40 Days and 40 Nights of Beauty Brand Reviews
Day 3: Bare Escentuals
Cavewoman: Fans of the Bare Escentuals line are legion, devoted, and vocal about their love for the loose mineral foundations and shadows. A trip to the nearest BE Boutique always has the Cleveland Gang ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the beautiful pots of shimmeryglimmery shadows, displayed like petit-fours on cake stands, inviting dabs and dips. Although I have tried many BE products, my favorite of all is one little brush.
If you mourn the breakup of Tony & Tina, and their wonderful line of cosmetics and their superb synthetic-bristle brushes, you are not alone. I won't ever count how many makeup brushes I have, and I have brushes from many lines including my old Trish McEvoy with the gold handles, some superb Nars (especially their eyeshadow brushes) and of course MAC. But for powder application, I always reach for my Tony & Tina. Now, Bare Escentuals is offering a brush that is even better than the T&T powder brush. BE calls it the Soft Focus Face Brush. It's the one at the top of the photo. With a handle that's short enough to be a purse-size brush, but long enough to give a good feel in the hand and ease of control, the brush picks up a perfect amount of powder for easy, even application. The bristles are tightly packed in a sturdy ferrule, the tips have a perfectly rounded dome, and buffing in any loose powder, not just BE, feels comfortable and light on the face. I use my Soft Focus brush with Prescriptives Magic loose powder and also with LaMer loose powder, and it's perfect with either one.
BE offers other face brushes in addition to the Soft Focus. The original is the short-handle brush which is designed to apply the loose mineral foundation. The long handle powder brush can be used either for the foundation or the finishing powder that BE calls Mineral Veil. I'm fond of the stubby Handy Buki, too, but I use that for blush. As far as I can tell, the Soft Focus is the only face brush with synthetic bristles.
Check out the BE brushes the next time you're at Sephora, or if you are lucky enough to be near a BE Boutique. And don't blame me if you come home with a little pot of eyeshadow or a luscious blush color in addition to a new brush!
Annieytown: I have not delved into the Bare Escentuals line except for the eye shadows. I have a weakness for shimmery anything. Add a touch of glitz to any nail polish, lipstick, powder or eyeshadow and I will whip out my wallet to make a purchase. I am a shimmer junkie looking for next fix.
Bare Escentuals makes some killer eye shadows. They are chock full of shimmer and pop.
Magnificent pigment power that can not be match by anyone else.
It is almost a visual shimmer overload when you enter their store. All the shadows are placed on cake plates like cupcakes.
Shimmery delicious cupcakes.
My personal favorite from all the shadows is Devotion.
It is a velvet plum with gold highlights and is priced at $13.
Bare Escentuals is sold at Sephora.com and http://www.bareescentuals.com/.
Photos: Cavewoman and Sephora
Readers: What are your favorite Bare Escentuals products? Tell us why in the comments.
Disclosure: The products featured in this post were purchased by the reviewers.
Labels: 40 Days and 40 Nights of Beauty Brands, Bare Escentuals, Cavewoman Reviews, Product Purchase
posted by Annieytown @ 8:25 PM
19 Inspired Comments
19 Inspired Comments:
I adore Bare Escentuals - I use the powder foundation, which feels like I am wearing absolutely nothing - and it does not settle into fine lines at all - no creasing - and it stays on all day. If you love shimmer, you should try the Radiance powders - they are all over shimmer powders - my favor is Clear Radiance, which is a pale pink shimmer.
I love all of the BE products I have tried. I wash my brushes weekly and they stay in great condition.
I´m a big fan of Big Tease mascara. You can really sculpt your lashes with it.
I used the foundation on my weddingday, big mistake! It itched like h*ll on my heated face.
//Helena
I know that the Warmth Face Color powder doesn't always get a lot of love from people, but I love it nonetheless. Maybe it's because I'm dark to begin with and Warmth gives me enough of a distinct "glow" on the cheeks.
I started using BE about a year ago - and now use NOTHING else - I have boxes of all my other brands sitting in a closet! My favorite 2 BE products are the bare radiance powder - and the cocoa eyeshadow. this eyeshadow is the BEST basic/neutral/everyday perfect perfect color.
I am a recent addition to the BE fan club. Once I found the right shade (Medium Tan), I fell in love with the foundation powder. I also like using Honey Bisque as concealer and the Tinted Mineral Veil, which really combats shine. I don't love Warmth, though.
I'm going to delve into their shadows next. Sephora's catalog has a new gold one (I think it's called True Gold) that I plan to get.
I too am a BE fan. I've been using it for about 2 years now and absolutely love the way it looks and the way my skin feels. Plus, my skin has cleared up since using it.
