In recent years, there has been an unmistakable and positive shift in the beauty world toward increasing the number of foundation shades available to women of colour, particularly those with darker skins tones.
One brand that is a particular favourite among many of my friends is Bare Minerals, who have released a new range of liquid foundation called Bare Pro. We were gifted three of the 30 shades in the collection (Teak, Hazelnut and Truffle) and they perfectly matched the skin tones of three members of the team. Our Beauty Intern, Bethany Deer, tested the Teak shade. Read on for her review.
As someone who prefers a more natural make up look, I tend to stay away from heavy coverage foundations as much as possible. Even when it comes to applying a full face-beat, I like to stick to concealers, occasionally highlighters, bronzers and a bit of contouring.
I was pleased to see that the Bare Pro foundation, though light, gives full coverage that lasts all day. The colour matched my skin tone perfectly. I was worried when I first applied it that I may have chosen too dark a shade. But it was almost as if it adapted to my actual skin tone, making my skin look so natural it appeared as if I wasn’t wearing any makeup at all; it also gave me a glowy look that I loved. It was easy to blend, I was expecting to have to really massage it into my skin but that wasn’t the case, it was like applying a face cream, which on an everyday basis would save a lot of time.
Secondly, it didn’t leave my skin looking greasy despite it being a liquid foundation. When I first pumped it onto my hands, it had a runny consistency, it was literally sliding off the back of my hand, so I assumed it would give my skin more of a dewy look rather than matte. The dewy look isn’t something I make an effort to achieve as my combination/oily skin would look extremely shiny. However, Bare Pro left my skin looking naturally matte and it didn’t get greasy at all as I went about my day; it lasted so well that I didn’t need any additional powder or blotting paper either.
Although it is a full coverage foundation and it did even my skin tone, it does need to be applied with concealer if you don’t want any scarring or darker spots to show, if that is your preference. To get that Instagram perfect glow, I’d recommend you include concealer in your routine.
It was good to see that Bare Pro includes natural ingredients that are good for your skin and won’t clog your pores such as bamboo stem extract which helps to give your skin that matte finish, whilst papaya enzymes not only improve the texture and feel of your skin when you apply it but will have that same effect in the long run. It also includes sun protection with its SPF20. Overall, a thumbs up from me.
Along with the amazing efforts of independent makeup brands catering to the needs of women of colour, it’s wonderful to see mainstream brands acknowledging us with a wider range of shades. No doubt, there is still a long way to go, but this is definitely an exciting time in the beauty industry with more diversity not only in actual products but with brand ambassadors too; long may it continue.
Visit BareMinerals.co.uk
