(Clockwise from upper left:Erth Minerals Foundation in 2.3
Eyeshadows in Fern, Night, and Snow
Bronzer in Glow,
Eyeshadows in Rose and Carbon )
More and more mineral makeup lines have been trying to grab a share of the market, apart from major players like Bare Escentuals. Erth Minerals (not “Earth”, to be clear…) is one of them.
Their website describes their foundations as matte and offering excellent coverage, which attracted my attention. After trying them out, I actually wouldn’t describe them as either. They are semi-matte and provide medium (on the sheer side) coverage. There is no obvious shimmer and the finish is all very natural.
For me personally, one drawback is the staying powder. On my oily skin, the foundation started to melt in about two hours (in the less-than-warm British summer). I would not recommend this for people with oily skin or with oily T-zone.
On the other hand, Moth Veil is a good finishing powder for me. Soft and silky, it mattifies my skin and conceals pores nicely (after my usual foundation). Only one shade is available, but I think it is translucent enough to suit most skin-tones.
Their eyeshadows work nicely on me too (I don’t have particularly oily eyelids). All the shades I’ve got are sheer and with multi-color sparkles. My favorites are Snow (pearly white), Rose (very pale pink), and Carbon (dark charcoal, can be doubled as an eyeliner). The sparkles make Snow and Carbon particularly beautiful, while Carbon is great for the smoky-eye look.
I need to point out that the eyeshadow in Night, which appears to be a pastel blue in the container (seen in the photo), looks almost completely grey when applied. Even though the website describes the shade as “deep blue”, it is just too much of an ashy grey to be called blue. This can make on-line ordering confusing.
Since it is also the case with von Natur Lip Shimmer in Sweet Violet (a rosy purple in the container, a brownish brick-red when applied), I wonder whether the blue pigment used in mineral makeup in general is simply not delivering. (I have never experienced this kind of color inconsistency with brands not marketed as mineral makeup.) If you have any similar experience, I would very much like to know about it.
On the whole, mineral makeup, with its simple composition, does not irritate my sensitive skin, but it takes much longer to apply. No surprise, it is the case with Erth Minerals. If you want your foundation to give you a good coverage and your colors to be vibrant, you might need to look elsewhere. But if you prefer your makeup to be sheer and natural (and with shimmer for the eyes), then Erth Minerals will be worth considering.
Related posts:
Von Natur Mineral Powder Foundation
Von Natur Mineral Color Makeup
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