bareMinerals bareSkin Foundation – Swatches and Review
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A Favorite Brand Keeps Getting Better and Better
Every time I think bareMinerals has the best foundation one could ever use, something better comes along. I don’t ever hope for it – it just happens. It happened when they introduced their MATTE Foundation, it happened (in a big way) when they introduced their READY pressed foundation with sea minerals, and it’s happening again with bareSkin Pure Brightening Serum liquid foundation.
I’ve always loved bareMinerals foundations for their buildable, natural coverage and for the unsurpassed way it covers redness. The MATTE foundation got even better at diffusing all the icky oil that would surface on my face. The READY foundation was truly transforming—a skin calming (great for my mild rosacea) sea mineral foundation pressed in a compact for easy travel and less mess. That last one was surely un-toppable. Now welcome bareSkin to the fold.
First, I should mention that liquid foundations never seem to work for me. They either gather in fine lines and pores, or break up or change color with the oils on my face. bareSkin ($29) does neither. The secret must lie in its formulation.
The liquid is quite thin. There are no oils, parabens or fragrances. Instead the base is derived from coconut with jojoba coated mineral pigments and a non-chemical broad spectrum SPF 20 (Titanium Dioxide).
There is also Vitamin C in there to brighten skin and lighten dark spots for a more even tone to your own naturally bare skin. Add antioxidant-rich lilac plant stem cells for skin healing and environmental skin stressors, and this becomes so much more than a foundation.
If the highly popular B&B creams out there were a weightless liquid with phenomenal coverage potential, they would be bareSkin. This one product could change the face of makeup. I tried a very expensive product similar to (but richer than) bareSkin. I have lusted for that product ever since, but bareSkin is absolutely on par with its skin transforming benefits, and above par with its coverage – at a quarter of the price.
Application doesn’t take much practice, particularly if you are familiar with the bareMinerals buffing technique, but it does take a little trial and error. Shake well and build gradually. There is a ball that rattles like a spray paint can when you shake it right. Unscrewing the lid reveals a dropper-like squeeze bottle top.
Squeeze a couple drops into the well of the specially designed bareSkin Perfecting Face Brush ($28) and blend in circular motions on your face, starting where you need the most coverage and blending out.
Hold on a second, did I say ‘specially designed brush’? I did! Beauty lovers will know that’s it not just the bareSkin Foundation that has bloggers buzzing. This unique brush was created with the bareSkin formula and bottle to let you “adjust your foundation coverage to the drop for a perfectly seamless application”.
All right back to the bareSkin. Add more foundation to your brush, a drop or two at a time for the coverage you desire. For me, with my rosacea and general splotchiness, this was achieved with a mere four drops.
bareSkin liquid foundation in Bare Natural 07 – swatched
The finish is dewy and natural. At first, I used a little mineral veil in my most oily spots. Strangely, my oily skin did not seem to overproduce with bareSkin, keeping the same slightly dewy look all day long. It’s nice to know if I don’t want a matte look I can go veil-less without succumbing to the dreaded oil traps.
bareSkin liquid foundation in Bare Natural 07 – stippled from the brush
bareSkin liquid foundation in Bare Natural 07 – blended
The natural finish of bareSkin is everything that I could ask for in a sheer summer foundation. At the same time, I can’t wait to use this in the winter when the formulation will be much needed in smoothing and softening the skin. All in all, this stuff is one for the books.
I love the trend towards good-for-you foundations! Ladies, what does your foundation do for you?
photos: we heart this, swatches shown on NC25/30 skin tone
Sherri is co-author of What Would You Do With This Room?
skin tone: NC 25
skin type: oily/sensitive
favorite beauty product: anti-aging anything
I’m a MAC girl, so my foundation covers and does it WELL. I don’t ask for more than that, mostly because I have such a hard time finding the right colors outside of MAC, so if it matches my skin tone, it’s already done more than most!
This brush is blowing my mind, however. And I’m in the market for a lighter foundation as summer hits…this is definitely going to be tried out at my next Sephora trip…
Ah! I’ve been waiting for someone to review this, because I’ve been lusting after it since I saw the first promos. I used bareMinerals back in the day but fell in love with Laura Mercier’s tinted moisturizer. This is definitely on my to-try list.
Oh yes, put that tinted moisturizer down and give this a go!
Welp, that settles it–this has been on my radar, but your review is making me pull the trigger. I’d like something light and easy for summer, and this look perfect.
“Perfect,” that’s the word I was looking for! Hope you like it.
I’m glad to hear that this doesn’t leave you oily. That was my only fear with it. When I swatched it it felt a bit dewy, but the fact that you didn’t even need powder makes me happy.
They have so many shades too. I’d def. suggest swatching in person, if you’re going to buy. I thought 07 was going to be way too dark for me (It even looks a bit dark in my first pic of my arm) but it ended up being pretty perfect once you buff it down with that magical brush!
I meant to address this earlier…in regards to that “oily” bit, you really must shade this bottle well! My first “shake” was more like a tip and a squeeze. What came out was quite liquidy and oily/silicone-y (even though the product has neither). This went on my skin very sheer (you could see the brushstrokes) and dewy. My next try, as I shook the bottle I heard the ball, then shook harder (like a paint can). What came out was a slightly thicker liquid that was full of pigment. It applied to my skin like a dream. I haven’t looked back. Also, the color was perfection! How lucky am I?
Looks like a perfect summer foundation! The lighter the better please. That brush looks so goooood.
That brush! I have to have it.
I do need a light summer foundation and this sounds amazing– I’ll be swatching it in person soon to find my perfect shade.
That brush is brilliant! Why has no one thought of this before?
This sounds like it might fit the bill for a good summer foundation. I’m going to have to check this out the next time I’m in my friendly, neighborhood Sephora :)
I need a good option for summer too, and this looks great. I’ve never used a brush like that before…really want to try it!
Yes! One of my favorite makeup products! Love bareskin!