I have bareMinerals on my face, and bristles all over my shirt

Buzz - a slang expression that refers to excited interest or attention. In its other slang incarnation, buzz is a state of stimulation or overstimulation, as from caffeine. When it comes to beauty products, the two buzzes are one and the same.

Remember Benefit's BeneTint, that shocking, rose-tinted stain everyone brushed on their cheeks a few years ago until they figured out that it looked ridiculous? Or ProActiv, the pricey "miracle" acne treatment with the same active ingredients as the $2 tubes at the drug store? Yeah. Buzz. Buzz is self-perpetuating; Friend A tells you she's using the world's coolest new beauty product, so you run out and buy it. On the way home from Sephora, you call three more girlfriends to tell them that you just bought the coolest new beauty product. By the time Friend A has used the product for a couple of months and discovered it's not so revolutionary after all, Friends X, Y, and Z are still spreading buzz.

bare Minerals. Here we go again. When Friend A, a shameless cosmetics whore, told me she bought the stuff, I didn't bite. Months passed, and one by one, every woman I know jumped on the bandwagon. Over breakfast in January, Friend S (not her real name) told me something truly shocking: I've been using bare Minerals for over a year, and I love it. Look at my pores.

I looked.

Wow.

Friend S is fifteen years older than I am, and her pores were tighter than a Nun's... bad analogy. They looked great. She looked great.

The next weekend, I drove to Sephora, the Mothership, for a makeover. As she did my make-up, a Sephora employee explained the difference between the Flawless Application Face Brush and the Full Coverage Kabuki Brush. I was impressed with the initital results, but I didn't buy the make-up immediately. When it comes to cosmetics, I have two basic rules:

1. Never buy it on the spot. Wear it for a few hours. Look at it indoors and out. See how it looks and feels a little later in the day, and then go back to buy it if it works for me.

2. When in doubt, buy at Nordstrom. They'll take anything back.

After a few hours, I knew I loved the look and feel of the make-up, but I felt buzz-wary; I bought my Getting Started Kit at Nordstrom in case I felt buyer's remorse a few days later.

My Getting Started Kit included two shades of bareMinerals SPF 15 Foundation, Mineral Veil, Warmth All-Over Face Color, Clear Radiance All-Over Face Color, bareVitamins Skin Rev-er Upper, a refillable compact, and three brushes: Flawless Application Face Brush, Full Coverage Kabuki Brush, Maximum Coverage Concealer Brush.

I use all three brushes, but the Full Coverage Kabuki Brush is the most important one-- it's the one that turns a little pot of loose powder into a true foundation.

The Kabuki brush is a stump. It's short and fat. From the manufacturer, Bare Escentuals:

Buff on bareMinerals fast and flawlessly with the firm, full, luxuriously soft tapers of this wonderfully plush brush that gives full, perfectly controlled application in record time. Use with bareMinerals SPF 15 Foundation for full coverage.

The How-To

To use the Bare Escentuals Kabuki Brush, pour some of the powder into its lid. Swirl the brush around in the powder until you can't see powder on the tips of the bristles, and then tap off excess powder.

Bare Escentuals advises to "buff" the minerals on to your skin in a circular motion, and that's exactly what I do. It takes 30 seconds to build good coverage with the Kabuki brush.

The bristles aren't as soft as I'd like, but that's a minor complaint. I have a much bigger beef with my Kabuki Brush.

But What's All Over My Shirt

Those are bristles. The Bare Escentuals Kabuki brush sheds like an Afghan Hound in the spring. Most brushes shed a little at first, but this is inexcusable. I've had mine for over two months now, and it sheds all the time. So much so that I've switched to a Bobbi Brown Face Brush. Its shape is virtually identical to the Bare Escentuals' Kabuki brush, but it's softer and it doesn't shed.

At $35, the Bobbi Brown brush isn't cheap. If you don't buy a starter kit, though, the Bare Escentuals Kabuki Brush costs $28. For a few dollars more, you won't regret buying a different brush. There are cheaper alternatives. Costco has a whole set of brushes for under $20, and even their Kirkland Kabuki (which works out to about $2) sheds less than the one from Bare Escentuals.

When it comes to bareMinerals, I'm a believer. The buzz is well-deserved. I've never been more satisfied with any foundation; my skin is happy. The Bare Escentuals Full Coverage Kabuki Brush delivers on its promise of full coverage, but it makes a big mess in the process. If you love your minerals as much as I do, consider a different brush.

... Or bristle-colored shirts.