Bare Escentuals

This review is for the staff, not the product.
I have been in this store twice. The first time I came in I was new to BE and had never picked up a single product before. There was one sales associate doing something on the register and she barely picked up her head and looked at me when she mumbled «hi.» No «Welcome to BE.» No «Can I help you find something today?» Not a peep. I did know what I was looking for (a product based on a friends recommendation), but had no idea where to find it. So I asked and she half-​pointed in the direction I could find it. I found it and brought it to the register, but the girl was gone. Disappeared to the backroom. Soon, she and another SA came out but they both walked right past me, as though I was invisible. I stood there another minute, silent, before asking for someone to ring me up.
I returned again yesterday only to be greeted the same way. That is, no greeting other than a mumbled «hi.» Again, no asking if I can be helped. I found what I was looking for (on my own) and again had to wait until I asked someone to ring me out. I have a suspicion the 2 women on the sales floor were the same that were there the first time. While I was paying, my friend asked for a wipe or cotton ball with makeup remover to remove the product she had tried on her hand. The sales girl (a dye-​blonde) sort of grunted and threw her a wipe. Then I asked the cashier (a heavy-​set brunette) for a wipe for my hand and she said «We dont have wipes here but there’s a sink in the bathroom in the mall.» Is that what you tell your customers when you are trying makeup on their face? TO go out into the mall to wash their face.
I hope someone form BE Corporate reads this because the customer service is HORRENDOUS and after these 2 poor experiences, I’l be taking my business elsewhere from now on. And if it helps, both times I was in on my lunch hour on a weekday (the most recent being 8÷28÷12), if that helps narrow it down to figure out which employees need a refresher course in Customer Service 101.

(This review is more on the line than the store, but I’ve been to the store and was wholly impressed)
As i said in my MAC review, I’m not a huge makeup person, though there are times where I want to look all purdy and dressed up… this usually results in spending too much money at Sephora on stuff I never end up wearing because once I get out of the store, I realize the color isn’t as flattering under normal lighting, or that the overzealous salespeople suckered me into something I really didn’t need in the first place. But I’m a sucker for potential and packaging, which is why my makeup case is overflowing and 99% of the time I wear the same lipgloss and little else.
I like Bare Escentuals mainly for their eye shadows and their foundations, both of which are light and airy, and can be applied dry or wet (adding water to the eye shadow changes the texture and appearance, and you can even use them as eyeliner if you want). They have some great makeup kits for eyebrows, different color combinations based on skin or eye color, eye shadow pairings with instructions, and the best under eye concealer I’ve ever used.
I think some stuff is a bit superfluous, but you’ll figure that out yourself too when you go and see how some of their items are nearly identical.
Some stuff seems fancy for the sake of being fancy, like bronzer with diamond dust in it, or eye shadow with platinum dust in it… it feels at times like the makeup equivalent of Goldschlager. But that’s cool, sometimes you need fancy stuff to make you feel fancy, and if ground up precious stones and metals are your thing, by all means go for it.
One point on annoyance is that their Bare Minerals or Essential Minerals or whatever it’s called line is silly. The concept is that you wear this foundation to bed and it helps your skin look better. OF COURSE your skin will look better in the morning, you just woke up still wearing a light foundation. Also, there are some preservatives in their makeup, so it’s not 100% «natural» closer to 98% «natural» so if you want the really hippy natural mineral experience, pick up the line that is carried at Whole Foods.

This place was fantastic! After a mishap with Bare Escentuals at Sephora, I wandered into this boutique to get some corrective advice. The staff was unbelievable helpful and friendly. Dawn sat me down for about 45 minutes and went through matching foundations and showing me the proper way to apply things.
I wouldn’t hesitate to go back there — Stay away from Sephora if you are looking to buy this product. The people at Sephora don’t spend nearly enough time figuring out the right color for you.

First there was M-​A-​M-​A, then there was B-​A-​B-​Y, like Fantasia sings it, Baby. So yestereve, Mama put Mama first and she contemplated going into Sephora to buy some new make-​up, some new mineral make-​up, in particular, but guess what, Baby? If you’re not a girl, you probably won’t understand the fortuitousness of this, but Baby, in that suburban cesspool, there was an actual store that exclusively marketed the mineral make-​up Mama was seeking!
In Mama wandered, but there were some suburban tweens dominating the counter, so Mama took a spin up and down the staircase outside of the store, and then meandered back in and met with Ashley at the cute cosmetic counters with leopard print chairs (and hooks! underneath the table! for hanging my bag under so I don’t have to sit slouched with my satchel on my pregnant lap! Fabulous!!).
If there is one thing Mama appreciates, Baby, it’s informative, attentive service. And kindness is just the icing on the cake. Ashley the sales assistant presented Mama will the proverbial birthday cake — in the middle, informative, attentive service; thoroughly iced with kindness.
Now, Baby, Mama ain’t a sucker. She knows when someone is trying to pimp out Tinkerbell brushes and Turtle Wax and call them magic! But Ashley was so attentive to Mama’s uneven skin tones. She suggested products enthusiastically, but not presumptively, and all of the trade secrets to mineral make-​up foundation were all right there for the taking. Also, Baby, it’s kind of nice to be told that one is «gorgeous.» Not just because Mama might buy some product, but because Mama feels as though she is a a swollen piece of sashimi all slumped over a big mound of rice. Bottomline, Baby, Ashley did her job, and Mama walked out with a new kit o’ mineral make-​up.