Bare Minerals Review

Bare Minerals makeup is made from finely ground minerals. Because these ingredients are naturally occurring, most people do not experience allergic reactions. For most users, Bare Minerals will not dry out dry skin, or make oily skin more oily. While it may not make your skin more healthy, it can cover fine lines, dark splotches and redness which can give you the overall appearance of more healthy skin.

Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are two compounds that are used in many sunscreens. Because Bare Minerals contains these two minerals, this makeup has an SPF (sun protective factor) of 15. This means you can stay in the sun 15 times longer with this makeup on than without it before burning. These two minerals also have slight anti-inflammatory properties, and so can actually soothe your skin and help conditions like rosacea or acne.

Having used Bare Minerals for two years, I am familiar with the advantages and disadvantages of this line of makeup. Advantages include the fact that it does cover well. The colors are easy to blend in with any skin tone and will match your skin in the summer when you have a tan as well as in the winter. It blends in well and conceals imperfections. The brushes that are sold with Bare Minerals are soft and help to evenly apply the makeup. Bare Minerals makeup stays on your face as long as, if not longer than, other makeup brands. While the manufacturers state that you can sleep in Bare Minerals, the makeup will not stay on your face all night. This claim simply refers to how gentle the makeup is.

Many people who break out or have an allergic reaction to Bare Minerals products are allergic to the horse hair brush that is used to apply the makeup. If you are allergic to horse hair, it is recommended that you try a different application brush. Furthermore, one of the ingredients, bismuth oxychloride, is natural but is a product of copper and lead processing and can act as an irritant for some users. Critics say that Bare Minerals makeup contains ingredients that are in many other powdered foundations, only packaged in a different way for a much higher price. There are also concerns that the microparticles can become more toxic when pulverized and inhaled, which may occur with Bare Minerals makeup. Thus, just because the product can be touted as "all natural" does not necessarily mean that it is good for your skin. One of the biggest disadvantages for most people is the steep price. Most containers of Bare Minerals foundation cost around $20.

Bare Minerals can be difficult to find. There are only a couple stores (Sephora and Ulta) that sell it. Going to a store to purchase Bare Minerals is best, because customers get free consultations and can try the products to see if they work for them. Buyers can also purchase Bare Minerals online. Prices on the Bare Minerals website are lower than at a retail store, but there are shipping and handling charges applied to each order.