Not Quite Flawless But Definitely Glowing With bareMinerals bareSkin Foundation

Whimper. Oh why did it take me so long to discover the wonders of bareMinerals? This is hands down, one of the best mineral foundation I’ve used. What have I been missing all these while? And the irony? This was one of the earliest brand of mineral makeup I’d learned about. Yet, it was the one I’d avoided like plague.

Well, blame it on all the naysayers who harangued the brand for including allergy-inducing ingredient, bismuth oxychloride, into its formulation. What’s wrong with this ingredient? Well, those who were allergic to it suffered breakouts, rashes, itchiness and even swelling. So to be fair, those who warned against bareMinerals were being helpful.

Fortunately, bismuth oxychloride doesn’t seem to do any harm for my skin. I’ve tried products containing this ingredient and didn’t suffer for it. So I adopted a more lax attitude toward it over time. That explains why I finally took to trying bareMinerals.

It also helped that the sales staff at Sephora were raving lots about their foundation. They were always recommending this brand, regardless of the outlet I visited. Initially, I was kinda skeptical. Are the staff recommending this brand because they’ll receive higher commission?

Anyway, I finally caved in and guess what I discovered? The foundations did not contain bismuth oxychloride! I think the ingredient got omitted in their newer products. That or bareMinerals tweaked their formulation. Whatever the reason, I felt so darn foolish for not knowing earlier.

But it’s definitely good news for those of us seeking to use cleaner makeup since bareMinerals also do not contain phthalates, lead, nickel, parabens, GMO’s, silicones and fragrance. Having said that, those with hyper sensitive skin should investigate the ingredient list of each product. Something in there could be a trigger for a possible flare up. I’ll share a bit more about this in a while.

bareSkin Pure Brightening Serum Foundation | S$55
The staff at Sephora recommended this when I asked for a foundation. I didn’t pay attention to the name but when I did, I wondered why they call this a serum. It’s really a liquid foundation that needs to be well shaken before usage.

I suppose it’s called a serum because the formulation is supposed to contain healing properties and antioxidant protection. So it’s a makeup and skin care product rolled into one. I use it on its own but it also works well with bareMinerals Matt Foundation as well as bareMinerals Perfect Veil.

In any case, I like this foundation very much. It feels kinda creamy rich and a bit oily. But it’s really lightweight and provides reasonably good coverage with a natural finish. My skin definitely look brighter, more even toned and more dewy after applying this. No wonder this product is an Allure Best of Beauty winner.

In terms of application, you can use a flat brush, a sponge or your fingers. I go with a sponge because that’s how I like to apply my foundation.

Here’s the full ingredient list:
Titanium dioxide 11.0%, caprylic/capric triglyceride, coconut alkanes, silica, stearalkonium, hectorite, lecithin, glycerin, maltodextrin, coco-caprylate/caprate, jojoba esters, propylene carbonate, tocopheryl acetate, soil minerals/syringa vulgaris (lilac) leaf cell culture extract, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, sodium hyaluronate, phenoxyethanol, mica, iron oxides

Because of the titanium dioxide, this foundation contains broad spectrum SPF 20. However, don’t count on it as the only sun protection product you use on your face. You should still be applying a sunscreen under this foundation.

I use Bare Linen 03 but you actually have 20 skin-perfecting shades  to choose from–something must work for you.

bareMinerals Matte Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 15 | S$49
This is really a powder mineral foundation that offers a natural matte finish. Again, you can use it alone or you can layer this over the bareSkin Pure Brightening Serum Foundation.

I use this alone on days I want a lighter coverage. Otherwise, I prefer to layer this over the serum foundation for a fuller coverage using the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush.

What’s  great about this mineral foundation is that its  ingredient list isn’t too long: Lauroyl Lysine, Silica, Calcium Silicate, Soil Minerals (may contain: Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxide). The titanium dioxide accounts for the SPF15.

With 20 shades to choose from, you are bound to find one that works for your skin. Mine is N10, fairly light, in case anyone is interested to know.

Although I quite like this product, I don’t totally agree with how it is described: looks like a powder, feels like a cream, and buffs on like silk, giving skin a natural luminosity while feeling as if you are not wearing any makeup at all. It’s light all right but this is a matte powder so how is it supposed to provide luminosity?

Still, it does give my skin a dewy complexion especially when I use it with the Pure Brightening Serum Foundation. I did not experience any oxidation using this and that makes it a good mineral foundation in my books. The only drawback is the price is rather steep compared to other similar brands of mineral makeup.

bareMinerals bareSkin Perfecting Veil | S$39
This is the third product I purchased from bareMinerals. I was recommended the travel size because it is handy especially when I need to touch up my makeup.

What this is is a weightless, brightening finishing powder. It is formulated with light-reflecting optics to help diffuse the look of fine lines. In addition, this bareSkin Perfecting Veil is infused with lilac plant stems cells and vitamin C to help brighten up the complexion, and a special blend of minerals to absorb excess oil and balance the skin’s texture.

This works flawlessly with both the Pure Brightening Serum Foundation and the Matte Foundation. I also like how compact the travel size is. It’s definitely more economical compared to the full size which cost S$49 if I remember correctly. I don’t see myself using this product every day anyway.

These are all that it contains: Silica, Zinc Stearate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Jojoba Esters, Magnesium Stearate, Maltodextrin, Soil Minerals/Syringa Vulgaris (Lilac) Leaf Cell Culture Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopherol, Chlorphenesin. May Contain (+/-): Mica, Iron Oxides (Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499).

My bareMinerals FOTD
Here’s my FOTD with only the Pure Brightening Serum Foundation and the Matte Foundation. I did not use concealer for my spots but the foundations actually did an above-average job of covering up most blemishes. Pretty impressive eh?

As you can see, I love how I look in the bareMinerals foundations. They do a fine job of brightening my face naturally without compromise on the coverage and they’re long lasting. But there’s just one itsy bitsy problem: the foundations cause my skin to itch slightly at times. The itch is very slight and doesn’t last (a minute or so) but it’s not something I can brush away.

So bareMinerals may not work for those with hyper sensitive skin. In any case, those with hyper sensitive skin should exercise plenty of caution when introducing new products for their skin.

But for the others who are looking for a good foundation that has a cleaner ingredient list, bareMinerals is a brand to check out. Their foundations are definitely comparable to some of the conventional ones which contains loads of silicones.

Products highlighted were purchased and this review is in line with my disclosure policy.

bareSkin Pure Brightening Serum Foundation

8.5

Overall


8.5/10

Pros

  • Lightweight
  • Above average coverage
  • Long lasting
  • No oxidation
  • Natural finishing

Cons

  • Rather expensive
  • Must remember to shake well


Comments

  1. Radhika says:

    Nice products

  2. Michael says:

    Hi Sesame, thanks for the great post! Is this product available in Canada?
    Thanks and happy holidays!

  3. Sesame says:

    Is there a Sephora in Canada? If so, you might want to check if it’s available there.

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