bareMinerals Original Foundation Sample

Sweet baby Jesus. Let me warn you now, in this review I'm going to do nothing but sing praises for bareMinerals Original loose foundation. I recently picked up my free sample from my local bareMinerals counter, using a voucher that I received by liking their Facebook page. If you're interested in getting your hands on one, click here and followed the instructions, offer ends 30th April!

I received my sample in the shade 'Fairly light', which I believe is their lightest neutral-to-yellow toned colour, and also the most adorable little kabuki brush in which to apply it. Having never used mineral makeup before I wasn't totally sure how to apply it, but the little booklet provided instructed me to swirl some of the product into the lid, tap away the excess then buff into the skin; easy stuff. Having moisturised my face, I proceeded to apply the foundation without a primer so that I was able to have an accurate feel of how it worked and looked as the day progressed. Even though the brush stand at around 2 inches tall, it did a great job of applying the foundation and found the application took much faster than I originally thought.

I usually wear liquid or cream foundations, my favourite of which is MAC Studio Sculpt foundation in NC15, then set with the Studio Fix powder. While this achieves a nice enough finish, I find that it just doesn't last that well throughout the day, even when used with a setting spray. Another thing that I find with all my foundations is that they settle into my pores, regardless of the primer I use, and seem to start breaking up on my skin in areas like my eyes, laugh lines and round my nose. The bareMinerals Original loose foundation did none of this. While my pores were still slightly visible (which is expected as they're about the size of pound coins) it did not accentuate them, and even after wearing for 12 hours the foundation did not settle into them. For me, the finish is phenomenal. No other word for it. The foundation claims to give a luminous finish, which it certainly does no doubt about it. However for me it is slightly too glowy, which is perhaps my only minor complaint, but this was easily fixed by dusting a very light of MAC Studio Fix powder over the top.

I have extremely dark freckles across my nose and cheeks, and while there are those who accept/love freckles, I hate mine with an absolute passion. Nothing I have ever used can cover them up unless I pile on about an inch of product, which lets face it isn't cool, but this mineral foundation not only lightened them considerably (see pictures below) but completely evened out my complexion and still managed to look like a second skin, even after a second layer being applied in my problem areas.

Twice now I have worn it for period of about 12 hours and it has lasted amazingly, especially as it claims to have an 8 hour staying ability. In fairness I did I have to make one or two touch ups throughout the day just to tone down the natural luminosity of the foundation, but that is down to personal preference rather than the performance of the product itself. I even wore it to the gym once (an accident rather than on purpose, I hate wearing make up to the gym and think its pointless) and it lasted perfectly throughout my long and dare I say sweaty workout. 

This is how the foundation looks in natural light; I'm standing right in front of a large window here so that the lighting is nice and even. I decided to put these images in straight from the camera, so that no post production, even the slightest, would alter how this foundation photographs. It has come out slightly warmer than it looks in reality, I am a little bit more neutral than the colour you see here, but its the finish that really matters. In both images, I am wearing nothing but the foundation on my face, so that nothing distracts away from my skin.

Here I have used my camera's inbuilt flash, which has lead to a very colour accurate image. Even with the SPF of 15 and Titanium Dioxide present in the formulation, no flash back has occurred! This may vary slighting depending on the intensity of the flash e.g. from a flash gun or harsh studio lighting, but I think I am pretty confident in saying that even in these cases it would not be drastic.

I am so impressed with this foundation and how it has worked on my skin that I think a purchased of the full sized product is inevitable in the near future. I already have a vast foundation collection, which is what's holding me back, but have nothing similar to this as all the others are liquid or cream foundations. Also at a price point of £25 and being a poor student, it seems hardly justified, though just yesterday I was lucky enough to stumble across it on Feel Unique for £19.95! *link* Using that logic and from seeing the results I really can't deny myself such a wonderful product, now isn't that a shame!

This has turned out to be a rather long review! Sorry for rambling on, I just wanted to let everyone know how great this product is, specially if you're a freckled girl like me in desperate need of finding something that works.

Have any of you tried this foundation? What are your thoughts on it? Let me know!

NOTD: Sparkling Lavender

Now that it is officially spring I have found the need to whip out the lighter and more refreshing colours from my nail varnish collection. Yes, I know pastel purple is such a stereotypical shade, but it is one that I haven't worn in a very long time, as my girly-er shades tend to get shoved to the back of the shelf. So this won' t be a very long, interesting post, just thought I would share what's currently going down on my nails.

As a base I used the Collection 2 in 1 Strengthener and Hardener, followed by two coats of Barry M Berry Ice Cream and then finished with a generous coat of Models Own Jack Frost, which is hands down my favourite glitter top coat (which is a pretty prestigious position as I do love my glitter polishes!)

What's your favourite glitter top coat?

Forever 21 Haul

I know spring had barely sprung, but I have already made my first summery purchases of the year! I had a free shipping and 10% off code from Forever 21, so of course couldn't pass up the opportunity to bring some colour into my monochromatic wardrobe.

Black Floral Crop Top // £6.50 *link*

I seem to really be loving floral print at the moment, and loved the cute detailing at the back of this crop top. It does show the back strap of bras, but my long hair will cover that nicely, or would look really nice with a cute bandeau underneath.

