I don’t own anywhere near as much BE makeup as some women I’ve met on message boards and stuff, so my collection only filled two of these boxes.

This box holds all of my eye shadows, as well as items also in the smaller containers.  I can fit a lot of them in here because I can set them sideways and still get the box closed.  At the top, I have sections for lip colors and eye stuff like mascara, eyeliner, brow gel, etc.  As you might be able to tell, the vertical dividers can be removed.  But the long horizontal ones can’t be moved.  If I had known that, I would have looked further.  But, oh well, I’ll make do with what I have, it’s better than what I HAD (which just involved throwing it all into a bag, where it was hard to see what was there).

The “medium” sized containers will not fit sideways, not if I want to close the box. So they go in this way. These are foundations, Mineral Veil, Bisque, etc.  I also made spaces for my Kabuki brushes, which will not fit into the brush roll (which you will see in a few moments), as they don’t have long handles.

Now we have the large containers, which do not fit at all, since I can’t move the horizontal dividers in these things. They are a foundation, a 25 SPF Mineral Veil, and a Soft Focus Glee.  If I were to use one of these boxes for travel, I’d leave the foundation and Mineral Veil at home (since I have  a smaller 25 SPF MV), and dispense some of the Glee into an empty smaller BE container.  I have a foundation that’s about to run out, I’ll just use that container, and put in in the same place in the box where that old foundation was.

This is my brush roll case. I got it for free when I was in the BE club, where I was getting foundations auto-shipped to me. I’ve since canceled that, but the freebies were nice. This came with a couple of brushes that I didn’t already have.  You can also purchase a similar brush roll at a BE Boutique, Sephora, or any other good cosmetic department or beauty supply store.

And this is what it looks like when it’s opened up. One of each brush I own, except for the Kabuki brushes that are in one of the boxes, are here.  I have a few duplicate brushes, due to getting them in kits and all, but I keep them aside until the old ones wear out and I need to use them.  No need to waste valuable space in the brush roll on them!

So I only used two of the four boxes I bought for almost my entire BE collection.  No doubt I will need more boxes someday, and I can always buy more if necessary.  But my plan for now is to use one of the empty boxes for my travel kit.  I can take whatever makeup I want to use on the trip out of the other two boxes and assemble it into a kit that will fit easily into my suitcase.  The brush roll can just go into the suitcase as it, it doesn’t take up much space.  This will be nicer than them all jangling about loose in a bag, they will be easier to find and use.

So there you have it!  And you don’t have to go to Cabela’s to get boxes like this, any place that sells fishing supplies will have these.  My only suggestion is to get them slightly larger, if you have more of the large BE containers than I do.

I know…they make all sorts of  “train cases” and the like, that I can order from their website.  But they are kind of pricey, and also not big enough to house my entire collection.  I also COULD go to Home Depot and buy some sort of compartmentalized tool box, but I don’t even feel like doing that, I hate Home Depot and have panic attacks after about ten minutes in that place.

I was thinking that I could make one at a cost of next to nothing.  In fact, it might not only cost NOTHING, but it would not even require me to go shopping for any supplies.

We have several L.L. Bean shoe boxes sitting around.  We save them because they are very nice, sturdy boxes, but haven’t really done anything with them yet.

So one of those can be the base for my makeup box.  It would be plenty big enough for all of the product that I have, including brushes.  I actually have a brush roll case that I got for free when I used to have the BE foundations auto-shipped to me…most of my brushes should fit into that.

And then I have tons of other cardboard boxes of varying sizes…Amazon shipping boxes and the like.  Those I can make into trays, and use scrap cardboard to make dividers to hold varying sizes of BE jars.  I could have one tray for foundations, Mineral Veil, and concealers, another for eye colors, and another for blush, Warmth, Soft Focus Glee, that sort of thing.  And then there’d be a part of the box for products that don’t come in the little round jars, such as lipsticks, glosses, mascaras, etc.  And a place for brushes that don’t fit in the roll case, and a place for the roll case itself.

Sounds pretty easy…easier than creating my own seo software. But it won’t look like an ugly cardboard box…I have tons of scrapbook paper and other craft supplies that I can use to decorate this to my heart’s content.  Maybe the only thing I might need to buy is some kind of clear paint to coat the whole thing, to keep it from getting wet and falling apart.

