Bare Minerals READY Bronzer

I have been talking about my search for a second bronzer formula for the past few weeks and I can finally write that I have found a second bronzer formula for the summer!  I have been looking critically at every formula that was in the summer collections, regardless of pricing, brand, or availability.  I kept coming back to some of the MAC collections but since I am already using a great bronzer from this company and I wanted to find a different type of formula from another company.  I was even considering trying a cream bronzer but I still don't feel comfortable working with this type of product and I cannot find many reviews on these products. 

I finally went into Sephora and found one of my favorite Sales Associates there and asked her point blank for what she thought was the best formula powder bronzer in the store.  I did not want the best selling or what the company considers to be the highest rated, I wanted her favorite to use and one that she has sold and recommended to customers.  She lead me in the direction of Bare Minerals READY Bronzer, a brand that I wasn't expecting and one that I don't use very much from.  She put a bit on my face and I was sold on buying the formula and giving it a try at home. 

The Bare Minerals READY Bronzer is a matte powder formula that also contains anti-aging benefits for the skin.  "A bronzer with antiaging benefits.  BareMinerals Ready™ Bronzer buffs on rich golden bronze color for a beautifully even, buildable glow. Powered by bareMinerals’ proprietary SeaNutritive Mineral™ Complex with antioxidants and cold-pressed carrot oil, this silky long-wearing formula delivers incredible antiaging benefits. Color lasts for up to eight hours."

This formula is available in three shades...

- The Skinny Dip - light tan
- The High Dive - tan
- The Deep End - dark tan

I purchased the lightest shade of this formula, it is great for ladies that have normally fair skin and add a bit of color in the summer months, it looks very natural with my fake tan and I am quite fond of this shade.  The formula is very easy to use and wear, I use it on my cheeks, chin, and forehead with a huge, fluffy bronzer brush.  This formula goes on sheer and leaves a natural hint of color, there is nothing "fake" or "orange" about this formula, it doesn't oxidize in the sun and doesn't look fake even after eight or more hours of wear. 

This company also makes a loose powder bronzer which I have heard is actually among one of their hardest products to use and look natural but this pressed powder bronzer is a great choice.  I am so glad that the matte powder bronzers are stating to become much easier to find, I dislike wearing that much shimmer on my face during the day.  This is great choice for a natural looking bronzer and will on rotation with my favorite formula from MAC all summer.  The search for a second bronzer to rotate with is over!

photo courtesy of Sephora

Bare Minerals Prime Time Eyelid Primer

I know that some of you are raising your eye brows at the title of this post, I have never liked products from Bare Minerals especially any of their face products.  I have always liked their Buxom line and have been collecting these lip glosses for the past few years so I decided that I would retry the Bare Minerals line and stay away from the face products.  I have been looking for a new eye shadow primer ever since the one that I own from Tarte started to get low and wanted to go with a brand that I have never used eye makeup from before.  So I searched on Sephora and this formula from Bare Minerals turned up and I decided to order it and give it a shot.

I have had on and off luck with eye shadow primers.  I love the Urban Decay and NARS formulas but haven't had good luck with the formulas from Tarte or MAC so it can't be worse than any one that I have used before.  MAC is the worst formula for eye shadow primer which amuses me because I love everything else in the MAC line.  Strange.

This product can be found at Sephora and at any stand alone Bare Minerals store, I tend to avoid the one in my mall since I only like a few pieces in their product line.  The Sephora website provides a great product description of this eye primer.  " A repackaged edition—now double in size—of Bare Escentuals' bestselling silky eyelid primer.  Designed especially for use with bareMinerals, this primer is an oil-free, fragrance-free way to maximize the color and extend the wear of your favorite bareMinerals Eyeshadows, Glimmers, and Glimpses. The gentle formula goes on sheer and lightweight yet provides heavy-duty staying power for the most vibrant and lasting color. Perfect for those days when you need all-day, all-night wear, the sheer, neutral tint doesn't interfere with your favorite colors, while the bareMinerals-infused smoothing base keeps excess oil from affecting wear."

