My Bare Escentuals Experiment

As I mentioned before (see Laying the Foundation), I've switched from liquid foundation to Bare Escentuals, a mineral-based powder foundation. I bought a starter kit which contains two different foundation shades, an all-over color called Warmth (designed to add a sun-kissed look), and a mineral veil that goes over the foundation. The kit also came with three different brushes and an informational DVD. (Yup, a DVD to explain how to apply make-up. Who knew such a thing was needed?)

So far, I have found that Bare Escentuals goes on easy and fast. The foundation contains SPF 15 which is a god-send since, as I often joke, my complexion is "dead girl white." My skin tone seems more evened out--my natural pink splotches are calmed, and my face's texture seems smoother. The mineral veil, in my mind, acts like pressed powder, but it's much more of a multi-tasker. The veil can be used to set lipstick and eyeshadow. It's great.

Here's an overview of my first two weeks:

THE GOOD

• No more goopy liquid foundation to deal with!
• Easy and fast to apply.
• Effective at evening out skin tone and hiding flaws.
• Product feels light on the skin--no more feeling like I'm wearing a mask!
• SPF 15 for my sun-sensitive skin.
• No animal testing!

THE BAD

• Still some very minor slippage on very rare occasions.
• Excess powder in the lid gets a little messy when recapping (is that a word?) the product.
• Coverage is lighter than liquid foundation, so any big blemishes may not be completely covered.

THE UGLY

• The way essentials is misspelled (Escentuals--are you kidding me?!). Every time I see that I cringe.

Overall I really do like the Bare Escentuals products. The company also sells other items, like eyeshadow and face/body cleansers. I noticed that L'Oreal, Ulta, and Neutrogena are all now selling similar products. I guess you have to copy the competition in order to stay alive.

Bare Escentuals seems like a viable alternative to the traditional liquid foundation. When my trial sizes run out, I may just make the switch for good.