I'm still here!!! Some general thoughts.

Hi everyone! I'm not dead or anything, I've just taken on a job with the Census that is pretty time-and-energy consuming, and is also not the sort of job I can do with a computer on in the background. But I'm still around, still playing with and acquiring (and swapping away) tons of makeup.

Anyway, this is mostly some thoughts spurred by a discussion over at the forums about which company "won" most of Everyday Minerals business when they took several turns for the worse. A lot of us were super loyal to EDM and didn't buy really anything elsewhere (well, I tried Fyrinnae before I stopped buying EDM). Now, instead of being loyal to any one company, I'm spreading my makeup money out. I'm also finding different companies to be good for different stuff.

I've tried stuff from Silk Naturals, Meow, Aromaleigh, adorned with Grace, Earthen Glow, Morgana, Sassy, Lovely Android, Physicians Formula, and Urban Decay. I was already a Fyrinnae customer before I quit EDM. I've made more than one order from SN, Aromaleigh, awG, and Urban Decay. I've also acquired a bunch of PF in swaps and at the store. I plan to make another Morgana order because I need Watermelon lipstick in full size.

Places that get/will get lots of my business:
Fyrinnae - best value for eyeshadows, and I love Fluff and the velvet gel silica primer (which I use as mattifying lotion when I don't want to wear foundation).

SN is good for their vegan lip stuff and skin care (and I like some of their loose stuff, too. Sonic eyeshadow is a staple now.)

Aromaleigh has a lot of good eyeshadows, and I like the Gothic Lolita shimmers, too - but their foundation didn't work for me. Also, the owner is kind of nuts, but her husband is super sweet.

adorned with Grace has really nice foundation and blush, and free shipping in the US! I like their stuff, but don't feel compelled to collect it.

Morgana has fun vegan lipstick, and fun vegan lip stuff is super important to me.

Physicians Formula has a few really good things and a few really crappy ones. The stuff I like, I really like. The stuff I don't, I just want to to get rid of.

Urban Decay could get dangerous, but I'm trying to keep it in pencil territory.

I also like Gabriel Color for lip stuff and mascara.


Places I don't plan on buying from again (except maybe for one product I really like)
Meow, I wasn't overly impressed with their foundations, and it's more cost effective for me to order other stuff elsewhere.

Earthen Glow treated me pretty badly with CS, and one of the two products I ordered was unusable. I don't plan to order again.

Sassy - I will probably order Gasoline Rainbow in full size, but after that I am done. Too much bismuth makes me itchy, and I wish they had a way to search for only bismuth-free stuff. Also, I didn't like the foundation much.

Lovely Android's Pinkpocalyse blush is amazing. They have one other color I'd like to try, but they don't do samples yet, I don't think.

Places I haven't tried but would like to:
Sobe Botanicals - I'm intrigued by the lip stuff, mostly.
Sugarpill - a newish company with fun pressed stuff. More expensive than I usually go for, so I'll have to wait on this for a bit.

Comprehensive Foundation Review

In my quest to find the perfect mineral foundation, I’ve tried a whole bunch, and reviewed all of them with stringent criteria, because I wanted to know which one was the best. I’ve reviewed a lot of loose powder foundations, three liquids, and one pressed powder. As I try out more stuff in the future, I'll make updated versions of the list, but this is where I am so far. Pics above are for color comparison purposes (and to some extent, coverage comparison).

Here’s a quick summary, with products ranked from best to worst.

1. Silk Naturals Original Coverage foundation (1 Warm Gold: 10 Ivory): 26/30. Despite receiving high scores, I’m still waffling on getting this. I was looking at a photo I’d taken for an EOTD post while I was wearing it and didn’t like the finish that much. I’ve ordered more samples to play with, because one of my biggest complaints was that it had too-sheer coverage. I really liked the oil control and the custom mixing aspects. I also think that SN might match my summer skin needs better than my winter skin needs.

2. Earthen Glow Minerals Mineral Mousse foundation (Lora – light warm): 25/30. I’m very glad I ordered a full size while it was on sale, because I love this stuff.

3. adorned with Grace Minerals foundation (Love 3.0): 24.5/30. Probably ordering this in full size so I have the option of a powder. Main weakness: my face gets shiny after awhile. Main strength: this stuff is so finely milled, super creamy, and a little goes a long way.

4. Earthen Glow Minerals Cover Me foundation (Lora – light warm): 21/30. Best for those with normal skin (no dryness or oily issues) and stuff they want to cover up, or who can’t find a good match elsewhere, as there are lots of options for colors with this brand.

5. Aromaleigh Glissade foundation (1W): 21/30. The better (IMO) of the two Aromaleigh foundations, it still wasn’t right for me. Better for someone with dry skin.

6. Aromaleigh Voilé foundation (1W): 20/30. This didn’t stand out in any way for me. Probably better for someone with dry skin.

7. Everyday Minerals Matte foundation (Golden Fair): 20/30. This was my standby for a year and a half. There are much better choices out there, and I am happier with other stuff. I was thrilled to finally use the jar up the other day. However, it did get me started on minerals, which was a really good thing in the long run.

8. Everyday Minerals Pressed Powder foundation (old formula Fair Yellow, d/c): 19/20. This stuff has two things going for it: coverage and ease of use (no swirly dish – just swirl brush in product and use!) Everything else, it doesn’t do well on. I can’t wait to use this up, but I also kind of want to chuck it.

9. Almay PureBlends liquid foundation (Buff): 19/30. Main strengths: it matched my skin and comes in a nice package. Too bad it doesn’t do anything else well. The face burning was a definite problem. The only reason it scored as high as it did is because of the bottle and the matching. I’m planning on returning this to the store and getting some Milani liners instead.

10. Meow Cosmetics Pampered Puss foundation (Sleek Chartreux). 18/30. I was really disappointed in this and really wanted to like it. It’s way too sheer for me, though, and also does nothing against oil. If you have dry skin and mostly want to even out your skintone, this will probably be great for you.

11. Physician’s Formula OrganicWear tinted moisturizer (Ivory to Fair): 17/30 (will up to 18/30 if a customer service issue is resolved to my satisfaction). This would have scored a lot higher if it were lighter. If you have normal skin and aren’t either very fair or very dark, you might just love this stuff. Also, I got a tube that expired two months after I bought it, so they sent me a mailing label and I’m going to return it to the company for something else. I’m sure I’ll like whatever else I get better.