Bare Essentials Verses Physicians Formula Mineral Wear

Part of the joy, and hindrance, of being a woman is the privilege of wearing make-up. In this given age, you can find a make-up for every problem that you may have – sun spots, wrinkles, dark circles, blemishes, broken blood vessels, rosacea – I could continue for days. With the many products available today, women are beginning to notice a trend. The products that cover our main facial problems are tending to create new problems. For example, you must use high coverage concealer to cover dark circles, but products that actually cover your circles can (and often do) cause milia – small white bumps under your eyes. So as you can see women are stuck between the rhetorical “rock and a hard place.” Due to this, there has been an overload of products claiming to be all-natural. Bare Essentials was on the forefront of this epidemic. This review discusses the high-end Bare Essentials foundation as it compares to the drugstore brand Physicians Formula Mineral Wear.

If you are living in the continental U.S. then you have probably seen or heard about the Bare Essentials line of make-up. It is not only sold at Ulta and Sephora, but also on QVC making it easily accessible to most people. So being the make-up expert/freak that I am, I knew that I had to try this make-up line. I first began using Bare Essentials foundation about a year ago. At first I absolutely loved this product, but then began to change my tune. The pros of the product are very obvious. It is so lightweight that you literally forget that you are wearing make-up. Even during the depths of summer when make-up can feel like a mask, BE keeps you feelings clean and natural. The coverage is also a plus, but it is very easy to go on the cakey side if you do properly apply it. The cons, however, were a bit of a problem for me. I have fair, combination skin so coverage is not really an issue for me, but evenness is definitely a concern. I quickly noticed that by midday my skin was significantly drier than it had been when using any other foundation. I thought, perhaps it is due to the dry climate during winter so I discontinued use until this summer. The foundation still continued to dry out my face so I learned to apply a very light layer to correct this problem. As I mentioned, coverage is not really a huge issue, but I noticed that applying a lighter layer definitely affected the coverage of the foundation. So if you are concerned about coverage and have dry skin, BE is definitely not the product for you.

After several months of using the BE line, I noticed, while at my local Target, that Physicians Formula has a new line of mineral make-up. At half the price of BE I had to try it! I had been using BE Fairly Light 1.2 so I wanted to choose something close to that shade. Unfortunately PF has only 6 shades verses the 12 of BE, but I opted for the Mineral Loose Powder in Buff Beige. First let me say, trash the brush, as it is a complete waste of your time. Buy a true powder brush at Target, apply this product, and revel at the results! I honestly have to say that I was floored with the outcome. This little $10 make-up was amazing. It covered nicely, applied lightly, does not dry my skin, and was so cheap! I really cannot say enough about the product. However, there are, of course, some cons to it. The shade is not a perfect match for me, so I may have to opt to mix it with a lighter shade. If I do this then costs are nearing close to the BE pricing. PF is $9.95/.5 oz while BE is $25/.3 oz making PF still a better deal. SPF is also a concern for most people, as PF does not contain a sunscreen. I am, however, not concerned with that at all because you should use a minimum of 30 on your face and BE is only 15. I use a moisturizer with SPF 30 before any make-up application so this was a non-issue. With the pros high and the cons at a minimum, PF was the clear choice for me.

The comparisons between the two products are astounding. You have BE that is $25 for .3 oz and is a bit too much coverage and drying for my liking. Then there is PF that is $10 for .5 oz and is as easy to apply and does not dry out my skin. With the costs of everyday life steadily increasing, it is so nice to find a brand that is both affordable and provides excellent results. I am totally sold on the Physicians Formula mineral make-up. Now I just have to expand my horizons and try the complete line!