0

« Because Who Doesn't Love Free Stuff? | Main | Because the Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves »

Because You Asked For It

Published 10.25.2006 | Permanent Link | Comments (7)

Hey Amy,

Ever since I discovered mineral-based foundation I have had an optimism/skepticism dichotomy going on in my head that is driving me nuts. So I thought I would ask. Do you have any experience? I would totally just try it, but it's like $80. If it really is beautiful and natural looking I will buy it, but if not, pushaw! Is the hype justified?

Cristie

Okay, so I've gotten about two million billion questions about Bare Escentuals and other mineral-based makeups. I've never personally used any of these cosmetics. I had a couple friends who were both seriously underwhelmed by the Bare Escentuals line, with one of them having a fairly nasty reaction to the stuff after a few weeks. So I decided it would be best to stay away from that, as I am not a fan of nasty reactions. (I know! It's a bold stance, but I'm controversial like that.)

escentuals.jpg ANYWAY, a loooong time ago (in the pre-AlphaMom Smackdown days) I rounded up some experts and set them loose on the topic and then asked my readers to chime in as well. You can read it here. There was...um...a definite failure to reach a consensus. A near-riot broke out in the comments. I think somebody threw a lamp. Eventually we all had to agree to disagree, if only for the sake of the children.

But the powerhouse marketing campaign behind this stuff is UNBELIEVABLE, and I get at least one question about Bare Escentuals every week or so.

Which means it's time to revisit the topic, poll the AlphaFoxyMamas and then take cover. Here's what they had to say:

Peyton:

I have two different shades of Bare Escentuals blush -- (Beauty and Secret, I think). I have relatively sensitive skin, and I don't have any problems with skin irritation. That being said, because it's a loose powder with a strong pigment, it is difficult to apply. I always get too much on the brush (have yet to figure out how to effectively use the packaging that it comes in -- I generally just turn it upside down to get a little powder to "come out"). Even dusting off the brush leaves so much on that I have to mitigate the painted-lady effect that I get when I apply it. The upside is that when it's applied over foundation, it stays on for quite a while.

I prefer Nars blush, which is the compact that I keep in my purse.

Jodi:

Bare Escentuals -- love it, love it, love it! I've used other expensive makeup for years (Clinique, MAC, Bobbi Brown) and I always had a problem with after about noon I had no makeup on. My skin is combination, but the oily is really oily, and the makeup just slides off. This makeup stays on. My best experience was at an outdoor wedding in 100 degree heat. After 3 hours, I went to the bathroom and my makeup is perfect. My skin is better since I started using it. It is about the same price as other lines, but it lasts forever. And, the first day I wore it to work I got so many compliments. I can put it on in 5 minutes and it’s easy to change from daytime to nighttime. I will say that I still use Smashbox Photofinish primer under my makeup. My best advice is to go to Sephora, have them tell you what color starter box to get, and try it. They will take it back. Then start experimenting with other pieces, like the eye shadows and stuff. I will say my skin stopped breaking out as much after I used this also.

Rebecca:

I’ve never used Bare Escentuals, but I use the mineral makeup from Everyday Minerals. And? I absolutely love it. You can get it in several different finishes. I use the semi-matte formula and it makes my skin really even and maybe just a little bit glowy. I’ve never experienced any skin irritation and it’s pretty simple to use.

Here are a few helpful hints that I can offer after using mine for a couple of months.

1) First, moisturize your face. Let your moisturizer sink in for a few minutes before applying. This helps make sure the makeup will distribute evenly on your skin.

escentualbrush.jpg 2) It helps to use a big fluffy brush. With said brush, use large, circular strokes when applying the makeup.

3) Use a light hand. As with all makeup, it’s much easier to layer more on than to backtrack.

Voila! Not rocket science in the least. And not to turn this into a major pimp-fest for Everyday Minerals, but one of the reasons I originally tried it was that it's half the cost of Bare Escentuals. Also, you can order a free trial from their website -- and they let you pick multiple shades and formulas so you can figure out what will work for you. Win-win if you ask me.

