Natural mineral makeup has been around a few years, but it seems the average person either hasn't tried them, and many have never heard about them. Basically, they are various minerals crushed to a very fine powder and used as cosmetics. They are in a powdered type form.

Some reasons for it's popularity are gentleness to the skin, very long lasting and pure, and some have a healing type of property to the skin that actually helps to clear skin problems. Many are safe to sleep in. Experiment to find which brands are your favorites.

Personally, I am hypothyroid which means I have super dry skin, alligator skin. Doesn't matter what type of skin care products, etc. I use, I have flaky skin. All my life, no matter what makeup I used, it would be completely absorbed (thus disappearing) after about only 2-3 hours of wearing it. I was also very nervous about mineral makeup because with having super dry skin I avoid powders of all kinds, plus I was worried about it making the flakiness look even worse. I was SO stunned when I first started using mineral makeup on my own skin. The first thing I noticed was after 12 hours of wear, it was still there! No makeup has done that in my entire life. The other thing I noticed was it did not look flaky at all, but very fresh and light. Another benefit of mineral makeup is truly it feels like you are not wearing any cosmetics at all.

I also have the challenge now of rosacea (extreme redness due to intense facial flushing). For those with that challenge, try to find a brand that offers a green based color corrector, either an undercover or top coat. Green cancels red, which is why it works on rosacea skin to cover the redness, yet be very gentle at the same time.

Whatever brand you go for, here are a few tips for using it. Usually less is better. They are very concentrated, so a little goes a long way. It's common to use way too much at first. You can always add another light layer on top if you go too light at first.

Invest in some good quality brushes. They make all the difference in the world, be sure to gently wash them regularly.

If after using small amounts, with good quality brushes, things still don't look right, or you're not thrilled, next look at the possibility that you're simply using the wrong shade. Sometimes it takes experimenting to find what shade is best for your skin. I found with Bare Esentuals, I wore a significantly darker foundation than I ever thought possible, yet it was the perfect shade for me. Be sure to moisturize your skin preferably about a half an hour before applying mineral makeup.

After applying the makeup, try spritzing a small amount of a fine mist of water to your face. This helps set the makeup and gives a fresh young looking appearance. Do this before your mascara and lipstick however.

Play with the colors and applications. You can use blush colors as eyeshadow. You can also brush on your lips, then apply some gloss over top.

Eyeshadows will tend to look very harsh at first. Don't worry tho, just take a Qtip, clean applicator or brush and keep blending until it softens to the hue you want. Remember a little goes a long way.

Ebay many times have great deals on trying different samplers of different brands and colors. You can have a blast trying. Many different companies also sell small samples very reasonably priced to try as well. Remember, a little goes a long way. Have fun trying this wonderful category of makeup.