested:

http://lovingminerals.com/catalog/index.php/cPath/21_61

http://www.simplynaturale.com/makeup/all-about-face

http://cosmominerals.com/index.php?page=shop.browse&category_id=1&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=23

Mineral make-up may be more expensive, but they are a lot better for your skin and worth the investment in the long term.

P.S. ~ I am in no way affiliated with the shops linked above :)

If you know of a good brand of 100% Natural Mineral Make Up, do let us know!