The 5-Minute Face

I hate mornings, and the longer I can stay in bed the better. If you're the same, I'm sure you've experienced one of those days where you push snooze one too many times, leaving no time whatsoever to get ready.

Whenever this happens there's a certain makeup routine I do which I attempt to finish in around five minutes. Honestly, it's probably more like ten as I'll usually end up smudging something (notice the lack of eyeliner? There's no way I'd attempt that when I'm panicking!), but regardless this is definitely what I throw onto my face when I'm in a rush. I keep it fairly simple, and I'll throw concealer and powder in my bag for later on in the day.

Face: bareMinerals Blemish Remedy Mattifying Prep Gel, bareMinerals Complexion Rescue

Cheeks: Stila Convertible Colour in Cameilla , Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal

When it comes to the base, I'd rather pop on a primer and skip powder. I've been loving the bareMinerals Blemish Remedy Mattifying Prep Gel which was a favourite of mine last summer, and now the weather's getting a little warmer my oily T-Zone needs all the help it can get! The best thing about this primer is definitely the texture - the gel-like consistency is so lightweight and it feels really cooling on the skin. Afterwards, I'll apply one of my favourite tinted moisturisers, bareMinerals Complexion Rescue, and if I feel like I need concealer under my eyes that day I'll reach for my trust Collection Lasting Perfection concealer in Fair.

My Nighttime Skincare Routine

To be honest, my morning skincare is pretty minimal. Despite the fact that I'm usually walking around like a zombie, makeup brush in one hand and coffee in the other, I never actually leave myself enough time for a complicated routine before work.

This is why, for me, evenings are well and truly allocated to skincare and I've been using a combination or products lately, some new and some old, which have been working really well. I may have also made an exciting purchase from The Ordinary very recently to add to my routine too, but more on that in a few weeks time!

Favourite Products for Naturally Fuller Brows

Bigger, bolder brows are definitely here to stay. There are so many products on the market right now that are designed to help you fake that fuller brow that people are often spoilt for choice but as a girl with naturally fuller, and rather dark, eyebrows I've really struggled to find the perfect products for me. When all you need to do is to fill in a few gaps, neaten up an arch and somehow manage to get your brows to stay in one place you'll soon discover that a lot of products end up being way too intense and those naturally full brows end up looking quite ridiculous and rather harsh. I'm aware that I'm rather blessed to have an abundance of eyebrow hair, believe me I know how screwed I would be if I had to somehow draw on matching eyebrows, but when a look calls for a delicate, soft brow it can become so frustrating when it's almost impossible to achieve. 

One of my biggest brow issues (but ironically it's also one of the things I love the most) is the colour of my eyebrows. They're almost black and on my very pale skin it creates quite a stark contrast. With a little bit of bronzer it can look great but because of their deep pigment I'm not looking for any intensely pigmented products. Brow products that can be slowly built up to increase pigmentation or products that can add just a hint of colour are my best friends. Finding gaps in my brows has to be the most frustrating problem I face. Having to fill in my brows with such dark brown shades requires a very light hand and it's so easy to end up creating a block of colour that doesn't mimic a natural hair at all. The three products I'm featuring today are brilliant for people with naturally fuller brows for the many reasons that I'm about to list below but they're also excellent brow products in their own right. I think anyone would enjoy using them, even if you have quite sparse brows, if you're looking for products that excel in precision and leave a natural looking finish. 

Top 5 Nude Lip Products

Nude hues are slowly taking over my lip product collection. A few years back you'd be lucky to find anything even slightly neutral in my stash but now nude lip products are all I seem to buy. I still absolutely adore wearing a classic red lip now and again but nothing seems to effortlessly pull a look together like the perfect nude lip. Somehow I've managed what I thought would be impossible and I've whittled down my collection and selected my Top 5 Nude Lip Products to share with you. From barely there washes of colour to bolder, more solid mattes I think I've managed to cover every base. I suppose my Top 5 products are almost like a capsule wardrobe for the lips!

