Beauty Throwdown: What’s the Best Drugstore Mineral Makeup?

Photo: Trine de Florie

[Update: The Drugstore Beauty Throwdown has a winner! Check out the results: Drugstore Mineral Makeup Ratings and Rankings.]

Last week, a fellow makeup moxie commented on my post about Physician’s Formula Talc-Free Mineral Loose Powder, saying:

I’m curious about whether you’ve tried L’oreal’s Bare Naturale…I would love to see a comparison with Bare Minerals and any other drugstore mineral knockoff to find the cheapest alternative

Makeup moxies, when you speak, I really do listen! This week is dedicated to reviewing “drugstore” mineral makeup. Drugstore-brand mineral makeup is relatively cheap and it’s usually easy to get ahold of. But how does mineral makeup from brands like L’Oreal, Neutrogena, and Almay stack up against a higher-priced heavy-hitter like BareMinerals?

What kind of finish do drugstore minerals have? Do they offer decent coverage? Do they have staying-power? Do they come in a wide enough range of shades to cover all skin tones — from the pale-and-pretty to the brown-and-beautiful? And, finally, does drugstore mineral makeup really offer a better value than its prestige counterparts?

Join me as I try to answer these questions. Every day this week, I’ll post a review of a mineral foundation by one of the major drugstore brands. At the end of the week, I’ll give you a list summarizing my top faves.

As always, I love it when you chime in, makeup moxies! Questions and opinions are always welcome. Whether you agree with me or you think I’m way off my rocker, please speak up! I’m listenin’.

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