I was hesitant to buy IQ and actually had bareMinerals in my cart when I landed on the IQ sample page and read the reviews. I have been a Bare Escentuals wearer for a long time and have tried some other knock-off mineral powders such as Maybellene, what a joke those turned out to be. Today my IQ makeup came and I will break down the differences between bareMinerals and IQ for you.

Overall the final look achieved with both are just as stunning. IQ stays put much longer because it is not as fine as bareMinerals. It is only a tad bit heavier; however, it absolutely leaves no creasing, and is not noticeable at all as long as it is applied correctly. The bareMinerals foundation jars have smaller holes which filter the powders better; therefore, the IQ foundation tends to pile on top of the jar due to the larger holes in the bottom. Since the IQ foundation is already a tad bit heavier, having a mound of it to work with can be challenging. To avoid this problem place a cotton ball in the top of the jar when you are not using it so the powder doesn't seep from the bottom to the top. When it's applied, tap the jar gently and apply a small portion to the brush at a time. I've found these results to leave a natural, healthy overall look. Nobody will be able to guess if the final result is bareMinerals or IQ!

The only dissapointment to me is the mineral veil. bareMinerals kicks the pants off of IQ's veil. When the IQ veil is applied it just stays where you set the brush instead of floating down your face like the bareMinerals veil. It does leave a nice finished look however, so it's not a complete disappointment. It does a good job at "finishing" the look, but it just isn't the same as bareMinerals I will miss this.

I've struggled to find a good concealer to hide my dark eye circles. The IQ concealer is one of the best concealers I have ever used. It hides my dark circles, and blends naturally with my face. I wish I could purchase a larger jar of it! I prefer the IQ concealer to the bareMinerals concealer. I was not impressed with the bareMinerals concealer at all. It did not blend naturally with my skin tone, and did not completely cover my circles. IQ wins this round.

The IQ eyeshadow is stunning. It is mucho perfecto! The neutral color is lightly sparkly and vibrant. It does not crease, and lasts all day. It reminds me of fairy dust, and is great to use on top of pigmented shadows to leave a sparkling effect. This is my "go to" shadow for both casual and formal wear.

I read on the comments to order a shade darker as IQ runs light. I am glad I did. I have light-med skin and ordered the medium. It is perfect, and even came with one a shade darker too, for my summer tan! The IQ is hands down the best I've tried of any mineral makeup next to bareMinerals and ranks a very close 2nd. I will be using this from now on. Goodbye expensive bareMinerals!

4/19/2014 Hi ladies! I'm back for my third purchase of IQ, and I've updated my review to reflect some additional pointers and thoughts that I've acquired since my initial purchase. I'm always on the lookout for high-quality products that meet the standards of others for a lesser cost. I'm thankful that I've found this in IQ.