To be honest, when the whole hype about Mineral makeup started, I was among the skeptics. I didn’t understand what the fuss was about and didn’t think that I needed to jump on the wagon. Why do I need mineral cosmetics for? I have no problems with my existing foundation, it doesn’t cause me skin problems even though I use it almost everyday and as for making the skin glow…well I can think of many different tricks to do just that using my existing makeup! And what about the coverage? How does a loose mineral product – that is similar to a loose powder in texture – provide an adequate coverage for my face?

However, while I was predicting the whole mineral makeup hype will fade in a year or two, I realized that this “trend” doesn’t seem like it’s gonna go away soon. More and more cosmetics brand created their own version of mineral makeup – from the drugstore brands (Jane, Neutrogena, L’Oreal, etc) to the prestige ones (Laura Mercier). Not only that, many new brands that are catering specifically to mineral makeup also started sprouting everywhere. Our forum members have also been discussing the benefits and features of mineral makeup in more than one thread. This is one makeup breakthrough that I can’t seem to escape. So I surrendered and deided to give it a try. After all, I can’t knock it till I try it right?

From our brilliant forum, I came across a brand that offers a great selection of mineral products and can make shipment to Indonesia (very important as I don’t want to put too much effort into getting the products!). Moreover, this brand also lets you order some samples at a very very affordable price. This brand is called Alima Cosmetics.

Before I get into the products, let me take a moment to compliment Alima Cosmetics on its AWESOME website and service! Not only that placing an order on their website is super easy and fast, they also surprised me when the products arrived at my house less than 10 days later! I ordered their 2 samples of foundation, 2 samples of finishing powder, 2 concealers and 2 blushers. The nice people at Alima also added 3 free samples of blushers! All in all, I spent $17,50 for the whole thing. Cheap huh?

Alright now onto the products, here’s my review :

Foundation

Even though Alima has an explanation about choosing the right shade for their foundation, I was still having difficulties making my choice. IMHO, the system was a bit too complicated and there are too many choices. I ended up choosing 2 shades : Blossom (C-2) and Chiffon (N-1). Unfortunately, both shades didn’t match my skin tone at all. My biggest pet-peeves is wearing foundation that is too white – so immediately when the products touched my face, I cringed in horror and was very disappointed.

However, despite my disappointment towards the wrong shades, I was actually quite pleased that the coverage of this foundation is better than I expected. My face looks smooth, shine-free and yes…I noticed that subtle glow. At the end of the day when my face was still looking good, I was so impressed that I almost forgot about the wrong shades (almost!). I also finally understood why people rave so much about mineral foundation. It does feel like you’re not wearing any makeup and if you’re constantly under a sweltering hot climate like we do here in this country, this is a big deal.

Btw, I used my Smashbox Photo Finish Primer under the foundation and used my MAC # 187 brush, that way I could make sure I didn’t put too much product on my face and add more of it little by little if necessary.

Oh another thing, this is also another reason why I hardly ever use loose powder – using it sure is messy! The products got everywhere from my clothes, to my hair to my desk!

Concealer

Of all the mineral makeup product I’ve heard of, this is what I am most skeptical about, especially about the coverage. Well sad to say my skepticism was proven true. Both of the concealer samples I ordered (Beige and Sand) did not cover my blemishes and undereye correctly – if anything, they actually made the problem areas look worse. Not impressed at all.

Finishing Powder

Because these products are not as pigmented as the foundation, I found both shades and textures that I ordered blended well with my skin tone. Alima Mineral Finishing Powder and Satin Finishing Powder are lightweight, smooth and provided a luminous finish. Despite the messy application (again), I actually think these products are great!

Blushers

Definitely the winner in the whole range in my opinion! Alima blushers come in many gorgeous sheer colors and is loaded with beautiful shimmery goodness that doesn’t look over-the-top on your face. Instead it will just give you a hint of glow. My favorites are Tea Rose (warm rose) and Sahara (bronze with a hint of rose and gold). I can’t get enough of this Sahara blush – it gives my skin a beautiful golden touch – very pretty yet very subtle so I’m able to wear it on top of another blusher or on my cheeks and across the bridge of my nose just like I would normally wear bronzer.

The Conclusion :

Even though I really like the finishing powder and the blusher, these products didn’t really make me a believer. I would order the full-sized Sahara blush (and maybe the Satin Finishing Powder) but as for the foundation, I’m gonna stick with my liquid or tinted moisturized.

However, a few weeks after I tried Alima Cosmetics, I actually did find a range of product that DID convert me into a mineral makeup lover. Find out what it is on my next post!