Bare Escentuals • Medium and Dark • Powder

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JCR1982 on 4/10/2010 4:00:00 PM more reviews by JCR1982

Age: 25-29   Skin: Sensitive, Medium   Hair: Brunette, Wavy   Eyes: Brown    

The new packaging is a simple idea but very effective. It helps to stop the powder from escaping as much. In the old packaging I had to poke holes through the plastic covering or all the powder came out the top and just sat above the sifter.

I can't wear liquid foundation as it clings to my cheeks and kind of sits on top of my skin rather than blending in.

This on the other hand does not clump on my cheeks and the coverage is buildable, however if I go too close to my eyes or put too much near my eyes it does make my skin look a little dry & make my wrinkles more pronounced.

I need to reapply the product at lunchtime as I find that my skin has gone a bit shiny and my red cheeks are coming through.

Less really is more with this product and the more buffing you do the better the coverage.

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Lovingthrill on 2/25/2009 2:14:00 PM more reviews by Lovingthrill

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

A few years ago I tried the medium tan/tan kit. In person it looked pretty good. even skin and such but it a picture I looked weird. I eventually stopped using it because it started to look grey but I think that was due to the fact that my face got darker in the summer and the color wasnt an exact match in the first place. Plus I got tired of mixing the two foundations to get my look that wasn't even that great.


Fast forward to last week. I decided to give it another chance since they opened a BE store in the mall. I decided they might understand my needs better since they only deal with BE and not every other makeup like sephora does. I got my consultation and the woman said I was medium dark. I am guessing that is a new color because it did match a lot better than the other one I had but alas it looked a little dry and didn't seem to cover that well no matter how much she put on. I was not convinced but I wanted it to work so bad. She gave me a 10 day supply to try at home. So I decided to try it my own way. I put on my moisturizer and let it settle then put on this liquid concealer (revlon colorstay) on my scars, then use the concealer brush to put on the BE over those spots then use the kabuki to put the foundation on all over. I have been using it for five days and I am pleased over all.

I don't like looking made up and I don't like completely covering everything because it just isn't my thing but I am big on even toned complexion. Pimples don't worrying me too much. my complexion is going through a rollercoaster so this makeup did what I wanted it to do: give even color to my face and diffuse some scars. Does it cover completely? Heck no not by itself. I strongly suggest finding another concealer to put under it if u don't have your heart set on using only minerals. I am just glad I found a color that fits me, goes on naturally and comes in a kit with a darker color so I can wear that in the summer. I tried everyday mineral before and had similar issues. I am not good at finding my own color so I like to go into stores to find it. If I do get adventurous I will try EM again because it was cheaper, they have samples all the time and not just as promos and they were def comparable to BE. for now I will be going back to the BE store for a kit.

By the way I am light skinned (close to medium) african american, if that helps anyone.

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

phemmephenom on 11/29/2008 5:37:00 PM more reviews by phemmephenom

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Tan   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

i use the medium, but i might try the medium beige the next time. in terms of light, full coverage, bare escentuals definitely delivers. i like that it evens out my skintone in a very natural looking way - no cakiness at all. i just wish they offered it in compact form! i really dislike using loose powder because it can get all over the place, but it is worth contending with in the meantime as the overall quality is great.

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4tee1 on 8/13/2008 12:27:00 PM more reviews by 4tee1

Age: 36-43   Skin: Normal, Medium, Cool   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

I was given Medium as a gift. I must say that I wouldn't have considered myself a Medium. My colors of choice have been called 'beige' most of my makeup career. After trying the BE Medium and reading on QVC's Website that most women can wear Medium, I have found my HG foundation. It is dewy and if applied too heavy (or in bad light) it can look shiny. If this happens, I simply apply a little Mineral Veil over the oily T zone and my problem is solved. I don't have a problem with the container or application method - I use a kabuki brush (from Jane) and it seems to pick up all the product in the lid, leaving none behind for me to spill. Plus, it's loose minerals, how else is it going to be decanted???? I also didn't have a problem with the price. It lasts forever. My gift was the medium sized jar and I used it every day for 8 months to use it up! Then I bought a large jar and have been using it for a month and it is still full.

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la18la on 12/3/2007 9:03:00 PM more reviews by la18la

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Green    

pros: the only really good thing about this product is that it is really pure and my skin is free from makeup buildup, leaving it pretty clear. if your skin is pretty moist it covers up ok.. i like that it has spf, my cream blush smooths well over it.*i guess* it leaves you a TAD dewy, with the mineral. not really though.

cons: doesn't cover that well, makes me kind of dry after a few days but still leaves some shine on my forehead, maybe it's just the color, but i look a little pale, if i put too much, i can see it settle into my wrinkles.

it's ok. i would only rebuy because of the purity and spf. not something i like wearing every day, unless maybe i start moisturising underneath and it improves.

