Bella Pierre Makeup Base review

Bella Pierre’s Makeup Base is one of those wonderful multifunctional little products.

I received the product as part of the face kits I found in TK Maxx last year. Its main use is as an eye base to help transform shimmer powders from shimmer to matte. I own a few of the shimmer powders so the base is a great way of making them more versatile, especially for day time looks when you might want to avoid too much shimmer.

The base is a fleshy tone so it works well as a base for all eyeshadow colours, but I have taken to using it on its own on a daily basis to even out the colour of my eyes, but it does crease without a primer after about 4 hours.

Bella Pierre also suggest that the product can be used a water proof base for their make-up. However, in my experience, it doesn’t work as a primer so you would need a separate product if you wanted to make your makeup last longer.

Right: make up base alone, middle: shimmer powder, left: shimmer powder on top of make up base 

Finally, I have also used it as a concealer for blemishes and underneath my eyes, it is just a little lighter than my skin tone so it works well for me, but it wouldn’t be suitable for anyone with a darker skin colour.

Bella Pierre is advertised as an all mineral brand. The foundation only contains four ingredients but the makeup base contains considerably more (see below). I recognise the name of most things, which is always a good sign and I haven’t had any reactions to using this, again another plus!

Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride,Cera Alba (Beeswax), Magnesium Carbonate, Kaolin, Candelilla cera (Candelilla wax), Copernicia Cerifera Cera(Carnauba Wax), SimmondsiaChinensis(Jojoba) Seed oil, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract,Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Silica, Tocopheryl Acetate(Vitamin A), [+/- Mica ( CI 77091), Titanium Dioxide ( CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI77499)]

The product comes in a pot and I tend to apply the product using my finger, it is solid but the warmth of your finger gives it a creamy texture and makes it easy to apply. The pot is wide enough to insert a large concealer brush too if you prefer.

At £12.99 for 8.5g it is a great product and a little goes a long way so I am expecting it to last quite a while even with its multiple usages. You can find Bella Pierre in House of Fraser and online.

TK Maxx Bella Pierre haul!

On one hand I feel guilty about this recent haul but on the other it was just too much of a bargain to miss out on.

I know I have mentioned a thousand times that Bella Pierre is my favourite brand, I use their mineral foundation daily and almost exclusively (with the exception of dabbling with BB creams) for over 2 years.

So imagine my delight when my sister walked in with a Bella Pierre skin care set she found in TK Maxx for a bargain price of £35! I had been prepared to myself to spend over £100 for these, which I included in my 2012 wish list, so the 60% discount was a nice surprise.

After this, the mission was on to seek out more Bella Pierre bargains, which included the complete face kits, 9-eyeshadow shimmer stack and a lip kit. They also had some other eyeshadow trio kits, which I decided to pass on. 

I was lucky that the medium complete face kit contains my exact shade, however even if I did have to pass the foundation on to someone else the brushes, blusher, bronzer and more in the kit still make it excellent value for money.

I will of course be blogging about the individual items as I get a chance to test them out but in the mean time if you are a fan or want to give the brand a try I recommend checking out your local TK Maxx.

Bella Pierre all over eyes and face kit

As my foundation finally comes to an end it was time to have a new one ready to replace it. Of course the temptation of the Bella Pierre counter meant that I couldn’t just walk away with a new blush but ended up with an entire new kit of products to try.

What I like about the Bella Pierre kits is the option to choose the shades you want rather than what the company decide you should have. So after lots of swatching and advice from the sales assistants, this is what I got in my box.

1 x mineral foundation (cinnamon)

1 x mineral blush (desert rose)

2 x shimmer powders (desire and oasis dew)

1 x makeup base

1 x eyeshadow brush

1 x powder brush

1 x instructional DVD

The eyeshadow base and brushes were non-negogiable. Although combinations of kits do allow you to pick the your brushes too! I haven’t tested out the eyeshadow base yet, but what I liked about it was that it takes some of the shimmer out of the eyeshadows, which is great to have as an option especially when you want a more toned down look.

Bella Pierre now also has pressed versions of the foundation and blushers. I am used to using the loose powder foundation so I opted for the same again but I would have preferred a pressed blush. What I am really pleased to see is that the loose powders now all have sifters so that you can control how much powder is released.

I was strict with myself and opted for colours that weren’t brown! Desire is a beautiful pink/peach/gold that works well as an everyday eyeshadow. The two-dimensional tones of the colour means that it doesn’t need another colour and works really well on its own. Oasis due is a much lighter shade, and will be perfect as a highlight shade.

I have always opted for pressed eyeshadows so it will be interesting to see how I get along with these.

The desert rose blush is probably something I wouldn’t have picked if I was alone but once I had the shade put on I really liked it as an everyday natural blush. It is a lovely light pink shade, again with a hint of gold and reminds me of a better version of Sleeks rose gold, without so much shimmer.

I have already reviewed the foundation in the past, but look out for a review of the rest of the kit. The kit cost £110, but I think this is good value considering the individual cost of the products and how long they last.

Have you tried Bella Pierre, and if so what do you think?

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.