Un"bare"ably beautiful

I bet you've seen the infomercials or the perky QVC women gushing over how well this product works. The countless demonstrations of "Swirl, Tap, and Brush." I'm, of course, talking about bareMinerals makeup, made by Bare Escentuals.

Minerals are the In thing right now, but Bare Escentuals has been around since 1976 (I'm as shocked as you are about that!). They started this mineral revolution. And, in my opinion, they are the company to check out of you're considering mineral makeup.

What is mineral makeup? Well, unlike traditional liquid foundation, bareMinerals is in powder form. According to their website, they make their products with crushed minerals from the earth, which makes it 100% pure. No preservatives, talc, oil, fragrance or other things that cause your skin to freak out. And (as if it could get any better??) they claim that using their makeup will actually improve your skin. Can it possibly be true? Can minerals help your face?

Well, I say they do. I switched to bareMinerals about six months ago, after becoming frustrated with how liquid foundation felt on my face. I'd seen the demonstrations on TV, and thought it could be gimmicky. But the claims, if they were actually true, warranted testing it out. After all, I could always return it.

When I ventured out to the store to pick it up, I learned that there are several options for purchasing the makeup. You can buy the kit, which comes with 2 shades of foundation, their Mineral Veil finishing powder, a "warm" all over face color, and 3 brushes. OR, you can just buy the foundation on its own. The latter is the way to go. I say skip all that stuff in the kit, and just start out with the foundation. It will cost you less than half the cost of the kit, plus you can pick out a foundation that matches your skin better.

Another super important thing you'll need to invest in is a brush. But don't bother to buy the Bare Escentuals brushes. You can save yourself money by picking one up at your local drugstore that's just as good. I strongly urge you to buy the Essence of Beauty Kabuki brush. It's amazing, and it's almost a third of the price of the brand name brush. (Please note that the brush pictured below is Bare Escentuals - I just want you to know what a kabuki brush looks like so you can go to CVS and pick out the Essence of Beauty brush, which apparently you can't find a picture of on the Internet!)

OK, back to the part about how great it works. I used to get occasional breakouts, like many other women. That has dramatically decreased since I began using this makeup. They say it's so good for your skin that you can sleep in it. I have done so on many occasions, and although I wouldn't recommend doing it on a regular basis (come on, your skin needs to breathe sometimes!), it certainly won't cause you to wake up to a zit forest on your chin. Plus, it makes your skin tone look so even and smooth. Supposedly, the Mineral Veil creates even more of an "airbrushed" look, but I've personally never used it.

Bottom line? It's not a gimmick. It will make your skin look amazing, clear up problem areas (some have said it's even improved fine lines!), and will feel like you're wearing nothing on your face. And if you're at all like me and hate the feeling of heavy makeup, you'll appreciate that feature more than any of the other benefits combined.