Product rave: The Make Up Store Wonder Powder

This is something i've been wanting to purchase for a long time and finally dropped 40 euros on..sigh. It is truly an amazing product and i'm surprised that Makeupalley.com doesn't even have this brand listed when they're more or less present in every major country. The Make Up Store is a highly popular Swedish makeup brand founded in 1996 which is currently taking over large chunks of the market. I am one of the ones that have been recently 'converted', not necessarily to the entire range of products but surely to a few ones. This mineral powder's name completely does it justice- it is an amazing, wonderful product. It works and looks like a combination of powder, illuminator and foundation. It comes in four shades and i am currently using the darkest one which is much lighter than any bronzer i own; i purchased the darkest tone because of the summer that is going to come soon- the quantity in the jar lasts for quite a while (19 grams or 0.67 fluid ounces).



I heard about this product while reading one of Sweden's most popular beauty blogs; the author swore by it and i had been indeed inquiring about the 'glow from within' complexion so many Swedish girls are sporting. It is not glitter, it is not pearly white sheen, it is something amazing that i could never find, no matter how many illuminators i have tried. I remember my most favorite was the Revlon Skin Lights Face Illuminator, i had both the powder and the liquid version but it still wasn't the same. First of all, there was the glitter inside. I didn't even know what i was looking for but it was definitely not something with too much glitter or shimmer. Second, the limited choice of colors and use- the Revlon illuminator was just an illuminator that became hard to work with, mix with the foundation or apply afterwards. It did not blend in properly and i remember i ended up throwing the tube with the liquid. I kept the powder though for summer nights bronzed goddess look.

However. When i read about this product, as i mentioned in the beginning of this post, i couldn't help at going straight to the store the next day and trying all shades. This is what mine looks like, in Gobi. First picture with flash:



And without flash (lamp light, it's already dark outside but i couldn't wait any longer to blog about this):



aaaaand this is a sort of depiction of what it looks like on my skin (wrist). Unfortunately the artificial light doesn't bring out the entire effect of the powder. Without flash:



with flash:



I love the incredibly delicate finish that indeed looks like the skin is glowing from the inside. The application is a bit tricky. When the SA tried to show me how to apply it i thought she was taking me for an idiot and that i most certainly didn't need how to 'learn' swirling some powder on. Big mistake- it is indeed a tricky product. To get the best of it you need the smallest quantity, because it is very buildable; it doesn't show any skin pores or fine lines either, which is great. The SA recommended a synthetic kabuki or powder brush, because soft natural bristles would pick too much product. The key of a successful application is picking up the tiniest amount of product and really working it into the skin. The swirling and gentle rubbing help the powder release the glow; i thought she was kidding and when i got home i washed my face to apply new makeup for a night out; swirled it across my cheekbones and nothing. The effect was that of a simple powder-bronzer, nothing close to the beautiful glow the powder gave me when the SA applied it. And i took her advice and boom. Instant glamazon in the mirror. I love it and couldn't live without it. I actually wonder if this stuff was some well kept secret or something...i should have heard of it by now.

The other shades it comes in are Sahara, the lightest, almost 100% pure illuminator, Kalahari, which perfectly mimics the naturally pale Scandinavian complexion, so it can be used as foundation by someone with a light skin tone or illuminator if you're wearing a darker foundation or have a naturally darker complexion, Gobi, the one that i have, a tad darker than my natural skintone but amazingly pigmented and not orange or terracotta-like at all, no redness, just a deep rich dark beige with champagne undertones, and Sinai, the darkest of them all, which was not available at the store where i made my purchase. The Gobi shade is perfect for light complexions when slightly tanned or even darker complexions. It is a rather chameleonic shade, fitting every skintone.

I find that it works best if i let the moisturizer completely sink in, especially if i am using it as foundation only, without anything underneath. it covers really well and gives the skin a healthy, summery glow that doesn't look fake at all, but i have to be attentive, as i said, to leave my moisturizer sink in otherwise it can look a little patchy. With this stuff you MUST have a very light hand and slowly build it up, just like with any other mineral powder/foundation. It contains titanium dioxide so it provides a mild SPF which is another plus for me.
I think i am going to purchase the Kalahari shade as well, to use it separately or mix it with other powders and bronzers i have. I am completely in love.

ps Tomorrow morning i am posting pics with the Wonder Powder on! Yay!