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Sunday 13 December 2015

Girly Gift Guide-Stocking Fillers


Who else is sooo excited for Christmas?! The weather is making it a little difficult to get some shopping done I know, but if you're out and about and feel like picking up a few stocking fillers, here's a few ideas to get you started. 


Wet N' Wild Comfort Zone Palette 


This lovely palette costs around €4.50 and it has some of the nicest colours I've used. The dark shimmer colours are so comparable to MAC pigments and the pigmentation is outstanding for under €5.00! 


Travalo Refillable Perfume 


This is such a genius idea-I wish I thought of it! Basically, you can fill this up with any perfume and take it with you on the go. SO handy for nights out or traveling. I was sceptical about it at first to be honest but it works really well! You can find it here and on loads of other sites too. The price varies depending where you look. 


Wet N' Wild Matte Lipstick 


My love for these lipsticks is real. The colours are gorgeous, they're so affordable and the shade Bare It All, as shown above, is veeerryyy similar to MAC's Velvet Teddy ;) These will run you about €3.00 and trust me, everyone will love them. 


NYX Butter Glosses 


There's no way you can go wrong with NYX. The Butter Glosses are some of my favourite lip products. The colour payoff is brilliant, they're not sticky and they smell lovely too! The price varies in most places but I think they should be under €7.00, and so worth it. 


Anything From Colourpop Cosmetics 



This is a random one, but if you feel like doing some online shopping, it's definitely worth having a look at Colourpop. Their liquid lipsticks rival most high end brands, and the cream eyeshadows are out of this world. Their stuff is so affordable too. 


Fake Eyelashes 


You can never have enough in my opinion! I think they'd make a really nice stocking filler. 


NYX Matte Lipsticks 


Obsessed isn't even the word for these lipsticks. The one in the picture is called Alabama and it's gorgeous, but if you're looking for a really beautiful wine colour, Siren is the way to go. 


Soap And Glory Minis 


Who doesn't love Soap And Glory? Their products look so pretty and they smell divine. They have loads of little products that wont break the bank and they last a long time too! 


Lush Christmas Range 


Lush have some amazing Christmas products-they're so cute and all handmade too! Also who can deny that they smell amaaazing! 


Hot Chocolate Kit 


Including this because I think it's such a cute idea and you could definitely make it yourself. 



Adorable Hand Warmers 


These handwarmers are sooo cute! Just click the pic to go to the link where you can check them out! 


Manatea Infuser 


Once again how cute is this little guy? Especially important because everyone in Ireland loves tea! Click the pic if you'd like to find out more. 


Revlon Nail Polishes 


These are some of the best nail polishes around. They're long lasting, really affordable and just look at the sparkles! 


Cute Socks 


Because it wouldn't be Christmas without them. 


Sleek Precious Metals Highlighting Palette 

Sleek have brought out some new highlighting palettes and they're beautiful. I was so excited to try these as I'm a huge fan of their blushes and contour palettes, and I wasn't disappointed. This would be perfect for anyone who'd like to try highlighting or someone who's new to makeup. That being said, I'm sure anyone would like this in their collection. 


Bleach London Super Cool Colours 



These temporary hair dyes really are super cool-I just love their colours. They smell amazing and they're such a good idea for someone who'd like to try something different with their hair but might be scared to dye it permanently. Find them right here 

Hopefully this help you all find some lovely little presents for your friends and family. 

Happy shopping! 

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Tuesday 10 November 2015

TOP 5 UNDERRATED MAKEUP BRANDS

There are brands out there that the whole world adores, like MAC, L'Oreal and NARS, and there's no denying they make fantabulous products. In my opinion there are brands out there with amazing products that I don't hear that much about. Here are my top picks of some stupendous brands that deserve a little more recognition!

I know Avon are well known, but they're seriously underrated in my opinion.
 
Products Worth Trying 

They have the most gorgeous lipsticks and their face creams are great too! Every nail polish I've used has been so long lasting which is a huge plus for me. Avon Ideal Flawless is one of the best foundations I've used-I prefer it to loads of high end brands! Their BB creams are also worth a try. 

The love I have for Milani is real! I don't know anyone here who uses it, and I can't figure out why it's not big in Ireland. 

Product's Worth Trying

The blush in the picture is Luminoso, which I love just as much as Estée Lauder's Lover's Blush-and I looove that blush! They also do incredibly pigmented eyeshadows and fantastic liquid eyeliners. They have an amazing eyeshadow primer which I actually prefer to Urban Decay's! They're definitely worth checking out on Amazon. 


