The Body Shop Nature’s Minerals Foundation Review

The Body Shop Natures Minerals Foundation review

Most of us are aware that Mineral Makeup is the latest rage in the beauty world. It is more pronounced in the West than in India. In India that craze is yet to catch up. Recently there is a lot of propaganda of mineral makeup. I have read a lot, researched a lot on the same and I was smitten (and I still am) by the mineral makeup bug, especially Mineral foundation, as I do not use much of eyeshadows, blushes or Bronzers.

TBS Mineral FOundation
TBS Minerals FOundation

A couple things that aroused my interest in Minerals are that :

  • They are pure and are made from minerals/ingredients that originates from Mother Earth
  • They are absolutely skin friendly and non-allergic even for sensitive skin types
  • They are non-comedogenic that one can sleep in it and wake up to a clear, radiant, glowing skin.
  • They do not have an expiry date
  • They are preservative free
  • They improve the skin texture over a period of time

Some of the common materials that are normally used, as far as I have read , in Mineral foundation are:

  • Titanium Dioxide
  • Zinc Oxide
  • Mica
  • Boron Nitride
  • Kaolin Clay
  • Magnesium Stearate
  • Bismuth OxyChloride – I am actually surprised to see this as this is allergic to most people . It gives me itches.

My experiences with Minerals:

  • L’oreal’s Mineral foundation was the first Minerals that I found on the stores and was so excited to find minerals in India . Got it immediately and regretted also immediately .It gave me itches and I had a pricking feeling whenever I went out with this foundation on. It was hard to blend and was patchy patchy. The brush too that came along with the foundation was harsh and scratchy
  • My next try was from “Aromaleigh” a US based small scale company owned and run by Miss K, which specializes in Mineral Makeup. I got some samples from them and tried it on . It was much better than L’oreal, I would rather say good. They use only minerals and have a wide variety. I have to only order it online and I was apprehensive if I would select the correct shade that would go for me. I would say it is a good foundation and is worth a try .
  • Maxfactor’s Minerals was next on the list. I actually liked it as a light weight foundation but not as a mineral foundation though. First it has Parabens which negates my purpose of wanting to use the minerals foundation. Second, I couldn’t find a shade that matches with my skin tone. The shades that MF minerals has is very limited.

After all these tries, I still was not bogged . I did not want to anymore try any of the Cosmetic Brands like Revlon , L’Oreal etc etc . So I moved my attention to brands that use Nature based ingredients as their base.

The Body Shop Nature’s Minerals Range was my next try . This range has all the products from foundations , eye colors , blushes to accessories like foundation and Blusher brushes.

The Body Shop Nature’s Minerals Foundation :

The Body Shop Nature's Mineral Foundation
The Body Shop Nature's Minerals Foundation
  • 1) Comes in a 5g plastic transparent tub and a black lid with a mesh sifter to dispense the foundation.
  • There are 5 shades available in India .
  • There are 2 shades that has yellow undertone to it . That is Shade 2 and Shade 4
  • It is a finely milled powder which is very soft to touch.

Nature’s Minerals Foundation Ingredients :

Until now I have not seen any mineral foundation that lists out the ingredients that went on to make the product. TBS too have not listed it on their packaging but have given in their website. Also I googled to get the ingredients right as also their properties to make sure that am putting on only minerals and not anything else so as to get the real benefit of the minerals

Now these are the minerals that has gone into the foundation :

  • 1) Mica – Mica is a transparent mineral which is mined from the earth in thin sheets. It is a mineral included in products to give them sparkle and shine. Due to the sheer, translucent, and skin-hugging effect of the mica mineral, your natural skin tone shines through
  • Kaolin Clay – A naturally occurring clay mineral that absorbs oil and helps the foundation to adhere to skin for long lasting coverage. Very absorbent & used in small amounts to increase adhesion or oil absorption
  • Titanium Dioxide – A natural white mineral pigment; protects skin from sun damage by reflecting back the UVA [aging] and UVB [burning] rays.It is brilliant white in color with many times the covering power of zinc oxide which is proved to filter UV rays. It can be used on anybody without complications or sensitivities due to the fact it does not penetrate your skin.
  • Illite – There are 2 variants in this . Green Illite Clay and Red Illite clay. Both these have the same properties, the only difference being the colour . Illites are efficient at drawing oils and toxins from the skin. It has a very rich mineral content, so is excellent for remineralisation of the skin. Illite acts like a magnet for toxins, so it is the greatest detoxifying remedy available in nature. Red Illite is used mainly in the beauty industry and cosmetics production, for its tonifying, humidifying effect on the skin. It revives pale, sallow, ageing skin. It also purifies congested, acne-prone skin types. It improves blood circulation and makes the skin look radiant, hydrated, reducing the appearance of wrinkles and broken capillaries.
  • Mediterranean Clay – This is also a mineral that helps makeup to hold on to the skin and last a while
  • Iron Oxides – These give color to the makeup. Red, Yellow, Black and Blue are the popular ones

Having Convinced that The Body Shop’s nature’s minerals foundation is pure minerals , I went ahead and owned one.

