Bare Escentuals: THE DEVIL'S OWN WORK

[JodieHarsh]

I must post about this. I have just spunked nearly ninety quid on some Bare Escentuals starter kit things.

I arrived at the counter in Stratford Westfield with a hideous bright red, sore, scarred, spotty, sweaty face, and some WITCH managed to take a decade off me with POWDER. Just powder! I mean - WT actual F?! A tube ride and a 20 minute walk home and it's still there. SURELY that's not right. I've used all sorts of super-max coverage matte stuff and it didn't cover ANYTHING like this well. O and I have the glowing rosy cheeks of a teen

I promise I've not been giver a tenner to post this stuff. It's just I've spent so much I feel slightly sick. Does anyone else use this stuff? it's not going to last is it. i'm an idiot. What have I done

Badtaste I'm 36 and it works fine here. I have oily/combo skin though - some say it doesn't suit dry skins.

I am so close to popping into Debenhams and asking the lady to swirltapbuff me (and then possibly spending nigh on £50 to do my own swirltapbuffing at home and hopefully looking matte faced all day). Unfortunately, bismuth and i do not get along. Do BE have to starter kits with the matte version of the foundation? I believe it is bismuth free.

ARGH! Christine remember that correct application is the difference between disaster and success! You really need to be putting on the tiniest almost invisible amounts or you'll have rampant cake-face. Arf at you wrenching a parcel from the postie then covering him in grateful kisses

Badtaste, I am beginning to stare 50 in the swivelling eyeball and I am a BE convert. But, like Jodie says, it is all in the application. You need far less than you think.

You can get the trial size kit (£15 from Look Fantastic) and that comes with the matte and the original.

Mine's arrived..... . I am jumping in shower and then applying. I'll let you know! Colour looks correct.

APPLY WITH CARE FANNY

Or if you use the 15% discount code that I posted yesterday, you can get the starter kit for 12.75 from lookfantastic.

Jodie tell me O Wise One what the fuck to do?!! I'm just moisturising so be quick

A haaaaaaaaaa boss not in today so I am your Orange Lady for today

Are you sitting facing good natural light? you need to let the moisturiser sink in for a good 5 mins....

(and I am more than aware I should not be enjoying all this quite this much)

Right, I have been stingier than stingy with the application and it looks pretty good! I think I need a more moisturising moisturiser - I normally wear a really light one with tinted moisturiser over the top and my skin looks a little dry in places. BUT I have looked at myself in my scary 8x magnification mirror (for plucking) and I do not look like cakey-lady. What is more, my horrible blemished skin looks loads better :)

I feel slightly absurd wearing full make up when I am spraying garden furniture and wearing painting/gardening clothes :o

HURRAH cristine!

Yeah I had a practice go (again) yesterday DH came in to find me in head to toe sweaty home-clothes and a perfect air-brushed face complete with a smoky eye....

I do put on quite a lot of moisturizer, but leave it for aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaages....

Yes I am

I am seriously tempted now - but just to definitely push me one way or t'other - does it help disguise eye bags?

RIGHT. If you've got the primer in your kit, put about a peanut sized bit on your fingers and swipe it all over ALL OVER, including your eyelids, and let that sink in for a minute as well....

Then you need to tap some powder - say, less than half a gram, for those of you with colourful pasts - of your foundation stuff into the lid. Swirl your brush in the powder and then (this is VERY important) tap the brush several times on the side of the lid so that any visible powder drops off, and powder kind of sinks into the brush (I use the middle sized kabuki type brush for this bit)

Then you buffbuffbuffbuffbuffbuff. Imagine you are gently polishing a beautifully restored rosewood piano Lots of swift gentle circular movements all over.

Badtaste that's the one thing I don't think it is great for sadly But it would be amazing on the whole rest of your face, so that would reflect as it were on your eye-puff, you know? I think a generally better complexion forgives the sins the BE does not cover...

Fanny let me know when you've done the first buffing

Thank you Jodie, I am quite pleased with myself. I can't tell you how many bottles of 1/2 used foundations I have lying around - I must have spent about £200 over the last few years on them

I went for original today - tomorrow I shall go for a heavier moisturiser topped by matte.

I absllutely agree Cristine - I get really, really gloomy about my ageing, once really-rather-lovely face, now battered by The Disappointments of Life and suffering 20lb weight gain owing to a PhD , and have spent SO much on every kind of foundation going, which never pleased me. I have thrown everything out with one or two precious exceptions, and everything is now BE. I feel so much more confident, which is lameness itself, but I ahve some big career changes potentially coming up and how I feel about my appearance really does affect that stuff....

I've done it. Ive buffed, added bit of concealer and topped off with mineral veil. I'm going to be brutally honest here, I use Avon's one and the Avon one is just as nice however I think the fairly light is too fair (only slightly). I have dusted touch of bronzer on too. It's nice but for cost of a full one I would definitely stick with Avon one which I paid £5 for when it was on offer. Hmmmm slightly disappointed and it's not down to application as I'm a dab hand at swirling and buffing. Jodie - honestly, try the Avon one when you've ran out of BE, I'd be interested to see what you think. Thanks for your help though!

That is tres interesting FanjeBanje (and obvs disappointing too!).

I wonder if my amazement at it is the fact that I have never tried mineral makeup before, and THAT's the true majick?? Thanks for the Avon tip - duly filed away for when the BE runs out - will be really interesting to test!

Ooo though, do let me know what you think about its lasting power, because I think that's what's impressed me most. Will be useful to know if Avon is as good on that front too....

Avon lasts all day too. I do think cos I've used Mineral make up before then I'm not a total virgin. Don't get me wrong - it's lovely BUT comparing the two - I'd go for Avon just because the price is far better. However BE still fab, Avon just spoiled me that's all!

Hello newly swirled, tapped and buffed ones. I just wanted to give a quick mention to Lily Lolo mineral foundation as a cheaper mineral foundation for those on a budget. I have used both BE and Lily Lolo and prefer the latter, I didn't quite like the shimmer effect I got with BE and also couldn't find a perfect shade.

Also wanted to recommend the Lily Lolo Kabuki brush which is absolutely lush, just got it the other day to replace my old BE brush, was very wary as I didn't think synthetic brushes could be as good but it is hugely soft and not at all scratchy and gives great application.

I have tried the Loreal mineral make up before, and I thought that was awful, right orange and pasty looking, but then I have always been a terror for getting make up to match (am very very pale).

The BE is a good match colour wise.

I have out it on again this morning and have decided I really, really don't like it. I really don't like looking made up to this extent, it really looks like I am wearing foundation, and it has dampened the natural glow in my skin and made it look matt and 'dead'. It's no good adding the brick dust as it is a completely abnormal colour for me.

It reminds me of Estee Lauder double wear - that made my skin go matt and dull looking as well.

Perhaps it just doesn't work that well on dry skin.

Never mind.

'right orange and pasty looking'

Right orange? I am not from Rotherham.

I meant bright orange