Bare Escentuals Get Started Kits ($181 Value) Medium

I never wear makup and I decided to buy this product. I am really happy with it. It is really easy to put it on and it is so natural! The only thing I do not like is that it is difficult to transport (eg for trips).

I've read a lot of the reviews here, and they range from, "This is the best stuff EVER!" to, "I can't believe anyone uses this messy stuff." I fall in the middle. Here's my rundown.

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THE CLAIM: Not everything in the kit is fabulous.

MY TAKE: True. You can do without the Mineral Veil (drugstore powder covers shine better, IMO) and the Skin Rev-er Upper (not even quite sure what it is; not a primer, not really a moisturizer). But buying everything you do need (including brushes) would be more expensive than the kit. Granted, the foundations sold individually have more product (.3 oz. as opposed to .06 in the kit), but why spend for more when you don't even know if you like the product yet?

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THE CLAIM: It's cakey and it settles into fine lines.

MY TAKE: Both true. The former is more true the more foundation you apply. As for the latter, I'm 31 years old, and this accentuates my fine lines rather than hides them. That said, from a normal conversational distance, neither effect is dramatic, thus, I don't think either is prohibitive.

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THE CLAIM: It's messy.

MY TAKE: It doesn't have to be. Try this for the foundation (gleaned from trial and error, along with the Nordstrom woman who did my demo): (1) Put a small bit--maybe like 1/4 of a teaspoon--into the container top. (2) When swirling, press firmly with the brush. Swirl for at least 10 seconds or so. Really get the product in there. (3) Tap with the bristles pointed straight up; the product goes into the brush, not onto your counter. (4) Do all this over a sink in case any does fall off, but you'll probably find that very little does. (5) This will not be enough to cover your whole face, so repeat as needed.

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MY OTHER THOUGHTS:
- The foundation covers well.
- The Warmth is lovely and natural--bronzer meets blush. But it wears off within a few hours on me, and I look pale.
- My t-zone gets shiny rather quickly with this makeup.
- The brushes will shed badly the first few times you use the product; this will eventually stop.
- I recently bought their Bare Escentuals bareMinerals Multi-Tasking Face (in the Well Rested color) for a concealer. I like it so far.
- For me, the makeup application time is substantially longer than they make it look in the infomercial. It takes more time than traditional foundation but not tons more.
- It doesn't feel like you have makeup on, even when you put it on thickly.

Bare Escentuals is fun and different. If you want to try it, go for it. If you don't like the makeup, well, at least you'll have some nice brushes.

I started using Bare Minerals about a year-in-a half ago and recently stopped using the foundation since there are a lot of different mineral foundations to choose from now. Here are the highlights and disappointments of the Starter kit.

The good:

The brushes are fabulous. I especially love the CONCEALER brush, which has tight synthetic bristles that NEVER shed and conceals imperfections very well. I haven't had to replace this one. The KABUKI is a great full cover brush that applies foundation well and the FLAWLESS APPLICATOR brush is great for applying finishing powders, etc. The kabuki and flawless brushes are made from goat hair (just a warning if you have had reactions to these types of brushes) and they also tend to lose shape and bristles after washings.

The bad:

The foundation-- I bought this kit because I have a light complexion, not fair or medium. However, I have pink undertones. Bare Escentuals does not offer a light foundation for those of us with pink undertones. In fact, they don't offer ANY foundations for people with pink undertones...only neutral and golden undertones. So, when I wore the foundation (I tried a lot of different varieties...fairly light, light, fairly light mixed with light, and fair mixed with fairly light) I could never find a decent shade. I ended up just using Fairly Light; however, it left me with a weird yellowish color. Also, I found that coverage did not last long and it had a shimmer that just did not look right on me. WARMTH--Not for everyone. Either I used too much and had to start over or didn't use enough so it did not add any color.

The Okay--

Skin rev-er Upper--this does help foundation set; however, it made my face super-shiny. MINERAL VEIL--nice non-harsh finishing powder, does seem to absorb a little bit of excess moisture. However, I don't think it minimizes the look of lines and pores.

So, I recommend the brushes; however, there are so many other mineral lines now that have foundations for all skin tones, not just for neutral/golden skin tones so I suggest that you shop around. I'm currently using Alima, which is a `certified natural' line of mineral make-up that does not contain bismuth oxychloride--the `mineral' that a lot of people are allergic to. Another mineral line that does not use bismuth oxychloride is Everyday Minerals.

This kit was full of great products. The makeup looked flawless on my face. The problem - the Itch Factor. My face felt like it had poisen ivy all over it for the 3 days I wore the makeup. I scratched my face non-stop due to the irritants in the ingrediants.

I am sending the kit back for a full refund (minus the original $9.99 shipping fee, plus whatever I pay to ship it all back). Also, the brushes SHED everywhere - clothes, sink, countertop!

I found Bare Essentials makeup to be good coverage for my skin and easy to apply. It does well in the heat of the Texas summer and you don't need to touch it up as often as other makeup I have tried. It is worth the price. I would like to try their other products.