What is Bare Minerals® Makeup?

I love mineral based makeup too! What I like best about the foundation, is that even though I am applying a sheercover makeup, it does a nice job of covering my face without feeling heavy or caked on.

I have experimented with making my own eye shadows and lip gloss and have even been able to order mineral based supplies from several supply companies.

I enjoy making some of my own makeup, but I like to use the Bear Essentials makeup for my face foundation. It is easier to play around with the difference colors of eye shadow and lip stick than with face foundation.

I have never specifically used Bare Essentials mineral makeup, but use a mineral based foundation. I think there are many cosmetic companies that use mineral based cosmetics since Bare Minerals was first introduced.

The biggest difference I notice in a mineral foundation is how much creamier it is. It seems to go on smoother and is so easy to apply and blend in.

Once I began using a mineral based foundation, I have never used anything else. The foundations I used previously seem too thin and greasy after using one that is mineral based.

@sunnySkys - I'm glad Bare Minerals works well for your friend. My skin isn't particularly sensitive, and I tried Bare Minerals awhile back. Honestly, I didn't really see much of a difference between that and more traditional makeup brands.

I would probably buy it again if it were on sale or something, but I definitely wouldn't go out of my way!

My skin isn't very sensitive on my face, so I don't have to be that careful about what kind of foundation I buy. Pretty much any old kind will do for me!

However, I have a friend who is the complete opposite. If you just look at her the wrong way, her face will break out! Bare Minerals foundation is the only kind she's found that she can wear on a regular basis without it irritating her skin. Before she found Bare Minerals, she had pretty much given up on wearing makeup on her face ever again. So here's hoping this company never goes out of business!

@dfoster85 - I read the same thing about sunscreen, so being a librarian, I did a crapload of research on sunscreen ingredients.

Basically, there are two kinds of sunscreens: chemical blockers and physical blockers. Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are physical blockers, which means that yes, they completely block both kinds of UV light. Now, the thing is that normally they're opaque. (Remember those thick white sunscreens people used to wear on their noses? Yep, that's that stuff.) To make them more attractive, they're ground down to a powder that the skin can absorb. Some people have concerns about whether that is safe, but most experts seem to think it is safe and effective.

Now, of course you don't want your make up to be your only sunscreen. I also use a moisturizer with zinc oxide. Two layers of sunscreen is much better than one!

I love Bare Minerals, too. A Bare Escentuals cosmetics store is getting ready to open in my mall - I'm so excited!

I wasn't wearing make up at all for years and years, but when I turned thirty and became a mom, I knew it was time. Someone turned me on to the bare mineral make up and I just love it! It's so natural and forgiving and easy to put on. I really like the people in the store, too. (I think I got mine at Ulta.) They were just really helpful and patient with my makeup-inexperienced self and not pushy at all.

I like that it has sunscreen in it. Do titanium dioxide and zinc oxide also work against UVA rays? I've heard that the UVA rays are the ones that cause wrinkles, but they're very insidious because they don't make you burn. And most sunscreen ingredients don't block them well.