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Joppa Minerals – Review

ByCordelia

I have had many readers request that I check out Joppa Minerals, so I finally decided to try ordering from them.

Site Navigation:
Ordering from the site was easy. Categories are clearly lined along the left side of the page, and there is useful information linked across the top, such as FAQ & Shipping. However, I did find myself wishing for a foundation chart for all of the different foundation colors.

Products Ordered:
Morning Dew Foundation sample in Citrine (strong yellow undertones & golden bronzer)
Morning Dew Foundation sample in Goldenrod (works with light skin shades)
Simple Radiance Foundation sample in Fair Linen (neutral shade for light skintones that tend to burn easily)
Soft Coverage foundation in Lightest #1 (for the very lightest of skintones, a perfect blend of red and yellow)
Dewy Sheer Finishing Silk (satin glow)
Pink Lemonade blush (a light shade of pink with a pearl sheen)
Dewdrop blush (complexion enhancer)
Galaxy (eye shadow) silver with metallic sparkle and shine
Raw Silk (eye shadow) a soft pearly pink with slight sheen
Think Spring (eye shadow) a high sheen green with golden undertones
Orange Zest (eye shadow) super fun orange with an almost metallic high sheen
Rain Forest (eye shadow) a metallic, very deep shade of aquamarine
Egg Nog (eye shadow) a golden vanilla with high sheen
Avocado Cream Moisturizer (sample)
Red Raspberry Seed Oil Serum (sample)
Minty Lips (lip balm)

I ended up placing 2 orders with Joppa. The first when I just chose things blindly on March 2, the second after I received an email response to my question from Amy, the owner, on March 7. Both orders did arrive quickly.

Packaging:
All of my sample foundations came in jars. Sample eye shadows and blushes came in baggies, and sample skincare came in little jars as well. The packaging was mostly fine by my standards, but one of my foundations came without a label, which I found a bit annoying. The raspberry seed oil came in a bag to prevent spillage and the avocado cream came shrink wrapped. The lip balm was shrink wrapped too.

All of the sample sizes offered generous amounts of product. I had enough in each jar to try the foundation formulas a few times, as well as to mix them. The eye shadow baggies had plenty as well. The skincare samples were enough for me to determine if I liked them or not. The full size lip balm seemed to be a standard size.

Shipping:
Shipping was $4.50. It’s a flat rate for samples or full size. I actually think the shipping price is very high for samples.

Pricing:
$2 for Morning Dew Foundation 3g Sample Jar, $12 for full size 5.6g
$3.50 for Minty Lips lip balm
$2.50 for Avocado Cream Moisturizer sample jar, $15 for full size
$2.50 for Red Raspberry Seed Oil sample jar, $23 for full size
$5 for 6 piece sampler kit (1 per customer, 2 foundations, 1 finishing silk, 2 blush choices, 1 concealer)
$1 for sample eye shadow, $6.50 for full size
$15 for full size blush or complexion enhancer
$13 for full size concealer
$12 for full size Full or Soft coverage foundation
$15 for full size Simple Radiance foundation

Green Concealer:
I really liked the green concealer. With only a tiny bit applied with a small firm brush, I could counteract any redness. I don’t have a lot of experience with colored concealers like this but I feel like it did work well.

Lip Balm:
Ingredients –  Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter, Mango Butter, Raw Bees Wax, Hemp Seed Oil, Oilve Oil, Essential Oils of Peppermint and Spearmint, Vit. E, Grapefruit Seed Extract

I can easily see why this is a best seller for Joppa. I like the formula and the spearmint really sticks with you several minutes after application. It’s nice, though I prefer my lip balms with pistachio butter these days.

Avocado Cream Moisturizer:
Ingredients – Aqua (Distilled Water), Persea Gratissima (Avocado Oil), Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Oil), Vitis Vinifera (Grapeseed Oil), Cocos Nucifera (Coconut Oil), Limnanthes alba (Meadowfoam Seed Oil), Aleurites Moluccana (Kukui Nut Oil), Tocopherol (Vitamin E) Stearic Acid, Emulsifying Wax NF, Vegetable Glycerin USP, Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate, Phenoxyethanol and Caprylyl Glycol

This is a very silky smooth  moisturizer. It’s light and absorbs into the skin fairly quickly, though there is a slight bit of of a greasy feeling left on the skin after you apply it.