Here Comes the Sun with bareMinerals bareSkin Sheer Sun Serum Bronzer

Being on the paler side, bronzer can either be my best friend or my worst nightmare. Adding a touch of bronzer to my makeup is the easiest way for me to instantly look healthier and more alive but it's also so easy to go overboard when you have fair skin. When bareMinerals kindly sent over their bareSkin Sheer Sun Serum Bronzer* I was honestly a bit terrified of it which, in hindsight, was a bit ridiculous as the 'Sheer' element of the product was stated pretty clearly in the name. But I had never ventured into the world of cream or liquid (or in this case serum) bronzers before as I imagined them to simply be too intense for my pale skin. I can safely say that my fears were misguided and now I think I'm completely converted to the liquid bronzer trend. In fact, I'm so addicted to this product I'm literally pining for hot summer nights as my glowing complexion simply doesn't match the rubbish weather we're having in the UK at the moment.

The Concealer Everyone Is Talking About | bareMinerals BareSkin Serum Concealer

If you've read my blog before you're probably already aware that I'm bareMinerals's biggest fan. Whenever they release anything new I get incredibly excited but it's rather rare that the rest of the beauty world get as equally excited along with me. But bareMinerals's latest release, the bareSkin Complete Coverage Serum Concealer, has caused quite a stir in the past few weeks and it seems that every beauty blogger has been raving about it. Naturally I had to see what all the fuss was about so I picked mine up a few weeks ago in the lightest shade, Fair, for £22.00.

After falling in love last year with the Correcting Concealer from bareMinerals I had seriously high expectations for this new release and I have to admit that the hype that surrounds the bareSkin Complete Coverage Serum Concealer is definitely deserved. Whilst the Correcting Concealer is ideal for covering blemishes due to its thicker, creamy consistency the new bareSkin Serum is the perfect multitasker: it covers blemishes and discolouration wonderfully but it really excels in its ability to hide dark circles. The standout element of the bareSkin Serum Concealer is the consistency, it's probably the thinnest and most silky concealer I've ever used yet no coverage is compromised. And a little really really does go a long way with this. You wouldn't think it due to how thin it is but the Serum Concealer provides such high coverage and it layers up beautifully too. Due to the formula being so light it also leaves the skin looking natural, fresh and flawless without any of that dreaded creasing which always seems to happen under my eyes! Can you tell that I really love this yet? I honestly think it might be my new holy grail concealer.

Happy New Year | Favourites of 2015

2015 was definitely a year with major ups and downs for me but after a little social media detox I'm so excited to be back here and blogging again for 2016! As far as beauty products are concerned it was a year of so many amazing discoveries. My obsession with bareMinerals products reached new heights, I rediscovered Lush and I'm completely in love with the store again and I finally found a few holy grail skincare items that I honestly can't imagine living without. So, before I start to ramble on like I always tend to do (some things will never change!) let's get started with my makeup favourites of 2015.

Review | bareMinerals Blemish Remedy Foundation

 

If you look inside my everyday makeup bag you'll find what I like to call my 'Holy Trinity' of bases. The three bases cover me for any type of skin day and whether I'm having a terrible breakout or enjoying one of those rare but wonderful clear skin days I know my trio, either individually or combined, can tackle any skin situation. Until fairly recently the members of my Holy Trinity were as follows: bareMinerals Complexion Rescue (reviewed here) for those good skin days, Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation as a heavier base and my 'can-cover-anything' base: bareMinerals Original foundation. I'm telling you all this because something I never thought would happen has happened... the oldest member of my trio (a member for 7 years in fact!) has been replaced by bareMineral's new Blemish Remedy Foundation*. And that's one hell of a big deal! 

 

The new Blemish Remedy foundation has in fact replaced my bareMinerals Original foundation, the base I've repurchased more times than any other makeup product I've ever owned. As my skin has slowly been getting more oily over the past few years I've found the lovely glowing finish of the Original foundation has started to border on shiny after 4 to 5 hours wear. And as I'm not the biggest fan of a matte finish I've never made the switch to their Matte foundation. The reason I adore Blemish Remedy so much is that it applies and wears as beautifully as the original but the finish is absolutely perfect for my combination/oily skin. It glows from within, with an almost velvet finish, and it also helps battle any pesky blemishes in the process. And that new packaging... I cannot wait to talk to you about the new design! 

How is it different? 

