Brushed With Greatness Project

Bare Escentuals brushes by Cavewoman

It stands to reason that a company that became famous for its revolutionary foundations would offer great brushes to go along with that foundation. I'm not a fan of Bare Escentuals loose mineral foundation, although I've tried several times to understand the love and raves this product receives. The minerals made my face feel tight, itchy, and they appear very shiny-weird on my face, but the brushes from Bare Escentuals work well for any other powder product from any line.

Tightly packed bristles with a superb dome taper are the brush style for BE. Short and long handles are available, depending on personal preference. I use my BE short handle brush to apply (shhhhh) Milani loose mineral foundation (much preferred to BE) and also for finishing powder. They're definitely not the softest brushes in my collection, but they have a great 'grab' -- they pick up plenty of product. These brushes are designed perfectly for loose powder foundations. They don't shed, and they hold up well to the tap-swirl-buff technique that BE recommends for applying their foundations. Any loose mineral foundation is best applied in that manner, too.
BE offers a lovely, soft, synthetic brush called Soft Focus, both in a regular handle and a retractable version for portability (and keeping the inside of your purse or makeup bag free of loose powder fallout!) These Soft Focus brushes work beautifully for buffing on a loose finishing powder, and I use mine for my La Mer Translucent powder. I'm impressed with the even application and very soft, full dome of the brush.

And then there is the little, tightly packed, exaggerated-dome brush that resembles a mini of the Nars Bronzer Brush. This is the Handy-Buki by BE, and I can't rave enough about the versatility of this brush. Originally offered by BE as a buffer for its mineral foundations, this brush works well for a bronzer-user-novice like myself, and it's great for applying a highlighting powder over blush. I use it to apply MAC Lightscapade at the cheekbone. DuWop has a Blushbooster that I want to try over my regular blushes, and I think that this Handy Buki will be perfect for that, too.

On your next trip to a BE boutique, try to resist (it's almost impossible!) the adorable cake-stand displays of super-pretty, shimmery-glimmery shadows and blushes, and head to the brush display. Or, if your ability to resist is weak, you can order BE brushes from QVC.com.

Disclaimer: This product was purchased by the reviewer, Cavewoman.