This week I have two new foundation crushes. The first is W3LL PEOPLE’s Altruist Mineral Powder foundation which is a surprise as I have never been a huge fan of mineral powders, I like to work more with cream formulations for me and in my kit. I have tried mineral powders on me and at first some can look great but I found as the day went on, the powders didn’t look so good on my skin. I always found that they were good on some skin types – mostly young and flawless – but on older and problematic skins they didn’t work so well at all. I know now that some I initially tried had the infamous Bismuth Oxychloride which can cause havoc with a lot of skins. There are also degrees of ‘pureness’ – lots of brands have highjacked the mineral name, yes they do contain minerals, but also a number of other fillers and preservatives etc etc.
When W3LL PEOPLE were over in the UK, Shirley put their Altruist on me and I was impressed with it so much that I bought it to see if I could change my perception of mineral powders. I have been wearing it this week, having a play with different applications and I like it a lot. It is great used dry with a kabuki brush onto a well moisturised skin; I also like to use a small brush to get into areas like the nose and to cover blemishes. If you like more of a dewy finish, spritz with a toner or water spray to activate the organic aloe and give skin a lovely glow. You can also apply a creamy highlighter or luminiser onto cheekbones to add a glow if the finish is looking a bit too powdery or matt for you. Another way is to mix it in with a creamy product before applying it, One Love’s Skin Saviour works really well. Mix in your hand to your desired consistency and then apply where you need it. This might be the way that I could incorporate the powders into my kit. The powder also works over a liquid foundation if you wanted a lot of coverage. If you are using an under eye concealer, use it first before you apply the mineral foundation.
My second crush is Couleur Caramel’s Compact Foundation. I was so pleased when I heard that the range was going to be available in the UK again. The Compact Foundation is a stick formulation that gives good coverage – more than Vapour or the W3LL PEOPLE stick that I also love, I would say. It is a creamy texture but dries to a powdery finish so has good staying power. Due to this finish I’m not sure how it would be on a dry skin – I would definitely recommend exfoliating and moisturising well. I would also still use a little bit of powder under the eyes to help stop it creasing. It is great to use as your foundation in the morning but also really convenient to keep in your bag for touch ups. I think there are maybe 5 or 6 shades, I’m not familiar with them all yet but am going to investigate them for my kit….
