Cowgirl Dirt: A Mineral Makeup Review

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Ya’ll, I’ve been having so much fun trying out a few natural makeup companies this summer, and I’m excited to share with you my latest find: Cowgirl Dirt Mineral Makeup.

I think the trickiest part about switching to a natural makeup was that to get the good stuff (all natural, no yucky fillers or chemicals) you usually have to mail order, and that is just weird for something like makeup, which you really want to try on, before you buy, right?

Say hello to samples! Most companies I’ve looked into offer a sample pack–usually something like 10 try-me size samples of any of their products so you can find your shade of foundation or see what the product feels like or how it preforms. The practical side of me at first thought of samples as a possible waste of money–like, what if I don’t pick the right color, or don’t like it? Well, I took the plunge with Cowgirl Dirt and ordered a sample kit, and was pleasantly surprised.

First, because even the foundation samples that weren’t exactly my shade are still close enough that I’m able to use them up. And second, because I LOVED everything I got!

Cowgirl Dirt Mineral Makeup

Here’s what I tried and what I thought…

Powder Foundation

Mineral Foundation–where have you been all my life??? It first I looked at the powdery dust in the samples and was like, “how do I get this on my face?” But after watching a few YouTube videos and being willing to experiment and make a bit of a mess, I think I’ve got the hang of it. If you pick just a little bit up on your makeup brush, and ‘swirl’ it rather than brush it on like you’re painting, it goes on evenly and doesn’t poof everywhere.

Evenly. Did you catch that? My past experience with foundation has all been about trying to get a natural look with something that wants to smear and smudge and get too thick in spots. Mineral makeup is different. It’s true what they say about it being a lighter coverage–you can’t get too much on. And that’s to your advantage, because you can quickly swirl your whole face, and not have to go back and get rid of smudges or thick spots.

I tried 4 different powder foundation shades, and while they were all close enough that I’ll happily use all my samples, the Cremelo 4 was the best fit for me. It goes on smoothly, doesn’t smell like anything (what a relief) and makes my skin look peaceful.

{clockwise from bottom: lipstick, concealer, and cream foundation}

Cream Foundation

I also tried one of the cream foundations, and though I got the color wrong, it was still very nice. Goes on smooth and didn’t dry my face out or look greasy. I think I’ll stick with the powder foundation because it is so simple to apply.

Concealer

I’m fond of concealer for the dark circles under my eyes. This went on smoothly and layered nicely under the powder foundation.

Lipstick

I’ve never been a lipstick gal. Partly because it gets in the way of kissing my babies, and then mostly because my lips hate all the junk in conventional lipstick–wearing it for special occasions inevitably results in the skin on my lips peeling for two days after. I’m not kidding. Do I have sensitive lips, or does lipstick bother your lips, too? I’m delighted to report that Cowgirl Dirt’s lipstick is so pure and natural, my lips loved it. I think I’ve converted. I tried the shade War Admiral and loved it.

{eye shadow samples–although that doesn’t look like a lot in that little container, I’ve used it three times and I’ll get at least three more uses out of that little container! A little goes a long way with mineral makeup!}

Eye Shadow

I appreciated that Cowgirl Dirt’s eye shadow samples come in sets of three colors–this gives me a much-needed hint to what goes together well. (You can also order them singly.) I got the Smokey Eyes and the Arena Sands and love them both. Smokey Eyes was my first successful experiment with getting the smoky eyed look. I was really impressed with how easy it goes on, and how well it stays all day. I mean, it’s just dirt–how is this  possible?

In this photo I’m wearing Cowgirl Dirt Smokey Eyes Eyeshadow Trio, Cremelo 4 Powder Foundation, and the eye-liner, mascara, and mineral-based bronzer I told you about in this post.  

Overall, I was really pleased with Cowgirl Dirt’s products. The packaging was cute and easy to use, the product performed well, and the samples were generous. I will get 6-8 uses out of everything I ordered–and since I only wear makeup once or twice a week, this means I got several month’s worth of makeup! I checked out all there ingredients and they are as pure as the driven…dirt. 😉 If you’re interested in going natural with your makeup, check out Cowgirl Dirt.

{Cowgirl Dirt provided samples for this post free of charge, but the opinionated opinions are entirely my own.}