Bare Escentuals • #1 and #2 • Powder

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polixenia on 10/3/2009 7:41:00 PM more reviews by polixenia

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Green    

horrible product! I looked like I was 10 years older. You could see all my wrinkles. sorry I tried it! My face has dry patches in some areas and acnee in others. I don't know what they put in it but I am sure it's not natural!

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*TOP REVIEWER* Autumn13 on 7/20/2009 11:49:00 AM more reviews by Autumn13

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

When BE first came out I bought two of these right away and I love the it felt on my skin. No more heavy foundation. Yay!! I used it for over 2 years and I had my trials and errors on how to put it on my face but finally got the hang of it. Well, I never really had any facial regiment, until quite recently. Now, I home dermamicrobrasion, mask, cleanser, toner, serum, moiturizer, etc...you know the lot. I've never had an even skin tone and I have acne scars but BE minimized them and I really love that! But, my skin always had red patches here and there and many of those red bumps. Never paid much attention since BE covered them for the most part. Since I've discovered MUA and due to MUA, I started my facial regiment. My skin started to look healthy, smooth and the scars less noticeable but the red bumps continued and I was changing certain products and wasting money here and there. About five days ago, I decided to stop using BE products all together including the powder foundation. Lo and behold, today, no red bumps on my face! It was a bitter/sweet discovery because I loved BE. I shall mourn the lost of a friend but will enjoy the journey ahead with my new friend Smashbox. But, time will tell...

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NATASCIA22 on 6/22/2009 3:27:00 PM more reviews by NATASCIA22

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I used BE for like almost a year... I was very dumb for forcing myself to wear it that long... I absolutely loved the way.. the make up looked on me... I think that is why i stuck with it for so long... But under neath the make up.. my skin was suffering...
details: itching, flaking, just over all uncomfortable.. even after i had the make up washed off, my skin was breaking out, and itching... and then i would want to use more make up.. just to cover it up... how sad right?

Well, I finally convinced myself to go out and find something new... I started using smashbox halo hydating powder and that product was great, just to expensive and i ended getting to dark for the light shade ... but over all bare escentuals just was terrible on my skin.. now my skin is doing great and i have moved on in the beauty world to better or should say amazing cosmetics.....

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laurkas on 12/10/2008 6:12:00 PM more reviews by laurkas

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Green    

BareMinerals is a bit difficult to use in the beginning but it's worth it.

You just need to get used to it--follow the instructions about using it: brush it around your face in small amounts. You also need to use their brushes--I tried others and the effect is not the same.

I'm 47 and since I've been using it, people tell me that I look radiant and healthy, give me compliments on my skin, even when I'm tired or at the end of day.

Once I learned to use it, it didn't cake up and lasted for a long time. And it it gives a natural look.

Yes, it can be a bit messy--when I'm in a hurry, I spread a bit of powder out around my sink.

I also like that it's delivered to me as a subscription every 3 months or whenever I want: one less thing to think about since I'm a working woman. It was easy to adjust my order to the shade I wanted so now I don't even think about what makeup I need.

They send sample gifts of stuff to try with the order--cleansers, other skin care...so it's nice to try new stuff.

The quality is good, the price is right. You have to learn and experiment a bit with it but it's worth it.

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*TOP REVIEWER* aeresu on 5/3/2008 9:41:00 AM more reviews by aeresu

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I purchased the light starter kit when I was in Paris. I think watching the DVD does help with application and it's important to know how much powder to use. Too little and nothing happens to your face, too much and your face looks cakey. When you get it right, you do look like you have flawless skin (though some blemishes may show through) and you can see for yourself if you powder half your face. Lately, however, I've been finding that it looks a lot more drying on my face and "bitty" so that has been putting me off. I'll go back to a liquid foundation before trying another mineral foundation. The packaging is logical for this sort of foundation but it's not good for travelling. Put tape over the holes if you are planning to fly this in your suitcase, you'll lose a bit of powder but it's better than opening the pot and having several grams of it fall out.

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*TOP REVIEWER* ninadelsol on 3/6/2008 12:20:00 PM more reviews by ninadelsol

Age: 30-35   Skin: Sensitive, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Red, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I left a review on the Bare Minerals #2, but feel that I need to leave it here so that others looking for an honest review can find it, no matter what their skin tone is.

