bareMinerals Bare Minerals ALL

I’ve used this in the original formula for years. I took a break from it in 2008 when everyday minerals first became popular and was cheaper. Then went back to bare minerals after I ran out of that because they eliminated a lot of shades and increased their prices.
I don’t use this every time that I wear foundation. I cycle through a few others that I like lol. UD naked skin and bare minerals complexion rescue. Just whatever I feel like using that day.
When I use this I always use prime time primer first. If I need to hide blemishes I sometimes use a (now unfortunately discontinued) UD pencil concealer and blend that in first. I also use YSL touche eclat for dark circles, which are usually shadows caused by bags under my eyes.
I then put this on with their fuller brush. If blemishes show through, I apply more of this with their flat concealer brush. I usually finish with mineral veil.
I use the matte version occasionally. Even though shades might have the same name, they’re different. That’s really stupid and bothersome. I wear fairly light in the original version and fair ivory in the matte.
All of that said, this gives a very natural finish, especially the regular version. When I wear this doesn’t really look like I’m wearing foundation, and I like that. But the coverage is very light. The matte version gives a little more coverage, but not much. So if you’re looking for something that will completely cover blemishes, you won’t be happy with this. If you want something that is pretty natural looking and don’t need to cover much or are okay with some some blemishes showing through, you’ll probably be happy with this.

I was genuinely excited to try out a mineral foundation and got my hands on 'Golden Nude' and 'Tan Nude' which seemed the nearest color matches. I tried them on an evening - one on the left side of my face and one on the right. Unfortunately neither side matched my tone and I had to remove them after checking in different lighting conditions.

I love how the coverage is buildable using a brush (for good measure I used their Beautiful Finish Brush but you could use any) and has SPF15, although I am curious if the SPF increases as you build up coverage, or decreases if it's just a sheer look you go for?

In any case I then purchased a small sampler set online to try to find a better match (I'm close to NC42) but nothing looked 'natural' on me, which for me was the whole purpose of buying these. And it made no difference how little or much I brushed onto my face there would always be too much yellow or beige that looked 'obvious' whether indoor or in outdoor lighting.

On the plus side I had no breakouts, as some have experienced/mentioned, even after sleeping with this on a couple of times. It was always easy to remove, no double-cleansing required as I'm so used to doing with liquid foundations. It also seemed to heal a blemish on my chin, which I noticed shrank without me dabbing my trusty 'The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc on it before bed!

The benefits are brilliant but I just can't find a match. Here's to hoping Bareminerals introduces more shades in the future...


Selena x



~ My HG list ~

(As I've sampled many 100s of skin, hair and m/u products over the last decade and a half, I thought it might be useful to share my top 10 must-have products, subject to change if and when I come across something more effective. I love constantly trying out new stuff - usually sample sizes via e-bay, also plenty courtesy of a friend who works at Sephora)


1. Hair Loss Treatment: ‘Divine Herbal’ - Hair Oil
2. Lip Balm: 'Nuxe' - Reve De Miel Lip Balm
3. Pigmentation + Anti-Ageing Treatment: ‘Divine Herbal’ - Facial Treatment Serum
4. Cleanser: 'Paula's Choice' - Skin Balancing Cleanser
5. Concealer: ‘Mac’ - Studio Finish Concealer
6. Lash Growth Serum: ‘Divine Herbal’ - Divinelash
7. Foundation/SPF: ‘Juice Beauty’ - Stem Cellular Repair (warm glow)
8. Face Scrub: ‘Sisley' - Botanical Gentle Buffing Cream
9. Moisturizer: ‘Antipodes' - Rejoice Light Day Cream
10. Hand Cream: 'Origins' - Make A Difference Rejuvenating Hand Treatment

I’ve been having a difficult time with my skin lately and after coming to the conclusion products heavy in silicones were causing my breakouts, I decided to go back to the basics for awhile. This wouldn’t be a foundation I would usually go for because the coverage is light to medium, but I actually do like it and it doesn’t irritate my sensitive skin while I’m trying to use minimal ingredients. It gives a very natural finish and seems to last awhile. I’ve even slept in it with no irritation (not that I reccomend this). If you have sensitive skin or want to use something that will give your skin a break from excessive ingredients, this is a good choice.

Love this stuff, just blend it forever over a good primer. Fells invisible.
Perfect for summer, (I use a serum/creme in winter for my dry skin)

I have oily skin prone to spots still at my age.
I can only used the powder. Only annoying bit is that I keep dropping it everywhere!
Very good coverage and you can't notice it

I've been on a LONG journey to find my perfect foundation for a few years now. Since my skin has turned more "mature" I've been needing something to help hide my redress on my cheeks, nose and chin that would keep me looking natural and not look like I'm wearing a mask. I've tried Bare Minerals before but tried the Original formula and found that it really broke me out with those big painful cystic pimples and made my face itch, not to mention the "shiny" finish did not look good at all on my pores or wrinkles. I've been using Jane Iredale compact with much success but hated their price and the color "Golden Glow" was not a good match for my skin color. Anyway gave BM matte a try, ok well a few tries as trying to find my shade can be a total nightmare. It's either too orange, too yellow or just looks ashy on me! I have a yellow/neutral undertone with some red. I've ended up getting two shades Neutral Medium 15 and Medium Beige N20 and mixing them to get both the yellow and the red that I need. It's not perfect but I'll play with it some and get the right mix, I hope. I love the matte finish and the natural look (don't apply to much, keep it light when you apply). I buff it in for a good while with a big fluffy powder brush, applying two layers. I also have been using their powder concealor, but not sold on it yet as it has quite a shimmer to it and I think it shows up my under eye wrinkles too much. But it's greatly pigmented and hides a lot if you might want to give it a try. Back to the loose matte foundation. I am happy with the staying power too and I don't find myself too shiny having to frequently pat the oil off my T zone. I like it, and hope it becomes my holy grail.
Update: I love the powder but found that it just didn't have the staying power that I needed. Found that my reddness would be shining through and I'd need to reapply in a few hours.

I like this product it is nice it works well and looks good (I don't like powder makeup a lot) I just do not like how the powder shows some but if I had to I guess I would buy it again

I have tried numerous foundations over the years to combat rosacea and cover acne. Now that I am older I am struggling less with active breakouts. I really do love the finish of this foundation. However, the staying power and coverage are not as great as I had originally hoped.

I am approximately an NC 20 and I wear the shade Light. Fairly light is just a tad too pinkish for me, while Light is slightly too dark. However, the finish looks great. The issue is with concealer. I have used Benefit's porefessional under this foundation and it slides around too much and makes my face look greasy. I have also tried using the Prime Time moisturizer under this and it also makes my face look cakey and greasy.

It's nice coverage if you have good skin to begin with, but it is a pain to figure out the process for covering blemishes and scarring if you suffer from acne prone and red skin. It does not aggrevate my existing blemishes. The finish is natural looking, but not going to make you look airbrushed. I really like this as an everyday foundation, but due to the messy application and the price, I have been on the hunt for a new HG.

I wear bare minerals matte powder in Light for most of the autumn/winter months.

It's a staple long wearing, comfortable foundation which soaks up excess oil in my skin without clogging. I really trust this foundation to give me good, buildable coverage without causing breakouts. Phew!

I wear this as a makeup base in most of my videos- I am NOT adventurous with foundation and base makeup as I have blemish prone skin and have to to be really careful.


If you’re enjoying my reviews, come and have a look at my channel! Just search for Ayish Zone on YouTube xx

Really like this product, so glowy and pretty looking. But probably would not give acne sufferers good coverage due to looking powdery when trying to build up.