The first thing we did was watch a demo of the basic foundation application on a model who was one of the attendees. The Makeup artist started by doing a quick color match on the model's skin. She was a brown skinned girl, which I was glad to see because it's still difficult in 2008(!) to find good foundation that matches darker skin tones. Someone asked if they were going to address their limited shade selection, and happily, they are! They are coming out with three more shades to address darker skin!
First was a quick prep with some moisturizing spray and a light moisturizer. You can obviously skip this step if you've already cleansed and moisturized.
Next came the color foundation. There are two types of brushes that come with the starter kit, the light to medium coverage brush and the full coverage kabuki brush. The model wanted full coverage so the MUA used the kabuki brush. First she placed the mineral powder in the cap of the jar. Then she demonstrated the famous swirl, tap, buff technique. You shouldn't be able to see any foundation left in the cap. Then you tap the excess and cover a small area at a time. There are two types of brushes you can use. One for light to medium coverage and one for full coverage.
After the color foundation, came the "Mineral Veil". I'm still not 100% clear on what this product does or why you need it, but here's my best explanation: It enhances the foundation. I think it's supposed to add a "glow" to the skin, and give the skin a more refined finish. I know... very vague, but like I said, I still don't fully understand this product. I think it made the skin look a little more "made up" like you could totally tell she had foundation on, you know?
Next came "Warmth" This product looks very red/bronze and you use it in select spots to bring the features back out that you've just flattened with the foundation. The MUA applied Warmth on the cheeks, around the forehead around the sides of the chin, much like contouring.
Finally, came "Clear Radiance". This is the highlighting product, you use on the tops of the cheeks, the chin, down the nose and the forehead.
When she was done, the model looked great. Honestly, she could have put on some mascara, and lip gloss and been done with it. The MUA used the full coverage kabuki brush and it definitely gave full coverage. If you don't like to look like you have a bunch of stuff on your face I suggest you use the light to medium coverage brush which gives a more natural look.
After viewing the basic demo, my attention turned to the eye shadows. These are also minerals in loose powder form in tons of colors! They all have a slight shimmer to them, but that shouldn't scare women with
maturing skin into not using them. What I loved about these shadows was their versatility. Again, you only need a tiny bit of product to use on the eyes. The colors are very blend-able and can create subtle or more dramatic looks.My absolute favorite product is the eye liner sealer. You can take any shadow, add the liner sealer and use it as liquid liner. Let me tell you, that liquid eyeliner does not come off. It just doesn't. Not until you want it to. One of the MUAs demoed a basic smoky eye, then did some really cool face painting.
There are just a few simple general rules to follow when using mineral makeup...
- You must use their brushes to apply the foundation and the concealer - This was one of the first questions I asked the MUA during the demo. The reason being that other brushes aren't built for all that buffing that is needed to apply the makeup. The bristles will eventually fall apart...on your face. I plan on testing that theory, but since the brushes come with the starter kit, it's not like you have to shell out extra cash for the brushes.
- You only need a tiny bit of each product - They aren't kidding. It's nice to know that even though the starter kit is a bit pricey, it will last you for a very long time because you need so little of the product.
- It's all in the application - by working the product in one area of the face at a time it really makes a difference in the way it looks. Once you get the technique down (and they provide an instructional DVD so you can learn the proper technique) you're good to go!
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