Mineral foundations have always been touted as uber natural, lightweight, breathable and 'good' for the skin. I've been super curious to try them, but have always thought of them as being a bit messy and difficult to apply. What can I say - I'm a liquid foundation kinda gal! Luckily though, I was given the opportunity to try a couple of mineral foundations from Antipodes and Vani-T, and my eyes have been opened to their wonders!
I was very kindly gifted the Antipodes Performance Plus Mineral Foundation* (in Pale Pink and Medium Beige) and the Vani-T Mineral Powder Foundation* (in Almondine) to try. These are the first proper mineral powder foundations that I've tried and they're both pretty similar. My favourite way to wear these is to first "prime" with a very lightweight base/tinted moisturiser like Rimmel's Instaflawless Skin Tint*, conceal and then buff on a relatively small amount of foundation. You can definitely apply these to bare skin but I enjoy having a base layer to ensure that my skin tone is as evened out as possible. You can easily build these up to a decent medium coverage, but just a small amount will give a good light coverage. I would say the Vani-T foundation has slightly better coverage but they're extremely comparable.
Being powder foundations, I assumed they would be fairly matte and flat on the skin, but they actually have a slightly glowy, very natural finish, living up to the 'second skin' claim they both have. The powder blends seamlessly into the skin and feels velvety to the touch. It's almost completely undetectable, lightweight and comfortable, and looks so natural! These look "glowy" on the skin due to the small shimmers in the powder that aren't super obvious or glittery. I find the Vani-T foundation to also be a bit glowier than the Antipodes but both have a very natural finish. Lasting power could be a bit better, my oils definitely come through after 5-6 hours but the result is more "intensely" glowy rather than a greasy mess thankfully!
Shade-wise, the three I have are all very different but manage to suit me well. I mix the two Antipodes ones I have as Pale Pink is a bit too pale (luckily not too pink though). Oddly enough, Almondine is darker than both of them and seemingly slightly too dark for my skin but it actually applies and blends right into my skin tone. I'm not sure what it is about the formula but I think the natural finish and powder formula really helps the shade to just meld right in and match my skin tone...somehow!
My only annoyance with this form of foundation is the loose formula. I find working with loose powder to be messy and just a bit of an all-round faff. I try to just work with whatever powder is in the lid, but I always have to tap off the excess powder somewhere which is bound to get messy! Luckily the Antipodes foundation has a good sifter and a twist cap. The Vani-T one is loose and I can see the powder accumulating on top over time!
While this sort of finish and coverage would be perfect for an everyday base, I often find it's a bit too faffy and messy to apply quickly and easily. For that reason, I don't reach for these in my everyday routine but I do love them when I'm having a minimal makeup day! Mineral foundations are also supposedly great for allowing the skin to "breathe" and not irritating any skin issues. Both of these certainly contain skin-benefitting ingredients like Vitamin E, but Antipodes has the upper hand (being a great skincare brand) as its foundation also has grape seed and kiwifruit seed extract and jojoba oil. I should also mention these both contain SPF 15 too. I haven't worn these consistently enough to see a difference in my skin, but I'd like to think they're a bit more breathable!
Have you guys tried any mineral foundations? What are your thoughts?
*Products sent for consideration.
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