Escentually lethal ... for allergy sufferers (Bare Escentuals id Flawless Application Brush)

Member Name: Teena2003

Product:	Bare Escentuals id Flawless Application Brush
Date:	17/02/09 (174 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: comes free with starter kit, easy to use, handy size, soft

Disadvantages: could cause allergies, itching, blotchy skin and scratching on sensitive skin

If you are a fan of mineral make up and have invested in one of the starter packs, you will be aware that they come with a couple of brushes for you to get on with.

Bare Escentuals are essentially an American company who, for the past 30 plus years have sold mineral make up and accessories, first in the USA, then all over the world. Mineral make up claims to be all natural, made from crushed minerals without any nasty items in them.

"The natural, soft-tapered bristles of the brush are designed to provide light to medium coverage for a broad range of easy, professional looking applications with bareMinerals...."

I used to use this brush mainly to apply either the mineral veil or mineral radiance at the end of my routine just to finish it off, favouring the short, stumpy kabuki for full coverage foundation and the concealer brush to magic away little blemishes. Light to medium coverage was never an option for me.

However, after even the first use I noticed that my skin felt very hot in the places the brush touched and for the longest time afterwards, although nothing looked out of place, I felt there was something not quite right. My face felt hot, even to the touch.

A few days into the new routine I noticed that every time the brush touched my face, it felt very scratchy and uncomfortable. I soon decided to ditch the brush and try an old one that I had for ages but never had given me a moment of aggravation. Instantly my face felt fine. I decided to shelve the 'natural, soft-tapered bristle brush' in favour of an old synthetic one.

Living just outside London, I don't necessarily need to order my Bare Escentuals online (QVC are running regular hours and offer good prices on some products). Selfridges on Oxford Street have a small but well stocked stall on the 'beauty' floor. I sometimes drop in just to stock up on items I ran out of.

During one of my visits there I happened to ask the assistant if she could tell me what the brushes were made off as it was said they were all natural.
Much to my surprise, the answer shot out of the young lady's mouth "goat's hair".

I don't normally have problems with wearing animal skin or similar, I am not a vegetarian or vegan totally against using any animal product. But I have always known my skin was very sensitive to any animal fur, not necessarily an allergy, but blotchiness and itching whenever I got in contact with cat, dog, horse, pig, chicken and of course, goat.

In an instant I knew why my face always looked slightly flushed, why I felt itchy all over. It was, I had suspected, the Bare Escentuals brush.

So everyone allergic to animal fur beware. Nowhere does the website tell you what the brushes are made off, all they tell you they are made of natural materials which can over a multitude of sins. While I am not allergic to the brushes, I am sensitive to all animal fur and have to be careful and a warning on the box would have been nice. Who knows what would have happened if I had been allergic. I could have had a very serious reaction to the bristles in the brush.

Also, any vegans out there hoping to do their skin a favour by using natural mineral make up without additives, you will still have to be subjected to animal fur in the brushes.

I personally have changed all my brushes to those of a synthetic bristle variety and I can now enjoy Bare Escentuals (as well as other mineral make up companies) to the fullest. It's a shame Bare Escentuals do not offer synthetic brushes for those who suffer allergies or from sensitive skin, considering they try to be all natural and compatible with even the most sensitive of skins.

No more itchy skin, just the flawless airbrushed look I had always wanted.

Summary: all natural but should come with allergy warning