Cream Floral Crop Top // £5.50 *link*

Another flowery crop top, this time something lighter as I only seems to have dark colours in my wardrobe, so I am surprised that my inner vampire liked this one. I do have a weak spot for roses, so that may be why!

Crocheted Cutie Shorts // £10.50 *link*

I couldn't keep the black at bay completely, but managed to keep things a bit girly with the lace detailing at the bottom. These are really light and loose, so will be really comfy and cool in the summer (fingers crossed that we do eventually get some warm weather!)

Tropical Frond Knit Shorts // £7.25 *no longer available*

My favourite item from the bunch, I absolutely adore these shorts and cannot wait till its warm enough to wear them! Something that I never thought I would like in a million years, yet they look great on and will definitely be well worn in the summer.

Mint Ankle Length Leggings // £3 *link*
Having a legging collection comprising of 95% black, with one grey and one burgundy pair thrown in, I thought it was time to splash some colour in that department too. These are really nice quality, completely opaque and nicely stretchy.

I wanted to do some outfit photographs to show what these pieces look like on, but the weather has been so awful that I haven't been able to venture outside, and its been so dark that pictures don't look too great, especially to compliment these summer items!

What clothing items are you looking to purchase for the summer?

Food Heaven

So for the last week and a bit I have been staying with my boyfriend at his uni, and whenever we are together we just love to have takeaways and eat bad food, its kind of tradition. This is why I haven't made any posts as I don't have many beauty products here with me! So instead I hope you have fun drooling over this food porn. 

Above is the bacon burger I had from Five Guys, complete with lettuce, onion, tomato and green pepper. Holy Cow. If you haven't been to a Five Guys then you better get your ass down there sharpish! This is hands down the most amazing burger I have ever had in my life. Ever. The only downside is the price, as it cost a staggering £8! Yes you read that correctly! It is so worth it though, as I'm not one to spend without good cause and have already been back for my second pile of goodness.

Some good old chicken chow mien, which I also had with a serving of beef in black bean sauce and of course some prawn crackers.

Someone then recommended an Italian dessert bar called Creams, so of course we had to go and check it out! Rory (le boyfriend) and I can handle our fast food pretty damn well, so we went in there expecting to be able to demolish half the menu no problem. I had the chocolate and strawberry waffle and he had the m&m one, and these monster where the size of dinner plates. The serving of toppings were insanely generous, and dear lord were they filling! I shamefully couldn't eat all of mine and required some help to clear the plate! It was insanely tasty thug, so we will definitely be making another trip there next time I am over.

I hope I haven't made you too hungry! What's your favourite takeaway/place to eat out?

Skincare favourites: The Body Shop Vineyard Peach

Scent made by the gods. That is the best why I can describe the way these two products smell. I honesty can't get enough of them, it's just one of those fragrances I have clicked with and I am so sad that they never made a body mist version of it because I would have stocked up on those big time!

For me, one of the best parts of having a shower is the moisturising afterwards. Who doesn't love the soft skin inducing and wonderful aromas that comes with it! In my opinion, nothing can beat the deep and long lasting moisturising of a body butter, especially when they smell so damn wonderful. I won't bother reviewing the actual body butter itself as I am sure you all know how they work and how brilliant they are!
When paired with the shower gel the smell is amazingly intense, but not so much that you turn into a walking fruit bowl. It's the kind of fragrance that makes you unashamedly sniff yourself every now and then to get a stronger hit of the goodness.

The only negative with these products is that they are no longer available! I was on The Body Shop's website recently looking for potential Mother's Day gifts and my beloved Vineyard Peach was no where to be found! Well, apart from in lipgloss form, but that just wont cut it! Im hoping that they are still available in stores, so will definitely be checking next time I go shopping.

Graze Boxes

Having made it to my 9th box now, I thought it was about time that I shared my thoughts on the Graze nibbleboxes. To make a long story short, I absolutely love these! 

So for those of you who may be wondering what the hell these little packages are, let me give a brief overview. Graze was started by 7 friends who wanted to get more from their snacking, and so wanted to provide a service that could offer snacks full of flavour and health benefits. They have vast range of snacks from sweet to savoury  indulgent to super healthy, so there is something for everyone. You receive your first box for free, which requires your card details, but you are free to cancel your subscription at any time.

For £3.83 (for the basic box) you get four little punnets, each containing a different snack. There are various categories of snack on their website, and you simply give each a snack a rating (bin, try, like and love). Depending on your rating, the snacks you rate most highly are the ones you will receive most often, with a few 'try's thrown in every now and then to give you something new to experiment with. You can see what is coming in your box a few days before (or keep it as a surprise like I do) and after each box you are invited to re-evaluate your opinions on the snack you received so your future boxes will only be full of your favourite treats!

I receive mine on a bi-weekly basis, and look forward to receiving them every time. They are great for me to pop in my bag and take to uni, and I always get people interested in what they are. Whilst my favourites aren't the healthiest options available from Graze (as pictured above) they all have some form of benefit, whether it be low calorie, full of fibre or are bursting with vitamins and minerals, and even the more indulgent choices feel completely guilt free!

I can't recommend their flapjacks enough, oh god and their sticky toffee pudding is to die for!

If you're interested in giving these boxes a go, use the code ELINOR2XB to get your 1st, 5th and 10th box free! I'd love to hear if any of you guys have tried them, or if you're thinking of giving them a go!