You’ve seen the late night infomercials and, possibly, heard some women chanting the “swirl, tap, buff” mantra behind closed bathroom doors before hitting the runway, and in the back of your mind, you wonder — does it actually work.
In case you have no idea what I’m referring to, it’s Bare Minerals by Bare Escentuals. If you haven’t heard about it by now, then you’re not staying up late enough.
Convincing Claims
In a moment of weakness just over 6 months ago, I decided to plunk down the cash to take these minerals for a whirl. I’m the avoid makeup unless absolutely necessary type, however, my complexion is less than perfect. So, to look reasonably attractive while trotting around town, makeup is a necessary evil.
Bare Minerals looked as though it would be a happy medium for the happy to be natural and the reality check girls in me.
- Lightweight and sheer for a natural look
- Easy blending for various skin tones
- Natural ingredients
- SPF 15
- Quick application
That’s all I needed to hear (about a hundred times first).
What You Get
I was so thrilled that I almost mauled the postman on arrival. Tearing into the box revealed a nice set of surprises, which may have changed since I received mine:
- Two tones of mineral cover up
- Warmth mineral make up
- Mineral veil finishing powder
- md Formulations facial cleanser
- Four brushes (kabuki, baby buki, concealer, and flawless face)
- Instructional DVD
- Travel case for stashing my goodies
Playing Dress Up
Mineral make up was foreign territory for me; that prompted me to actually read the instructions before using it. Hmmm, I believe that was the first time I realized makeup actually came with instructions.
The included DVD was a nice touch because it went through the entire application process using various women to divulge their own mineral makeup secrets. Once you have the basic instructions down (swirl, tap, buff), it’s quite easy to use your face as a playground.
One fault I did have with the DVD, however, is that it’s basically just the instructions wrapped in a long advertisement for the other mineral makeup products. A few times I caught myself feeling sad because I didn’t have most of the products mentioned in some of the women’s tips. At one point, they plugged their other products so many times, it almost made me wonder if the company was hard up for cash.
All of that aside, I was able to get myself all dolled up in about 10 minutes. I went to check my face in the bathroom mirror — did I forget to mention that I applied it all without a mirror? – and amazingly enough, it worked; it looked as though I wasn’t wearing makeup, yet had pretty skin.
An Elite Member of the Pretty Party and Other Happy Side Effects
Even without all of the additional products touted in the DVD, I was able to wow family, friends, and complete strangers alike. It was official, I had finally become an elite member of the pretty party without looking made up. In fact, most people thought I wasn’t wearing any makeup at all. The one compliment I received above all else? How beautiful my skin was. (If only they all knew…)
Another claim is that Bare Minerals is so lightweight, you can sleep in it without ill effects. Well, that was put to the test — unintentionally, of course — and I can say it’s true. After the number of power naps I’ve taken with a full spread of this stuff, I’m surprised my face hasn’t turned into a pizzeria. (Frankly, I wouldn’t recommend that you make a habit of it though.)
The makeup arrives in tiny jars, but a little does go a long way (though the same can’t be said for the mineral veil — more on that coming up). It’s taken nearly three months to finally deplete “my color” and I still haven’t even made a dent in the Warmth despite regular use. To say the value of the cover up has surprised me would be an understatement.
As if being a member of the pretty party wasn’t enough, the mineral makeup actually went a step further to help improve the overall health and tone of my skin. It didn’t happen overnight, although it seems like it, but one morning I caught a glimpse of my skin before applying the makeup and had to say “damn, my skin looks good.”
The “When It Rains, It Pours” Reality Check
At an early age, we learn that nothing is without its faults, and Bare Minerals is no exception — the main one being how messy it is to use. Most of the mess could probably be avoided if the jars were wider; wide enough to fit the full spread of the flawless finish brush. But, until that day comes, be prepared to use extra care when applying it or possibly change your shirt.
There’s also a good chance that you’ll need a bit of super glue if you want your flawless face brush to hold itself together. One would think that a $22 brush could at least hold up for a few months, but it’s really a hit or miss — if you have your own set of high quality professional brushes, go with that.
Set aside a small investment fund for the mineral veil finishing powder because it goes twice as quickly as the foundation. This is because you can and are supposed to be much more liberal with its application and the number of holes in the jar is unforgiving in that regard. You try to tap out an anthill, but get a mountain instead.
If you’re heading out for a night on the town or a day at the beach, don’t even think about glistening (and by “glistening”, I mean sweating). Your flawless face will streak at the first sign of liquid and that will surely give away your secret — or make you look like you have some rare and troublesome skin disorder. And snuggling up to anyone is out of the question unless you want him (or her) to be wearing your foundation too.
The Final Word on Bare Minerals
It should be no secret that I truly love bare minerals, however, there certainly is room for improvement. In a perfect world, Bare Minerals would be waterproof (or, at least, water resistant), wouldn’t rub off on anything or anyone, and wouldn’t be so messy.
But, this isn’t a perfect world yet, so we need to make due with what we’ve got and with Bare Minerals, we’ve got a lot. Bare Minerals definitely gets a thumbs up if you’re someone who prefers the natural look (i.e. like you’re not wearing makeup at all), or if you have sensitive skin.
