Everyday Minerals Haul #2

Pros: Wonderful colours, great value
Cons: Some colours are too similar, eyeshadow lacks good pigmentation

After nearly two months of planning—and waffling—I broke down and purchased my second Super Custom Kit (SCK) from Everyday Minerals. I ordered early August and received the package a few days later on August 6. Fast processing and shipping as usual.

Since the new EDM website launch on Sunday, it appears the SCK is no longer available. Guess it was fortunate I broke down when I did. Normally products through EDM run from $6 USD for eyeshadows to $12 USD for foundation powder. The SCK was $50 for 12 products, which averages out to $4.17 per item. Compare that to the cost of Zuzu Luxe or other vegan companies, and you can see why it’s a good deal.

Overall, I am extremely pleased with my order. This time I selected products that would create a subtle look, with an emphasis on soft, pink shades. Since I ordered over $20 in products, I received the “Swan Song Special”. This special was the main influence for the timing of my order. While I was disappointed to miss the bronzer special, I read on the forums that the Soft Bronzer is almost certainly too pink for my skintone. By ordering when I did, I received three eyeshadows that I had already decided to purchase. This freed at least one spot in the SCK for a more expensive finishing dust.

Ah, it’s all about maximizing purchasing power.

I went ahead and ordered another Free Custom Kit, my third or fourth thus far. I wanted to get an Intensive formula of my base colour. It occurred to me that having Ivory Intensive would work well as a concealer, but I didn’t need a third container or a high coverage foundation. I ordered two additional fair toned bases to make sure Ivory is my correct shade. I think I have all of the warm fair bases now.

I decided against buying any brushes this time, although I admit that I did attempt to put the retractable flat top into the SCK (’twas rejected). I own a plethora of brushes and had purchased the e.l.f. Studio powder brush earlier that day.

Here’s what I got.

Super Custom Kit:

  • Buff-Ivory Matte Base
  • Buff-Ivory Original Glow Base
  • Sunlight Finishing Dust
  • Natural Reflections Light Finishing Powder
  • Champagne Lucent Powder
  • Soft Touch Blush
  • Pink Ribbon Blush
  • Theme Park Blush
  • Pots and Pans Eyeshadow
  • Good China Eyeshadow
  • Spin Cycle Eyeshadow
  • On the Phone Eyeshadow

Swan Song Special:

  • Rare Silk
  • Wildflowers
  • Diary

Free Sample Kit:

  • Buff-Ivory Intensive Base
  • Buff-Linen Original Glow
  • Sandy Fair Original Glow
  • Sunlight Concealer
  • Nick Nack Blush

Packaging

Everyday Minerals has quality, durable packaging, though I’ve voiced my complaints on their eyeshadow and sample jars before. The sifter jars for the blushes, finishing and foundation powders work well to control the amount of product that moves to the top portion of the jar. I’ve still had a lot of “leaking” with previous EDM blushes, so I make sure to keep the jars upright at all times. I could have sworn the new eyeshadow jars switched to three holes, but that seems to be erroneous. I double checked my other jars, but there was too much eyeshadow in the top to tell for sure.

Different styles of EDM eyeshadow jars.
Note how the powder gets trapped around the top of the jar and lid threads.

I was pleasantly surprised when I pulled off the brown tissue paper off my package to behold a cohesive set of makeup jars. The lids and containers I received in the past have had different logos and colours, with little uniformity. This was the first time I had received an order with new logos on all of the jars.

Different logos and lids from the past.
The powder on the table comes from simply resealing the jar.

Even the sample jars had switched from the old brown lids. For some reason, two of the lids had blue lettering while three had dark pink. I’m assuming these in particular are specially designed for the Free Sample Kit, since the sample-sized eyeshadows had their own label. The blue might be for foundation samples while the rest have pink. The Ivory base, Sunlight concealer and Nick Nack blush had pink lids, leading me to think Ivory had the wrong lid.

Or it could be completely random and I’m reading too much into it.

Check out the new shiny packaging.

