Review | bareMinerals Pure Transformation Day Treatment

bareMinerals Pure Transformation Day Treatment -£45
For those of you who live in the UK I'm sure you've heard about this month's incredible Cohorted beauty box. All of the products featured in the box looked amazing but it was the bareMinerals Pure Transformation Night treatment that caught my eye and made me immediately rush over to the site to see if, somehow, there was one left in stock. Sadly, not all of us were lucky enough to get our hands on the box (*sob*, I'm still not over it) but I was lucky enough to be sent the bareMinerals Pure Transformation Day Treatment* by the lovely Ally at bareMinerals at the start of the month to try out. I thought this would be the perfect time to share my thoughts about it with you all as I've noticed, after sobbing my way through many Cohorted reviews in jealously, that a few bloggers seem apprehensive about the idea of a powdered evening skin treatment. So, if applying a mineral powder treatment at night isn't your thing (or if you love it so much you simply need to add more of this magical treatment to your face) then the bareMinerals Pure Transformation Day Treatment* might be right up your street!

When I received the Day Treatment in the post I'd honestly never heard anything about it. I remember when the Night Treatment was first released and the YouTube community went crazy for it but nothing was ever mentioned about the Day version. Excited and intrigued I immediately popped over to Google to find some blog reviews but I really struggled to find any at all - it seems it has been outshone by its more famous sister. I thought the best way to describe the treatment was to quote the bareMinerals website as they explain it much more effectively than I ever could:

'bareMinerals advanced daytime mineral treatment with SPF 20 helps protect skin from sun damage and reduces the appearance of pores while improving luminosity. Contains moisture minerals to keep skin hydrated and targets signs of aging with ActiveSoil Complex, proven to increase cell turnover and provide antioxidant defense.'

After wearing this for almost a month I have to say that it's definitely a neglected gem of the beauty world! Not only does it contain SPF whilst keeping the skin hydrated throughout the day it also creates this natural radiance that I was actually astounded by and, for me, is definitely the best element of the product! It creates such a healthy, glowing from within complexion that you just can't achieve with highlighters.

How to Apply
The bareMinerals Pure Transformation Day Treatment is the last step in your morning skincare routine before you begin applying your makeup. It's tinted so it provides a sheer tint of colour that's easily buildable to achieve a light/medium coverage. The product is available in 4 shades (Fair, Light, Medium and Tan) and I'm currently using the shade Light which is just a tiny bit too dark for me thanks to my pasty, in desperate need of a holiday skin. On my good skin days I've been wearing this alone with just a tiny bit of concealer and when I need a bit more coverage I just dust a little bit of my foundation over the top (and the luminosity is still visible!) The kabuki, as with all the bareMinerals brushes I've used, is so soft and distributes the product evenly but I do wish the treatment was available to buy separately as it looks like this brush will last for such a long time!

Improvements in the Skin
As I'm lucky enough not to suffer from large pores I can't comment thoroughly on how well this treatment works in reducing them. The only area where my pores are (or should I say were) noticeable is on my nose. Immediately I noticed the treatment covered them wonderfully but after a week or so I realised they were actually getting smaller and now I think they're hardly visible. I'd love to see how well this product worked on somebody with larger pores but from the results I've seen on myself it gets a big thumbs up from me! The dry skin I often suffer from around my nose has also cleared up and I've noticed a transformation in the general appearance of my skin. After a few weeks I've found my skin looks healthier, vibrant and more even in skin tone.

The Pure Transformation Day Treatment contains 6g of product and retails for £45. It is expensive but as a multi-purpose product I honestly think it's worth the price (which is something I never expected myself to say when I discovered how much this cost!) I've found that I'm wearing less and less foundation every day when I use this and I'm beginning to feel much more comfortable and happy in my own skin. For a product that gives me so much more confidence and an amazing glow I think it's definitely worth paying a little bit extra for and I'm dying to get my hands on the Night Treatment.

Have you tried any of the bareMinerals Skincare range?

Let me know what you think of the Day (or Night) Treatment in the comments below! 

*contains a PR sample

My Little Box | My Little Superbox (March 2015)

I'm pretty sure everybody has already seen what was inside this month's My Little Super Box but after falling in love with my first ever box (My Little Frenchie Box) last month I simply couldn't let March's box land on my doorstep without writing a blogpost - no matter how late it is!

 I'm usually rather fickle when it comes to subscription boxes and I normally cancel my subscription every month and only decide to order the following month's box once I know what will be inside it. I know this defeats the element of surprise but as a student I really can't afford to waste £10-15 on a box that doesn't impress me. But, after falling completely in love with the Frenchie Box last month I don't think I can ever see myself cancelling My Little Box! Even though this is the most expensive subscription (in comparison to Birchbox/Glossybox etc.) at £14.95 inc. shipping it's completely worth every penny. I absolutely love all the little details and I almost get as equally excited about the amazing illustrations, the magazine and the little pouch that holds all the beauty bits as I do about the products themselves! So, enough gushing about how adorable the boxes are and let's talk about what's inside!

