Product rec: Colorescience

Upon the advise of several esthetician’s, this weekend I went on a hunt for Colorescience, a mineral makeup line that was started by the original founder of Bare Minerals.

I was looking for a mineral line without all the usual talc and potential irritants that are found in the lines out there. After consulting with a few other esthys about the best mineral products for the skin, I decided to take the plunge and dump a few bucks on this pretty expensive line.

So I found a spa that carried them nearby and headed over, picked out my makeup choices (Wild to Mild primer, which is essentially a bronzer, and the Sunforgettable SPF 30 in Almost Clear) and did not bother to read the labels.

The products are beautiful. The bronzer that goes on so smooth that even Manly Man Husband commented on the glide. And the barely there dusting powder gives a nice, natural and glowing sheen. My skin on the whole feels soft and moisturized, which is very different from the way it feels when I apply other mineral brands. My top complaint about mineral makeup is the dryness I feel when I wear it–afterall mineral makeup is pretty much glorifed powder. And since I prefer a dewy look to matte, I am overall pretty happy with how the makeup wears.

The other incredible bonus with Colorescience is their sun protection. I believe they are the only mineral makeup line out there that has the Skin Cancer Foundation’s seal of approval. The line claims to be “very water resistant” and that claim appears to be true (have the salesperson perform the water test with the makeup and you will be impressed). The packaging claims that the SPF level is retained after 80 minutes of water activity. That is more retention than most traditional sunblocks.

But, my goal in purchasing Colorescience was to try a line without irritating ingredients commonly found in mineral makeup lines. And here is my very expensive lesson learned–these esthetician’s, who I do trust, were (kind of) wrong.

The very first ingredient on the Sunforgettable makeup is bismuth oxychloride, which can be a skin irritant and a pore clogger and can aggrivate acne like mad. It is not considered a toxic chemical, but it can make reactive skin go completely bonkers. However, it does give a high luster to cosmetics (that pearlescence sheen), has a good slip and binds very well with the skin. Basically the very things I rave about a paragraph or two above.

Now, here’s why my esthy friends were not completely wrong…  What Colorescience does NOT have in it is talc, which is a cheap filler in loads of mineral lines, and leads to skin dryness and that cakey look.

The cost for this line is pretty expensive. It was around 50 bucks for each product, although the Sunforgettable SPF 30 has a refill cartridge for $25, which is good for two refills. While it is fairly cost-prohibitive, I am happy I have it in time for my long beach weekend. The SPF power is definitely a huge bonus, so I am willing to pay a little extra.

My skin, so far, has reacted fine with the product–no itch or irritation. So, with this, I give Colorescience a product rec. But if you are looking for a line without the potentially irritating ingredients, this is not the one to buy.