Any darker skinned ladies using Bare Escentuals?

[Toya]

I have to say that I've never seen a Black woman who looks good wearing Bare Escentuals. One of my closest friends wears it regularly and she always looks ashy. Even if it matches the color of your face, it doesn't allow the natural radiance to come through - you look "painted" or something.

The only mineral make-up that I've been pleased with is Monave. If you're really interested in mineral make-up, I'd give them a try. It's awesome that they allow you to get samples and try them out so that you know going in which shade is most appropriate.

 

[CrimsonRed693]

I use Bare Escentuals and I love it. I started with the foundation powder in warm tan and the mineral veil (which has no color, I use it to control the oil). In the past, I've used Mac and Bobbi Brown (at separate times) and both of their foundations and powders did not meet my expectations. I had constant breakouts with MAC and Bobbi Brown would end up looking like mud on me halfway through the day. Somedays I present to clients all day and I have very little time to check my makeup. With BE, it holds up all day. I am now wearing several of their eyeshadows and blushes. You do need a primer for their eyeshadows though; without a primer, the eyeshadow disappears.

 

[aziajs]

Re: )

Quote:

Originally Posted by doniad101 The reason why so many people are having a lot of difficulty with BE is because they're not buffing like their supposed to, which took me almost two months to do, now that I got it down packed, I think I'm pretty darn good.

This is SOOO true. BE has a learning curve. You really have to get that "swirl, tap, and buff" method down to be successful. You also have to use a good kabuki brush to buff in the product. DON'T use the BE kabukis - they are CRAP!

I went to the BE boutique to get matched and the girl tried three colors side by side at my jawline and we both agreed that I looked best in Warm Tan (I am a NW40, btw). It was early fall so I still had my summer tan. In the winter Warm Tan is a little dark for me. So anyway, I use Warm Tan, and I set it with TINTED Mineral Veil. Don't use the regular Mineral Veil. They say it has no color but I think it made me look a little ashy. Actually, I now use MAC pressed blot powder in Dark to set my BE. I like the product. It just kind of evens everything out and you don't look like you are wearing makeup. Whenever I wear it my mom says, "your skin looks really good." I always laugh and tell her it's the BE.

NOTE: I wanted to add that if you have discolorations from acne scars or hair bumps or anything, BE doesn't cover that in my experience. I was using a MAC concealer and then the BE foundation over top.

 

[S.S.BlackOrchid]

BE didn't have the right shade for me. Have you tried Alima cosmetics? They have a better range of shades.

 

[pinkstar]

I LOVED the feel of BE, but the colours suck. I tried a warm one and a cool one, and the warm one was WAY too warm and made me look darker, and the cool one was very ashy looking.

I'm disappointed, because I really liked everything else about BE.

 

[mommymac]

I've been wearing BE for about 2 years now and I love it, I wear Tan and in the summer Medium Tan, I get complimented on my skin daily, it's so light and I've never had a problem with it transfering onto my clothes. I live on the coast in Texas where it's very humid and I can go out for my 2 mile walk without breaking a sweat on my face, that alone is worth the extra time to swirl, tap and buff :nod:

 

[angeluv009]

Re: Step Away From The Bare Escentuals!

Quote:

Originally Posted by lsperry Candace is right. I've written about my BE experience before. It was not a pleasant experience for me. I wasted money and time with BE. I bought 4 different shades trying to mix and match to compliment my NW45 skin. Coverage was horrible and the more I tried layering it on to achieve the coverage I wanted, the ashier my skin looked. I looked like the walking-dead! To me BE threw in the "dark" and "deep" colors to make dark-skinned women feel included in their product line. I don't like having to play w/makeup to make it work! And that lie they tell on QVC and the info-mercials about it not running when you sweat? Unbelievable. It not only runs down your face when you sweat, it burns in the process! Bleeehhh!!! If you're interested in mineral foundation, I would go with Milan Minerals. I love ME220's pics and plan on getting me some MM after I use up my SFF and Studio Fix foundations. The look and coverage is so natural....Loving MM the more I think about it.

I fell into the hype about how great bare minerals was and went and bought it in medium tan and tan. Im an NC 42 and the tan is actually a better match for my skintone than my mac makeup (but i still love my mac more). I noticed that sometimes when i would put it on it would make my face burn for a little bit and then go away. I could never figure out why until I went online and it has some bismuth oxychloride in it that can irritate your skin. and i will admit I have very sensitive skin.
OK watever. It is true that when you sweat it rubs off and makes my face ITCHY as hell.
You cant seem to get the right coverage. Im still trying to perfect my application cause is just aint working for me right now. (eventhough I find the color to be a really good match)
I love my mac studio stick, but it just too heavy for the day and i dont need that much coverage. Blah. i dont know what to do with my foundation issues

 

[cloudburst]

I don't know if this is true - but I thought BE used titanium dioxide in their foundations, which would account for the ashy factor everyone is talking about.

 

[dany06]

I wear Studio Fix NC45 which seems to be a little bit darker than I would like cause of winter and totally breaks me out. I called the infommercial number yesterday for bare mineral just to ask what color they think that I should get because what I see online does not help. They find your color by using a celebrity reference. The only two I was concerned about was tan and warm tan. For tan they refered to Jennifer Lopez and Halley Berry and for warm tan they refered to Tyra Banks and Oprah Winfrey. I know for a fact that I am not as dark as Tyra Banks but Im not sure about which Halley Berry color they are talking about. When Halley has a tan a plays a bond girl Im around that color. But when Halley plays a slave who can pass as white that is far to light for me.
Im scared to get the tan cuz I dont want to look ashy like alot of people have complaind about. But I dont want to look orange if I get the warm tan. Unlike many people on this site there isnt any Sephora or Ulta near me. I live in Alabama and will have to order this product.
I'll probably order this tomorrow and if it doesnt work out I'll just send it back.
Hope the celebrity reference helps you some.

