Having never tried a mineral, powder foundation before I was really excited, especially after hearing good things about bareMinerals. Also, for the prices they charge, they've gotta be good right? Wrong.
I purchased the foundation with a foundation brush also, which, to be fair, was a great quality brush and is still soft and a joy to use to this day. It still cost £20 which is a little pricey, but I suppose that is what people pay for good brushes, and indeed it is.
Now, at first, I loved the foundation. It gave great, buildable coverage - you could have a lot or a little. And as I hadn't tried a powder foundation before, I was curious as to how a powder could look like a foundation. I thought it would look as if you applied setting powder or something. But it set as a very creamy, dense foundation on my face. It took practice to get my measurements right, because it's not hard to put too much of this stuff on. If you're a fan of thick foundation (which I am) then this is good for that, but also you can just brush a little bit here and there for you naturals too.
HOWEVER, here is the bad news: The foundation doesn't stay on! Yes, the dreaded oily, smudged foundation look but 10 tens worse than you can imagine. This is within 2 hours of wear, at the most or maybe 3 but that is really pushing it. Please note that I am not a very oily person, my skin most of the time is actually very dry. But this came off everywhere, especially down the sides of my nose. And it isn't a case of a quick trip to the loo and a bit of powder on the nose - trust me, that made it even worse. I know it wasn't because I was putting too much on that it was 'sweating' off, I tried it with hardly any foundation at all and still had the same result, day in day out. And yes I was using a primer, setting powder and makeup setting spray!
I don't know... maybe I'll use it in winter when my face is real dry. Apart from that, I can't recommend this. Maybe their original foundation would suit me better.
Advantages: Very buildable, great coverage (when it stays on), best range of colour shades I have ever seen for a foundation. Also found that it doesn't make you break out, probably due to it being a mineral foundation.
Disadvantages: Pricey, doesn't stay on, no oil control, wouldn't be good for people with acne/oily skin.