This primer is a thicker formula than the Tarte one that I just finished up and this was the first clue for me that I had found a formula that I would love.  The Tarte and MAC formulas were creamier than the others that I have tried and I found that the best formulas are thicker and tackier and therefore keep my eye shadow and liner in place.  I love Urban Decay Eye Shadows, especially the glitter-infused shades.  However these are the shades that create the most fall-out and if I am not wearing a good eye primer, I will find the glitter all over my cheeks by mid-morning.

This formula is very thick and actually involves some extra squeezing on the tube to get it out.  The first time that I used it, I actually thought something was wrong with the tube because so little product was coming out.  I squeezed a bit harder and then a small ball of product came out.  I rubbed it between my fingers to apply the product and then tapped it on my eyelids.  This product is best applied with a light tapping motion and the little ball that came out was more than enough to cover both of my lids.  I used a bit less of the product and it was the perfect amount to cover both lids with no excess product left over. 

This formula is as high quality as Urban Decay and NARS, I was very impressed with it and would be more than happy to purchase it again.  I have just found that the thicker, tackier formulas work the best for me and I have to use primers that have this texture.  When I use this product in the morning, my eye makeup stays in place until I take it off at night.  Last night, I went to the gym after work and my eye makeup was still in place after 30 minutes on the treadmill.  This is a great product for me and it actually makes me want to buy more eye makeup from Bare Minerals.

photo courtesy of Sephora

Buxom Buxom Sculpted Lash Mascara

I have just finished up the tube of the Lancome Hyponose Doll Lashes Mascara that I started using at the very beginning of October, I have been going through mascara like crazy the past few months as I continue to be obsessed with creating huge lashes.  I typically had to use two to three full coats of the Lancome formula to get the lashes that I want and then I ended up going through the tube faster than usual.  When I ordered that mascara from Sephora, I also ordered the newest formula from Buxom. I had loved the original Buxom Lash Mascara when I first bought it several years ago and it has remained a favorite of mine.  Therefore I was very excited when I saw another version of this mascara and ordered it as soon as my mascara stash began getting on the low side. 

The original Buxom was one of the few mascara formulas that could give me the huge, thick lashes that I am obsessed with and performs among the best formuals from Benefit and Dior.  The new version of this mascara is the Buxom Sculpted Lash Mascara, a mascara with a "S" shaped wand to help this formula create really large and defined lashes.  I have used this mascara for the past three days and so far I have been really happy with the results that I have been seeing. 

This brand is exclusive to Sephora, this is only place that the products can be purchased (I have also seen them at free-standing Bare Escentuals stores too).  " A vitamin-rich, lash-nourishing mascara with a unique “S” shaped brush.  Consider Sculpted Lash Mascara as lash artistry at its best. The “S” shaped brush grabs and thickly coats each lash, allowing you to sculpt, shape and style for a full-on, fanned-out effect. The nutrient-rich formula coats each lash from root to tip, ensuring your volume and shape lasts all day with no clumping or flaking."  This mascara is available in one shade, True Black, and it is a deep black hue.

Since the brush is so unique, Sephora has provided instructions on how to get the best use from this product.  "Hold the wand with tip down so that the outer “U” shaped curve of the brush contours to the outer curve of your lashes.  Sweep through lashes, while slowly turning brush for ultimate volume and shape.  Then, use the angled tip to maneuver into those hard-to-reach inner lashes.  The finishing touch: with tip pointed down, tap the brush along lower lashes to coat."

Following the instructions is key for the best results from this product, I do skip over the last step since I don't do my lower lashes but the first three create the best use of this product.  The first step is key, the upper curve on the outisde creates volume at the outer corner of the eyes.  This step makes my eyes look bigger and more open, while the formula creates the huge lashes that I crave.  This brush is harder to work with than the original, it took me several tries to get it right.  The first time that I used it, I created a mess of clumpy lashes and had to use a comb to get them sorted out.  The next time, I used it slightly slower and was able to avoid the clumps.  For daytime use, I do one coat of this product and then save the second coat for more drama.  After I have finished the initial coats, I use the tip of brush to touch up individual lashes that I amy have missed the first time around and then use the tip just to add an extra coat to the very outer corner lashes.  This usage creates a great result from this mascara and makes me very happy.

