Myra VitaGlow Tinted Mineral Moisturizer

Note: This is an old entry reposted from my old blog called Boudoir Angel on Tumblr. I'm reposting all of these old entries because I plan to delete my old blog and consolidate everything to this one. Some posts may have its text updated and/or reformatted slightly according to the platform change.

Watching the likes of Lauren Luke (panacea81 on YouTube and creator of the By Lauren Luke line) and Marlean (MakeUpGeekTV on YouTube) has taught me a great deal of ins and outs when it comes to make-up and one of the things that I've often heard them speak of is the make-up base.

I always thought that you start off with the foundation and then build up from there but apparently, times have changed since my Barbie doll helped me learn how to put on make-up. The make-up base helps even everything out prior to putting on any other product (whether worn as THE foundation or underneath it).

I've also learned since to try and be more conscious about putting on sunscreen. It's still not a regular habit despite having made it a goal to apply it regularly all the way back in 2010 but I'm trying. Let it never be said that I'm not.

This was the reason though that I was drawn to this product.

The claim:

Myra VitaGlow is labelled as a tinted moisturizer that takes on the function of six beauty products--moisturiser, sunscreen (UVA and UVB protection at SPF 15), make-up base, concealer, minerals (the latest in cosmetic technology to give skin a natural glow), and Myra's signature Vitamin E.

As stated in the advertisement: Everything you need in one tube!

People who know me know that I hate multi-purpose items, particularly when it comes to technology because if it breaks, you lose everything. That said, I am particularly sceptical over cosmetics that claim to have benefits of more than two separate items for nearly the same reason: How can a single product take the place of several and still be as effective?


Armed with the knowledge of this product's existence, upon my next trip to Watsons with my mum, I decided to pick it up and give it a whirl, scoring my mum and myself some pretty nifty metallic purses, free, as part of a drugstore promo. The tube cost about PhP140 if memory serves--smart me, I didn't take pictures before tossing the packaging in the recycling.

So.

Immediately the paleness of the product makes me feel like this may not work as well as it says it would, especially since the colour is called "Beige" which my skin is definitely not. The claim was that it would work with all skin tones though.

Now, to demonstrate, this is me, again, with a freshly washed face, and then me after slathering (oops!) on the product with a close-up inset of my skin post application.

Perhaps my pores are just a little too big or something, I don't know. But this definitely does not Photoshop my skin at all and in fact, the minerals seemed to settle into my pores and just made them look worse. You'll also see in the next photo how the minerals in the product really stick to the skin but how it does indeed provide an instant glow. (The shadows are from the camera flash.)

Although I'd put far too much product on my face that first time, my mum actually did like the effect it had on my skin. I felt it was a bit too sparkly for my liking but I did like the way it eventually blended in with my skin tone. I say eventually because it did go on very light as I expected it would but upon drying, the lightness of the colour was toned down and with a little edge buffing, I managed to get it really blended in.

I considered my first product application a failure though so I washed it all off again and decided to do the entire process over the following day.

Again, clean face and this time around, a more conservative application of the product, treating it like liquid foundation more than a moisturiser. The result was a little less sparkly and a bit smoother than it was the day before.

The verdict:

The first time I slathered VitaGlow onto my skin it was almost like I could feel every bit of mineral grain moving against my skin, making me feel like I was putting on a very fine facial scrub more than anything else.

Compared to the original Myra E moisturiser which felt absolutely creamy and luxurious (and left it velvety soft), VitaGlow left my skin feeling a bit dry and powdering, although I did appreciate the matte but glowing finish.

That said, it hid most of the imperfections on my skin except for the lines under my eyes--which have been there since forever anyway--and gave me a near Photoshop finish once I managed to apply it properly, leaving me completely satisfied with its make-up base and concealer claims. Once I was sure the tint in the moisturiser would not budge anymore, I did add a bit of Garnier Pure A Daily Moisturiser to the sides of my noise which look flawless in the picture but did not feel as moisturised enough for my liking.

A good deal of the mineral glow transferred to my fingers but as the pictures show, my face still has enough of that glow to it that I feel like what was on my fingers was a rather insignificant amount.

Over-all perhaps the claim in the sidebar (VitaGlow + eye shadow + blush + lipstick = a completed look) might work for those who really need to compress their cosmetics into a single bottle (or in this case, tube) but I think I might go back to my regular tubes, pots, and jars once I've run out of the product.


Originally posted as Boudoir Angel on Tumblr, 10 May 2010