This is one review in which I can say with confidence that I’ve been using the products for months and can give you my best shot at an accurate assessment. I received several products from a brand I really like: cruelty-free, gluten-free Mineral Fusion.
In the past year, I reviewed a number of mineral-based skincare products from Mineral Fusion: moisturizers and mineral sunscreen. I also reviewed their beautiful nail polish that has a wide brush that I particularly love. So I was excited to get to try some makeup from Mineral Fusion.
In addition to the handy Brush-On Sun Defense mineral sunscreen SPF 30 that I mentioned above, I received liquid foundation, stick blush and mascara. I’ve used them for more than 3 months.
Here’s what I thought.
Glow & Go 3-in-1 Color Sticks
Right off the bat, I knew this mineral-based stick that I planned to use as a blush would be a winner for me. I think cream blush in a stick is the easiest and fastest way to apply blush. Mineral Fusion Glow & Go did not disappoint. I believe the 3-in-1 means you can use this stick on your lips or even on your lids, but I like to use a stick for one use only. I can’t imagine using this as an eyeshadow, lol, though I certainly could use it on my lips in a pinch.
Like the Mineral Fusion products I’ve used previously, the blush contains lots of great ingredients that provide skincare benefits:
- pomegranate and white tea that are rich in antioxidants and vitamins that promote skin regeneration, provide some UV protection, have anti-aging benefits and nourish and calm the skin
- licorice root extract and aloe leaf juice that soothe the skin and reduce redness.
I consider those to be nice extras, but because I only wear a small amount of blush on a relatively small area, I don’t really look to blush primarily for skincare benefits. I’m more interested in the color and lastingness.
I was sent Berry Glow, one of 4 shades available: Berry Glow – sheer berry, Rosette – pale pink with a hint of shimmer, Terra Cotta – peach with a hint of shimmer, and Magnetic – light bronze shimmer. Berry Glow is a true berry shade that’s great for anytime, but I think it’s is particularly good for autumn because of its deep, rich color. I consider this stick very pigmented. I apply it directly to my skin, and I blend it out with a beauty blending sponge so that it will be the right shade for me. And I find that the color stays on all day. Fabulous!
Mineral Fusion Glow & Go 3-in-1 Color Sticks are priced at $19.99. They’re free of artificial coloring – that’s amazing for a color product! Also parabens, gluten and cruelty-free.
Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Vegetable Glycerin, Glyceryl Behenate, Sodium Stearate, Xanthan Gum, Sodium PCA, Iron Oxide, Carmine, Titanium Dioxide, Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Extract, Camellia Sinensis (White Tea) Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Caprylyl Glycol
Liquid Foundation
I was sent Mineral Fusion Liquid Foundation in the shade, Cool 2, that was a good match for my skin tone especially in summer (swatch of Berry Glow Color Stick on top).
Again like the other products, mineral-based Liquid Foundation is a better-for-you formula without parabens or talc. In addition to things that Mineral Fusion leaves out, the foundation contains some skin-loving ingredients: antioxidant rich rose hip oil, pomegranate, vitamin C, a collagen-boosting peptide, botanicals: aloe, lavender and licorice root. The formula also contains dimethicone, in case you’re sensitive to it. I’m not, and I love the slip that dimethicone gives. It also makes my skin feel like velvet when I’m wearing this foundation. In fact, I don’t even have to wear primer when I use Mineral Fusion Liquid Foundation. For me, that’s pretty amazing. It’s hydrating and doesn’t settle into my lines or wrinkles.
The foundation is labelled medium to full coverage, and I agree with that. It covers all my imperfections except for the three dark spots that I can’t get rid of. They require a dab of concealer, but that’s true with every foundation I wear.
Mineral Fusion calls this a lightweight foundation. I’m not sure I exactly agree with that. I’ve been trying out a lot of water serum foundations and they are as light as a feather, meaning I can’t tell that I’m wearing a foundation. Mineral Fusion Liquid Foundation is definitely heavier than that. In fact, I would consider it to be a medium weight or slightly more foundation. And for me, that’s a plus for certain times of the year: fall, winter or spring. I found it a bit heavy for the really hot, humid days of summer. But it’s perfect for now and beyond which is one of the reasons why I called this post “Fall Makeup from Mineral Fusion”. My face feels protected when I wear it. Speaking of protection, I don’t see a sun protection factor on this so I assume that it doesn’t contain sunscreen.
