Not Just Expensive Dust: Afterglow Organic Infused Mineral Foundation

Dixie

I am notoriously picky about my foundation makeup. About ten years ago I stopped wearing liquid makeup because I couldn't find a formula that didn't feel like a thin plastic covering on my face in the Florida humidity. After scoffing at the Bare Minerals informercials for ages, I went up to the closest Sephora and bought a starter kit for the Bare Minerals mineral makeup and haven't looked back to liquid foundation since.

However, being the picky consumer that I am, once I discovered that the bullshit ingredient bismuth oxychloride was the culprit in the breakouts on my face, I switched once again to Everyday Minerals.


Strangely, I'm not sure how I found them. Originally, I was looking for the Afterglow Cosmetics site on a suggestion from an article on WebMD but that site was down. Through the magic of Google, I found the Everyday Minerals site. So I used that for a while until Bare Minerals came out with their matte foundation, so I gave that a chance since I could pick it up locally. It was a big sifter full of MEH. Back to the search. Lo and behold I found that the Afterglow Cosmetics site was active again. Woo-hoo! And, man, I'm glad it was. The Afterglow Organic Infused Mineral Foundation turned out to be perfect for my skin.

For the uninitiated, mineral foundations are applied using a big, fluffy brush with close bristles commonly called a kabuki brush. To get the foundation out of the sifter, simply turn the capped tub upside down and tap it a couple times. Then, swirl your brush lightly in the product on the cap, making sure that all of the bristles have picked up powder. Tap off any excess. Lastly, sweep the brush over your face in a circular motion, working upwards. A good mineral foundation will only require a couple of firm sweeps over each area of your face to get good coverage. The Afterglow Organic Infused Mineral Foundation goes on smoothly, without creasing up or requiring another application. Other foundations I have used have not gone on as easily.

A good mineral foundation should provide a medium, fairly matte coverage. Basically, you want the Baby Bear version of coverage (yes, I've used this term in a review before and no, that won't stop me from using it again) - not too thick, not too light, not too matte, and not too dewy. You want it to hit that sweet spot in the middle so that your face looks natural, but, you know, better. Before I started using Afterglow Organic Infused Mineral Foundation, I felt like I was just getting by with whatever I was using. The coverage from every other product I used was not right, I wasn't in love with it. Afterglow has created a mineral foundation that gives great coverage without being too heavy or turning shiny halfway through the day. Perhaps most importantly, the Afterglow foundation lasts the whole day. On a normal day without too much humidity, meaning that I don't sweat, I will only have to do a very light touch-up. Humid days are a different story, but, hey, it ain't made to be sweat-proof so I'm not going to hold that against the product.

My verdict on this product is a 7/8 tentacles. Why am I docking one tentacle? This stuff is hella expensive. Yes, yes, a tub will last you for around 6-7 months, but $36 out of my wallet at a go is still a lot of cash. And the price has gone up from $32 in January 2012. Don't get me wrong, I won't be using anything else. The Afterglow Organic Infused Mineral Foundation is the best mineral makeup I've used, but I'm glad my $36 lasts for such a long time otherwise I would have to look for less expensive options.

Rating: 7/8 tentacles

Other foundation reviews you might like are Clinique Superbalanced Powder, Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse Foundation, Makeup For Ever All Mat, or Faking Perfect Skin.