Eureka! Amazing Minerals from Maybelline. Maybelline Pure Liquid Mineral Foundation (Maybelline Pure Liquid Mineral Foundation)

Member Name: foreveramber

Product:	Maybelline Pure Liquid Mineral Foundation
Date:	13/02/09 (641 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lightweight, blends into skin well, provides good coverage

Disadvantages: It may be too sheer to cover all blemishes on its own

Last week I was meandering around the Boots shelves while searching for the products that matched the vouchers I was clutching, when I arrived at the makeup area. This triggered a vague memory of an advertisement I'd seen a few weeks ago for a new foundation that adjusted to your skin tone. However, I couldn't for the life of me recall the name of the manufacturer or brand.

So I ended up scanning every foundation, hoping to see those magic words - self adjusting. I didn't find it. What I did see was a new foundation from Maybelline which was also being highly promoted along with a special price offer of only £5.82.

It wasn't only the price that caught my attention. It was the fact that it was a mineral foundation but in liquid form. I'm extremely biased towards mineral makeup as it's so much better for your skin than the synthetic kind. I already own a mineral powder foundation, which, while easy to use, never really provides the coverage I am looking for.

So I paused to have a quick read about the product and noticed a few testers just begging me to try them out. I pulled off my gloves and chose a couple of different colours to try out on my hand. Immediately I knew I was going to like this foundation and I purchased the Ivory colour which seemed to be the closest match to my, oh so pale winter skin.

~~~Mineral Makeup in Brief~~~

Basically, it's derived from Micronized Titanium Dioxide which is a natural mineral product. It helps skin by allowing light to pass through, while acting as a natural barrier against UVA and UVB rays. It doesn't clog pores or dry out skin.

Mineral products are healthy for the skin because they balance the moisture content and allow it to breathe, making specifically suitable for dry or sensitive skin types.

~~~The Packaging and Ingredients~~~

This foundation is packaged in a fairly heavy glass bottle with a pump dispenser. The bottle itself is 11cm tall (just under 4.5") and has a diameter of 3cm (just over 1") so it's comfortable to hold in one hand while pressing the pump dispenser on top. It also has a clear plastic lid which you just replace on top of the dispenser to prevent the foundation from clogging in the pump.

The front label displays the name of the product and its description "Breathable foundation for a healthy + flawless look." It shows the SPF number which is 15. That back label provides further information about the product which says it will provide full flawless coverage that's breathable for a healthy-looking, luminous finish that blends to your skin tone. (That bit made me wonder whether this was the product I was looking for after all). Anyway, it's suitable for sensitive skins and says it won't clog pores. It's also talc-free, perfume-free and oil-free.

If you really want to dig deeper, the back label instructs you to peel it off for the ingredients and instructions. Naturally I chose to peel off the label, mainly as I was interested to see if there were any special instructions for using this foundation. But, the directions simply told me to - "dot on face. Smooth with downward strokes until blended." Sounds easy enough. On the new label revealed underneath is a rather long list of ingredients including quite a few parabens. These are mainly used as a preservative and at least one of them, methylparaben, is derived from blueberries.

~~~The Contents~~~

The colour I've chosen, Ivory, is very pale, the palest out of a choice of eight skin tone colours. The other colours in the selection are: Ivory, Nude, Fawn, Honey Beige, Cameo, Caramel, Sand and Porcelain.

Its consistency as it emerges from the dispenser is quite runny and you only need to press down very lightly to obtain enough foundation. I certainly don't need to press down any more than about half way for sufficient foundation to emerge.

After dotting it onto my skin I'm actually able to blend it into my skin just using my fingers. This is the first time I've been able to do this with any foundation. Most of them are far too thick and I need to use a dampened cosmetic sponge in order to achieve a smooth coverage. But this foundation is so light and liquid enough that fingers alone will do.

~~~How to Use~~~

On the Boots website you'll find more detailed instructions for using the foundation which I found quite helpful.

They suggest using a concealer on areas requiring further coverage such as under eye circles, around the nose etc before using the foundation. Next you apply the foundation over your face using circular motions, working from outside in.

~~~Coverage and Lasting Abilities~~~

Using this foundation I'm able to achieve a nice and even coverage over my face. I find it doesn't cake anywhere as I often find around the mouth and chin area. As for a flawless coverage, well, I can't say it completely covers every mark on my skin. I think it's just a bit too sheer for that but it's not as sheer as a tinted moisturiser. It blends completely with my skin tone so it doesn't leave any nasty foundation tide marks around the neck area.

It really does leave my skin with a luminous quality as described and doesn't clog my pores as other thicker foundations tend to do
However, I haven't completely converted away from the 'matt' look to the shiny look so I usually dab a bit of powder around my t. zone area just to take off some of the shine.

I find it lasts really well throughout the day. I've even played two hours of tennis and cycled for an hour and my foundation has stayed put.

~~~Overall~~~

I've finally found a foundation I'm happy with and it's only taken me most of my life. I've thrown out all my other partially used foundations and when it comes to summer, if we ever see any sun, and I manage to get a suntan, I'll buy this foundation in a different colour.

It's funny but now I think of it, the first makeup product I ever bought was a mascara by Maybelline. I always thought of Maybelline as a brand for teenagers or young girls. But this old(er) girl is very happy to be seen using this product. And the price is not to be sniffed at.

Summary: Fantastic value foundation that's hard to fault