Review | Inika Mineral Foundation with SPF 15

Wednesday, April 23


My first introduction to mineral make up was through the brand Bare Minerals. I had always been a liquid foundation girl, and even though I have oily/combination skin I have always loved a glowy finish that I thought was impossible with a powder foundation. The Bare Minerals Foundation is a light powder foundation, finely milled so that it sits very gently on your skin whilst reflecting lots of light to give you that healthy, dewy finish. Unfortunately the Bare Minerals foundation contains bismuth oxychloride, a filler ingredient that has a pearlescent finish and helps give your skin that lovely glow. However in it's raw state it's not a safe ingredient and must go through a long list of processes and extractions in order to be safe to use in cosmetics. The actual original mineral can be classed as 'natural' as this is extracted from the earth, yet the finished ingredient in the pot of foundation is highly refined and not at all natural. This is where Inika Mineral Powder Foundation comes in and where fans of the Bare Minerals Original Foundation with SPF 15 can find a cleaner and greener alternative.


Ingredients

Mica (CI 77019) May contain (+/-) Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891); Zinc Oxide (CI 77947); Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499); Ultramarines (CI 77007)

Packaging

The Inika packaging is simple and practical, with a matte black screw lid and a plastic pot for your foundation. Inside there are multiple holes to prevent all the powder falling out, and it's easy just to tap a bit out into the lid and swirl with your powder brush. It's not particularly luxurious but it's not cheap looking either.


Performance


Wearing only Inika Foundation (no concealer/finishing powder) 

I really like this foundation. It gives a light coverage and easily builds to a light/medium coverage and has an SPF of 15. I find it doesn't cover up spots and blemishes on its own very well, but it does a truly amazing job of evening out skin tone and reducing redness and any blotchy patches. I wear this during the day and when paired with concealer it makes me look like I have flawless skin (which is definitely not the case!) with no cakiness or pore clogging. There's no heavy feeling and it sits beautifully, almost like a second skin. If I use my phone I don't get that horrible transfer and often I don't re-apply in the evening at all, I just re-touch my concealer. Unfortunately though I don't find it gives much of a glowing or dewy finish, and I guess this is expected from a mineral powder - it's the only thing stopping me from saying this is a dupe for the Bare Minerals foundation. It doesn't give a matte finish either, as it's so light it allows natural oils from the skin to come through. Depending on your skin type, I would say this is a semi-matte finish with a tendency towards matte.

This is definitely a foundation for good skin days, when little coverage is needed and you want to look polished but still let your skin breathe (I know, not literally). This is going to be perfect for the summer and on holiday, especially as it is really durable and has a good SPF. I still prefer liquid foundation for the evening or when I want something a bit 'more', but for everyday wear you can't really go wrong with this foundation.

I find the shade selection a little limited, especially if you have darker skin, although their descriptions are incredibly accurate and the one I chose - "Strength" - matches my skin perfectly.

Price

This retails at £27.50 which is £2.50 more than the Bare Minerals. I purchase mine from Naturisimo which is always cheaper than from Inika, and they currently have it on sale for an amazing £19. I think £27.50 is on the steep side for such a lightweight foundation and previously I think I paid around £22-23 for it, which is slightly more affordable. I would purchase this again and love Inika as a brand - their philosophy and commitment to ethical and sustainable make up is something I wish more cosmetics companies would aspire to. They are certified vegan, cruelty free as well as certified organic by two certification bodies. You can see more about their commitment to green beauty here.

Have you tried this foundation and did it work the same for you? I have their liquid foundation on my wish list, and I really want to try their mascara and brow pencils, so do let me know if you've tried them and if you'd recommend them :)

x

*This post is not sponsored. The foundation was purchased with my own money & my review is not being compensated in any way*
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16 comments :

  1. Great review! I have a preference for matte finish (with foundations or powders). I have never tried Inika yet.
    x

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    1. Thank you! If you like matte then you should probably give this a go :) x

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  2. For over 4 years I use only mineral foundations (now Lily Lolo and Everyday Minerals). Since I discovered them I don't want anything else.

    I never heard about Inika, but seems interesting!

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    1. I would definitely recommend trying Inika. I have only heard great things about Lily Lolo, but still haven't tried them!

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  3. Your skin looks healthy and beautiful!

    Say, have you tried Christopher Drummond's Veludo Foundation? If you have, would you recommend Inika's mineral foundation over it?

    http://sagelliv.blogspot.com/

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    1. Thank you! :) No I haven't, although I really want to. I love how there are essential oils in his mineral foundation and have wanted to try it for ages. So unfortunately I can't compare the two :(

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  4. You have gorgeous skin! I was a cream/creme foundation user, then moved to mineral loose powder, now I love liquid for it's dewy finish (at least the one I use). I tried a sample of Inika liquid foundation but it was too dark and was way too fragranced. Lovely review xo

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    1. Thank you, although make up always helps ;) I'm also leaning towards wearing more liquid foundations at the minute, although I've never really tried cream formulas. I have my eye on the Kjaer Weiss one, but... $$$$! x

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  5. Sounds great as a holiday product and for summer, I love the fact that it has SPF in :) x

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    1. Yeah me too, it just gives you that extra coverage when you need it :) x

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  6. I don't seem to get on with mineral powder foundation. I have the Lily Lolo one and keep trying it because I want to like it. Perhaps my skin is just too dry for mineral foundation. Have you tried the Lily Lolo one and do you know how Inika compares? xx

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    1. I haven't tried Lily Lolo actually, but the ingredients look very similar to Inika. I think mineral foundation is great unless you have particularly dry skin as it doesn't add any moisture. If you want to use your Lily Lolo one maybe try a moisturising primer underneath and see how it applies then? Or try a tinted fluid foundation and then use your Lily Lolo powder to set it :) x

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  7. I never tried anything from Inika but I do love my Lily Lolo foundation<3 I've been using it for the longest and I don't feel any need to try anything else! :)

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    1. I think I need to give the Lily Lolo one a try :) x

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  8. I've been using this for a while now and love it! xx

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