Mineral Makeup 911: My Minerals Wreaked Havoc!

It’s great that some of the readers of The Mineral Makeup Blog have taken time to post in their comments, suggestions, recommendations, and even problems. Here’s what caught my eye as I was approving my comments a few days back. By the way, if you have a question, or a concern, please do email me at themineralmakeup at gmail dot com. I answer!

Back to our commenter’s question/request,

Well Hi everyone, I used Bare Minerals for 2 years before I realized it was the actual makeup making my skin just completely go haywire. (I was on different medicines/circumstancess) I had flawless skin, now it’s kinda rough looking, with some pock marks, not many. I had cystic acne from the Bismuth I think in the foundation. Mineral Makeup Girl I will be interested when you have your post up. I am extremely aggravated that I spent that much money on a misleading product not to mention damaging. And yes I am an organic consumer, I believe in all this hype, so I was disappointed when I found out, but this is unbelieveable. I went back to Mac and my skin is fine, never again, I don’t care if 24K gold is in it!! That trash won’t touch my face again… Does anyone know what happened or what I can do to improve? I got an acne scarring lotion and a home mircodermabrasion kit. Any other ideas? For everyone that is happy with it, I am glad that it did not cause as much damage to you as it did to me. These companies do have a good product, I just wish there would have been an external warning instead of the, “this will help your skin”. But stick with what works for you… Thanks for letting me vent, and please post with any help!! Thanks

Well, first of all, hi Jessica! I’m sorry that your mineals wreaked havoc on your skin. It saddened me, because for one, Bare Minerals did not do anything bad to my skin, in all honesty. It was my first mineral makeup brand, and I absolutely loved the finish I achieved with it, and I only switched brands because I wanted instant coverage ( and I mean quick ), and Bare Minerals CAN definitely give coverage, but you’d still have to layer it one by one, and I didn’t have the time to do that anymore. In my experience with Bare Minerals, I enjoyed it while it lasted because my friends would compliment on how great my skin looked. Maybe I’m just lucky that my skin does not react too much with makeup?

Some people have been complaining about their faces getting itchy with Bismuth Oxychloride, and the reason , from the article that I have read, is that Bismuth’s crystalline-shaped, and as the weather heats up, the nature of how it’s molecularly shape reinforces into an irritation. When the weather is cold, irritation would not occur. In my personal experience, I did experience some itch during hotter days, but it didn’t cause my skin to break out, and the itching was tolerable, in such a way that it didn’t give that much discomfort to me. The effect of bismuth varies to different people, for some, the itch could get really hard to tolerate, and some get allergic reactions to it. I am not an expert to proclaim for this to be the one and only ingredient that caused your skin to get damaged like that, but there is a chance that this ingredient might be the culprit.

I have also tried different mineral makeup brands without bismuth in it, and one of my friends complained of itching, and I was surprised that the brand she was using didn’t contain bismuth in it, and the second ingredient that came into my mind is mica – she might be allergic to it.

Bottomline, I think that people react differently to various mineral makeup brands ( or even traditional makeup ), and I am also a strong believer on using what works for you. There are some who love Bare Minerals with all their heart, and for some, it just didn’t work for them. Now that Bare Minerals has made your skin like that, there is no reason to go back to it, but I hope that you won’t turn your back on other mineral makeup brands! To let out a personal secret, my brands of preference of mineral makeup are those that offer the fullest coverage available, because even if mineral makeup has already drastically improved my skin, there are still some remnants of the past that aren’t totally erased. I’ve always kept Monave Mineral Foundation as a staple because of the good ol reliable coverage it provides and the staying power that’s hard to beat, and lately, I’ve just tested and found out that Milan Minerals’ foundation also offers the same coverage, with an added beautiful glow!

To reverse the damage , or improve your skin somehow, stick to the skin care regimen that you have proven effective as well ( same rules apply hehe ), and get some whitening product to even out your skin tone. It is best to consult a dermatologist regarding your cystic acne and how to cure them. For me, what would work include diamond peels , home dermabrasion kit ( which is still a little bit mild ), and some AHA or PHA that will incude micropeeling and renew your skin.

Best of luck with your skin care and cosmetics journey, and I do hope that you’d find your happiness in the brands that you will be able to find and try. Sounds cheesy, but a woman’s confidence sometimes relies on how she sees herself in front of the mirror, and aren’t we just all striving to have the perfect face? Take care!