Beauty Products

Although this month's beauty products didn't impress me quite as much as last month's (how can you beat a By Terry eyeliner afterall?) I still loved each and every item included. I've noticed a couple of bloggers felt rather underwhelmed by the selection - and I suppose they're not the most exciting selection of products - but each beauty item is something I'll get so much use out of. And I'd much rather receive products I'll use daily than an obscure item that will just find it's way to the back of my beauty cabinet! One thing I've noticed about My Little Box is that they always include respectable and (often) high end beauty brands. So even though a conditioner and a hand cream might not be the most exciting products they add a touch of luxury to my beauty regime that actually leaves me feeling pretty darn super! 

[Prices according to the My Little Box information cards!]

❤ Kérastase Cristalliste Lait Cristal Conditioner (75ml) - Full Size (200ml) £20 / Sample worth: £7.50

This little product arrived just in time as I'd ran out of my usual (and pretty boring!) Herbal Essences conditioner. I'm overdue a haircut so I've been tackling a lot of dead, frizzy ends lately and I've noticed such an improvement after using this conditioner. It smells lovely and manages to leave my hair feeling silky and looking smooth. Somehow my split ends completely vanish after I use this and my hair looks healthy even two to three days after I've applied this! I'm really tempted to try the shampoo and other products in the range.

❤ Caudalie Hand and Nail Cream (30ml) - Full Size (75ml) £12 / Sample worth: £4.80 

Who doesn't love a fancy hand cream? I've been using this on my nails and cuticles as they're feeling a little dry and brittle and they're looking much better after only one week of use! When applied to the hands it doesn't feel greasy and nourishes nicely. It doesn't beat my beloved L'Occitane hand creams but as it has a pleasant, subtle scent I really enjoy using this on my nails and the sample size is quite generous!

❤ My Little Beauty Lips & Cheeks Crayon - £10.50

I love multi-purpose products and matching my lip shade to my blush! My Little Beauty always have adorable packaging and this coral shade is perfect for Spring! I prefer applying this to my cheeks as I find it can be a little bit drying when directly applied to the lips from the bullet but I've found dabbing this shade lightly on the lips adds a subtle and really pretty flush of colour to the face!

My Little Beauty Lips & Cheeks swatch

Lifestyle
The lifestyle element is what attracted me the most to My Little Box but it's also the most hit and miss element of the subscription. I don't know what I would have done with the Laptop Case in September's box (my iMac will definitely not fit in there!) but I haven't stopped using the Phone Case from last month's box! This month I was thrilled by the idea of the T-Shirt and I love the design!

❤ Gat Rimon T-Shirt - £29
This T-Shirt was available in 3 different designs but I think the majority of UK subscribers received this R. Kelly inspired shirt. I really wanted the 'Somewhere over the Rainbow' version but I'm still happy enough with the t-shirt I received. The t-shirt itself is soft, really comfortable and appears to be great quality and luckily it fits me quite well - it's just a little bit oversized and a tiny bit too long for my liking! My only disappointment in this month's box is the One Size fits all element. After filling in a questionnaire (which included my clothing size!) when I subscribed last month I did expect the t-shirts to be available in S, M and L. I'm fortunate enough to be able to use this (I'm a size 8 but I feel like this would fit women from sizes 10-14 comfortably) but if I was a larger woman I would be rather annoyed about this aspect!

❤ Super Stickers - £4
I'm not entirely sure when or where I'll use the stickers included in this month's box but they're adorable and I love them anyway! (I'm such a child!)

Overall, I'm really happy with this month's box! I've been using the beauty products non-stop and I've worn my T-Shirt quite a few times, either on a casual day or for bed. If you were thinking about subscribing make sure you use the code FIRSTBOX as you'll get free shipping on April's box! 

Are you subscribed to any beauty boxes?

What did you think of this month's My Little Box? 
xo

3 Blog Awards!

(Photo Credit: Pinterest)

I'm not quite sure where March has went, how is it the 24th already? I've spent the majority of the month handing in essays and meeting deadlines but I've managed to have a couple of enjoyable days in March catching up with friends and eating delicious food! As usual sitting in the library for so long has resulted in a fair bit of online shopping so I have quite a few new posts lined up to make up for my lack of blogging (think My Little Box, more bareMinerals and even a hair tools post!) I'm just waiting for the sun to finally shine so I can have a productive photo taking day!

