From The Beauty Brains Forum Member: Pas71

I have really oily skin and live in a humid climate, so I was super excited to have the chance to review Neutrogena’s Mineral Sheers Powder Foundation. Not only does it come with lots of great “extras” (SPF 20, time-released anti-oxidants, and the claim that it is actually good for your skin), but it also seemed to be the perfect product for me. I was thinking that it would be a great for providing enough coverage to hide my trouble spots while combating my skin’s natural oiliness, which is, of course, exacerbated by humid weather. Unfortunately, it was not quite the miracle product I was hoping for.

Feeling flaky

First, any flakiness you have will be extremely noticeable when using this product. I don’t usually notice flakiness with my oily skin, but I do get it at times because I use such strong anti-acne products. However, when using a liquid foundation, the flakiness is usually concealed… not so with powder foundations. The first time I used this product (on top of a moisturizer and primer, mind you), my face was a mess! All you could see was what looked like dry, flaky skin. The product and its somewhat rough sponge applicator flaked my skin all over. So, I immediately washed it off and exfoliated my face the best I could. I then tried the product again with better results. If you decide to try it, please be sure to exfoliate well before using!

Tiny texture

Second, it seems the texture of the powder is not fine enough. After applying what I needed to give me a bit of coverage, the powder was very noticeable on my face. This was solved by taking a big fluffy brush and basically buffing it out. However, I was then left with less coverage than I was hoping for and far less coverage than I would get with my semi-sheer liquid foundation.

Questionable coverage

Which brings me to my next point: the level of coverage. Though Neutrogena claims that the product is build able to the desired level of coverage, it is not. If you put more than a sheer dusting on, the texture of the powder is far too noticeable. And, the sheer dusting doesn’t do a whole lot for skin like mine that needs some coverage. I did get better results when using a liquid concealer on problem areas prior to putting on the mineral foundation, but I still did not get the even-looking result that I do with liquid foundation.

As for oil control, this product actually passes my high standards. When using this with a light moisturizer and my foundation primer, I found my skin to be far less oily than normal, even in the humidity! I hardly needed to blot my face while wearing this, which is definitely a plus in my book.

Overall, I really can’t see a difference between this product and a regular pressed powder. In fact, that is what I’ve decided to use it as and it’s doing quite well controlling the shininess in my T-zone that I am used to getting by 10am. In sum, I would recommend this product for someone who doesn’t need too much coverage and whose skin is not particularly dry.

What do you think about about mineral foundations? Leave a comment and let us know. Or, you can start a thread and talk to Pas71 directly in the Beauty Brains Forum. And if you’re interested in getting free goodies of your own, join the Forum now and show us you’ve got what it takes to be a Beauty Brainiac!

Emily asks: I`ve read in so many magazines that have said tinted moisturizers are better than foundation on the skin. What exactly is the difference between tinted moisturizers and liquid foundation apart from the fact that tinted moisturizers is lighter? I`ve also heard from some friends that tinted moisturizers are bad for your skin. So are tinted moisturizers good or bad? The Right Brain responds:

Elizabeth Arden makes both kinds of products so let`s look at the ingredients in their Sheer Lights Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer and Bare Perfection Flawless Finish Foundation as an example. We won`t reprint all of the ingredients here but you can find ˜em on Drugstore.com.

Both products contain sunscreens as active ingredients. They both use water as a solvent and they both contain mixtures of humectants (chemicals that bind water to skin) and emollients (oily chemicals that smooth skin and create a moisture barrier). Since these are emulsion-type products they both use surfactants that keep the water and oil soluble ingredients mixed together in a creamy base. Of course they both contain preservatives and ingredients to control the thickness and pH. And, since both are designed to give your skin a bit of color, they contain pigments. Specifically they both use iron oxides and titanium dioxide.

They sound pretty similar, don`t they? They are similar, but not identical. How are they different? Well, the amount of color they contain will vary and so will the consistency of the products. And the moisturizer version appears to have more humectants so we`d guess it will bind water to your skin better. But overall, they both are basically delivery vehicles for skin tinting pigments.

Given the similarities, it’s hard to imagine why one product would be “bad” for you and the other wouldn’t. Now, if you have very dry skin, you may prefer the moisturizing version. And likewise if your skin is oily, you might want to use the lighter version. But this isn’t a case of “good” versus “bad.” It’s more about finding what you like. (This reminds me of the question we had about the religious implications of using make up.)

The Beauty Brains Bottom Line:
Tinted moisturizers and foundations may look and feel different, but ultimately they function the same way. In case you didn’t realize, the beauty industry often takes similar products and makes them sound very different. There’s nothing wrong with that, as long as they’re honest about the products’ benefits. You’ll have to experiment with different products to cut through all this hype and and find the one that’s right for you.

Pamela ponders: Tyra Banks recommends Milk of Magnesia as a make-up base in order to prevent the skin from getting oily. Will it work for acne prone skin or will it only irritate or aggravate the acne? The Right Brain responds:

While we don`t normally put much stock in supermodel science tips, Tyra might be on to something here.

