Meow Cosmetics: the cat's pajamas? (Part I)

     Since sometime in the seventh grade, I've waged a war with acne and oily skin. That is primarily the reason why I never looked at putting my make up on as a fun or confidence boosting experience during my high school years- it was just something I did to hide my face. I never took the time to think about what would work the best with my skin, I just wanted it to be hidden, so I turned to thick, opaque foundations and magical zit- shrinking concealer sticks (yeah, they didn't work.) Sometime last winter I started experiencing make up as a way to express myself and to enhance my features instead of just trying to use it as a mask. After doing a little bit of research, I thought that a loose- powder mineral foundation might be a good option for my oily skin during the summer. While I was confident that a mineral foundation wouldn't irritate my skin, I was somewhat skeptical about the level of coverage. After cruising other blogs and googling reviews on various companies, the foundation I chose to try is from Meow Cosmetics and I also purchased their powder concealer. Of course, I purchased the samples first so I could get matched up well, which led to some blush samples, which led to two full sized blushes, and I received free eyeshadow samples with an order, so I wound up buying a  bunch of eyeshadow samples... we all know how the story goes ;) So there will be three posts on Meow Cosmetics from me, hence this being Part I. While the other posts will be swatch heavy, I'm not going to swatch the concealer and foundation because it's hard to do, but the website has wonderful swatches for these. 

Purrrfect Cover Concealer

What they say: Purr-fect cover Mineral Concealer is our heaviest coverage product.  It's capable of covering most any imperfection, offering nearly opaque coverage.

The stats: The ingredients are Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide, and Iron Oxides. The cost for a full- sized 20 gram jar (4 gram net weight) is $15.95 and sample baggies are $1. Meow also offers and under eye concealer at a different price and size and color- correcting concealers. My shade is "Frisky Sphynx." 

Pros: This really does offer nice, natural- looking coverage. I guess it's because it is a powder, but the blemish/ scar/ whatever you're trying to hide just fades into the rest of your face. I use this under my eyes too, and it makes all the darkness just go away and the entire under eye area looks brighter, making me look more awake ;) Also, the website says that this contains anti- inflammatory ingredients, so I'm hoping that means it makes the swelly spots on my face go down. I don't think it heals blemishes, but it doesn't make them worse and I feel like my skin can breathe under this, which helps the healing process.

Cons: If I'm not careful with this around my eyes, it can make them a bit teary. I don't think it's so much the formulation that does it, it's just that it's where the powder is... well... dry. And dry + eyeball = uncomfortable. 

Stars: 5/5

Would I buy again?: Yes.

Flawless Feline Mineral Foundation

What they say: Flawless Feline provides complete coverage with no stiff, chalky feeling.  It's wonderful slip , easy melt, and glorious texture will make you feel as though you have nothing on. Plus, you'll never find any irritants here.  No bismuth, no fillers, only the absolute highest end most luxurious ingredients available to the industry today.   Flawless Feline is  the apex of pure, natural, matte purrr-fection that you've come to expect from Meow Cosmetics.  And of course, it's sold in our huge, luxurious, 3 oz jar!

The stats: The ingredients are Mica, Zinc Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, Boron Nitride, and Iron Oxides. It comes in a 85 gram jar (22-30 gram net weight) for $26.95, a "munchkin" jar, which is   $14.95 for a 25 gram jar (6-8 gram net weight) and sample baggies are $1.  There are two other mineral foundation formulas from Meow and both are just a smidge cheaper, although they are lighter coverage. Like the concealer, this is in "Frisky Sphynx."

 Pros: I like that there are 72 shades with 3 different formulas (yay for choices!) This might seem a bit on the pricey side, but considering how little you actually need to use per use and how long it will last, it's worth it (to me, at least.) This doesn't irritate my skin at all- my skin feels like it can breathe. It barely feels like I"m even wearing makeup. One of the coolest things about this is the oil- control aspect. Eventually I do get some oilies, but it takes so much longer than with a regular liquid foundation. 

Cons: Because it is a powder, this can be very drying if worn without a good moisturizer. I also suggest using a primer because a lot of powders have trouble sticking to bare, clean skin. My favorite primer to use with this is Fyrinnae's Velvet Gel Silica Primer, although I've used others with success. If you use too much powder it will looks cakey. This might also make you look pale in flash photography because of the titanium dioxide. 

Stars: 4.5/5 I know this is a powder, but I wish it was just a tad less drying.

Would I buy again?: Yes.

This is what the containers look like open. I'm normally not a fan of sifters, but these keep you from getting too much powder on your brush. 

These are the brushes I use to apply my Meow powders. They are all from EcoTools. The small brush I use for the concealer, the fat one is sold as a brozer brush but buffs in foundation beautifully, and the duofiber one is good for just going over everything and making sure that all of the powder is blended in properly.

The left picture shows me with concealer on the rightt side of my face (the left side in the pic) and nothing on the left side (right side of the pic.) The right pic is after all of the concealer and foundation has been applied. 

     I believe I've found my perfect Summertime foundation in Meow's Purrr-fect Puss and the concealer is wonderful, too. The website is easy to navigate and I like how you can sample pretty much everything before you buy a full- size. They have a mailing list and a Facebook page and they often have sales or free shipping offers (which makes my inner cheap-o happy!) Although these two products may not be the best for people with very dry skin, I highly recommend them for anyone with regular to oily skin looking for a lightweight foundation.