Name: Pure Mineral Foundation
Brand: Maybelline
Size: 8g
Price: €12.00
From Maybelline’s website:
- Natural-looking luminosity.
- Feather-light feel of a powder yet complete flawless coverage.
- Long-wearing.
- Helps care for your skin.
- No talc, no oils.
- With SPF15 it helps protect skin from UV rays.
What I liked:
- light to medium coverage
- radiant natural finish
- doesn’t settle in fine lines
- no breakouts
- long-lasting
- the price
What I didn’t like:
- not many shades available
- not pure mineral makeup
- doesn’t control oil very well
- oxidizes
- messy to apply
I tend to stay away from drugstore foundations cos they are usually too dark for my ghostly white skin and make me look orange! But Maybelline Pure Mineral Foundation caught my eye because shade #2 Ivory, which is the lightest shade available here (there are only 5 in total), seemed to be light enough for me. I tried a tester and the color is in fact, almost an exact match for my skin tone. It is slightly darker and a bit on the yellow side but you can barely notice it. So, I bought it straight away even though I honestly didn’t expect much from it.
The foundation comes in two versions: one with a little kabuki brush and one without. Since those brushes included with products aren’t usually any good and I really love my kabuki brush from The Body Shop, I got only the foundation. The circular box has a sift and a twist lid. Like all mineral foundations, this is a bit messy to apply: powder flies everywhere!
It is easy to blend and the coverage is light buildable to medium. It evens out the skin tone and covers redness fairly well, but not major imperfections. So, I would recommend this to people who already have pretty good skin. The finish is radiant but natural looking. It didn’t give me any breakouts, didn’t settle in wrinkles and fine lines and didn’t look cakey. However, the foundation oxidizes a bit, so be careful when you choose your shade or you may turn orange!
It lasts all day, but it doesn’t control oily very well: I developed some shine after a few hours. For this reason, I think people with oily skin should either use a mattifier prior to this or just avoid the product.
Maybelline’s mineral makeup line is called Pure in Europe (I think in Asia too but I’m not sure) but this stuff isn’t pure at all! It contains minerals but also lots of chemicals like Boron Nitride, a synthetic and inorganic powder used in cosmetics for its absorbent properties, silicones (Dimethicone, Cetyl Dimethicone and Trumethylsioxsilicate) to impart a silky feeling to the skin and PTFE, a chemical used to help fill in wrinkles and lines, but the effect is only temporary. In addition, the product MAY contain Bismuth Oxychloride, which could case allergies and irritations to some people.
The first ingredient on the list is Zinc Oxide, a mineral which, among other things, provides broad spectrum protection from UV rays. However, powder sunscreen isn’t very safe. In fact, powder can be brushed off the skin easily. Moreover, you would need to apply a lot of product for the sunscreen to be actually effective. So, you shouldn’t relay solely on this foundation to protect your skin from the sun but you need to apply a broad spectrum sunscreen prior to this.
Personally, I don’t mind if the foundation contains chemicals. I prefer pure mineral makeup because it is better for the skin, but it doesn’t happen everyday (actually never!) that a drugstore foundation matches my skintone. Usually I have to spend lots of money for high-ends foundations that are still slightly darker than my skintone so I’m glad I found a cheaper option that works ok for me. But if you want to use pure mineral makeup, this is not for you.
Summary:
Maybelline Pure Mineral Powder Foundation isn’t the best mineral foundation available on the market, but it does the job ok. It provides light to medium coverage, a radiant but natural finish, doesn’t settle in fine lines and is longlasting. However, there aren’t many shades available, it oxidizes, doesn’t control oil very well and it isn’t pure mineral makeup but still contains lots of chemicals.
Rating: 3.5/5
Disclaimer: the item was purchased by me for both personal and review purposes. The review is based on my own personal and honest experience with the product. For more information, please see my disclaimer.
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Very exciting review…
It does look messy and looks almost the same as the body shop’s one
I have the TBS’ kabuki brush too and love it
Glad it worked for you. I tried it but I didn’t find a suitable shade
Anastacia: thanks!
Nikki: they do look similar but I prefer TBS foundation to this. The quality is better, it’s less messy and it’s pure mineral makeup. But Maybelline’s is bigger and cheaper and, for a drugstore brand it’s actually quite good.
Eru: that’s too bad. It’s so frustrating when you can’t find a match, there should really be more shades available.
I’m really glad I got the TBS kabuki, the quality of the brush is great and it fits the contours of my face too, I love it!
i know what you mean about drugstore makeup! its a shame maybelline is produced in China over here…
That’s too bad Nic nic.
I wear this foundation all the time; it is very good for a few hours until the oil gets to it, which is reasonable considering the inexpensive price.
Stephanie, I agree. It’s not my fave mineral foundation but considered the price, it does its job well.
Why does the wrong shade turn orange?
How do I choose the right one, the one that will not turn orange?
Natasha, some foundations turn orange because the pigments in them react with the oils in the skin, becoming darker. People with oily skin are more prone to this happening.
Some people recommend using a primer underneath your foundation so that the product won’t come into contact with the oils in your skin but it doesn’t always work. Or you can try and buy a shade lighter, so that when the foundation has oxidized, it will be the right one for you. I’ve written more about this topic here if you’re interested: http://beautifulwithbrains.com/2009/08/25/why-does-my-foundation-turn-orange-on-me/
What foundation offers really good coverage for people who have a lot to hide?
Courtney Belyea´s last [type] ..Please sign these petitions I wrote
Courtney, if you have serious skin imperfections, Dermablend professional foundation have foundation which offer heavy coverage. Vichy Dermablend Corrective Foundation SPF 20 is another good option too.