Red Raspberry Seed Oil (Serum):
Ingredients – None are listed on the sample I received or the website. That bothers me quite a bit. It only says “Very high in vitamin E, in the forms of: alpha-tocopherol and gamma-tocopherol, which are the most potent forms of vitamin E to protect your skin. This product also has a high level of vitamin A. Natural Sun Protection and Antioxidant.”

Now, I love serums. I love how this feels on my skin. It absorbs quickly and didn’t irritate my skin at all. HOWEVER, I’m really bothered by Joppa claiming that this has ‘amazing natural sun protection against UVA & UVB rays’ and ‘natural High sun protection’ because I feel like this is all but encouraging people to forgoe SPF in favor of this product. While I think this is a really nice serum as it made my skin soft and didn’t irritate it, I would never rely on a product like this alone for SPF protection. I feel like it’s sort of… irresponsible to make those claims, though they don’t state a specific SPF rating.

Eye Shadows:
Ingredients – mica, titanium dioxide, iron oxides, kaolin clay, magnesium stearate. may contain zinc oxide, ultramarine blue and or violet, chromium green oxide, silica oborn nitride
Sold in 5 gram sifter jars with .05 oz of product

The eye shadows that I tried, while they all had a nice formula, were for the most part quite safe and not as vivid as I personally like to wear. They’re definitely for those who do prefer a softer color palette. My favorite of the bunch was Rain Forest. I also thought Galaxy was interesting. The rest were very neutral, even Orange Zest.

Blushes & Complexion Enhancers:
Ingredients – ingredients: sericite mica, kaolin clay, magnesium stearate, iron oxides, silica, may contain ultramarine violet or blue
Sold in 5.7 gram size or 1.4 gram size ($10 for this size)

I only tried samples of one blush and one complexion enhancer. Pink Lemonade was a nice shade, as was Dewdrop. The formula was nice on these and I found both shades to be flattering, in my opinion.

Wearing Dewdrop as a blush

Foundations:
Joppa offers several different types of foundations and I sampled a few. Morning Dew bronzing foundation was by far my favorite.  The soft coverage foundation was ok. I didn’t really like how the simple radiance foundation wore on me.

I feel like the Simple Radiance in Fair Linen was just too much coverage. I kind of feel like it covered up my skin more than I’m used to, which is probably why I didn’t care for it.

Me in Simple Radiance foundation in Fair Linen.

You can see that Fair Linen matches pretty well, color wise.

I think the Soft Coverage Foundation in Lightest #1 was ok.
Soft Coverage in Lightest #1 & Pink Lemonade blush

Soft Coverage in Lightest #1

I think the Morning Dew Bronzing foundation in Goldenrod was too dark, but I really like the formula.
Morning Dew Bronzing foundation in Goldenrod

The mix of Morning Dew Bronzing foundation in 50/50 Goldenrod & Citrine was too dark as well.
50/50 mix of Goldenrod& Citrine

I really like the Morning Dew Bronzing foundation in Citrine, but I think it’s slightly too yellow.
Morning Dew Bronzing foundation in Citrine

Morning Dew Bronzing foundation in Citrine

I really liked the Citrine foundation best of all, but it’s just a touch too yellow for my taste. I’d like to see it toned down/more neutral.

However, I do not like that Joppa Minerals makes this claim here, as it makes me nervous:

According to the FDA, you cannot make a specific SPF claim without going through FDA testing. I emailed Joppa to ask how they determined that their foundation was SPF 15-20, and I posted their response below.

Customer Service:
The customer service was mixed. Initially I was disappointed. I emailed customer service on Tuesday March 1st, then again on Sunday March 6th. Late on Monday March 7th I finally received an answer to my email. However, during the interim, I had placed an order late on March 2nd and received my order rather quickly on March 5th. It didn’t make sense to me that someone would receive and process my order, but not answer my email.

I emailed again with another question on Sunday April 3rd and as of Wednesday April 13 have yet to receive an answer. I understand taking up to 5 business days if it’s a one person operation (which I do suspect that Joppa is only 1 or 2 people), but I definitely feel like my questions were not answered in what I would consider a timely fashion and that makes me feel not valued as a customer. Their site even says, “If you need help in choosing a correct shade or formula please include the current brand and shade of the makeup you are currently using or send us a picture with a brief description of your skin type.” This statement gave me the expectation that if I contacted asking for help, I would receive it. Edit: It appears that my emails were never received.

