L'oreal Paris Bare Naturale Pressed Mineral Powder: a Review

I recently purchased a compact of L'oreal Paris Bare Naturale Gentle Mineral Powder. L'oreal Paris has been a long time giant in the cosmetics industry. They recently added mineral make-up to their long list of cosmetic products when they unveiled their Bare Naturale line. The pressed mineral powder, not to be confused with its companion product L'oreal's loose mineral powder foundation, is on of the newer products in L'oreal's bare naturale line of mineral based cosmetics.

The compact ranges in price from $12.00 to $15.00 depending on where you purchase it. This makes it more expensive than the average powder, but I soon discovered that a little of the powder goes a long way. I have used the powder daily for two months now and do not appear to be anywhere close to running out so I believe that the powder is still a good value even though it is expensive.

The powder is pressed tightly in a sturdy compact, unlike most mineral powders, which are generally loose. The compact differs in many ways from traditional hinged clamshell compacts. There are no hinges on the compact, instead the lid of the compact unscrews. It twists on and off easily but fits snugly and securely so you will not have any worries about the compact coming open in your purse or makeup bag.

Instead of a mirror on the underside of the lid, such as you would find with traditional compacts the mirror is located on the bottom of the compact. In place of the mirror, that you would normally find on the underside of the lid there are plastic tabs that hold the included all natural bristle brush used to apply the mineral powder.

The powder is very finely milled. According to L'oreal, the gentle mineral powder is free of preservatives and contains SPF 24 sun blocking ingredients. A quick scan of the ingredients revealed that the powder also contains kaolin, which is good for skin.

The all-natural bristle brush is quite soft and feels nice on the skin. However, it almost works too well because it applies powder heavily. It does not absorb powder the way traditional sponges often do. After a little practice though I soon got the hang of using it and found it is great for getting powder in creases particularly around my nose.

The mirror included on the bottom of the compact is nice to have in a pinch but I found it to be inconvenient. In order to use it I had to put powder on the brush, replace the lid to the compact then flip the compact over. I have to do this multiple times to use the mirror when applying powder to my entire face. The powder is tightly pressed but a little comes loose when using the brush; I once forgot to replace the cap before flipping the compact over to use the mirror and accidentally dumped some of the powder in my lap.

The issues I had with the compact were well worth the result. I found that the pressed mineral powder provides excellent light coverage. It helped even my skin tone and gave my skin a healthy glow. I started receiving compliments about my skin as soon as I began using the powder. The powder also had a natural feel and look; most people who complimented me on my skin did not realize that I was wearing the powder. However, if you need to cover blemishes or just need more than light coverage save this powder for use over or under foundation.

I also found that the pressed mineral powder has excellent shine zapping properties; it controlled my shine all day. The powder is also very lightweight but by the end of the day, it seems to have a tendency to settle into my wrinkles and creases. To solve this problem I simply wash my face and then re-apply the powder. This is simple to do since the powder is very easy remove.

The powder was also very gentle on my sensitive skin when many other cosmetic products irritate my skin. One morning I woke up and realized that I had forgotten to take the powder off the evening before, but unlike other cosmetic powders I have fallen asleep wearing L'oreal's pressed mineral powder had not irritated my skin at all.

My overall assessment of the L'oreal's pressed mineral powder is that it is an excellent product and well worth the cost in terms of quality and quantity. I plan to use it long term.