Liz:

A few things about me: I’d been a decade-long user of MAC Studio Fix (a compact powder foundation). I never did well with liquid foundations of any type, because they always seemed to make my oily skin worse. And, my skin seemed to be getting oilier and zittier as I approached my mid-thirties. Studio Fix just started making a mess of my face, so I was on the hunt for something new and fabulous. Enter a commercial for Bare Escentuals, and the whole “make-up so pure you can sleep in it” mantra. I searched high and low for the damn stuff, but couldn’t get it anywhere in Montreal, where I live. Finally, on a trip to San Francisco in August, I headed directly from the airport to the nearest Sephora and bought myself a BE starter kit.

I loved the stuff for the first couple of months. Yes, it takes a little longer to apply than most other foundations and medium coverage requires repeating the whole “swirl-tap-buff” procedure twice. At least. But, I found it lasted an entire day and required very little in the way of touch-ups. The finish is quite nice and not at all powdery or cakey as I’d initially feared. I found a color that matched my skin beautifully. I LIKED how my skin looked, for the first time in ages.

And then the itching started. And a little burning. And the desire to claw the skin off my face within minutes of applying it. These? Are not qualities I look for in a foundation. So those complaints you hear about irritation? Very real, and very annoying, and slightly disconcerting.

I’ve heard people say that BE is not a summer make-up. It simply becomes freaking irritating when confronted with perspiration of any kind. I’ve been on a BE hiatus for a few weeks now, and I think I’ll test out that theory now that it’s getting cold again. But the second I feel any kid of tingle, I’ll be emailing Amalah to ask her for foundation advice.

Adair:

Sorry this one is new to me. Could be that it isn't so big in the Canadian market yet. I did a little research and two flags went off for me. First the idea of 'make-up you can sleep in' makes every bone in my body ache. I have to stop myself from running down the street screaming at the top of my lungs! Please oh please NEVER encourage people to sleep in their make-up! I don't care how pure it claims to be! ACK!! No no no, whimper whimper. Oh the humanity (and the laundry). Okay deep breath. I also wonder about the shelf life on this stuff. I know we are all guilty of not throwing out that mascara after 6 mths, and I know I try to surpass the one year rule with eye-shadow but MAKE-UP DOES GO BAD! So if there are no preservatives in there and we know we are keeping our well-preserved make-up too long anyway.... oh man gotta get a bag to breath in......

Thanks, AlphaFoxyMamas.
Please visit us tomorrow for another Advice Smackdown Question & Answer.

« Older | Newer »

Comments (7):

epoh said:

I've refused to try that Bare Escentuals stuff every since I first saw it many years ago in the mall. They had a stand (one of those cart things in the middle of the walkways) and the guys hawking this stuff were SUPER annoying. They were literally trying to throw that stuff on my body. Freaked me out a little too much.

(Very similar to my reaction to the egyption lotion people - LEAVE ME ALONE! Grr)

Posted on October 25, 2006 13:15

alice said:

If you live *anywhere* near a bare escentuals store (or posisbly a sephora) I highly recommend getting a free mini-makeover with them to see whether you like it. It's also a good way to have someone who knows what they're doing demonstrate the tap, swirl, blow, apply technique. I love the stuff, and second all the great things people said above.

As for the shelf life issue, what I was told is that it the composition helps impede bacterial growth, and the packaging keeps the powder somewhat protected from contamination. (If you wash your brush regularly, that will help a LOT, but the fact that you're not dipping your brush into the main compartment also helps.)

Even with my sensitive-to-everything skin, I haven't had the irritation problems that others mentioned, but that's another good argument for the Sephora trial pack - something that makes your face feel like it's on fire really isn't worth crazy $ upfront.

Posted on October 25, 2006 13:21

Heather said:

Is it just me, or is the calendar on this site broken? Today is 10/25. I'm pretty sure this wasn't posted yesterday afternoon.