Would I purchase from Joppa Minerals again?
Maybe. It seems that customer service never received my emails asking for help tweaking foundation.

I don’t mind the shipping charges so much for full size products, but I really am  bothered by the high shipping charge applying to samples.

The eye shadows didn’t do much for me color wise but the formulas are really nice and I think that if you’re someone who favors a more neutral palette, you’ll like these shades and formulas.

I did like some of the foundation formulas, mainly the Morning Dew Bronzing foundation and the Soft Coverage foundation. I know a lot of people liked how the Simple Radiance looked on me but I definitely feel like it was too full coverage for my taste. Also, I dislike how the company claims a ‘natural SPF of 15-20’ without having been FDA tested.

The skincare products seem nice and I would definitely recommend the lip balm, but I’m bothered by the serum’s lack of ingredients and claim of ‘high natural SPF’ because I’m afraid it would encourage someone to forgo a product that is rated by the FDA with SPF. I hate the thought of someone skipping out on SPF because of a natural product and putting their skin at risk. Additionally, I don’t know if the lack of ingredients listing for the serum is an oversight or what.

So yeah, overall, my experience with Joppa was mixed.

What about you? Have you tried Joppa Minerals? What was your experience with them?

Edit: I received a response back from Joppa about the SPF rating on the foundations.
“Because our products are not rated by the FDA we cannot give an exact spf rating.  Both Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide are natural and highly effective sunscreens against both UVA and UVB rays.  These two ingredients are found in all of mineral foundations.  We have had our products lab tested but again, because we have not had our products rated by the FDA we cannot give an exact SPF rating.”

Edit: I received a response back to Joppa about the foundation tweaking question. Apparently they didn’t receive either email I sent (April 3, April 12), but when I emailed again today (April 19), they responded. So it appears that the internet had a glitch, or it possibly went into a junk mail folder, I’m not really sure. As such, I’ve updated my review to reflect the current information.

Products purchased by me. All opinions are my own.

Cordelia Frost is the creative force behind Phyrra, a treasure trove for cruelty-free indie and goth makeup enthusiasts. She's the author of the game-changing 'Hooded Eyes Makeup Manual' a must-read for hooded eyes makeup.

Cordelia's world is a kaleidoscope of alternative beauty, gothic fashion, and life-enhancing tips, making every visit to Phyrra a journey into a more colorful and inspired self.

41 Comments

  1. What a bummer that they’re not so great on customer service, because I actually really like the look of the Simple Radiance and Soft Coverage foundations – but I can’t STAND flat-rate shipping on small orders, so definitely won’t order from these guys :/

    1. Yeah, I know! I just end up feeling like I’m overpaying on shipping when I pay a flat rate for samples. I got very spoiled by Aromaleigh having free shipping on samples.

  3. I work at a health food shop, and some oils have a natural spf, which tend to be in the 3 -8 range, so they’re pretty useless as sun protection since it’s recommended that a 15- 30 spf is used.
    Vitamin A (retinyl palimitate) also makes you photosensitive :S

    1. Thank you for sharing that information Deery Lou! I knew that Vit A made you sensitive (since I’ve been doing retinol off and on recently). I just personally wouldn’t find SPF 3 to 8 to be enough to protect my skin, because I fry in about 5 minutes if I don’t have SPF 30 or more on.

  4. Wow – you look so pretty as a blonde!

    The Citrine foundation looks like it blends nicely, but it seems more suited to fairer skinned Asian complexions.

    The eye color swatches don’t really impress me — the color is just kind of flat looking, washed out almost. Maybe it’s a matter of taste, but I like a higher pigmented color punch, even in a pastel hue.

    I really liked the Pink lemonade blush on you, very flattering. I’m a fan of sheer blushes and that one looks like it gives a nice amount of warmth.

    I was looking at this company’s site the other day, awesome to see a review here. I don’t think they’re at the top of my list (simply because I am primarily into eye makeup and theirs is not my taste). Thanks for another good review with pics.

    1. Thank you Maggie! Actually the yellow does really well at neutralizing my pink overtones, I think it’s just slightly too yellow for my taste.

