bareMinerals Mini COMPLEXION RESCUE Tinted Moisturizer with Hyaluronic Acid and Mineral SPF 30

Most Helpful Critical Review

Nice finish but pills and clings to dry spots

I was looking for a change from my cheaper drugstore BB cream and decided to try this based on mostly good reviews from online and a friend - I went for the mini size first to test it out. I have generally normal skin that can lean a bit dry if I don't moisturize enough, and redness in my cheeks. Th...e online shade match was accurate - I have light skin with an olive tone that can get tan in the sun, and it suggested Birch 1.5. I thought it might be too light but I swatched it in-store and it was just right! I tried it when I got home mid-day…and was very disappointed. I did like the whipped texture, sheer/light coverage, lack of scent, and radiant/glowy finish, but the pros stopped there. It pilled up really badly into little bits when applying with my fingers, which is something I've never experienced with any other BB cream or foundation. It especially pilled when I tried to dab some more coverage on my cheeks - it seems like it's not buildable and you have to get the right amount on the first try, because it's hard to add more. It also oddly "filled in" my pores in a way that made them more obvious, and clung to any little dry patch or imperfection that I didn't even know I had. It did "settle" into my skin over the next hour or two and looked slightly better, but still odd. It looked nice and radiant from a distance, but not so up close (see my photos). The next day I tried it only 20 minutes after doing my morning skincare (serum + moisturizer) to see if that made a difference, but the results were the same - maybe ever so slightly less pilling? I also tried it a 3rd time over an oil-free moisturizer, thinking maybe it just didn't play well with the oil in my moisturizer, but got the same results. I'd be curious to try applying it with a blending sponge, but for me that defeats the purpose of a BB cream which should be easily applied with your fingers only. Finally I tried the same application with my go-to $8 drugstore BB with my usual moisturizer and had none of the same problems - no pilling, no settling into dry spots. For $8 vs $22 for just a mini, I'll be sticking with the drugstore one. Unfortunately this formula wasn't for me but YMMV - my friend with dry skin uses it and loves it, and hasn't experienced the pilling or clinging issue at all. If you can get a sample first, do that before spending $22+. I really wish it worked for me because the finish does look very nice and radiant (at least from afar)!