I’m sheepish to admit that this was the first time I noticed the white lids have a pearl finish. It’s very subtle and I had to compare the jars to my previous purchases. Yep. All pearly.

In a move that confuses me to no end, the Champagne Lucent Powder is listed as face colour and has a “Face” label , while Soft Touch is listed as a blush and has a “Cheek” label. Both were listed under the blush section on the old EDM website and under the face section on the new site.

Product

Foundation Powder

This is my second, I repeat second, purchase to correct the foundation shade I’ve bought previously.

I originally believed Fair Neutral was my shade, but it ended up being a smidge too light. I’ll point out that it was the middle of winter when I received my first Free Sample Kit, so that may have influenced my decision. I went back to my samples and concluded my shade was a toss up between the slightly darker Olive Fair and Golden Fair. I decided to go with Golden Fair and ordered a Personal Custom Kit.

A few weeks ago, I was looking through my sample shades, while wondering how I had amassed such a collection (three Free Sample Kits would explain that) and decided to swatch all of the fair shades on my face. Golden Light was very close, but I was surprised to find that Ivory was a dead on match. Ivory is supposed to be the next shade up from Fair Neutral in the Buff category, so it makes sense that it’s a better match over the Golden category.

Everyday Minerals Base:
Golden Fair, Olive Fair, Buff Fair Neutral, Buff Ivory and Buff Linen

The ironic twist is that I had ordered Ivory in my first Free Sample Kit. I’m interested to try out Fair Neutral in the winter to see if is my winter shade or if I was way off from the get go.

After some thinking, I decided to buy two containers of Ivory in both Original Glo and Matte finishes. I’ve always used Original Glo most, so that was in my cart from the beginning. I decided it would be wise to go with a second jar, considering I had finally found a true match and I’ve been using base like crazy since discovering EDM. I considered ordering an Intensive formula that would double as concealer, but had heard other users complain about breakouts. That’s when I came up with the great idea to order an Intensive formula in the Free Custom Kit. I figured that would work better with my skin tone than the Intensive Concealer Fair I ordered earlier through EDM, and I don’t use much concealer. I considered my options for the second jar and choose Matte. I can always mix OGlo and Matte together to make Semi-Matte.

Since I purchased them, I have used Matte and Original Glo formulas and like both. Actually, I don’t see too much of a difference between them, except that Matte covers slightly better. No breakouts either with the Matte. Maybe if I had problem skin, I might see a difference between the two formulas.

The other two shades I selected for the Free Sample Kit are Buff-Linen and Beige-Sandy Fair. I got a little bit of sun this weekend, so I’m curious if Linen is my summer tone. It seems like Ivory is still closer, but maybe not if I get a lot of sun. And to confirm it, the Beige category is completely wrong for me. Sandy Fair is too heavy on the pink for my skintone.

To quote the EDM site about the Buff category:

These shades will fit those complexions with natural to yellowish brown undertones in their skin. You will look better in warm colors, ivory instead of white, and gold jewelry. Hair color is typically warm brown to butterscotch blonde. Eye color can be any shade but will have some gold or yellow specs in them. You should tan instead of burn unless your skin tone is very light beige. You also tend to look washed out without any blush (color) on your cheeks and eyes.

Most of that describes me fairy well.

Final Verdict

Any foundation that actually matches my fair, yellow-undertone skin automatically gets a good rating.

Concealer

I traded out the concealer in the Free Sample Kit several times before deciding on Sunlight. I wanted to get Mint to cover breakouts, but I hadn’t heard many positive words about the EDM version. The Sunlight concealer does a super job reducing my under eye circles and brightening the eye area. So far, I have not attempted applying it all over the face, like I have with Pick Me Up Pink.

Final Verdict

I like this concealer so much that I sometimes wish I had bought a full size jar.

Finishing Dust

I’ve never had much interest in finishing dusts, preferring to avoid that section on EDM, but this time I broke down and bought a couple. My skin is extremely dry, so I made sure to avoid the Kaolin powders. I’ll admit that I still don’t quite see the need for such things with my skin type, but they are one of the most expensive products at EDM at $12 USD.