Now, this would not be a portable box, this would be my home storage area for all of my BE goodies.  When we take our trips, I can easily see what’s in my box, pluck out what I need for the trip, and put all of that into my little travel makeup case.  No way do I need to haul my entire BE collection along with me at all times!  That would be a bit much.

This might be a fun thing to try, and I’m going to try to do it while spending as little money as possible (hell, I already spend a lot on the makeup itself!).  If I do it, I’ll take some pics and post instructions, so you can try to make one yourself!

I bought the kit you see here…the I Love BE Grand 9-Piece Color Collection.  It’s actually an excellent value for the money, because, unlike some of the other kits they have on the Q, this one has full-sized product.  I had been considering getting just the Rare Minerals Night Treatment, it’s $60 but they had it on Easy-Pay…but then I saw they had the same full-sized product in this kit, for not all that much more money.  And I’ll actually use the other stuff in the kit, the colors are to my liking, and I would definitely use the foundation.  The kit was on Easy-Pay, too, which I like.

When I first started using BE, I was getting foundations auto-shipped to me every few months.  But then I did the math and realized that this was not very cost-effective.  It is actually cheaper to just go to Sephora or the BE Boutique at the maul and buy them there.  But it’s even cheaper when they come in these QVC kits..many kits come with a foundation, so I’ll have enough that way.  So I quit the auto-ship thing…actually, I never formally told them that I quit…my credit card with them expired and I just didn’t bother updating it.  And they just quit sending me stuff.  Works for me!  I wish that Proactiv was that easy to cancel!

So, I got a great deal here…if you’re looking for a nice BE bundle o’stuph, get on over to the Q and check it out.  I’m glad I watched…I guess I could have just whiled away my insomnia by reading sites like allireviews.com…but this was better and more useful to me! I can’t wait to get my new goodies!

So now, in addition to giving your face that airbrushed, finished look, you can protect your skin from the sun at the same time.  As someone who likes to go to lots of baseball games in the summer, and who burns easily, this is especially important.

I actually already have a container of this stuff…it came with the Sea Yourself kit that was a “Today’s Special Value” at QVC last year.  The kit is still available at the Q, albeit at a higher price than the TSV offer.  Most of the products in the kit have some SPF protection, which was why I bought it.

All BE foundations have an SPF of 15.  When I used the foundation together with the 25 SPF mineral veil, it worked VERY well.  If it worked well for me, it will work well for anyone.  I really hated the idea of putting greasy sunscreen on my face (which was pretty much the ONLY way, until I discovered BE).  But the minerals are NOT greasy at all, nor do they dry out your skin.  Perfection!

Also, you can never apply too much mineral veil.  Carry some with you, perhaps in this compact, and you can reapply as needed during the day.  That way, your face will always be protected from the harmful rays of the sun!

I’m very happy that this product is now available on its own…I would not want to keep buying whole kits just to get this one item.  If I had to do that, I’d have to break out the job search paperwork so that I could afford this! But the 25 SPF product is the same price as the regular mineral veil, $19. That may seem like a lot, but one container will probably last you all or most of the summer.  As with most BE products, a little goes a long way!

I used to use Proactiv.  I decided to stop using it because there was no way to slow down the auto-ship thing enough so that I wouldn’t end up with piles of boxes of product.

Don’t get me wrong – Proactiv worked for me.  But there are only two ways to get it – auto-ship, or at a mall kiosk.  I personally boycott mall kiosks because the people who work at them tend to be pushy and annoying.  I mean, I go into the mall in search of one specific item, and to get to it, I have to walk past these kiosks, where the salespeople yell at people as they walk by, trying to sell everything from a Custom usb drive to a new cell phone plan – none of which I came to the mall to get.

Also, the prices of the Proactiv products at the mall kiosk are a lot higher than auto-ship.  So I won’t be buying any more Proactiv.  I had enough trouble getting the auto-ship canceled, and I’m not about to start that back up again.

