I'M CRUSHED - IT'S MINERHORRIBLES! (Lily Lolo Mineral Cosmetics: Foundation)

Member Name: Skyedame

Product:	Lily Lolo Mineral Cosmetics: Foundation
Date:	19/10/07 (1493 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to apply

Disadvantages: Drying. Not suitable for mature skin

***Who are Lily Lolo and what exactly are Mineral cosmetics in general?***

Lily Lolo are an internet-based company (found at www.lilylolo.co.uk) selling only mineral cosmetics including brushes and sponges etc. Their range includes mineral
foundations, cover ups, blushers and bronzers, eye colours and lip and nail colours.

The site is simple to navigate and a pleasure to use.

Mineral cosmetics are made from pure crushed minerals and contain no harsh chemicals, dyes or fillers.
I have reviewed their Cover Up and Blush Pots and today, I am reviewing their Mineral Foundation. So far, I've read glowing reviews about this product but from what I can see, these reviews are by woman much younger than me. To balance things out, here is the opinion of an 'older' woman!

*** Why I wanted to try the product ***

Well, my skin might be relatively line-free but quite naturally, there are crinkles and creases I didn't have even 12 months ago. My medium-toned skin has lost a lot of its colour and without foundation I look tired and washed out. Applying liquid foundation takes a lot longer than it used to because to overdo it results in it sitting in the creases I do have and at the end of a long day, will gradually wear off or just gather at the sides of my nose or on the tip. I spend ages blending my liquid foundation in order to get it right so I wanted to try one of the new mineral foundations to see if it lived up to the claim that it would be easy to apply and the results would be natural, flattering and long-lasting

*** Claims - True or False? ***

Claim: Easy to apply. No more heavy, obvious foundation.

True. Yes, indeed it is easy to apply. A few deft brush strokes with a brush full of product and the imperfections in my skin tone were covered.

Claim: Suitable for all skin types.

False. The finish might be natural-looking - but not, in my case, flattering. More flattening, than anything. So I would say that this type of foundation is not really suitable for a mature skin. I did actually read that by one of the beauty experts in a newspaper article, and now I know what she meant.

Claim: Requiring no additional illuminating products, mineral foundation will give you the natural fresh-faced glow of beautiful healthy skin. 'Feels almost weightless on your skin…'

False - in my experience. I am in my late fifties and concede that the first flush of youth is but a distant memory. But I do have a good complexion which just needs a little help in the brightening department. What I achieved was a dull complexion which felt undermoisturised, despite the liberal application of my usual moisturiser.

I'm not sure what they mean by their claim that this product 'feels almost weightless on your skin'. I can't 'feel' my usual liquid foundation on my skin either and that at least does plump up my skin and keeps it moisturised.

Claim: Light reflective to reduce the appearance of fine lines.

False: the dry finish of the mineral powder served only to highlight the fine lines round my eyes and generally age me ten years. I get the same unfortunate result whenever I'm daft enough to use a finishing powder. Mineral foundation is supposed to say goodbye to heavy, dull and cakey foundation. Well, on the plus side it isn't cakey nor is it heavy, but oh, does it dull my complexion!

Shades available:

There are a good selection of shades available from the skin tones of Neutral/Cool/Warm/Olive.

From the Neutral selection, I chose Porcelain and Blondie and from the Cool selection I chose Popsicle. I bought only the sample sizes at 99p each (plus 85p p&p) so at least I didn't have a huge layout for my experimentation. I will say here, that the samples of mineral foundation come in a generous 1-1.5g of product in a 5g jar. Plenty for lots of applications before you splash out for the full size should you decide to go for one.

None of the colours I tried were in the least flattering to me. Only the Porcelain tone lifted my complexion in any way, but the dull, powdered finish spoilt it.

*** Application ***

The full size product comes in a sifter jar (I bought one of those for both the Lily Lolo Cover Up and Blusher Pots) and obviously, before unscrewing the lid, you just briefly upend the jar, turn it back the right way then unscrew the lid and use the deposited product in the lid.

If you buy the samples jars, sprinkle a small amount of powder onto a saucer.

Next, pick up powder with brush (use either one of the specially designed Kabuki brushes or any small, short bristled brush) swirl the brush into the saucer/lid to ensure an even covering over the surface of the brush. Don't load too much onto the brush at once.

Tap-tap-tap the base of the brush on a flat surface to settle the powder into the bristles, this is to prevent you from applying too much powder and getting a dry or chalky look but as I've already pointed out, however carefully I applied the product the finish was still too dull for me.

Apply starting at neck/jaw line and applying some pressure work in circles or long strokes towards the nose.

You may also use a velour sponge for fuller coverage: press, roll or use short strokes to apply the foundation. Apparently, you may also use a clean velour sponge to smooth over your skin after applying mineral powder with a brush. Quote: 'This will remove any excess and 'minimise the look of pores'.

Minimise the look of pores? Er, I don't think so! I didn't know I had enlarged pores until I stroked on this foundation. My chin looked like the surface of the moon!

So, on this occasion, sorry Lily Lolo but it's a big thumbs down from me for the mineral foundation. I loved the Cover Up and the Blusher and also the eye shadows (yet to be reviewed) but in future, I will stick to my L'Oreal liquid foundation to use beneath my Lily Lolo Cover Up.
For my rating, I had entered the quality of the product as 'Good' - it is a good quality product but just not for me.

Ingredients:
Contains: Mica (light reflecting to minimise fine lines), Titanium Dioxide (provides a natural sunscreen), Zinc Oxide, Iron Oxides, Ultramarine Blue.

*** Price ***

Samples sizes of Mineral foundation (1-1.5g in a 5g jar) = 99p
Full sized (10g in a 30ml sifter jar) = £12
P&P = UK Orders weighing up to 50g = £1 (although I have only ever paid
85p at the checkout for both sample and full sized products)

***Accepted methods of payment***

Paypal or Credit Card.

***Delivery***

I have ordered both sample and full sized products on three occasions and have only ever waited 2 days for delivery - which includes during the recent postal strike!

Excellent.

Full details of all products and p&p details can be found on the web site (www.lilylolo.co.uk) The website also includes some very good tips and techniques pages for all the products.

*** Finally ***

As mentioned in my other Lily Lolo reviews, I have picked three of the FAQs from the Lily Lolo website which might answer your immediate queries:

Are your products allergy-free?

Whilst our products are as simple as possible in formulation and made from the gentlest ingredients we can find no one product (or ingredient) is guaranteed to be allergy-free for everyone.

Do your products contain parabens?

No, none of the Lily Lolo range of cosmetics contains parabens, fragrances or fillers.

What is your animal testing policy?

We do not test any of our products or ingredients on animals or ask anyone to do so on our behalf. Our products are made from ingredients which have been used for cosmetic purposes for many years and are already considered to be safe. All our formulations have been assessed and conform to European Cosmetic Regulations.

Thanks for reading!

© Louise Saunders - 2007

Summary: An easy to apply foundation but gives an unflattering finish to mature skin