First, for those of you who don`t know, we should explain that Milk of Magnesia (or MOM) is a common over-the-counter laxative. That`s right, its main purpose is to make you poop. Technically speaking, it`s a solution of magnesium hydroxide and sodium hypochlorite and it works by drawing water into the intestine to help gently pass the bowel movement. (Hey, you asked!)

Interestingly, its ability to drive water absorbtion into the intestines could also make it capable of tightening skin and leaving a smooth surface for make up. In addition, it has some mild antibacterial properties. And since it`s such an effective absorbent it may dry your skin out. Based on these properties, MOM might help against acne. (If you really want to know how to fight zits, you should read our post about what causes acne.) In any case, at least in theory, Milk of Magnesia could have some benefits on skin. But does anyone LIKE the way it feels on their face?

A quick web search shows mixed results. Some people swear by it, saying that it keeps their make up looking better for longer. Others say they can`t stand it because it makes their skin look and feel chalky. Our guess is that it depends on your skin type and the type of make up you wear.

(By the way, be careful when you read what other sites say about ingredients. One forum said that MOM is a cheap alternative to Smashbox Anti-shine because it uses the same ingredient. That`s not exactly true Anti-shine contains Magnesium Aluminum Silicate which is NOT the same as Magnesium Hydroxide.)

The Brains Bottom Line:
If you`re a fan of DIY cosmetics, you might want to give Tyra`s tip a try. MOM is cheap “ and aside from potentially drying your skin, it`s unlikely to cause you any harm. This might be a good experiment for the Beauty Brains community to try! Let us know what happens.

Jessica Is Acne Prone:
I want to buy a foundation primer, and the ones that I find are silicone based. Is silicone bad for acne prone/oily skin?

The Right Brain Is Answer Prone:

According to one of our favorite dermatologists, Dr. Zoe Draelos, silicone foundations are preferred for oily skin. That’s because silicone is non-comedogenic which means it won’t clog your pores. So go for it!
Interesting Bonus Fact: Unlike animal, vegetable or mineral oils, silicones are not based on carbon.

Glitterati Gets Silly About Silicones:
I have a question about silicone interaction: There’s a lot of buzz lately about “mousse” foundations. From what I can tell, these are made up mainly of silicones. I was wondering how a silicone-based foundation primer would interact with a mousse foundation? Would it be any different than applying a liquid or powder foundation over the primer? ( i.e., maybe it’ll all end up a super slippery mess, or perhaps the foundation will grab on extra well). Thanks for your input Brains, and keep up the awesome work!
The Right Brain Stays Serious:

Without a specific mousse foundation to evaluate it’s tough to give a definitive answer, but that won’t stop us from speculating!

We doubt if you’d see a significant interaction because of the types of silicones involved. Cyclomethicone is frequently used as a dispersant for the powders and pigments found in foundations and primers. This type of silicone doesn’t leave much of a residue because it evaporates off the skin after it deposit other ingredients in the formula.

And we doubt that mousse foundations contain a lot of silicone that would negatively interact with your foundation primer for a couple of reasons: One, mousse foundations don’t normally use heavier, slicker silicones because they are anti-foam agents and a mousse has to foam; two, if the mousse was “mainly” silicone it would probably leave a heavy film on your face; and three, using a lot of those kinds of silicones would be very expensive.

What’s more likely is that these mousse products are using some water soluble silicone (perhaps a dimethicone copolyol) that won’t inhibit foaming or make your face feel too slimy. So you probably don’t have much to worry about.
Of course we’re just theorizing based on general principles but if you have specific products in mind, forward us the ingredient list and we’ll take a look. And by the way, nice to hear from you again Glitterati!

Kim`s Query: Is mineral makeup better for your skin than other foundations? Also, some of them say they have SPF 15. How much of the makeup would you have to use to actually get this level of protection?

The Right Brain`s Response: Kim, we`re not sure if you`re referring to powder or liquid foundations, so we`ll try to address both. Let`s start by pointing out that most, if not all foundations COULD call themselves mineral products because most of them already use mineral ingredients. Most foundations use one or more of the following: Talc, titanium dioxide, Iron oxides, Mica, and Silica. These can all be considered minerals in the broad sense, even though they aren’t strictly “mineral”. Some of these ingredients, like the iron oxides, impart color. Others, like the titanium dioxide, help cover up your skin. But there`s nothing magical that happens just because the products contain minerals; basically, that`s just hype from the cosmetic companies.

You also asked about SPF (or Sun Protection Factor) and how much make up you`d have to apply to get an effect. You can, and should, protect your face from UV radiation and using your foundation to boost that protection is perfectly reasonable. But, sunscreens need to be applied in a fairly thick layer in order to work properly. So, if you`re just dusting on a little powdered foundation color, we doubt you`re getting very good coverage. Liquid foundation can give you good protection, IF you apply it ALL over your face. If you don`t apply foundation to your ears, for example, they`ll still burn!