Bare Minerals - PART 1

If you must wear foundation...I'm a big fan of Bare minerals! The original loose powder version. I know they've come out with a pressed form of it but I haven't tried it yet. Frankly, even though I've wished for a pressed version of this powder, I also know that part of its charm is that it's 100% mineral and I'm afraid of what added ingredients were necessary to make a pressed form. I'll probably check it out when I run out of these, but since I don't wear foundation very often, this may take a while…

The reason I don't wear foundation very often is that when you have constantly irritated skin, I believe the less you put on it, the better. So every morning I do my little cleansing, toning and moisturizing routine but only wear concealer, I always avoid foundation. Also because (and I'm fully aware that this is contradictory but…) I think that when you're skin looks imperfect, often foundations make it look worse. I fully realize the irony as foundations are supposed to help, but in my case, if I have a really dry peeling patch of skin, trust me, it will not look any better with some skin colored product on top of it. Redness, yes, that can be improved by foundation but also only if the surface of the skin isn't compromised otherwise it looks yucky, in my opinion. Bottom line, I'm not a big believer of foundation. HOWEVER, what I've always adored about BARE MINERALS is that of everything I've tried (and yes, to come to the conclusions I've mentioned above, I've tried lots!) it's the only foundation that truly looks like my skin, but better. Bare minerals is the most natural foundation I've ever worn and it does make my skin look pretty darn close to flawless! Also, it has never caused any irritation on my skin which I can't say about lots of other foundations out there. The fact still stands that for a lot of my skin problems, foundation doesn't look great, even BARE MINERALS, especially because if this foundation has a flaw, it's that it is a bit drying. Now I have VERY dry skin in some parts of my face so someone with more normal to oily skin (or even a different degree of dry) I think will find this perfect. Also, I used to buffer it around the eyes and I think that was a big, BIG mistake. The skin in that area is just too thin and definitely dried out using this foundation. So now, I only use creamy concealers in that area and use the foundation on the rest of the face on occasions when my skin is behaving and I care to look especially flawless. Also, I've learned that by applying a richer moisturizer (like Dr. Hauschka's Rose Day Cream regular instead of light) before the foundation, the drying issue isn't really an issue (except the eyes, I still avoid the eyes!). 

 What I also love about this foundation is that it caters to fair skinned girls with yellow undertones like me. Most foundations out there always have fair colors but they're almost always too rosy toned in my opinion so that's probably also why they always look so obviously there!! I wear FAIRLY LIGHT (on the right) for the most part and it's a pretty darn close match to my actual skin color! But during the winter I sometimes use FAIR (which is slightly more pink toned but neutral enough that it works ok). Below are the swatches: the ones in the middle are very heavy, just so you can see the color and on the outer side of each heavy swatch is a blended swatch, which are very hard to see because they do blend into my skin like a dream, they're almost imperceptible!

Lastly, is the mineral veil. This is a finishing powder meant to be applied after the foundation to help set it and make it last longer. I like how this does add to the porcelain doll look that I get with the bare minerals foundation. It makes my skin feel like a peach! BUT I've found this to be the main culprit of my skin drying out when I use bare minerals so nowadays I only apply it to my t-zone and that's it! It's an incredibly light powder that offers no coverage, it's completely transparent, and I don't mean this in a negative way, that's how it's supposed to be, I just wanted to let you know because some finishing powders out there are slightly more opaque but this one isn't. In fact, this comes in a tinted variety if you're interested. Oh, and this one adds a very matte effect to the skin. I have skipped using this recently though and find that the foundation still lasts me all day on a regular (indoors) work day. Maybe if I was outside sweating or something, this may be more necessary.

Hope this was helpful to you guys. I really think this is a wonderful line for sensitive skin, just take some precautions if you have dry skin! Hope everyone is having a great weekend :)

INGREDIENTS:

-Foundation: Titanium Dioxide 12.6%, Zinc Oxide 21%, Bismuth Oxychloride, Mica, Iron Oxides.

-Mineral Veil: Zea Mays (Corn) Starch,  Corn Starch Modified, Zinc Stearate, Magnesium Stearate, (+/-) Iron Oxides (Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499).

PRICE:

-Foundation: $27 (0.28oz. or 8grams). Since i don't use this regularly it has lasted me for 2 years (and I'm probably only halfway done)! I imagine with daily use this would last you at least 3 months. 

-Mineral Veil: $20 (0.3 oz.)

CONS: 

-Foundation: Can be drying so avoid applying this it to the area around your eyes.

-Mineral veil : drying.

  

BOTTOM LINE: This is definitely Sensitastic approved! Just take precautions if you have dry skin --wear a richer moisturizer and only apply mineral veil on the t-zone, or not an all. 

WHERE TO BUY: www.sephora.com

www.ulta.com

www.bareescentuals.com