Removal of this formula is the worst aspect, eye makeup remover only gets about 75% of it off and the rest smeared all over my under eye area.  This isn't the worst formula that I have used for removal but I don't love how much effort it takes for me to get it all off at night.

I have finally found a mascara formaul that makes me happy, however I was expecting this formula to be a winner for me since I have loved the original since I first tried it out.  This formula is one of the best for those of us who love big, dramatic lashes.  This brush is harder to work with than the original but the results are much better for opening up and bringing attention to the eyes.  I have found another mascara that I can consider a top choice for huge lashes and I really recommend it!

photo courtesy of Sephora

Bare Escentuals Buxom Swinger Girls

The Buxom line from Bare Escentuals has long been my favorite part of this company.  And I have recently learned that I am not alone in this love.  My local Sephora has expanded their Buxom area to an entire aisle as some other companies are getting their's axed to about half the aisle or even less.  New products from this comnpany are coming out practically everytime that I go to Sephora and Buxom Lips is fast becoming a favorite lip gloss of mine (second only to MAC Plushglass).  It is rare that a company delights me with everything that they come out with and it is making me want to collect one of everything from this company. 

Buxom has just released a new lip gloss set that drove me wild from the first moment that I saw it when browsing on the Sephore website.  Four pink and rose lip glosses in one of my favorite formulas?!  This set, called Swinger Girls, has my name written all over it and I am so excited to head to the store to buy it.

"A four-piece collection of pout perfecting lacquers.  These four lip lacquers take soft shades to a whole new level of luscious.  The tingling, cooling sensation creates the look of enticingly voluptuous lips, while a deep infusion of Vitamins A and E helps keep lips soft, smooth, and protected."  Along with the overall description of this set, Sephora also provides some of the impressive results of the clinical trials of this lip gloss.  "In clinical trials for Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Polish: 86% of women experienced an immediate increase in lip fullness, 75% of women felt lip moisture increased, and 96% of women were satisified with the overall improvement in their lips."

The four shades in this set are all lovely and perfect for the spring season.  I can easily take them into summer too since they will all work with tanned skin later on.  The shades are...
- Emily - rosy nude
- Heather - champagne sparkle
- Lauren - pink cupcake
- Marissa - pink blush 

My favorite shades are the Emily and Marissa, both of which are more on the deeper pink side.  I will get lots of use from them since they can be worn with a more professional look or against strong eye makeup.  Lauren is bright pink and is a very fun shade but this one is best for going out.  Heather appears more on the champagne side and has the most sparkle of the four.  This one might also be best for going out, depending on the glimmer factor of it. Either way, the formula of these glosses is fantastic so I know that I will love all of them.

Buxom has me sucked in yet again...

photo courtesy of Sephora

Bare Escentuals Buxom Lip Polish

Somehow I have been skipping over these lip glosses in my makeup box for the longest time, I had at least one or two sitting in my traincase since at least the beginning of summer. So it was like Christmas morning when I as digging around and came across two of these (in their original packages yet!). I have been test-driving both shades and I have decided that these rank up in my short list of favorite lip glosses. This lip gloss has a plumping ingredient in it, reminding me more of MAC Plushglass than DuWop Lip Venom.

Sephora states the following about this product, "A pout-perfecting lip polish. Naturally creates the look of fuller, more voluptuous lips. This mineral-infused polish imparts a luminous high shine with no sticky or tacky feeling. A deep infusion of antioxidant Vitamins A and E helps keep lips soft, smooth, and protected, while the tingly and cooling sensation reminds you that your lips are getting an immediate increase in fullness." In clinical trials: 86% of women experience an immediate increase in lip fullness; 75% of women feel that moisture in their lips has increase; and 96% of women were statisfied with the overall appearance in their lips.

This product is available in a range of shades, from subtle to dramatic, with three finishes: original, tint, and diamond. Here are the shades that you have to choose from...