Jordana is another brand I stumbled upon online and I just love it. They have such pretty packaging and you can be almost certain you're getting a great product that wont break the bank.

Products Worth Trying

Their lipliner Tawny is one of the nicest I've used, and their Best Lash Extreme can rival most holy grail mascaras, pharmacy and high end. The matte lipstick range is lovely and they're such good quality for the price! 

I'm so happy I found this brand! They seem to be getting a little more attention on social media these days, and with good reason!

 Products Worth Trying 

 ColourPop have the most pigmented cream eyeshadows I've ever seen! There are countless fun colours to choose from too and they're such good value, considering the quality is like something you'd usually be paying big bucks for. Their lippie stix in the shade Brills has stolen my heart-I feel bad for my other lipstick because it's all I've been using lately! 

Okay, I know everyone knows Revlon but I can't seem to find it anywhere except for Boots which I don't understand!

Products Worth Trying
 
 Revlon have some of the best foundations I've tried, my favourites being Nearly Naked and Colorstay Whipped. They have amazing lip butters and their Colorstay lip liner is my one true love. If you're looking for a lovely strobing *cough-highlighting* product, the photoready skinlights are absolutely brilliant. I could go on forever about how much I love Revlon, but I'll just leave it at that and hope it reappears in more shops :) 
This list was so much fun to write! Hopefully it's helpful to anyone looking to change things up a bit and try new makeup brands. 
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Friday 6 November 2015

Review: Úna Brennan Rose Hydrate Radiance Day Cream

I'm a huge fan of hydrating, radiating skin products, so when I saw this product in Boots I had to try it. I've tried a few products from the Úna Brennan range and I've loved them all-this day cream is no exception. 



If you have sensitive skin like me, you'll love this. My poor face tends to breakout with so many products-even the ones that bloggers swear were created for sensitive skin by the gods themselves. Not this one though!

When you first apply this it might seem a bit too shimmery, but give it a second and it sets to a lovely demi-matte finish. It'll hydrate and tone your complexion while giving it a beautiful dewy effect. This is such a nice primer too and I think it smells lovely. It's great value for money in my opinion as a little really goes a long way. It kinda reminds me of more expensive face creams that people rave about...only I never really think they're worth the money ;) 
You can find this lovely little face cream in Boots and it'll run you about €15. 

Happy shopping! 

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Tuesday 27 October 2015

Amazing Lip Products Under 10 Euro



1: Natural Collection Moisture Shine Lipstick in Raspberry-€2.79
This is such a gorgeous colour and it looks so pretty in pictures. The quality is so good too and it's cheap as chips. 
2: Milani Lip Intense Liquid Lip Colour in Pink Rave- €4.89 

You'll have to do a little online shopping for this one but it's worth it! Milani is such an underrated brand and their products are incredible. These lip colours are so pigmented and long lasting too. They apply like lipgloss but don't have that horrible sticky texture. I'll definitely be adding more to my collection. 
3.NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Istanbul- 8.65

This is hands down one of the best lip products I've used. The texture is lovely and not drying at all, and there are so many gorgeous colours to choose from. These are long lasting too and I can't wait to try them all! Yay! 

4. Revlon Colorstay Lip Liner - €7.26 

When it comes to lip liner, this is my one true love. It's so comparable to high end lip liners and it's so long lasting! It compliments so many lipsticks perfectly too, and I even prefer it to some MAC liners that other people can't seem to live without. 

5. Essence Long Lasting Nude Lipstick in Come Naturally - €3.45 

Love love love this lipstick! I've been looking for a shade like this for ages now and I finally found it! The finish is gorgeous; not too matte but not too silky either and the colour is amazing. I can't get over the quality for the price. 

6. Jordana Lip Liner in Tawny - 2.26

This is another purchase I made online and I'm so happy I did. Jordana is an incredible makeup brand that deserves a lot more praise. Their products are affordable and such good quality too. It's such a pretty colour and really reminds me of some MAC liners to be honest!

7. Rimmel Apocalips - 8.65

I'm sure you've heard about this product by now, because every beauty blogger in blogger land went crazy for it! This is still one of my faves and I'll definitely be adding more to my collection soon. The colour payoff is amazing and it's long lasting too. 

