Monday 11 April 2011

Probably my only foundation review…….Bella Pierre

After the longest title ever, this post is a review of my favourite, and only foundation that I now use, Bella Pierre Mineral Foundation.

I first discovered Bella Pierre after being stopped at a shopping centre and asked if I wanted to try their foundation out, I agreed and sat down and was then colour matched and explained the benefits of minerals in general as well as their product. I had been aware of the idea of mineral foundations previously having used an L’Oreal version (which I know isn’t a true mineral foundation) and having seen other brands.

There are a few things that made me love Bella Pierre the most, compared to other brands. Firstly and most importantly, every time I have sat down to be colour matched, I have had the same shade selected. Every makeup artist/sales assistant has picked the same colour for me first time, I have no idea how they do this, but it gives me a huge amount of confidence that when I do hand over money I am walking away with the right product. I personally hate the process of shade matching and have ended up disappointed with other brands when I have come home and realised they are clearly not right.

Another plus of Bella Pierre for me, is that the foundation acts as an all in one under eye concealer, blemish concealer and setting powder. Other brands will try and sell you separate components to cover these areas and I have never seen the value in this. I like to know that for weekends away, holidays etc, I can use this one product.

The finish on it in my opinion is perfect, I don’t get any transfer, it covers marks and evens out my skin tone well with what I consider being a light application of product. It also lasts fairly well throughout the day without a primer. I believe you can layer it up to be full coverage, although in my opinion there is a fine line between it looking great and then looking overdone, as long as most marks are concealed I am happy. The key for application is to keep buffing the product in, occasionally I will also use a small, dense concealer brush to add extra foundation to any blemish on that one area rather than all over. There is a temptation for me to pick up the Vichy Dermablend just for times that I do want full, flawless coverage which is why I probably said this will be my only foundation review! However, I am aware that with that product it will have an expiry point and potentially be wasted on me since I am happy not having full coverage on a daily basis. The benefit with this mineral foundation is that there is no expiry.

Other points to mention, having dry skin I have not found the foundation took look cakey or to cling to dry patches, which I would expect since mineral foundations are meant to be suitable for all skin types. It also contains SPF which is great if you are not in the habit of applying sun protection daily.

The cost is probably the only negative, only because I have always been a drug store brands girl and never paid more than £12, so anything more than that seems very pricey. If you buy from House of Fraser, the loose mineral foundation is £34 for 9g of product. I was told that this should last you a year if used daily. I don’t actually remember when I started using it to judge if that would be true. I personally brought a starter kit which included 2 brushes and a blush suited to my skin tone (based on my foundation colour - cinnamon) which was better value for me since I did not have the suitable brushes. If you were interested in this foundation, I would recommend visiting House of Fraser for a colour match, then going home, seeing how you look and feel with it and then decide. The staff I haven’t found to be extremely pushy which is always a good thing (plus you can find the foundation cheaper with some sellers on eBay!)

Now, the moment I have been dreading, the scary bare faced photos. I really dislike my face without makeup, so it is scary for me to be so bare, and I am sure the camera makes my skin look worse than it is! Anyway, needs must, since you will only see what I am raving on about with this foundation with before and after photos.

Up close, my clean, bare skin, unevenness, blemishes, scarring, large blocked pores, the works, everything I am wishing I will solve with a good skin care routine (suggestions welcome!!)


Using just the Bella Pierre foundation as an under eye concealer, blemish concealer and all over cover. Before and after! 



My everyday face, adding a bit of blusher, contour and filling in my eyebrows to look a little more acceptable. Done.


I hope this review was helpful to someone! Let me know your experiences with Bella Pierre or any other mineral foundations if you have tried it. 
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6 comments

  1. Great post lady and this foundation looks fab on you. However, I have never heard of it myself. (I don't think we have it here...) boo

    xo

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  2. Thank you. They are an American company I believe, so I would have expected to find them in Canada too!

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  3. It's actually available in Coquitlam Centre. I have tried this and have been using it for 2 years now. A pot cost about $70 (I think including tax) and usually last on me for about 7 months. I apply it everyday.

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  4. I bought this yesterday. I found it looking for Bare Escentuals/Bare Minerals and got roped into having my face done over by the woman at the Bella Pierre counter. I have to say, I'm so glad she did it! She cleansed and toned my skin (the cleanser and toner I think were fantastic. If I wasn't currently trying out Dermalogica and Benefit's range I would try this!). She then applied a primer which was essentially beeswax (it's fantastic!) and then applied my foundation/powder/concealer (I'm nutmeg) and a beautiful blusher.

    I bought a starter kit which included one of the eyeshadow pots, a lip gloss and a mascara which I haven't tried, and bought the primer separately. I was amazed with the smooth result as I have large pores - the primer completely reduced visibility! It was only after I purchased that I remembered reading your blog post and was reassured I'd made a good purchase! I'd still like to try out the Bare Minerals eyeliner and mascara as my eyes are currently reacting to something.

    Thanks so much and sorry for the long essay, very grateful for your advice xx

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  5. Hi N. I’m so glad my review helped somewhat! How have you found the foundation now you have got it home and had a go yourself? The primer sounds amazing, I haven’t tried that out. I would like to try out mineral eyeliners too, bare minerals have a eyelining kit which would be worth you checking out? Thank you so much for your comment, it wasn’t long at it, it’s great to hear from people x

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  6. Hey, I was really wondering, which shade did you pick? We have no bellapierre counter anywhere near, so I have to buy it online.. only.. I have no idea which shade to pick o.O

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Thank you so much for your comments, I love to get your opinions and I do my best to reply to all x

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