Annabelle Minerals Makeup

 

Annabelle Minerals

 

 

Who?

Annabelle Minerals is a Polish brand whose products contain just four ingredients - Mica - to illuminate; Zinc Oxide - gives a matte effect; Titanium Oxide - for perfect coverage and also providing UVA/UVB protection with SPF value of 15 and iron oxide - ultramarine colouring.

Their products are 100% Organic; paraben-free, silicone-free and don't contain any preservatives, parfum or phthalates. They are not tested on animals and are suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

 

Where to buy

After recently receiving some samples of Annabelle Minerals matte powder foundation, it absolutely changed the previously held views I had about powder/mineral foundations!

I had wrongly assumed that they would just sit on top of my skin making me look all powdery and cakey - but it's definitely always worth challenging your own (often erroneous) views and trying something before you jump to conclusions.

I'm really so glad that I got a chance to try out mineral foundation as I was very pleasantly surprised!

After just a couple of uses of the sample mineral foundation, I knew I had to buy a full size. Luckily, one of the sample shades matched my skin tone perfectly (Natural Fair) so I didn't have to worry about choosing a shade online (which can be extremely hit and miss!).

Matte Mineral Foundation

 

 

4g (size in photo) is £11.75

10g is £18.00

 

Annabelle Minerals have three different formulas of foundation - Matte, Radiant and Coverage.

The samples I received were from the 'Matte' range and I was very happy with that, so that's the full size I chose. However, the Radiant does sound tempting too!

There are 24 shades in each range :

 

The shades aren't particularly clear from this photo - but if you go to their website you can get a clearer idea of the shades.

 

Wet Application

 

Best applied with a flat top or Kabuki foundation brush, the foundations can be applied both wet or dry.

To apply wet, spray your brush with a facial mist or hydrolate and gently dip into the foundation. The foundation's consistency becomes more creamy.

 

 

 

Dry Application

 

Recommended dry application technique: 

* Pour a small amount of the foundation on the lid of the cosmetic jar;

*Delicately touching the selected brush the surface of the cosmetic;

*Tap off any excess against the top of your hand;

*Apply a thin layer of foundation to your face with a circular motion, directing the brush from inner to the outer areas of the face, which will ensure uniform application without unevenness;

* Remember to apply the foundation beyond the jawline;

* Should you consider the coverage to be too delicate, repeat the above actions until you achieve the desired effect.

Coverage

The matte foundation provides medium to full coverage. It's ideal with people who have oily skin. Although my skin is combination/oily - I'm not particularly oily in the morning although I may get a bit of shine later in the day. I was worried that a powder foundation might looked cake-y on my combination skin, but this wasn't the case at all. I was also pleasantly surprised at how good the coverage was.
I tried both the wet and dry application methods. I much prefer the dry application method for a more natural look with even coverage. The wet application method didn't really work out too well for me - although a more creamy consistency, it was a bit streaky and patchy on my skin and I had to work quite hard to buff it in. So for me personally, I'll be sticking with the dry application. I've also applied with a slightly damp blender sponge, and I like this method of application too.

Get Set Sample Kit

This is such an amazing value set, costing just £12.50. These may look like tiny samples, but they last for absolutely ages. It's a fantastic way to try out almost the entirety of the range.

Four Eye Shadows: From Left to Right - Vanilla; Cappuccino; Ice Cream and Chocolate.

The eye shadows are good - they apply easily either dry or wet (which gives a more intense pigment), blend well and last all day. However, I'm so used to using pressed eye shadows in palettes that I found the process a bit too fiddly and drawn out - un-screwing each pot and tapping out a small amount of powder took a little bit more time and effort than I would usually afford to putting on eye makeup. I'm also a bit clumsy and I did find it a bit too messy, I lost some product when opening these small sample pots and tapping the excess off - so I didn't find the eye shadow sample pots particularly ergonomic.

Three Concealers: From Left to Right - Light, Medium and Dark.
The light primer has a slight green tint and is good for areas of redness whilst the medium concealer was better for other areas. I did try it as an under eye area, but, as with most powders, I personally found that it sunk into the lines around my eyes and made them look worse. The dark concealer was too dark for my skin tone.

 

Two Face Powders and a Primer

 

The idea of three layers of powder did seem a bit disconcerting to me!

* The Primer was another surprise hit! I don't particularly like primers, maybe because I've not yet found one that I'm 100% happy with. I've also only ever used cream primers, so to start off with a loose powder primer did feel very odd to me. But, as with the foundation, the primer applies very easily with a dense foundation brush. It doesn't cake or clog my pores and I found that it did blur my pores to some degree. After applying the loose powder foundation over the top of the primer, I was happy to see that I didn't look any more powdery with two layers than just a foundation layer.

* Pretty Glow Powder - I'll be honest - I felt that three layers of powder on my face might just be pushing it all in one application. However, I did use the Pretty Glow Powder later on in the day as a touch-up when I got a bit shiny and it was great. A light dusting over my T-Zone was all I needed and it was a great, radiant, light and natural powder. I'd probably purchase a full size of this in the future.

* Pretty Matt Powder - Likewise with the Pretty Glow Powder, I used this as a touch-up later in the day, again applying to my T-Zone. Again, a light dusting over my T-Zone was all that was needed to freshen my skin up without it looking over-powdered.

 

 

Six Blushers: Top Row L-R: Sunrise; Nude and Romantic

Bottom Row L-R: Coral, Honey and Rose

This is the entire range of Annabelle Minerals Blushers and along with the eye shadows, these represent amazing value. Because you only need a teeny weeny amount of product to get some beautiful strong colour on your cheeks, these are going to last forever!

With the blusher sample pots, all I need is to gently swipe my blusher brush in the lid of the pot to pick up the slightest amount of residue and that's plenty enough for the day's blush.
Most of these shades suit my skin tone, with the exception of Sunrise and Honey, which are just a bit too dark for me.

Mineral Blushers

£12.50

These were the first products that I ever tried from Annabelle Minerals. They came in a Latest in Beauty Box. These blushers are EXTREMELY pigmented! Beautiful, but very strong. It took me quite a while to learn how best to apply this blusher without looking too full-on Aunt Sally!

I've found the best way to apply is to tap the tiniest amount into the lid, swirl your brush around in the powder and then thoroughly tap off the excess and take it from there. This is obviously a buildable product, but I've never needed to build up this blush - if anything, I've had to buff it to try and lessen the effect. I have the shades Rose and Nude in full sizes.

Thoughts

 

I'm absolutely loving the matte loose powder foundation and would definitely like to try the Radiant formula at some point. I'd also really rate the primer and loose powders (my preference is for the 'Pretty Glow'). The Blushers have become some of my favourites in my blusher collection and although I need to pay a bit more attention and care when applying, the results are well worth it.

 

Although the eye shadows worked well, this type of formula is just not for me personally. I'm going to pass them on to a vegan friend and see how she gets on with them. Similarly, I'd pass on the concealers as I personally prefer a cream concealer for ease of application and coverage.