Review: Youngblood Mineral Foundation

I rather like testing out foundations and writing up my experience, so here we go with another one!

I actually used this foundation a few years ago when I was on a mineral foundation kick and remembered really loving it. I hadn’t thought of it much since (like Jay-z, I’m always on to the next one) until I stopped into Henri Bendel’s last weekend and spotted a Youngblood counter! It got me re-interested in the brand, and I ordered a trial pack from YBskin.com for light complexions. The kit is a good deal; for $45 you get two different shades of foundation, a Mineral Rice setting powder, a blush, and a mini-kabuki brush. All of the products are smaller than full size, but it’s a nice way to try out the brand and test the foundation colors. They also include a little mini Hi-Def powder sample, but I haven’t tried that yet and it is too tiny to really count.

Overall, I was really impressed by the foundation! The company was founded to provide makeup that is safe for women post-cosmetic surgery/microderm abrasion/lasering, etc. so it is ultra safe and gentle. I have really sensitive skin, so this definitely attracted me to the brand. Side note: I have heard several mentions recently of products (this one included) being “Talc Free”, and I have no idea why this maters. It is on my to-do list to research what is wrong with talc! It is the main ingredient in my Givenchy face powder, Lars Laguna, etc. and those have good reputations, so I will dig into this issue and post an update when I find out the scoop on Talc.

The foundation blends beautifully, is really easy to apply, and gives remarkably good coverage. I was surprised to see how well it photographed, because I thought it sat on the skin a little more than it looks in the pictures. Up close in my mirror, I thought it looked more obvious in pores than some of the better liquid foundations, but the photos definitely tell a different story. Either this is a huge benefit that the foundation photographs even better than it looks in person (which is often NOT the case!) or I am just feeling a little sensitive about my dry patches today. I ended up just blending the two different foundation colors because I got bit lazy about determining which one was best for my skin, but as you can tell from the photos it blends into my skin seamlessly and there is no line of demarcation at my neck. I was really surprised by the up-close photo i took that you could not see the foundation AT ALL in my eyebrow hairs! I have really light brows (and am unfortunately lazy about coloring them in) and foundation always migrates into my brow hairs and makes them look cakey/gross. I usually have to take a q-tip and rub on top of my brows to get any renegade foundation off. No such need with Youngblood! This was a true testament to how naturally gorgeous the foundation is and what a seamless finish you get, even though the coverage is medium to full on me.

The feel of the foundation is like nothing is on my skin at all – amazing. Feels very light, no scent, love all that. The blush was fun to use – its a great peachy/pinky color – but the color pay off was a little more sheer than I tend to prefer. This is awesome for creating a sheer wash of color and subtle glow, but I think it would be hard to really build up if you wanted to. With that natural look of the foundation though the blush was really pretty, and I will definitely continue to use it and try it out on other foundations as well!

I really enjoyed using this foundation, and LOVED the photo results of how my skin looks, but this review was a reminder that mineral foundation is just a bit messy. I laid down a paper towel before I began, and I am so glad I did because I definitely got foundation and blush powder on it! Note, this came from when I was putting it in the lid, swirling the brush, and tapping off the excess a bit clumsily – NOT from the actual application on my skin. This mess is not a big deal when I am doing my foundation from the comfort of my own home, but I often do it on the fly, at work, and in bathrooms right before a work event – so this may narrow my use of Youngblood to at home occasions. I will definitely be trying out their new liquid foundation though, which gets amazing reviews, to see if that one can become a staple of my travel make up bag!

Freshly primed skin. I used my Laura Mercier Mineral Primer. I still have a bit of NARS concealer on under my eyes as well, as I had to run to Duane Reade for dishwasher detergent earlier and didn’t want to terrify the clerk with my dark under eye circles.

After applying Youngblood Foundation. I mixed together the shades Neutral and Barely Beige together in the lid, swirled in the little Kabuki brush that came with the kit, tapped off the excess powder and then applied it using circular motions all over my face!

Next I applied my Nars Laguna bronzer as a contour color under my cheekbones, down the sides of my nose, and around my temples, followed by the Youngblood blush in Sherbert.

I finished my look with a quick wash of NARS Alhambra eyeshadow duo over my entire lid and in the inner corners of my eyes. I just mix together the gold and pink toned shades. Then I swiped on NARS eyeliner in Mambo on my upper lash line, and finished my eyes with a coat of Almay Intense I-Color mascara for blue eyes. I put on my new favorite lipstick, the color Vovray by Bite, and called it a day.