STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

bloomie · Marc Jacobs

foundation question

blink · Coach

Since you are looking for something new, I would encourage you to try mineral makeup. I was skeptical, but once I tried it, I stopped wearing foundation and regular concealer. The coverage is unmatched and doesn't look heavy.

I use Bare Minerals, also like Bella Pierre (but it's expensive) and I have yet to try some of the less expensive brands, but I am pretty sure I have seen mineral makeup carried by Cover Girl, right?

bloomie · Marc Jacobs

blink wrote:

Since you are looking for something new, I would encourage you to try mineral makeup. I was skeptical, but once I tried it, I stopped wearing foundation and regular concealer. The coverage is unmatched and doesn't look heavy.

I use Bare Minerals, also like Bella Pierre (but it's expensive) and I have yet to try some of the less expensive brands, but I am pretty sure I have seen mineral makeup carried by Cover Girl, right?

I have been skeptical of mineral makeup, too. Isn't the brush you use important in how much coverage you get?

brazilian · Dooney & Bourke

It is. I bought the Bare Essentuals starter kit, and it comes with 3 brushes. I really like it. It's the first make-up I've used that actually covers without getting cakey, or oily later in the day.

The nice thing is that you can use it as just a concealer, or foundation, or both together.

tri_sarah_tops · Marc Jacobs

I suggest mineral makeup as well. The coverage is awesome and it's so fast and easy. Seriously fool proof. I use bare minerals.

Kelly · Hermes

I use bare minerals, too. I tried the covergirl stuff, but it does not even compare

bloomie · Marc Jacobs

ttara123 wrote:

I use bare minerals, too. I tried the covergirl stuff, but it does not even compare

I tried the Neutrogena stuff and it was awful which got me even more skeptical. I think I will try the starter kit. I have some Christmas money that is burning a hole in my pocket. Can't you get it on QVC? Doesn't Ulta also carry it. I live about an hour away from an Ulta and I am planning to go shopping to that town in a couple of weeks.

-- Edited by bloomie at 17:41, 2008-01-21

brazilian · Dooney & Bourke

QVC has it, I'm pretty sure Ulta has it, Sephora, bareessentuals.com

bloomie · Marc Jacobs

brazilian wrote:

QVC has it, I'm pretty sure Ulta has it, Sephora, bareessentuals.com

I just ordered it from Sephora. I just read somewhere that Ulta's promotion is ending Jan 26 and I won't be going until Feb 2. Thanks for the heads up though.

fairywings · Dooney & Bourke

Bare Escentuals is the only foundation that I can use after trying it. Of course, if you use a knockoff before you try the real thing, you are going to get less than stellar results and be even more skeptical. It's kind of like buying a Chanel knockoff and saying "Gosh, I can't imagine someone spending so much money on a bag whose leather feels crappy."
I recommend starting out with the Get Started Kit, which will come with all of your brushes. The coverage is surprisingly great, and yes, it does have a lot to do with the brushes. There is a mantra (swirl, tap and buff) to ensure the best coverage. I've seen it cover acne scarring, undereye bags, and sun damage. It also has spf which is nice...the only tricky part is choosing your shade if you have to do it either online or on tv. I recommend going into a store if you can and testing the shades out for yourself

bloomie · Marc Jacobs

fairywings wrote:

Bare Escentuals is the only foundation that I can use after trying it. Of course, if you use a knockoff before you try the real thing, you are going to get less than stellar results and be even more skeptical. It's kind of like buying a Chanel knockoff and saying "Gosh, I can't imagine someone spending so much money on a bag whose leather feels crappy."
I recommend starting out with the Get Started Kit, which will come with all of your brushes. The coverage is surprisingly great, and yes, it does have a lot to do with the brushes. There is a mantra (swirl, tap and buff) to ensure the best coverage. I've seen it cover acne scarring, undereye bags, and sun damage. It also has spf which is nice...the only tricky part is choosing your shade if you have to do it either online or on tv. I recommend going into a store if you can and testing the shades out for yourself

The starter kit I ordered has two different colors of foundations so I hope one will be right for me. That is great that it covers eye bags which is a problem I have especially early in the morning. I can't wait until my kit comes in.

