"But it's sooo cuuute!" - Truth in packaging

Let's face facts. TPS is a complete sucker. She's a sucker for empty promises, for glossy magazine spreads, for new ANYTHING. (Just wait until she gets her mitts on Sugar Sugar, a new lip topping by Revlon. Lip topping? Curse you, Revlon!) Most of all, TPS cannot resist adorable packaging. First, Benefit Cosmetics got her. Then the clever names of Urban Decay, Too Faced and Hard Candy seduced her. But TPS could wax rhapsodic over all these products and she will. Oh, she will. But first, she must take a hard look at a beloved product line.

TPS has already stated her devotion to Bare Escentuals. That has not changed. However, there are certain truths that must be shared, and it's a big one. Bare Escentuals packaging leaves much to be desired.

The outer packaging is lovely. Great artwork on the eye kits, sleek black tops and clear tubs for the colors - it's quite nice at first glance. Unfortunately, bare Minerals are just not that portable.
The black lids loosen en route - especially on the eye shadows and sample size colors that come in the starter kits. TPS now has Soiree (a gorgeous goldy-green) all over the inside of her makeup bag, even though the jar never opened all the way. The powder minerals just... seep.

La soeur de TPS gave her a Bare Escentuals compact containing four glimmers. The compact is fabulous looking. It's rectangular 4 inch box with a push-button opener. A good sized mirror lines the entire inside of the compact and each loose shadow has its own snap-top container, reminiscent of those paint-by-numbers plastic paint tubs. It looks like it would be a very secure method of transporting loose powder makeup. Not remotely. The entire compact does not snap tightly closed and the colors seep profusely from under their individual snap-tops. Such a shame!

Hope is not entirely lost. The "Go Bare, Baby" collection is pure genius, not only in colors but the packaging is almost perfect. You get three sample size all-over face colors in Bare Radiance, Rose Radiance and Soft Focus Warmth, plus a Soft Focus face brush (the softest of all the Bare Escentuals brushes). All three powders and the brush sit inside a foam-core palette, with ribbons underneath to pull each product out of its form-fitted nest. The whole package is nice, heavy cardboard with a 3"x5" mirror in the cover. The box stays closed with magnets. As far as TPS is concerned, you pair this with the portable (and refillable!) compact of Mineral Veil and you're set for a long weekend. Just don't attempt to bring any eyeshadows across state lines without securely wrapping each one in tissue. According to the Sephora website, "Go Bare Baby" is perfect for "quick, on-the-go touchups", but unless you're carrying a huge purse all the time, a 4"X6" palette is hardly convenient.

TPS can only hope that I.D. starts taking portability into account as they continue selling billions of products.