For me, the new Blemish Remedy foundation gets an A* for application, wear-time and finish. In a similar way to the Original foundation the coverage is build-able, you can apply a light dusting across your face to even out your complexion or apply with a heavier hand to reach full coverage. The thing I adore about bareMinerals's Mineral Foundation line is that you can apply extra coverage to just the problem areas of your skin without your base looking uneven and it never has a cakey finish. Since I've now been gifted with oily skin, I find Blemish Remedy has a longer staying power than the Original for my skin type. One of Blemish Remedy's major selling points is its ability to reduce skin oil and in a survey of 102 women, 100% of them experienced this reduction. By comparing the two BM foundations directly I also witnessed this difference and instead of blotting at the 4 hour stage I felt that I didn't really need to blot at all throughout the working day! My skin had a lovely finish to it too, leaning slightly towards the matte side but with a hint of that glow the Original formula gives you.

Of course I can't talk about the Blemish Remedy foundation without discussing its blemish fighting properties. The added ingredients of Aspen Bark and Tea Tree Oil help tackle any pesky spots and even though this doesn't magically make spots disappear by the end of the day I definitely noticed a reduction in redness and it helps to soothe and calm those angry looking spots. You can certainly smell the Tea Tree Oil in Blemish Remedy (as soon as I opened it up I was hit with the smell which is actually quite refreshing!) but if you're not a fan of scented products don't worry, the smell doesn't linger when applied to the skin.

I've actually been testing this foundation since August and it has performed wonderfully in so many different situations. I've worn this in the heat, during some of my biggest breakouts and when I've had clear skin and I honestly can't find any fault with this. When I initially tried this throughout August I hardly had any blemishes all month and I was worried that the Aspen Bark and Tea Tree Oil would eventually dry my skin out if I wore it on a regular basis. Yet, my skin remained hydrated and healthy and I even noticed a reduction in the pores around my nose. BareMinerals have added Aloe to help soothe the blemishes but this special ingredient also helps keep the skin hydrated so there's no need to worry about dry, flaky skin which I find occurs with so many blemish fighting products!

Shade Range 

Blemish Remedy is available in 10 shades, ranging from 01 Clearly Porcelain (which is the shade I own) to 10 Clearly Almond. The range is significantly smaller than the Original formulation which offers 20 shades so I definitely recommend popping to a bareMinerals counter to get colour matched even if you're already a long time wearer of bareMinerals foundations. Hopefully they'll add more shades soon!

For reference, Clearly Porcelain is slightly lighter than my usual Original shade (I think I could also wear 02 Clearly Pearl but as this was a Press Sample I didn't swatch them side by side) but it suits me perfectly for this time of year. I usually wear Fairly Light in the Original foundation, Vanilla in Complexion Rescue and Light 1 in the Correcting Concealer!

Packaging

 

I cannot express how much I adore the packaging for Blemish Remedy! If you're one on those people who always forgets to twist the sifter back before popping the lid back on the Original foundation then the new design will literally change your life (you don't want to know how many times I've done this and found myself covered in foundation over the years!) And if you're not forgetful like I am... well the new packaging is simply much more of a pleasure to use. The design itself is sleeker and it feels much more luxurious and the new mesh device is really clever! I've found myself using less product because of it and much less foundation tends to escape onto my bathroom floor. The product is only released when you apply pressure to the mesh and you simply press your buffing brush down onto the mesh circle and the product is transferred directly into the brush. Then you just tap off any excess before applying to the skin.

Wearing bareMinerals Blemish Remedy in Clearly Porcelain* with Rimmel's Stay Matte Translucent Powder on top.

Blemish Remedy contains 6g of foundation and retails for £26.00 (the same price as the Original!) If you haven't guessed already I adore this foundation and if you're a fan of mineral products or suffering from oily skin then I'm sure you'll love this just as much as I do! I'm ridiculously excited for the rest of the range to make its way over from America too, I've already been having a snoop around Sephora! 

How do you feel about Mineral Foundation?

Would you be tempted to try bareMinerals's newest base?

* This post contains a Press Sample but as you probably all know by now all the enthusiasm, swooning and love for bareMinerals is completely my own!

bareMinerals Pop of Passion Lip Oil-Balms

This post has been sitting in my drafts for quite some time now and I've been itching to tell you about the new lip formula I've been absolutely obsessed with for the past few months. Ideally I really wanted to include swatches of these Oil-Balms on my lips but the changing weather has simply wreaked  havoc and my poor lips aren't exactly looking too fabulous right now. It happens every year, my lips are so sensitive (seriously any recommendations on intensive lip care would really appreciated! I've tried Nivea, Nuxe, Blistex... the lot!), so it's really my own silly fault for not swatching them earlier. So you'll simply have to live with some dodgy arm swatches for now, sorry guys!

