You know what sucks? When, seemingly overnight your skin totally changes and freaks out and everything you were using before makes you look like an extra from “The Walking Dead.” Thanks, Rosacea!

For a long time my foundation of choice was Illamasqua Skin Base but I noticed about a year back that it just wasn’t working for me, as my skin had gotten drier, prone to flakes and more red (yes, thanks to Rosacea). Out of desperation I dug up my Bare Minerals foundation and tried it — HORROR. I looked like a glittery, powdered prune. Because my skin was so dehydrated and dry, it clung to lines I didn’t even know were there. Yeah, gonna pass on that. A friend recommended Aromaleigh Cosmetics so I ordered some samples and liked those so much I got the full sizes.

Aromaleigh’s foundations come in 3 formulas but I tried two — Dewdrop, which is a medium coverage foundation and Pashmina which is full coverage. Since I had ordered samples to get the right color (hard to do for a pale, neutral-toned person like me) I got both in the shade 2N.

Since I was placing an order I decided to try one of their finishing powders. They have 8 kinds of finishing primers but since I wanted something that would add in some glow, I decided on the Luminesce Divine Powder which is described as “Luminesce Divine is a neutral and translucent, sheer, loose mineral cosmetic finishing powder that gives your skin more of a dewy glow.” The color I chose is Cherub, which is a translucent shade.

One thing I noticed right away about Dewdrop and Pashmina is they are NOT glittery or sparkly like Bare Minerals can be. They’re also not chalky or matte. I don’t have to “buff them in” which is nice because my dry skin cannot handle that much brush action. Instead I can use a brush to pat them on — patting on a bit more where I need more coverage. I’ve also used a damp Real Techniques sponge and that worked surprisingly well. They give a good, natural looking finish that covers up the redness I have admirably.

The following pictures will show you how they performed on bare skin. I have a tan colored freckle on my left hand so I wondered how they would work at covering it up.

Not bad, right? The Pashmina covered the freckle entirely. Now, on to the Luminesce Divine. It has a white iridescence with a hint of white gold. Applied heavily in the photos below so it will show up on camera.

But what about ON MAH FACE??? Ok, since you asked…. these were applied on bare skin. No primer or anything.

Both foundations did a great job of evening my skin tone, disguising the redness and purple areas around my eyes. Dewdrop has a much lighter coverage but I could pat on more where I needed to. Pashmina did a better job of covering the redness in one layer — because it’s a full coverage foundation, of course. But I felt I could go in with a small brush where I needed to, to cover any zits or Rosacea-papules without it looking heavy. They didn’t cling to the dry flaky areas on my cheeks OR accentuate the fine lines on my cheekbones. I find that I get the kind of coverage I prefer by using Dewdrop all over my face and then using Pashmina as a sort of concealer to cover up any redness, zits or discoloration I have.

The Luminesce Divine looked great and added a glow that has ZERO glitter or sparkle. I applied it heavily here so it would show on camera. For ‘real life’ I’d apply a bit less and it would still show up. I found I could also mix a tiny bit into my foundation before I applied for an all-over glow.

I’ve been using these foundations for about 4 months so I could give them a really good review through different weather conditions and see how my skin reacted to them. I found they wore really well even without a primer. Usually I just use my Paula’s Choice Sunscreen and pat these on and get a good 6 hours of wear without needing to touch up. After 6 hours they got a little patchy around my chin but I would just blot them with a tissue and that was fine. With an actual primer (like the Hourglass mineral Veil primer) I didn’t have those issues. These wore well during the winter months as well as out humid and hot spring. I think they’ll hold up during the summer too. They felt light and never heavy or like they’d slide off of m face.

If you’re looking for a new mineral foundation, definitely give these a try. Especially if you’re a pale person who has trouble finding a shade to match. They have a pure white color that you can add in to any of their shades, as well as colored toners so you can mix up a perfect match.

Aromaleigh Foundations come in 3 sizes:

SAMPLE size which is 1/3 of a teaspoon in a baggie for $2.25

FULL size which is 10 grams and is $17.00

LARGE size which is 25 grams and $37.00

Luminesce Divine Finishing Powder also comes in 3 sizes:

SAMPLE size which is 1/2 teaspoon for $2.00

FULL size which is 10 grams for $14.00

LARGE size which is 25 grams and $30.00

Aromaleigh Cosmetics is cruelty free, of course and many of their products are vegan.

Disclaimer: All products were purchased by me and all opinions are mine alone.