Bare Escentuals

Although I have used bare minerals, I had never actually been to the store. Recently I stopped in to pick up some more «mineral veil» which is pretty much the best powder ever. While there I wanted to get some eyeshadow to wear while on vacation in Florida.
Meredith helped me and she was wonderful. She set me up with some bronzer, which is a little scary for someone fair skinned like me. I want to avoid the «Jersey Shore» look at all costs. Meredith made me feel comfortable applying it. Plus they have a little «starter kit» where you get the bronzer, a brush and a lip gloss. I actually like these kits because you can be easily introduced to a certain product. That’s actually how I got hooked on the mineral veil.
Finally Meredith set me up with a neutral eye palette and some mascara. The best product I got set up with is a waterproof final coat that can make any mascara waterproof. I really don’t like waterproof mascara, but if you are going to an event where you might cry (like a wedding or graduation) you can swipe this top coat on and it makes your mascara waterproof.

I went in here the other day in desperate need for an entire makeup re vamp. Annie was amazing, she made the entire thing actually enjoyable and I left feeling great with my selection and confident in the amount of money I spent. Make sure to ask for Annie!
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Love this make up. Spent most of my life trying to find my perfect match and here I did. Love it got a ton of it to.

Psh, the ladies working in this store need a crash course in customer service.
I went here today interested in trying the new-​ish Bare Minerals Matte foundation. I knew there was a boutique location at Lenox Mall and even though I HATE Lenox, I decided to head over there to try the product. I had already done my make up for the day because I had a lunch outing this afternoon but still wanted to test this product.
I walked into the store and was immediately put off. There were four associates just standing around chatting with each other and they all gave me that «you gotta be kiddin’ me» look when I walked in. I used to work retail so I understand that it sucks, but seriously, how unprofessional. I said «hello» nicely and explained that I had previously tried the original Bare Minerals foundation and it didn’t work for me. I proceeded to tell them that I was interested in learning about the Matte formula because I had heard so many good things about it. All the associates looked at each other like, «omg, I don’t feel like working and this girl is going to make me work.» After a pause of hesitation, one of the girls said she’d help me.
She walked me over to a seat and I sat down in the chair. I told her I didn’t want to do my whole face but would be willing to do a spot test. She put it on a spot of my face and I was underwhelmed. I asked her what was different about this formula and she gave me the same exact text I read verbatim from the website. Really? I expect associates to know at least something a little more about the products they are selling. Act like you love the product and try to sell it at least. She just wasn’t welcoming at all and didn’t seem to care about trying to make a sale…
Needless to say I walked out of the store and have no intention of going back. I’m interested in the products still and might go to another location to get my face done up so I can really see how the products work. I just didn’t appreciate the attitude from the ladies in this store. This store might want to invest in some sale training. With my background I’d be willing to offer it — I can sell better than these ladies.

The products in this store speak for themselves, and if you’ve ever seen the infomercial then you know how that they can make a big difference in the way you wear makeup. That said, I’m not a huge fan of their foundation (which is what everyone else loves). It’s a mineral powder foundation that you buff on with a brush. I just feel like it makes my already dry skin look cakey. The Mineral Veil is better though, it’s their version of loose powder and it feels a lot lighter than the foundation, even though both are in powdered form.
The things I love about this brand are the eyeshadows and the various lip products. The eyeshadows are all powdered, like the foundations, but are easier to put on once you learn how, nondrying and come in literally 50 shades of amazing colors. They’re divided into eyeshadows and eyeliners (both powdered, no pencils) but the only legitimate difference is that liners are usually darker colors. They have their own brushes which are all good quality too. The brushes do make foundation application easier and they make specific ones that help with eyeshadow application a lot as well. The trick is to pat the color on your eyelid instead of just brushing it on. The lipglosses are shiny, nonsticky and have a yummy eucalyptus taste. Their lipsticks are creamy and moisturizing, with great colors and are weighted so you can find the tube in a bottomless purse like mine.
The Lenox Mall store has been my location for 3 years now and I’ve never had bad service there. The staff is well-​educated on how to apply the makeup and will do a full face application for free to show you how everything works. You can try everything and there are multiple stations around the store that have every single product. Everyone is always nice and helpful and they’re generally not going to try to upsell you extra products like the department store counter girls do. That’s a huge selling point for me.
They have bonus cards that they’ll always remind you about. It’s something like, you get a stamp for each $ 10 you spend and when the card is full you get $ 10 free. Which isn’t a huge amount, but if you were going to spend the money anyway then it’s worth it to get something free. I don’t think the cards expire either. And they send you a birthday card by snail mail for $ 10 or $ 15 off too.
Also, they have really good kits if you’re overwhelmed by the selection of colors and products. Their gift sets come in lots of varieties: just foundations and blushes, sets of eyeshadows with brushes, lip gloss and lipstick kits, and then kits that include a little bit of everything. The kits all come with brushes, which is awesome because then you don’t have to buy that pricey add-​on separately.

The service at this location is okay, the product selection is great, but this is not the best mineral makeup out there.
Bare Minerals makeup contains bismuth oxychloride, which is just horrible for your skin (seriously, do a google search, it will scare you).
However, not all people are sensitive to this ingredient, but there is still the super inflated price at this store. If you are desperate to try mineral makeup, coming into the store and having a makeup artist apply it for you the first time is worth exorbitant price. But, there are many websites where you can purchase a much less expensive but much better quality product, such as
, as long as you are willing to give up the personal service that a physical store provides.

I love the foundations and blushes in this line and have been using them for quite a few years. I occasionally try other makeup, including other mineral makeup, but these are the Gold Standard.
However, I had a really poor experience the last time I was in the Lenox Square store. The salesperson just didn’t seem to want to give me any attention. I needed a foundation and she grabbed in and wrapped it up, hurrying me out. I tried to ask about trying some other products, but she was having none of it. I was so annoyed, I emailed the CEO of the company. Within 24 hours the manager of this store called, heard me out and apologized. She invited me in for a makeover, and gave me (free) two products that I had planned to buy that day, but forgot to ask for because of the sales person rushing me out.
In the past, I have had wonderful service there, with people who know how to use the products, helped me get the right colors and generally made it a good experience. The manager of the store obviously is very professional and cares about customer service. I’m sure the sales person who was so dismissive of me has been set right. I will definitely shop there again. I’d advise anybody who has a poor experience with a business to give them a chance to set things right.

I love this makeup brand, and their boutiques carry all the products you need.
The i.d. bareMinerals makeup is a mineral makeup. All foundations, cheek and eye colors have been crushed to a powder form, but still provide great coverage. These are free of preservatives, talc, oil, fragrance and other harmful chemicals (great for my ultra-​sensitive skin!). I can’t live without my «Well Rested» concealer for those dark circles under my eyes, and my foundation is light as air and stands up to the humid Atlanta summers. The «Mineral Veil» gives a great finish to your makeup, almost giving it airbrushed effect.
There’s a special «buffing» method to applying the makeup, but the staff are so helpful in showing you how to do it and you can test all the products. My skin is so much healthier (a lot less breaking out) since I made the switch!