by A Kairi

Created on: September 29, 2009   Last Updated: September 30, 2009

I recently purchased a compact of L'oreal Paris Bare Naturale Gentle Mineral Powder. L'oreal Paris has been a long time giant in the cosmetics industry. The pressed mineral powder, not to be confused with its companion product L'oreal's loose mineral powder foundation, is on of the newer products in L'oreal's bare naturale line of mineral based cosmetics.

The compact ranges in price from $12.00 to $15.00 depending on where you purchase it. This makes it more expensive than the average powder, but I soon discovered that a little of the powder goes a long way. I have used the powder daily for two months now and do not appear to be anywhere close to running out so I believe that the powder is still a good value even though it is expensive.

The powder is pressed tightly in a sturdy compact, unlike most mineral powders, which are generally loose. The compact differs in many ways from traditional hinged clamshell compacts. There are no hinges on the compact, instead the lid of the compact unscrews. It twists on and off easily but fits snugly and securely so you will not have any worries about the compact coming open in your purse or makeup bag.

Instead of a mirror on the underside of the lid, such as you would find with traditional compacts the mirror is located on the bottom of the compact. In place of the mirror, that you would normally find on the underside of the lid there are plastic tabs that hold the included all natural bristle brush used to apply the mineral powder.

The powder is very finely milled. According to L'oreal, the gentle mineral powder is free of preservatives and contains SPF 24 sun blocking ingredients. A quick scan of the ingredients revealed that the powder also contains kaolin, which is good for skin.

The all-natural bristle brush is quite soft and feels nice on the skin. However, it almost works too well because it applies powder heavily. It does not absorb powder the way traditional sponges often do. After a little practice though I soon got the hang of using it and found it is great for getting powder in creases particularly around my nose.

The mirror included on the bottom of the compact is nice to have in a pinch but I found it to be inconvenient. In order to use it I had to put powder on the brush, replace the lid to the compact then flip the compact over. I have to do this multiple times to use the mirror when applying powder to my entire face. The powder is tightly pressed but a little comes loose when using the brush; I once

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