May Beauty Favourites

Hello Lovelies!

Hope you are all having a good week and are enjoying the good weather! I'm actually in London at the moment on holidays and I'm in absolute heaven with the shops! If you would like to see a London haul please let me know! On to my make-up favourites for May, I've actually been traveling quite abit in May so I've been using the same products pretty much constantly because that was all I've packed. Alot of these products are ones that I  would have brought with me on my travels because they were compact, or just handy to travel with too!

La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo
This has been in a favourites before, but my skin has been seriously acting up lately. I've been breaking out left, right and centre. I had actually run out of my previous tube of this and hadn't gotten round to repurchasing it, and I definitely felt the effects of it! Since starting using this again my skin has calmed down so much. I think this will always be a firm part of my skincare from now on!

Aldi Miracle Oil
Yes I know Aldi. And yes I know how much it looks like the Moroccan Oil (partly the reason I bought it) but I have been loving this over the past couple of weeks to apply on to dry hair. I've been curling my hair alot more lately and I've just been applying a couple of drops of this just to make sure that the ends aren't frizzy and keep them looking shiny! I think it's amazing value for money, I think I paid under €5 for it, it's lasted me ages and it does the job!

Soleil Tan De Chanel
Something I have had a love/hate relationship with since I've got it. First I didn't know how to use it, then I thought it made me look a little too orange but now I think I've found a happy medium. Since it's getting abit sunnier out and I can get away with looking a little bit more tanned I find that this is perfect for getting that bronzed face look. I use the Real Techniques Expert Face brush to apply it (lightly) on my face and I just love the effect it gives. I actually have done a full review on this here

YSL Rouge Volupte Peach Passion
I got this at the end of last month as an Anniversary present from my lovely boyfriend and I have been wearing it non-stop (even though I was trying to save it for special occasions) since. I absolutely adore everything about it! The packaging, the formula and the colour! Again I have done a full review on it here.

NAKED Basics Palette
Since I've been braving a (slightly) brighter lip lately I've been leaning more towards a more neutral eye and this past month this palette literally has not left my make up bag. It's such a handy little palette to own, you can do a really simple everyday eye with it but since it has a darker colour in it you can even do a bit of a smokey-ish eye too! I would really recommend it if you are a fan of the neutral eye!

MAC Melba
Again since the weather is getting abit sunnier I have been going for more summery make up! Since I've been wearing Peach Passion on my lips I didn't want to go down my normal pink blush look, because I just didn't think that would look right. So I went digging in my collection and pulled out Melba. I was obsessed with this blush a couple of months back but then new colours came and poor Melba got pushed to the back. But I have worn this every day this month! I apply it using a stipple brush because it is so pigmented it is very easy to go OTT with it. I find it gives a gorgeous flush of colour while still looking lovely and natural!

So there are my May favourites! Hard to believe that the next time I'll be doing one of these posts it will be for June!

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St Tropez Skin Illuminator | Rose

Hello Lovelies!

Now you all know I love a good highlighter. They are possibly my favourite make-up products to buy at the moment. But lately I have actually gone back to something that I have had in my collection for a while but have left abandoned up until recently! I think my mum got this in a St. Tropez set around Christmas time but never used it, and of course me being the make-up horder that I am, adopted it.

I'm sure you've all heard at this stage about my love affair with Jemma Kidd All Over Radiance Creme, but since sadly Jemma Kidd is no more I have had to start using that alot less and start looking for an alternative! I would say that the St Tropez Skin Illuminator in Rose is a liquid version of the All Over Radiance Creme. You literally only need the tiniest amount (as you can see, I went a bit OTT on the swatch above) and it blends out into the most gorgeous, natural looking sheen on the skin! The one I have is the Rose version which I think is perfect for paler girls such as myself, there is also a Gold version which would look stunning with a tan! You can buy it online here.

Do you have any other highlighter recommendations for me? I'm currently lusting after the NARS Copacabana Illuminator! Let me know if you've tried this and if you liked it!   

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May Empties

Hello Lovelies!

I finally have another empties post! It always takes me so long to get through products that when I eventually do I feel so proud of myself! 

L'oreal Gentle Eye Make-Up Remover

I bought this randomly in Tescos because it was on offer at the time. I actually really liked it. I found it removed all of my eye makeup easily, including Benefit's They're Real mascara which we all know if pretty impossible to get off! I probably will repurchase this again because I really enjoyed using it and it really worked. 

Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter

I feel like I flew through this tub, I love applying this just before bedtime and I wake up with lovely smooth, moisturised, nicely smelling skin. I have already repurchased this and am halfway through that tub too! I think next time I will buy it in the pump form next time, it mightn't be as thick in that but I could use it during the day and at night too. 

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Special Edition

I was rationing this so much! I really didn't want this to run out. This was the Limited Edition version they brought out last year in aid of the Prince's Trust. They added Rose and Lavender essential oils to the mixture which was a match made in heaven. I loved using this on nights to just wind down. It was so relaxing and really helped me relax abit more. 

Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation

This is one foundation I always seem to have in my collection. It's the old faithful. It's definitely on the fuller coverage side of things. I tend to reach for this on days when I need abit more help. It's never broken me out, and just never let me down! But since discovering my new love Rimmels Match Perfection I don't think I will be repurchasing this. 

Soft & Gentle Anti-Stress Deodorant

Bit of a random addition to an empties post, but I did finish the deodorant! I didn't find this to be any way anti-stress-y. But it kept the sweat at bay (thankfully) and smelt nice which is all I really need from a deodorant! 

River Island Paris Bath Soak 

I got this in a set with my River Island Paris perfume back in March. It was lovely to use in the bath, although it only lasted about two baths. It left my skin smelling of the perfume so when I used the perfume it lasted longer on my skin.

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer 

I think I must have one of these in every one of my empties posts. My most loved concealer and it covers everything and anything! I have already repurchased this and will until I can't anymore..Seriously hoping that they never stop making this because I know so many other people would be lost without it!

Those are the products that I have finished over the past while. So satisfying to actually finish a product, so now I can just continue to buy more guilt free! 

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Soleil Tan De Chanel

Hello Lovelies!

I hope you are all having a good week so far! I've actually been feeling really sick since the weekend. I'm hoping I get better soon because I'm going to London next Monday! Anyway today I wanted to show you one of the more recent additions to my everyday make-up routine! I actually bought this before Christmas from the oh so lovely Leanne but haven't actually properly got into using it up until the past couple of weeks. To be honest, I didn't use it for so long because I wasn't sure the best way to apply it. It is initially a bronzing base but I found when I put it on under my foundation it make me look a little muddy and I couldn't really make it work that way. I've tried it with endless brushes but I think I have finally found the best combination for me! In recent weeks I have been using Soleil Tan De Chanel to contour with and to give my face a bit of colour. Since I have become addicted to cream blushes in the past while I just think that this goes really well with them opposed to powder bronzers. I have been using the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush with this because I think it is the perfect shaped brush to contour with and to evenly disperse the product.

I will warn you that you do have to be careful with this bronzer. It's definitely not for everyone, sometimes it can tend to look a bit orangey so you do have to work with it sometimes to avoid looking tangoed! But when this is applied correctly and blended right it can look amazing! I have been completely obsessed with it the past while, I love everything about it! From the glow it gives your skin to the scent to the way it looks on my dressing table!

I would recommend if you are at a Chanel counter to have a look at this! As I said it won't be for everyone but if you use it right it will make your skin look amazing! 

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Benefit's Birthday

Hello Lovelies!

During the week myself and the lovely Zara attended our local Benefit counter's 2nd Birthday Celebrations! I am a massive fan of Benefit as you all know...They're Real anyone?! I just thought I would share a few of the pictures of the event with you all! 

There were lots of demonstrations, nibbles, facials and giveaways on the evening! We both had a really good evening and have added so much more to our wish lists! 

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Would You Rather | Beauty Edition

Hello Lovelies!

Today I wanted to do a bit of a fun post, and I actually haven't done a tag in quite a while. So when I seen this on the lovely Kayleigh's blog I decided this would be the one for me! I love reading tags like this so if you do it please let me know so I can read yours! Now on with the tag! Wish me luck because I am one of the most indecisive people in the world! 

Would you rather lose all of your mascaras, eyeliners, lipsticks, and lipglosses or lose all of your palettes and eyeshadows?

As much as I love my palettes and eyeshadows, I look so weird without my mascara and eyeliners on so I'd have to say I'll give up my palettes as much as it pains me! My eyelashes are invisible so I really need my mascara to define them to stop me looking so googly eyed! I would also find it pretty hard to give up my lipstick collection! You all know how much I love my nude lip!
 

Would you rather chop off all your hair or never be able to cut it again?
Since my hair literally does.not.grow I could probably get away with not being able to cut it again! My hair has been the same length since I left school which is nearly 5 years ago now! I was platinum blonde and did that did a lot of damage to my poor hair! Since then it has gotten much thicker but it hasn't quite grasped growing yet. 

Would you rather have a coral cheek or a pink cheek?

As much as I adore a good pink blush and even though the majority of blushes I own are actually pink, I think I would have to go with a coral cheek! I think it looks gorgeous with a tan, it makes you look really healthy and glowy and it is perfect for the Spring/Summer time! I am so excited to get my hands on the new Bourjois Creme Blushes because I've seen that they have a gorgeous coral shade in the range! 

If you had €1000 to spend, Would you rather buy clothes or makeup?

Can I go half and half? I suppose it would actually be clothes. I hate going clothes shopping though! I just don't enjoy it at all, I hate having to go and try on lots of different sizes to see what will fit you, I hate when the shops are uncomfortably busy and I can just never seem to pick out anything nice. It's always been a problem for me. So if I could I would spend the €1000 on clothes and just hope that a personal shopper would come with the deal! 

Would you rather apply lipstick as eyeliner, or eyeliner as lipstick?
I don't think there is a way that that could work...unless you had a red/pink eyeliner that you could put on your lips? I don't like this question...it makes me sad! Next!

