At the very best of times, I’m not a powder fan and especially not a powder foundation fan. However, I have known bareMinerals and similar to be completely complexion changing for those with problematic skin. When mineral make up was first a ‘thing’ in the UK (I saw my very first example of it in Las Vegas and was intrigued) it came with many claims and I was excited to try it. For me, and my non-oily skin, I couldn’t bear the powdery feel of it or the look of dryness it gave. I gave my samples to a friend for her daughter with acne prone skin and she has never used anything else since – and that was at least 8 years ago. So, it’s horses for courses on this one – it’s going to suit some and not suit others. I imagine that some of its success on my friend’s daughter was down to the fact that mineral foundation has no oil, so it wasn’t exacerbating the situation, as possibly her former foundation was. I’ll never know for sure, but I do know that her skin improved dramatically.
Enter bareMinerals Blemish Remedy Foundation with Aspen Bark and Tea Tree Oil to help control oiil and shine. Studies on 102 women over a 6 week period showed a significant reduction in skin oil, but it’s not clear whether that’s in look or actual oil production. As Tea Tree is a natural antiseptic, I guess there may well be some medicinal quality. The other claim, that 92% of women (in the same trial) experienced significant reduction in pore size is just baffling to be honest.**** Bearing in mind that the only way to shrink pores is to shrink the oil glands (with medication, usually), I’m not sure how this claim has arisen. However, I’ll stay open-minded (with a definite side-eye) because I haven’t used the product, and who knows – maybe the secret to pore shrinking has really been discovered.
*** My reading mistake..the claim is actually to reduce ‘appearance’ of pore size, which is a bit more realistic.
bareMinerals Blemish Remedy Foundation launches in September for £26.
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