A powder foundation that’s perfect for fair skin

I can’t quite believe I’m about to say this, but last week I found myself opening up a foundation, and actually thinking, “Wait: I wonder if this is a little too pale for me?”

TOO PALE, people. Seriously, I never thought I’d ever type the words “too pale” in reference to a foundation, but those were the words that briefly flitted through my minds when my sample of BarePRO Performance Wear Foundation arrived, courtesy of the kind people at bareMinerals, last week. Now, as it turned out, this foundation wasn’t actually too pale at all: it is, however, probably the palest foundation I’ve found so far, and when you’re used to wearing foundation that isn’t quite pale enough, and convincing yourself it totally works, that super-fair colour comes as a bit of surprise, really.

But I’m getting ahead of myself here. The foundation is, as I said, the new release from mineral makeup stars bareMinerals, and here’s what they have to say about it:

“High-performance pressed mineral powder foundation that’s clinically shown to stay right where you apply it-for a full 12 hours.* Breathable foundation formula delivers an ultra-smooth, silky texture that glides on effortlessly for superior customizable coverage. Clinically shown to improve skin clarity, reduce pore size appearance and control shine. Available in 20 true-to-you shades in a sleek foundation compact.”

I was sent the shade 01 – Fair, which is the palest the brand makes. The foundation comes in a black plastic compact, one layer of which lifts up to reveal a sponge applicator: I was, however, also sent the matching Core Coverage Brush, and have mostly been using that to apply it, although the sponge would also come in handy for on-the-go touch-ups. ( I mean, I guess it would… Now I come to think of it, I can’t recall a single time when I’ve felt the need to touch up my foundation on-the-go, but if that’s something you feel like doing, go for it…)

I used to use bareMinerals foundation years ago, and although I loved the colour, which was almost as pale as this one, I always felt the coverage looked a little bit… well, powdery, for want of a better word, so I was a little worried that this would be the same. I needn’t have worried, though, because this powder is so finely milled that it’s almost invisible on the skin: in fact, the first time I used it, I thought I must have done something wrong, because it went onto my skin, and immediately disappeared. Whoops! What that means, however, is that you can layer it up to get exactly the coverage you want, whether it be a light dusting, or a thicker base. I’m wearing a couple of layers in these photos, and I found it thick enough to cover freckles and blemishes, but still not even remotely powdery, and without that awful “caked on” look, too: in fact, it’s probably one of the most natural looking foundations I’ve tried, which is something of a miracle in itself – especially given that I was a little dubious about trying a powder foundation again.

So far, so good, then: in fact, so far, the only downside I’ve found to this is that, once it’s on, I find it a little tricky to apply my liquid concealer over the top of it: as soon as it makes contact with the powder foundation, the powder seems to kind of “lift” off my skin, if that makes sense? I’ve been getting around the issue simply by layering up the foundation under my eyes (which is where I generally use the concealer), and so far its worked, but it’s still a bit of a pain not to be able to use my usual concealer. With that, this is still the best powder foundation I’ve used, and now that I’ve been converted, I’m more inclined to change my concealer, than to change the foundation: that’s probably a post for another day, though!

Overall? I can’t claim this is the BEST powder foundation for pale skin, because, well, it’s the only brand I’ve tried so far. If you have very fair skin, though, I’d say this is definitely worth a try – and don’t forget to let me know how you get on!

The best powder foundation for pale skin? Probably.

Related: The Best Foundation for Pale Skin | Tips for Fair Skin