So after I stopped using Proactiv, I tried the Rare Minerals Blemish Therapy.  It isn’t bad, but after several months of using it, I found that it doesn’t work as well as Proactiv.  It does a good job of concealing and drying up existing zits, but it doesn’t do much for me when it comes to preventing breakouts.

Now, this recent rash of breakouts could just be hormonal, as it’s coincided with a bout of daily hot flashes.  Those seem to have passed for now, but I still have zits.

So what I am going to do now is try AcneFree (pictured above).  I’ve seen the commercials for this on TV, and it looks to be the same sort of 3-part system as Proactiv.  But it has two things about it that appeal to me.  For one thing, it is half the cost of Proactiv.  And for another, I can buy it at a store like CVS, no shipping charges, no difficult-to-cancel auto-ship crap, I can just buy it when I need more.  Heck, Mike is on so many meds that he practically lives in the CVS in Melrose, he can always pick the stuff up for me when I need it.

Anyhoo, I’m going to buy one of these AcneFree kits and see how well it works.  Stay tuned for updates!

I’m gonna be honest here…I have mixed feelings about this product.  The reasons I purchased it – first of all, I love BE makeup, and second, since it’s not greasy like traditional sunscreen, I’d have an easier time getting Mike to agree to let me put it on him.  He often resisted regular sunscreen in the past, due to the greasy feeling.  Also, he doesn’t like the way sunscreens smell, this product is in powder form, and doesn’t really smell like anything.

As you may know, summer came much later than usual here in New England, it was more like March/April in May/June.  So I did not have a good chance to test this product until early July, when the sun finally decided to come out.  We had a weekend trip to Portland, Maine planned, with tickets to three Sea Dogs minor league baseball games.  Hadlock Field, the Sea Dogs ballpark, doesn’t have a roof at all, so the sun can beat down pretty hard.  The Friday and Saturday games were at night, but the Sunday game was a 1PM game, right around when the sun’s rays get to be their worst.  So that is when we gave it the big test.

Mike did not want me to put it on his face, and that was okay, because for one thing, he was wearing a baseball cap, and second, we were seated where the sun was behind us.  He hates to wear shorts, so we didn’t have to worry about his legs getting burnt.  So I put it on his ears and the back of his neck, where he’d be most likely to get sunburn.  His arms, like mine, are pretty used to sun exposure, and actually tan and not burn.

Me, I was wearing shorts.  And no hat.  I don’t like to wear hats, because they make me have *hat-head*.  But before we left for the game, I applied the 30 SPF sunblock to my face, under the usual 15 SPF BE foundation.

When we got to the ballpark, I tried applying the sunscreen to my legs.  I was having a hard time telling whether anything was actually coming out of the brush or not.  I followed the instructions, heck, even the guy at the BE Boutique where I bought the stuff gave me a demo as to how to use it, before he used his barcode scanner to ring up my purchases.  I thought it was, but I guess not, because my legs got sunburned.  But my face was okay, and so was the back of my neck.  And so were Mike’s ears and the back of his neck.

So, this stuff DOES work, but I wonder if there’s a flaw with the brush thingy?  It’s the same sort of brush thingy as this Mineral Veil On-The-Go brush.  And I never had any problems getting the product to flow out of that.

My verdict?  I’m going to give this more chances before saying it suck, I’ll try harder to get the product to flow out of the brush properly.  Since Mike didn’t get brunt, I KNOW it works.  Maybe I’m the one who sucks, who knows?

Anyhoo, he’s out now, and things are going well so far.  And I’ve finally noticed that I’ll be running out of my current BareMinerals Essential Brow Kit, so I thought I’d talk about it a bit here.

$32 for this kit may look steep at first, but trust me…it lasts for MONTHS.  It’s still not as cheap as drugstore eyebrow pencils, but it is still a lot less expensive than high-end department store brow pencils.  And it looks a LOT better.

So many brow pencils that I’ve tried, even higher-end ones, make you look like a drag queen, no matter how carefully you apply them.  But use the little brush that comes with this kit, to apply the pure mineral *powder*, and it actually looks like real hair, and not pencil strokes.  It is the best brow product I have ever used, and I refuse to ever be without it.

