It's time to review a brand that's been around a while. Today we look at the BarePro line of slim matte lipsticks from Bare Minerals.
Bare Minerals is a brand that I've seen in store and online over many years but it's been a long time since I've been inclined to buy anything. They offer fantastically priced products with their holiday sets so I picked up this duo in December. I seriously own too many lipsticks but I'm a sucker for a good deal and wearable shades.
"Long before clean beauty became part of the collective consciousness, we were making clean, natural mineral makeup and skincare."
The brand is another 'clean beauty' company but Bare Minerals has been around for a long time — long before the vegan, paraben-free thing became trendy. I remember them from when mineral powder foundations were the hottest thing and today it's still one of the brand's star products.
Price, packaging, availability
The BarePro Matte Longwear Lipstick usually retails for AUD$32 each at Mecca and USD$20 individually on the Bare Minerals US based website and at all the usual retailers.
This holiday pack retailed at AUD$23 for both lipsticks so it was well priced with two for less than the price of one at the regular price.
Holiday sets are specially packaged and boxed. The lipstick component itself is a standard slim twist up bullet with a cap lid that snaps firmly shut with a loud 'click'.
The Formula
The BarePro formula is marketed as a matte long-wear lipstick that is budge-proof and weightless on the lips. There are numerous claims made by Bare Minerals for this one but in my opinion only a few are truly achieved.
"BAREPRO Longwear Lipstick gives you lasting full-coverage matte color with a comfortable, virtually weightless finish. The vegan formula is transfer-proof, waterproof, smudge-proof, budge-proof and kiss-proof, with naturally derived oils and waxes to help soften lips."
I think it's an extremely comfortable formula that is very light when worn to the degree that it does feel like you're not wearing any lip product at all. The lipsticks do have a matte finish but it's not a dry matte feeling. Applying these BarePro lipsticks feel like applying a regular cream finish lipstick so it's a great choice for those who hate the tugging sensation of applying some matte bullet lipsticks. They're smooth and pigmented in one swipe and they don't bleed at all so you don't need a lip liner or a lip pencil.
Arm swatches of the shades Petal and Boysenberry.
There is one very obvious downfall with this formula in that it's not long-lasting at all. It will easily come off with a wipe of a napkin after a meal because these lipsticks perform similarly to a cream formula product. It's not the type of lipstick to move around on you and you can eat a meal comforted by the fact that it won't end up on your cheek but don't expect these to last past a meal time.
They do wear away evenly so if you choose to wipe and not touch up, they'll fade in a really unnoticeable manner. The BarePro lipstick formula allows you to re-apply without any dramas and touching up is easy.
Bare Minerals BarePro Petal
The shade Petal is a soft, muted rose that is quite close to my actual lip colour. The white pigments in the pastels are mixed with the blue based pink to create a neutral nude colour.
It's a great basic neutral pink that everyone should own. I've been wearing it with my 'no-makeup' makeup looks or when I know that I won't have time to touch up my lip product.
Petal is a classically pretty pink that will pair well with many other products and can be dressed up for a nice night out (when we're all able to go out and roam the streets freely again after the Covid-19 lockdowns are lifted) or can be worn casually as I've been doing on video chats or underneath my mask as I practise social distancing at the supermarket.
Bare Minerals BarePro Boysenberry
The second shade in the pack is Boysenberry which is a mid-tone berry. It pulls towards a purple-maroon on my skin tone and is a fraction darker in person than what is photographed here.
Unlike Petal, Boysenberry is much more obvious lip colour so it's more suitable when paired with a heavier makeup application than I've gone for. I can easily achieve a dark, sultry or vampy makeup look wearing this shade.
Again, this picture tends to portray Boysenberry as being pinker than it appears in real life. Its true colour leans darker but in photography where natural sunlight is used, it skews lighter. I've pictured the bullet lipstick fully rolled up below to give a more accurate depiction of what Boysenberry looks like.
Conclusion
This was a very good purchase for the price I paid. The lipsticks are easy to apply, feel comfortable when worn and are heavily pigmented. I wouldn't buy these at full price because the Australian retailer never has sales and I think its slim packaging is functional and sleek but not luxe enough at its price point. I'd definitely buy more shades from the range if Bare Minerals came out with another holiday pack at the end of this year.
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