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In the movies pregnant women have a glow, so when I found out I was expecting I was hoping that I too would have this ever famed pregnancy glow. Unfortunately it seems like I’ve been blessed with dry, problematic skin and sore boobs. Is pregnancy really the good part?
BareMinerals SPF 20 Correcting Concealer $27.00 CAD (21.00 USD)
I’ve been thirsty 24/7 with skin that looks like the desert and pimples cropping up all over my chin, cheeks and forehead. Therefore I had to call in the big guns and use a concealer that is not 100% natural, but it was the most natural concealer that Sephora offers. So today we’re going to throw it back to the old school days of “What’s In My Makeup!”
The BareMinerals SPF 20 Correcting Concealer is described as a creamy concealer that hides skin discoloration and blemishes. It is a medium-full coverage concealer that is formulated without parabens, sulfates and phthalates. On Sephora’s what else you need to know header, they mention that it has lemon peel extract which will help brighten skin over time.
BareMinerals has eight different colour options for this concealer, ranging from Light 1 to Deep 2. The colour I chose is of course the lightest colour available, Light 1.
Light 1 is described as a light neutral cool tone, I do find that it swatches very yellow on my arm but blends well with the skin tone on my face.
How Does it Work?
It blends into the skin well before and after applying foundation; I do find that if you don’t blend it fully it can look like you have Kraft Dinner (Mac n’ Cheese) on your face. It wears well throughout the day and seems to last for a full eight hour workday. When applied under the eyes it doesn’t seem to shift (but I always apply a powder to set the concealer.) The BareMinerals SPF 20 Correcting Concealer does not want to make me jump for joy – it’s not amazing, but it does it’s job.
On dry skin (like most concealers) it does bunch up and look particularly bad, so you have to be careful about where you apply it if you also have super dry skin.
Ingredient Safety Key
Safe Ingredient
Ingredient to use with Caution
Unsafe Ingredient
Limited Data
Certified Organic
What’s In It?
Click to See Ingredient BreakdownIsodecyl Isononanoate. An ester of Pelargonic Acid (fatty acid) is used as a binding agent.
Phenyl Trimethicone. Derived from Silica, it’s used as a skin-conditioning agent.
Isocetyl Alcohol. Derived from animal or vegetable fats, it is used as a skin-conditioning agent for it’s waxy nature.
Hydrogenated Polyisobutene. A synthetic chemical used as an emollient.
Polymethylsilsesquioxane. A silicon derived chemical used for anti-caking.
HDI/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer. A synthetic polymer used for anti-caking and has limited data.
Polyethylene. A polymer used as a binding agent – insufficient data to rate.
Trioctyldodecyl Citrate. A salt derived from Citric Acid most likely used as an emollient.
Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate. Used as a bulking agent.
Silica. Naturally derived and used for bulking. Hazardous if inhaled.
Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax. A Natural ingredient used for emulsion and oil stabilization.
Octadecenedioic Acid. Classified as an emulsifying ingredient. Limited data.
Tocopheryl Acetate. Vitamin E could be a skin irritant.
Cetyl Esters. A synthetic wax. Limited data.
Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer. Used as an emollient or viscosity increasing agent. Limited data.
Butylene/Ethylene/Styrene Copolymer. Used as an emollient or viscosity increasing agent. Limited data.
Lecithin. A naturally derived emulsifying ingredient from soybean, corn or egg yolk.
Lauryl Pca. Used as a skin conditioner and humectant. Limited data.
Hydrogen Dimethicone. Dimethicone is derived from Silica and Hydrogen Dimethicone is derived from Dimethicone. Used as a film forming ingredient.
VP/Hexadecene Copolymer. A hydrocarbon obtained from Petroleum, it is used as a binding agent.
Alumina. Dervied from Aluminum Oxide, it is used as a bulking and opacifying agent.
Ethylhexyl Palmitate. Derived from Palmitic Acid, a naturally occurring fatty acid. It is used as a binding agent.
Saccharomyces/Copper Ferment. Copper Fermented in Yeast to allow it to penetrate the skin. Limited data on it’s effects.
Lactobacillus/Lemon Peel Ferment Extract. Fermented Lemon Peel Extract used for Skin Conditioning. Limited data.
Phenoxyethanol. A preservative that has a bad rep but is relatively safe for human use. For more information on Phenoxyethanol check out this newsletter!
May Contain: Mica, Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Bismuth Oxychloride (CI 77163).
In case you don’t want to read through all the ingredients, I’ll sum up my thoughts toward the list. Although a lot of the ingredients rate green (or good) in the beginning I had concerns that their naturally derived products could be from animal sources. The parent company for BareMinerals is Shiseido which does test on animals however, BareMinerals stands by the statement that they do not test on animals and their products are not sold in China (which states every cosmetic company must test on animals.) BareMinerals is on the list of PETA approved cosmetic companies.
Now that I know BareMinerals is cruelty-free I can feel better knowing that their products are not sourced with anything that could harm animals. However, I am concerned about how many ingredients have little to no information. Personally, I want to use a cosmetic product that has had all of their chemicals/ingredients heavily researched. With a lot of these ingredients there is limited data to confirm whether they could be potentially harmful or totally okay.
For some, Phenoxyethanol may throw you right off the product. Phenoxyethanol does have a bad rep but it really is not a terrible preservative from a skincare perspective (they way that it affects the environment is a different story.) If you’d like to learn more about Phenoxyethanol I have a whole backstory on the ingredient here.
Final Thoughts
The BareMinerals SPF 20 Correcting Concealer definitely does it’s job, but it’s nothing to get excited about. If you are looking for a cruelty-free cosmetic company that does not include a laundry list of completely horrible ingredients in their concealers then this might just be a product to check out – it is relatively pricey but can last for a good length of time if you use it sparingly.
Would I repurchase? I’m not entirely sure. As I said, it’s not a bad product but I dislike that so many ingredients have such little data to support their use. I might hop around to another concealer in hopes to find something a bit more clean/green.
Have you tried anything from BareMinerals?
