Prevent Summertime Makeup Meltdown with Bare Escentuals

Summer stickiness can wreak havoc on our beauty regimens, especially for those of us who live in the South. When triple-digit temperatures combine with high levels of humidity, our hair frizzes or flattens and our Max Factor melts off our faces like ice cream at a fourth of July picnic.

One company, however, claims it can cure makeup meltdown, even for those of us who spend a lot of time outdoors, and can do it in a way that is beneficial to our skin. I decided to give Bare Escentuals a try after seeing a QVC daily special on one of its kits.

As far as my makeup habits, I don't spend a lot of time "fixing my face" in the mornings, if I have a date or I'm going out with the girls, I like to look nice and fresh, and I tend to purchase quality makeup to help me achieve that. Way back in high school and in my young adulthood, Cover Girl was the best I could do. It provides good coverage, has plenty of shades to match many skin tones, and, frankly, it is cheap. It worked fine until spring turned to summer each year and the meltdowns started.

After graduating from college, I decided I could afford a more sophisticated look, so I turned to advice from department store cosmeticians to help me fight the "drips." After sampling a few brands, I settled on Estee Lauder's Double Wear foundation. Double Wear has great coverage and doesn't wipe off easily. It holds up fairly well on hot, muggy days, but it can feel thick and caked on at times. Regular facial cleansers aren't quite enough to remove it at night; it has to be taken off with a good quality makeup remover.

So when QVC recently featured Bare Escentuals as their "Today's Special Value," I listened to the program and decided to give it a try. Bare Escentuals is touted to be "100% pure" and free of "preservatives, talc, oil, fragrance, and other chemicals." Since I have had problems with breakouts since my 'tween years, I like the idea that I could actually sleep in Bare Escentuals and not suffer any dermatologic consequences.

I received the package in the mail a few days later, and was excited to open it up and try it out. The package contained two shades of foundation, one blush shade, two eye glimpses (shadows), one Buxom lip gloss, three applicator blushes, and a nice makeup bag that is roomy enough to take all the essential beauty products on vacation.

Bare Escentuals products are in powder form, but go on smooth and creamy. QVC's program demonstrated the "swirl, tap, buff" method of application. First, a small amount of product is placed in the container lid, the makeup is then "swirled" into the brush, the excess is "tapped" off to prevent blotches of makeup, then "buffed" onto the skin. This process is repeated until the desired coverage is achieved.

I was surprised at the ease of application and at the small amount of products that is needed to achieve sufficient coverage. The makeup feels light as a feather, unlike liquid foundations, doesn't drip in the humid summer weather, and makes your skin appear smooth and clear, not covered up. Now that I've discovered Bare Escentuals, I can see myself as a long-term customer, and I plan on trying many other products in the Bare Escentuals line.