Bare Minerals Review - Moisturizer and Prime Time BB Primer Cream

Today I'm going to share a little bit of my skin care routine.

Every day after washing my face I dry it and apply Bare Minerals Purely Nourishing Moisturizer. I use the combination skin formula because I have oil in the "t-zone" but dry patches elsewhere.

Bare Minerals Purely Nourishing Moisturizer

I have tried a lot of moisturizers but most had synthetic scents that caused my allergies to act up. This has a scent to it, and I can't quite place it, but it doesn't cause an allergic reaction. And my dry parts (cheeks especially) seem to enjoy it - no more rough or dry patches. And my oily areas aren't any more oily from using it.

Post moisturizer

The next thing I do is apply Bare Minerals Prime Time BB Primer (in medium). If you're trying to decide between Medium and Light, I would say look at the most colored or darkest areas of your face - if they're light, go with Light. I chose Medium because I've found most Light products to be too light for me and I look pale with them.

Prime Time BB Primer Cream

Take one pump of the Primer and rub it between your hands for a bit - warm it up and allow for easier application (a trick I learned from Bare Minerals YouTube videos). Apply all over the face. You don't need a lot - less is better so it doesn't look "cakey."

After Primer

Now if you're going for a stay and home look, nothing fancy, you can simply finish there. Your skin looks even toned and you don't need other products. In another post I'll write about full makeup application, but for me, for a Saturday around the house, I'd add mascara (Bare Minerals Lash Domination) and some Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Lip Gloss. In the photo below I'm wearing Future Star for the lip. And I'm done!

With Mascara and Marvelous Moxie Lip Gloss

What do you think? Have you tried Bare Minerals moisturizer or BB Primer? Share your experiences below.

All of these reviews are my own personal experiences with products I purchased and used myself. I was not compensated for these reviews, did not receive products to review, and am not associated with Bare Minerals.

Bare Minerals Review - Lash Domination Mascara

I've recently started changing over my overflowing makeup drawer to all Bare Minerals products. I recently reviewed their powder eye shadow here and now I'm moving on to my second necessary beauty item: mascara.

 

 

For a quick recap, I'm an allergy monster. Flowers, pet dander, mold, dust, pollen of all sorts...they are my foes. I recently realized that synthetic scents in makeup messed with me as well, so I tried Bare Minerals products to see if I could keep up my love for makeup without the allergic reaction.

 

 

While I have "good" lashes, they're not very dark so I've always been one for good mascara. I ordered Bare Minerals Lash Domination which is one of the many mascaras they offer. Being me, I immediately put it on straight out of the package and did my typical "Wait for it..." for the allergic reaction.

 

 

And...nothing. I had beautiful, well-defined lashes with none of the typical allergy behaviors (runny nose, watery eyes, etc.). I'm sold. After two weeks of use, I'm still in love.

 

 

Look at those lashes!

If you typically have allergic reactions to eye makeup, I highly suggest you try Bare Minerals. They offer starter sets on their website for lower prices than the full sized product, so you can try it out without much investment.

Do you curl? If you do, start at the base of the lashes and curl, then move outwards and curl again, doing this multiple times. Don't simply curl once. When applying mascara, start with the bottom lashes first - otherwise if you start with the top lashes, when you go to apply the bottom lashes you'll get "those dots" on your upper lid as you raise your eyebrows (and make the "O" face) to apply to the bottoms. Start on your lashes closes to your nose and move outwards. Move away from the eye (so downwards for the bottom lashes, upwards for the tops) and away from the eye to avoid clumps and lashes sticking together. Applying two or more coats of mascara can open up the eye and decrease the look of tired eyes so feel free to apply and apply!

Have you tried Bare Minerals mascara? Which formulation is your favorite? What mascara tips do you have for us?


These views are my own after my experience with this product. I was not paid for this review nor was I provided with free products. I purchased all products mentioned in this review myself.

Bare Minerals Review - Eyeshadow for The Scent Allergic

I have always had a love/hate relationship with makeup: I love to buy it, but my allergies hate when I wear it. I have literally bought a new product, opened it, and my nose started to run - no application needed! I had finally resigned myself to the fact that it I wanted to wear it, I was going to take allergy medication as well.

A few weeks ago a friend and I took a trip to a day spa. The massage therapist told me I was most likely allergic to synthetic scents after she heard my makeup story. She suggested I try fragrance free products.

If you've searched for fragrance free products, you know what came next. I looked in all the regular "haunts" and came up mostly empty. Then I saw Bare Minerals advertised in a magazine. I knew that boutique-type makeup would be more expensive, but I was willing to give it a go.

My skin is relatively clear (although I have issues with redness in some areas), so I always try out eye makeup first. I assume that if I can't wear your eye shadow without issues, then the rest of the line is pointless. And I love eye shadows. I love color.

I went to a local store that sold Bare Minerals and picked out some neutral shadow - a quad with colors I could wear on a daily basis. 

The Happy Place quad from Bare Minerals

I came home and applied color and waited for an allergic reaction - runny nose, itchy eyes, my eyelids feeling tired, anything. And...nothing. I wore it for the rest of the day. No allergic reaction. I wore it every day for a week and had no issues. I was ecstatic...and scared. This could be the beginning of a new addiction.

Just look at the eyes, ignore the hair...

One thing I especially love is Bare Minerals' YouTube channel - how-to videos galore. I like to watch them for ideas and for suggestions for new products to try.

 

 

 

If you tend to "lose" your eye shadow throughout the day, try some primer. Bare Minerals' Prime Time Eyelid Primer is a great product (and is on sale on their website for $12 right now). Prime your lid by using your finger tips, a cotton swab, or a makeup brush to apply primer to the lower lid. Let it dry. Apply a neutral base color all over the lid - this is what eye quads are great for - use the lightest color. If you have a duo (two colors) apply the lighter color on the lid and brow bone. Apply your darkest color to the crease of your eye (between the lid and brow, the part that goes in when your eye is open). If you have a quad, you can take your two darkest colors and layer them in the crease and blend or use one above the crease and one in the crease. There are a ton of "how to apply eye shadow" videos out there - feel free to do a search and experiment with what looks best for your eyes.

 

If you need makeup with no synthetic scents which works for sensitive skin and allergies, be sure to try Bare Minerals. The available options in terms of colors and products are truly amazing. Next up I'll try their Lash Domination Volumizing Mascara.

All reviews are my own opinions for products that I purchased myself. I was not paid for this review, I was not provided with products, and I am not associated with Bare Minerals. These are simply my experiences with the product.