Understanding Makeup Ingredients

Makeup ingredients are numerous and confusing! Let's break them down into the basics and you'll be all set to purchase the right makeup for you!

Loose powder mineral makeup, liquid makeup, stick makeup, pressed makeup, mousse makeup...AHHH!

How are you supposed to choose the best makeup for YOU with all the newest, latest and greatest makeup formulas out there?

You see fabulous commercials with color-matching, sunscreen, wrinkle-hiding, acne-curing foundations and you rush out to buy it!

You get home and realize the color doesn't match, your pimples still show through and you look worse than ever.

Don't worry.

Once you know the basic ingredients and what they do, you'll be all set to choose a makeup right for YOU.

As you can probably figure out by the name of this website, I prefer loose powder MINERAL MAKEUP.

The ingredients can be found by clicking on the INGREDIENTS link on the left-hand navigation bar.

Just look for a mineral foundation that is silky and creamy, yet gives smooth, excellent coverage.

Try samples or ask the seller to describe the texture of their powders.

TRADITIONAL MAKEUP (not mineral makeup) usually comes in liquid format, but there are many options available. Whatever form it comes in, most makeups contain similar makeup ingredients, combined in different ways.

Colorants: Makeup must have color, either from iron oxides or FD&C dyes.

Coverage: It must have some form of coverage, usually from titanium dioxide and/or zinc oxide. Otherwise, there wouldn't be much point in applying it. The main function of makeup is to cover our flaws, after all!

Fillers: Fillers can range HUGELY... mica is the filler used in mineral makeup, but liquid, stick, pressed, or other traditional makeups use a multitude of different fillers in their products. Why? Mainly because you have to include SOMETHING to "fill up" the makeup... once you have your small amount of colorants and coverage ingredients, you need something to make the makeup adhere to the skin, feel smooth and creamy, and fill up the bottle!

Traditional makeups include oils, waxes, water, butters, synthetic ingredients GALORE (yuck... avoid any word you cannot easily pronounce, as it is probably synthetic goop that will only clog your pores and irritate your skin), preservatives (another big YUCK... avoid these as they are usually harsh and damaging to your body), etc.

Should you decide to go with a liquid foundation, choose an all natural foundation. Make sure the ingredients are natural oils, pure water, aloe vera gel, essential oils (for scent and therapeutic benefits), and only mild preservatives like vitamin E or suprapein (this is a combination of botanicals that has excellent preserving capabilities, without being harsh on the skin).

I usually recommend avoiding most traditional makeups. If you were to read the ingredients, you would probably fall over in shock.

Most of them are harsh, synthetic, and unnecessary.

So why do companies even USE them at all?

Cost.

They are cheap!

All those yucky, goopy chemicals are SOOO cheap! They allow the makeup companies to make huge profits at the expense of your skin's health.

Don't fall for this!

Buy natural, pure makeup, such as loose powder mineral makeup, liquid natural mineral makeup, etc.

Also make sure to read the ingredients on your mineral makeup as well. Some companies (usually the larger, national brands), include synthetic preservatives like methyl paraben, synthetic dyes, talc (VERY bad to breathe... associated with cancer!), and many other awful ingredients.

So just because a brand says "mineral makeup" or "natural" doesn't mean much. READ THE INGREDIENTS.

Don't fall for clever marketing by smart companies. Always look for safe ingredients, no matter what the package looks like or says to lure you to buy it.

Should you decide to use regular, traditional makeup, don't be surprised if your face breaks out, or becomes irritated or red.

I always recommend natural products.

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