Anyway, onto the gorgeous Pop of Passion Lip Oil-Balms from bareMinerals which I'm sure you've all heard of by now. I have three shades: Plumberry Pop*, Tangerine Pop* and Peach Passion and it's taken all of my willpower not to buy the entire collection. I was kindly sent the two 'Pop' shades from bareMinerals (alongside one of collection's Blush Balms which I've reviewed here) and I loved the formula so much I just had to pick up a more subtle Passion shade for the days when I was in the mood for a neutral lip. In total there are 8 colours in the collection, 4 Pop shades and 4 Passion shades, and for once I think I love every single colour!

July Favourites

July was a wonderful month for rediscovering old beauty favourites! I've been doing a lot of digging around in my beauty collection lately and I've realised how many products have been sitting around in my draws, completely unloved. In an attempt to save money and use up some of my makeup I've decided to switch up my everyday makeup routine by adding a new product from my existing beauty stash every singly day and I have to admit it's almost as fun as shopping itself!

The Cream Blush Crush

Cream Blush and I are having a bit of a moment. 

I've always been a powder finish kind of girl but my new found love for dewy natural looking skin has completely changed my relationship with the product. When bareMinerals kindly sent over one of their limited edition Blush Balms from the new Pop of Passion collection (which is fantastic by the way, expect another blog post very, very soon) I thought I might as well give cream blush another chance and I'm so thrilled that I did! My Blush Balm has sparked a cream blush obsession and when I pair it with my favourite lightweight base and liquid highlighter (which, if you were wondering, is Complexion Rescue and Becca's Shimmering Skin Perfector Spotlight Kit) I can finally achieve that perfect lightweight, healthy glowing base I've been striving for this summer! 

 bareMinerals Pop of Passion Blush Balm in Posy Passion*

My bareMinerals Blush Balm is, by far, my absolute favourite of the three cream blushes I'm featuring today and in all honesty it's probably my favourite cream blush that I've ever used... yup, ever. That's a pretty bold claim! Unsurprisingly, it's hardly left my cheeks since I was sent this and I instantly knew that it was going to be part of my graduation makeup from the second I tried it. I have Posy Passion*, a beautiful English Rose shade which is slightly lighter and more pink than the colour in my photograph. The reason I adore this blush so much is due its texture as it's much more silky than your average cream blush. It literally glides onto your fingers and across your cheeks and, as the name suggests, it is much more similar to a balm than a thicker cream product. Due to its consistency it adds a gorgeous glow to the cheeks and it even feels moisturising on my skin (something the next blush definitely doesn't do). The product is semi-sheer: one layer provides a lovely natural flush of colour which I find is perfect for everyday wear yet it is so easy to build up the colour. For evenings or special occasions I amp up the intensity and apply 3 thin layers. Despite the extra layers you'll be pleased to know that the glowing, luminous effect doesn't increase to an unnatural finish. It still looks beautiful on the skin and after a few hours wear it still remains intact, with the dewy glow only fading slightly.

I'm beyond devastated that these blushes are limited edition and I know I'm going to have to pick up at least one more shade before they disappear from the shelves. The Pop of Passion Blush Balms retail for £20.00 each and they're available online and in stores in 3 shades (Posy, Papaya and Natural). QVC also sell an additional two shades (Guava and Mauve) that are even more exclusive so if you're a regular QVC shopper you should definitely check them out!

Review | bareMinerals Complexion Rescue

bareMinerals Complexion Rescue* - RRP £26

If you haven’t heard of bareMineral’s Complexion Rescue by now I honestly don’t know where you could have possibly been hiding. Over the past few months this little base has been hyped about by the beauty community nonstop and for good reason. When bareMineral’s kindly gifted me their newest base in April I couldn’t contain my excitement. I started using it straight away and it hasn’t left my face since! I’ve been dying to write my review for such a long time but unfortunately for my blog it landed on my doorstep in the height of the most hectic two months of my University life and all I could do was try to survive writing my dissertation and get through my exams. Part of this survival was made so much easier by the wonderful Complexion Rescue and it has honestly been my holy grail beauty product throughout the final months of my degree. This little tube has been my partner in crime (seriously, it’s helped me deceive endless amounts of people and trick them into thinking I was a healthy person and not the zombie-like creature I was turning into!) and it’s battled through so many early mornings and sleepless nights with me. Now, as University is finally over it’s my companion in Marbella and my go-to base for the heat. So, even though I'm ridiculously late with my review of Complexion Rescue at least I can guarantee my readers that this little product has been thoroughly tried and tested in all sorts of conditions throughout the past three months! 

