Not Quite "Bare Skin..."

(These were samples from Sephora.)

I saw some raves over the new liquid foundation from Bare Minerals, called "Bareskin Pure Brightening Serum Foundation." I got two samples from Sephora to give it a go. You really need to shake the foundation because it separates. It's meant to be a "skincare foundation" combination, but of course I can't speak about skincare benefits, having only tried it for about a week.

I tried it a couple of different ways - with a brush (flat top), with fingers, over a facial oil (do not do this!), and over a traditional cream moisturizer. I think the finish is best with a brush, over well moisturized skin. It dries down to more of a matte, powdery finish, which is pretty in photos (see below). However. It accentuates dry patches and looks obvious in pores, even though I tried to use it sparingly and buff it out as well as possible. It looks nice from afar, though, and conceals redness well; it also lasts pretty long. I set mine with MAC Fix and it perhaps got a touch too dewy after that. I think this is just not the one for me, since I seem to find so many things to complain about. I'm not into heavy foundations, though, and even though they try to tout this as having the most natural finish, it's still a liquid foundation, not a tinted moisturizer or a sheer finish color-correcting cream, so it's on the heavier side.

Swatched with some other foundations/bases, for color and texture comparison.

To add to my "meh" feelings about it, the color match isn't perfect for me either - the yellow based "05 Bare Cream" is way too yellow, and 03 Bare Linen, which is neutral, is a touch too pale. The middle shade, "04 Bare Ivory," is a better match for my undertones, but a touch too dark. I opted to try 03 Bare Linen for all day wear. Here's a photo of me wearing BareSkin in 03 Bare Linen.

Wearing 03 Bare Linen. This is a few minutes after application, without setting spray. Finish is nice and matte without being flat, but it's just not for me.
I'm not sure who this foundation is meant for, to be honest. When I spritzed it, it stayed really dewy, so I'm not sure how well it will control oil and shine for those with oily/combination skin. On my dry skin, it accentuated dry patches and just felt heavy. This is not my preference (I like sheerer coverage and really lightweight formulas), so this one is a pass for me. (For those curious, my current go-tos in the liquid department are Shiseido Sheer and Perfect in O20, and Origins CC Cream in Light. Other days, I use Dior's Diorskin Nude powder.)

Have you tried this one? What are your thoughts?