I recently purchased the 'Beyond the Basic's' kit and it was well worth the $49. It comes with Soft Focus Glee, which is a great blush and Bare Radiance which perfectly highlights your cheekbones. It also included Bisque & Summer Bisque, which I am now addicted to. They work much better as concealer than the regular foundation does. And finally it came with Faux Tan, which is a great bronzer.
I highly recommend any and all BE products!
First of all, my best chuckle of the day is reading your interview on Makeup Bag - tons of pearls and a cigarette for your 4th grade project! That is the kind of child I would like to have been! Bare Escentuals ... I like it, don't love it, though. For my older skin, I do prefer liquid foundation, currently having success with Stila. I have never understood the Mineral Veil love. To me, the best part of BE is the eyeshadows. My most recent faves are a faintly shimmery pale neutral called Cashmere and a pretty green called Pond. Haven't quite mastered the eyeliner with the teeny thin brush, though. Now I'm motivated to go dig out some of these little cupcake pots and will play with them for tomorrow!
I wonder if they have BE here; I've seen infomercials. I need to track down that brush and eyeshadow; I don't have any brushes.
I love BE! My favorite eye shadow color is Azure. It's bright blue and loaded with shimmer! I love visiting the BE shop in NYC. They have all of the powders displayed on cake platters. It looks fabulous!
Just tried the powder foundation today for the first time in Fair. It didn't feel like I had anything on my face. But I wasn't sure if it looked like I had anything on my face either. I'm tempted by the eye shadows. I buy cosmetic-grade micas and use them straight from the jar. They are much less expensive. But BE's look so pretty in the catalog.
I hate Bare Escentuals. First thing in the morning my skin looks perfect but in a couple of hours my oily skin has made the makeup look glopy. Plus a couple of days later I get these weird breakouts.
i have not been having the best luck with the foundation. i bought it a few weeks ago and it made me break out horribly! i'd put it on and literally within a few hours have new bumps emerging. scary!
i thought it might be my brushes, because the "buff buff buff" technique requires a lot of brush/skin contact and figured they were dirty. i cleaned all my brushes, took a break from the foundation to let my skin clear up, and tried it again the other day. it made me break out again! not as bad as before, but still. granted, i have been very stressed lately, but overall i'm not very impressed and will likely be returning the foundation.
I think I've missed the boat. Had no idea they were so popular. Definitely have to try some.
i really love everything i've tried so far from BE, that being the foundation, mineral veil, blushes, and especially eye shadow. i, too, have a serious weakness for shimmery things, mainly eye shadow, and my current fave is Intuition, a smoky shimmery plum color that looks amazing on the lid as a smokey eye or in the crease with other colors on the lid (like Champagne and Trust). and i should mention that i have never been able to stand any foundation until theirs. it's the only kind i can handle the feeling of on my face.
I LOVE BE but my favorite product would have to be the buzz latte lip balm. Because not only does it leave my lips soft and dewy but it smells amazing too
Kim: I love shimmer powders!
That one sounds especially lovely.
I am going to brave the crowds and visit the Cleveland store soon.
Melvis: I always feel like I accomplished something when I wash my brushes.
Lipgloss Bitch: Tbone was talking about the itch factor. She uses smashbox primer and that helps.
Hi Meimei!!!
Do they have a good range of colors?
Lyn: I love their shadows. They have amazing pigment and shimmer. I love Coco too!!!
Toya: I finally got the new catalog!! I will check it out!
I am loving gold shades lately.
Thanks Jenni!
I think I am in the market for some new concealers and foundations. I saw some pictures of myself this weekend and....I am not loving them. LOL
I think I need something that will help brighten my face. I need a new shade.
Martha: I did not mention in the interview that my Chanel speech also focused on her string of lovers. The teacher was not pleased and my parents were called in. The next year I went as Edith Head. She was a safer choice...according to my mother.
I wanted to go as Elsa Schiaparelli.
I bought the set to convert their shadows into eyeliners. I need to go dig that out!!! I have never used it.
Kuri: Do you have a Sephora? They carry the line too. They have a decent selection.
jewelbox: I love playing in the eyeshadows. They are so pretty sitting on the platters.
Grace: Tell me more about the micas.
The BE's have amazing pigment and their shimmers...are beyond fab.
Anon: I have heard that I am either going to love or hate their makeup. There is no middle of the road feeling for this line.
Katie: I give products second chances too!
I am sorry BE did not work for you.
Great face: I missed the boat on the foundation too. I will try them to see what camp I am in....the people who adore the line or the people that despise it.
I love their foundation but I am having a horrible time with their flawless face brush. First off, within about a month, the bristles would start to come out. And then (and I think this may have something to do with mom, because she basically kidnapped my BE and the brush!) the brush just got stiff! It would swirl right, therefore the minerals would just stay on the edges of the brush instead of going inside to give me a buffed finish. I thought it needed washing, but no such thing!
Sadly Sephora backed out of the Japanese market :( But I did find the Japanese web site!
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