Drugstore Mineral make up
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free skin care · Mon Mar 27, 2006 2:47 pm

Has anyone tried the new mmu's from neutrogena or physicians formula? Are they matte or shimmery? Thanks! edit-oops, nix the neutrogena, it has bismuth oxychloride! These are the ingredients in the physicians formula:
MICA, ZINC OXIDE, ZINC STEARATE,BORON NITRIDE, LAUROYL LYSINE,METHYLPARABEN, PROPYLPARABEN,MAY CONTAIN: TITANIUM DIOXIDE,IRON OXIDES

free skin care · Mon Mar 27, 2006 3:06 pm

Hi Cloud9,

I have the Physicians Formula loose powder foundation ... it's very nice ... matte. I really like it.

I have used a couple of other foundations, and this one compares very favourably with the others ... only this one I can actually get at my local drug store ... rather than have to wait two weeks to get it from the U.S.

I had checked the Physician's Formula loose powder foundation at Makeup Alley ... and the reviews on there were great ... so I figured ... at $14.99 Canadian, it was definitely worth a shot.

It's great ... and the baby kabuki brush that comes with it isn't the softest kabuki I've ever used ... but it's not bad considering ... and very convenient. Laughing

I found my shade with no problem ... and once applied [of course, one does need to know how to use MMU ... but if you do ... no special learning curve here!] ... it melts right into your face. It looks very fresh and natural.

Hope this helps.

Mary

free skin care · Mon Mar 27, 2006 3:26 pm

Definitely helpful, thanks! Can you give any recommend help with color choices? I know there are only a few to choose from. Did you get the translucent or regular? Which color did you get and can you compare it to other mmu brands? I need a slight yellow undertone and pretty light color. Sorry for so many questions! I really appreciate your help.

free skin care · Mon Mar 27, 2006 4:14 pm

Hi Cloud9,

I was hoping you wouldn't ask me that! Laughing

I got very very lucky in my colour choice ... and I think mine is the "regular" ... I think the transluscent is in pressed powder form only ... but I could easily be wrong on that! Confused

The loose mineral foundation seems to come in both "pink" and "yellow".

I chose "Creamy Natural" ... and got very very lucky. It is almost the same shade as the foundation I had from another company ... but a tad "pinker" ... and it actually suits me better! Laughing

I mean really ... how often does that happen? Laughing

I'm light too ... but I knew I wasn't the lightest ... so I chose the 2nd lightest. Very Happy

There is a "print out" of the loose foundation colours ... which of course, isn't exact ... but it may be helpful. At least you'd see which shades have a yellow undertone.

Perhaps Makeup Alley could help with colour choices ... http://www.makeupalley.com

Good luck

Mary

free skin care · Tue Mar 28, 2006 7:51 am

Mary,
Thanks a lot. Now you've gotten me addicted to another site! Laughing

Seriously, though, I have been to makeup alley before but never bothered to register. Now I see why it's so great. Thanks!

Tue Mar 28, 2006 5:57 pm

I don't like how they have parabens in them... Mineral makeup technically don't need parabens since minerals are inert...

free skin care · Tue Mar 28, 2006 7:01 pm

Hi china_pearl,

I can understand your concern ... but they are the last two ingredients ... and given that they are anti-fungal preservatives ... I can see why they are included in a commercial product.

I haven't been bothered by them being in the product ... and I generally break out from just about anything! Laughing

If you're in an area where Mineral Makeups aren't readily available ... and it takes at least 2 weeks to get an order ... I think Physician's Formula is worth a try.

Mary

free skin care · Tue Mar 28, 2006 7:35 pm

I have Physician's Formula in translucent. My skin is very fair. I put it on top of my s/s which is very high in zinc and tends to make me "pasty". This tones it down nicely and it is not shiny.

The brush that comes with it actually hurts. I now use a different one I have.

Tue Mar 28, 2006 7:59 pm

Hi Mary,
I guess it's not so much the parabens themselves that bother me, but rather what else is in the makeup that needs preservatives... Confused

And I kind of wonder the purpose(s) of BORON NITRIDE and LAUROYL LYSINE? The later is suppoed to improve the protein quality of the product??? Shock

But I do understand that it's much more convenient to get it from the drugstore if online is the only other way to get mineral makeup... Wink

hpjrt wrote:

Hi china_pearl,

I can understand your concern ... but they are the last two ingredients ... and given that they are anti-fungal preservatives ... I can see why they are included in a commercial product.

I haven't been bothered by them being in the product ... and I generally break out from just about anything! Laughing

If you're in an area where Mineral Makeups aren't readily available ... and it takes at least 2 weeks to get an order ... I think Physician's Formula is worth a try.

