Maybelline Clear Smooth Minerals Luminous Blush

I prefer mineral makeup from the home-based women-owned companies because they are more pure, you can try out samples first and have a personal touch. Nothing beats that plus they are more affordable.

This is maybe the second time I've tried out minerals from a mass market brand. I tried out Maybelline Clear Smooth Minerals Luminous Blush just out of curiosity. I've read about this in a couple of blogs and let's just say I was enabled.

They had 4 shades available at the counter I went to and the shade I got, Gentle Pink, was the only shade that showed up on my arm when I tried out the swatches. The other shades were too light or sheer for my medium toned skin. After searching, I saw that there are darker shades available in the US but they go under the name Mineral Power. It cost Php 499 for the kit which includes a pot of blush and a kabuki brush. I like the packaging because it included instructions for those who don't know how to use minerals.

The amount of blush in the pot is the same as the 20 gr. jars from mineral makeup companies. It just looks bigger because of the cap. The kabuki brush is scratchy so you can throw it away. If you take a look at the ingredients the first one on the list is TALC!!! How can it be mineral makeup if it has talc?!? I guess these companies are just riding along the mineral makeup wave even if they're not using pure minerals. Anyway, I'm glad it's the blush that I got because I occasionally use traditional blushes just not foundation.

***How come there is no talc in the ingredients list from Mineral Power available in the US? Just wondering.

The blush itself is finely milled and has tiny shimmers in it. It is very sheer on my cheeks and I needed lots of layers for it to show up. Maybe because the shade is not dark enough to show up on me? The shimmers aren't noticeable once the blush is blended. It stayed on my oily skin for a few hours (3-4) without primer. I just wished it were more pigmented because you will definitely finish the whole pot in just a few months time. So unlike the real mineral makeup brands where all you'll need is a few crumbs because they're very pigmented.

swatched thickly at the back of my hand

blended in

For daily use around the house or doing errands this will do (in my case). Otherwise I'd definitely stick to my good ol' trusty pure mmu from smaller companies.