SimplyNaturale

This steps were copied from Signature Minerals website itself. Essentially, most mineral makeup users can follow these steps with additional steps that may differ between products, such as for the i.d Bare Minerals user, they would emphasise on buffing in the powders as this is how you apply that product to obtain coverage.

Take a look at the steps below. Hopefully, it’ll help convince new users that it’s that easy! And this could be an additional guide for those who have used mineral makeup.

We couldn’t think of any better way to explain how to apply mineral makeup than to show you! In this tutorial, Lauren will take you step-by-step through her own mineral makeup application - we included untouched photos, commentary and tips to make this as useful as possible.

Lauren has combination skin, uneven skin tone, under eye circles, and a few blemishes. She applies her makeup to conceal and correct problem areas, even out skin tone and achieve a polished yet very natural look.

As you go through this tutorial, please adjust your application to suit your own coverage and finishing needs. Signature Mineral makeup is very versatile and very forgiving - adjusting for your skin type, age or skin condition is never a problem!

STARTING FRESH 

I always start by cleansing and moisturizing my face.

I use a mild facial cleanser and a good moisturizer made for combination skin. You can use the cleanser and moisturizer of your choice - whatever works for you!

Keep in mind…

Everyone needs moisturizer, even those with oily skin! There are good moisturizers for all skin types (dry, oily, combination). If you aren’t currently using a moisturizer, please consider it!
 

LAYING THE GROUNDWORK

If you don’t have anything to conceal or correct - skip this step!

I need to conceal blemishes, under eye circles, and red areas around my nose. For best results, I like to apply concealer just before the moisturizer settles in completely.

Keep in mind..

Apply in light layers. You can apply concealer to specific areas the way I do OR - depending on your needs, you can apply concealer all over your face or even mix it into your moisturizer!

You do not need to buff in your concealer or corrector. Amazingly, you won’t see it at all once you buff on your foundation but it will still cover very well.

Which concealer/correctors should you use?

If your complexion is in the light-medium, medium or deep range use Multi-Tasking concealer. If your complexion is in the pale, fair or light range then Light Touch concealer is for you.

If you have rosacea and/or redmarks apply Soft Mint Color corrector on those areas. If you have dark under eye circles, apply Sunshine Color Corrector in light layers under your eyes.

APPLY YOUR FOUNDATION 

Before applying foundation, I make sure my moisturizer is completely settled in and my skin is dry. Note in the photo above you can still see the concealer. Once I have buffed on my foundation you will not see concealer at all.

Unlike the rest of your mineral makeup, you want to apply your mineral foundation by gently “buffing” in a circular motion. Here’s how…

1. Place a small amount of foundation into the lid (or container of your choice).
2. Load your bristles by swirling or tapping your Buki in the foundation.
3. Remove the excess foundation by tapping your brush on the side of the lid or container.
4. Using a circular motion, gently buff the foundation onto your entire face. For the most natural results make sure to blend into your hairline and upward along your neck and jawline.
5. Build your coverage. Apply one light layer at a time until you acheive your desired coverage.

Keep in mind…

Less is more! No matter how much coverage you need, never pile on your foundation - it just won’t look natural. It is always best to apply light layers (using a small amount each time) to build your coverage.

I use 2 layers to get the coverage I want but you can always use more. If you feel it takes too many layers to get your desired coverage, consider applying a concealer or veil all over your face before applying your foundation.

Buff gently. If you buff too vigorously or too hard you might find that you are ‘buffing on’ and then ‘buffing off’ - you do not want to buff off! Being heavy-handed can also irritate your skin - so be gentle!

ADDING COLOR

Bronzer can be applied before or after blush, I like to apply bronzer before my blush.

I start by dusting a little bronzer over my face just where I would naturally get sun (forehead, chin, cheeks, nose). Next, I sweep my blush upwards along my cheekbones.

Keep in mind…

Unlike regular powder makeup, Signature mineral blushes and bronzers are highly pigmented - it takes just a tiny amount. To get the amount I need, I turn my jar upside down and use what is left on the lid - it is enough to do the job quite well!

Which bronzer should you use?

If you are in the light-medium to medium range use Goddess Bronzer. If you are in the pale, fair or light range, use Gran Mariner bronzer.

 EYE APPLICATION

Since I like a natural look for daytime wear, I use natural shades of eye shadow. I use 3 colors - one on my lids, one on my crease and then one as a highlighter under my brow. For night time wear or special occassions I line my eyes and sometimes use more intense colors or apply my eye colors wet to create a more dramatic effect.

Keep in mind…

Signature eye colors are so versatile you can create any look you want!

With just one sweep, even the most intense looking colors look very natural! To create more intense or dramatic looks, just apply your eye colors in layers or apply them wet!

Any of the darker shades can be used as eye liner. Apply dry for a more subtle line; wet for a more hard line.
 

FINISHING TOUCHES

To complete my application, I always dust on finishing veil because it gives me such a polished look!

Keep in mind…

Finishing Veil works in so many ways, everyone should use it! It sets your makeup, reduces the appearance of pores and fine lines and gives you an all over polished look. On top of that, finishing veil helps control oil and shine without drying out your skin! Each Signature Finishing Veil works great for all types (dry, combination, oily).

Which Finishing Veil should you use?

