by CL Nelson

Created on: May 05, 2008   Last Updated: August 07, 2009

Does your makeup feel caked on? Does it wear off by day's end? Do you have that unsightly make-up line? Are you constantly looking for flawless, light weight coverage from your makeup? If so, then mineral makeup is for you. For years, I was a die-hard department store makeup connoisseur. My makeup drawer was cluttered with tons of sleek black compacts, marble green bottles, tubes, and jars of liquid youth. I loved my cosmetic brands and never imagined using anything else. That was until I was introduced to mineral makeup. I was skeptical at first. I didn't think makeup could completely cover up those unsightly flaws and not melt off in the hot desert sun. But boy was I wrong! Mineral makeup did all the things I wanted makeup to do. It covered up flaws and blotchy spots. It gave my skin a natural glowing coverage without makeup lines. My skin felt completely bare. I loved the coverage, the look, the feel, and the change in my complexion. But I still had reservations about mineral makeup: the application and the cost.

As I sat in the demonstration chair and watched the cosmetic girl apply Bare Minerals to my face, I thought how can I do this at home? She made it look effortless. Just swirl, tap, buff. I expressed my concern to the cosmetic girl. So, she handed me the brush and allowed me to try applying it myself. Swirl, tap, buff. Could it be that easy? Yep, it could and it was! I followed the directions and voila, I too, the former liquid makeup connoisseur, applied mineral makeup successfully! Instantly I was impressed with how easy the application was. The minerals did not fly out of the jar and create a mess, like some critics claim. The process was easy, quick, and clean.

So what if you're like me? You want that light flawless coverage, but you're still reluctant to purchase mineral makeup because of the cost. Do what I did, start out small. There is nothing that says you need to purchase all the products at once. Begin by purchasing the Bare Minerals foundations starter kit. A starter kit is a great investment for a reasonable cost. It includes four powders and three brushes. Plus it comes with a how to guide and lasts for months. The nice thing about Bare Minerals is that you can still use your own eye shadows, liners, blushes, and lipsticks. Then once you're ready, purchase other starter kits. Pretty soon, you will have an assortment mineral shades, brushes, and options for day and evening.

It's been a year now since I switched to mineral makeup. I still love it and will never go back to my liquid makeup ways. My makeup drawer is less cluttered now. I can open my drawer and find what I need without digging through the myriad of tubes and jars. Mineral makeup is so efficient, that now I have a few black lidded compacts of foundations and eye shades, a couple lipsticks, and several brushes and that's all I need. I feel great and my skin looks great with mineral makeup.

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