Bare Minerals vs. Laura Mercier

My current foundation favourite at the moment is Laura Mercier Mineral Powder. I have combination/oily skin and I need coverage mostly for acne scarring now, but still get a few blemishes and active breakouts. Having previously sworn by Bare Minerals, I have now discovered other mineral foundations on the market and think these two are the best I've tried.

Since using mineral foundation, my skin has improved dramatically. I used to have a constant battle with breakouts and there was rarely a day where I didn't have at least one, but it's the opposite now and I only have the odd one or two now and again. This is because these powders don't clog up and sit in your pores like normal foundations do, and instead are good for your skin because of the minerals themselves, especially the Zinc, known to help skin fight acne. Not only has my blemish-prone skin improved, but so has my skin tone. It is less irritated and red and instead much more even.

I was sceptical when I first experimented with mineral foundation, not believing it could provide enough coverage for me because it's really just a powder...but these foundations are so buildable and buff into the skin beautifully with the complementing brushes so you can have a light coverage or if you need more, simply buff more into the skin. I also thought they would look really matte on the skin, but they still give a slight dewy glow leaving your skin looking healthy and fresh. They also both have SPF 15..what more could you want?!

When it comes to choosing between these two (please bare in mind these are just my personal favourites, there are others on the market) I prefer Laura Mercier. For me, I find it is a better colour match for my skin (I am 03 Real Sand) and you get a lot more product for your money. I also find the Laura Mercier brush is a lot less coarse than the Bare Minerals ones (although the Bare Minerals concealer brush is fantastic for targeting blemishes for a little more coverage).

However, the Bare Minerals does still stand it's ground. If you buy the Get Started Kit you get three brushes, two shades of foundation, a bronzer and a mineral veil (which claims to give a flawless finish) which is fantastic but again, I'm not keen on the colours for my skin tone and find their brushes too harsh since discovering Laura Mercier. Bare Minerals do offer a great range of colours though, including eyeshadows, blushes and even their new solid minerals in the READY range so it's worth experimenting with different brands and seeing which minerals work best for you! Let me know what mineral foundation you prefer...I'd love some new recommendations!