Translucent is a completely transparent finishing veil that works for everyone. If you have yellow undertones also try Angel finishing veil, for pink undertones also try Petal finishing veil, for tan or darker undertones also try Tawny finishing veil.

Angel, Petal and Tawny provide excellent oil control where needed but since they are non-drying, they work beautifully for all skin types.

FINISHED PICTURES

I hope this guide makes applying your mineral makeup much less challenging and a lot more fun! The main thing to remember is that you should not be intimidated by your mineral makeup. Play around, have fun and find the technique that works best for you!

Quick Foundation Overview

This is more applicable for Signature Minerals user, however it could be a guide for other mineral makeup brands when choosing the right color for their eyes.

First, it’s essentially better to categorize your eye colors according to their family and start off from there by choosing their shades accordingly. Here’s how I categorize and arrange the Signature Minerals color before choosing them.

The colors are arranged by intensity, from the lightest of shade to the darkest.

Red	Brown	Yellow/Green	Blue	White/Black
Soft Pink	Tierra Light	Sun	Sky Blue	White
Terra Cotta	Tierra Medium	Moss Light	Wave	Sparkle
Hibiscus	Khaki	Laceleaf	Butterfly Blue	Lavender Ice
Fuchsia	Champagne	Moss Dark	Purple rain	Mooncrest
Eggplant Light	Sand Beige	Turquoise	Aurora	Teal Light
Eggplant Dark	Beige	Nikki’s Emerald	Midnight Blue	Silver
Pink Pearl	Jo’s Sandcastle	Rainforest		Lavender Pearl
Bordeaux	Gold Salmon			Moon
Desert Sun	Soft Brown			Spruce
Plum Pizzaz	Taupe			Charcoal
Wild Thyme	Tierra Dark			Black Liner
	Driftwood
	Cocoa
	Bronze
	Copper

From the chart above, you may choose which lightest shade that could work as a base for you and the darkest shade for the corners of the eye. These eye colors are essential in enhancing your natural eye color.

Take a look at my next guide on Basic Application of Eye Colors.

As with all mineral makeup, it only takes the tiniest amount of eye color to get beautiful results that last all day.Many of the darker eye colors also make fantastic eye liners. Apply them dry for a more subtle, natural look. Apply them wet for a more dramatic hard line!

You will need brushes like eye shadow brush and eye liner brush to achieve those beautiful eye makeups.

Any of the eye colors (except greens and blues) make beautiful lip colors. Here’s a few ways to make it work: Dip your lip gloss wand and apply to your lips; Apply before or after your favorite lip protector (chapstick, Burts Bees, Carmex, etc); Apply with your favorite lipstick to create a brand new shade.

Source: www.signatureminerals.com

Brushes play and essential role in the flawless mineral makeup application.

This post will explain the various brushes that should be in your collection for that perfect look!

1) The Kabuki Brush

It is also known as the “Buffer”. It usually comes in short handles for the comfort of gripping the brush. It is particularly used to blend and buff entire face using buffing powder such as the foundation, finishing veil and loose powder. It helps reduce the appearance of pore size.

Kabuki’s comes in a wide range of size, structure and hair type, such as the long-handled buki and baby buki. The main difference that you would want to look out for is the density of the brush and also the type of hair used. The larger the kabuki brush, the larger the coverage area you would be able to obtain. It determines the amount of powder that it can pick with its bristles.

A good kabuki brush should be able to provide good coverage when applying mineral makeup and also do not feel ’scratchy’. In addition, the brush should never shed too much during application. However, it would be normal for a brush to shed during the first few applications. After a good washing and more applications, the brush should not shed as much.

2) Concealer Brush

As the name implies, the concealer brush is used to conceal those ‘don’t want to be seen’ areas. The concealer brush size could come in large/small sizes where the larger ones are used to cover up those freckles/blemishes and requires a larger coverage area. Whilst, the smaller ones are used for more precise coverage, like those lines surrounding the eye area and tiny freckles.

A concealer brush would normally be made of taklon (artificial hair) as it needs to be a little bit harder to help control the concealing.

3) Contour/Cheek Blending Brush

A contour/cheek blending brush is angled and not flat as it is used to accentuate the contour of the face in the cheek area. It would be ideal to use this brush to apply your blusher/highlighter around the cheek area as it follows the contour of the cheek bones.

4) Medium Brushes

 

Blender for eyes and also used for highlights and shading of other smaller areas that you might want to highlight/shade for under the eyes, temples, under the chin, sides of the nose and etc.

Some are used for all over eyeshadow application over the entire eyelids as well as, to help soften and blend the edges of the eyeshadows and other very small areas.

5) Smaller brushes

 

From the pic above it’s the brushes 3, 6,7 and 17.

 For Eyes/Concealer/Lips — Could be used for glosses, liners, covering tiny spots and etc.

6) Brow definer

 Has a small angle and the bristles are stiff to apply and define your brows while brushing the hair into place. This brush is used to fill in your eyebrows and obtaining the shape that you desire.

7)Mascara Wand

The mascara wand is brush No. 19. It looks like exactly like the mascara comb on the mascara. 

This brush looks like a mascara brush just without the mascara itself. It helps to brush and comb your eyelashes to separate them out after the application of mascara.

8 )Combination of a Comb and a Brush

 This brush is used to brush and groom eyebrows into shape. Also, to remove excess powders trapped on eyebrows.

Note: You can get all this brushes from our Simply Naturale Store!