According to a top makeup artist, the best way to conceal pores is to mattify them. Piling on primers and makeup will only make them more obvious to the eye; it's best to mattify the offending area to make the craters of those pores recede! So yes, if you have big pores, avoid products with any shimmer or sparkle in them. Go for matte and mattifying makeup.

Anyway, let's continue with my last post for Oil Control Week! Here I have the Ellana Sheer Velvet Powder Primer (P460) an ultra-fine, zero coverage powder with the sole purpose of smoothing out skin and absorbing oil. It is marketed both as a primer and finishing powder (I'll explain why later) but personally I prefer to use it as the last step in my makeup routine.

Primer, what? I know it can be confusing to claim a powder to be a primer, but this is a primer in the sense that it can absorb oil under your makeup. It can also make your powder base go on more evenly since this powder fills in pores and lines, thus smoothing out such imperfections even before you wear foundation.

Texture. But, you say, can't any other translucent powder do that? Not really. This powder is so cushy and fine that I advise you not to inhale while applying it or your throat will feel weird. It's so cushy and fine, Ellana can't make a pressed version because it will fall apart. It's just one of those things you need to touch first to understand!

The fine powder can get into those hard to fill areas on your face, thus creating an ultra smooth canvas.

Mineral makeup used to be a messy affair - well, I suppose it still is if you like the loose formulas (I do). But if you're rushed for time but still like the flawless, glowy finish that only mineral powders can provide, go for pressed! There are lots of great ones available now. One of them, an oldie but a goodie, is the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural (P1,700+). 

Coverage and finish. The Mineralize Skinfinish offers sheer to medium buildable coverage that has a slight sheen to it. It could be a setting or finishing powder due to the glowy effect, but it can also be used as a daily base if you don't need a lot of coverage. 

This has an extremely lightweight formula that feels like nothing on the face! It also doesn't cake due to the thin texture, yes, even when layered heavily.

I think I'm over my strong eyebrow phase. I currently prefer softer arches that make my face look less "done", if you know what I mean! I've given up my pens, creams, and even pencils to do my brows, instead relying on powder products to sculpt them to my liking. They're also quicker to work with and require less care when it comes to application.  

That said, my current favorite brow product is the Ellana Mineral Eyebrow/ Eyeshadow Quad (P350). This is technically pressed mineral eyeshadow, but the colors are intended to mix beautifully to create your perfect eyebrow match. Whether you're a brunette, blonde, or redhead, you can get brows close to your current hair color. Oh, and have a neutral everyday eyeshadow palette to boot!

Pigmentation and finish. The colors are pigmented when used as eyeshadow, but softer over eyebrows. Weird no? But it works! I use a large, bushy angled brush (from Ellana also) to apply this on my brows. Perhaps because the brush is synthetic, I'm not getting too much pigmentation from this palette. The finish is a creamy matte that looks totally natural. 

Where do I begin. The Ellana Intensive Blend Mineral Foundation (P460) has been an old favorite of mine, way back when I was in college and couldn't afford high-end foundations. It's the foundation that made my acne and blemish-devastated skin glow, the one that make made it look even - against all odds. And, it was just 400 bucks then! 

With the relaunch of Ellana, I've had the chance to finally try this foundation again. Is it as good as I remember it? YES. Whenever I have it on, people always ask me what foundation I'm wearing! Even makeup artists ask about it. Seriously, the feedback has been amazing. 

Here's a rundown of what's awesome (and what's not) about this foundation!

What I love about the product

• It gives me medium to heavy coverage with a beautiful dewy finish. It doesn't look like makeup - it looks like healthy skin, which is how your base should be. It covers minor blemishes and redness by itself yet it never appears too heavy. This is ideal for troubled, acne-prone skin!
• Texture is very silky and smooth - unlike other mineral foundations, this doesn't require tons of blending to get an even finish. I recommend using something dense like a kabuki or flat top brush to apply it, but any ole powder brush will do the job too.

• I never break out from this. If you want to just chill from your normal heavy makeup, this is a good alternative. It'll let your skin breathe, and heal it over time since it actually has vitamin C, E, and allantoin.

I am a foundation monster. I love foundations. By now you should know that I have far from perfect skin, so I try to enhance it as best as I can.  

I already have a few favorites, but right now I am really loving the Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Mineral Makeup SPF15 (P2,200). It's the most natural-looking foundation that I have ever had the pleasure to try! It really looks like skin - silky, luminous skin - an effect that some foundations can fake but never truly mimic. With other foundations, I still add a luminizing finishing powder to get that effect, but I don't need to do that with Bobbi's mineral foundation.

What I LOVE about the product 

• Natural, beautifying finish that looks like skin. Check out my photos!
• Pretty good lasting powder. It stays put for 5-6 hours without primer. Longer with primer, of course.

One of my readers requested for a tutorial on how to apply mineral foundation. I thought that was an interesting question. After all, mineral foundation IS different from normal powder foundation and therefore requires a slightly separate set of tools and techniques. 

