Antipodes Performance Plus Mineral Foundation and Finishing Powder review

Antipodes are a New Zealand based skincare company that I was introduced to late last year. They make a wide range of naturally based products, and I totally fell for their Delight hand and body cream, which I've repurchased several times since the launch.

I was really excited to hear that they were branching out into mineral makeup, with a small range of foundations, lipsticks, setting powder and kabuki brush.

The makeup line has been created give skin a flawless appearance, while also working on promoting good skin health radiance. The Performance Plus Mineral Foundation SPF15* features something called 'Vinanza Performance Plus' which helps decrease water loss in your skin, making it feel hydrated and soft. It also reduces excessive melanin production that causes freckling and hyper pigmentation and reduces redness in the skin.

I use mineral foundation regularly, but do find that it has a habit of sitting in dry areas and can make my skin look dehydrated, especially around the nose area. With the Antipodes foundation, I was really impressed at how well it buffed into my skin - it looked very natural, but also gave me a good medium coverage, evening out my skin tone and giving my face a nice glow. What I was also pleased about was that I didn't notice any of the usual dryness or caking around my nose area, which I have found a problem with other mineral foundation brands. It feels incredibly lightweight on the skin, and while it's nice that it has an SPF15 in it, I tend to always apply an extra SPF anyway.

Wear time is pretty good when used with a primer - I get about 8 hours before needing a top up in my t-zone. Mineral foundations do have a habit of disappearing quickly without the help of a good primer, so I would definitely recommend using one underneath to help prolong the wear of the product (my favourite is Dermalogica's Skin Perfecting Primer).

There are four shades to choose from at the moment - Pale Pink (I have this shade - it's *almost* perfect, slightly too dark), Light Yellow, Medium Beige and Tan. While they do seem to be catering for the light-medium end of the spectrum, it's nice to see shades that are suitable for both warm and cool toned skins, which makes it easier to get a match.

I was also really impressed with the Performance Plus Skin-Brightening Mineral Finishing Powder*. This is a very lightweight, translucent mineral powder which can be used over the top of foundaton and concealer to set it in place, or used during the day to help remove shine from oilier areas.

This is an incredibly lightweight powder which is completely invisible once it's been buffed into skin. It works well with both the Antipodes foundation and also liquid products - I like to use it over the top of BB/CC creams to help set them in place for the day.

The one product I was a little disappointed in was the Kabuki Brush*. It uses natural bristles, which I don't have an issue with, but they felt a little scratchy on my skin and I would prefer to use a more traditional buffing brush to apply the foundation.

You can find Antipodes makeup products from Whole Foods, Planet Organic, Selfridges, Harrods and selected pharmacies and health stores. The foundations cost £27.99 for 11g, finishing powder £27.99 for 11g and kabuki brush £16.99.

Have you tried Antipodes before? Do you like the look of their new makeup?

*PR samples