Random Product Review and Swatch Post! Lucy Minerals' Original Formula Mineral Foundation!

Purchased

Lucy Minerals
Original Formula Mineral Foundation

Mineral foundations are all over the indie world. Not only are they much more shelf-stable than liquids and creams but they often have a much more simplistic ingredients list - one of the common reasons why those with sensitive skin choose mineral over other kinds of foundations.

Lucy Minerals isn't a company that I often hear about but their mineral foundation is one of my favorites.

Full size vs "Try it" size

There are four different foundations offered: Original, Oil Control with Calcium Carbonate, Oil Control with Silica, and Lucy Light.

The owner developed the original formula to be good for sensitive skin (both dry and combination varieties). Lucy Light is a similar foundation formula without any added antioxidants for those who are sensitive to them. I think the oil control varieties are self-explanatory.

There are 19 shades offered and the owner will also make custom mixed jars - at no additional cost - if you need a certain ratio between shades. You can also pick up "Try it" size jars of any shade and formula for $2.50. These come in 5 gram jars and mine have been between half and three-quarters full. It might not sound like a lot but you need very little for a full face application so these last for awhile.

Rotating sifter

Full sized jars are 30 gram jars with rotating sifters for $16 as of this writing.

I haven't tried any of the formulas besides the original so the rest of this review only applies to the Original Formula.

Ingredients: zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, mica, magnesium stearate, iron oxides, allantoin, Apple Poly® polyphenols, trans-resveratrol, green coffee bean extract, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate.

Apple Poly polyphenols, trans-resveratrol, green coffee bean extract, and magnesium ascorbyl phosphate are all included for their antioxidant properties. I'm not quite at the point in my life yet where I'm concerned about anti-aging products so I unfortunately can't comment as to how effectively the foundation performs in that field. As mentioned above, the Lucy Light formula removes those ingredients.

I can, however, talk about how this performs as a foundation!

So some of the drawbacks of mineral foundation is that it can often feel chalky, emphasize dry patches, and look powdery. I'm happy to report that none of these are true for the Lucy Minerals Original Formula. In fact, this is the creamiest feeling mineral foundation that I've ever used.

Amount of product used for half of face (below)

My preferred method of application is with a soft kabuki brush - I'm currently using the Japonesque Safari Chic kabuki brush. I tap a bit into the jar lid, swirl my brush into it so the product moves up into the bristles, then buff it into my skin. The picture to the left shows how much product I used for one side of my face.

It does tend to "crease" a bit though, even in areas without any lines. I assume this is due to the creamy nature of the product and these lines buff out really easily on another pass over.

I've been wearing Creamy Bisque and though it looks kind of scarily yellow in the jar, it's actually a really good match for my NC-25ish skintone.

And now...the moment of truth!

Left: bare skin, Right: Lucy Minerals Original Foundation in Creamy Bisque

Admittedly, my skin isn't too bad. I do have some acne, acne scarring, and redness and the foundation does a really great job at a natural looking mid-level coverage. It's evened out my skintone, hidden my blemishes, and done some mattifying as well. During worse skin periods, I can build up to a mid-full level coverage without looking cakey.

On a cooler day, I can get 8-10 hours of wear from this foundation. I'm usually only slightly on the oily side of the spectrum but this formula keeps the oil down and my skin nice and matte. On warmer days though, when I'm sweating even a bit, the oil breaks through quickly and I can see the foundation breaking apart on my skin in patches. On those days, I'm lucky if I can wear it for 3 hours before needing to blot or reapply. Luckily, we're headed into colder weather!

The foundation is offered in 19 shades but I only grabbed sample jars of the first 12 shades. I know they look very non-skintone-like in these swatches but they blend out really nicely and are more forgiving than expected given the higher level of coverage.

Anyway, I've been using this foundation for about a year now and it's my fall foundation of choice!

Added note: And now there's a 48-hour sale going on if you're interested in trying the brand! All items are 25% off with no code needed until noon PST 10/7.

Purchase Link

Have any of you heard of/tried anything from Lucy Minerals before? What did you think?