See, I have this problem, where I have a big scar on my left eyebrow, where the hair no longer grows.  When I was a little kid, my younger brother threw a plastic container at me, it hit my eyebrow and split it open.  Dr. Goliger had to make a house call (this was in the late 1960′s…yes, I am that old…LOL!) and he put stitches in it.  But the scar made the brow hair not grow back, and it looks really weird if I don’t use some kind of brow makeup on it.

The third item in the kit is the Brow Finishing Gel.  This not only helps hold the color in place, but it tames your brow hairs.  I don’t like the pencil-tin, overly-plucked look, I tend to go more for the full-browed Brooke Shields look.  So the gel comes in very useful for me.  The gel is colorless.

The brow color comes in five different shades.  I personally use the dark blonde/medium brown color.  The best thing to do, if possible, is to visit a store that sells BE makeup, where you can try before you buy, and choose the correct shade.

The best store to go to for this is a Bare Escentuals Boutique, if you are lucky enough to have one in your area.  BE is all they sell, and the women who work there are very nice and helpful, they will answer all questions and help you try out products.

If there is no BE Boutique near you, perhaps there is Sephora, which is a good second choice.  Sephora carries most BE products, has test samples and staff to help you.  That’s where I used to go, until they opened up the BE Boutique in the same mall.

They also sell BE in high-end department stores, such as Macy’s, Nordstrom, and Bloomingdale’s.  I can’t speak for those because I never shopped at any of these stores.  But the one place I think you should stay away from is Ulta.  There’s one not far from me, and I checked it out once.  Not only is the selection of BE cosmetics very limited (they did not have ANY brow kits the last time I was in there), but the staff is also rude.  They tend to follow you around, just waiting for you to steal something.  Maybe it’s just this particular location, maybe not.  But when I am made to feel like a criminal when I’m just looking, I tend to not want to return to their store.  It makes me feel insulted…I have the money to buy the products, and no way would I want to risk going to jail for stealing, anyway.

The BE Boutique is more fun, anyway.  They actually hire people who use the product and care about it, and that makes it much more fun to visit.

Once you discover the world of BE, trust me, you WILL understand!

I think I am going to like this a lot better than Proactiv.  For one thing, I can just re-order the product when I need it, no annoying auto-delivery crap that is difficult to cancel.  As with other Bare Escentuals products, a little goes a long way, so this ought to last me for a while.

This can be used in either of two ways.  If you have an actual zit, use the little brush that comes with it to spot-treat said zit.  The other way to use it is to use the foundation brush of your choice…usually either the Flawless Application Face Brush, or the Full Coverage Kabuki Brush, to apply it all over your face, before applying the foundation.  This is supposed to be a preventative measure against new zits forming.  And if you have zits, it also works well as a concealer, for covering the redness and all.  So far, I like it.

Sephora gives customers their choice of three free samples with every order.  One of the items they had this time was the Rare Minerals Mineral-Rich Moisturizer.  I haven’t tried it yet, but if I like it, I will probably head over to the Bare Escentuals site and take advatage of a mney-saving offer over there.  For a limited time, you can get this moisturizer and the Rare Minerals cleanser for $45 (regular price for both is $56), plus free shipping.  I already know that I love the cleanser, so if I like the moisturizer, too, I will go for that deal.  This is NOT at Sephora, I must remind you, only at BareEscentuals.com!

I am also trying to decide if I should buy this new sunscreen that BE has just put out.  I really hate most regular sunscreens because they are greasy, and Mike doesn’t like to use them, either.  But we both burn pretty easily.  For my face, when we go out to ball games and other places where we’ll be out in the sun, I start with an application of SPF 20 Summer Bisque, and then put the BE SPF 15 foundation over that.  I certainly don’t want to have to put the greasy sunscreen on my face, that just makes it break out worse.  But using the Bisque and the foundation has worked pretty well so far.

But it certainly would not hurt to have an SPF 30 mineral sunscreen.  Also, Mike might be less resistant to using it since it’s not greasy.  He needs it on his ears, the back of his neck, and on his face.  If I get the light shaded one, it won’t look like makeup at all.

Mike doesn’t wear shorts, ever, but I do, so I could just brush this on my legs, rather than getting the greasy sunscreen all over my hands and all.  $28 is a lot for a sunscreen, but if it’s like other BE products, a little goes a long way, and it should last all summer and beyond.  Maybe I will go ahead an give it a try.