 

[angeluv009]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dany06 I wear Studio Fix NC45 which seems to be a little bit darker than I would like cause of winter and totally breaks me out. I called the infommercial number yesterday for bare mineral just to ask what color they think that I should get because what I see online does not help. They find your color by using a celebrity reference. The only two I was concerned about was tan and warm tan. For tan they refered to Jennifer Lopez and Halley Berry and for warm tan they refered to Tyra Banks and Oprah Winfrey. I know for a fact that I am not as dark as Tyra Banks but Im not sure about which Halley Berry color they are talking about. When Halley has a tan a plays a bond girl Im around that color. But when Halley plays a slave who can pass as white that is far to light for me. Im scared to get the tan cuz I dont want to look ashy like alot of people have complaind about. But I dont want to look orange if I get the warm tan. Unlike many people on this site there isnt any Sephora or Ulta near me. I live in Alabama and will have to order this product. I'll probably order this tomorrow and if it doesnt work out I'll just send it back. Hope the celebrity reference helps you some.

Ive heard a lot of bad things about ordering it online and over the phone. Lot's of people say that they enroll you in that program so you get more product every few months and they continually bill your credit card... so just watch out... i know there is no sephora close to you, but i've seen that they somtimes have there own stores in some malls. check it out before you buy it.
hope i didn't scare you, its a good product... im starting to master the application and like how it looks, despite the irritation. i still dont know if i would personally purchase it again.

 

[dany06]

The Ulta in Tuscaloos is finally open. Well it opened like maybe 2 or 3 weeks ago. I finally had a chance to check out Bare Mineral/Escentuals. They matched to Medium Tan cuz Tan was too dark. It does make my skin look nice but it not the best match. It has a little too much pinkish color in it. The mineral veil doesnt really make me look ashy. But one thing I have to agree on with everyone else is that those brushes are scratchy. I will not be getting any of those BE brushes and to think I though beauty of essence brushes hurt.

 

[Toya]

I do wear Bare Escentuals. It took me a while to find the correct shade, but I finally did - Warm Tan. I love it and the Tinted Mineral Veil. Also, the Handy Buki brush is my favorite. I don't find it scratchy at all and love the way it applies powder - I use it as my every day powder brush.

As a woman of color, I'm always on the quest to find mineral make-up that works for us. I have several reviews of mineral products on my blog, if any of you would like to check it out.

 

[MAC_Pixie04]

So, I got more acquainted with the product since initially posting this thread.

Lemme update you...

I rematched myself; Deep is a decent color.

I wear BE maybe once or twice a month, if my skin is acting up or I just feel like something light.

It ITCHES. And smells like dirt. My disgust for BE grows more and more each day because it's everywhere. It's our top selling item and they're opening up a BE boutique in the mall...right across the walkway from us. It's messy and dusty, and a lot of companies are coming out with pressed mineral products in WOC-friendly shades. The odds of me becoming a BE Convert have the same odds as a snowball's survival in Hell. No offense to those of you that wear it and it works for you, but IT ITCHES. I have oily skin and it just runs right off. Even when I wear it, I dust a powder foundation over it to take away the gray color it leaves on my skin.
More and more WOC have been coming in for BE, and to be honest, I try my damndest to talk them out of it. If they can't be talked out of it, I'll apply it to them and let them figure out if they want to try it. 9 times out of 10...they don't. Thank god companies have wised up with colors, because I can take my clients to MUFE, NARS, Stila, Cargo and as a last resort Clinique.

I'm still waiting for the day when one line will get it right; great shades, great formulas, decent prices, no confusion.

 

[Toya]

I think your skin is probably reacting to the bismuth. My skin itches if I get too hot while wearing it.

I agree that the loose powder formulation is messy and can be a headache. I love Jane Iredale because of the Global shade range and also because their mineral foundation comes in a pressed powder - so much more convenient. I use the Butternut shade.

 

[MAC_Pixie04]

^^A lot of people tell me it itches, so I'm wondering if slight allergies and reactions to bismuth oxychloride are common. A lot of people also tell me that they can't use BE because of it. They may wanna rethink that ingredient if they can avoid it...

 

[braidey]

Yesterday I put on the deep and it looked terrible. I have never seen a foundaton look so ashy in my life. The mineral veil is okay. I will not purchase anything from them again.

 

[bitterswt76]

I ordered Monave's trail set yesterday, so I will let you know what I think. I'm guessing I won't get it until next week.

 

[Toya]

I hope you enjoy the Monave - I've had quite a bit of experience with the line, as it is Baltimore based. I like it a lot. I have several reviews of Monave products on my blog, if you're interested.

 

[loveybgirl]

My skin has a love/hate relationship with BE. I wear it (BE) because it is the only mineral makeup that I know that can help clear up my occassional breakouts, which to me is nothing short but a small miracle. The hate part is when it gets hot here in Louisiana this stuff will burn my skin like the dickens because of the humidity, sweat, and the bismuth oxychloride. I can only wear this stuff in cool or rainy weather during the hot spring/summer months. The blending in the BE can be questionable, because I blend, blend, and blend, and the itchiness can occur. I remember that a poster had mention if you dont blend , then the itchiness will occur, not the case. I truly believe it is the B/O ingredient in the product. As soon as I finish my Warm Deepest Deep, I will not be buying anymore, I just will be waiting on MAC to come out with their brand mineral makeup

 

[Toya]

I know there are mineral brands without bismuth. Have you tried any of those?