I’ve been using Ginger – 291 from Emani’s pressed foundation line for about two years now and I love, love, love it. I have a few clients who also love it after trying it per my suggestion.
Here’s how I use it:
I use the sponge to apply under my eyes and it mattifies and covers the dark circles without ever creasing or looking like I’ve got makeup on.
I then apply a small amount over my whole face with a travel kabuki brush by Sonia Kashuk to simply calm down the oiliness of my combination skin.
If I’ve got blemishes to cover, I then go back to the sponge, fold it to a point and apply lightly to the spots as if the tip of the folded sponge is a detail brush – it simply tones them down which I prefer to total coverage as it’s more natural looking and it doesn’t wear off in the same way as thicker, fuller coverage cover ups I’ve used.
The upsides:
The ingredients
- There are no parabens, talc or added fragrance and it’s vegan.
- There is some titanium dioxide which we all know is a physical, broad spectrum sunscreen. They haven’t got an SPF claim because usage varies but I always feel more protected on a sunny day with my antioxidant serum, sunscreen spf 30 and some extra Emani foundation on my “hot spots” (nose, top of forehead and upper cheeks).
- None of these ingredients clog my pores at all – and I am a blackhead garden! To the contrary, when I don’t use my powder, my pores get more congested from all the oil my skin is producing that isn’t getting abosorbed by the powder.
It’s longevity
- Each compact lasts me at least six months of almost daily use. Of course, usage varies – if I wanted full coverage over my whole face every day, I’m sure it would only last a few months.
- It lives in my purse, which I’ve been known to drop accidentally or intentionally toss, and the makeup puck has never broken (knock wood).
The case
- It’s a little thick at approximately 1/2″ but it has a nifty section to hold your sponge. I LOVE that the sponge is kept away from the makeup so germies don’t go crawling all over everything.
The not-so upsides:
Oily coverage
- If you’re very oily and looking for a super full coverage makeup, I’m not sure this one will do for you. It works great on my combination skin but I have an acneic client who complains that it doesn’t help cover the redness of her breakouts to her desired level. However, I’ve yet to really put an oily skinned client (aforementioned acneic client is normal with acne) to the task of trying it. When I do, I’ll post an update.
Mattification longevity
- About half way thru a day of giving facials with steam and waxing clients, the mattification is gone. But, one can presume this to be pretty standard across the board for us estheticians. I’m not one to reapply so I can’t say how well it layers.
This is by far my favorite pressed powder foundation – I highly recommend it.
Hi. 
A – what color do you get? I was looking on their site and was torn between the beige and sand????
I use Ginger – 291.
I’d say go with 1001 Neutral Beige G10 as the Ginger looks a lot darker on screen than on my face and I presume the same of the rest of the colors. If you were to go with Sand, it might be too light and give you that kabuki look. I think the Neutral Beige will blend your freckles well.
Hi
Oh “EMANI” It’s my favorite.
I use Ginger also, what do you think would also be a close color to choose. I have linen and
sienna, but they are to light. I was thinking the warm beige or one of the golds? Any suggestions.
I have a big issue with ‘Emani Minerals’ right now. I attended the London Beauty Show in Kensington Olympia today, and bought a Mineral Foundation from the Emani stand/counter for £13.30. I was so excited about using the product as I heard such good things about it. I was astonished and shocked when I opened it a couple of hours later. I removed the seal. I squeezed the tube and nothing came out except air!
The tube states 15mls but even after squeezing the tube from top to bottom,I only managed to get a pea sized amount of product out. Basically, I paid £13 for a air!
I contacted Emani Minerals HQ in the US, as I couldn’t find any Emani Minerals shops in London. Instead of them offering me an exchange or refund, I was told how to use foundation wih a brush to minimise wastage! i found this incredibly patronising as i was not asking for make up aplication tips; I was asking for an exchange or refund as you would with such a product.
Clearly there has been some sort of manufacturing fault with this tube and maybe even more, and yet I have paid the price! I am so dissapointed with Emani, and refuse to buy any more products as I am too afraid of being conned again. Emani Mineral Foundation might be a good product, but I will never know as I don’t even have enough product to apply all over my face even once, even though i bought a brand new 15ml tube today! Emani has no customer service or integrity for their customers.
My advice to anyone purchasing Emani products – open the sseal before in front of the sales assistants and make sure you get what you pay for!
Hi Denise – it’s hard to say not being in front of you. The first place to start is to decide if you are golden, neutral or olive undertone.
Ginger, Linen and Sienna are all golden undertone. You might find it easier to match your skin if you try a different undertone.
Otherwise, your best bet is to find a retailer near you. I agree with Emilie about the challenges with Emani – their website doesn’t show ingredients and it’s hard to find a retailer. You may simply want to find a new foundation. Unfortunately, I’ve had a hard time finding a replacement that I like as much.
Thanks for sharing your experience Emilie.
I agree that their customer service leaves a bit to be desired. They told me a shop here in San Francisco sells their products but when I went to the shop, no one had heard of them.
As I mentioned below in my response to Denise, I haven’t yet found a replacement that I like as much but I am hunting for something with better service and better distribution.