After using Bare Minerals products for over 4 years with no complaints, I am sad to say that I will never use it again. My flawless skin has been mysteriously breaking out for the past 5 months. At first, I thought it was an allergy or some kind of detox, but then I noticed that every time I would wear Bare Minerals, I would break out the next day. The breakouts slowly developed into cystic acne on my cheeks and chin.

I stopped using Bare Minerals last month and the acne went away, completely. Then I decided to put it on yesterday to test it again. BIG MISTAKE. I washed my face before bed as usual and I woke up this morning with the worst skin - acne on my cheeks, forehead and chin. I'm using tea tree oil, a special acid cleanser and three topical creams to get my skin back to it's original state.

Bare Minerals will destroy your skin. :(

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*TOP REVIEWER* camillacamilla on 1/2/2008 1:51:00 PM more reviews by camillacamilla

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I have to admit, I deleted a previous Bare Minerals review. Why? That review was scathing. I HATED Bare Minerals. I had tried it, and looked like a cakey, large pored, orange disco ball. Gave it 1 lippie. Marked it would not repurchase. Oooops. I was a hypocrite. I repurchased. And completely changed my mind.


I have insomnia. Bad insomnia. And have spent countless hours at night, watching Leslie Blodgett hustling Bare Minerals in their informercials. Even though I had tried it before and hated it, I could never resist watching the informercial. Oh the promises they make in that 30 minute long pitch! The look of bare skin! I can sleep in it! Smaller pores, looking younger! I could always resist repurchasing it at Ulta or Sephora, because there were other things I wanted. Well, Christmas came and my husband gave me an Ulta gift card as one of my gifts. And I didn't NEED anything from Ulta. And I saw the informercial again. And I decided I would give Bare Minerals another go.


What is different for me this time? The shade, and the application. I tried the wrong shade before. I am NOT in that majority that wears medium. Nope. I can wear either Fairly Light or Light. They both disappear into my skin. Medium is all wrong on me. No wonder I looked orange. I looked like a large pored disco ball before because I had applied way too much. The mica in Bare Minerals CAN look too shiny if too much is used. Too much used can look cakey and accentuate your pores. You really don't have to use much powder to get good coverage. Your coverage comes from the brush you use to apply the minerals, NOT by caking it on in heavy layers. Also, prep your skin beforehand! I let my Estee Lauder Idealist fully absorb, then apply Bare Escentuals Prime Time. Then apply the minerals. A good serum and primer underneath make for a very nice, smooth application.


Whereas before I was shiny, cakey, and masky, now I have the look of...bare skin! Flawless bare skin. If you have tried it and had the problems I did before, change shades and/or apply less. Some people DO have an allergic reaction to the Bismuth in Bare Minerals, but it doesn't bother me- no itching whatsoever.

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kikababy311 on 10/6/2007 6:39:00 PM more reviews by kikababy311

Age: Unknown   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Green    

I am a licensed medical aesthetician, and have been working for a dermatology/acne clinic for 4 years. Part of my job is to research cosmetics and their ingredients and determine quality products. This product is AWFUL. I understand the mineral makeup craze and really think it is a great idea on paper, and I do believe the ingredients in this foundation to be o.k. for acne prone skin. HOWEVER, for people like me that like to look natural and not have their makeup look like it was put on with a spatula I would not recommend this product. It makes your skin look like it is glowing, and not in a good glowing way but in an irredescant shiny bad bad way. By the end of the day this will be melting off, and I mean only after 6 hours. It is extremely unnatural looking. I am going back to prescriptives Traceless and their all skins loose powder is amazing. Hope my review helps!

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*TOP REVIEWER* LelloGollilla on 6/16/2007 4:23:00 AM more reviews by LelloGollilla

Age: 36-43   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I never liked the powder foundation until I got a kit and watched the DVD. Once I applied this properly, I found my skin looked airbrushed and perfect, not cakey. Covers, but looks like your skin. Does not cause the flaking and caking it used to when I didn't know how to use it. You really have to use tiny amounts. The price is right too. It does get messy though if your travelling with it. The sifter on the LM minerals is really where its at. This made me decide to get rid of all my tinted moisturizers and foundations. This is really all you need, and the warmth product makes you look healthy and glowing. As for some negative reviews, I think everyone should watch the DVD and follow exactly, I think you will change your mind. The final touch of mineral veil realy does get rid off any shinyness and pores. Best of all this didn't break me out. I am hooked forever!