The one thing that bugs me about this foundation that would be a relatively easy fix for the company is that the bottle with its wide-ish mouth is messy. I pour some out onto my blending sponge and then apply it. It’s difficult to pour onto a makeup brush, and too messy to pour onto my fingers. Even when using my blending sponge, the mouth gets coated with foundation. Please Mineral Fusion put this foundation in a pump bottle or provide a dropper!
Liquid Foundation comes in 8 wide ranging shades. Price $29.99 for 1.0 fl. oz. – a big bottle.
Ingredients: Aqua, Caprylic/capric triglyceride, Cera alba, Stearic acid, Glycerol caprylate, Glycol palmitate, Glyceryl stearate, Silica, Oryza Sativa (Rice) starch, Mica, Dimethicone, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) Fruit, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe) Leaf extract, Roman Anthemis Nobilis (Chamomile) extract, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) extract, Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) extract, Glycyrrhiza glabra (Licorice) Root Powder, L-ascorbic-acid (Vitamin C), Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Phenoxyethanol. MAY CONTAIN (+/-): Titanium dioxide, Black Iron oxide, Red Iron Oxide, Yellow Iron Oxide.
Waterproof Mascara
Again, like the other Mineral Fusion products, the waterproof mascara is a better-for-you formula with lashing-nourishing ingredients:
- soothing and nourishing aloe and chamomile
- vitamin E to nourish, lengthen and strengthen lashes
- argan oil to promote lash growth
- mineral pigments for long wearing, natural color
- high wax content to provide the waterproof benefit.
It comes with a big bristled hourglass-shaped wand. So if you like a fluffy wand, you may like this one.
That all sounds great, but in all honesty, I disliked this mascara. First, I like a smaller wand with plastic bristles, but if the formula is right I can usually get past that. However, the hourglass-shape didn’t work for the way my lashes are situated. Mostly, the formula just did not work for me. I couldn’t get it to build up on my lashes at all. It is supposed to “Lengthen-Strengthen+Last” but it didn’t lengthen or volumize my lashes. I regret to say that I tossed this mascara after several tries using it. It could just be me and my lashes or it could be the formula.
Waterproof Mascara comes in three shades: Cocoa (brown), Cliff (brown-black), Raven (black). Price $18.99. 100% vegetarian but contains beeswax
Ingredients: Aqua, Carnauba wax, Beeswax, Arabica gum, Alcohol, Sodium dehydroacetate, Dehydroxanthan gum, Emulsifying wax, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Origanum vulgare (oregano) leaf extract, Argania spinosa (argan) oil, Aloe barbadensis leaf juice, Rosa canina (rose) flower extract, Panthenol (vitamin b5), Green tea (camellia sinensis) extract, Phenoxyethanol. MAY CONTAIN (+/-‐): Titanium Dioxide, Black Iron Oxide, Red Iron Oxide, Yellow Iron Oxide
So that’s it for me: two wins (with one tweak requested) and one fail. By and large, Mineral Fusion works for me. It’s an affordable, better-for-you brand that’s readily available. Leaping Bunny Certified, the brand is sold at Whole Foods and other health food stores as well as on the Mineral Fusion website. Made in the U.S.
Have you tried any Mineral Fusion beauty products yet? P.S. There are several makeup kits on sale for 40% off now that seems to be a great way to try out this natural brand.
Some mascaras do that to my lashes too and I find the drier formula is the worst culprit. I recently tried YSL Effect Faux Cil that so many people raved about but it did nothing for volume on my lashes.
Shireen L. Platt recently posted…Celebrating b·liv 7th Birthday & GIVEAWAY!
It took me ages to get this review up, Shireen, because I kept hoping the mascara would “cure” and work better for me over time, but it hasn’t. Mascara is such a personal preference IMHO perhaps even more than any other makeup product. In fact, the YSL mascara that you mentioned was fine for me (though not among my favorites). I hated to write a not so positive review of the MF mascara, but that’s the truth!
And that is why I have so much respect for you, Allison, you tell the truth. I rather that than someone who just gives positive reviews all the time. It’s not possible to like EVERYTHING.
Shireen L. Platt recently posted…Celebrating b·liv 7th Birthday & GIVEAWAY!
Thank you, Shireen xoxo And you do the same!
Nothing irritates me more than a good foundation that doesn’t have a pump! I have one on my makeup desk right now and it kills me everyone I have to pour it out. UGH!!
Christine recently posted…Why I think Bioderma Is A Product You Need For Your Skin
Yes, and it seems like such an easy thing to change. I’d pay an extra 50 cents or so to get a pump!
