Amazing base

Mineral makeup is such a beauty buzzword nowadays. Makeup with a higher mineral content than usual contains properties that are supposed to be better for your skin. Online stores are rife with all sorts of powders one can mix to create the perfect color and consistency for one’s skin. Even major cosmetic brands have jumped on the bandwagon and come up with their own mineral makeup lines. What exactly is mineral makeup and how is it changing the face of beauty as we know it?

Enter Jane Iredale, a makeup company whose products go beyond both conventional makeup and the usual kind of mineral makeup. Jane Iredale, which calls itself “the skincare makeup,” is less than a year old in the Philippines, but it’s already created interest in beauty fanatics. “The first thing I want to tell you is that all makeup has minerals. From the cheap local ones to the expensive ones. What makes Jane Iredale different is that there are no fillers,” says Rita Baltasar, Jane Iredale’s business development officer.

A league of its own

Rita even went around department stores inspecting the ingredients of several mineral makeup lines. “In every one I saw, their first ingredient was talc. Talc is a filler,” Rita explains. “Jane Iredale is something that no one can claim — it’s pure mineral, that’s why it’s an exciting product. The more you use it, your skin becomes better.”

Its Amazing Base, for example, is a three-in-one product. It is a foundation powder, concealer and sunscreen in one. Since there are no fillers, the minerals act as a natural sunscreen. And if applied properly, it can cover skin imperfections like acne and calm them at the same time. All Jane Iredale products also come in a range of colors suitable to any skin type. “Most mineral makeup only comes in three shades — light, medium and dark. We’re Asian, so we have a yellow tinge. Jane Iredale has different shades, and all of them come in liquid mineral, in the loose powder and in the pressed powder,” Rita says.

This is also the only mineral makeup that looks like makeup. “You don’t have to look like a chemist, mixing all kinds of powders and dumping them into little bottles,” Rita says. “Our lipstick still looks like lipstick. Same with our glosses and shadows. It looks like makeup as we know it.” Plus, a little goes a long, long way. “For foundation, two small dots are enough to cover your face,” Rita says. Jane Iredale products are also waterproof, so you don’t have to worry about your face melting or smudging on a hot day.

Breaking the rules

According to its fans, Jane Iredale makeup is so safe to use, it even breaks several of what used to be infallible rules of beauty.

Rule 1: Women with extreme skin imperfections or who have come from skin treatments should not use makeup.

Rule breaker: “Don’t be afraid to put on makeup because you have pimples. Don’t be afraid because you had face peeling. This is a makeup that is so gentle on the face. It’s also anti-inflammatory,” Rita says. The seaweed lipids in the makeup is what makes it soothing to the face. It also effectively covers rosascea, or red, blotchy cheeks.

Rule 2: Makeup should be changed periodically to prevent your face from being contaminated by bacteria that occurs from frequent use.

Rule breaker: “Jane Iredale products are inert,” Rita says, “This means that bacteria will never, ever grow (on it). We don’t have a shelf life where you have to change makeup after six months.”

Rule 3: It is important to wash all traces of makeup off with makeup remover before bed to prevent skin irritation.

Rule breaker: Jane Iredale actually breaks two rules. First, except for mascara, Jane Iredale makeup can be effectively removed with just facial soap and water. Second, you don’t have to worry about falling asleep with your makeup on once in a while. “I’ve actually (slept with my makeup on) because I had to be in church in the morning so I had the makeup artist do it the night before. I just put on mascara in the morning,” Rita says.

More than your regular makeup

An interesting thing about Jane Iredale is that it has corrective colors, which are used in hospitals in the US to help patients, who have suffered from traumatic accidents, heal emotional scars by making their physical appearances as close to their original ones before the accident. Because it is so safe, doctors recommend it to patients even if they have just left the operating room.

Jane Iredale isn’t just a hit in the medical community. It also enjoys a Hollywood following that includes Dianne Sawyer, Julia Roberts and Victoria Beckham. “One day (Dianne Sawyer) was saying ‘I want to thank my makeup artist, she always comes around with Amazing Base,’ and that’s patented by Jane Iredale,” an excited Rita relates.

Minearal makeup may sound like just another beauty fad, but as Jane Iredale shows, what started as a fad may soon become one of the most important things in a woman’s beauty arsenal.

Jane Iredale cosmetics can be found in Urban Spa, Belo Clinics, and several dermatologists near you.