      I’m glad you liked the review! Thank you for letting me know 🙂

  5. The shadows look a little… lackluster? I’m sure they’re nice, but nothing that makes me want to jump on it. And if the customer service sucks? Forget it.

  6. Sorry about yet another bad CS experience. It’s such a shame that this seems to be the norm these days. Then again, I know many one person companies are doing whatever they do second to having a job-job for steady money. Still though, you can answer an email for goodnss sake!! Even I do that from my job-job from time to time.

    Anyway, I know pictures can be decieving, but that Fair Linen shade is very flattering on your skin. You look flawless but not like you are wearing a ton of foundation.

    1. Yeah, I’m always shocked by the people who can’t answer an email within 1 business week, unless they clearly annotate it’s finals week or they’re on vacation. Nowhere on the Joppa site did they mention vacation. In fact, they updated their site just today to mention a Tax day sale. So someone is there, they just don’t like me, and don’t want to answer my email 😛

  7. I’ve tried Joppa minerals & I think I even have a full size foundation but I don’t recall that it lasted very well for me. I’ve found the same thing with Meow & some other companies.

    The customer service thing is not good & actually is one of the reasons I’m not ordering full sizes from Shiro at the moment. It took a second email threatening a paypal dispute to get an answer to a question about why I didn’t have my product or a shipping confirmation after three weeks. When I got my response it just said I should be receiving my package shortly as it had been mailed. Interestingly I saw the exact same dates on a UK blog

    1. Are you in the UK? I know that a lot of company owners have had problems with packages going to the UK from the USA. In fact, I think Morgana Cryptoria just said something about it taking at least 5 or 6 weeks 🙁 I don’t know what is going on with customs, but a lot of things are getting held up.

      I do usually try to wait 3 or 5 days, then resend an email, because sometimes emails do accidentally go into the spam filter or get missed.

      Hmm, if you’re having trouble with foundation lasting, do you have oily skin? Do you use a primer?

      1. I’m still in Canada

        Foundations which don’t last as well on me have mica as the first ingredient. I do better with Titanium dioxide as the first & mica as the second ingredient. And yes, I use a primer & it often doesn’t make any difference.

        Currently I’m waiting for a package from the UK which was mailed Mar 21. This leads me to believe there are shipping problems all over.

        1. Ick. I know a package that I was sent from Lost in Makeupland took over 6 weeks because of customs. Also, weirdly enough, a package from Utah took 3 weeks. It got lost as well.

          When Dreamworld is open again, they have a mica free formula and a titanium free formula. It might be worthwhile to look into one of those to see if it helps. Oxidization sucks 🙁

  8. Sorry do the bad cs… that totally throws me off and deters me frim a company. Thanks for the switches!

    On a side note if you’re looking for good mineral foundation try pink quartz minerals on Etsy. I tried them on grey’s recommendation, and I LOVE IT! She’ll customize a foundation for you. Just tell het your undertones and whatnot. She’ll send you samples, and if they don’t work she keeps working with you til your satisfied. It’s all I use now. I don’t use BE or MAC at all! 🙂

    1. Thanks for the recommendation! While I do have my HG mineral foundation in Meow’s Pampered Puss in Inquisitive Siamese, I thought having a bronzing foundation might be nice for when I’m in the mood for something different.

  9. My two biggest pet peeves with Indie companies are lackluster customer service and not listing the ingredients for all products. The later is unprofessional and could be dangerous for people with sensitivities. And customer service should be one of the main things Indie companies do well because a lot of their advertising is by word of mouth. That being said, the products did seem nice and I’m curious to see how they respond/improve.

  10. I suspect the Red Raspberry Seed Oil is just that. Like the $7.40/oz you’d pay from Garden of Wisdom.

    Love their foaming cleansers and free shipping offers though. Several of their moisturisers aren’t too bad as well, the hand stuff too (hand butter, sanitiser). Yes, Minty Lips is definitely good at such a low price.

    Can’t comment on their makeup but to be honest, given the number of good Indie companies around, it’s kinda tough to be outstanding anymore and I’m already happy with my current foundations.

    1. Yeah but I think it should clearly state: Ingredients: Red Raspberry Seed Oil then. I don’t mean to be dense but it just wasn’t clear to me.

      Free shipping is always great!

      To me the Morning Dew Bronzing Foundation is outstanding and I would love to add it to my foundation repertoire.

