Friday 23 March 2012

Bare Minerals - Make-Under*


I was contacted a few weeks ago by a lovely lady called Anna who works for Bare Escentuals and she invited me into the Covent Garden branch of their store for a ‘make-under’ – I wasn’t entirely sure what this would entail but I arranged a date with Anna and went along, excited at the prospect of learning more about Bare Minerals and the brand as a whole.  I walked into the shop and was greeted warmly by Anna and a lovely makeup artist called Lauren who was going to be performing my ‘make-under’.  I had a quick chat with Anna about the brand and the sorts of makeup and skin care they offer - They focus heavily on the mineral element of their makeup (obviously) and stress that their products contain no chemicals or harsh elements that can damage your skin.  They are also looking to promote their ‘make-under’ service, and this is what I was there to learn more about.

Bare Minerals call it a ‘make under’ as they see it as applying healthy products to your skin to enhance your natural features, not smother them in product to totally change your appearance.  In their own words, the make-under is a ‘step-by-step application that allows a client to discover her natural beauty with products that enhance every feature she wants to reveal’.  One thing I did notice about the makeup was that it wasn’t heavy or thick - I really like this as I am always looking for makeup products to use on holiday, when I am in a hot country the thought of applying liquid foundation to my face literally makes me want to vom but this make up is so light it doesn’t even feel like you are wearing any. 


Me mid make under!

First off after my make up was removed I was handed the Prime Time Brightening Foundation Primer – I loved this product, it’s in gel form but the minute you start to rub it into your face it basically disappears, leaving your skin smooth and soft with a really even skin tone.  Next up Lauren applied half of the Matte SPF15 Foundation in ‘fair’ to my face, showing me the ‘swirl, tap and buff’ technique (the foundation comes in powder form) and then showed me how to do the other half of my face myself.   I found the foundation easy to buff onto my face and I used only a small amount of foundation yet had a decent amount of coverage, meaning the product won’t be used up quickly – bonus!  I normally use liquid foundations so using this super light powder made my skin feel lovely and not caked in product.  Lauren also explained that the foundation is mineral based and therefore quite pigmented, so when used in a more concentrated form it works very well at as a concealer.  I used a concealer brush to cover eye bags and any blemishes or lumps and bumps and it worked really well - A nice touch for all the money savers out there as you only need to buy 1 product but can use it for 2 different applications!

After this we used the ‘Warmth All Over Face Colour’ as a bronzer to give my face some colour.  Again the ‘swirl, tap and buff’ technique was used and I was shocked that even with the bronzer added it still felt extremely light on my skin and certainly didn’t feel like another ‘layer’ of makeup was being applied, but when I looked in the mirror my face was suitably bronzed – not an easy feat when you are from Essex!  After this we used a blusher to complete the look, then covered my face in probably my favourite product of the day, something REVOLUTIONARY called Mineral Veil.  This product is applied over the top of the foundation, concealer, bronzer and blusher, and basically gives you the effect of airbrushing your face – this product is nothing short of AMAZING.  It lifts the makeup making it look brighter, evens out the tone and would be a great product to take out with you to freshen up your make up throughout the night.  Music to my ears to know I don't have to carry around a make up bag full of products, Mineral Veil need be your only friend!

After this we discussed the types of eye colour I normally use.  I confessed I’m not normally adventurous, I either have fake eyelashes and a slick of black eyeliner with no shadow or the conventional smokey eye using blacks, greys and silvers.  As I have green eyes Lauren advised that a plumy purple colour would really enhance my eye colour  - I was a bit wary of this but she assured me it wouldn’t be too ‘in your face’ and set to work.  She applied eye shadow in the shade ‘Water Lily’ and then used Big and Bright Eyeliner in Plum to frame my eyes, applying to the lash line of my top eyelid and the water line to my bottom eyelid.  I was shocked at how much bigger the colour made my eyes look and even though it was a noticeable shade it wasn’t screaming “I AM WEARING BRIGHT PURPLE EYESHADOW!”.  Next up Lauren picked me out some mascara and went for Flawless Definition Mascara in black - I normally just use eyelashes curlers for work, but when she applied the mascara I was pleased with how it naturally elongated my lashes and also curled them.  Everyone remarked on how long my eyelashes were once the mascara was applied!  Lastly to finish off the make under she picked me out a ‘Buxom’ lip gloss in a candy pink shade called Bunny that was subtle but still gave my lips a nice pink hue.  The ‘Buxom’ range of lipglosses also plump your lips up a bit and give you that funny tingly feeling as it’s working.

