Neutrogena Mineral Sheers Powder Foundation Review

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.

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