talc, silicones, and other additives. Dark-toned mineral foundations must contain a bit of a golden
shimmer to avoid that unattractive ashy effect on dark and olive skin. A dry complexion can make
dark skin look grayish. Make sure you wear a good moisturizer underneath your foundation.
Tools of the Mineral Trade
Mineral foundations are usually marketed along with a complex set of brushes. While it’s tempting
to equip yourself with every possible brush size to ensure a flawless application, in reality you only
need two brushes: one for the overall application of the foundation and one for amineral concealer.
A kabuki brush is by far the best tool to achieve natural, even results when applying a powder
foundation. It has a short handle (actually, just a stump of a handle) and a dome-shaped, fluffy, thick
head made of goat’s hair. Many companies have recently come up with their own version of the
original Bare Escentuals kabuki, but often these brushes have either a head too narrow and pointed to
produce a really good buffing or they are too stiff and dense so you pick up too much color and end up
applying mineral powder so thickly that it looks like fresh plaster. If you decide to buy a foolproof
kabuki brush, look for goat hair, not squirrel hair, or at least a blend of both, and a wide, fluffy,
flatter, dome-shaped head that looks like a fan, not a furry bullet.
While I do use a Bare Escentuals “minibuki” brush for everyday foundation application, I found
that I can achieve even better results with a tapered flat blush brush. You can use the sides of the
brush to buff the foundation and the pointed edge to apply touch-ups of concealer. I also found that the
use of a good blush brush, coupled with a light-handed application, results in a very fine, almost
invisible layer of foundation. Among the better blush brushes are MAC 116 Blush Brush and 227
Large Fluff Brush, and Make Up For Ever 24S Blush Brush.
Make sure you stay away from flat-headed buffing brushes. While they sound like a natural match
for powder makeup, the results are horrible: the application is thick, uneven, and all-around messy.
To carefully dot mineral concealer, you will need a special concealer brush. Again, I would
recommend straying from traditional options— sleek, flat, stiff nylon brushes. These are good for
cream concealer but are worthless with fine mineral powders that simply slide off the brush instead
of being buffed into the skin. You simply cannot press and swirl those synthetic Taklon fibers!Your
best bet is a tapered, round-edged eye shadow brush made of natural goat or sable hair. Again, head
on to MAC for their bestselling 239 Eye Shading Brush, to Sephora for Make Up For Ever Eye
Contour Brush 14S made of Russian squirrel fur, or if you’re feeling indulgent, splurge on a Natural
Brush 13G by Shu Uemura. When in a hurry, don’t hesitate to dot the concealer with a clean fingertip:
press gently on a blemish or under-eye circle and rub the powder gently.
Blushers and Highlighters
Choosing a new blush is perhaps the most enjoyable experience after picking a new lip-gloss. Most
mineral and other green blush varieties offer pretty, easily blendable, extremely wearable colors that
can breathe life and vitality into even the dullest of complexions. There are many types of green
blushes available. Loose mineral powder blushes are the most common but can be tricky to apply in a
rush. With a loose powder blush, you need to perform a minifoundation application, with swirling,
tapping, and buffing, and often you will end up applying more color than you planned. Remember, you
can spread foundation across your face, but buffing the blush across your cheeks and close to the nose