I have been pleasantly surprised by some Inika products that landed on my desk last week. The black and gold packaging has a luxurious and exotic feel to it which instantly grabbed my attention – it feels rather ‘Biba-esque’. Now for confession time: I have a (probably unfair) dislike of mineral cosmetics, mostly because I have found them drying and difficult to use. If I have the choice between a tube of dewy, moisturising foundation and a shaker-pot of powder that I have to swirl with a brush to apply, I know which one I’m going to go for – the one that’s more convenient, more familiar to use, and less messy.

So it was with a degree of trepidation that I set about testing the Inika Mineral Bronzer; I have made such a mess with similar products and ended up with it all over the place, so I covered my lap with an old towel and wore protective clothing, switched on the extractor fan, had the Biohazard Helpline on speed-dial. (Joke.) Do you know what? After the initial ‘ppiffff’ of powder that came out when I removed the protective film, this wasn’t at all messy! Working in a very methodical and calm way I tipped a little powder into the lid of the tub so that I could work with it more easily.

To apply the mineral bronzer to my skin, I used the Inika Kabuki Brush which is a gorgeously soft, densely bristled brush. It’s entirely synthetic (all Inika products are 100% cruelty free) and nicely weighted – it feels far more expensive than it actually is and is very sleek and smooth. The densely packed, soft bristles pick up just the right amount of powder; I swirled the brush around in the powder lid until all of the powder had disappeared into the brush, and then applied to my cheekbones and temples.

‘Sunkissed’ is a gorgeous shimmery bronze and the Kabuki brush really buffed it into my skin, making it look very multi-dimensional and striking. A quick sweep of the powder gives a light touch of colour, but you can really build the colour up into a glamorous glow. Rather than simply ‘sweeping’ the powder on, I find that you can use a Kabuki brush to get a far more ‘organic’ finish, working the powder into the skin so that the glow really looks as though it’s coming ‘from within’. I’m impressed with this mineral bronzer – it didn’t dry my skin out at all (and I have quite dry cheeks) and the colour was superb.

My skin was really quite pallid before I began applying – I didn’t put any base on first – and it just really ‘livened’ my skin up – the gold tones are reflective but in a non-glittery way and I really think that Kabuki brush gives a professional finish that is worth the few minutes extra effort. In the above photo, I’m also wearing the mineral eyeliner in Black Caviar, which is very longlasting.

Inika Cosmetics is the only cosmetics company in the world to be 100% vegan or Certified Organic or both, 100% cruelty-free and 100% Halal. It contains no parabens, no mineral oils, no harsh chemicals, no talc, no harmful fillers, no petrochemicals and no fragrance. Pretty impressive, eh? For more info, go and have a look at the website here: www.inikacosmetics.co.uk

Inika Mineral Bronzer (£16.17 + VAT), Kabuki Brush (£19.57 + VAT) and Eyeliner (£9.79) can be bought online or from selected stockists, depending on where you live. (Londoner’s, Fresh & Wild stock it!)