When checking your ingredients, here are some to avoid: Bismuth Oxychloride (a by-product of lead and copper processing) is a skin irritant for many people, who find that it will turn their skin red and make them itch – especially in warmer weather. This filler gives the “glow” and a nice tactile feel to the product, and is in nearly every drugstore and commerically available brand. The same glow can be acheived using other, more natural (but also more expensive) ingredients. Products containing parabens should be avoided, as parabens have been linked to breast cancer. Silicone based ingredients (basically anything ending in “cone”) are preservatives that can also clog your pores, and inhibits your skin’s ability to breathe. Think of wrapping your face in saran wrap before applying your makeup. Another very important thing to look for is whether the company is using nano sized or micronized particles. These products can pass through the skin cell barrier, and by their very nature, will always give less coverage. The long term safety of micronized ingredients has yet to be determined. They are a definate no-no for those with respiratory problems, such as asthma, as they are far too easily inhaled.

Depending on the ingredients, it’s not necessarily that mineral makeup is beneficial to the skin as it is not as harmful to the skin. However, there are ingredients that do provide actual benefits: zinc oxides can help reduce redness and inflamation, silk powder and pearl powder provide essential amino acids, jojoba mimics the skin’s sebum (helpful for oily skin, as it prevents your skin from producing even MORE oil), allantoin will help stimulate cell rejeneration… I could go on and on, but I think I’ve yapped enough!