Bare Minerals Matte Foundation Review

Sephora: Bare Minerals Matte SPF 15 Foundation

The link will take you straight to the Sephora site.


I first came across Bare Escentuals during my weekly sneaky trip to my mom's cosmetic drawer. Those were my pre-scarrednastyugly skin days, when anything I slapped onto my face essentially did nothing for me since there was nothing to cover up. After a couple of years, I started using the original formula to cover up some redness and acne scarring, and I really loved the formulation. It was a creamy, smooth, light-feeling powder that pretty much melted over my skin and got the job done, the right way. No cakey-ness, melting, nada. It lasted through my long, 12 hour day without coming all the way off of my face. But I really didn't like having any sort of "sparkle" or shimmer on my face, so a couple of months ago, I purchased the bareMinerals Matte formulation. It retails for $28 US, $3 more than the original. After using it consistently for the past 4 months, I have decided that I will not repurchase this foundation. It just didn't live up to my expectations and didn't provide me with the results the original formulation had.
I find this foundation to be:

• Light- medium coverage
• Thick/"cakey" looking
• Harder to blend

I don't like the fact that I have to apply layers of a product to get the coverage I want/need, for any product, not just this one. It lasts just as long as the original formulation, but I feel that it doesn't apply as smoothly and blend in as well as it's predecessor.  The light to medium coverage that it offers makes me want to apply a bit more, which when using mineral foundation, isn't a lot because I usually apply this in small amounts. But even my first layer looks like it just sits on top of my skin, not even blending in. So as I add on a few more "layers", the more thick and "cakey" it appears. BUT I do have to say, it does look GREAT after a bit of wear throughout the day. I had this on during my 4 mile run, and it looked perfect. My skin looked luminous, almost, and I wished that it looked the way it did when I first applied it earlier that morning. Anything that your skin secretes or maybe a bit of humidity, makes this work a bit, I think it cancels out the thick look in a way. But who actually wants to wait throughout the day to have that smooth, clean, canvas of a face?

Verdict?

It's not a terrible foundation, it just didn't live up to my expectations. I personally wouldn't pay the extra money for it again, but for those of you who aren't looking for a lot of coverage and a matte finish, I'd try this one out.

Money is money, and I've had this for waaaaay too long to be able to return it. So...
To make this work, I apply my primer, a thicker moisturizer, and a sunblock/sunscreen that sets a bit more oily. I then wait for about 10 minutes until the sunscreen has set into my skin for a bit and then apply the foundation using a duo fibre brush. I find that this brush applies the product in smaller amounts and gives me a better application overall.


If anyone is actually reading this, (lol) please please please let me know what you think! What works for you, what doesn't and any other product suggestions would be great. :D

Hope you all have a lovely day!

DAISO: Brow Powder and Pencil

Ever Bilena Brow Powder in Black/Grey tone, $2

"Fain Eyebrow" Pencil in Grey, $2

Alrighty, so here are the brow pencils and the brow powder that I got from Daiso. I've been looking for something new to use on my brows ever since my unknown name brand yet amazing asian eyebrow pencil disappeared. I tried out the Rimmel brow pencil, Maybelline Expert Wear Duo Pencil, and I've been trying to find the Maybelline Define-a-Brow these past few weeks but almost all of the Targets, Wal-Marts, Rite-Aids, etc etc ARE OUT. It's pretty ridiculous. Do they know how much gas costs nowadays?! Uggggh. Anyways! So I saw these babies and had to get them. I remember watching a video on YouTube about some of these and read some pretty good comments about them, so I decided to pick up 3 pencils and 1 eyebrow powder.

Me likey. :)

I'd say I like the powder a lot more since it looks a bit more natural and easier to blend, but the pencil is good, too.

I wish the powder was a bit lighter or more cool toned but it seems to work out alright with my hair color. The gray tone of the pencil is on point though, but it's not as creamy as I'd like it to be. Maybe it's just really cold where I live and made it harden a bit...?

But either way, I like both of these and if you're a dark haired girl in search of a cheap eyebrow product to use, check these out (if you have a Daiso in your area).