KEY POINTS:
Face base is the cornerstone of the mineral makeup revolution and we had pleasing results with the products we tried. Loose powder dominates and it's an affordable item to try instead of your usual foundation: the lighter texture is also good for summer on the go.
I liked Revlon's ColorStay Mineral Foundation (six shades, $39), mainly because it was in a light enough shade for my fair complexion. Some of the other ranges made me feel like I was applying bronzer rather than base, though all covered well enough, including L'Oreal and Maybelline, both available at supermarkets.
My favourite base overall was the more pricey salon-only liquid Quoi tint ($69.95), which felt moisturising and light, but gave excellent coverage. For a more mature skin and a person who likes full cover, there's Quoi Liquid Powder Mineral Foundation ($79.95).
Bare Minerals make a gel-like primer, Prime Time ($45) and Becca's Mineral SPF Primer ($79) has an SPF 30 and feels more like a sunblock, so for a dual duty product look no further than this high-factor solar protection.
Retail rundown
* L'Oreal's Bare Naturale range comprises Gentle Mineral Makeup ($45.99), a good coverage powder foundation in a user-friendly pot with a decent brush and one of the better selections of eyeshadow colours (Color Minerals at $26.99 each) from naturals, through pink and blue, though the brush was too chunky for good application of shadow.
* Revlon's ColorStay Minerals range has four good eye-shadow trios ($29 each) in easy-to-use solid powder form in a light, but long-wearing formulation. Most other ranges have the much trickier to apply loose shadows. There's blusher in three shades and one dark bronzer ($27 each) and like the foundation these also contain rose quartz, mother of pearl and topaz extracts. I found it hard to shake out enough foundation powder without emptying this into my palm. The star product was the ColorStay Mineral lipglaze in 10 shades ($24), I tried Forever Raisin (a deep berry shade) and found the glossy intense colour lasted impressively well.
* The Body Shop's Nature's Minerals range includes three good synthetic brushes, well-priced and shaped (from $20 to $38) for people who don't want to stroke their faces with animal fibre. Six shades of powder foundation ($38) give light coverage. There was good depth of shade in the blush ($30) and I particularly liked the subtle colours of the metallic eyeshadows ($25) in six shades.
* Maybelline Mineral Power is a budget buy that stacks up beside the other big brands and it is one of the few with a concealer (wand-style, priced at $23.99). The Natural Perfecting Powder Foundation is $34.99 and the blush range includes a deep crimson shade that would suit darker skins.
* M.A.C does a good light liquid foundation called Mineralize Satinfinish ($62), a loose powder version and plenty of shades of Mineralize Skinfinish pressed powder ($52). This is the standout product, and I use it atop regular foundation because I like the light texture and highlighting quality. Colours range from natural to the full-on bling of Gold Deposit (pictured). There are also some special Sheer Sheen powders for illuminating. including soft silvery pinks. The eye-range is a strong point, priced at $42, the colours are high-impact baked powder metallics... M.A.C brushes are some of the best around.
* Quoi range includes the aforementioned foundations and some good cream-based eyeshadows, including a nice pale gold called Lame ($49.90).
* Jane Iredale's range is extensive and includes anti-ageing algae and other moisturising and calming elements not seen in cheaper brands. The Dream Tint cream ($89) comes in eight colours, including tone correcting lilac and and peach shades for sallow and pigmented skins. Her Powder Me SPF 30 ($86) base comes with a buffing sponge applicator, but I found I defaulted to a brush for application. The sunscreen, being physical rather than chemical, works immediately, and there's a translucent as well as golden bronze shade. A real boon is the inclusion of a good Touche Eclat-style concealer, mascara and liner pencil. The mascara ($68), comes in six shades and feels a bit drier to apply than normal mascaras, because instead of being water-based with chemical dyes it uses algae, a natural starch and conditioning agents in its formula. This allows multiple coats to be applied without flaking.
* Bare Minerals is a big range also, with some products marketed under the company name, Bare Escentuals or i.d, which includes fine metallic powder eyeshadows ($44). The top-notch powder bases, which carry the line that they "look like powder, feel like cream and buff on like silk" cost $75. There's also Buxom Lips, a plumping formula gloss with a tingly minty aftertaste in eye-catching packaging ($75), meaning there's nothing depressingly dermatological about these fun products. An introductory kit is on special now for $165.
* Stockists: Widely available from brand counters. Specialist brands from beauty therapy and spa clinics. Jane Iredale stockists 09 636 1966 or www.janeiredale.co.nz. Bare Minerals 0800 575-565 or www.spauniverse. Becca from Glamorpuss Newmarket and Albany. Quoi from professional salons.