The Go-To Eyeshadow Duo

bareMinerals READY 2.0 Eyeshadow in The Nick of Time - £20*

This post has been on my 'To Write' list for absolutely ages and it is safe to say that this beautiful eyeshadow duo from bareMinerals no longer looks as pristine as it does in the photos above! Since I was kindly sent this a few months ago it has been well and truly loved and I don't think I have reached for anything else during the last few hectic months at University. Everybody needs a perfect matte brown and a neutral cream duo to put in their handbag and The Nick of Time* has become an absolute staple in makeup routine. 

The bareMinerals READY eyeshadows are serious rivals of my favourite Urban Decay shadows. The shadows are highly pigmented, particularly the darker shade Kismet, and they are so soft that they glide onto the lid and blend effortlessly. They have a smooth and buttery texture and they're just such a pleasure to use, especially when you're in a rush as there's never any need to worry about fall out. As for the shades, Chance is a lovely cream shade that I think would suit both warm and cool skin tones. It's primarily a matte shade but it has tiny, finely milled white glitter in it that adds a little bit of texture and dimension to a matte duo. For an everyday, subtle neutral eye I like to wash Chance over the lid, under the arch of my eyebrow and dab a tiny bit into my inner corner as a minimal highlight. The darker shade, Kismet, actually really surprised me. I didn't expect to love it as much as I do but it's truly one of the prettiest brown shades I own. I think I'm in love with the red, warm undertones of Kismet as it really makes my green eyes pop and there's just something different and unusual about it that sets it apart from the rest of my brown shadows. 

As for the packaging, it's just as sturdy and luxurious as the rest of the READY collection. The mirror is just the right size for touch ups and the little sponge applicator is actually quite handy and great quality. Usually I completely disregard the applicators as they fall apart but this one applies the shadows rather well. 

I've already added to my collection of bareMinerals READY shadows and picked up the Perfect 10 palette in one of their flash sales which contains 6 other eyeshadows that are just as lovely in formulation, pigmentation and application as The Nick of Time. I have my eye on The Hollywood Ending duo for its incredible green shade Dazzle and The Dream Sequence quad.

Have you tried any of the READY eyeshadows? Or do you have any of your wishlist?

I'd love to know in the comments below!

*contains a PR sample.

Spring Blushes from bareMinerals!

Spring is definitely my favourite time of the year to experiment with blush. During the winter months I usually opt for a fairly basic base and amp up my makeup with a dark lip and in the summer I'm much more focused on transforming into a bronzed goddess. As the weather finally begins to reach double figures here in England I've started to change up my makeup routine and I've been reaching for two blushes in particular lately, both of which I was lucky enough to receive as gifts. The first, Vintage Peach by bareMinerals*, was kindly sent for me to review and the second, Love Radiance, was a Christmas present from my boyfriend's Gran which seems to suggest my love for bareMinerals is becoming pretty darn obvious (and perhaps borderline obsessive? Haha!) 

Before I delve into reviewing the products, I thought it would be useful to feature which makeup brushes I use to apply the blush as I've found it's so easy to overdo it with a loose powder blush! When I first started using loose powder blushes I made the mistake of grabbing my regular Sigma SS168 angled brush which applied way too much blush onto my cheeks! Instead I like to tap a little bit of blush out into the lid, take my bareMinerals Tapered Blush brush* and focus on the apples of my cheeks, applying it in small circular motions. Afterwards, I apply a little bit more blush onto my very old and well loved bareMinerals Light Stroke Fan brush (which sadly you can't buy anymore - yes, it's that old! It's from back in the i.d. days!) and I lightly sweep it across my cheeks which helps to blend whilst adding a little extra colour.

 
Vintage Peach* is possibly the prettiest and most flattering blush I own. It reminds me of a toned down and more peachy NARS Orgasm. Vintage Peach also has golden, shimmery particles in it which I love and I can imagine this will look even more incredible with a tan! The blush is fairly pigmented but it's not too intense so it's definitely a buildable shade if you'd like to amp up the colour for the evening. Unlike a lot of powder blushes that I own, this isn't chalky and after application it doesn't make the face appear powdery at all. In fact, I've found it blends into the skin really nicely and leaves an almost creamy texture. The finish looks very natural and the shimmer is so pretty that I often find myself skipping highlighter when I use this! As with all the loose powder I've tried from bareMinerals, the product is really pigmented so a little really does go a long way! Vintage Peach contains 0.85g of product and retails for £20.

