Benefits of Mineral Makeup

One of the most important things you can do for your skin to prevent premature aging is to wear sunscreen every day. One of the easiest ways to ensure that is to either have a sunscreen in your moisturizer or in your foundation. Sunscreen in both is even better. I have recently become a big fan of mineral-based powdered foundation. I love it for many reasons, one of them being it naturally contains titanium dioxide, a sunscreen agent, with an SPF of 15 or higher. Quality mineral foundations don't contain oils, perfumes, waxes or dyes so they are gentle, won't clog your pores and won't irritate your skin. Surprisingly, mineral foundations even work on dry skin. The powder doesn't settle in the creases, and it doesn't make your skin look shiny. You control how much you use, and you can use a little more if you want heavier coverage. It looks so natural, you don't have that heavy foundation look.

Powdered mineral foundation is easy to apply. You just tap some into the lid of the jar, swirl your brush in it and tap off the excess. You apply it to your face with a swirling buffing motion. Piece of cake. And you don't have to wash your hands of all that old sticky liquid foundation (I like that!)

Caution when buying: Many cosmetic companies are going on the mineral foundation bandwagon, but you have to be careful and read the label. Most of the drugstore brands contain talc, which is a carcinogen and lung irritant, and other chemicals. The brands I like are Bare Escentuals and Sheer Cover. Both contain 100% pure crushed minerals (titanium dioxide, zinc and a little mica, which helps deflect light away from wrinkles and lines). They do not contain talc or chemical preservatives. You can buy them here:

Bare Escentuals - find it at Sephora.com(and get free shipping with $50 purchase enter MDAY at checkout - thru MAY 2)

Sheer Cover -You can get a special introductory kit with 2 mineral foundations powders, duo concealer, conditioning cleanser, mascara and moisturizer with SPF 15 - Sheer Cover® 30-Day Intro Kit - Only $29.95