Hi fellow Glamour Ninjas,
Today I am posting a long overdue review of Starcrushed Minerals mineral powder foundation in the shade "Alabaster".
I got a random message on Etsy a while ago from the owner/creator of this makeup line with a "grand opening" sale offer, and I love supporting indie brands, so I thought I'd check out a few products. I ordered two small foundations (Alabaster and Almond, not shown) and a couple eyeshadows (separate review coming later). These are all loose mineral powder products and are handmade by the store owner. Prices were very reasonable, especially with the discount she sent me. Foundations are US$9.00 regularly, $4.50 on sale.
At the time of this post, there is a different 50% off sale running at her shop if you're interested. No code is required.
The ingredients for the Alabaster foundation are:
sericite mica, titanium dioxide, magnesium stearate, zinc oxide, kaolin clay, micas, oxides.
Pretty standard stuff for a mineral foundation, also note it's talc-free. You will get some sun protection with this foundation because of the titanium and zinc oxides, which are physical sunblocks, but due to US law, they can't state a specific SPF without a lot of expensive testing. This product is cruelty free and vegan, but I'm not sure all products in her line are, so you will want to check the ingredients list or message her for details if you are concerned.
So now to the review details:
I have to say, this is the weirdest mineral foundation I have ever tried. First of all the color is just... grey and strange looking in the jar. Sometimes you get this with very pale foundations though (and Asian BB creams) so I didn't freak out too much. Then I swatched it:
And it still looked weird. As you can see in the middle pane where it says "heavy swatch", the color is almost a greyish brown on my skin (I'm a MAC NW/NC 15). Not at all what I was expecting for a shade called "Alabaster".
Ok, so still not freaking out, maybe it just needed buffed in to look right, as I know some mineral foundations do need this. So I tried buffing it in with my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush.
Aaaaaaand then it turned all dark and splotchy as you can see in the third pane above. See how it's darker and blotchy near the top of the swatch? It also had some sparkle show up in it, so not only is it muddy and uneven, but it sparkles. A lot. WTH?? The more I buffed, the worse it got. I'm just guessing here, but was like the pigments weren't dispersed evenly in the foundation or something. I also tried applying it wet and with a MAC 190 foundation brush. Some parts were way darker than others and no matter what I did, I couldn't get it to even out. And the shimmer on top of it all made me basically look like Edward Cullen with a big ugly bruise.
So, huge fail. I had the same experience with the shade "Almond", which I had purchased thinking I could use it as a contour.
Formula-wise this foundation had good adhesion and would probably be good at absorbing oil for oilier skins, but I just can't get over the color problems and the amount of sparkle in it. I'm not sure if I just got a rough batch or what, but in my opinion, these are totally un-usable as a foundation. I'm probably just going to toss them in the garbage unless I can find a way to use them for dirty, splotchy glittery zombie makeup since Halloween is fairly soon?
Makeup Grade: F
I kind of hate posting negative reviews, but I feel like I have to be honest. Stay tuned for a review of their mineral eyeshadows coming soon - it's much more positive!
If you want to try a really good indie mineral foundation, check out Meow Cosmetics - their color range and formulas are really impressive and they offer very reasonable samples so you can make sure to get the right color match for your skin.
Have you ever encountered anything like this with a mineral foundation? If you've had a different experience with this brand/product, please leave me a comment. Am I doing something wrong with it?
FTC Disclaimer: I bought these products with my own money. Some products linked may have affiliate links. My opinions are always my own.
Today I am posting a long overdue review of Starcrushed Minerals mineral powder foundation in the shade "Alabaster".
I got a random message on Etsy a while ago from the owner/creator of this makeup line with a "grand opening" sale offer, and I love supporting indie brands, so I thought I'd check out a few products. I ordered two small foundations (Alabaster and Almond, not shown) and a couple eyeshadows (separate review coming later). These are all loose mineral powder products and are handmade by the store owner. Prices were very reasonable, especially with the discount she sent me. Foundations are US$9.00 regularly, $4.50 on sale.
At the time of this post, there is a different 50% off sale running at her shop if you're interested. No code is required.
The ingredients for the Alabaster foundation are:
sericite mica, titanium dioxide, magnesium stearate, zinc oxide, kaolin clay, micas, oxides.
Pretty standard stuff for a mineral foundation, also note it's talc-free. You will get some sun protection with this foundation because of the titanium and zinc oxides, which are physical sunblocks, but due to US law, they can't state a specific SPF without a lot of expensive testing. This product is cruelty free and vegan, but I'm not sure all products in her line are, so you will want to check the ingredients list or message her for details if you are concerned.
So now to the review details:
I have to say, this is the weirdest mineral foundation I have ever tried. First of all the color is just... grey and strange looking in the jar. Sometimes you get this with very pale foundations though (and Asian BB creams) so I didn't freak out too much. Then I swatched it:
Ok, so still not freaking out, maybe it just needed buffed in to look right, as I know some mineral foundations do need this. So I tried buffing it in with my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush.
Aaaaaaand then it turned all dark and splotchy as you can see in the third pane above. See how it's darker and blotchy near the top of the swatch? It also had some sparkle show up in it, so not only is it muddy and uneven, but it sparkles. A lot. WTH?? The more I buffed, the worse it got. I'm just guessing here, but was like the pigments weren't dispersed evenly in the foundation or something. I also tried applying it wet and with a MAC 190 foundation brush. Some parts were way darker than others and no matter what I did, I couldn't get it to even out. And the shimmer on top of it all made me basically look like Edward Cullen with a big ugly bruise.
So, huge fail. I had the same experience with the shade "Almond", which I had purchased thinking I could use it as a contour.
Formula-wise this foundation had good adhesion and would probably be good at absorbing oil for oilier skins, but I just can't get over the color problems and the amount of sparkle in it. I'm not sure if I just got a rough batch or what, but in my opinion, these are totally un-usable as a foundation. I'm probably just going to toss them in the garbage unless I can find a way to use them for dirty, splotchy glittery zombie makeup since Halloween is fairly soon?
Makeup Grade: F
I kind of hate posting negative reviews, but I feel like I have to be honest. Stay tuned for a review of their mineral eyeshadows coming soon - it's much more positive!
If you want to try a really good indie mineral foundation, check out Meow Cosmetics - their color range and formulas are really impressive and they offer very reasonable samples so you can make sure to get the right color match for your skin.
Have you ever encountered anything like this with a mineral foundation? If you've had a different experience with this brand/product, please leave me a comment. Am I doing something wrong with it?
FTC Disclaimer: I bought these products with my own money. Some products linked may have affiliate links. My opinions are always my own.