Original Finish (sheer cream gloss)

- Amber - soft shimmering peach

- Betty - crimson red

- Bianca - shimmering golden orange

- Brandi - shimmering deep rose

- Bunny - innocent pink

- Candi - shimmering soft pink

- Dani - berry pink

- Destiny - peach nectar

- Dolly - shimmering muted plum

- Dominique - clear with iridescent microglitter

- Eva - warm rose

- Gabby - plum shimmer

- Ginger - shimmering copper rose

- Isabella - sunlit copper

- Jessica - copper pink

- Kanani - shimmering vibrant pink

- Katie - pale pink

- Krystal - high shine clear
- Lacey - coral poppy

- Lana - black raspberry

- Princess - shimmering pink pearl

- Sandy - pink nude

- Sugar - rose beige

- Trixie - shimmering golden rose

Tint Finish (cream finish with more pigment)

- Cherry - sheer poppy

- Liberty - sheer red glaze

- Margarita - sheer raspberry

- Melonie - sheer fushcia

Diamond Finish (super sparkly finish)

- April - glimmering icy pink

- Celeste - glimmering soft peach
- Charity - glimmering cherry red

- Clair - moonlit mauve

- Sarina - shimmering toffee

- Starr - raspberry ice

The two shades that I purchased are from the original finish collection. I have Dani, which is the berry pink shade and Betty, which is the crimson red shade. The Dani shade is very easy to wear since it just gives my lips a hint of a berry tint and I have paired this shade with many different eye shadow shades. Crimson works the best when it is paired with a golden eye or a black cat eye. The plumping action on these glosses makes my lips full and plump but not over-powering. Instead of burning, this gloss give a hint of mint tingle and fades after several minutes. The plumping effect lasts about two or three hours, usually until the gloss needs to be reapplied.

The last time that I went to Sephora (after trying these glosses out), I sat and stared at the counter and felt like a little girl in a candy store all over again. I could have grabbed a shopping basket and started filling it up right then and there but I decided to try and have some self control. Maybe hold it down to one or two per visit... Most of the ones that I want are from the original formulation, I don't plan to really mess with lip gloss perfection! My shopping list: Brandi, Bunny, Eva, Lana, Sandi, and Sugar. I want to try out the April shade in the Diamond formula and see how it compares to the Baby Sparks Dazzleglass.

Well now I have yet another lip gloss obsession. Since that was EXACTLY was I needed!

photo courtesy of Sephora

Bare Escentuals Buxom Samantha's Smoky Eye Set

I was instantly attracted to this product because the cover of the set reminded me of a scene from Sex and the City. The cover is of Samantha, a blond secret agent wearing a trench coat which is directly out of a scene from Sex and the City in the beginning of Season Six. Between this scene in the show and the fact that this set is from Buxom makes this a top choice of mine the next time that I go to Sephora. Earlier this year, I wrote about how much I loved the Buxom Lash mascara fromthis collection and I used this product until the very last drop came out of it. Since mascara and Sex and the City are two of my favorite things, this set has me written as over it.

Sephora places this product in the following category, "A kit that has everything you need for that killer combination of sexy, smoky eyes and luscious, nude lips". The website goes on to give a more detailed description. "This set will have you feeling armed and gorgeous with Bare Escentuals' smoking hot combination of: a Buxom Smoky Eye Stick in Smokin' Pistol, a Buxom Smoky Eye Brush, a Lash Mascara in deep black, and a universally flattering nude Samantha Big & Healthy Lip Polish". I found more details about the mascara and the lip polish on the Sephora website so I will share it with everyone.

Buxom Lash - A paraben-free, lash-volumizing mascara. Bare Escentual's Buxom Lash Mascara - Blackest Black holds the style of your lashes for a continuous 12 hours with no flakiness. The silky, vitamin-rich formula darkens, lengthens, and thickens from root to tip without ever clumping. Its patented, hourglass-shaped brush is designed to lift and separate every lash without delivering the perfect amount of antioxidant-rich mascara needed for bigger, fuller lashes.

- Blackest Black - deep rich black

Buxom Lips - A pout-perfecting lip polish. Naturally creates the look of fuller, more voluptuous lips. This mineral-infused polish imparts a luminous high shine with no sticky or tacky feeling. A deep infusion of antioxidant vitamins A and E help keep lips soft, smooth, and protected, while the tingly feeling and cooling sensation reminds you that your lips are getting an immediate increase in fullness.

