What's In Your Mineral Makeup Kit?

When it comes to minerals - are you a beginner, next-step or expert?

Getting started in mineral makeup can feel like it has a lot of moving parts. “Which brush goes with which product? Which products go together? Am I forgetting something?!” ...are just a few of the thoughts that can initially run through your mind as you begin to navigate this new world.

 

Got the basics down?

Or, maybe you’ve got the basics down and you want to know what’s “next”– where do you go from here? How should you be strategically expanding and adding to your kit? Well, we aren’t calledSimpleBeauty Minerals for nothing (ha!)– so to make things easy, I put together my list of all the must-haves for a full mineral makeup kit in three levels: Beginner, Next-Step, and Expert. Beginner isjust the basics– it’s all of the tools you need to create a full-face mineral makeup look, but nothing more. Next-Step is for all of the things that you ultimately want to have in your makeup kit– products that will give you added ease and luxury as well as options, or products that add a finishing touch and truly bring your makeup routine to the next level! Expert is for those of you who Absolutely. Love. Makeup. (Hmm… ok, I’m definitely “guilty as charged” for this one) These are the products that are not essentials for everyone, but that you (and I!) will love having in your repetoire and that you will enjoy adding into your routine every now and then.

Face

Beginner:

Bare minimum, you will need themineral foundation of your choice and a   kabuki brush or Flat Top Buffer Brush (depending on which foundation formula you choose). For an in-depth “How To” on choosing the perfect Simple Beauty Minerals Mineral Foundation shade, check out this blog post here. Also, grab a blush, and a blush brush. If you only have one cheek color, I recommend starting off with a versatile shade such as my personal favorite, Natural Glow, or if you have a deeper complexion, Warm Glowis perfect, which can stand in as a bronzer or a blush. If you want something shimmery, try out Adobe– it’s similar in color to Natural Glow, but it has that gorgeous shimmer sheen to it as well.

Your List:

• Mineral Foundation 
• Kabuki Brush
• Cheek Color (Natural Glow or Adobe are my picks)
• Blush Brush

Next-Step:

Add in a Finishing Powder(AKA a mineral “veil”) to really bring your look to the next level. The near magical properties of a good finishing powder will truly upgrade your makeup routine– and while I didn’t add it in as a “basic essential” in the beginner list, once you add one of these bad boys into your routine you will never go back! Sure, you don’t *need* it… but you need it. Adding in another cheek color so that you have a shimmery color and a matte color, or a lighter color and a darker color. This will greatly expand your makeup horizons and the possibilities. Definitely something to add in when you can!

Enjoying this bit of Simple Beauty? Click HERE for 20% off your first order! It's FREE.

 Your List:

• Finishing Powder
• Shimmer Cheek Color (Adobe is my pick)

Expert:

You’re definitely going to want a Highlighter. And if you don’t already have one, a Bronzer. You may want a Pure Primer– a mineral primer that goes on before your foundation and that helps to reduce fine lines while creating a silky smooth foundation application and increasing the lasting/staying power of your foundation all in one! Great for oily skin, humidity, large pores… basically, it’s awesome. And it is a great next addition to your mineral makeup kit. And don’t forget Setting Spray. This will help your makeup stay flawless all day (fewer touch ups! Woohoo!) as well as keeping your makeup from feeling too “tight” or “dry” on your face– I personally love using a setting spray as I have pretty dry skin and adding on mineral makeup can feel a bit tight/dry before I finish up my beauty routine with a welcomed spritz of setting spray! Although it is by no means an “essential”, it has personally made a world of difference to me and my beauty routine– so especially for drier skin I would 10/10 recommend.

Your List:

• Highlighter
• Bronzer
• Primer
• Setting Spray

Eyes

Beginner:

Bare minimum, you will need some eyeliner, mascara, brow powder, and a neutral shadow. I would recommend either light shimmery neutral such as Champagne Ice, or a soft, neutral taupe-y brown such a Soft Touch if you are choosing just one, depending on  your style. For eyeliner, I recommend going with either Soft Black Mineral Liner or Brown Mineral Liner based on your personal style/preference if you are getting just one eyeliner product. They are very versatile, and can be used to line your upper lash line as well as your lower lash line– though I do not recommend them for your water line because they don’t stay very well and they will bother your eyeball– so stick to the lids with these! Make sure you don’t forget Brow Powder! This is a really important step in any makeup look, and no make up kit is truly complete without it. Make sure you have the right tools for this step as well– I recommend this awesome little Fine Angled Brush, it is very precise and has a fine tip that will help you make really nice clean lines when filling in your brows. Last but not least, mascara. If you are going to pick up just one of our healthy mascaras, I recommend the Black Magic Mascara as it is the more volumizing of the two while still adding in some length. This is my go-to daily mascara and I love knowing it is healthy and loving to my lashes! (Hint: For a full Healthy Mascara how-to tutorial full of my tips and tricks, check out this post).

 Enjoying this bit of Simple Beauty? Click HERE for 20% off your first order! It's FREE.

