BareMinerals: Makeup for People Who Don't like Makeup

If you're like me, you're not a big fan of makeup. You never entered the makeup craze as a teen and you rush through makeup sections in the mall with a slightly uneasy feeling in your stomach. Maybe you feel like wearing makeup is a little dishonest, a subtle form of false advertising. I know I did. I also never found a makeup that was really right for me. I didn't want to have to apply layers of gunk to my face to make it look "good." So I just opted out of the whole game and didn't really wear makeup at all.

Then a few years ago I started wearing tinted moisturizer and bronzer. This was a happy medium for me, somewhere between being natural and totally caked up. One day a co-worker commented on how natural my makeup looked, and asked if it was bareMinerals. I said no, but it got us into a discussion in which another co-worker who uses bareMinerals told me it "really worked." Meaning, those miracles it seems to create on camera actually happen in real life.

So I went ahead and ordered some bareMinerals of my own, and it ended up being one of the best purchases I've ever made. I bought one of the starter kits with the mineral foundation, blushes, face colors, eyeliner, mascara, moisturizer, face wash and blushes. And while it was rather expensive, it was worth it just in terms of the compliments and confidence I've gained as a result. (I've never been one to let my self-esteem stem from my appearance, but it doesn't hurt when you feel you look your best and other people say you do, too.)

The great thing about bareMinerals, and I believe they even say this in their infomercials, is that it doesn't look or feel like you're wearing makeup. You really have to see it yourself to believe it, because it's a little eerie. Sometimes I apply the foundation -- which is the consistency of a creamy powder -- to one half of my face so I can really see the difference between bare skin and bareMinerals; otherwise it just kind of goes on in a clean sweep and all of a sudden my complexion is even and vibrant, but I don't seem to be wearing any makeup.

My skin tends to be sallow, with yellowish undertones, but the foundation gives my skin a healthy, even glow without looking like I have layers upon layers on my face. I also swear by the "glee" face color, which is very feminine and intense without being overpowering. I apply it to my cheeks and eyelids, along with some eyeliner, throw on some of my own lip gloss, and I'm good to go. And because the foundation and face colors are powders, you can mix them together to create customized shades for yourself.

Because the product is made from minerals and is all-natural, it's not gunky, doesn't clog pores and actually does improve the quality of your skin. Since I've been using bareMinerals for a few months, even without makeup my skin looks healthier. The foundation has never caused a breakout or irritation for me, and supposedly helps people with skin problems like rosacea and eczema. The face wash is also good (though rather small) and I like applying the base moisturizer under my regular moisturizer because it creates a smoother surface for applying the foundation.

Overall the before-and-after difference when applying the makeup is kind of like what happens on the infomercials, when a model goes from looking washed-out and dull to naturally beautiful and vibrant with the application of a couple of products. Case in point - while in a restaurant a couple of months back, my date said "your complexion's so nice, do you ever wear makeup?" Little did he know I was wearing eyeliner, bareMinerals foundation, and Glee face color on my cheeks and eyelids. Yeah, it looks that natural.