Beauty Moment- Balance-N- Brighten

I can't think of a beauty line that commands more passion and more disdain than Bare Minerals. If you love it, you want everyone to know about how life-changing the Bare Mineral foundations, eye shadows, mineral veils, etc. have been. If you hate it, you smirk and roll your eyes every time a friend pulls out her mess of a makeup bag and tries to reapply without getting powder everywhere. I'm not quite at the smirking, eye-rolling stage - I've used Bare Minerals, have seen it make a major improvement to the skin condition of several women I know and love, and I even recommended it to a friend who has extremely sensitive skin. It has always left me wanting more. Or, I should say less: less powder all over my counter top; less swirling, tapping and buffing; less dryness. I want the flawless, natural look that Bare Minerals can create without the hassle. And I've found it.

Laura Geller created it with her Balance-N- Brighten baked pan of powder foundation. After getting a taste of Laura Geller from her fabulous eyeliner duo, Baked Cake, I wanted to try more of her line. I went straight for the holy grail, hero product - Balance-N-Brighten. Like the rest of her baked pans, Balance-N-Brighten started out as a liquid. A swirl of neutral shades of cream, peach, and soft tan were blended together then baked in terra cotta pots to create a light-as-air pressed powder. The combination of neutral colors tones down redness in the skin, brightness any dullness or sallow tones, and gives your complexion a healthy looking glow without the use of shine or glitter. I use Balance-N-Brighten differently, depending how my skin looks and feels on a given day. When it's pretty happy and clear, I use Balance-N-Brighten over my moisturizer. It evens out the little bit of redness on my cheeks and I'm good to go. When I need a little more coverage, I sweep the powder on top of foundation - it sets the look and makes me feel polished. Because of the liquid-to-powder baking process, the end result is so soft and light.

Balance-N-Brighten comes in a generous compact (.32 oz that will last me at least half a lifetime) for $29.50. You can choose from the original formula (best on medium to slightly darker skintones) and the new Fair formula. Not sure if a deep formula is in the works, but I should hope so. For an extra $5.50, you can upgrade to the Balance-N-Brighten kit which includes a really nice retractable brush. It's kind of large so I'll admit to tossing the much smaller Bare Minerals buki brush into my bag when I leave the house. The compact is brilliant, as it contains a mirror in the lid for touch-ups on the go.

If you, too, like the concept of good-for-you minerals (minus parabens, etc) in your makeup but want the application to be easy and mess-free, give Laura Geller's baked products a try. They're pretty on the face, pretty in the pot, and the price point is great for what you're getting.

You can buy Laura Geller direct from her web site, or head over to Sephora to try out her product line in person.