- Samantha - seductive nude

Since Buxom Lash is one of my favorite mascaras of all time, I wouldn't hesitate to purchase this set even if I only ended up liking the mascara in it. The Lip Polish is on my list of products to review shortly, I hav eonly tried mine once but am happy with it so far. The mascara is just plain amazing, it makes my lashes look long and full and never smudges. The products in this kit are top notch and the concept and package will be loved by any Sex and the City fan. I am really interested in the Smoky Eye Stick and to find out if it more of an eye liner or a shadow pencil. I want to try it out with my MAC liners and see if it helps me to create a smoky easy quicker and easier than just using a traditional liner and shadow.

photo courtesy of Sephora

Bare Escentuals Buxom Chronicles: Four of a Kind

I can barely keep my eyes open this morning so we are going along the path of least resistance to me. So no chemcials in skincare that I need to explain and no stories of tightlining with a new eye liner. So what does this path lead me to? Lip gloss! Ever since using the Bare Escentuals Buxom (which I know that I should have thrown out after two months but I love it so much that I am still trying to coax the last few drops out of), I have become a fan of the Buxom product line from Bare Escentuals. The set that I have recently fallen in love with and am going to Sephora to search for is the Four of a Kind, a set of glosses named after four girls. And immediately, I think of the Sex and the City. Typical...

Sephora states that this set is "A set of four high-shine, plumping lip polishes on a mission". The website goes on further with the following description, "Meet the girls, Katie, Trixie, Dolly, and Violetta - four sexy dynamos who will plump, tint, and drizzle your lips to pout perfection. Each shimmering shade leaves your kisser curvaceous, voluptuous, and drenched in fabulous color, while a tingling sensation reminds you that your lips are looking fuller by the minute. A deep infusion of anti-oxidant Vitamins E and A will keep them soft, smooth, and protected".

The four shades are: Dolly, a muted plum; Katie, a pale pink; Trixie, a shimmering golden rose; and Violetta, a shimmering fuchsia berry. I really like all four of the shades and since they appear to be more on the cool toned side, I bet that all of the shades would work out for me. I think that Trixie might be an early favorite of the glosses but I need to try them all to find out.

Another Friends and Family item to add to my list... This is getting to be quite long!

photo courtesy of Sephora

Bare Escentuals Buxom Lash Mascara

While we all know that I am not a fan of the Bare Escentuals face makeup, I have a huge weakness for their Buxom line of lip glosses, mascaras, and other fun items. Barely a Sephora trip goes by without me drooling over something in this collection and considering whether or not to add it to my already overflowing shopping bag. Several weeks ago, I bought the mascara from this collection and so far it is hitting the top of mascara love list.

This mascara is a super volumizing formula and makes my lashes huge and very flirty. Sephora puts this products into the category of "A paraben-free, lash-volumizing mascara". The website gives a further description of the product as follows, "Bare Escentuals Buxom Lash - Blackest Black holds the style of your lashes for a continous 12 hours with no flakiness. The silky, vitamin-rich formula darkens, lengthens, and thickens from root to tip without ever clumping. Its patented, hourglass-shaped brush is designed to lift and separate every lash while delivering the perfect amount of antioxidant-rich mascara needed for bigger, fuller lashes. It intensely volumizes lashes up to 300%".

This mascara is available in two shades currently; Blackest Black, a true black, and Blue Noir, a bright blue. I have the Blackest Black and I love it. It is one of the best black shades that I have ever tried, super dark and inky.

This is a great mascara choice for volumizing! The brush is hourglass shaped and huge. It is a bit hard to work with the first few times but I quickly got it down. The shape of the brush allows every single little lash to be picked up by the brush and covered in mascara. It makes all of my lashes look huge, lighting my eye ups and making them look huge. Also, the brush has little rubber bristles on it to continue to help picking up every lash. I get fanstastic, thick, defined lashes without any flaking or clumping. To remove this product, soap and water is not enough, you will need eye makeup remover. However, with the proper product, removal is not difficult.

The easiest way to apply this product to puch the brush right down at the bottom of the lash and wiggle it up to the end. This technique makes sure that every lash is picked up and evenly coated without creating a mess.