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OctGoddess2007 on 4/16/2007 3:19:00 PM more reviews by OctGoddess2007

Age: 44-55   Skin: Oily   Hair: Other   Eyes: Hazel    

I've been around the block over the past 5 yrs trying all sorts of anti-aging foundations & new mineral makeups- but Bare Minerals just had a great boxed set sale & I had a gift cert for Christmas at Ulta & I went back to Bar Minerals -they have the new starter kit available that's really great & swear toGod (or Goddess) I've gotten at least 4 compliaments this past week since starting back using it! People guessing I was 14 yrs younger than my age & once a woman refused to sell me smokes unless she saw my ID!!! Wow!! Im mid 40's!! I learned a few blending tips from listening to Lauren Hutton on tv to use with Bare Minerals & it's made a big difference! BLEND BLEND BLEND! or I should say BUFF!
***A great tip a salesgirl helped me with~~~~~~ I always chose medium shades for faoundation since I love being tanned all thru my teens-but that doesnt mean my real skin tone IS a medium! She told me I looked like I should try the Light kit (it's not the "FAIR" kit for porcelin skin) I was skeptical & didnt want to look ghostly pale- but she said the light kit has more of a golden undertone-whereas the medium has more pinkish-so she said I'd get better coverage with the Light than a medium-and she was right!! 5 yrs ago-I was buying the medium & darker medium-so even though I liked the tan look-it just wasnt my true skin tone. That's what "warmth" & the other coloring touches are for.
My tip is the box set comes with a LIGHT & FAIRLY LIGHT- So I use the small brush with FAIRLY LIGHT(lighter color) to first buff all around my nose(reddish areas) & under my eyes for dark circles & maybe rt under eyebrows for that lift-THEN I swirl in the LIGHT color all over face -a tiny tiny bit of glee on cheeks or warmth for whatever coloring I want & Im done-oops-dont forget the MINERAL VEIL ALL OVER face-YES it REALLY does make a difference! 5 yrs ago-I thought it would be a waste of money so i skipped that step-I thought if I didnt look oily-why spend the money? But it does more that SET the minerals-it really does give the look of SMALLER PORES-hello- SMALLER PORES! Those nasty things that so many say there's nothing we can do a thing to really change! Mineral Veil glides over & really does give a smooth finish-feels cooling -not heavy & you cant really put too much-unlike other oil controlling powders that make you feel youre caking it on all day.
So recheck your skin tone & undertone again-unless you stay tan all year round-you may not look your most beautiful in a darker makeup. I know it's tough to get used to when we want that deep sun kissed look. You really can look sun kissed with a LIGHT foundation at least with this mineral makeup. I sometimes just lightly swipe the glee (blush) across tops of cheekbones & a teeny touch to tip of nose- where the sun shines down & you have that day at the lake look-without sun fried skin! LOVE~TRUTH~BEAUTY ~~ MAY we all shine on! (Just not the oily shine)
Hugs~Oct Goddess

Good luck to all you goddesses! hugs~daaaaalings! ;*

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cherryberry55 on 2/20/2007 7:01:00 PM more reviews by cherryberry55

Age: 19-24   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

I wanted SO MUCH to love this product, but found the application really difficult. It left my skin dry, chalky and uneven.

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hfm28 on 2/1/2007 2:25:00 PM more reviews by hfm28

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I really wanted to like this as well. It seemed perfect because I have combination skin, so I assumed a powder foundation would be perfect for this oily t-zone of mine. NO. What I got was a greasy MESS in about an hour, and it looked terrible. I do not have large pores and have very clear skin, but I do have a birthmark on my forehead that the product DOES cover well. There is no need to purchase the separate concealer because the foundation when used with a concealer brush works extremely well; it also is an excellent eye makeup base. I would only recommend this product to individuals with very normal skin. It looks awful and cake-y on the dry parts of my face, and turns into an oil slick in the t-zone.