During the past month 3 wonderful bloggers have been kind enough to nominate me for various awards so I thought I'd create one collective awards post to celebrate my return to the online world! I always feel so blessed to be mentioned by other bloggers and I love the interaction tags like this always bring! I was kindly nominated for the One Lovely Blog Award from Oh Just Alice and the Inspirational Blogger Award from Rebecca Marie a few weeks ago. As the rules for both awards have the same rules and requirements I thought I'd just double up on the amount of facts and smush them together. (why do I love that word so much?)  I was also recently nominated by the lovely Anjna to do the Sunshine Award and I can't wait to answer her questions!

So, before I begin I just wanted to say a huge thank you to Anjna, Alice and Rebecca who all run amazing blogs that you should definitely take a look at!

February Favourites

February hasn't been a particularly eventful month for me. With the exception of a wonderful Valentine's Day I've just been plodding away with University work and becoming far too familiar with the library (and library snacks...oops!) Months like this often end up containing a dangerous amount of procrastination and we all know that always leads to online shopping! I've discovered some lovely new products lately that have been making this dull, dreary month a little more bearable.

Skincare & Beauty
After writing my Beauty Wishlist at the end of January, I've vowed to start taking more care of my skin and instead of splurging on make-up this year I want to invest more into skincare. So, after months of lusting over Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate (£36) I finally took the plunge and parted with my money for this curious, 30ml bottle of face oil. And it definitely lives up to the hype! I've been using 3 drops of this every single night throughout February and every morning I wake up with radiant, hydrated and healthy looking skin. It adds a little luxury into my nighttime routine and the soothing smell of lavender is so comforting when I sleep. I also adore the bottle - it may be childish but I don't think I'll ever stop enjoying squeezing the little pipette and feeling like a chemist! The next item I ticked off my wishlist was the Nuxe Rêve de Miel Ultra Nourishing Lip Balm (£9.50). Whenever the cold, wintery weather arrives my lips have always suffered terribly but after using this balm every night for a week my lips had completely healed! I would point out that this is a really thick, intensive balm that I can still feel on my lips in the morning so if you're looking for a balm you can wear underneath lipstick I wouldn't recommend this one!

As for makeup, one product has actually managed to find its way into my everyday makeup routine. I've already written a review on bareMinerals Stroke of Light Eye Brightener* (£22) that you can read here and I can't stress how much I love this product! It adds a brightness under my eyes that instantly gives the illusion that I've had 10 hours sleep when, in reality, I've probably only had 6! Another favourite of mine from bareMinerals is their Retractable Precision Brush* (£19). Is it weird that I love the feel of this brush on my skin so much I could happily sit and stroke it all day? (yeah that's pretty darn weird Becki...) It's one of the softest brushes I've ever used and I love that it's retractable. I've been keeping this in my bag all month to top up my foundation/powder on the go and it applies my makeup beautifully and deposits the powder evenly and lightly on the skin.

You've probably all seen my previous post where I talk about the Essie polishes I managed to pick for £2.49 from Fragrance Direct. Although I've only had them for two weeks I just had to include Eternal Optimist in this post. Described by Essie as a 'spiced tea rose with a dash of cream' I haven't taken this off all week and I can see this becoming my go-to nail polish when I'm in the mood for something neutral and chic.

Fragrance
If you're wondering what's in the mysterious green box in the picture below then it's my current favourite perfume - Happ & Stahns Perfumers Rose Alba Parfum Tear Catcher (£24). If you click on the link you can see how beautiful the bottle is (I feel like I'm in The Great Gatsby when I use this!) and it has the most elegant, floral rose scent. I usually only use this on special occasions as it only contains 9ml but I adore it so much I think I might have to invest in the full size. If you have an Anthropologie close by you have to pop in and smell this - I can't express in words how amazing the scent is!

Beauty Subscription
You might have noticed, if you follow me on Instagram and Twitter, that this month I received my first ever My Little Box. I had every intention to write a blog post about it but as I didn't order it until the first week of February I only received this at the very end of the month. I'm usually fickle with subscription boxes and only decide to order once I've seen what's inside each box but I loved My Little Box so much I've kept my subscription. This month the My Little Frenchie Box had 4 amazing full sized beauty products (including a £23 By Terry eyeliner!) as well two adorable lifestyle products. Birchbox, I think our on and off relationship is officially over! Everything about My Little Box is perfect - even the design and illustrations are incredible! I cannot wait for my March box and if you were thinking of subscribing you can use this code: FIRSTBOX for free shipping so your box will only be £11!

Everything Else...
TV:  True Blood. Did you know I'm obsessed with shows about Vampires? I'm addicted to The Vampire Diaries but as I'm all caught up on the latest season my boyfriend and I decided to buy the entire box set of True Blood. And oh my god it's so, so good!
Music: Besides having T Swift's Style on repeat all month I've been listening to my boyfriend's spotify playlist whilst I've been working! You can check it out here if you'd like!
Food: Salted Pistachios - I can't stop eating them! Even if they do break my nails every single time I try to get one out of the shell!

What have you been loving in February? Let me know in the comments below!

x