But wait, why use mineral makeup? It depends on your needs and preferences. MMU is great if you want a smooth, luminous finish without all the added chemicals traditional foundations have. You also don't need to use a lot of MMU to get the skin you want, which means that you only use a thin layer that lets your skin breathe.

Unlike normal powder makeup where you just pat it on to get your desired coverage, you have to sort of break down and really spread mineral makeup all over your face. That's why even if you only use a small amout of mineral powder (well, good MMU anyway), you get a lot mileage out of it. It's basically concentrated pigment, unlike traditional makeup where there are comparatively more binders, extenders, and preservatives included in the formula.

That said, I'd just like to share the tools and techniques I use in applying loose mineral foundation!

Choose your weapon

Dense brushes allow you to break down and spread the MMU efficiently.

Jane Iredale is one of the few brands that offer truly 100% mineral makeup. It costs a pretty penny - up there with Colorescience, just less expensive - but unlike cheaper MMU the efficacy and convenience of the products are compararable to high-end traditional makeup. If you have super sensitive skin, true mineral makeup is definitely the way to go.

I've heard so many good things about Jane Iredale way before, so I was psyched to try out their Starter Kit in Golden. It has everything a girl can need for a full face of makeup - tinted primer, foundation, concealer, blush, lip color, and even brushes! However, it's not something you should get for daily use since the products are in sample sizes. It's really more for people who want to try out JI makeup without paying full price.

After using it for a few weeks, here's my review of and recommendations for each product in the kit. You can buy them separately so you don't have to shell out the P5,000+ this Starter Kit costs. ;)

Pressed Mineral Powder with SPF20: This light coverage mineral powder is da bomb. It has a nice glowy finish that looks like skin, just better!

At last, something new from one of my favorite brands, Colour Collection! I know some folks have been having trouble tracking down a Tupperware dealer in search of their excellent Color Intense Lipsticks, but I tell you, it's worth it. And now there's something else to pine after with the release of the Mineral Cosmetics Line and Age-defying BB Cream.

First off, I doubt that the makeup is actually 100% mineral - BUT there are no parabens or fragrance involved in the making of this line, and they also threw in some soothing ingredients like aloe vera, green tea, shea butter, and jojoba oil. The lipsticks are mostly made of oils, waxes, pigments, and silicates, so they can pass off as mineral makeup.

The powder makeup is mostly mica, talc, zinc, pigments, and chemical binders. So not entirely mineral makeup but they do have less irritants than the usual makeup. IMHO, that's a good job already because so many companies who got into the mineral makeup bandwagon are FAR from actually being MMU.

On to the collection!

They released five new shades of Mineral Lipsticks with SPF15: Plumberry, Creamy Coral, Satin Shell, Brick Rose, Smooth Wine. They're all pigmented and delightully loud!

Mineral here, organic there. That has been the trend in beauty for the past few years, but these days it's more of a given than an optional thing for brands. I mentioned before that I'm not completely sold on 100% natural beauty products simply because they're either ineffectual or, if the quality is good, the price can be prohibitive. Nonetheless, there is one brand that has sucessfully battled this dilemma by being somewhere in between - Human Heart Nature.

The HHN Mineral Eyeshadow Palette in Enchanted Evening (P275) is the first makeup I've tried from the brand. The packaging is pretty and the price is friendly, but is the quality competitive?

What I like about the product

• It doesn't have the usual tacky shade selection. The lilac, dusky violet, and gray purple are sophisticated shades that I didn't expect in a P275 palette. They will work with fair to morena skintones.
• Well-milled and not chalky at all. I like the silky texture.

Last Monday I went to the House of Obagi at Greenbelt 5 to check their products and hopefully get a couple for myself. It wasn't a big clinic, but the products we're arrayed neatly in front with informative brochures while the back area is where the treatments are conducted. I was surprised to see an endless stream of people waiting for treatments, new people coming in to book appointments, and others just to inquire about Obagi! One lady asked. "How much for the whole system?" to which the friendly receptionist answered "around P20,000!"

I gasped internally. I knew Obagi was expensive, but I hadn't known it was that expensive. What does Obagi have to merit such a hefty price tag?

The Obagi Condition and Enhance line is clinically proven to lighten, tighten, firm and turn your skin cells over on a daily basis

According to Obagi, they've got skincare down to a science - literally. Unlike other skincare systems that treat your problems at the surface, Obagi is supposed to initiate healthy skin from the cellular level, bringing it back to its baby-smooth state. The brand has lines for skin concerns like acne, eyebags, chloasma, melasma, senile lentigines, sun damage, and visible fine lines and wrinkles.

Now Obagi products are not like other skincare you can buy off the counter. Like any potent medicine, you need a prescription from your dermatologist before you can purchase Obagi. Read on for a short rundown of some Obagi systems as well as what I got from their clinic!

I was on my way home from the PFW opening night when I had an inexorable urge to visit the Beauty section in the department store. I immediately saw a mineral makeup brand I've never seen before: Beauty Treats! I checked the prices and oh boy, these are cheap. Most of the products are under P500. I was delighted to see a pressed face powder, since I've been dreaming of one that's cheap AND mineral for the longest time. I grabbed it without a second thought.