      1. No, I don’t think it’s being dense, but I suspect it might be a sort of marketing gimmick. But not listing it as 100% oil, so people might be inclined to overpay for the product especially with the (serum) next to the listing title.

        Anyway, it’s just my suspicion. Can’t prove it unless someone sends their oil for testing. 🙂

  11. You’ll also have to add me to the simple radiance fair linen fan club….I think it looks fantastic on you! Although I definitely understand the need to not want to have full coverage make up, especially in Florida. I am a sweat hog, so that + a face full of full coverage foundation is a big invitation for a mess on my face and clogged pores that eventually lead to a breakout. It sucks for me because my skintone is a uneven and it takes nearly full coverage to even me out. Since I’m so naturally tan though I find it hard to match myself…if a company isn’t going to get back to me for days or weeks, then I can’t spend my money there.

    1. I think I like to see my own skin a bit. It’s funny though, because I never feel like I’m covering my entire face up when I use the Too Faced Amazing Face liquid foundation, but I definitely felt like I covered up my face with thick powder with the Fair Linen. I used a duo fiber brush to apply it so that I’d get a thin, even coat, and it just still felt like too much.

      Because I have that pink overtone, I really need something to even me out, so I know what you mean.

      1. I agree with Judi’s comment. But even if you think it’s too much coverage in real life, the photo of you in Fair Linen looks amazing!

          1. And I agree, the fair linen look kicks ass but I get ya 🙂 Thats part of the reason I still cant find a mineral foundation, the powderyness feels cakey and with liquid it just kinda melts in

  12. I love Morning Dew and like Simple Radiance. I never had to contact them and they often have free shipping specials so I will probably order again but only foundation as their photos are so inaccurate.

    Lack of ingredients does bother me a lot. I stopped ordering from The All Natural Face when I got a full-sized product without ingredients (and they weren’t on the website either). I definitely won’t order the serum but I may try other skincare products that have ingredients listed.

    I think that fans are much more likely to post rude comments to negative reviews than owners. I wouldn’t suspect owners unless there’s a good reason to think that it’s not just a customer.

    1. Sometimes it’s a fan, sometimes it’s an owner, sometimes it’s someone who works from the company. No matter how you slice it, I think it’s incredibly insulting when a person leaves a comment ‘you just don’t know good makeup’ or ‘you don’t know how to use makeup.’

      Like I mentioned in my review, I love the Morning Dew Bronzing foundation and I would love to order a full size, but I can’t do that until I know how to tweak it to neutralize a bit of the yellow. I was really disappointed that Amy, the owner, never responded to my email asking that. I even sent her the image of my naked face, so she could see what I look like without makeup.

  13. I am a Joppa Minerals fan. They were one of the first MMU companies I ordered from. I have always loved their skin care. And Dewdrop has always been one of my “go to” products.

    I can understand that the customer service issue may be a turn off. I think customer service is a huge part of running any business. I never emailed them or had any problems with my orders, so I have no experience with their customer service.

    1. I thought Dewdrop was extremely flattering. Yes, they seem to have a mix of good and bad, but between the lack of ingredients listing on the serum, the SPF statement and the lack of customer service, I was disappointed.

  14. This was my first ever experience with mineral makeup. Granted it was years ago and my skin is very different now .. but at the time the foundation didn’t last. I think it turned orange rather quickly too.

    I seem to have issues with foundation mineral and liquid. It all eventually turns orange on me 🙁 It takes me a long time to finish my foundation and I always end up throwing them out after a few months because they ALL go orange 🙁 I don’t know if foundation goes “bad” after a few months or it is just my skin.

  15. I reviewed them quite a while back, like closer to a year ago. I didn’t really like anything I got and gave a negative review. I got an anonymous comment a few weeks ago on the review about how AWESOME they are and I just don’t know how to use makeup. Gee, I wonder who might have written that? The comment’s still there if you want to look at it.

    1. Ug. I HATE it when a company does that. Johnny Concert Cosmetics did that to me. Yeah right, we don’t know how to use makeup. *rolls eyes*

      I think I remember you reviewing them, now that you mention it.

      Ug, their comment on your blog is so insulting.

  16. Hmm, interesting. Joppa are on my “Maybe” list right now, and they’ll stay there. Looks like some good and some bad, but not enough to make me want to order.

    Great pics, as always!

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