Bare Escentuals Get Started Kit, Medium/Medium Beige

I have been using Bare Minerals for two years now and it works very well for me. I am reviewing the “get started kit” because I have learned that this make up is a system and you need to use the products together to make it work. I am reviewing the Medium/Medium Beige because that is the kit that I am personally familiar with.
The basic kit has:

1. Two shades of bareMinerals SPF 15 Foundation
2. bare vitamins Skin Rev-er Upper
3. Mineral Veil:
4. Warmth All Over Face Color:
5. Flawless Application Brush
6. Full Coverage Kabuki Brush
7. Maximum Coverage Concealer Brush

This is the order that most packages describe the items. However, it is easier to explain things in the order you use them.

2. Bare Minerals Skin Rev -er Upper

This is described as a way of priming your skin for the makeup. The only ingredient that I recognize is salicylic acid. This is commonly added to makeups and moisturizers to prevent acne. It is common because it is generally well tolerated and helpful for very pedestrian mild acne. I used rever upper for the first couple of months and then tapered off. A. Because I kept forgetting to use it. B. There was no noticeable difference when I forgot to use it. This is not a moisturizer so this is just another step in your face regimen and frankly it seems unneeded.

1. Medium/Medium Beige Foundation.

The medium appears to have a pinkish undertone and the medium beige has a yellow or golden undertone. My skin matches better to the yellow undertones. In my experience Pinkish and Yellowish are the most important attributes of foundation after shade. It is very helpful to have both in this kit so you can match your skin properly. I also find it difficult to match foundations in the store. In the stores where I have shopped for Bare Minerals, there are always very (overly) attentive shop people to help you match your shade but inevitably I am matched wrong. And then I have to return used makeup (embarrassing). I personally prefer taking it home and experimenting for my self. So I believe that this kit is very helpful in picking out the correct shade of foundation.

7. Maximum coverage Concealer brush.

The Max Coverage brush is best described as a pointed foundation brush with synthetic bristles. This will make the thickest application and is best used for covering blemishes. The technique I use is to dip into the foundation and then use the inside lid to wipe of the excess. With this brush you can use the foundation as a Concealer. Bare minerals has another product called multitasking bisque, which works much better as a Concealer, but that is for another review. The foundation will work acceptably for blemishes but I find that it does not work for under eye shadows. I find that layering on foundation (or any powder) will emphasize fine lines. Bare minerals has excellent coverage capability so you can put enough on to hide dark circles but the tiniest line is emphasized, so you end up defeating the purpose. Lines and wrinkles aside I find the capacity to cover red spots and blemishes very impressively.

5. Flawless application brush.

This is natural bristle powder brush which is slightly flat in shape. It is smaller than most regular powder brushes and slightly larger than a regular blush brush. The process is fairly easy when you get used to it. The foundation has a shaker top which a plastic piece with holes in it. This protects the brush from taking up too much powder. A lot of face powders are dispensed this way. Basically you sweep some foundation into the brush and tap it on the edge of the can to shake off the excess. Then you rub/brush the brush on the inside of the lid. This distributes the powder all over the brush. If this sounds messy, well it can be. You apply the foundation to your face with this brush. It goes on very easily and quickly at this point. I found that I only need one application. The main attraction is that your skin is enhanced but not “made up.” For me, it evens out skin tone. It does not improve lines but it is foundation not surgery.

4. Warmth

This is described as an all over face color but I found it to be very dark for my skin tone. It is most useful as a blush. But I find that I must use it sparingly. At this point in the process, you have a brush problem. If you use the Application brush or the Kabuki brush to apply Warmth, you will need to clean them before using them with another product. That’s fine but I don’t clean my brushes every day, and certainly not in the middle of my make up routine. If you only have this kit to apply your makeup then the best thing to do is use the application brush and clean before you put on your make up again. I basically I grab a clean blush brush ( a contour blush brush is best).

6. Full Coverage Kabuki Brush.

This is a round Natural Brush. I use it for two things. A. To buff off excess foundation and blush. B. Apply Mineral Veil. When You start with the kit, you can use it for both but eventually I found a huge soft Kabuki at the drugstore so now I use the Bare Minerals Kabuki for buffing, and the big kabuki for Mineral Veil

7. Mineral Veil

This product was the hook that got me to try these products. It is a translucent finishing powder. When I watched the infomercial, it seemed magical. I bought some with comic results. When you use this powder with liquid foundation, it makes you look sugar frosted! This is when I realized that these products need to be used to together. Now I’m going to contradict myself. I have said that this product does not erase lines but, I really think that the Veil does make them less noticeable. It has a perfecting quality.

One of the reasons that I am review the kit as a whole instead of each product is that you really need to use the products together to make it work. The veil and the foundation don't really work without each other. The other thing is that the kit is economically way to try the product. I believe that you need the pinkish and yellowish foundations to find the right match for your skin. I admit that I don’t use the "primer,” and "Warmth" much but I still think that the kit is a good value for the money. I have used up the medium beige, and veil and bought more. I use the brushes every day. One issue with using Bare Minerals is that you will need to buy bare minerals for your blush and eye shadow as well. You can use some powder products in combination but bare mineral products work the best. Before I was using creme eye shadow and stain blushes. These products don't work at all with Bare Minerals. I find that powder eye shadow is harder to apply and harder to blend. This has caused me to use less. , Probably a good thing. Bare Minerals is not cheap and this kit is generally priced from 50 to60 dollars. This is a lot but pretty much in line with what I usually spend on make up. This foundation is very long lasting. It doesn't evaporate or drip off even if I work out in it. It will rub off pretty easily. You need to be careful about putting the foundation on your neck because it will rub off on your collar. If you don't touch it it will last until you wash it off. This foundation has 15 SPF and I prefer it to most sunscreens. When I apply the foundation, it can make my undereye area a little crepey. (Is that a word?). I find that if you pat it with your little finger it disappears. I really love bare minerals, but when I read my review I notice a lot of criticism. I hope this makes it a better review. I think that bare minerals are best for people going for a more natural sheer look and use a separate moisturizer.