I highly recommend this mascara and am very glad that I bought it. This mascara might acutally be higher ranked on my mascara list than BadGal and the only other one that it will go up against is Diorshow Iconic.

photo courtesy of Sephora

Bare Escentuals Buxom Babes Flower Girls

This may be old news, but I have the tendency to fall utterly in love with almost any product that either the name or the shade has something to do with anything floral. This might be a bad thing but it is the way that I am. In the past, I haven't been a huge fan of the company Bare Escentuals after spending a month trying their mineral foundation and seeing little to no improvement in my skin. Normally, I just walk right by their display in any store that I go into. But sometimes...flowers can change that.

What I am referring to is their newest collection of lip glosses, called Buxom Babes Flower Girls. When I first saw this name, I immediately jumped to the conclusion that this collection would be full of sheer shades of pink that would be appropriate for the upcoming wedding season. Sephora describes this product as "a set of four floral-inspired lip glosses".

Here is the product described in a bit more detail (also from the Sephora website), "Bare Escentuals Buxom Babes Flower Girls are four floral-inspired pout perfecters infused with 100% pure bareMinerals to naturally create the look of fuller lips. Its tingly, cooling sensation reminds you that your lips are looking fuller, while a deep infusion of antioxidant Vitamins A and E keeps them soft and protected. With luminous high shine in the most lucid pastels, it's a lovely garden party for your lips that will leave your lips blossoming with sheer feminity. All-natural, collagen-boosting ceramide helps repair damaged lip tissue and enables new collagen production".

So this product makes some big claims...not only will it make you look fantastic, it will also repair damaged lip tissue! I am all for products that can do a dual purpose but I am also not convinced that the lip repair aspect of this product will be as effective as claimed. If the gloss can penetrate the lip surface easily then I do see the potential for some of the ceramide to be absorbed and the collagen boosting process to begin. However, I have found that most lip glosses tend to be too thick and sticky for this claim to be accurate. I am on the side of products that help to boost collagen but if Bare Escentuals can make this claim come true, then maybe the ceramide ingredient might be more effective when used in a lip balm or nighttime treatment. Just some food for thought...

Now back to the fun aspects of this product...the colors! This set contains four lip glosses. The first one is called Rosie and it is ballerina pink shade. The second one is called Lily and it is pink lavender shade. The third is called Iris and it is sheer periwinkle shade. The last gloss is called Poppy and it is carnation pink shade. I love three of shades but at the moment, I am a touch weary of the Iris shade because I have never tried any color of periwinkle on my lips. However, I am certinaly game to find out how this shade looks on me next time that I get to Sephora or the Bare Escentuals store.

photo courtesy of Sephora

Bare Escentuals...Why the Hype?

so far I have yet to mention Bare Escentuals at all in my posts. Like almost every other female in the United states, I have fallen prey to hype around mineral makeup and have purchased the Bare Escentuals starter set at Sephora. After two years of lusting after this product, I finally got to a Sephora in Manhattan (until several months ago I didn't have one near my house at all) and was prepared to be amazed at what I thought would be my flawless looking skin.

I first tried using the Flawless Face brush and realized that it gives no coverage at all. I went up to the stiffer kabuki brush only to realize that it gives moderate coverage. I looked in the mirror expecting to be amazed. WRONG!

The motion of pushing the brush repeatedly onto my face made my face even redder than normal (How can this be good for sensitive skin?) and provided a fair amount of coverage in other areas. I still had to sit and blend it with the flawless face brush to get my face to look remotely natural.

The DVD that came with the set and instructions insist that the concealer brush can be dipped in the powder and used for heavier coverage for dark circles, blemishes, etc. again...WRONG! I still have to use a liquid concealer in order to effectively cover up flaws. The next step is the Mineral Veil finishing powder. For this I used the Flawless Face brush and was happy with the results.

Oh yeah...this whole routine took almost 20 minutes and I ended up covering my black clothing in the powders since I was not used to working with loose powders. I have gotten better at handling the powders but I still manage to cover something with them every time I use the products.

My least favorite thing about Bare Escentuals...the products make my pores look HUGE and very noticeable. Which is not quite what I had in mind when putting makeup on.

Bare Escentuals is great for the woman with fantastic hand - eye coordination, time to put on makeup, skin that is already nice enough to not need the kabuki brush, and who has very tiny pores.