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(More customer reviews)As a makeup artist I have been doing makeup for weddings and special events for almost nine years now.
A vow to my clients is that I will never put anything on their face that I have not tried myself. Therefore, when clients started asking about bare minerals and whether I would recommend it or not I felt obligated to try it out.
When I try "new" products I put them through a volley of tests.
The first test I put it through I call the "photograph" test.
Some makeups have reflective agents in them that reflect bright likes such as the flash from a camera. While they look normal and well blended in normal lighting conditions they can look comically white in photographs were a flash is used. When doing makeup for weddings it is ESSENTIAL that the makeups I use DO NOT have reflective agents.
I took a photograph of my natural skin in normal lighting, then used a flash. I put on the BM foundation, came back and took two more photographs: one in normal lighting with no flash, one with a flash. I'm pleased to announce that bare minerals DID pass the photograph test.
My second test is the oil test. I have VERY oily skin and so do many of my clients. If it won't last all day on my skin, how can I expect it to last all day on the skin of a laughing, hugging, drinking, dancing, partying, kissing bride. I was happy to announce that it DID last a BIT longer than other foundations I have used in the past but it did not last as long as I would have liked. Touch ups during the day are essential to all-day wear (or a very good oil-control powder).
I really liked the way it looked and felt on my own skin but there are clients that I would NOT recommend it for.
I have a very strict facial regiment that I go through to keep my skin healthy, clear and fresh. If my skin were not in the healthy shape that it is in because of my regiment I don't believe bare minerals would be for me.
A healthy regiment is a MUST for this or any makeup. If I get a client who has not taken care of her skin I will not use bare minerals. I will moisturize the face, cover the problem spots and use a different type of foundation. I MAY brush a little over the top to give them a matte finish but it will not be my principle cover up.
Bare Minerals seems to be more about enhancing beautiful skin, not concealing troubled skin.
If you would like to use this product and use it effectively you MUST do the following:
1. MOISTURIZE! Though I recommend this for ALL of my clients it is still essential for Bare Minerals. An expensive foundation, whether bare minerals, or any other brand for that matter, will not be able to give you the moisture your face needs. Find a good moisturizer. Moisturize in the morning and at night.
2. Allow your moisturizer to completely absorb into your skin before you apply Bare Minerals. Because Bare Minerals is a powder it clings to moisture wherever it finds it. If you have any lingering moisturizer on your face it will cling to it and leave you looking caked and pasty. I recommend waiting about five minutes after moisturizing before applying bare minerals.
3. WASH YOUR FACE! Though this product boasts that it is so pure you can sleep in it, that is hogwash. Anything you put on your face for an extended period of time that cannot be absorbed (such as a moisturizer) IS going to clog your pores. I don't care how "pure" it is. Personally, I wash my makeup off with a gentle foaming cleanser and then I ex foliate with proactiv. I also use proactiv's toner and repairing lotion when needed, and I ALWAYS moisturize. Because bare minerals is a powder and not a liquid I have found it is a little easier to wash off initially, but because it is a powder and has tiny particles that CAN clog pores, my toner is especially necessary to really get down deep and clean my pores.
Healthy skin is essential to the success of any great look, but bare minerals is NOT a cure to skin problems as it boasts to be. The cure to skin problems is treatment to the best of it's ability. If you have acne, use an acne wash or talk to a dermatologist. If you have dry skin, moisturize. If you have oily skin, moisturize as well (as many times the body produces MORE oil when you try to dry it out). If you have a rash or any other skin problem, talk to a dermatologist and treat the condition. Makeup is NOT a cure to skin issues, it is an enhancement to the beautiful skin beneath it.
It is true that certain makeups can HELP your skin problems but do not look for makeups to cure your skin issues. If you abandon your skin regiment for a promise of healthy skin from a makeup, nine times out of ten you are going to find your skin problems coming back.
For those who have switched to Bare minerals and seen dramatic improvement in their skin, that is wonderful. It is very likely that a product in your old makeup was harming your skin or a certain product in Bare Minerals is exactly what your skin needed for a boost. Way to go!
Don't get sucked into the belief that a makeup will cure an issue with your skin. Talk to a dermatologist. Get your skin issues taken care of before you try the makeup and then see.
Also, DO NOT get sucked into the belief that the success of one product within a brand means that everything that brand produces is going to be as good. I get many clients who say, "I ONLY use XYZ..."
There are MANY brands that excel at one or two things but the rest of their products are substandard.
If you find one thing that works FABULOUSLY for your skin or your eyes, or whatever, by all means use it, but don't throw away the rest of your makeup and go all out for just that ONE brand, you will really miss out on the other one of two GREAT products produced by other brands.
I, myself, have over 20 brands of makeup in my kit. I'll never be the bride of just ONE brand.
Take care of your skin and you'll be surprised how many makeups WILL work for you.
AND MOISTURIZE!
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