I like lighter formulations of foundation during the summer, due to the Maryland humidity and my normal to oily skin type. Every year I try a new product in search of the "perfect match" to my skin tone. This year I tried Bare Escentuals. Bare Escentuals is a cosmetics company created in 1976 and based in San Francisco, CA. It produces, for the most part, skin care products, but also carries a line of mineral based makeup known as i.d. bareMinerals. Unlike other cosmetic lines, these cosmetics contain no fragrance, oils or preservatives. I.d. bareMinerals is designed to work with any skin type because they are lightweight and natural. The powders can be mixed with moisturizers or other skin care products for heavier coverage or brushed on for a more lightweight coverage. A little definitely goes a long way; I found these products to be an excellent value for the money. The company distributes their products through various boutiques, mostly on the West Coast, and through QVC, the large shop-at-home distributor. I purchased my products through QVC, so there may be some price or packaging differences.

BareMinerals Foundation in Dark
QVC Price: $36.00 + shipping and handling
The dark color range is not "dark" at all and would compliment most tan/olive-toned skin. In the QVC packaging there are two loose powders used for blending into a shade suitable for you. In the "dark" packaging there is #5 and #8. These loose powders are designed to be foundation, concealer and powder all in one. For my skin tone, I found the #5 (the lighter of the two shades) was almost a perfect match, however, when used as a dry powder it did tend to give my skin that "whitish" cast normally associated with products containing titanium dioxide. Also, I have to admit, even though I followed the instructions included in the package, this was not an easy product to apply. It took me about five attempts to get a finished result that I liked. I found that the best combination for me was to mix the powder with a little moisturizer and apply it with a sponge, then use the product dry as a finishing powder. This way I was better able to achieve the coverage I like, and it even concealed the few small blemishes I had on my chin.

BareMinerals Warmth Color
QVC Price: $18.00 + shipping and handling
This product is essentially a light bronzer designed to give a touch of color to the skin in areas where the sun would normally touch the face. It had a nice texture and actually did brighten my face and give it a healthier glow. I found that applying it over the brow bone and lids with a little eye cream made it a perfect eye contour and/or shadow. Of all the bareMinerals products, this one was my favorite.

BareMinerals Eyeshadow
QVC Price: $11.00 + shipping and handling
Because I like muted colors for daytime wear, I chose the bareMinerals eyeshadow colors of bisque (an ivory/pink), java (a warm brown) and pussy cat (a darker blackish brown). The texture of these eyeshadows was excellent and they blended very well. Again, application of these products wasn't easy and unfortunately, these shadows contain quite a bit of mica and gave my thirty-something eyelids a very wrinkly appearance. Not what I'd want in an eyeshadow at all!

Bare Escentuals Social Security Lipstick
QVC Price: $14.00 +shipping and handling
Bare Escentuals Social Security lipstick comes in five shades with names like Hubba Hubba (a burgundy red), Knockout (a warm brownish-red), Truffle (a cooler brownish red), Pecan (a peach red) and Hello (a true bluish-red). These lipsticks contain shea butter and rose geranium essential oil. I tried the "Hello" shade. It felt really nice during application and was fairly moisturizing, without giving my lips that greasy "just ate fried chicken" look. By changing application styles, it was possible to change the appearance of the lipstick. For instance, applied with a lip brush gives a nice sheer, glossy look, while applied straight out of the tube over lip pencil gives a nice matte, professional look. However, the lipstick didn't seem to have much "staying power" and required frequent re-application to keep the color on my lips.

Bare Escentuals Signature Lip Pencil
QVC Price: $10.00 + shipping and handling
The Signature lip pencils come in three colors: True (a true warm red), Henna (a cool brownish-red) and Cocoa (a warmer brownish-red). The nicest thing about this lip pencil is the built in sharpener at the bottom of the pencil. The color I chose was True, which went well with the "Hello" lipstick. However, beyond the packaging, there is nothing really special about these lip pencils.

All in all, I'd have to say that these products don't really differ much from other mineral-based cosmetic lines. However, a little does go a long way and once you get the application techniques down, they are a good value for the price.