8. Wet N' Wild Matte Lipstick in Bare It All- 2.99

This lipstick is amazing. If you have to buy anything from this list, this is the one I really recommend. All the shades are beautiful and the finish is so high end. This one just so happens to be my favourite though because it's verryyyy similar to Velvet Teddy by Mac ;) 

9. Wet N' Wild Megalast Liquid Lip Colour in Pinkerbell - 2.72

Okay so I partly got this because I thought the name was cute, but I really like it. I'm not going to say it's the best lip product I've ever used, but for the price the colour payoff is great, and it stays pretty well. If you have very dry lips you should make sure they're well moisturised before applying this. 

10. NYX Butter Gloss in Cherry Pie - 7.45

It was so hard to pick just one of these because I love them all! I think this shade would be so flattering on everyone, and these glosses give full coverage without that horrible sticky texture. The finish isn't matte but it isn't too glossy either, another winner from NYX!

There were so many lipsticks and liners I could've added to this list, but hopefully there's plenty of choice here for those of you looking for a perfect new lip product. 

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Wednesday 23 September 2015

Holly Madison Down The Rabbit Hole-Book Review

When I heard Holly Madison was releasing a book detailing her life in the infamous Playboy Mansion, I was just a little bit excited.( Disclaimer: I read all sorts of books. Just in case anyone is thinking this is the first thing I've read other than a magazine.) I LOVED the show The Girls Next Door (even if I was a little late watching it) which featured Holly and Hef''s two other bunny girlfriends running around the mansion doing bunny girlfriend things. Even though the show made it seem like they were living the dream, I always thought there was something kind of off and depressing about the whole situation, so I couldn't wait to read more about what Hugh Hefner is really like. 


The book starts off in Holly's hometown, explaining how she always wanted to be famous, and she talks about her college experiences and the like. It jumps into the Playboy side of things pretty quickly though, and from there on it's just a fun and interesting gossipy book, exactly what I expected. There are some crazy revelations about Hef and countless stories about bunnies in this book-and fair play to her for using people's real names! Holly goes into detail about the jealousy in the mansion, Hef's controlling behaviour and abusive nature, and how he would try to turn the girls against each other. She even talks about the fall of Playboy, and how it's basically lost all it's charm and allure. I'll admit before reading this book I would have rolled my eyes, called her an eejit and wondered why she didn't just up and leave, but you soon realise it definitely wasn't as simple as that. One thing is for sure, it all makes for a really good story. 
If I had anything bad to say about this book it'd be Holly's constant need to reassure the audience that she wasn't just in it for the money or the fame (which is a little bit silly) is just annoying and repetitive. She tries to defend herself A LOT and makes loads of excuses about why she couldn't leave Hef. It can be annoying at times but you kinda get over it because when she's not trying to come off as innocent, all the other stuff is really entertaining. I picked this up and I couldn't put it down, right until the end. 
My final verdict, this book wont win any awards, but if you're looking for a fun, girly read for a lazy Sunday, this could be right up your street. 
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Wednesday 2 September 2015

All You Need To Know About BB Creams

I read so much online about miracle BB creams, and I'm always so excited to try them. Unfortunately, I'm usually left feeling disappointed and like I've just wasted my mula. My biggest problem is-THEY.NEVER.HAVE.ENOUGH.COVERAGE. I've been through the back and beyonds of BB cream land, so here's all you need to know. 
What exactly is BB Cream?
These are all the lovely things that make BB cream what it is. As you can see, there are loads of benefits to wearing this instead of foundation. It's moisturising, hydrating, has SPF in it and even a little coverage too. Unfortunately, it can be hard to find a BB cream that has great coverage, and leaves your skin looking flawless too. Luckily, I've come across a few that give some amazing foundations a run for their money. 


BEST PHARMACY

Avon Solutions BB Cream 

This seems to be the best kept secret in all of makeup land, and it's fantastic. It's got such good coverage compared to most BB creams, and really reminds me of NARS Sheer Glow. It's long lasting, and I'm so surprised at how good it is considering most BB creams just seem to stain my skin a little darker and add a slight glow. This is one that I'm sure everyone will be delighted with. 
Vichy Idealia BB Cream 


I've heard good and bad reviews about this but I love it. Again, it's got good coverage and it has a different texture to any product I've used before. The finish is kind of between satin and dewy and it's really long lasting too. I don't know if this would be everyone's cup of tea but it's perfect for brightening up tired skin (post hangover perhaps!) and it's buildable-hurray! 
Simple Perfecting Beauty Balm 

Gals with sensitive skin, you'll love this. This has really, really good coverage but somehow still manages to let your skin shine through. It's under 6 euro, blurs imperfections, and hides fine lines too. If you don't like products with slightly shimmery particles, you might not like this so much. I think it has just enough shimmer though, and gives a really lovely satin finish. Nothing too Twilight, I swear. 