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*TOP REVIEWER* MommaMayhann on 10/14/2007 6:20:00 PM more reviews by MommaMayhann

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Dark   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

This stuff is the worst! I was warned during one of my trips to Sephora that the SPF in this has a tendency to make us brown brown women look purple.... I should have listened. I got the starter kit in dark and couldn't wait to get home. I sat down and diligently watched the video. I swirled, tapped, and buffed my way straight to grape-hood! I think this is the "ashy" look that a lot of women are complaining about. I returned it and I picked up Alison Rafeale's (sp?) Skin mineral foundation in tone 6 and it is wonderful. It doesn't have any SPF in it so it leaves my skin looking nice even and BROWN... No grapes anywhere but my fruit bowl!

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

Carlollie on 8/4/2007 10:38:00 PM more reviews by Carlollie

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Normal, Tan   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

When I first began wearing BE I was guided into the Medium Tan foundation, which on site (in the jar) looked too dark in my opinion. After the makeover by the SA I was assured that this was indeed my perfect match. I bought it and thankfully with mineral foundations being as forgiving as they are I got away with this color mismatch for roughly over 1 year. Finally I found a better match which actually is a blend of 2 BE foundation colors and have nothing but raves for this cosmetic line. It's natural looking, healing to the skin, easy and quick to apply, and lasts a very long time!

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vit_c on 4/17/2007 1:07:00 AM more reviews by vit_c

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

I was recommended Medium beige at the Bare Esentuals boutique, The serivce was soso & they didnt not blot off the shine my face before they applied the shade on me. I just bought the foundation & left. Later i chanced this product again at Sephora & the SA found medium more suitable for me - I was very impressed with her service as she fastidiously cleaned the brushes & applied eveything in the basic started pack on me. I basically just bought the basic kit from her due to her good service!

I am impressed with the brushes too - the kabiki brush really put on a thicker layer providing more coverage - but making me look abit cakey due the the wrong shade used (medium beige) I prefer if i had the time to use the normal brush provided to put on a few layers instead.

It is however rather troublesome to use as the plastic containers they come in are rather small to swirl & dab properly. I had to find another container big enough - so that i dont spill so much product.

It doesnt last very well on my pregnancy hormonal changing very oily skin - by the middle of the afternoon - the foundation looks quite bare already unless i did a very thick coverage. But i am still sticking to this as i understand that mineral makeup has less risks of mercury poisoning i am worried about espcially during my pregnancy.

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malia911 on 4/7/2007 8:32:00 PM more reviews by malia911

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I am reviewing the BE foundation in medium beige. I tried BE mineral foundation years ago and it seemed to make my pores look huge, and the colors available at the time did not match my skin tone. I swore never to try it again, but recently decided to give it another try since my previous mineral powder (sheer cover) made my skin break out. I am so glad that I decided to give it another try! There are more colors available now, and I find that using a primer first helps a great deal! I also layer the BE mineral veil before and after appying the mineral foundation which stops oil from accumalating, and makes it last all day! I am now a HUGE BE Fan and will definitey purchase more products from this line!

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KWash on 3/22/2007 10:10:00 PM more reviews by KWash

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I think that if you can find a powder that matches your skin tone perfectly, then this product is excellent. The coverage is great and it feels light on your skin. However, for those of us that don't fall within the color range that she has in her existing line, the powder foundation simply doesn't work. Your skin color looks "off" and it looks as if you're wearing makeup, which defeats the purpose of this product line. Until she expands her line to include more shades (NC43-45), I will have to pass.

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

rnkiley on 3/13/2007 10:37:00 AM more reviews by rnkiley

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Green    

I don't know why anybody has a problem with this makeup at all (except for the skin sensitivity, you can't help that!) I got this in medium and medium beige and applied medium beige 'cause it had more gold undertones. For reference, I've got fair warm skin in winter and light to medium tan skin in summer. I have olive green eyes and dark brown hair with more moles than actual freckles. I was worried to death that the medium would be too dark 'cause I'm pretty fair now, but I couldn't see any type of demarcation at all! the whole secret to this stuff is simple: use extremely sparingly (and of course swirl tap buff blah blah blah)! That's it! I watched the DVD, even though I've seen the infomercial multiple times and it just reinforced what I already knew. Girls, if you don't go nuts trying to get the powder into the lid, you won't make a mess in your bathroom. Really. just a dap will do ya.

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DorkyGurl on 2/7/2007 5:54:00 PM more reviews by DorkyGurl

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

Okay, so you have NO idea how hesitant I was buying this product, it is farily expenisve ($75CDN for starter kit), and I have contemplated buying it since August, and I finally did last week, and I am pleasently shocked, it is aswome. It covers my uneven skin without cakeness, or oompa loompa effect. I used to use MAC Select but hated how it would seperate oni my face (although the color match was perfect), now I have the best of both; color match and all day makeup. The first day I wore it I was going to work (I work at a fast food palce, so it is unbelivibly hot in there at moments), and b boss complimented the fact that my maeup stood up to a 10 hour shift. cool. and since I am in highschool, I have to get up early, now my makeup routine is 5minutes in the morning! my only problem is the concealer. there isn't any. so I still use my mac select stuff which works awsome with this.

