I bought BE and I did not like it! After I wore it for about an hour every pore and wrinkle in my face began to show!

I have two kits from Laura Mercier, the mineral powder kit and the tinted moisturizer kit, and comparing the two, i have combination/oily skin, and even though the Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer kit i bought was oil free, I felt it made my skin look shinny/sweaty, and I had to layer it to get the coverage i needed, and i don't think it really is supposed to be something that is going to cover up blotches/scarring because its essentially just a moisturizer with a tint of color. SO if your looking for soft, light feeling coverage, I would go with this kit. Especially if you have oily skin, you want to go with a powder.
ALSO, i've been a faithful user of B.E products for years, I have quite the collection all over face colors and powders from them and when you layer B.E it almost starts to feel like chalk on your face. I feel as though I'm betraying B.E. because i've been using it for years, but this is just better in my experience!
Good luck!

I never cared for the Bare Essentials makeup. I found it very heavy and cake-like when I applied it. I also do not like the brushes that Bare Essentials sells - the Laura Mercier brushes are a night and day difference for the better. As I was once told, Laura Mercier is the Cadillac of makeup products, particularly with respect to the Flawless Face.

I like this better than Bare Essentials. BE didn't have the right color for me (Light was too yellow) and it created lines around my eyes! Also, the LM tinted moisturizers are also awesome. I like everything by Laura Mercier. It's one of my favorite brands that I keep going back to because its so natural.

hi- the BE kit had things in it that i did not use. The LM kit is really more bang for the buck. Better quality products and brushes and the product is very pigment rich so it lasts a long time.

This is definitely not as messy as the BE foundation. What I like about these containers is that it has a sliding panel to cover the holes. What I've been doing is tapping out some of the powder into the cover and then sliding the panel closed and tapping out the rest into the cover. That way there isn't any extra waiting to fall out. I found that I only need a tap or two of the powder into the cover. When you swirl the powder in the cover with the brush, I guess it can still be a bit messy... but I haven't had any trouble at all with this.

I think I was either a NC30-35 in MAC's studio fix and I'm using the Real Sand color. Right now the NC35 is a tad bit too dark on me but the Real Sand is perfect. I hope that helps!

I found the product very messy, the packaging of the mineral powder is just too small for the brush. Makes a mess all over our counter. Loved the product would tell my friends to buy it. Great deal if you don't mind the mess and are just wanting to try out the mineral make-up from LM

I am tan right now and the Natural Beige kit is working for me. The Candlelight gives a lovely glow, not too sparkly. I love the products.

I am pretty fair with pink undertones, but in the summer i get a slight tan (very slight). i purchased the real sand kit and have been extremely happy with it. I thought it would be too dark, but it seems like it could work for a wide range of skin tones.

Since it is a powder, it can be messy. Honestly, I'll take the mess any day to have my skin look this good! I've used BE and the illuminating powder in this kit is light years ahead of BE mineral veil. It has a slight sheen to it which makes my skin look better than it has in years! I highly recommend this kit.

i use bare minerals fairly light and comparing it with real sand by laura mercier, the LM had much better coverage. i didn't look too "matte" either.

I would say that this product may leave your face oily. It def. gave me a dewy look and I do not have oily skin. I used to use BE as well (like you) and wanted to give this a try after hearing so much about how wonderful it is. Maybe just try this mineral primer (which I LOVED) underneath the mineral powder you have now and see if that helps!

If you are in love with your foundation, I would try the oil blot kit she has. It is multiples of good products in nice sizes. If you want to try something new, and one of the two colors fits you, this is a great kit to try. The sizes are generous, and you get all the products. I really liked her powder, and the primer did a good job keeping it on. This is not a 16 hour product, but touch ups were easy.

I used BE for 4 years and it did work well for the time being until I broke out with acne (I don't think it was due to using BE) and I wanted to find another makeup that would not aggravate my acne. I have very oily skin, and right LM works better in keeping my face clear. I live in the Inland Empire where in the summer it gets 105+ degrees and I hate my face shining up! So far, I rate LM as better than BE and both cost the same at Sephora.

I started with this kit but for summer time I would do the other one

For BE and LM, all you need is primer under the makeup. I use a moisturizer first then their primer (included in the kit) then the powder. LM primer is oil-free (I didn't check BE). So far, my breakouts have receded and even though my skin is prone to breaking out and is super oily, I haven't had any problems with LM.

A lot of times I will use the Tinted Moisturizer under the mineral make-up because I like the "glow!" Even if I don't use the tinted moisturizer though it still gives awesome coverage!

Definitely better coverage than the liquid foundation and more natural looking. The bruah in the kit is great but they only give you one. I personally like two one for each powder, Seems to last all day and you can touch up without it looking overdone or cakey.

No tinted moisturizer is necessary. The included concealer is all you need for under eyes and any obvious red spots (very little goes a long way), then just finish with the mineral powder and that's it!

full coverage. I have the natural beige set and it works wonders with foundation under the mineral powder.

not that i know of...

i purchased mine at a store but you should probably call ahead to check for your shade.

Sold in Sephora for $65

YES ask an associate to find your best color. you can try it out!

sure is! i purchased mine in store.

I would suggest going to a Sephora store to get a true color match! Make sure you check the color out in outdoor light too!

I have pinkish skin tones and I like the Natural beige,. It does look a little yellow in the container and on my hand but once I apply it with the brush it looks very natural and covers the ruddiness in my cheek area.

I have very fair skin and I use the Real Sand color from Laura Mercier. It is a very good match and definitely not yellow.

hi- my skin has a pink undertone as well, i usually wear medium in the BE. But, i bought the sand kit in LM and am very pleased with the way it looks on my skin.

Tender Rose is around NW10-15, suitable for those with pale and pink undertone.

I have medium skin tone so I got the Natural Beige. I'm not sure what color is close to pink rose. I used other brands before like L'oreal and BE and Natural Beige was pretty close to my skin tone. Get a color that's similar to other colors you've used before.

I would suggest going to a Sephora store to get a true color match! Make sure you check the color out in outdoor light too!

There is a mineral primer that is in a tube (like LM's other primers) and there is a powder one. I have both (told you I was a "junkie!) and the powder one seems to give a more "matte" finish when done with all your make-up. I like them both but I believe the "tube primer" is the best.

I can see why there was confusion. Laura Mercier has two primers for mineral makeup; one is liquidy and is the tube version that is included in this kit and she also has a powder based primer which is what you probably saw on her website. Some people swear by her primers but I have two of them and found both of them to be rubbish (just my opinion of course) but the MMU itself is quite good.

I would suggest going to a Sephora store to get a true color match! Make sure you check the color out in outdoor light too!

I have the Nude tinted moisturizer too and bought this kit in Real Sand. Be forewarned though if your skin is oily, cause it oxidized on me so you have to set it with something to prevent the color from changing...

I haven't had any problems with breakouts!

I have rosacea which means that my skin always looks red. I've tried many other foundations. Bare Minerals did not break me out but it didn't give me flawless skin. This kit did not break my skin out, which was a surprise. It did make it look better than it has in years!