Mary

free skin care · Wed Mar 29, 2006 8:33 am

Thank you for all your help and info guys. I'm willing to try this (I did notice the extra ingredients) for many reasons:

1. I would have to drive 40 minutes to try or buy mmu (that's what I did for my BE I have now)
2. I'm not hard-core Wink

about all natural stuff. I don't do ocm and I put regular clinique powder over my BE as it is.
3. I just realized that for sure my BE is CAUSING my red areas instead of covering them like I thought. UGH. I was so excited about mmu (I've always hated liquid founation and almost never used it, I'd just put powder on) I just kept using BE. Then I found this wonderful forum and learned about bismuth.
4. I haven't heard of it breaking anyone out. (Please let me know if you have , but I've scoured MUA and haven't found any so far)

So, for the price and the fact I can return it if it sucks, I'll be getting it today and let everyone know how it goes. BTW, I looked at the ingredients for Cover girl powder foundation and it looked pretty much the same as PF...(I didn't have PF at that store to compare so it was from memory) But that might be another option to try. They have more colors. Wish me luck!

free skin care · Wed Mar 29, 2006 8:50 am

I haven't tried any of the newer loose or liquid drugstore foundations, but I do have the PF pressed mineral powder in translucent, and translucent it isn't Sad

My skin shade is light, but not normally the lightest in foundation ranges, and the "translucent" pressed powder is too dark for me. If brushed on very, very lightly, I can sometimes get away with it, but I need more in order to get the coverage I need, so I never use it. I did buy the medium shade at the same time (I am a glutton for punishment, I know), and I use this as a bronzer. It works quite well since most bronzers are too brown for my skintone.

Tian

free skin care · Wed Mar 29, 2006 10:37 am

Hi China-Pearl,

Quote:

And I kind of wonder the purpose(s) of BORON NITRIDE and LAUROYL LYSINE? The later is suppoed to improve the protein quality of the product???

I don't know where you got the above information, but a relatively quick search on google produced the following information.

BORON NITRIDE

fromTKB Trading http://www.tkbtrading.com/index.php?page=2&category=1&PHPSESSID=c62e906737ecb93b75
7c545592fa7024

"Our Boron Nitride is a soft, silky white mineral powder. It is used as an additive to improve the "slip" of a product (how smoothly the product applies) as well as "adhesion" (how long it stays on the skin).

Boron Nitride is a natural, inert mineral and it is a useful additive to foundations, concealers, eye shadows, lipsticks, skin creams and face and body powders.

Our Boron Nitride has an average particle size of 5-6 microns.

Generally used in small amounts (5-10%) of a recipe. "

*************************************************

LAUROYL LYSINE is a natural amino acid

from http://www.personalcarepolymers.com/Site/ProdView.asp?ID=0281862

DRY-FLO ELITE LL combines the elegant properties of lauroyl lysine with the functional properties of exhibits increased skin adhesion and lubricity compared to the base starch and imparts a very soft, extremely smooth feel to formulations.

Typical Properties

PROPERTY DESCRIPTION
% Lauroyl Lysine 6.0 - 9.0
Form Free flowing white powder
pH 7 (1% aqueous slurry)

Applications
Body/baby powders, Concealer, Cream-to-powder products, Emulsions, Eye shadow, Lipstick,

Liquid make-up, Loose and pressed powder cosmetics, Make-up, Talc replacement

********************
also from: http://www.directoryhealthy.com/articles/140205-161.php

N-lauroyl lysine is an amino acid derivative that is insoluble in water and oil; it can be coated onto pigment surfaces via high shear agitation, deposited from solvent, or solubilized at high or low pH values and precipitated onto pigment and filler surfaces via pH adjustment.

Pigments and fillers coated with N-lauroyl lysine are hydrophobic and have a moist feel and good compressibility, as well as the excellent slip of the parent compound.

Just because something sounds like an unnatural chemical, doesn't mean it is.

These two ingredients are found in countless products ... and nowhere could I find that they were harmful.

Mary

free skin care · Wed Mar 29, 2006 11:24 am

oooh, good info, Mary. I just assumed they were weird chemicals, but I figured everything has something weird in it (even "pure" stuff like BE has the evil bismuth)... Makes me a little more hopeful about the product, thanks again for all your help with this!

Wed Mar 29, 2006 12:03 pm

Mary,
I didn't say either Boron Nitride or LAUROYL LYSINE being "bad" or chemical... I was just wondering what they are for in the mineral makeup... And by the way I got my info from A Consumer's Dictionary of Consmetic Ingredients" by Ruth Winter, M.S., and I thought may be she's a bit less biased then those who are sell the ingredients... Laughing

free skin care · Wed Mar 29, 2006 1:33 pm

Hi China-Pearl,

The one reference that "sold" one of the ingredients was TKB ... and they also sell Mica and Pigments for making Mineral Makeup. I found countless cosmetic sites that listed one or the other but chose TKB because they sell everything to do with making mineral makeup ... and your question was, basically, why on earth would Physicians Formula be putting this in their loose Mineral foundation? I felt that a wholesale company that catered to the Mineral Makeup community was both valid and a good choice.

The other reference was a site that sells a product that contains one of the ingredients ... but just because someone sells something doesn't mean they are lying about what it is.

