It's official: I'm a Bare Minerals convert

[Octoberbeauty]

I've been using Bare Minerals for close to 10 years now. Still love it, but I do want to find some better brushes. Making notes of the suggestions in this thread.

 

[indygirl99]

For those who can't get enough coverage from BM or don't like the mess, have you tried their Ready pressed foundation? I LOVE it, I don't use the loose foundation anymore, the Ready works so much better for me.

Hated the loose powder.

LOVE the Ready. But I have to use a darker color in the Ready. I have never been a medium beige in my life until the Ready came out.

 

[burnurcomputer]

I can't wait to try Bareskin! I get my sample product in April! *Squee* I haven't used liquid in years! I think I am going to like the new brush and serum foundation.

I have 2 train cases of Bare Minerals, I am running out of space and really need a third I was disappointed today after my beauty rush order didn't have a kit (they over sold ) but I got a natural lipgloss in a honey shade as a gift for my trouble and, of course, my refund for the product.

I have turned so many people onto Bare Minerals!

 

[elgerber]

Hated the loose powder. LOVE the Ready. But I have to use a darker color in the Ready. I have never been a medium beige in my life until the Ready came out.

Yes I had to use a darker shade also.

 

[aussietravellers]

I was a MAC girl for years, studio fix then changed to minerals. The colour I used stopped being brought into Australia, so I had to find another brand. Bare Minerals arrived in the country and I went and had a colour match and bought the starter kit and LOVED it! So used that for a couple of years.

I was excited about going to America last year to stock up as it's twice the price in Australia to what it is in America (same as MAC, a $24 pot of mineral foundation is $60 in Australia, we are ripped off severely).

Anyway, when I was in the US, I bought a lot of Bare Minerals but then by accident I found Hourglass Immaculate foundation and I swapped over. The one thing (and only thing) I didn't like about Bare Minerals was that my entire bathroom would seem to be covered in a fine brown powder (no idea how it would go so far with my little tap).

Anyway I will go back to Bare Minerals when my US purchased Hourglass supply runs out (it is obscenely expensive here $80 a bottle Bare Minerals is only $40)

 

[Imzadi]

Kind of off topic but I can't believe no one has introduced you to a foundation brush (especially if you have friends who are makeup artists!). Using a sponge is totally wasting foundation! I would say a good 80% of the foundation ends up in the sponge. And a liquid foundation shouldn't clog your pores if it's oil free and if you wash it off at night.

You have to prep a makeup sponge before using them, so they don't soak up all the foundation. They are sponges, so they have thirsty open cells.

The sponge has to be rinsed in warm water. (Warm - as it may help to melt any solid pigments in the foundation before being applied on the skin.)

Squeeze out as much water as possible. Then blot the edge you are going to dip into the foundation onto a towel to fully get off ALL excess water first. You want the open cells of the sponge hydrated with water, so it doesn't absorb the foundation. But, not so wet that it dilutes the foundation at all. Basically the sponge becomes a squeegee for pushing and blending the foundation onto the skin.

I still have my last makeup sponge that I used. I'll post a picture later. You will see it hardly absorbed any foundation at all. I like to use all 4 sides - one for each day. Plus, afterwards, I cut off one of the thick corners with scissors to get another clean edge for one more use out of it. I put the foundation on the back of my hand then gently pat, pat, pat, one edge of the sponge till there is just enough foundation to dab onto my face in sections and smudge it around to blend in.

I have had a few people use makeup brushes on me. They take just as much time as using the sponges. BUT, they require extra time to clean afterwards. Plus a great makeup brush is dang expensive! I have a fantastic MAC powder brush that I use to dust on the translucent powder. It's $38 at MAC and I got it for $28 off eBay, and that still is very pricey.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

This is slightly off topic, but I made a foundation-ish purchase today.

I got a sample of Benefit Big Easy in my Birchbox this month. (It's a BB/CC cream.)

I used it today and immediately went online and bought it. I LOVE it.

 

[AustinTink]

I've been a die hard, loyal MAC makeup girl for well over a decade. I love the coverage over my splotchy skin and the flawless look it gives. It's the makeup that my makeup artist friend and others use on TV shows & movies.

But, I haven't liked to wear foundation every day as:

• I can't stand all the time it takes applying with a makeup sponge.

• I don't like how foundation clogs my skin.

• I don't like all the waste of synthetic makeup sponges in the garbage.

But, I have a thyroid problem and chronic fatigue, and I look sickly now with pale, even more splotchy skin. So I need something I can put on everyday, that will give me some color and coverage, without taking too long.

I liked the idea of mineral makeup. I swipe on blush that is a powder. I even bought a sample kit of Everyday Minerals a few years ago, but none of the colors matched me, so I gave up on that idea.

I went to a Bare Minerals store last week and got color matched. Then I used some Amazon gift cards that I had and bought the matte foundation from an Amazon affiliate. I put it on today. I didn't even have one of the BM brushes. I used a cheapy E.L.F. flat head brush (didn't give quite enough coverage,) and pushed it in more with a thin foundation brush.

I LOVE the coverage and it was soooo quick to put on! I dusted my usual MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural translucent powder over it (instead of buying Mineral Veil) and set it by gently patting my face with a square of damp, folded paper towel. (A trick I learned on how to set powders by getting rid of the "powder look," from my makeup artist friend. ) I even looked better an hour later.

I'll keep my MAC foundation for when I'm going to wedding receptions where I may be in a lot of pictures. But, for everyday wear, I'm sticking to Bare Minerals.

We've had Bare Minerals/Mineral makeup threads in the past. How many of you have stuck with mineral makeup? Any tips or tricks? What brushes do you use? I'm thinking of buying the E.L.F. kabuki brush for $6. Should I just spring for a BM kabuki brush?

I broke out in a rash when I tried bare minerals. Too bad because it really does work.

Just wanted to thank you for the tip about the damp paper towel. I wear Clinique's super-powder pressed powder. I tried the paper towel trick and it works wonderfully! It looks so much more natural!

 

[Lynne M]

This is slightly off topic, but I made a foundation-ish purchase today. I got a sample of Benefit Big Easy in my Birchbox this month. (It's a BB/CC cream.) I used it today and immediately went online and bought it. I LOVE it.

I love Benefit, I wish I'd get a sample of Big Easy in my Birchbox. I've been dying to try it. How's the coverage?

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

I love Benefit, I wish I'd get a sample of Big Easy in my Birchbox. I've been dying to try it. How's the coverage?

Heavier than a typical BB/CC cream, but lighter than a liquid. It felt and looked very natural...Just clean, smooth, skin(not the "perfect, airbrushed" look a lot of liquids give).

The thing I liked the most about it was the color correcting. I have some spot that tend to have darker spots like my chin and I really felt like it evened all of that out.