Comparing Mineral Powder Make-Up to Pressed Powder Make-Up

I started wearing make-up sometime around my twelfth birthday. I was only allowed blush and eye shadow at first, but this quickly morphed into the utterly terrifying '80's blue triangles of doom that made me look more dead than drop-dead gorgeous. I'm 35 now (nearly 36) and 24 years of poor make-up application and habits have taken their toll on my skin.

The last month, however, I started using mineral powder make-up from e-tailer, Aromaleigh. I first discovered mineral powder while enjoying a posh spa day as a wedding anniversary treat from my husband. The brand in the spa was Bare Escentuals (BE), one of the leading names in mineral make-up. I also quickly discovered that a teacher's salary is not sufficient to keep this face in BE.

After a long search, and some serious whining on an internet forum, I was shown the Aromaleigh site. I fell in love instantly with the dizzying array of colors and that I could order samples of whatever product I wanted to choose! My first order totaled $50, but I had three different foundations, a finishing powder, two eye liners, six eye shadows, three lipsticks and three blushes to try. My second order, a scant week later, included full-sized editions of my favorite foundation and a kabuki powder brush (as well as a handful of shadow samples). I'm already planning my next order, in which I will add more colors to try, and build my full-sizes of the colors I can't live without.

Now, just a month after starting using make-up every day again, my skin has never looked more gorgeous or felt more healthy. I haven't taken the time to apply make-up regularly for a few years, so discovering a make-up that seems to feed my skin is amazing. I haven't changed a thing in my washing, but have been able to subtract heavy moisturizers and stinging astringents from my routine!

The powder foundation took me a couple of tries to figure out. My first attempt looked chalky and my second attempt, after trying to correct the mistake with moisturizer, was worse. It was easier to blend the powder into my natural skin tone than any cream foundation I've ever used, and after a few more experiments with amounts of powder, I perfected my technique. I have been very pleasantly surprised to realize how little powder I really need to get a light, even skin tone. The best part is that even when I accidentally rubbed my face against a white shirt I intended to wear, I didn't leave funny orange marks! I was sure the powder would never "fix" the same way a good cream foundation will.

The powder fills in the tiny lines and uneven skin tone I've begun developing without giving me a made-up and clownish look. It also seems to help keep the oily places shine-free while not over-drying the places my face is perfectly normal. I don't even need to use a concealer/corrector, moisturizer and cream foundation/pressed powder combo. I have traded 4 - 5 products for 2!

The blush is subtle, with shades as soft as anyone could hope for. I've played around with a lot of shades, from darker than I thought I'd like to the sheerest pink and I have loved them all. The handy color notes make it easy to match the shades to your skin tone and, because the powder is loose, you can mix your own special color blends! Try that with your Cover Girl pressed powders!

The eye shadows can double as eye liner, and instead of wearing 3 or 4 different shades, I have found I can choose one shade and vary my depth of application to get a professional, finished look to my eyes. The application of the eye shadow is really amazing. I need very little to get good coverage and the minerals really work to soften fine lines like no "age defying" make up I have ever tried. Again, I get better coverage, longer wear and lower price with the powdered minerals than with the average department store brand. How can that be bad?

Everything that can be said for the other make up products can also be said for the lipstick. Just a touch of color keeps my lips soft, smooth and colored all day. I apply the Aromaleigh just the balm lip balm through out the day, but always come home still sporting the same color I walked out the door wearing. I've tried all-day wear lipsticks and can not get beyond the sticky, thick feeling they leave on my lips, but the Aromaleigh products are no heavier than plain old lip balm.