Ellana Minerals | Sample Kit & First Impression

Ellana Minerals Sample Kit & First Impression

Today is day three of Blogmas and I have a first impression post for you today featuring a local Philippine brand that makes mineral makeup.

I’ve heard about Ellana Minerals from fellow beauty bloggers from the Philippines so I started following them on Facebook and saw that you could avail a sample kit for all of their powders for free so I thought this was interesting way to try it before I actually buy from them. You could either order and pay a small shipping fee or go to one of their counters and pick it up there. I was thinking about getting them but the next day I see they opened up a counter at a local mall of mine which is Alabang Town Center (ATC) so I was convinced to go pick it up. They moved that counter to Festival Mall I think which is a more closer mall to me which is even better.

The lady at the counter was nice and entertained me. At first she didn’t know what I was talking about which is a little strange but after I explained it to her she understood and proceeded to check my wrist to see what shades I would suite, if I was warm or cooled toned and just different looked at my complexion to get the shades. I liked that so I new I wouldn’t be missing out on a particular shade. While she was putting it all together I browsed their other products and did some watching for the eyes palette, lip palette and cheek palette as they seemed interesting to me but too bad they didn’t have samples of those too to take home. I also browsed the Cinderella store as that is where the counter was located and just looked at some clothes until she was ready to give them to me.

Once I got my little bag filled with different shades I was off to go give them a try. It’s really great so I can test them in different lightings and places to make sure they last and suite my skin tone. This is my first time trying a mineral foundation. I’ve only used a pressed powder, liquid foundation and the recent edition is BB cream. I did hear many great things and a beauty blogger I follow is always raving about them so I decided to give it a try. I also forget to mention I went to an event that had a booth dedicated to them and this was my first time seeing their products in person.

So let’s see the different shades I was given and first impressions:

The Samples

Here is the overview of all of them and the ones I received. I got 17 in total with my set from the counter but if you would like the complete sample kit it includes 22 samples and you can get that off the website but I got a few blushes and concealers which I didn’t know I got so that’s a bonus for me. I didn’t get a picture of all the shades but you can see some which I took madras shots of to see the powder and the consistency of.

The names of all the ones I received:

Cafe Breve – Warm Fairly Light Tones Matte Finish

Radiant – Warm Light Tones Matte Finish

French Vanilla Latte – Warm Light Tones Matte Finish

Carmel Latte – Warm Medium Tones Matte Finish

Macchiato – Warm Deep Tones Matte Finish

Expresso Con Panna – Warm Tones Matte Finish

Hazelnut Latte – Medium Light Warm Undertones

Chai Tea Latte – Cool Light Tones Matte Finish

Cheer – Cool Light Tones Matte Finish

Cinnamon Latte – Cool Meduim Tones Matte Finish

Revive – Cool Meduim Tones

Pumpkin Pie Latte – Light PeachTones Matte Finish

Toffee Mocha – Olive Meduim Tones Matte Finish

Cafe Mocha – Olive Meduim Tones Matte Finish

Awake – Butter Cream Powder Concealer

Sheer Velvet – Translucent Powder Creamy Matte Finish

Almond Latte – Loose Foundation Meduim/Cool Undertone

Radiance, Chai Tea Latte

Toffee Mocha, Revive, Cafe Mocha

Almond Latte, Awake Butter Cream Powder Concealer

First Impression

I’m pretty impressed with them and I haven’t found one I truly absolutely love yet and I want to buy because I am trying to test and used them all before I make a decision. A lot of them have been matching my skin tone and they are lightweight and easy to apply to the face but the only problem is trying to get enough product out of the tiny zip lock bag. I know once I buy a full size it won’t come like this and it will come in its own container for easier application but for my first impression it will have to do.

They are very light weight, smooth once buffed in and I have no problem whatsoever with blending as it is a dream to brush on. Once I get some of the product on the back of my hand I use a fluffy kabuki brush to apply it and I blend it all over. I haven’t used a primer with it and it lasts for a good couple of hours through the day so it probably be even better if you find the right primer to go with it.

Overall, I’ve been enjoying them and to pick my favorite right now it would have to be Carmel Latte but that might change as I still have a few more to try.

To find out more about the brand, the products available and if you want to avail your own sample kit then visit their website, their Facebook and Twitter for updates about Ellana Minerals.

What do you think of mineral foundation?