Purchase Review: bareMinerals Bareskin Pure Brightening Serum Foundation

How many people have tried and used bareMinerals Original foundation before? I was using and loving it up until about 8 years or so ago. I loved the powder formulation that was light on the skin and yet provided good coverage. I really felt like my skin could breathe and I liked the fact that it didn't feel like I had makeup on. The only real problem that I had with it was finding the right color for me. I ended up having to mix two different colors, which is pretty normal for me anyway. Then the inevitable happened, age and along with it, slightly drier skin which brought out some fine lines. I found that applying powder would make my skin appear drier than it was and being that the original foundation is a mineral powder, I couldn't make it work for me any more.

Fast forward to 2014...bareMinerals has come out with a new foundation! A liquid foundation which is said to be a tone-correcting mineral foundation AND a brightening serum all packaged into one formulation. I knew that it was something that I needed to try.

At first I was going to just get a sample to try at home because I had read mixed reviews on it but I ended up just purchasing it instead. When I got color matched by the SA in Sephora, I was a bit apprehensive at first because I initially thought that the fomulation felt very oily but then I realized that it wasn't oily but had a soft, silky feel to it. After application, it doesn't dry to a powdery finish and I felt that it's actually quite hydrating. I was also very impressed by the fact that the color match is just about perfect!

bareMinerals has a foundation brush that is to be used with this foundation but the SA at Sephora didn't use it to apply the foundation and he told me that any brush that will buff well will work. I have the Urban Decay foundation brush and he said that it would work very well.

Here I am bare faced. Not even my skin care has been applied yet.

Foundation applied to half of my face.

Finished FOTD. Thanks to the flash and SPF, I look quite a bit white.

For me, when I first finish my makeup, my face always looks a little whiter until after an hour or so. When it does settle in, the color match is just about perfect.  I have found that this foundation doesn't provide good full coverage so I need to conceal all of my larger dark spots as well as provide a little better coverage under my eyes. For this FOTD, I used Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer.

I will also use a foundation under my eyes instead of concealer and two that I've found work very well in providing good coverage are Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in #5 (thanks to a blogger who gave it to me) and DHC Q10 Base Makeup in Natural Ocher 02.

I always apply a shade slightly lighter than my foundation because I want under my eyes to be brighter.

I took this picture the day before these pictures here but this is after 8 hours of wear.

I had read some reviews say that it wasn't long lasting but it wears very well for me. I am totally loving this foundations. It's light enough to wear during the summer, and this summer has been rather hot and humid compared to the last couple of years. It covers well enough although I still do conceal, but then again, I always have to conceal the darker spots. I haven't had a foundation that I have liked this much in a long time. It's especially appealing because the color match is so good. 

The Sephora SA that helped me was really good. I have usually come across SA/MUAs that automatically reach for the yellow undertones because I am Asian. I used to be more pink toned but have recently discovered that my undertones have changed to be neutral. This SA totally understood that and I was matched with the color that I thought would match me. It's 08 Bare Beige, which is under the neutral tone category.

Has anyone else tried this foundation and what are your thoughts on it?

*Kat*