But then I may not be able to afford the new dell memory and stuff that I was thinkng of getting, to update the old laptop so that I can actually use it. I dunno, decisions, decisions!  Might not be worth trying to upgrade that old thing anyway, but we shall see!

When they came out with the RareMinerals line of skin care, I was intrigued.  But at the time, I was using Proactiv, and it worked quite well in clearing up the acne that I’ve suffered from most of my life.

But I’ve decided to stop using Proactiv.  Not because it doesn’t work, because it does.  Nope, it was because they keep sending me the damned stuff, faster than I could use it.  I can’t use it twice a day as they say to, because when I did, it made my skin too red and dry.  Once a day, or even every other day, worked, but then I could not slow down the shipments enough so that I wouldn’t end up with a huge pile of product.

It was very difficult to cancel.  I gave them a sob story about the bad economy, and how I could no longer afford to have them charge my credit card every other month or so for this stuff.  It was as if they were giving my bank account weight loss supplements every time, making it shrink, for stuff that I’d never be able to use.  I imagined myself ten years from now, with a huge pile of boxes of Proactiv, and didn’t like the idea.

I really laid it on about the expense…I told the guy on the phone that if they sent me the next scheduled shipment and charged me for it, my rent check would bounce, I’d be evicted, and me and all of my poor little kitties would be out on the street.  God product, but hey, times are touch, can’t afford it any more.  Not exactly true, but hey, if they are gonna be jerks about canceling, then I can be a lying jerk about why I’m canceling.  Saying “I just don’t want it any more” doesn’t seem to cut it.

Anyway, I digress.  I did finally get them to cancel (but not until I made good on my threat to report them to the Better Business Bureau).  When I was getting to the end of the product I had on hand, it was time to find some other skin care system to use.

The RareMinerals products are rather pricey, and for that reason I was hesistant at first.  But when I saw that Sephora was offering a Limited Edition *try me* package- the Skin Revival Duo – for just $32, I had to order and give it a shot.  This includes the Renew & Reveal Cleanser and the Skin Revival Treatment, and is a 30 day supply, rather than the full-sized 60-day supply, at a fraction of the full price.  I liked this because I didn’t want to spend all of that money to try something, and then not like it.

I have been using this for a couple of weeks now, and so far, I like!  The cleanser comes in powder form, wet it, and it makes for a light exfoliant leavs my skin super soft.  The Skin Revival Treatment is a night treatment, you keep it on your nightstand and buff it on before going to sleep.  I have found that it really works…leaves my skin soft, and it has reduced my pores somewhat.

The Try Me kit is a limited edition available only at Sephora, either online or in-store.  I am definitely going to buy another one while they still have them, and then I’ll probably go for the full-sized products after that.  I am also going to give the RareMinerals Blemish Therapy a try when I place that order.

People who have stopped using Proactiv have reported that their zits came back shortly after stopping use of the product.  But I’ve not had that happen yet.  Even with the Proactiv, I still get a zit here and there, so I need some sort of acne treatment.  That is why I’m going to give the Blemish Treatment a try.

The RareMinerals stuff is pricier than Proactiv.  But the product also lasts a long time, and no one forces you to get auto-delivery of it, it can easily be bought online or at stores.  The only way to get Proactiv delivered is auto-delivery; the only way you can buy any other way is to go to one of those annoying mall kiosks, where it is much more expensive.  I hate malls, but I love that Sephora lets you just buy the stuff as you need it.  If something happens and I can’t afford it any more, no fighting or arguing, I can just quit buying it.

If you are a fan of BE, get thee to Sephora and give this duo a try.  I am glad that I did!

Of course, using some good acne treatments helped clear my skin. I am currently using a well-known brand that you know from TV, but I will be switching over to a drugstore brand that is half the price…and also frees me from auto-shipments that I can’t always afford.

As for hair care, my favorite is the Sheer Blonde shampoo and conditioner, from John Frieda.  It really does make my hair feel and look better, and it’s well worth the extra cost.  Besides, I often can get it on sale.

So, what do YOU like?