Love Radiance is a limited edition all-over face colour which came with the Glow All The Way set this Christmas. You can actually use the bareMinerals All-Over Face colours in a variety of ways but for this particular shade I love using it as a subtle blush. Despite it appearing rather dark on the lid, my swatch below shows how it leaves a beautiful, peachy orange tint to the skin. I usually opt for the shade when I want a more natural look or if I'm contouring my face and, even though it hasn't translated that well in my swatch, it leaves a beautiful glow to the skin. It has the same, creamy texture as Vintage Peach and blends easily across the cheeks. 

Swatches (left to right): Love Radiance (swatched quite heavily) and Vintage Peach.

What blushes are you reaching for this Spring?
Let me know in the comments below!

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

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

The Perfect Eye Brightener | bareMinerals Stroke of Light

bareMinerals - Stroke of Light £22.00*

If there's one part of my face I've always struggled to cover with makeup it has to be my under-eye circles. For most of my teenage life I suffered from insomnia and I've only recently managed to fall asleep within an hour of putting my head on a pillow. Years of sleeplessness, alongside being a complete and utter night owl (I'm most productive at night!), has left me with some rather shocking under-eye circles that are not just dark but are rather sunken in appearance too. After trying so many different kinds of concealers, and even the YSL Touche Eclat many years ago, I've never managed to find a product that achieved that fresh, I've had 8 hours of sleep last night look. So, when bareMinerals' Stroke of Light* appeared on my doorstep I didn't have any high expectations for it. It had one mighty task ahead of it and my under eye circles were ready - after a series of 3 a.m. bedtimes they were never in a better - or shall I say worse - condition to put Stroke of Light to the test. 

Personally, I've found Stroke of Light to work best over the top of my concealer as opposed to wearing it alone but ladies with lighter, less dramatic circles could easily use this alone to add a little bit of coverage and brightness! The Eye Brightener is available in four different shades - Luminous 1 to 4 - and I currently own the lightest shade. Luminous 1 is a very pink, creamy brightener and I find it tackles the purple/blue toned darkness of my under-eye circles amazingly. Just look at the photograph below, can you see how the almost bruised, sunkenness of the left eye has disappeared?

Left: Collecton 2000 concealer and Stroke of Light  //  Right: Collection 2000 concealer in Fair only.

(Sorry for the slightly blurry photograph - this was the best of a bad bunch. I need to work on photographing my own face, I tend to go cross-eyed when I put a camera right in front of my eyes! Not an attractive look! Haha!) 

Most of the initial redness has been hidden by my Collection 2000 concealer (and we all know how amazing that is!) but even after I've applied concealer I always find that I still look quite tired. However, once I've applied Stroke of Light under my eyes my entire face appears to light up and I feel as though I've just gained 5 hours of sleep just by applying a light layer! The only thing I didn't quite manage to capture completely in my photograph is the product's ability to reflect light. Stroke of Light really manages to diffuse darkness without adding any undesired sparkle and it honestly looks even more effective in person.

The effectiveness of the product couldn't be much better in my opinion, but what about the application/longevity of the product I hear you ask? I use the doe foot applicator and dab a small amount on the inner corners of my eyes and a stroke across my under eye area. The product glides onto the skin and I use my finger to lightly blend it in. It has a very creamy, but sheer, texture and it feels almost silky when blended. This sheerness is perfect when applying Stroke of Light on top of concealer as it provides a little more coverage and a brightening effect without making the under eye area cakey and feel heavy. One thing I'm always cautious of is adding even more product under the eyes but Stroke of Light is almost weightless and pretty much unidentifiable on the skin. It just sinks into the skin and brightens the areas my concealer hasn't covered. Almost like magic! I usually set this very lightly with powder and voila! I look wide awake all day (even when I'm craving caffeine and trying not to fall asleep in lectures!) and after setting it lightly with powder I find it lasts at least 8 hours without any signs of creasing.

Stroke of Light also claims to, over time, reduce the appearance of fine lines under the eyes and so far I have seen a slight improvement! Even though the pesky lines may still be visible they have reduced a little (I used to have two prominent lines underneath each eye) so I can't wait to see what happens after using this product for a few months! 

