Mineral makeup off brands? (wrinkles, brand, skin, wearing)

[fierce_flawless]

I have wanted to try the Bare Minerals stuff for ages but I cannot afford it. I have uneven skin tones, I'm very fair, and I suffered from severe cystic acne in my 20's (not my teens at all...weird, I know) so I have scarring that isn't as bad as it could be but is still enough that I"m a bit self conscious about it. I usually don't wear makeup on a daily basis (not foundation anyway) because most stuff breaks me out and I've never been able to buy the true high dollar stuff to find out if it would work better. I have a relative that swears by (and can afford) the Bare Minerals though and it has me curious.

Today, in the drugstore, I noticed other versions of this... I don't remember all the brands but I'm sure one was Almay. It was around $15

I'm wondering if anyone has tried the cheaper "mineral makeup" and if so, how was it?

[pitt_transplant]

You should check out e-bay for sample sizes of the good stuff. The thing is usually cheaper stuff has the impurities that can cause break outs. I break out easily from make-up too. You can also make your own mineral make-up. Google that up.

From the sounds of your skin now...Whatever make-up you chose...You should take vitamins and exfoliate daily with a mild chemical peel (otc like alpha hydroxy) monthly.
You will improve the look over-all and make a better canvas for make-up application.

Wash your applicators daily. (makeup stuff)

I havent tried the Almay stuff.

[fierce_flawless]

Originally Posted by pitt_transplant

You should check out e-bay for sample sizes of the good stuff. The thing is usually cheaper stuff has the impurities that can cause break outs. I break out easily from make-up too. You can also make your own mineral make-up. Google that up.

From the sounds of your skin now...Whatever make-up you chose...You should take vitamins and exfoliate daily with a mild chemical peel (otc like alpha hydroxy) monthly.
You will improve the look over-all and make a better canvas for make-up application.

Wash your applicators daily. (makeup stuff)

I havent tried the Almay stuff.

Thanks for the tips. I am frustrated by the irony of the fact that I've tried hard all my life to "do my part": I stayed out of the sun, I drink tons of water, and overall I treat my skin well so at 36 I don't have wrinkles... but then the scarring had to screw it up in my 20's. I use an exfoliating scrub daily but I worry because I haven't found a moisturizer yet that doesn't cause me problems and I still have "combination" oily/dry skin even though thankfully the major breakouts stopped around age 28.

[pitt_transplant]

Pure aloe strait from the plant is the only thing that doesnt break me out.

Have you tried a milder cleanser? I found that combo skin can sometimes be a side effect of too hash a cleanser.

The alpha hydroxy will help rid you of the scars. I had a few baddies on my cheeks that are gone now.

[fierce_flawless]

Originally Posted by pitt_transplant

Pure aloe strait from the plant is the only thing that doesnt break me out.

Have you tried a milder cleanser? I found that combo skin can sometimes be a side effect of too hash a cleanser.

The alpha hydroxy will help rid you of the scars. I had a few baddies on my cheeks that are gone now.

Wow, that's encouraging. Does the AH come in percentages or something? I just don't know what to buy.

I've tried various cleansers. All give me some dryness, but some only in winter. So you use the Aloe for moisturizing? Who knew! I have it, of course, but keep the plants for sunburn only, which means it rarely gets used for anything since I'm the sunblock obsessed freak of the family!

PS, rep points for your helpfulness! Thanks!

[pitt_transplant]

Thanks!

The AH does come in %s. They usually list it on the bottle.
I am a total bargin bin shopper so I just buy whatever is on sale.
It seems that my skin really like AH products. Watch the sun though. It will make your skin sensitive to light. I prefer to do the AH thing right before bed to avoid the issue of sun exposure.

This is my favorite maker:
drugsdepot.com: ALPHA HYDROX FOAMING FACE WASH LIQUID 6OZ in PrestoMart

Not expensive either. You can find it at common drugstores.

[jenn76]

I've used Bare Minerals, not the other brand names. It is expensive, if you get the whole kit that they always offer. But you don't really need all that stuff. You could just get one color foundation that fits your skin tone, and get the small concealer brush and kabuki brush (or if you just want to use as concealer, skip the kabuki too). Can skip the medium sized brush. The small one really covers the imperfections, and the kabuki kind of smoothes it all out. One container of foundation is around $25 on Sephora website. Brushes you get once for a long time.
One good thing is, unless you're swetting a lot, the makeup stays on all day, so you don't need to reapply.
I got it originally because I needed to cover acne scars. It does do that, but you will feel like you have makeup on. Also, the size of the container is not that small, so it lasts a long time.
I can't say that I got hooked on it, like they show in the commercials. I prefer to use just some light pressed powder. It's more matte in finish than mineral makeup, so your face is not too shiny.
My best combination is to conceal the real trouble zones with bare minerals, then sweep some pressed powder all over the face.

[FlourChild]

I have used the L'Oreal and Physicians Formula brand mineral makeups, but I have to say this: The brushes SUCK. They're scratchy, hard, and probably nothing like the Bare Minerals brushes.

You might try some rice powder blotting papers, found at Sally's Beauty Supply. I LOVE those things. Not makeup-y at all, just less shine and a wee bit o' powder left imperceptibly on your skin. Love.

[fresnochick]

I have used bare minerals and loved it.......but yes, too expensive, i went thru it faster than the every 3mos delivery. I now use the one by L'oreal and it's ok, but can't comapare to bare minerals.

[scorpy01]

I've been wearing mineral makeup (NOT the bare minerals from TV) for about five years now. I wear Aromaleigh Mineral makeup

A big difference between Bare Minerals and Aromaleigh is one specific ingredient - Bismuth Oxychloride in the Bare Escentual Minerals. For some women (like me) this ingredient can cause itching. Other women have no problem with it or only feel slight itching when they're hot and perspiring.

The primary difference between REAL mineral makeup like Bare or Aromaleigh is that the ones you see in drug stores or discount stores contain talc. Talc totally defeats the purpose of the mineral makeup. Also, if the makeup is solid, it's got extra ingredients that ought not be in a real mineral makeup.

Besides looking at review sites, go to the company sites and check out the ingredients in each product. Compare Bare and Aromaleigh ingredients to the ones you find in stores. With mineral makeup, fewer ingredients is better. You can see Aromaleigh ingredients here for comparison. No talc.