Expensive! I want to look good & not go Broke! I switched to, "Elegant Minerals." I was ecstatic to find mineral makeup. I can't say enough. But, "Bare Escentuals" is really expensive. They always have the commercials running, so you know they add that into the cost of the product. Ouch!! I wanted to look good and not go broke doing it! I found, "Elegant Minerals" using the yahoo search engine. They put sifters on all of their jars and that makes it easier to control the powder. I've gotten a mineral makeup through the mail and the makeup ends all over the place when you open the jar. Elegant Minerals put sifter seals their foundation jars. This keeps the powder from getting into the lid during shipping. They've always answered my questions really fast. And all the jars are factory sealed too. I wanted the same high quality product at an affordable price. Elegant Minerals works better for me and my pocketbook! Here is a link that might be useful: Elegant Minerals Makeup

I just purchased the Bare Minerals and have used it with the id prep cream. I do use Clarins Moisture Quenching Hydra-Care Cream on the dry areas on my face heavily, and lightly on the rest of my face under the prep. I haven't had any problems yet... That said, about 5 years ago, I picked up what I thought was the Neutrogena daily moisturizer that I had always used. I used it one day and the next morning woke up with a "sunburn". It was early fall so I figured I had spent a little more time in the sun than I realized the day before. I didn't use the product again until Christmas Eve that year. Well, I used it more heavily because it was winter and my skin was drier. On Christmas morning I awoke to a completely dark red sunburned looking face and had to wait several days for it to go away. I had all of the same symptoms you have posted. It was painful and I didn't even want to put anything on but aloe because I was afraid to trap the heat. i didn't even wear makeup on Christmas day to tone it down since it hurt so badly. Long story made a little shorter, I checked my bottle of Neutrogena thinking perhaps I bought one that had expired. No, they changed the product to include alpha hydroxy. Apparently, I am one of those people who absolutely cannot use anything with alpha hydroxy in it. I can't even use a zit stick. I have really fair and sensative skin. I like the BM since it is light and contains natural ingredients, and very natural looking. I even splurged and bought my daughter the beginner set. I am thinking that perhaps the mask you used (especially since it was on much longer than recommended) burned your face. I will contiunue to search the reaction to the Bare Minerals since I my interest has been peaked. I hope I didn't waste good money.

Carla,, to answer your first question,"why did I warn her to pull the jars she had opened?", At the time I was not feeling particularly vindictive. I figured just the public embarassment of being caught in the act and facing both the store manager and their security probably would have been sufficient to convince her not to repeat the act in future, and if she was to actually pay for the items she opened it would be sufficient restitution... Now in regards to how much of the product that was removed from the shelves, I have no way of knowing because that took place after Jan & I left the store. Our Walmart store is less than 2 miles from our house and sad as I am to admit it, Jan & I probably go there 3 to 4 times a week, sometimes just to browse the store and basically duck the heat for a bit...LOL. On one of our subsequent trips to the store I once again ran into the manager, who tossed me a quick thumbs up when he saw me,,,LOL.. He and I talked a moment and I asked him what legal action they could have taken? I said that since she did not leave the store with any unpaid items it was not shoplifting or petite theft so what action could they take? He said, "you may remember a few years ago when they had a lot of problem with ppl tampering with over the counter meds by putting poison in some of them?" "Yes, I remember there was a problem with Tylenol and a couple other products" He said that as a result of that activity nearly all states have passed very strict laws about "Product Tampering". According to the manager when that womans case went to araignment court the next morning she fooishly pled guilty, no doubt thinking it is not a big deal. But the Judge took it real serious. He sentenced her to 5 yrs, suspended but she has to participate in a probation program for that 5 yrs and if she doesn't meet the probation rules she will have to serve the remaining sentence. In addition, she was ordered to pay a restitution to the store equal to the cost of all products that were subsequently removed from the shelf and she has a permanent restraining order prohibiting her from entering that Walmart store.

I put some make up on daily. My BB cream and lip glosses are actually good for my skin. Mascara is the only one that should really be replaced every few months. I wish that manufacturers would sell smaller containers of mascara so that it didn't feel wasteful to toss. But the idea of using old mascara creeps me out. I use powder eye shadows and replace the applicators or wash the brushes frequently. I apply BBs and foundation with a damp sponge which gets washed and set out to dry after each use. I don't buy a lot of different products; I've known women who have a whole drawer (and countertop) brimming with make up. And what is it with those boxes that hold about 20 or 30 different eye shadow colors?