After speaking to one of the lovely make-up artists at bareMinerals I also discovered that you can use Stroke of Light as a highlighter - applying it across the cheeks, down the nose and above the cupids bow! It's such a handy product to have in your bag and it's something I don't think I'm going to be able to live without. I'll be running to the counter to repurchase this the second it runs out!

Have you tried Stroke of Light before? Let me know what you think in the comments below!

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Review | bareMinerals Lasting Line Long-Wearing Eyeliner in Forever Brandy

Lasting Line Long-Wearing Eyeliner in Forever Brandy c/o bareMinerals - £14*

I've always been a long time lover of eyeliner and until recently I thought nothing could be better than super pigmented, black liquid liner. To me it was a look that could go with absolutely everything but recently, on days where I've been wearing a lighter, fresher make-up look, I've been feeling a little disappointed and unsatisfied every time I add my trusty liquid liner to my eyes. Maybe it's because I'm feeling inspired by the many 'no make-up' make-up looks that are dominating my Pinterest feed but liquid liner is just too harsh for my minimal make-up days. So, just as I was on the hunt for an alternative liner, bareMinerals kindly sent me their Lasting Line eyeliner in Forever Brandy to try out.

Forever Brandy is a beautiful brown/black shade with a hint of purple that really brings out the green in my eyes and adds a little warmth to the liner. The swatch above, and the colour of the liner itself, really doesn't reflect how pretty this liner is as the muted purple undertones only really appear when I add this to my eyes. It's beautifully subtle and the mixture of black, brown and purple is really flattering and helps me eyes to pop. The liner has the creamiest texture and it glides along the lids so smoothly, reminding me a lot of the Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof eyeliner but I find the bareMinerals Lasting Line eyeliner easier to smudge.

I prefer to create a light line across the top of my lids, smudging it in my lashes and creating a small, pointed finish to the line by using the angled smudge tip. The liner also looks lovely underneath the bottom lashes but I find it doesn't stay on my waterline very well although not many liners do and this is something I've always had trouble with even with the Stila liner! Maybe I have very watery eyes? Who knows? In every other form of application I find this eyeliner lasts all day: it doesn't smudge on my lids or under my bottom lashes and I don't have to worry about reapplication during the day.

The design of the product is something I'm a huge fan of, the liner itself feels light and smooth in my hand and the twist-up pencil makes blunt eyeliner a thing of the past. The smudge tip on the other end of the liner makes smoky eyes really easy and if you pop this out it reveals a little sharpener for times when you want a precise, fine line (and it's also really tiny and cute!) The liner contains 0.35g / 0.012 oz of product which, when I've looked at the rest of my eyeliners, seems to be standard eyeliner size and it retails for £14.

The bareMinerals Lasting Line Long-Wearing Eyeliners come in a variety of colours that are all wearable and beautiful. As well as a black liner and a variety of brown liners they also have some really pretty coloured liners. I currently have my eye on Infinite Sage, a gorgeous Olive shade, and Nonstop Navy which contains tiny little pieces of glitter!

Have you tried the bareMinerals Lasting Line Long-Wearing Eyeliners? Let me know your favourite eyeliner in the comments below!

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Getting READY with bareMinerals! (Bronzer, Touch Up Veil & Luminizer Review)

(starting from bottom left) READY Luminizer Duo in The Love Affair and The Shining Moment*, READY Bronzer in The Deep End*, READY Touch Up Veil in Medium* c/o bareMinerals. 

If you know me in 'real' life then my love for bare Minerals won't come as a surprise to you. I've been wearing their Original SPF15 Foundation for over 5 years now and their foundation is probably my most repurchased make-up product of all time. Due the foundation's holy grail status, bareMinerals has become one of my favourite brands. I've tried out a lot of their loose powdered products, from eye shadows to blushes, and I've even picked up a few of their brushes along the way but I've never really explored their READY range. After declaring my love for the brand in a way that just sounded a lot like a teenage love letter, I suppose you can now imagine my sheer excitement when a lovely lady named Ally from bareMinerals contacted me and sent me the above products to review. As always, my honest and unbiased opinion is given but, after testing the products out for the past week, I have to say that my love for the brand is still unfaltering.

