Beauty the Bareminerals way

For me Bare Minerals started of as a whisper, I heard about it from a few friends in the beauty business but just lately this new make up fad has become a bit louder, everyone seems to be talking about it, adverts popping up on TV and recently Boots have made room for a Bare minerals counter on the shop floor. As do get excited about changing my foundation for a newer/higher coverage/better/brilliant/air brushed version of me (that's what all the brands promise right?)  I had to try it out.

My Foundation History
As everyone's wants and needs are different when it comes to make up and foundation I think it's important to tell you what I look for in a foundation, as what I think could be the best foundation ever could be your worst foundation nightmare and vise-versa. I have very sensitive skin and patches of eczema from time to time. Therefore, I like foundation that lets my skin breathe but has good coverage. I like people to not know it's there but at the same time cover my lumps and bumps in my skin without drying it out. In my experience of foundation this is a very difficult balance to find. My saving grace has been No7 Stay Perfect Super light foundation (£14.50), which is a liquid base and super light, so light in fact that I can apply it with just my fingers every morning. However, just recently I have been looking for something with slightly more coverage, and I love the Matt look, this is why I was so excited to try Bare Minerals because form their ads there powder promised to make my foundation dreams come true.


The counter experience
I turned up at the beauty counter, fresh faced and ready to try this so called 'wonder' product. After having a brief talk about my skin types (combination/sensitive) with the  consultant I had all my make up removed, my fringe was pulled back from my face. I sat ready, in the middle of boots (anything foundation could make me look better at this point).

To get the 'full' Bare Minerals experience I had to start from scratch. First my face was cleansed with Mineralixer (£21) and treated with 5 Oil Blend (£38). At first I was a was a little dubious  about applying the 5 Oil Blend, as unawares to the consultant a high concentration of oils and water can make sensitive skin crack and red. The Oil Blend did make my skin feel a little tight to start with  however when the Dry Skin Moisturizer (£27) was applied my skin did start to calm and settle.

Now on to the make or break, the foundation testing. Bare minerals boast at being a brand that only contain 5 minerals all from nature, previously these had all come in powder form apart from there newest product Bare Skin which is the first liquid base foundation form the range. I thought I'd try them all.

Original Foundation (£25)- This is the original powder from Bare Minerals (hence the name). It promises great coverage, SPF 15 and flawless creamy texture. It was applied with the Handy Buki Brush, the texture was indeed lovely, but from the second it was applied it felt quite dry on my skin something that the Bare Minerals Consultant had already predicted, especially on my skin type. Powders do tend to try out my skin, due to their lack of oil anyway, but the foundation did have a creamy consistency and I can see how this particular product would work wonders on women with normal/ oily skin. Just not for me.

 Bare Minerals Ready Foundation (£25) - Again a powder, but pact into a more compressed state to form a solid powder. This foundation, boasted to actually increase the hydration in my skin just by 108% throughout the day. When on the powder sat beautifully on the skin and did created a flawless effect without feeling at all heavy or caked on. The texture was very velvety and soft, which felt like it enabled my skin to breath. This foundation is actually high coverage, however it does of course depend on how much you put onto the brush. The Consultant only used a 5p amount on my nose and  cheeks, which was plenty for me.

Bare Skin Liquid Foundation (£26)- Last of all I tried Bare Minerals newest range, their first liquid foundation. It was applied with their especially adapted brush and did give  a lovely dewy look to the top of my skin, even though it seemed to add extra colour rather than coverage. Although it gave an air like feel and was the lightest when applied compared to all three foundations, it was extremely similar to my No7 foundation that I already used but slightly more expensive.

I ended up purchasing the Bare Minerals Foundation ,without the brush as I found them a tad expensive (the brush was only £7 difference in price from the foundation itself).
After a week of using it I'm quite impressed, it is light, doesn't effect my sensitive patches and does a great job of smoothing out my skin, allowing me to face the day, face held high! My skin does feel more hydrated throughout the day and I can still see evidence of the foundation on my skin after a hectic 12 hour day! When going out on the town, I have found it easy to build up coverage, however the powder can become a little lumpy if you not careful when building it up. These lumps can also appear if my skin is having a dry kind of day. When this happens I find it easier to apply my No7 foundation and L'oreal Nude Magique Blur cream underneath for a smoother base.

Overall I am very impressed with Bare Minerals, my makeup routine know feels complete. The beauty consultant did also let on about more new and upcoming products including a cheeky new tinted moisturizer, which sounds perfect for those summer days on the beach which as just around the corner! Keep you eyes pealed for reviews on that coming soon!

Don't forget to leave any comments or if you have any questions about my makeup routine, makeup brushes used ect.