A common complaint for women of color when using Mineral foundation is the fact that their face looks ashy and dry. The most dreaded condition for Black women is ‘ashy skin’! That is the absolute worst….and for it to occur on the face! ‘Ashy skin’ is the result of not enough moisture in the skin and the skin looks grey.

Loose Mineral foundation are dry, powdered products with no fillers that add moisture to the skin. This means the skin needs a good skin care regimen especially a good moisturizer before application. Even if the skin is oily there needs to be some form of primer for the foundation to adhere to. A lot of women of color have oily skin hence the slow aging process we enjoy. A lot of the skin care for oily skin in the commercial beauty industry actually strips our skin of the oils, this then creates a problem as the skin then produces more oil as it registers that it is dry. So, by midday we have an oil slick on the face.

My skin care routine is very simple…cleanse, tone, moisturize. Since I break out sometimes, I alternate between the Green Clay Bar and Honey Clay cleanser. The Green Clay bar is awesome for acne prone skin and the occasional breakouts at that time of the month. It has litsea cubeba, an essential oil, that is a great anti inflammatory while the green clay removes toxins from the skin. Honey Clay Cleanser is great for balancing the skin’s ph and won’t dry the face out. It’s also excellent as a weekly mask…we got an award from Natural Solutions magazine for this cleanser! The next step is using the Lavender Toner, it has aloe vera, Vit E and lavender hydrosol. A hydrosol is the aqueous solution of essential oils obtained by steam distillation of aromatic plants, in this case lavender buds, it retains the scent and content of the essential oils. I like to keep it in the fridge as it gives a refreshing boost to the skin in the morning not to mention taking the stress out of waking up in the mornings! Mmmm! My final step is moisturizing….I use Oil Control Humectant Light which  actually controls your oil production throughout the day and gives you a matte look without the greasiness of regular moisturizers. I am now ready for the application of my foundation…Alicia!

 Monave Flat Top Foundation Brush

The other key to a perfect look when using Mineral foundation is your brush! Yes… your brush, with our foundation I love the flat top foundation brush. This brush allows the product to settle in the bristles for full coverage when applied. Most mineral companies recommend the Kabuki brush, but I find the brush bristles are too loose and the foundations goes everywhere but the face

 So try these tips that I’ve given you and I promise you a flawless and natural complexion.

Julian wearing Charlene Mineral Foundation