Despite a seemingly crowded beauty industry, most makeup brands usually get their start from a founder’s desire to fill a hole in the market.

In Jane Iredale’s case, the former Hollywood casting director simply wanted a foundation that didn’t cause breakouts after seeing fully made-up actors with bad skin day in and day out.

A plastic surgeon liked her mineral-based loose powder and how it offered safe coverage for those who had just undergone laser procedures; the medical community followed suit, and the rest is history. Celebrities like Helen Mirren, Rihanna and Sandra Bullock are fans, too.

Today the Jane Iredale line offers a wide variety of different beauty products in numerous formulations and shades, with one common denominator: all-natural, organic, ethically-sourced ingredients that care for and protect skin as it colors and covers.

Global educator Shawn Towne was in Manila recently to spread the gospel of Jane Iredale to Filipino women looking for a healthier alternative.

“Our ‘Amazing Base,’ which is the first product Jane ever created—we launched this in 1994—we named it that because people would put it on and they’d say, ‘That’s amazing,’” said Towne.

He added, “You put it on the skin, it’s seamless, it stays on all day, it evens out the skin tone but it doesn’t look like makeup. And it adds luminosity to the skin to make it look fresh and radiant.”

Lightweight coverage

Not only do the foundations offer lightweight and buildable coverage, all of the bases have SPF and have earned the seal of recommendation from the Skin Cancer Foundation. In order to qualify for this certification, a brand must provide scientific data that prove their products “sufficiently and safely aid in the prevention of sun-induced damage to the skin.” Very comforting to know, especially since we get more than our fair share of sun in the Philippines.

Apart from the endorsement of Skin Cancer Foundation, the brand’s hydration mists, used to provide lightweight moisture while setting mineral makeup, cleanser and toner, have the Ecocert certification, signifying that the ingredients used are truly natural and organic.

Love animals? The brand ensures that its brush fibers are cruelty-free. It doesn’t condone animal testing either, which explains why the brand is not available in certain countries that require imported products to be tested on animals before allowing them to be sold in that country.

If you have sensitive skin, you’ll be glad to know that Jane Iredale’s products are free of synthetic preservatives like paraben, FD&C dyes, and talc.

“Talc is clogging to pores, irritates skin and is garbage to photograph,” said Towne.

The pure mineral content of the powders and pigments gives skin a natural glow, thanks to mineral makeup’s natural ability to reflect and disperse light.

During Towne’s makeup demo, we saw for ourselves just how easy it was to create a flawless face using just a mineral powder, a concealer, and matte eyeshadows and blush from the spring collection.

The matte eyeshadow palette (Naturally Matte Mineral Eye Shadow Kit) is a “naturally neutral” set that creates an invisibly defined eye look. We were impressed at how the medium shade, Eggplant (described as a matte rose brown), was able to create a deepened eye crease without making you look like you were wearing eyeshadow at all.

Pro-tip

Towne’s pro tip for layering eyeshadow: Use the medium shade to create definition first instead of going from light to dark. Applying the light eyeshadow dilutes the darker colors and will prevent you from getting the intensity you want.

For sculpted cheeks with warmth, Towne recommended Flawless, another deeper skin tone-like shade that makes your cheeks look healthy without being too red or pink.

We liked the products so much that we found ourselves at the Jane Iredale counter the day after his demo, where we also bought Sugar & Butter, a dual-ended lip bullet with a sugar-infused lip exfoliator containing Turbinado sugar and macadamia oil on one end, and a tinted hydrating lip plumper on the other end. The effect is instantaneous and leaves your lips primed and ready for your favorite lippie.

We also recommend Pommisst, a pomegranate-infused, antioxidant-rich hydration mist that plumps up thirsty skin while protecting it from environmental aggressors. Using it as a setting spray helped our makeup stay fresh all day.

Jane Iredale is exclusively available at Rustan’s The Beauty Source.