I bought two.

The Sunlight Finishing Dust works very well with my skintone and applies silky smooth on top of my base. It’s on the yellow side, but not overwhelming. Due to my dry skin, I do not use finishing dust to prime my face, so I can’t comment on that aspect.

I noticed that of all the large powders I bought, the Sunlight FD is listed as having .42 oz, versus the standard .19 oz for everything else. There is so much product crammed into the jar, that I cannot get much of any powder to come out. Even the middle of the sifter lid bulges from the excess pressure. I’ll admit that I haven’t used the SunlightFD often due to the trouble I have getting anything to come up through the sifter holes.

There is so much product, the middle of the sifter lid is bulging from the pressure.

While I bought the Sunlight FD to work with skin tone, I had my heart set on a Natural Reflections finishing dust. After searching around on the forums, I decided to go with Natural Reflections Light over Natural Reflections Fair. Despite what the website states, it’s not that yellow. It’s quite similar to my Ivory base. The great thing about NR Light is that it has natural sun protection. My Alba Botanicals Jasmine moisturizer does not protect against sun damage, so I wanted to have something for my face that would. Light skin, increased risk of skin cancer, and whatnot. I wore the NR Light over the weekend and it appeared to do a good job protecting my skin from the sun.

Final Verdict

I like the products, but I’m not convinced I need finishing dusts, considering my dry skin.

Blush

I love blush. Period.

Since becoming vegan, blush and foundation have been the products I most coveted. They are expensive in general and finding nice, pink vegan blushes is difficult. The sole reason I never wore foundation was because of the price. I simply could not afford it. I think Ecco Bella foundations are about $17 and, of course, you need powder. I bought Zia pressed powder for about $14 USD and went through it in a matter of months.

For blush, I would occasionally scrape together enough money to buy a new compact every other year or so. I resorted to using lipstick as an impromptu rouge. A few years ago, I stumbled upon Beauty Without Cruelty blushes at a short-lived health store in downtown Iowa City. About a week after I bought it, I dropped the cursed thing. It shattered all over the bathroom floor and I only managed to salvage a part of it. It wasn’t even that great a colour.

Since discovering EDM half a year ago, I’ve gone a little blush crazy. Every time I order, I feel the urge to buy more pink blushes. This time around I ended up with four large blushes, including Champagne, and a sample jar of Nick Nack.

Some blush swatches featuring a few of the blushes I purchased.

On the new website for EDM, Champagne is listed under the face section (so is Soft Touch), so I suppose it’s not considered a blush anymore. I originally planned to purchase Viki’s Radiant Creation and I’m not sure if I made the right decision to leave it behind. I do like sparkles, but I think I may have been better served buying Wet Sand. Champagne is ultra shimmery. When used as an eyeshadow, it’s very similar to the consistency of the e.l.f. Mineral Eyeshadow. On the cheeks, I like to layer Champagne over a matte blush for a shimmer boost.

A few Free Sample Kits back, I ordered a sample jar of Soft Touch. Though I really liked it, I selected a full size Bouquet when I ordered my first SCK. It’s pretty, but mauve-y compared to Soft Touch. This time around, I was adamant to purchase a full size Soft Touch. It’s a very subtle, pretty pink colour and there’s no need to worry about over-applying.

Looking over the many swatches online, I knew I wanted Theme Park. I like sparkles, but I’m wary of the EDM Shimmer category ever since I bought a super shimmery sample of Homework. Theme Park does have shimmer, but I don’t feel it’s overwhelming. Despite my current obsession with pink makeup, I don’t normally wear “true” pinks, but rather nude-y pinks. Theme Park is exactly my type of pink and I’m really happy with it. It has more pigment than Soft Touch, but it’s not too strong.

More blush swatches…

I had several blushes in my cart at one time or another—Snuggle, Back to School, Best Friends—but at the last moment, I went with Pink Ribbon. When I first opened the EDM package, I was surprised to find Soft Touch and Pink Ribbon look nearly identical. On the skin, the latter is a bit more vibrant, but what sets them apart is the shimmer. While nothing compared to Theme Park, there is a gentle shimmer to Pink Ribbon. Like Soft Touch, Pink Ribbon is a very subtle blush. I need to layer it to get a good glow.

