Well it has been quite some time since my last About Face post. I recently had the pleasure of attending a bareminerals blogger event hosted by Raven Roberts of Swankstylista. I am a huge fan of bareminerals. Sure we’ve all seen the commercials on television, probably watched demonstrations on QVC, but it isn’t until you actually use the products that you realize just how good they are. Several weeks ago, I was introduced to the latest addition to their face makeup products Complexion Rescue. Complexion Rescue is really a revolutionary product. It’s more than just a tinted moisturizer, better than any BB or CC cream on the market and actually rescues your complexion. Over the past six months, my skin was failing – and by failing I mean dark spots just appeared, I had dark circles under my eyes, uneven skin tone. Ladies, it was like all of my skin nightmares were coming to life right before my eyes. One lazy Saturday, I decided to visit the bareminerals Soho Shade Shop and tried it. I loved it. I want to stock it. Now, I am a Complexion Rescue FANATIC. If it promises to give me healthy, glowing skin I’m all over it. I’m a beauty junkie so naturally I also purchased their Mineralixirs Starter Kit. I mention these products because they are the bare necessities if you are new to the brand.
Anyhow, getting back to the event. Part of the exercise was to assess our makeup bags. I found that I carried the essentials:
- Foundation
- Blush
- Bronzer
- Lip gloss
- Lip balm
- Concealer
- Eyeliner
- Mascara
- Setting Powder
- Brushes
The basics. Now, this could be because I have worked in the beauty industry for some time so I know a girl doesn’t need to carry Sephora in her makeup bag to be beautiful . Granted, I may have 10 different products in each of the categories listed above, but when I leave my apartment, I am only carrying one from each category and make sure they can easily transition from day-to-night (that basically accounts for all of my makeup). When it comes to makeup application, my weakest skill is eyeshadow. It just gets all over the place, so I tend not to use it. Since the event, all of that has changed. With bareminerals 5-in1 BB Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow, it solved all of my eyeshadow woes. With just one sweep, you get sun protection, eyeshadow base, 12-hours of color payoff in shades that can go from work to play. Now that’s winning! Gets even better you can layer this under powder eyeshadows because it can act as a primer and prevent creasing! After the demonstration, it was time to shop – clearly the best part of the night for me.
The one makeup product that I can never get enough of is mascara. I have endless tubes. A new one comes out and I’m on it. While it’s not new, their Lash Domination mascara is fantastic. The brush grabs every lash and gives you instant volume. Girls, please note that this is a volumizing mascara, not really a lengthening mascara. I remember running to Sephora when it first came out to make sure I had a tube. I’ve since purchased three (what, I don’t like to run out). With the season finally warming up, it was time for me to think about creating my signature Spring/Summer look. During the warmer months, I like to focus on my lips. About a month ago I bought their Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Live Large. I am a huge fan of berry lips because they tend to work well with darker skin. This shade was a more of a rose berry instead of my usual deep berry colors. I was now on the hunt for a nude lipstick. Now, nude lipsticks are a little tricky for me because I can easily look washed out, so I generally go with a nude color that has a little rose to give my lips some life. Again, bareminerals came through. This time I purchased their Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Stand Out. This is a great rosewood color. Needless to say, it has great color payoff and hydrating, which is most important when you are choosing a nude shade – I mean who wants ashy lips?
Going back to skincare, I’ve been wanting to try two night time products from the line – Active Cell Renewal Night Serum and Pure Transformation Night Treatment, but didn’t want to pay full price for something that I wasn’t sure would work. They must have been reading my mind. Lo and behold they created an intro kit that not only had 30-day supplies of each of these products but also had an eye cream and a mini facial cleanser – all for $30! Here are the benefits of each of these products:
Active Cell Renewal Serum
Face oil for nighttime. I apply this after my night cleanser and before my night cream. You only need a few drops. It’ makes your skin so luminous and your skin feels so smooth almost as if you had an exfoliating treatment. It’s non-greasy and absorbs into the skin almost immediately. Now this is a product where I will be purchasing the full size once (or before) I run out.
Pure Transformation Night Treatment
This is like nighttime makeup that really isn’t makeup. It’s a clear powder that is applied with a kabuki like brush (included) fortified with bareminerals proprietary ActiveSoil Complex to visibly reduce pores (I just did a back flip). After three days of continued use, I noticed that my skin felt better in the morning making my makeup application flawless and pore size appeared reduced (I say appeared because it takes a little more time to see true results, but I have high hopes for this).
The star of the night for me was the not yet released to public (humble brag) Marvelous Moxie Buttercream lip gloss in Moody Berry. I have the Marvelous Moxie lip gloss in Hotshot, but this new formulation is super rich and not sticky. The color looks a little intense in the package and although it is sheer the color payoff is fantastic.
The one thing about bareminerals makeup is that they play well with other brands. I used Complexion Rescue with MAC Radiance Primer and 1 drops of Cover FX Custom Drops for sheer coverage. I used their new Pop of Passion Blush Balm in Natural Passion. Of course, I had to do a complete look for you guys and don’t judge me because I took this picture in at my day job (the lighting here is fantastic).
And then I picked up some eyeliners because a girl can never have too many liners. What makes bareminerals such a great beauty brand is because the products are so natural and they formulate their products with every type of woman in mind. No matter what your look, you will find something that works for you and that’s good for you too – enhancing every woman’s natural beauty.
Look out for my next About Face post featuring Cover FX Custom Cover Drops in two weeks. #dropportunity