Thanks for your honest take on the mascara, Allison. The foundation sounds like a great formula for my skin, but I agree that the wide mouth opening isn’t ideal. It would really be so easy to use a pump!
I hope maybe Mineral Fusion will add a pump in the future because it’s such a good foundation, and I wasn’t the only one complaining about the messy mouth.
That 3-1 stick would get a lot of use over here!
Destany recently posted…Literary Lacquers Nailed Collection
It’s such a great shade. You’d love it
The products all sound nice. I like mineral makeup. Bummer about the mascara. Quite often I put a mascara away that I don’t like and try again in a few weeks and change my mind.
It took me 4 months to write this review coz I kept hoping the formula would dry out or change enough to make me change my mind about it, but it didn’t. 🙁 But other than that, I’ve liked everything else I’ve tried from Mineral Fusion. Still good odds!
Mineral Fusion makes some great skincare too.
Phyrra recently posted…Ever After High Raven Queen Tutorial
Yes, I agree. I have several of their moisturizers and I love ’em
I always need a pump with my foundation too, but some of my faves don’t have one and the brand doesn’t have one available to purchase. Ugh!
Brooke @ Blushing Noir recently posted…Say Yes To Quick & Easy Skincare for Oily Skin
Even if it had a narrower mouth I think it would be slightly less messy, but a pump would make this very nice foundation a real winner. I never thought to see if Mineral Fusion sells a separate pump, but I doubt it. Hopefully they’ll change the packaging and so will your brand!
I was so excited to read about that mascara and then bam it wasn’t what I hoped it would be. I do love that they use great ingredients in their other products though.
Aleya Bamdad recently posted…Reviva Labs Under Eye Dark Circle Serum Review
Aleya, I wonder if I got a not so great tube? This was a very dry formula, and I wondered if it was because it was a natural, mineral mascara. I wondered if the natural waxes just weren’t a good fit with my finicky lashes. I’ve had such good luck with everything from MF, this was a surprise
The foundation and blush sound promising!
They are both good. I just hope MF will put the foundation in a pump bottle or even include a dropper.
They could’ve added a pump or dropper on that foundation. Tiny improvements do help
Kath Thefabzilla recently posted…Skincare: The Simpler, The Better. The More Natural, The Better.
Definitely. Just shaking the bottle to mix the contents causes it to run down onto the threads on the outside of the bottle’s mouth. I hope they’ll make these fixes because I saw similar complaints from other women in the reviews on their site. It should be a relatively easy fix.
A good trick I learned with foundations that don’t have pumps, is to dip a qtip in it, then dab the qtip on your face. It’s much less messier!
Julie recently posted…#PURSelfie Face of the Day
That’s a great suggestion, Julie. I’ll do it! But oddly, even when I shake the bottle before using, the wide mouth allows the foundation to run down the threads on the side of the mouth.
I haven’t tried this brand, but I love the look of the blush. Too bad about the mascara, though.
Hey, It was nice read, reading about a brand I’ve never heard of. It was very well written and done well.
Thanks again, Priya. Mineral Fusion is a mineral makeup brand from the U.S. that’s sold in health food stores. Their skincare as well as their makeup is top notch. I don’t know if the brand is sold internationally – they should coz it’s good stuff!
The foundation and blush looks promising. I really like the packaging of the brush-on. I haven’t tried anything from this brand yet. I’ll be checking if they ship to Canada.
Mineral Fusion is a terrific brand, Sharon. I love their nail polish and their skincare is fabulous. You can get it in Canada through https://well.ca/brand/mineral-fusion-2.html
The foundation looks interesting but the lack of a pump is a bummer. I just can’t with open neck foundation bottles.
Erika recently posted…Fashion Flash – Tips for Looking and Feeling Fabulous
I hope MF will consider adding a pump or at least a dropper because the foundation really is a good one.
I am glad to hear that this brand of cosmetics is great for your skin and beauty routine!! Great review!
Ursula
Ursula recently posted…Fungus Among Us… Huge #Mushroom At #LynchburgCollege
Mineral Fusion is a terrific brand. Definitely worth trying their skincare or makeup or nail polish!
SPF powders are really interesting!
Stephanie Louise Telford recently posted…3 of my Favorite New Autumn Scents from Demeter
I’ve enjoyed the two powder sunscreens I’ve tried. Especially good for adding more sunscreen to my face without wrecking my makeup
That foundation sounds really nice, but a dropper or pump would make it so much easier to use. That Berry Glow stick looks gorgeous too!
The blush is a gorgeous fall shade. Wish they would do something to make the foundation less messy because I do love it especially for the cooler weather