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frida6178 on 12/13/2006 12:57:00 PM more reviews by frida6178

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

After hearing all the hype for this product I was excited to go to the new Sephora and try it. This product is all hype. It is so dry and chalky. I'm glad I got to try it before spending the money buying it online or something.

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*TOP REVIEWER* hapapower on 12/5/2006 6:05:00 PM more reviews by hapapower

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

NOTE: please read update below!
I wear transparency medium beige, which is perfect for my skin tone (Eurasian, NC25-30 with golden undertones). However, I had never worn foundation on a regular basis before, and when I decided to give this product a try, I initially used it all over as a foundation. I thought it was great until I looked at myself in the mirror one day and saw that my face was an oil-slicked mess! And that was with the Mineral Veil too! Maybe I'm just not a foundation girl, but that was ridiculous. No love lost, though. I just use the BE as a concealer now, so the product is lasting forever. I may consider buying EM instead of BE, though, because I got samples of their powders and absolutely loved them...Another issue with BE is that the containers are so messy...


UPDATE (1/24/08): I no longer love BE as I once had. It started to show up greasy and orangey on me at the end of the day, and that looks strange when you're just using it as a concealer on your eye area, nose and chin. And I began to develop a chronic, intermittent eyelid irritation from this product...it made me miserable. I assume it is from the bismuth in this product.


This is a very expensive MMU, and I think there's just too much hype for this brand. The one thing I am grateful to BE for is introducing me to the world of MMU, but that's it! I'm switching over to EM which is much cheaper, a better color match, and doesn't get orangey or greasy on me. Another big plus is that as soon as I switched over to EM, the eyelid irritation magically disappeared...


UPDATE (4/3/08): EM has been rocking my world and I will NEVER go back to BE again...I do give BE credit for having a fantastic marketing strategy though!

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lmjohnson83 on 9/20/2006 10:34:00 AM more reviews by lmjohnson83

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Other    

I use the BE Medium as well as the Tinted Mineral Vail. I have oily skin, and occasional breakouts. I have to say I was disappointed with the amount of coverage this product gives. It really doesn't cover up blemishes, I find myself using my old concealer to tackle that job. I do like how it feels light on my face, but unless you have perfectly clear skin to begin with, don't expect to have that "flawless" look. I was reading where someone else commented on how messy it was, definitely true! My bathroom sink has powder all over it, no matter how careful I am. The powder gets on everything, I have to wipe the containers down, as well as all my other makeup. I don't know if I'll buy BE again after I run out, I wasn't very pleased with it.

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karmeny on 7/13/2006 1:55:00 PM more reviews by karmeny

Age: 25-29   Skin: Very Oily   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I love this foundation! It took me a few days to get used to the dewy look, because I was used to a matte finish, but I've received so many compliments. I wish it were a little cheaper, but I guess you get what you pay for. Because I have super oily skin, after a few days, I had to get the mineral veil, which made me go from liking this product to loving it!

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mwms1967 on 5/5/2006 11:03:00 PM more reviews by mwms1967

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

I am African-American and in October I bought the starter kit in deep/dark from Sephora. I really like the softening effect it has on my face, but the biggest issue is the MESSINESS. When I put it on, I put a tissue in my hand to hold the jars. The dust particles end up everywhere, which I notice when I'm cleaning my bathroom. Nasty. It's on my soap dispenser, perfume bottles and countertop. What a waste. B.E. does last a long time though (I have plenty left and one unopened regular-sized warmth that I have yet to even open --since October) and the foundation and concealer brushes are very nice. The Kabuki brush sheds like crazy, so I rarely use it. Bottom line, I like it, but it is definitely messy...

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

freakyd on 4/18/2006 6:50:00 PM more reviews by freakyd

Age: 19-24   Skin: Very Dry   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

B.E. sucks. I got my shipment today and it's going back tomorrow. I am an African American female with a dark complexion - think Gabrielle Union. I looked Ashy/Grey. I received the Dark kit that came with Dark and Deep. It wasn't even the right color. The colors needed to be DEEPER and DARKER. It did nothing for me. I agree with those who say B.E. is limited in their range of colors. And what I hate the most is when you do see infomercials or QVC specials, they use people who don't have any skin problems or are majority light skinned. For the avg. black woman, I would not recommend this product. It makes you look ashy. If you're light skinned, it may look good on you. Everyone says it provides coverage, but only if you don't have that many blemishes. I think the creator failed to realize that black ppl can have a more sever hyperpigmentation than lighter skin and B.E. just does not cater to this customer like they probably should.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

omarisbabybritt on 4/10/2006 12:55:00 PM more reviews by omarisbabybritt

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I generally like this product. It feels very light on my skin and I don't have to apply much to get the coverage I want. Plus, since it's powder it's very forgiving and seamless. Many people said I looked radiant and glowy, which is something I never would have expected to see from a powder foundation. I would purchase this product again if I couldn't find a cheaper alternative that did the job just as well.

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mirandaatom on 3/27/2006 8:37:00 PM more reviews by mirandaatom

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Hazel    

I LOVE this foundation I can't tell you how great ALL these products are! I will always wear this foundation! So light and fresh and makes me feel sexy!

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