Lipstick Masala

As a woman of color, it takes a lot of effort to find products that complement my skin tone. Most often, shades look wondrous in the pan, but appear almost nonexistent when applied to my skin. When mineral makeup was introduced to the market, I jumped for joy – thinking the pure, intense pigments would solve my problem. But the deep colors came at a price – while mineral

makeup was said to be natural, most cosmetics lines used cheap fillers and chemicals to help adhere the products to the skin. I quickly backed away from the mineral products and continued to shell out $$$ for sub-par products.

It was then that I discovered a product line called, The Mineralista (www.themineralista.com), created by one of our very own, a South Asian woman with a vision and the solution to my makeup woes. The Mineralista currently focuses on mineral pigments that can be used as shadows, blush, and are even mixable with clear polish to create multiple fun and funky shades for your nails. The line began as a personal venture for the founder who, like me, was appalled when she learned most shadows had a 90% chemical content and so set out to create natural products for herself and her friends. The shadows quickly gained popularity in her community, and she soon decided to create a line for the public. Lucky for us!

The products have received great feedback from women of all skin types and tones – fair or dark, dry or oily- and I was recently given the opportunity to try some out. So does the Mineralista live up to my expectations? Read on for a complete product breakdown from the outside to the inside.

Packaging:

Ladies, I know some of you like to pretend color and consistency of a product is more important than its outer shell, but almost all of us smile when the box is as pretty as the shade and easy to manage. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised when I received my Mineralista products in the mail. Packaged neatly in a transparent black sheath, the jars of shadow were smartly stacked one on top of the other and topped off with a personal contact card of the owner herself.

The shadows come in two sizes, the full size version 5g jar and a smaller plastic casing for sample sizes. When one thinks of mineral pigments, the term “messy” comes to mind. However, the Mineralista packaging works to combat spilled powder. Each full sized jar comes with a nifty sifter – which means you can tap out just a little amount a time without getting the color all over your hands and clothes. Major plus points for the Mineralista.

The Shades:

Mineralista pigments are available in an extensive range of over 40 different shades, both as singles and in collections. For those of you that love experimenting with color, check out the Skittles Collection – an assortment of fruity flavored colors to make your eyes pop. If you are a little intimidated by washing your whole eye with the vibrant shades, try using them as liners – I’ve received great compliments on using Berry Punch and Blue Raspberry in this manner (I think these two might be my favorite of the skittles). For the record – I own four purple MAC shadows and none of them complement my skin the way the Mineralista Berry Punch does.

Some of the other colors I tried include: “Intuition” (blue-purple with amped up shimmer, perfect for a night on the town), “Black Out” (I like my blacks as dark as possible and this lives up to its name – great buy for a smoky eye), “Coralicious” (beige-y pink with lots of shimmer, great to use on your cheekbones), “Copper” (this one is a mix between gold and bronze, perfect for all those desi weddings you’ll be attending this Fall), “Smut” (the color is almost indescribable – a brown-y purple pink but perfect with Black out for smoky eyes), “Chameleon” (a light brown with greenish shimmer), and finally my favorite, “Amber” (the name speaks for itself, it’s perfect as a highlighter and for weddings.

I was also given a sample of the “Kiss of Gold,” perfect for highlighting and to dab on top of gloss for a little shimmer in the center of your lower lip.

Overall I was impressed with the color payout. Some of the shades had a little more shimmer than I like but the intensity of the pigments made up for that. Also, applying the pigments wet slightly mattified the shadows and further brought out the color (more on that in a bit).

Ingredients:

Did you know that some mineral makeup companies use cheap fillers like talc and Bismuth Oxychloride that cause reactions in many women? Rest assured ladies, the Mineralista prides itself on using natural ingredients for their products.

Lasting Power and Application:

Be sure to use an eye makeup primer before applying the Mineralista products. Because they don’t use any harmful chemical fillers, it is important to give them a surface to adhere to. For more information on primers click HERE.

There are two ways to use the shadows – wet and dry. When applied wet, or foiled (for more on how to foil click HERE), the colors stay true to their packaging and last all evening long – oily skinned girls, you may rejoice! If you would like to use them the regular way, once again I would recommend using an eye primer. Personally, I felt the dry application rubbed off much sooner than the wet application and I love the way the shadows look foiled. However, others have had much success with using the shadows dry so try both ways out for yourself! Also as I said before, some of you may not like too much shimmer – this is easily combated with a little foiling. Finally, the light airy texture of the pigments means you won’t feel heavily made up!

Colors LM recommends for the Desi girl:

As I said, Berry Punch and Blue Raspberry are two of my favorites. Also check out the Molten Metals Collection, which includes Merlot, Alloy, Copper and Treasure – must-haves for every desi girl’s makeup collection. If you’re a fan of browns – try out a sample of the Truffle – chocolate brown with gold shimmer – perfect for creases or a brown smoky eye.

Pricing:

I saved the best for the end. Each full-sized sifter jar costs $6 – a little goes a long way and you are given enough product to last a very very long time. If you are unsure of a color and don’t want to shell out the full $$$, almost all shadows are available in generous sample sizes for just $1.15. You can sample 13 different shadows at the Mineralista for the price of 1 shadow at MAC.

Customer Service and Website:

I have to admit I was quick to discredit the product based on the website. If there were one thing I would recommend to the Mineralista, it would be to smooth out the design interface so its products aren’t passed over because of the “judging a book by its cover syndrome.” However, the company is just taking off so let’s cut them a little slack. The site is easy to navigate and payments are made securely through PayPal.

Good News: The Mineralista ships both within the U.S. and Outside America for a flat fee. So those of you who do not live in the U.S. have a chance to try out the product, too! Check out the FAQ section on the website for details and information on other Customer Service questions. If you have any questions on the products or on which countries the company ships products to, the Mineralista is helpful and accommodating. Send any emails to sales@themineralista.com or follow them on twitter: www.twitter.com/themineralista .

Final Verdict

The Mineralista is a company that keeps the prices low and quality high. The ingredients are natural and the colors are great for both desi and other skin tones. Check out the Looks section on the website for some ideas on colors. Overall, we were pleased with the product save a snag or two (in the shimmer and dry application), but there was nothing major to keep us from trying out more of their products. For $1.15 sample sizes and $6 full sized jars, what do you have to lose?!

Before you head over the Mineralista site, let us know your opinions – hit or miss? Will you be trying these products out? Also, look out for a future eye makeup tutorial using the Mineralista products!