Browse & learn
Makeup without the vocabulary test.
Start with the words if you are new here, or go straight to product search if you already know what you need. Product types are lanes, not rankings: a tint, powder or cream has a job before it has a brand name.
Makeup basics
Eight terms that unlock most of the desk.
These are working definitions, not rules about what you should buy. They are here so a first-time reader can understand the questions the rest of the application asks.
- Finish
- What the surface looks like after application: matte, natural, satin, luminous, glossy or somewhere between them.
- Coverage
- How much visible skin or pigment a layer obscures. Sheer, medium and full describe opacity, not quality.
- Undertone
- The quieter color direction underneath a shade. It helps explain why two colors with the same depth can look different on skin.
- Oxidation
- A visible color shift after application, often described as a base turning darker, warmer or more orange as it sits.
- Pilling
- Small rolls or crumbs that form when layers do not settle together cleanly. It can be a layering, amount, timing or compatibility problem.
- Setting
- Reducing movement after application. Powder, spray, time and application method can all change how a film sets.
- Flashback
- A pale or reflective cast that appears more strongly in flash photography than it does in ordinary room light.
- Film weight
- This desk’s shorthand for how much material a product type tends to add to the face. More layers are not automatically better layers.
When you know the lane
Product search
Search formulas by type, film weight, price and preference. Prices are street bands, not live quotes. A finish is shown only when the name or the type states it — the desk does not guess the rest.
9 shown · ranked against the profile currently on The Edit · 0 of 9 with a stated finish. The rest are not guessed.
9 formulas across 1 lane. 0 of them sit in a lane already in your kit.
- Every formula here lays a film heavier than one layer. Worth knowing before they stack.
- Street bands run under $25 to $45–60. Price is not in the fit score and never has been.
bareMinerals · Mineral powder base
Original Loose Powder Foundation SPF 15
The classic — light passes only, never buffed to opacity.
Worth considering · 17th of 52 types
The catalog prior is relatively favorable for sebum-related wear.
Scored as mineral powder base, not as this formula — every mineral powder base here carries the same 41.
Current· street price bandManufacturer evidence was not collected for price, size, shade or INCI. Those stay unknown. A street band or a shade count on the card is not that evidence.
Finish not statedMineral-preferredAlima Pure · Mineral powder base
Satin Matte Foundation
Short ingredient list, genuinely buildable.
Worth considering · 17th of 52 types
The catalog prior is relatively favorable for sebum-related wear.
Scored as mineral powder base, not as this formula — every mineral powder base here carries the same 41.
Current· street price bandManufacturer evidence was not collected for price, size, shade or INCI. Those stay unknown. A street band or a shade count on the card is not that evidence.
Finish not statedMineral-preferredFragrance-freeVeganLily Lolo · Mineral powder base
Mineral Foundation SPF 15
Accessible mineral entry point.
Worth considering · 17th of 52 types
The catalog prior is relatively favorable for sebum-related wear.
Scored as mineral powder base, not as this formula — every mineral powder base here carries the same 41.
Current· street price bandManufacturer evidence was not collected for price, size, shade or INCI. Those stay unknown. A street band or a shade count on the card is not that evidence.
Finish not statedMineral-preferredVeganINIKA Organic · Mineral powder base
Loose Mineral Foundation SPF 25
Certified organic mineral pigment.
Worth considering · 17th of 52 types
The catalog prior is relatively favorable for sebum-related wear.
Scored as mineral powder base, not as this formula — every mineral powder base here carries the same 41.
Current· street price bandManufacturer evidence was not collected for price, size, shade or INCI. Those stay unknown. A street band or a shade count on the card is not that evidence.
Finish not statedMineral-preferredVeganYoungblood · Mineral powder base
Natural Loose Mineral Foundation
Pro mineral powder for oilier skin.
Worth considering · 17th of 52 types
The catalog prior is relatively favorable for sebum-related wear.
Scored as mineral powder base, not as this formula — every mineral powder base here carries the same 41.
Current· street price bandManufacturer evidence was not collected for price, size, shade or INCI. Those stay unknown. A street band or a shade count on the card is not that evidence.
Finish not statedMineral-preferredGlo Skin Beauty · Mineral powder base
Pressed Base Mineral Foundation
Desk example from Glo Skin Beauty. Price is a prestige band midpoint, not a live quote.
Reference example, not a verified formula of this type. The type score is not a finding about this row.
Incomplete· tier-band estimateManufacturer evidence was not collected for price, size, shade or INCI. Those stay unknown. A street band or a shade count on the card is not that evidence.
Finish not statedMineral-preferredW3LL PEOPLE · Mineral powder base
Elitist Shadow
Desk example from W3LL PEOPLE. Price is a mid band midpoint, not a live quote.
Reference example, not a verified formula of this type. The type score is not a finding about this row.
Incomplete· tier-band estimateManufacturer evidence was not collected for price, size, shade or INCI. Those stay unknown. A street band or a shade count on the card is not that evidence.
Finish not statedMineral-preferredVeganMineral Fusion · Mineral powder base
Sheer Tint Base
Desk example from Mineral Fusion. Price is a drugstore band midpoint, not a live quote.
Reference example, not a verified formula of this type. The type score is not a finding about this row.
Incomplete· tier-band estimateManufacturer evidence was not collected for price, size, shade or INCI. Those stay unknown. A street band or a shade count on the card is not that evidence.
Finish not statedMineral-preferredVeganZaron Cosmetics · Mineral powder base
Powder Foundation
Desk example from Zaron Cosmetics. Price is a mid band midpoint, not a live quote.
Reference example, not a verified formula of this type. The type score is not a finding about this row.
Incomplete· tier-band estimateManufacturer evidence was not collected for price, size, shade or INCI. Those stay unknown. A street band or a shade count on the card is not that evidence.
Finish not stated
Watch the hand · 1 referenceThe distinction this page is built on, demonstrated.
Chosen to demonstrate a decision this desk already makes. They are technique references, not endorsements, and a product named inside one is an archive example rather than a recommendation.
Next
Where this goes next
Chosen from your own record: 3 things open at the beginner stage, and what usually follows this page.
Say what your skin is doing
Answer the brief
0 of 8 so far. Every engine weights your own answers. Until they exist, the desk is scoring an average face rather than yours.
Log one worn day
Log a day
0 of 1 so far. What held past hour six is the one fact no formula list can predict for you.
Practice: Use half as much
0 of three mornings settled. The ladder always offers the half-finished rung first.
From where you are on the ladder.
When this is not a makeup question
Nothing is written into another desk without you choosing it. These links carry only the context named on them.
- Skincare Intelligence
Carry your skin, climate, sensitivity and named concerns across so the routine can be evaluated with the same stated inputs the makeup desk used.
- Vanity or Vice · Routines & Ingredients
The order you apply things in, what each film is intended to do, and where the evidence is uncertain — argued long-form rather than scored. This is the reading behind the sequence this desk just gave you.