May 10th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
[…] lightweight make up. Whenever possible, avoid caking it on — you may even want to give bare minerals a shot — and when you’re done with your day (or night) on the town, wash it off and […]
May 10th, 2007 at 12:46 pm
I’ve been using Bare Minerals for a year now and I LOVE IT! This stuff really is great and great for your skin. I thought your review was pretty funny, but true. For anyone thinking of trying these, I say go for it!
May 17th, 2007 at 11:02 pm
I’m a new mineral make up user, but I have to admit it’s pretty good. I recommend that you go to a store and find your color first, though, because the ones I got sent didn’t match my skin well. The store I went to helped me to find the right colors to blend and taught me how to do it myself. Once you try this, you don’t go back to regular make up.
May 20th, 2007 at 7:37 pm
You have made some really great points here. I have been using BM for less than a month but agree with a lot of what you have to say. The waterproof would be be great because I love in Oregon but that night defeat the purpose of it. Maybe offering a travel size for touch ups. Also, I have very dark circles and use the bisque and well-rested, but still cant cover-up all of the dark. I wonder if they have thought of improving the concealer method.
May 31st, 2007 at 11:00 am
Still waiting to maul the mailman for mine but my friend who recommended it looks fantastic!
June 11th, 2007 at 5:24 am
I’ve been using Bare Minerals now for several years. I absolutely love it, but I find that the coverage is NOT as good as the company advertises. The Kabuki brush definately improves coverage, but I would really love to know how BM covers up freckles on their infomercial. I do find that the BM brushes are the absolute best, have lasted for years, are soft and very luxurious and definately improve the overall experience. My favorite part? three minutes start to finish unless I get fancy on my eyes for a night out. The all over face colors are FANTASTIC,,,my favorites are warmth and glee. Try it, you’ll love it.
June 21st, 2007 at 9:44 am
I am condering purchasing Bare Minerals. I have really dark circles and understand from many reviews that their concealer does not cover dark circles well. Can you use other concealors? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
September 9th, 2007 at 12:48 am
Hello, i found your review to be very good but i found some cinks in it. The brushes have lasted me and as for streaking or rubbing off minerals i always use the veil first and last which soaks up any oil or sweat that i may have during the day i have never had streakyness. Also you need to put alot of the bm for it to rub off on clothing. Overall it was good my makeup has lasted me over 2 years so i hope everyone atleast trys bm its great a perfect makeup.
September 9th, 2007 at 12:15 pm
Hi Samantha,
This was a personal review of the product and everyone’s experience is likely to be different. While you may not have had streaking or the make up rubbing off, you likely didn’t need to use that much to begin with.
Some women will require much more coverage due to skin imperfections. Also, some women work in the sun during the day or sweat more than others. And finally, in the darker shades, the color becomes more visible when it rubs off on clothing.
I was probably dealt a bad hand with my brush, but it was something to note because I’m not the only one who had the same problem (a close friend also had her brush come apart on her).
These are all factors to consider before you call them “kinks”. Glad you liked the review, though.
October 17th, 2007 at 6:26 pm
I am going to be purchasing BM, but I do have one question. I dont have a Bare Minerals store around here so I will be purchasing the product from the website. What would be the best way to know that I will get a color that will perfectly match my skin tone.
October 23rd, 2007 at 4:20 pm
Love your review - I use Bare Minerals and found your comments to be right on, especially about the Mineral Veil. I like Mineral Veil, but it gets used up so fast that now I use a regular finishing powder and that sets the makeup very well. About the brushes: I’ve absolutely switched to non-animal hair brushes. For me, they don’t shed or fall apart as much as animal hair brushes; they’re just as soft; and (my favorite part) they are cruelty-free. I got a synthetic kabuki brush that I just love.
October 23rd, 2007 at 4:24 pm
Hi again. I forgot to mention: for samlynn. If you buy your minerals from a website, just make sure they will take returns. (I think Sephora takes returns.) That way if you get the wrong color, you’re only out the postage and you can try another color. Also, some websites have “live” beauty advisors you can “talk” to in real time.
I do have a portfolio website - it’s www.MyMakeupMirror.com. Hope it’s okay that I put the URL there. If not, I apologize.
February 24th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
There are a lot of mineral makeup companies with products that are superior to Bare minerals. They’re just the “household name” that everyone associates with mineral makeup. For example, I wear PurelyCosmetics (www.purelycosmetics.com); you DON’T need to wear a mineral veil with their makeup, it provides full coverage (and doesn’t wipe off onto your white shirt), and i don’t show streaks when glistening (I love the way you phrased that). I think it’s the bismuth in Bare Minerals that’s the problem. Purely Cosmetics has no fillers like bismuth or silicone derivitaves (clogs your pores), or cancer causing parabens. Their brushes are good quality, and their kits are customizeable to only the colors you choose. A full sized foundation is only $18; the most expensive kit they have is around $85, and doesn’t give you trial sizes inside it like BM.
As for the messy part, I buy a box of wax paper hamburger patty sheets (1000 sheets is under $5), and use a fresh sheet each time I apply my makeup. Keeps your bathroom much cleaner.
March 5th, 2008 at 1:02 am
I’m Afro-American and to say the least finding a good color foundation is challenging. Bare Minerals is the real deal for women like us too.
March 19th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Thanks Cashauna for the BM comment for women of color. I have been looking for a good foundation for years without luck. My girlfriend has tried BM and has flawless skin!! She gets compliments everywhere she goes. Good Bye MK, EL,and M-C…BM here I come. I’ll test out the colors at the BM boutique.