I went with Nick Nack for the sample blush after hearing nothing but good things on the forums. The reason I only got a sample size was because the last time I took the advice of the forum, I ended up with a full size Waffle Cone that I didn’t like at all, but have since come to terms with and occasionally use as a bronzer. I am so pleased with Nick Nack that I should have bought a full size jar instead of Soft Touch. As mentioned with Theme Park, I usually prefer nudes over true pinks. Nick Nack is roughly the same shade and strength as Soft Touch with a bit more nude/peach tint. Really pretty.

Final Verdict

All of the blushes are very pretty and apply well. I am a little disappointed that Pink Ribbon and Soft Touch are so similar. I would have been better off with Nick Nack since there’s little reason to have full sizes of both Pink Ribbon and Soft Touch.

Eyeshadows

Ah, eyeshadows. I love eyeshadows. This time around, I choose all light pink shades. All of the full size shadows and Diary have a fair amount of shimmer, despite their listing on the EDM site.

Pink EDM Eyeshadows: On the Phone, Good China, Spin Cycle, and Pots and Pans

Pots and Pans

Pots and Pans is a very pretty light, nearly white, pink with purple undertones. I originally considered purchasing a sample jar and am so glad I went with the full size. It’s great as a highlighter.

Spin Cycle & Good China

I’ll review Spin Cycle and Good China simultaneously. Though they look quite different in jars, they appear similar when applied dry. I swatched them and could barely tell them apart. There is, however, a substantial colour separation in Good China that bothers me. Spin Cycle is a soft pink colour, while Good China leans towards peach. Both work well as an eye highlighter.

I had trouble choosing between Jane Eyre, Hot Chocolate, Late Checkout and Good China for my final eyeshadow. I really wanted Jane Eyre, but decided to go with Good China. In retrospect that was the wrong decision, given the similarities between it and Spin Cycle. Ah, the joys of Interweb shopping.

On the Phone

On the Phone is the darkest of the four full size shadows I purchased. It’s basically a darker version of Spin Cycle with brown undertones. When I use the term “darker”, I mean barely darker. All four shadows are interchangeable. That said, I still prefer to use On the Phone as a lid colour, as opposed to a highlighter.

Swan Song Eyeshadow Special

The Swan Song Special allowed me to get Rare Silk, Wildflowers and Diary. I already intended to buy Smokey Pink, which I’ve heard is nearly identical to Diary, so the special did me a favor. I am really pleased with Diary. It looks dark in the jar, but is subtle when applied in the crease. I like to pair it with Pots and Pans/Spin Cycle. Hopefully it will stay around long enough for me to get a full size jar later.

Everyday Minerals Swan Song Special: Rare Silk, Wildflowers, and Diary

Rare Silk and Wildflowers are the only matte shades I received this time. I’ve been interested in these two shades for awhile and was not disappointed. Together, they create a subtle, natural daytime look. Rare Silk is a neutral, light–but not white–colour, while Wildflowers is brown with strong purple undertones. Initially, I thought this brown would clash with my skintone, but I find it works surprisingly well. I even use it as a brow colour.

Everyday Minerals Swan Song Special Swatches:
Rare Silk, Wildflowers, and Diary

Final Verdict

Very pretty, but a bit redundant. I plan to swap Good China because I am disappointed by the colour separation and the closeness in colour to Spin Cycle.

Product Images

Final Thoughts

Overall, I am pleased with the contents of my order. Since discovering Everyday Minerals, I have been nothing but pleased with their makeup. By using their products, I get exactly the subtle and natural look I want.

I do feel that some of my choices were redundant, but fortunately this was not my first order. I’m considering swapping a couple of my products, like Good China and possibly Soft Touch.

I’m glad I ordered the SCK when I did, after discovering the new EDM site Sunday and learning about the removal of the kit. I’m not sure how this will affect future purchases I make.

And that concludes my absurdly long review.