Review: Bare Minerals Hydrating Mineral Veil

Imagine how excited I was to find this Bare Minerals Hydrating Mineral Veil at Ulta, after finding it was sold out on both sephora.com, and at my local Nordstrom! I had to grab it, since apparently everyone else seemed to be quite fond of it. 

Their description is: 

"Bare Escentuals Hydrating Mineral Veil contains a unique, water-based, 100% pure bareMinerals formula that infuses thirsty skin with a cooling softness and subtly brightens for the ultimate, translucent finishing touch. Completely sheer, it lightly hydrates with natural ingredients while gently absorbing oil and minimizing the appearance of fine lines and pores. Buff it over makeup or bare skin with the antibacterial-treated Hydrate & Brighten Brush for a fresh, airbrushed complexion that lasts all day long." - sephora.com

The set includes a .21oz jar of this lovely Hydrating Mineral Veil (HMV), as well as a special Hydrate & Brighten brush created specially so you don't get mildewy brushes - because the HMV is water-based, the brush is coated with some special junk and can only be used around 100 times before it needs to be tossed. 

I have dry skin and find the regular Mineral Veil to be a bit drying, so I was really excited to try this hydrating version!

So what did I think?

When I first applied the HMV, I immediately felt a surge of cool moisture hit my skin! It's a nice sensation, very soothing for dry skin! Every application feels the same way: nice and cool! However, as I blended (or "swirled" in BE terms), it made my skin look shiny and oily! There's a good deal of shimmer in this product- most likely to counterbalance dry, matte skin- but it made me look like a grease ball! I had to use a bit of regular MAC face powder to try and correct the look. :( Furthermore, I felt after a bit of wearing it that it made my skin just as dry as before, as water-based products tend to do. After wearing it for a day, my skin doesn't feel super dry, but it also doesn't feel super moisturized.

Although this product has good intentions, it left me expecting a lot more. I love applying it to feel the cool sensation - that is fun! But the cons outweigh the pros- even having a disposable brush isn't exactly enticing. I will try this again before totally ruling it out, but so far no go! 

Score: 2 out of 5

Photos:


This is to show size as compared to the normal Mineral Veil. Very insignificant difference in size!


Hydrating Mineral Veil



Special Hydrate & Brighten Brush

P.S. - If you LOVE this (like most people), you'll be happy to know that due to its popularity, the product will be permanent as of April 2009! In full size containers!