The third reference was a "general" site that bills itself as The leading resource for health information, health, cancer, epression,
diabetes, health insurance, dieting, lose weight, child, animal, medical, women's health and useful information" ... which I felt would be an unbiased source of information. Laughing

And while you may not have said that the two ingredients were bad ... you certainly raised the question of why they were in the formulation Smile

... and I was simply answering that question. Very Happy

There are all manner of references out there ... and no one reference is the definitive one ... at least I've found that to be true for most things. Smile

Questioning things is good ... because frankly until I did the research ... I had no idea why those two ingredients were in the foundation. You made me question that and find the answers ... so thank you. Very Happy

Mary

Wed Mar 29, 2006 1:35 pm

I have the Physician's Formula pressed powder one and hate it. It is VERY matte and made my pores look huge, not to mention it looked like i was wearing a mask! So, the quest for the perfect mineral makeup continues Rolling Eyes

free skin care · Wed Mar 29, 2006 1:57 pm

Hi Lanie,

If it's the same pressed powder one I have ... it's not a foundation ... more like a finishing powder.

Unfortunately, I can no longer read the back of mine ... the printing has worn off in spots ... but I'm very sure that it was called "translucent powder" ... or something like that. I'm certain, however, it did not say "foundation".

So ... if you were layering it on, like you would a highly pigmented foundation powder, you would indeed have a very unsatisfactory result.

However, if you use the actual loose mineral foundation ... and I find I have to use a light hand [because my tendancy is to be heavy-handed with this sort of thing] ... the foundation doesn't accentuate pores ... and doesn't sit like a mask on you.

I don't think I've seen a pressed powder foundation in Physicians Formula ... at least not up here in Canada.

On one of the many MMU Bulletin Boards, it was also pointed out that if you don't have the right colour of foundation, the result can also look like a mask ... but that applying too much was more often than not the culprit.

There is a learning curve for Minerals ... but once you get the hang of it ... it's dead easy. Very Happy

Unlike, say, BE, there's probably no need to "buff" with Physicians Formula ... just fluff it on ... at least that's what I do. Smile

Mary

free skin care · Wed Mar 29, 2006 2:16 pm

Ok then what is the trick to using pressed MMU-I can't get my True Pressed to look natural. I did dust it over my liquid MMU today to set things but thats not why I bought it. Advice please

47yr old normal/sensitive skin

free skin care · Wed Mar 29, 2006 2:55 pm

Hi Red Head,

Gee ... I'm not an expert by any means. I know with me ... I've found that I need to use a brush that doesn't put much on ... as I really do tend to have a heavy hand! Crying or Very sad

I have a fiber optic brush that picks up less product ... and I use that to put on my foundation ... in a "dusting" fashion ... as opposed to a "buffing" action.

When I go to put my MMU on in the morning ... I moisturize and then wait a few minutes before putting on my loose minerals.

I start with a very light dusting of Pure Luxe "trans matte" finishing powder ... as a primer.

I then use a smallish nylon brush to "conceal" anything [and I'm sad to say that there is often something to conceal! Smile

] ... and I wait a minute or two to let that settle ... then I go with a very light dusting of foundation ... enough so that my skin tone is evened out ... but not enough to look cakey.

I then put on my blush/bronzer ... and then a very light dusting of my finishing powder.

Then I leave the bathroom for several minutes [usually to dress] ... and when I go back into the bathroom ... I either "set" things with a spritz/mist of hydrosol ... or not depending upon the day.

Usually, by that time, the MMU has begun to settle so that it looks very natural and not powdery.

I do know that even when I thought I wasn't using too much ... I really was using too much ... and with pressed powder, it seemed even easier to get too much powder. Perhaps because I come from a generation where one actually did put on rather a lot of powder from one's "compact".

I don't know ... but the fiber optic brush really works well for me for foundation.

Hope this helps. Smile

Mary

free skin care · Wed Mar 29, 2006 3:14 pm

you could be right the pressed may be picking up more than I think so I will try again with the less then more approach. I always think I need to cover with lots and its looks like a mask and cakey

free skin care · Wed Mar 29, 2006 4:01 pm

red head wrote:

Ok then what is the trick to using pressed MMU-I can't get my True Pressed to look natural. I did dust it over my liquid MMU today to set things but thats not why I bought it. Advice please

47yr old normal/sensitive skin

The best success that I have had with pressed is swirling the brush across the top, mash the foundation into the brush (I use the compact lid), tap out the excess, and then apply. I basically do the same thing that I do with the loose. It is easy to use too much, especially with the pressed powders.

hths,
Tina

free skin care · Wed Mar 29, 2006 4:59 pm

Thanks Tina! Laughing

I always forget to mention the "tapping" bit! Brick wall

I do that myself ... but somehow always forget to mention that little action when telling others ... and it's such an important little action too! Neutral

[blushing for forgetting something so obvious!]

Mary

free skin care · Wed Mar 29, 2006 5:14 pm

thanks for the info tips will try again-also if all else fails can I use it as a setting on top of my liquid mmu? Its the same color?

free skin care · Wed Mar 29, 2006 6:36 pm

I love PF loose minerals, very nice for a drugstore brand.

free skin care · Wed Mar 29, 2006 11:24 pm

Hi Mary,

Where did you get the PF Loose Minerals? I call several Shoppers in the GTA but they said they don't have it.

Thanks.

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