Not Impressed: Bare Escentuals

(Photo courtesy of Sephora.com. Used without permission.)

And I had so many hopes riding on this foundation. I was color-typed by one of the sales associates at the Bare Escentuals store at the Water Tower Plaza on North Michigan Avenue. In the store under their lights, the "Warm Tan" color fit perfectly. In fact, I had never seen my skin look so flawless. I bought the powder foundation and the Tinted Mineral Veil, eager to put it on myself the next day. I thought I had finally found a cosmetics 'counter' with proper lighting, a subject I have complained about at some length.

When I apply foundation I make sure to do so in a large mirror with natural sunlight. When I put on the Bare Escentuals there was an obvious dark ring around my face and neck. While some may like the "sun-kissed look" I don't. I was born with the sun-kissed look, I just want a foundation that matches me. Though I found that in Vasanti's EXCELLENT Face Base, I tried BE because of the skincare element.

I took the foundation back and told them way, suggesting that I need a shade or two lighter. They recommended only a shade lighter and sent me home with the "tan" color. Still not a good fit. Meanwhile I notice that the Tinted Mineral Veil is flawless on my skin. I couldn't even tell I had it on. Armed with that knowledge I go instead to Sephora knowing the sales associates at Bare Escentuals would strike out a third time.

I foolishly tried to match the powder of the Tinted Mineral Veil to one of the powder foundations; I chose Medium Beige. It was just a bit too chalky. Third strike and I'm done with Bare Escentuals. When I returned that purchase to Sephora, one of the ladies there told me that she really didn't like the look of BE on olive complexions. On top of the less-than-stellar color pigments, BE didn't cure any of my minor skin problems (redness, irritation, occasional breakouts) so there was no need for me to spend the money on it.

BE did not live up to the hype for me. My skin didn't start clearing up, evening out the complexion and getting rid of the redness until I started using a Lancome regimen, which I will post about at another time.

Must Read: Slate.com

One of my favorite online news sources, Slate, published several articles concerning suntanning and sunscreen. The best article is the one about how SPF in products is gaged. Here are the links:

Is tanning addictive? By Amanda Schaffer
How do they measure SPF? By Juliet Lapidos
Which sunscreens work best? By Douglas Wolk
Tanning Your Hide By Emily Yoffe

Cardio for Beauty

Clear complexions owe a great deal to a healthy circulatory system thanks to regular cardiovascular exercise: running, jogging, dancing, biking....sex, etc. Blood flows through our bodies to carry nutrients to various organs to keep them in working order; your skin, as you probably know by now, is your largest organ.

Let's say you don't like to do cardio work, especially in a gym. I totally understand; my knees are cranky after near two decades of ballet, jazz and tap but I still take dance classes. On the other hand, running on a treadmill is murder on my joints. The dance classes seem better because as your body sways with the music you tend to ignore your aches and pains. Swimming is also a good alternative for someone who has bad joints.

But many everyday activities can be seen as cardio, the important thing is a carefully increased heart rate. Of course if you have heart conditions, consult your doctor. Not only will you lose any weight you consider uninvited but your skill will look better for it.