Posted on October 25, 2006 16:35

Meghan said:

I too found that BE was not the best thing when the potential to sweat was looming. (We went to Disney World in August, and I wanted to peel my face off after about 20 minutes. I only put it on one night for a special dinner out, and I ended up in the bathroom washing it off with a baby wipe.)

Other than that, I have no complaints. I have a super oily T-zone (do they even call it that anymore?) and very dry cheeks. This stuff stays on, looks matte and gorgeous, and does not take too much time to apply.

I used my sister's Physician's Formula mineral foundation this weekend, and was pretty pleased with it as well. She's the queen of sensitive skin (can't even walk into Bath & Body Works without breaking out) and she has had no issues with it. It's also hella cheap, (you can pick it up at Walgreens) so it might be worth trying out.

One thing: No matter what brand you go with, invest in good brushes. And get one for each thing you will apply. I bought the kabuki brush (the one pictured in this post) one light coverage brush, and one cover-up brush. I wish I had gotten another one of the light coverage brushes, so I could use one for the foundation and one for the 'warmth.' I find myself using the kabuki brush for both the foundation and the mineral veil, with the light coverage brush for the warmth. I think I'm going to have to get another brush. (Maybe Santa will put on in my stocking.)

The brushes aren't cheap, but after using my sister's brush from Target, I now believe they were a very worthy purchase. They can be easily cleaned with baby wash (a tip I got from the BE salesgirl, who was very helpful) and they will not only last a long time and apply even coverage, they feel so much better against your skin. Because really, who wants to swirl their face with pointy plastic bristles? Not I.

Posted on October 25, 2006 18:05

Kate said:

I've never tried Bare Escentuals but I finally broke down and went to see a dermatologist about a month ago for my relatively mild acne and the doctor recommended it along with Clinique as the best makeup brands to wear because they won't clog your pores as much. I'm not sure if these are the only brands she recommends but I ditched my Smashbox foundation and went back to my old Clinique and my skin is definitely looking better these days (prescription topical medications probably help too).

Posted on October 25, 2006 19:36

jess said:

I have huge issues with my skin and my dermatologist recommended jane iredale mineral makeup. In fact, he uses it people right after lasering or dermabration because it (1) has a physical sunscreen and (2) the ingredients actual help heal your skin. I use the pressed powder with the brush-type pictured in the post and if I need to cover a spot or two I just use a small brush and layer a bit more on. As long as I use a good moisturizer it always looks great.

Posted on October 26, 2006 14:46

carrisa said:

Can I just say that you don't have to buy Bare Escentuals. Arbonne makes a version of that that is much cheaper.. like $38. I use it and I love it. Also I noticed that Avon has just come out with their version. I haven't tried it but it's only like $7.99 or $9.99. I would suggest start with the cheapest and work your way up from there. If you don't like Avon, move to Arbonne and so forth. That way you aren't out a lot of money to begin with.

Posted on October 26, 2006 17:16

Post a comment

Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)

(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)


Remember me?


RSS/Atom Feed
Subscribe
Recent Posts
Housing Crisis: Staying With the In-Laws
Smackdown Updates: Sunscreen, Teeth Whiteners, Field Trips & Handbag Dilemmas
The Tracks of Your Tears: How to Repair Your Makeup After Crying
The Every-Other-Month Cycle Blues
Call to the Bullpen: An Official Invite for Former Smackdown Question-Asker People
Categories
Archives

Feeding Your Newborn

About

Amalah is a pseudonym of Amy Corbett Storch. A Washington D.C.-based freelance writer. The Smackdown is published on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. You can follow Amy's daily mothering adventures at www.amalah.com. Also, it's pronounced AIM-ah-lah.

Submit a Question

If you would like to submit a question, email Amalah at here.


© Alpha Mom, Inc. All rights reserved. | Legal | SanDisk Contest Rules | Jeep Contest Rules | Privacy