Bare Escentuals RareMinerals Blemish Therapy, $28

I originally bought the Blemish Therapy powder as a cheaper alternative to the $60 Skin Revival Treatment. The Skin Revival definitely worked for me somewhat, but not enough to spend $60. Plus, this is powder you can see, instead of guessing how much is left in the container!

It is basically a mix of mineral powders that is supposed to treat blemishes, shrink pores, reduce blackheads, and even-out skin tone. It comes with the little brush seen here. The main ingredient is sulfur (used to treat acne), which is backed up with other natural ingredients like their "soil mineral concentrate" (to exfoliate and reduce pores), white willow bark (pores), tea tree oil (cleanse), clay, farnesol, algae, and aloe vera. It's absolutely chocked-full of pure and natural ingredients, which is great because I feel better putting less chemicals on my skin.

That being said, it doesn't, um, smell that good. Like, at all. It smells pretty bad, actually, kind of like moldy, muddy tea tree oil. But since it's a powder the smell doesn't last too long (if it were a lotion it'd be awful), and I've actually gotten used to it in a pretty short time.

I've used the powder for about a month now. When I apply it after I wash my face at night, it doesn't feel like anything--it's very gentle. I think the powder form helps with its gentleness. It's easy to put on with the brush they provide (even over larger areas), and you don't need to use too much. The color slightly hides the blemish and definitely conceals redness, but my skin happens to match the powder so I'm not sure if it would blend in the same for every skin tone (though they claim it will).

I have seen a big improvement in the areas of redness and inflammation--it calms my skin down significantly. After I pluck my eyebrows, for example, I've swept the powder across them to reduce inflammation and prevent the little zits that pop up afterward. When I do get zits, they're much smaller and heal faster (especially if I don't touch them, such a bad habit!). These two things, to me, make this product totally worth it. My pores can get huge and irritated, my skin can be an oily mess, and this totally takes care of it. I do feel like I'm getting less blemishes as well. It didn't do too much for my blackheads--I don't see an improvement in that area at all. But, the other benefits outweigh this slight downfall.

Final verdict
Cost: $28 is a little pricey, but not as bad as their $60 treatment. The powder seems to last a long time. It's worth it, in my experience.
Natural, gentle: I love this because it's all natural. It does smell all natural, though! It's very gentle--great for sensitive skin like mine.
Effectiveness: I've seen a great improvement in skin tone, pore size, blemishes, and overall oil control. I didn't see much change in my blackheads.
Repeat offender: I will definitely buy this again. I'm happy with the results, even if my blackheads are still here! I would recommend this to anyone with problematic skin, especially if other chemical-rich products irritate you.

-T

Bare Escentuals RareMinerals Skin Revival Treatment, $60

As I mentioned in my last entry, I bought a kit from Bare Escentuals that included an array of their products. The RareMinerals Skin Revival Treatment that can be found at Sephora is bigger than the sample sized one pictured here (0.15oz vs. 0.05oz). The color I got is Clear, which is meant for all skin tones.

The treatment is a little canister filled with concentrated minerals that are deposited with a little pouf. The minerals are meant to transform your skin overnight, fixing wrinkles, sun damage, pore size, blemishes, skin texture . . . basically everything. That's a lot to promise, but hey, for $60 it better do a lot! To use, you click it to "open" and rub the pouf on your skin in a circular motion, buffing away imperfections. The minerals work on your skin while you sleep.

I've used it pretty consistently for about a week now. The pouf is really soft and gentle, and it feels nice on sensitive skin. However, it's honestly hard to tell anything is coming out--well, except that the top turned from white to beige. Sometimes I'll kind of tap it on my skin to make sure some powder puffs up. If anything, at least the pouf is increasing circulation and buffing away some dead skin cells.

After I put it on, my skin feels softer, smoother, and less oily. It doesn't do much to cover the blemishes, but I don't really care because I'm going to sleep! I think if you got one in a color closer to your skin tone it might make a more noticeable difference.

So, does it work? I don't really know. The first night I used it I had a huge zit on my chin. The next morning it was obviously much smaller. I got excited, but I don't know if it's done much since then. I've had some breakouts after that and it hasn't done much for them. Maybe I need to use it for a longer time to see more results?

Final verdict
Cost: $60. Ouch. You can find it on Amazon for around $45, or try it in a kit (they have new ones often).
Texture: Right after using it my skin does feel soft and velvety, but not miraculously so. It would probably be easy on sensitive skin.
Fix-all?: Sigh, I don't know. My main problem is breakouts, and while it did help a little, it wasn't perfect by any means. I wonder if I have to use it for a longer period of time, or if it's not really meant for my skin problems.
Repeat offender?: No, I wouldn't buy this again. I'll use this until it's gone (or until I think it's gone . . . it's hard to tell) and hopefully it will do a little something, but I kind of doubt it. Bummer!

Our giveaway is still going strong! Can't wait to announce the winner on Monday! We're so excited about it that we're extending the deadline--you now have until Sunday night at 11:59pm to enter.

<3,
-T