Product review: Minerelle makeup

I discovered a new natural makeup brand while reading one of those free health magazines that’s always floating around outside my local health food store. Minerelle sparked my interest for a number of reasons – it was created and is made in Australia, is a natural product, is not tested on animals, and most importantly …is designed to cover acne or pimples, allergies, rosacea, sun damage, eczema, dermatitis, pigmentation and redness.

When I first found out about this product my skin was probably in its worst acne state. The very expensive makeup brand that I was using at the time was making my skin break out even more. I felt like it was doing an okay job at covering my pimples but also doing an okay job at spreading them as well. A couple of natural foundation products I tried were thick and gluggy and felt like I was plastering stuff on my face and clogging up everything which felt really bad.

Since I’ve discovered the Minerelle powder, I can’t go back to wearing other makeups – they’re just not good enough. I find the mineral makeup fantastic. It feels light on my skin, does an awesome job at covering stuff up, and I only have to use a tiny bit of it. My powder compact is supposed to last around four months, which I didn’t believe at the time. Now I’m almost certain it will last that long.

How to use the Minerelle powder

Minerelle is a mineral makeup, so it’s a powder (but free of talc) not a lotion. So, for it to stick to the skin you need to apply a moisturiser first. This takes a little getting used to so I’m glad I went to a Minerelle reseller and got a demonstration first.

You apply your moisturiser then wait around five minutes before using the Minerelle powder. The five minutes is to ensure the moisturiser is dry, but still fresh enough for the powder to stick to the skin. You then lightly brush the powder over your face, and like magic it covers beautifully. My skin will often look too powdery straight away, but if I wait fifteen minutes or so, the powder settles on my skin to the point where you can’t tell I’m wearing any makeup (although my skin looks great!). If I want to speed up this process I warm up my fingers and press them lightly onto my face. The heat from my fingertips helps the powder settle.

The secret to using the Minerelle powder is less is more. A small amount of the powder actually goes a long way and covers really well. If I use too much it will look thick and blotchy on my face, not a good look.

The powder can also be used as a concealer. Before brushing the powder over your face, use a small makeup brush to spot cover any areas you want to conceal, such as red pimples and dark circles under your eyes. I’ve found it works a lot better than other concealers I’ve tried, and because it’s the same product as the powder, does a fantastic job at covering with this two step process.

How is Minerelle different from traditional makeup?

I emailed the founder of Minerelle, Marion, because I was so impressed with her product. She emailed me back an information brochure which was full of some great information that I thought I’d share. In particular, there’s a really good comparison of the Minerelle makeup line to traditional makeups.

Minerelle	Traditional
Covers skin conditions such as  rosacea, acne, pimples, sun damage, redness, pigmentation & broken capillaries while still looking very natural	Does not give full coverage without looking unnatural and heavy on the skin; Very noticeable
Will not block pores	Blocks pores and can cause blackheads and pimples
Can go straight on acne and pimples	If put on acne and pimples, it can cause irritations and a worsening of the conditions
Contains no toxins, carcinogens, fragrances, petrochemicals or artificial preservatives such as parabens Absolutely no fillers like talc	Can contain harmful chemicals, toxins, artificial preservatives, fragrances, petroleum oils or fillers. Talcs and other fillers can cause blockages to the skin and are only used to ‘bulk out’ a product
Allows the skin to breathe & function normally with no interruption because Minerelle sits on the surface of the skin. It never goes into the pores	Fills up the skin [like putty fills up holes]; blocks the pores and interrupts the skin from functioning and breathing properly
Minimum allergy risk: fragrance, artificial preservatives and recognised irritants are not used in Minerelle	Many allergic reactions: dyes, chemicals, preservatives, fragrances, petrochemicals and fillers can cause irritations and allergies, rashes, dryness, hives and accelerates the ageing of the skin
Can go to sleep in it and it won’t irritate or clog the skin	Cannot sleep in traditional make-up as it can irritate and clog the skin and cause break-outs
Not tested on any animals	Some companies still test their products on animals
Feels completely weightless; Easy to forget that it has been applied	Feels very heavy and clay-like. Feels like you have to ‘scrape’ it off the skin
Minimises fine lines and wrinkles as the mica reflects light and gives a ‘soft focus’ look to the skin	Emphasises lines and wrinkles – fills them up and actually ‘stretches’  them

The cost …

I was previously paying AU$50 - AU$60 for a top of the range brand of foundation that you could only buy from Myer or David Jones here. At AU$77 for the Minerelle mineral foundation, it’s a little expensive. However, the foundation will last a lot longer and it can be used as a concealer as well so I think the price is justified. The fact that the powder should last around four months when I use it every day is quite good value.

Minerelle has a range of other products that I’m eager to try. I bought the application brush with the powder which was expensive but has proved to be a great purchase. It’s important to use a brush with the powder so something that is made of natural fibres has been a really nice addition to the powder. It’s also a really good quality brush that will last a long time. I’ve used mine every day for over a month now and it still looks as good as new.

I also bought the mascara which I wasn’t as impressed with. I like a a mascara that is not waterproof so it’s really easy to get off. I honestly didn’t know it was waterproof until I hopped out of the shower one day and found mascara stains all around my eyes, so I had to hop back in and try and scrub it off. Not a good look.

The next product I want to buy is a blush, because their blush products are made out of the same powder as the foundation. Apparently the blush can also be used on the eyes, nails (mix with clear polish) and lips (apply and cover with a clear gloss). I’d love to try using it as a blush and a lipstick. I think it would look really cute, and I LOVE the idea of only having a couple of products in my makeup bag – a foundation that doubles as a concealer and a blush that doubles as a lipstick, that’s awesome.

If anyone has any questions about this makeup brand, write a comment. I know I sound like I work for Minerelle but I don’t. I just know how hard it can be for us girls to find a good natural makeup brand, especially one that covers up acne, so it wanted to share my positive experiences.

If you want to purchase any Minerelle products, I recommend you find a reseller. If you can’t, then buying online is just as good. The only problem is the gamble with finding the right colour. Anyway, here is the website:

http://www.minerelle.com.au

Frances Kerr

Fran Kerr is the founding editor of High on Health. To cure your acne, sign up to Fran's FREE acne cure mini-course or download her latest how to guide, Eat Away Your Acne.

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