Fad*ish- fashion and design

That was the question I asked myself when walking into the Bare Essentials cosmetics counter one balmy afternoon. After hearing all the buzz words, seeing the marketing ploys and of course noticing that summer on the horizon -- I figured now would be the perfect time to explore new options for my skin.

Minerals are not new, and now most cosmetic lines offer at least one line of mineral cosmetics. Really, all except the professional cosmetic lines (who could give a damn about your skin, as long as the colors are vibrant and the coverage is flawless) have jumped on the minerals bandwagon. But Bare Essentials was one of the pioneers of this magical dust that boast the ability to provide coverage without clogging pores -- a claim has not been proven true to this undercover fashionista.

I guess if you are used to wearing ‘cake’-- an ultra-thick, opaque make-up used by the film industry and drag-queens a like to cover everything from a discoloration to a five-o-clock shadow -- then using Bare Minerals would seem like heaven. But if you are like any normal woman, roaming any normal metropolitan street, wearing any normal brand of cosmetics (from Maybelline to Rimmel), Bare Minerals is nothing more than branding and slogan. I guess a light dusting might be better for your skin than typical foundation, but the only way to get coverage is to grind the make-up (in a circular motion) into your pores. This by definition is clogging your pores, making it just like any other cosmetic line on the market. At first it seemed to be a great idea, until 5:00 rolled around and my skin was breaking out from all of the dirty minerals I willingly packed into my pores.

Bare Minerals was not my messiah of make-up, it was just like the rest. The only difference was I have to add a whole lot more to get the color and intensity I could have achieve from a dab of MAC. For those looking to have a healthy alternative to make-up, I say stop looking for the Holy Grail, and just go natural. It is either that or just put on your old damn make up, because Bare Minerals is just as dirty as the rest of them.

*ms.b

Labels: Style