In my battle with acne, I’ve been forced to change many things in my life, from food to make up.  Like I said, I’m sure I have Candida which causes my acne internally, but it’s also made me sensitive to certain products from laundry detergent to make up. I have used Bare Minerals since right after Savannah was born. I had clear skin then, fresh from pregnancy and still breastfeeding so my hormones kept my skin beautiful.  I bought Bare Minerals because I wanted a fancy make up that would last on my wedding day, and for 2 years I stuck with it.  However, I realized this summer that even though many mineral make ups claim to all natural and “safe to even sleep in!” it’s not true.  Particularly there is a filler ingredient called Bismuth Oxychloride that actually reacts with some people’s skin to either itch like crazy or break out. Yeah, they don’t tell you that in the commercials!

I realized that my make up was actually harming my skin rather than just covering up the issues I already had.  And so, I seriously spent all summer trying to find make up that 1) Didn’t break me out and 2) Covered up the scars and acne I did have.  It was quite a search because every one I tried either covered wonderfully but broke me out, or didn’t break me out but had no coverage. Frustrating, no? I also really wanted a makeup that was natural and didn’t contain things like parabens (which is rumored to cause cancer) but it was impossible to find a make up that suited everything I needed. And very costly to keep trying things out!  Finally, I discovered Sterling Minerals on an online forum.  They have samples to try before commiting and I’ve fallen in love with the two samples I’ve had (trying to find the right color for me, but more on that later).

Why do I love Sterling  Minerals? Well, it meets all of the above reasons: its natural ingredients, great coverage, and doesn’t break me out. But, I also love that these products can be made to suit anyone of any age or skin type. For example, the foundations come in three different types of bases that help with certain types of skin (dry, normal, oily). I use the Velvet Rose base and it really does help combat my super oily skin! I love that it’s a smaller company that you can really tell values their customers. The founder, Katherine Corkill, just oozes out passion for what she does in her newsletter/blog that talks about issues with skin care and in her videos. And?  Her wet method application technique has been a wonderful new way to get the coverge I need on my acne scars.  I’ve been using mineral make up for 2.5 years but thought water would be a big no-no! It actually helps my makeup stay on longer and cover much better.  She now has a whole collection of short videos that show how to apply mineral makeup for the best application.

Plus? They ship super quick! And it’s not ridiculously expensive! Sure, it’s more than a drug store find, but for the same price as Bare Minerals it’s better quality.

The only thing that makes it difficult is that it is an internet based company, so it is hard to find the shade of foundation that matches perfectly from only the picture online. Like I said, I had to buy two different samples, but the beauty of mineral makeup is that it can be combined with other shades to make your perfect color!  Other than that, I’m absolutely thrilled with this company all around.

The O Momma Recommends series is based on products that I find helpful in daily life, that I’ve discovered my self, and have not been paid or supplied the products to review.