It is good because:

  • It is 100% pure minerals. No additives or preservatives
  • It does not settle down into fine lines nor does it accentuate pores
TBS Mineral FOundation
TBS Minerals FOundation
  • The presence of Illite is proved by the fact that it has indeed calmed down my skin and has softened. My skin is more clear and translucent than it was before . Within two weeks since I started using there is an improvement.
  • There is an immediate glow as soon as it is buffed on. I attribute that to the presence of Mica . There are no shimmers or light diffusing particles. Also it is in the form of a powder. So it definitely is the Mica which is giving the glow.
  • It blends easily . Does not become cakey or patchy.
  • It brings about an instant brightness to the face. However the foundation doesn’t stay on forever.
  • It comes with an SPF factor of 25. This doesn’t mean I do away with the conventional sunscreen . I still use a sunscreen since psychologically I feel comfortable only if I use a sunscreen.

It is bad ( OMG, I don like to say this ) because

  • The coverage is very very light. Strictly speaking, this actually cannot be called as a foundation at all
  • It oxidizes
  • No Oil control. So no for people with oily or combo tending towards oily skin. It might be ok for people with dry skin. Again it is Ok only and not good taking into account the other bads.
  • Inspite of adding Kaolin and the Mediterranean clay there absolutely is No staying power. I have tried using Primer but that too did not help

This is it . I guess these are some points enuff to dismiss this foundation.

And So the Decree is :

I am seeing this one, more as a skin care product than as a cosmetic product. It is not a conventional foundation that gives coverage or evens out the skin tone to give a flawless look .

I would not repurchase but would try to finish up the one that I already have. I like the fact that it is only pure minerals . My search for pure minerals is over but my search for Pure Mineral Foundation still continues which led me to get MAC’s mineralize powder foundation. Any Recos are definitely welcome.

IMBB RECOMMENDS

24 thoughts on “The Body Shop Nature’s Minerals Foundation Review

  1. Wow….Thats a nice elaborated review Lavanya!!! ….Donno if I’d go for it or not, since I have the combination/oily skin. Thanks for sharing !!! :yes: :yes: :yes:

  2. For some reason I never got attracted to this foundation. I tried it so many times at the store but was never convinced to pick it up. After review, I am quite happy about my decision. 😛

    I don’t use mineral foundations as such..like until and unless you want to count MAC MSF or the mineralize spf 15 foundations as one. I have dry skin so I prefer creamy foundations. 🙂

    There is a company called beyu, they also have a mineral range..may be you could check that out. 🙂

    1. Yes Rati Beyu has also got MF but they have a pink undertone and contains BismuthOxychloride. So it is a definite No for me . Bah… I have so many restrictions :reallyangry:

  3. Nice review Lavanya..had recently tried it out at the store..asked the SA to apply this and went about the whole day with it on. I loved it soon as I put it..and it was really awesome..was going gaga about it to Rati too 😀 😀 😀 but when I reached home by evening..I was superoily..I don’t know though it was this foundation to blame cos I had used the atrocious Lush colour supplements too that day :-(( I think I will stay away from this though – loved the intant immediate effect though..skin looked goooooood 😀

    1. Very Correct Radhika. Even I had the same experience when I first tried it on the store . I was so happy that I purchased it . But only later did I find out “All that glitters is not gold” :-((

  4. I love your review! very informative!
    I tested it once at the store, but I didn’t like it.
    I have combination skin and it made my drier part of the face flaky.
    I also second it on having no coverage!!

  5. Very nice review, I really enjoyed reading it. :yes:
    I am in love with MF (mineralized fondation) but, as you already mentioned, there are lots of different qualities available. If you are looking for very good MF, try EDM or Meow. EDM offers a free five trial size kit (you pay only the little shipping costs and they send you five mineralized products trial size of your choice, they offer different covering products, too, like: intense, natural, sheer and so on). I also love the EDM mineralized correctors.
    Meow has one of the best MF I ever used.
    I prefer MF, especially at summer time.

  6. very informative review. I’ve burnt my fingers with Loreal Mineral foundation & swore off inerals for a while……Since I have extreme oily skin, I guess I’ll pass this off

  7. for the list of ingredients on any TBS product u’ll have to peel off the sticker on bottom & they’ll be all the ingredients 🙂

  8. I think it is great.. I mean I haven’t used it. But c’mon, it at least does not have bismuth oxychloride which causes irritation and reactions in at most 75% women until now(yeah, i m a part of it lately). These r metallic particles that push into pores and clogging them. That is why u had an issue with Loreal
    instead TBS has the more expensive high end Boron Nitride(dis is wht one should look for in mineral makeup, ladies). Boron is good right. Boron washes r used in severe infections of skin too.
    But u say not for oily/combi skin? U sure? Nt a bit? I wd love to try it. Is it availble in indoa well.. ?

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