Avon Ideal Flawless BB Cream 


Another gem from Avon! I really don't know why bloggers aren't raving about their foundations and BB creams. I absolutely love the Ideal Flawless foundation, and this doesn't disappoint at all. The coverage isn't as full as the other BB creams, but I can get over that because it makes my skin look lovely. It's moisturising and doesn't irritate my sensitive (sadface) skin at all. The finish is somewhere between matte and satin, and it will run you about 10 euro too. 
BEST HIGH END

Estee Lauder Day Wear BB Cream 


Sorry my friends, I know this is 'spensive, but I had to have at least a few fancy BB cream on the list. Like all the others it has brilliant coverage and I love the finish. This BB cream is buildable, so keep in mind that it has to be applied kinda quickly, as it sets pretty fast. 


Diorskin Nude BB cream


This is exactly what a BB cream should be. Shame about the price though! This isn't patchy like most BB creams, the coverage isn't too much but it's perfect and long lasting. This will cover imperfections and red spots and it hasn't broken me out at all. 

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser 


Okay, okay so it's not a BB cream but I had to include it because it's fantastic. Again, the price is just a little upsetting! I was obsessed with Laura Mercier's Silk Creme foundation (which is discontinued now-booo!) and I had a feeling this would be just as good. This product has holy grail status in my makeup bag and I even prefer it to most foundations. Whether you have oily or dry skin, this will make it look dewy and glowing, while disguising uneven skin tones and imperfections. I've tried to find a bad review of this product and so far, everyone just seems to love it. 

Hopefully this will help you find the perfect BB cream!



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Thursday 30 July 2015

My Top 5 Foundations-High End


Happy Tuesday everyone!! I hope you've all had an amazing weekend!

We all know a good foundation is a must have, but there are so many to choose from-it can be so daunting! You'd think people would be more interested in Pharmacy foundations but most of the time, people tell me they want to splurge on a fancy foundation. I've picked a few high end options that I love and that I think you guys will really like too. I'm fussy when it comes to foundation, so I'm certain you'll like at least one of them hehe! I'll start from... I wont say worst to last 'cause they're all amazing but you get the idea! I'm doing a top 5 pharmacy foundations after this too so stay tuned for that!

At number 5 it's:

Mac Face And Body Foundation






This is a liquid foundation that seems to be a staple in every makeup artist's kit. I've never used anything like it before! It's sheer but still has the most impressive coverage, and leaves skin looking flawless with a dewy finish. People with oily skin might not like this as much as those with dry skin, but it's a favourite of mine and a cult classic for a reason.


4.NARS Sheer Glow 

Oo, I love me some NARS foundation! It gives amazing coverage and a flawless look without that caked on effect. This is probably one of the most widely known foundations out there and I can see why-it's fantastic. This seems like it was made to be applied with a stippling brush, and it's quickly become one of the best foundations I've used. If I had to compare it to any pharmacy foundation it would definitely be Bourjois Healthy Mix.



3. Dior Airflash 








I'm telling you guys, this is incredible. Shame about the price though! If you want look airbrushed without an airbrush, this make-up is your new best friend. The best way to apply this is to spray it on the brush or whatever you're using to apply your makeup, and then buff it into the skin.


2. Estee Lauder Double Wear 




I love Double Wear. I can't exactly explain the finish, I wouldn't exactly call it a matte finish like it's considered to be, but I wouldn't call it full coverage either. All I know is that it's lovely and covers imperfections to leave your skin looking flawless, and lasts all night too.

*DRUM ROLL* So here we have it-my most favourite high end foundation ever!! And it's called:


Make Up Forever HD Foundation




Makeup Forever HD-what can I say about this foundation? It really is the best I've used. It's so light when applied but gives the most flawless finish and an incredible airbrushed complexion. It can be built up to give a more full coverage look and is perfect for days when you know you'll need to be doing a lot of posing in front of the camera (hint hint, brides!) It lasts all day too which makes it an amazing choice for special events. 



Hope this helped a little for those of you who want to go high end foundation shopping! 
Have fun everyone!
Soph :)

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