I did something that I said I wasn’t going to do… I bought a foundation based off a Youtuber’s first impression. To be fair, this foundation seemed PERFECT for me and it almost was. I’ll get into all the pros and cons in just a moment. The foundation is from Idun Minerals and it is their Nordic Veil Full Coverage; they also have a lighter coverage option. This foundation is $28.00 and the most expensive one I’ve ever tried.

Idun Minerals is a Swedish brand that specializes in mineral makeup. Mineral makeup is supposed to be great for sensitive skin and a more “healthy” option. I’ve been wanting to try a mineral foundation but I didn’t want to pay over $40.00 for one so the price on this was perfect. The shipping to the USA was free and very fast, I think I got this within four days. I’ve been trying this out for almost three weeks with a variety of different products so I feel I can give you an accurate review. I’ll list all the pros and cons then get into what I tried with this. My skin is combination that tends to be more dry, sensitive and acne prone.

Pros:

• I bought my foundation in the shade Saga. Saga is the second to lightest shade and is described on the website as having a neutral undertone. I feel this had a bit of a yellow undertone but it was an absolutely perfect shade match to me. I’ve never had a foundation match me so well.
• This foundation is vegan and non-irritating on the skin.
• The packaging is a sturdy glass bottle with a pump.
• I did have to set this foundation but once it was set I really didn’t notice any oils breaking through and it lasted well through a work out.
• This does have a scent. This did not bother me, I actually like the way it smells, but others may not. The best I can describe the smell is it’s like a grassy/floral scent.
• This is a water based foundation. This could be a pro if you’re sensitive to other foundations but you will need a water based primer, if you use primer.
• The coverage is high medium/slightly full. I did still need concealer and redness still showed through in areas. If you have less troubled skin than I this will probably be full coverage on you.

Cons:

• This is a Swedish brand and their shade range reflects that. Darker skin tones are probably not going to be able to find a match. I hope that Idun Minerals corrects this if they plan to sell in more diverse places.
• This con is going to be lengthy and why I will not purchase this foundation again. This looked HORRIBLE on my fine lines and any dry areas that I had. My forehead, chin and between my brows has never looked worse. I tried three different primers. I used my e.l.f. Silicone based primer and that just balled up, of course I didn’t really expect it to work with a water based foundation. I used my Hard Candy Primer Serum and it didn’t help at all. Last for primers, I went and bought the Hard Candy Coconut Water Primer Stick and it did help but it still wasn’t enough to smooth over my lines and make this foundation look good. I then thought maybe the powder was causing it to cake up on these areas so I tried two different ones that I like. I used the e.l.f. Beauty Shield Antioxidant Powder and the e.l.f. HD Powder in Soft Luminance. The powder did not make a difference. I tried two different concealers on those areas, the NYX HD and BH Cosmetics Studio Pro Total Coverage. I even swapped up my moisturizers. I used a very hydrating one from Burt’s Bees and a less hydrating one from e.l.f. Nothing I used with this helped keep it from sinking into my lines and making them look WAY worse than they even are.

 

The acne coverage was very good. In person you could see a little redness poking through but I was still impressed with the coverage.

Here’s my makeup fully finished. Just going off these pictures you would think that this foundation was stunning and at a glance it is. It’s when you really look at it that you see the issues.

I know it’s hard to see details in these pictures but you can click on them to see them better. You can see how it’s sunken into my smile lines, around my nose and on my forehead. This didn’t happen after a full day of wear either. This happened in the FIRST HOUR.

I wanted to love this foundation, especially after paying $28.00. As you can see, it has way more pros than cons but the con is such a big issue that it makes me never want to try this again. I feel I really put this foundation to the test and the only thing I can think of that might make it work better is an intensely smoothing water based primer. My skin really isn’t that dry and I wouldn’t consider my fine lines to be any worse than what’s normal so I’m baffled as to why this looked like it did. At the end of the day I just don’t feel confident wearing this and I can’t recommend it.

If you’ve tried this foundation please let me know your thoughts on it. If you have any ideas for how I can make it work for me let me know that as well. Thank you for reading and have a great day!