 I suppose you could say you had me at 'Hello' bareMinerals... (sorry - I had to!) 

bareMinerals READY Touch Up Veil - £22*

As a big fan of Mineral Veil, I was really excited to test out the READY Touch Up Veil. Like Mineral Veil, Touch Up Veil is a finishing powder that helps control shine and leave the face looking flawless by smoothing out lines and diffusing the look of imperfections. It almost has an airbrush effect and when you touch your skin after application it's left feeling soft and silky! I do, however, think there is a misconception with the product and the expectations about it simply being a compressed version of Mineral Veil. I can't speak for the Translucent shade but I think Touch Up Veil does more than Mineral Veil does - as well being a great finishing powder it also provides a little bit of coverage! I think Touch Up Veil would be beautiful to use alone in the summer for a hint of coverage and colour. (bonus - it contains SPF 15!) The formulation is probably one of my favourite things about the product, the powder is so fine it builds up upon the skin easily and never becomes cakey which is something I often find happening when I try to apply powders during the day. I also love the packaging, its sturdy as well as chic and I love the big mirror. I'm a big fan of this product and it's tempting me to test out the READY Foundation too!

The product is currently available in 4 shades - Translucent, Light, Medium and Tan. I wear Fairly Light in bareMinerals foundation so when I received the Medium shade I was slightly worried that it would be too dark for my skin. However, it's a perfect match as the product itself is quite sheer and I'd honestly say Medium would work for a large range of light to medium skin tones. The Light shade is only a tiny bit darker than Translucent so unless you're really fair I'd advise you to swatch them both in store (I may have spent a lot of time there this weekend!)

bareMinerals READY Bronzer - £24*

Quite accurately named The Deep End, this is the darkest shade of the bareMinerals READY bronzer collection and when I first looked at it in the compact myself and my pale skin quivered a little. As a long time wearer of Warmth (an amazing bareMinerals product everyone has to try!),I've learnt to use bronzer sparingly but The Deep End, as daunting as it may be in the compact, isn't as dramatic or pigmented as Warmth and it really compliments my skin tone. When applied with a light hand this bronzer leaves a gorgeous, golden bronzed glow without looking dull or orange and it lasts throughout the entire day! It may be the darkest bronzer in my collection but it's actually the most natural shade - The Deep End avoids the orange tinge and provides a sun kissed tint to the skin whilst adding definition to my face. 

The formulation feels very similar to the Touch Up Veil - smooth, silky and quite sheer in comparison to the colour in the compact (but it's not really light due to it being the darkest shade!). I think it's this sheerness that makes me adore The Deep End, I can use the tiniest amount to achieve a lightly bronzed look during the winter and the product will follow me into the summer months and still cater for my bronzing and contouring needs. If you're not feeling as brave, the READY Bronzer also comes in two lighter shades - The Skinny Dip and The High Dive (how adorable are the names?!)

bareMinerals READY Luminizer Duo - £24*

Right - The Love Affair | Left - The Shining Moment

It's okay to fall head over heels in love with a beauty product? Thanks to the Luminizer Duo my boyfriend now has serious competition over who, or what, owns my heart (I'm kidding Dan - I love you really!) 

The READY Luminizer Duo in The Love Affair and The Shining Moment is so silky it almost feels like a cream product and the soft, finely milled powder applies so beautifully it adds a healthy, glowing from within look to any complexon. I've always been a huge fan of anything that can provide my skin with a youthful, subtle glow and this product is everything I've been looking for. It's a pigmented product without being too overwhelming and it gives my everyday make-up that little something it has been missing. There's no glitter or shimmery chunks to be found here - just a gorgeous illuminating sheen.

The left side is 'The Love Affair', a dusty rose gold, which I sometimes use instead of wearing a blush on days when I'm seeking a tiny bit of colour. The right side is 'The Shining Moment', a warm golden shade that is a bit more dramatic and pigmented than The Love Affair. Each illuminating powder can be worn separately or you can blend them together (I sweep my brush across in an 'S' shape) which is my favourite way of wearing the product! The READY Luminizer Duo is such a pretty product to have in your make-up collection; it's candlelight in a compact!

Have you tried any of the READY collection by bareMinerals? Let me know in the comments below!

P.S - If you were wondering what I use to apply the Touch Up Veil on the go I use this cute retractable Precision Face brush* which fits in my travel make-up bag! (it's also reaaaally soft) For Bronzer and Luminizer I use a fan brush which allows me to apply a small amount of product onto my face and slowly build up colour! 

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