All of the products that were used on me are here:

SPF15 Matte Foundation and Full Flawless Face brush


SPF 15 Matte Foundation and Max Coverage Concealer brush

All Over Face Colour in 'Warmth' and Flawless Face brush

All Over Face Colour in 'True' (Blusher)

Eyecolour in 'Water Lily'


Big and Bright Eyeliner in 'Plum'

Swatch of Plum Eyeliner

Eye colour and eyeliner

Swatch of Water Lily eyeliner

Prime Time Foundation Primer

Flawless Definition Mascara

Buxom Lipgloss in 'Bunny'

Colour swatch, natural top lip, 'Bunny' on lower lip

I was really impressed with the results of the make under.  I liked that Lauren didn’t just apply the make up onto my face and then send me on my way.  I knew what she used, why she used it and how she applied it, so it’s really easy for me to do the same at home. She applied the foundation to half of my face and let me do the other half so I could practice the ‘swirl tap and buff’ technique under her watchful eye and it was a nice touch.  With Lauren's guidance I felt confident enough doing it to know that if I purchased the products I would be able to recreate the same look at home.  It was also nice to have each aspect of the makeup discussed with me, and not just being told what Lauren and Anna thought I should have.  The tutorial is surprisingly helpful even if you think you already know how to apply makeup and the makeup itself is really great quality.  If you look online it is quite pricey but after experiencing the make under I was prepared to pay full price for any of the products that were used on me (especially the primer and Mineral Veil – miracle workers in makeup form).

Just to give you an idea of the coverage, I have attached a step my step photo story of each application of the make up, so you can see the full process and the final result at the end!
 
   
Anyone can go into Bare Minerals and have this complimentary make under and I strongly recommend it.  You can find and discuss the perfect shades for your skin tone and also receive a free tutorial on how to apply.  Anna and Lauren were so friendly and helpful and really knew what they were talking about.  I was lucky enough for Anna to send me some of the products that were used on me so the pictures above are me at home recreating the same look – it was just as easy and I have now thrown all my old crappy make up away and am strictly a Bare Minerals girl!


Final look straight after the make under,
courtesy of the lovely Lauren!
My final result!
If you have any questions about the make-up, make under OR want to contact Anna yourself to arrange your own make under then just leave a comment below and i’ll get back to you.  Thanks for reading, i’m off to admire my face in the mirror for the millionth time - Happy Friday everyone!

5 comments:

  1. Love the transformation pics. You look gorgeous!

    I've been umming and ahhing about Bare Minerals but I've never been a fan of powder but it's good to hear it wasn't cakey. Love that purple eyeshadow too, it really suits you.

    So did you buy everything she used or just a few bits? ;) xx

    Styladelica

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  2. Thanks Jess!

    Oh it's brilliant, it is literally the least cakey make up I have ever used! Even when you have everything on and your make up is finished I still felt like my face was bare?!

    Anna was extremely lovely and sent me the products she had used on my face, but I didn't know she was going to do this so had already scoured the internet and planned on buying it all when I got paid next week - i'll definitely be replacing the products as they run out myself, I would have paid full price for any of it (especially the primer, mineral veil and mascara!)

    Let me know if you try it out Jess! x

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  3. Will do - it'll probably be after I get paid in case I want to buy any of it though. The mineral veil sounds ace, I'm very tempted. :) x

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  4. Wow the whole kit really made you glow :) I would love a make-under! My skin is quite sensitive and dry so the fact they don't use chemicals hopefully means that I wouldn't react! Do you think it would suit dry skin? Love your blog btw I'm a new follower :)

    Love
    Dannii

    www.madamesquirrel.blogspot.com

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  5. Hi Dannii

    Thanks for checking out my blog and following, always nice to hear comments from new followers :)

    I think you'll be fine with the make under, as you said the mineral make up would probably be fine with your skin as they don't use any bad ingredients in it - they also have a range of skin care as well as make up so you might be able to find something there that would help you? Drop me an email and i'll send you Anna's details to arrange a make under and discuss the benefits of using Bare Minerals with your skin type - i'm sure they'll be able to help!

    Have a good Friday x

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