Do you wear mineral makeup? It's been a huge craze in the beauty world over the past few years, but truth be told, what's out there can be a bit of a minefield. The whole premise behind mineral makeup is that it's better for your skin: free of drying and/or pore-clogging preservatives, alcohol, talc, dyes, emulsifiers, perfume and mineral oil. Sadly, as it became popular, a whole whack of mainstream brands jumped on the bandwagon—and in my opinion, their versions aren't of the same quality.

<img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-3627" title="BareMinerals" src="http://beautyeditor.ca/wp-content/uploads/BareMinerals-300x292.jpg" alt="BareMinerals" width="180" height="175" />

Of course, you might not notice this if you don't have sensitive or problem skin, or don't require high-coverage formulas. But since my skin is as sensitive as it gets, AND I'm an admitted natural products fiend, I've been on the hunt for while now for a mineral makeup brand to call my own. (And yes, I've tried the ever-popular <a href="http://www.bareminerals.com/" target="_blank">bareMinerals</a>, but I'm a bit on the fence about it, despite how much <a href="http://jolienadine.com/blog/2009/07/29/tricks-for-flawless-bareminerals-application/" target="_blank">Jolie Nadine raves about the line</a>. As <a href="http://imabeautygeek.com/" target="_blank">Beautygeeks</a>' Janine points out, it tends to make pores look larger and can leave a weird sheen on the skin. I also feel like I'm wearing a TON of makeup by the time I finish with all that buffing action.)

Happily, Toronto-based makeup artist Charlotte Johnstone introduced me to mineral makeup line <a href="http://www.colorescience.com/1280x1024/flash/index.html" target="_blank">Colorescience</a> about a month or so ago—and I've been using it ever since!

<a href="http://beautyeditor.ca/wp-content/uploads/colorescience_foundation_brush.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3631" title="colorescience_foundation_brush" src="http://beautyeditor.ca/wp-content/uploads/colorescience_foundation_brush.jpg" alt="colorescience_foundation_brush" width="325" height="325" /></a>

I want to call this a best-kept secret, because I'd never heard of the line before, but it's actually been featured in <em>Glamour, InStyle, Allure</em> and many other mags. And trust me: for a tiny, independently-owned company, that's a GREAT sign that the products are awesome. (As a beauty editor, there's a lot of pressure to feature mostly advertisers' products—so wherever I could, I'd try to sneak in my favourite indie brands. So that's a tip for next time you're browsing a magazine!)

Anyway, there are several reasons I think <a href="http://www.colorescience.com/1280x1024/flash/index.html" target="_blank">Colorescience</a> is great:
<ul>
	<li>It's made up of the highest-quality minerals, along with high-tech, good-for-your-skin ingredients like peptides, salicylic acid and hyaluronic acid.</li>
	<li>It's free of all the aforementioned "baddies": talc, mineral oil, dyes, emulsifiers, alcohol, preservatives and perfume.</li>
	<li>It's naturally UVA- and UVB-resistant. So there's no need for the extra step of sunscreen.</li>
</ul>
Here, a few of the items currently on heavy rotation in my makeup routine:
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://beautyeditor.ca/wp-content/uploads/Colorescience_Corrector-Kit.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3633" title="Colorescience_Corrector Kit" src="http://beautyeditor.ca/wp-content/uploads/Colorescience_Corrector-Kit.jpg" alt="Colorescience_Corrector Kit" width="427" height="237" /></a></p>
<a href="http://www.colorescience.com/1280x1024/flash/index.html" target="_blank">Colorescience Corrector Kit</a>: I never thought I could use a mineral-based concealer until I tried this handy kit. I'm in love! The coverage is amazing—it works on dark circles and even blemishes—and the five shades enable you to custom-blend for the perfect hue. The darker ones can also double as bronzer or eyeshadow, and you can use the lightest shade as a highlighter! It even works as an all-over foundation.

<a href="http://beautyeditor.ca/wp-content/uploads/colorescience-suncanny.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3634" title="colorescience-suncanny" src="http://beautyeditor.ca/wp-content/uploads/colorescience-suncanny.jpg" alt="colorescience-suncanny" width="250" height="279" /></a>

<a href="http://www.colorescience.com/1280x1024/flash/index.html" target="_blank">Colorescience Suncanny Foundation Brush - SPF 20</a>: I always thought it was unrealistic for derms to scream about applying sunscreen on our faces not just in the mornings but also before our lunch hours and going home at night. That just ruins your makeup! So this product is so, so clever. It's a powder foundation that also doubles as a sunscreen, AND it's in a handy, go-anywhere brush. So now there's no excuse not to be sun-protected.

<a href="http://beautyeditor.ca/wp-content/uploads/colorescience-be-still-hydrating-mist.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3635" title="colorescience-be-still-hydrating-mist" src="http://beautyeditor.ca/wp-content/uploads/colorescience-be-still-hydrating-mist.jpg" alt="colorescience-be-still-hydrating-mist" width="178" height="500" /></a>

<a href="http://www.colorescience.com/1280x1024/flash/index.html" target="_blank">Colorescience Aromatherapy Gem Spritzers</a>: Mineral makeup looks best when, after applying it, you lightly spritz your face with an atomiser to set the powder. These ones are infused with pharmaceutical-grade aromatherapy oils for extra skin-soothing benefits.

<a href="http://beautyeditor.ca/wp-content/uploads/colorescience_lip-polish.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3636" title="colorescience_lip polish" src="http://beautyeditor.ca/wp-content/uploads/colorescience_lip-polish.jpg" alt="colorescience_lip polish" width="300" height="300" /></a>

<a href="http://www.colorescience.com/1280x1024/flash/index.html" target="_blank">Colorescience Lip Polish</a>: Who knew lip products came in mineral versions too? This little wand has a fresh peppermint scent and gives long-lasting colour while it hydrates your lips. And while it's not labelled as an SPF product, it also contains the natural sunscreens zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, making it a great choice for summer.

Available at<span style="line-height: 18px;"> worldSALON, 132 Adelaide St. E., Toronto, (416) 594-1402 and select medical spas and salons across Canada. For more locations visit <a href="http://www.colorescience.com/1280x1024/flash/index.html" target="_blank">colorescience.com</a>.</span>