BargainQueen · Marc Jacobs

bloomie wrote:

The starter kit I ordered has two different colors of foundations so I hope one will be right for me. That is great that it covers eye bags which is a problem I have especially early in the morning. I can't wait until my kit comes in.

Funny everyone recommended mineral make up. I've been trying to find some solid feedback on Bare Escentuals, but the reviews I read on MUA werent very positive, so I decided against ordering it. Now that I see everyone here like it I'm really curious about it again. I guess you just have to try it for yourself. Let me know how you like it?

jrhampt · Kenneth Cole

I guess I'll be the lone dissenter...I wasn't impressed with Bare Escentuals foundation. It tended to cake up on my face in patches...just couldn't get an even application, even though I had a good brush.

XtinaStyles · Marc Jacobs

I atcually was going to dissent but felt that pang of "if you donthave anything nice to say..."

I wear BE but I do think it is overhyped. The coverage is not good in my opinion. I have to layer on the product for 10 minutes then use liquid concealer to hide any zits. I have used the BE foundation and the concealer powder they sell and it really sucks. First, it gets pearly when you put too much. Second, it wipes off very easily.

That said, I like it because I hate the feeling of liquid on my face and I can never find a foundation that is the right shade/lightweight so I always come back to BE.

I think its worth trying but it is no miracle product.

ladysi78250 · Dooney & Bourke

I also recently purchased the BE Mineral Veil powder, and was not impressed.

bloomie · Marc Jacobs

Oh No. I may have just wasted $78. Well, it won't be the first time. I did order it from sephora so don't they have a policy that if you use a product and don't like it you can send it back? Oh well, since the reviews are 50/50 I will try it and let everyone know.

-- Edited by bloomie at 09:01, 2008-01-27

jacL · Coach

I just went into the Bare Escentuals store and had them try the foundation and mineral veil on me. I have never used foundation, only loose powder and am looking for something that will give me slightly more coverage, but liquid foundation scares me. I thought the product was okay. It made my face glow, but maybe too much. I have a pretty clear complexion, so the areas that were already clear looked fabulous with the product but the areas that aren't so great (my chin) seemed amplified even more by the product. I am still on the lookout for something better, but I may go back and buy this eventually.

On a side note, I have a fair-medium complexion with yellow undertones and they used the "fairly light" color on me, which I was very skeptical of because a friend of mine who is very pale with pink undertones uses that same color...but it did turn out to be a good match for me. So if ordering this before trying it on, you may have to experiment finding the right color.

blink · Coach

Just so you know, the Mineral Veil powder is not meant to replace foundation. It's just a nice finisher and oil blotter. I have some from my starter kit, I don't even use it every time. Unlike with other makeups, where I looked oily all the time and would have needed powder on top.

You are going to like your Bare Escentuals kit, don't worry! I have found that as long as my face is dry and not damp, the finish is never cakey.

And BTW, if I tried to do the swirl, tap, buff thing for my entire application, I would be at my mirror all morning. The dvd instructions are a bit over-dramatic, so just use the brushes however makes your skin look the best! I am the most impressed by the concealer brush, and I usually skip the whole "tap" part while concealing, I doubt I am the only one!

-- Edited by blink at 22:35, 2008-01-27

Kelly · Hermes

do you guys think the brushes really make a big difference? I just bought a generic brush, not the ones made/recommended for the BE products. I tried to find one close to the tester I used in the store, but honestly I didn't pay a lot of attention to the when I was testing it. I'm debating whether to buy the BE-specific brushes

XtinaStyles · Marc Jacobs

I first tried the BE flawless face brush and wasn't pleased with the coverage but then bought the Kabuki brush for a heavier application. I used the Kabuki for foundation and Flawless face for mineral Veil.

I think they are great quality brushes and are worth investing in if you think they can be used with your other makeups.