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girlygirl1035 on 12/23/2006 7:04:00 PM more reviews by girlygirl1035

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Green    

I've been wanting to try BE for a while now. I have tried every single foundation you can think of...MAC, Bobbi Brown, ect. I haven't found a foundation that I love this much. It has a great natural look, but covers well. I'm only 15, so I do have the occasional zit, and this covers any zit nicely. I would recomend this to anyone. It looks great in all different types of lighting...indoors or outdoors.

If you didn't like this...you must be doing something wrong. If you moisturize five minutes before applying and follow the applying rules, you'll love how your skin looks and feels.

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abigailczap on 12/23/2006 4:12:00 PM more reviews by abigailczap

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Green    

I've been using BE for about three years now--it's a staple of my make-up bag.
Once you've mastered the application, there really is no other foundation on the market that can compare with this for luminescent, weightless coverage.
The foundation really disguises scars, spots, veins...Note: the companion product, "Mineral Veil" works beautifully to homogenize coverage and add brightness.
The foundation is also, as I said, supremely light and comfortable to wear.

There's a reason (actually about eight--I didn't even go into the cheapness or longevity of the stuff) that this product attracts scads of devotees.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

mchelle911 on 12/19/2006 2:01:00 PM more reviews by mchelle911

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

Very disappointed with this product. I was really looking forward to trying the product. All the hype made it sound great. I bought the starter kit and had to mix the colors a bit to get a good match. Very messy, even with using a little product. The foundation sat on top of my face and did not look blended. Was a little better when using a moisturizer first, but then wore off quickly. Not good if you have larger pores.......I also dont like the idea of having to shake the product into the lid...what happens to the extra. If you blended it with another color, you dont want to add it back in the container. Even if you did, you would have to turn the lid upside down and then the powder gets everywhere. HMMMMM. For this much money there has to be a better system. I do however, like the curved concealer brush. Works great with other products. Would NOT buy this again.

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NatiElisa on 11/15/2006 7:49:00 PM more reviews by NatiElisa

Age: 25-29   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

I have this foundation in the lightest color possible,, #1, since I'm very fair. I love this foundation in the winter. It makes my face itch if I get too hot or even remotely flustered in the summer months.
Coverage is great for dry/normal areas but it does nothing to keep my oily areas at bay.
I still like the amount of coverage I get.

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Stillwaters11 on 11/13/2006 12:42:00 PM more reviews by Stillwaters11

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

FYI - Just wanted to let you all with allergies to beware of BE. While it looked great on my skin, I had terrible itching and eventually asthma attacks. Now I am very sensitive, but I have read others comments that had the same reaction. Here is my warning. Many of the BE products contain corn starch, which is not bad in itself. However, when cornstarch gets damp, it grows mold and fungus. I am severely allergic to mold and fungus. It is worse in the loose powder form because I was inhaling it directly into my lungs. Sephora was GREAT in returning it, and I got several fragrance-free and cornstarch free products in the Sephora line that I really like. I know this is a severe reaction, but it is important to know if you have allergies or any kind of respiratory condition.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

crazyjenna on 9/19/2006 5:35:00 PM more reviews by crazyjenna

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone   Hair: Red   Eyes: Hazel    

I used this product and found that it came off too easily. It made my skin look so oily. And when I had slightly scraped my finger on my face it was all on my fingers and under my nails(gross!). Definatly not for all day wear. I went out into the sun, and when I started to sweat, I looked like I was melting.

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kbohn23 on 9/7/2006 11:42:00 AM more reviews by kbohn23

Age: 19-24   Skin: Sensitive, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

The infomercials claim this is great for your skin, but I was sorely disapointed. It made my oily skin look even oiler and made me break out. So much hype for something not very good. I also read that eventhough it is Talc free it contains corn starch which is not good for sensitive or acne-prone skin.

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JoyD on 7/16/2006 12:48:00 AM more reviews by JoyD

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Medium   Hair: Brown, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I was recommended this product by a beauticial to use after gettting microdermabrasion because it wont clog my pores. The product gave ok coverage but always came of easily with my oily skin.

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