Your List:

• Neutral + Versatile Mineral Eyeshadow (Champagne Ice and Soft Touch are my picks)
• Eyeshadow Brush
• Mineral Eye Liner
• Fine Point Eyeliner Brush
• Mineral Brow Powder
• Angled Brush (for filling in brows)
• Healthy Mascara

Next Step:

Better yet, grab both of the aforementioned Champagne Ice and Soft Touch as well as third color that can add in a touch of fun and depth to your look such as Mystery (I can attest that in person this one is absolutely mesmerizingly shimmery with several depths of color– a beautiful shade!), Red Plum (This is a great choice for adding in a pop of color while still being fairly neutral– check out how I styled it in this post), or Golden Glam(a gorgeous golden shimmer!). Adding a few fun, yet still versatile eye colors to your neutral basics repetoire can really spice things up without breaking the bank! When it comes to eyeliner as I mentioned above, you are going to need a non-powder product if you like to waterline or tightline your eyes. That’s where a Pencil Linercomes in. While this is truly an essential for me, I know that not everyone shares my obsession with eyeliner so I put it as something to add in the next-step category– however, if you are an eyeliner junkie like me, I would add this to your basics list for sure!

Your List:

• Fun-Yet-Versatile Eyeshadow (Mystery, Red Plum, and Golden Glam are my picks)
• Pencil Eyeliner

Expert:

This is where you add in ALL THE EYESHADOW! (Haha! But really– can you ever *truly* have enough eyeshadow?) Some of the more fun and experimental colors that I would recommend you check out are Dream (a gorgeous deep opalescent purple), Burgundy Wine(a sumptuous deep wine-red), and Peacock (a dazzling bright turquoise that I showcased in this fun springtime tutorial). If you want to double up and expand on your neutrals, check out Glitz (a pretty shimmer light highlight), Hot Cocoa (a beautiful warm light brown), and Golden Taupe (a truly gorgeous & shimmery… well, golden taupe!). Add in some fun Mineral Liners too, while you’re at it! Our Teal Mineral Liner and Smokey Plum Mineral Liner are some of my favorites– they aren’t too bright, yet they add in such a gorgeous depth of color to your look. Also, our blackberry-scented Blackberry Ultimate Healthy Mascarais a fun lash addition to any makeup kit– no penchant for bright colors or colored liners needed! A lengthening mascara with the yummiest scent, this truly does always brighten up my morning makeup routine!

Your List:

• Fun Mineral Shadows (Dream, Burgundy Wine, and Peacock are my picks)
• More Neutral Shadows (Glitz, Hot Cocoa, and Golden Taupe are my picks)
• Colored Mineral Liners (Teal and Smokey Plum are my picks)
• Blackberry Ultimate Healthy Mascara

Lips:

Oh look, it's me! (In all my Simple Beauty Minerals glory!)

Beginner:

For your lips, I would recommend having one go-to product that you can always count on to round out your mineral makeup kit. My pick for this is the Mauvelous Mineral Lip Gloss, but depending on your coloring and preference, a different color might suit you better so I recommend taking a look around our Lip Gloss section to see what “speaks” to you! Pro tip: go for a neutral color that will complement the rest of the colors in your kit.

Your List: Mineral Lip Gloss

 

Next Step:

I would recommend finding a mineral lipstick that you can use to amp-up your daily look, and that also goes with your mineral lip gloss (that way you can mix and match!). If you are adding in just one, I suggest a neutral color that is “your lips, but better” as I like to say! Basically, a color that is close to your natural lip color, only it’s a touch stronger and deeper.

Note from Lisa: Keep your eye on us! New fully organic, mineral and botanical based lip products coming soon! If you are going to grab a few, I recommend getting a neutral “your lips, but better” shade, a red shade (lighter and brighter/or deeper and darker depending on your skin tone and preference!), and a pink shade (again, lighter and brighter/or deeper and darker depending on your skin tone and preference!).

Your List:

• Neutral Every-Day Lipstick + Red Lipstick +Pink Lipstick

Expert:

Now that you have your lip-collection started, it’s time to go in and add to your favorites. If you find yourself using gloss all the time but rarely touching lipstick, add to your glosses. Following the idea from the previous section, I recommend trying out a couple glosses from the neutral, red, and pink categories so that you have a well-rounded make-up stash with options for different looks/styles, but once you know your most-used colors, you might choose to mainly add to just those shades. Same with lipsticks– if you use them all the time but rarely touch your gloss, then simply keep adding to your lipstick! Another product I would recommend adding in at this stage as well is Lip Liner. You can use Lip Liner to fill in your lips and in doing so darken, or embolden your lipstick (it will also increase the staying power of your lipstick), as well as to simply line your lips and prevent your lipstick from feathering out or fading at the ends. Lip Liners are absolutely useful, and if you are a make-up queen, your stash should definitely include these lovelies!

Your List:

• Fun Lip Gloss (Reds, Pinks, or add in more Neutrals!)
• Fun Lip Sticks (Add in more of your favorite shades!)
• Lip Liner (Hint: Match your liners to your favorite lipsticks!)

 Well, now that my list is done, all that’s left is to wish you “happy shopping”, and a congratulations on stepping into the wonderful world of mineral makeup!

 

Abby is a recent UCSB alum and self-proclaimed second-generation hippie with a passion for everything DIY, vegan snickerdoodles, and eco-friendly, sustainable living– in that order. She is happily married to all 6 ½ feet of her wonderful husband, and spends her time taking pictures and writing about about her life in tiny notebooks.  

Note from Lisa: If you know your skin tone (warm or cool) you can easily find makeup shades to compliment your coloring. Check the drop downs and choose a category based on your skin tone. Have so much fun! And always reach out for help when needed. It makes our day!