Would you rather only shop at MAC or Sephora?
We don't actually have Sephora in Ireland and where I live the nearest MAC store is 2hrs away..and they don't deliver to Ireland off their website. I know it's a travesty. Do Sephora sell MAC? If they do then they can feel free to build a store in my local town please! 

Would you rather only use one eyeshadow color or one lip color for the rest of your life?
I think I would be quite happy to stick with the same eyeshadow colour. I am fairly boring when it comes to my eye make up so I could wear a neutral eye and be happy with the fact that I can change up my lip colour! I don't tend to wear brighter colours on my eyes anyway so I don't think I'd be missing out! 

Would you rather wear winter clothes in summer or summer clothes in winter?
Easy. Winter clothes in Summer. Purely because it's what we have to do in Ireland anyway. We might get one decent week out of the whole year where we can break out the shorts and flip flops but apart from that you could get rain, hail or snow. 

Would you rather dark nails or bright nails all year round?
I actually haven't worn a darker nail in what seems like forever! I do love a good vampy red nail but I would have to say bright nails for this. They just look good with any outfit and as sad as it sounds I really like catching a glimpse of my bright nails during a gloomy day. It really is the little things eh?
 

Would you rather give up your favorite lip product or your favorite eye product?
Probably my favourite eye product. Because I usually go for a neutral eye everyday I could probably find a replacement fairly easily where lip products I find are harder to find dupes for!

Would you rather only be able to wear your hair in a pony tail or a messy bun?

I do love a good messy bun! Since my hair is relatively fine, pony tails tend to look a bit limp on me. But I can really add the volume with a good old messy bun and a back combing brush! I'd be lost without my little bun donut thing too! I love throwing my hair up in a bun for work or dressing it up a little, maybe putting it to the side for a night out! 

Would your rather never being able to paint your nails again or never use lipgloss?

Never use lipgloss. I tend to forget about lipgloss most of the time so it wouldn't be that big of a change for me. But I am literally addicted to painting my nails! I love trying different colours and designs (Even though recently I've been sticking to my beloved Midnight Bronze) and I really would be lost without my nail polishes! 

Would you rather shave your eyebrows and have none at all? or sharpie them in everyday?

I think I would have to attempt a light hand with a Sharpie. How depressing would that be? I suppose it would be accepted easier than having no eyebrows at all though! I think they are one of the most important parts of your face - even though you may not think it! I love my eyebrow routine so I think I would just have to attempt to sharpie them in and make it look acceptable!

Would you rather live without makeup or nail polish?

I think I would have to choose make up for this one. Even though I said before I would be lost without my nail polishes, I wouldn't last very long without make up! 

So there you have it! My Would You Rather Beauty Edition and that was a lot harder than I expected. All I can say is that I hope to never have to make those decisions in real life! I hope you enjoyed reading my answers and if you've done this tag please let me know as I'd love to read it!

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My MAC Lipstick Collection

 Hello Lovelies! 

I hope you are all having a good week! I have wanted to do this post for quite a while now, but I always thought compared to other bloggers and youtubers my collection is slightly minimal. But I actually like my (ickle) collection and am really happy with the colours I have, so I thought why not! As you can see I have pretty basic colours and I don't have any of the crazier MAC colours and I'm sure a lot of you will think I have a boring collection but I decided to write about it anyway! So I'm sure most of you know I am a more neutral lip girl but I do like to brave a bold lip on a night out or on a special occasion, therefore it will come to no surprise to any of you that half of my collection are neutral shades. 

Hue
Without a doubt this is my favourite MAC lipstick of all time...maybe even my favourite lipstick out of all the brands of all time. This is my third tube of it! I think it is the most perfect nude lipstick, it is a pink toned nude so it doesn't give you that dreaded "dead-lip" look that so many of us try to avoid. It looks nice with a tan, without a tan. It's pretty much a good all year lip colour. The formula of this is a Glaze and I like that it isn't extremely opaque, you can build up the colour if you want. 

Creme Cup
I think that Creme Cup is Hue's mum. It's a slightly darker more opaque version. It's a slightly blue- under toned baby pink that I think would look good on any skintone. It is my go to everyday pink, you literally only need one layer of this on your lips and you're good to go. I think this is one of MAC's more popular shades and I can totally see why. As it's a CremeSheen formula it is also lovely and moisturising on the lips!

Shy Girl
This beaut was my first ever MAC lipstick would you believe. My lovely mum brought it back from New York for me and it was love at first sight. I wore it pretty much constantly for weeks after I bought it, but then moved on and went to other colours and forgot about it. Recently since the weather has been getting slightly better I have gravitated towards this again. It is a gorgeous peachy pink colour and I have been photographed wearing this and I just love the way it looks on me when I have a tan. Again another CremeSheen formula so lovely and moisturising too! 

Lady Danger 
Now we're on to the brighter colours. I got Lady Danger earlier this year by doing "Back to MAC". It was a lipstick I had seen over various blogs but never had the courage to buy it purely because I didn't think it would suit me, but since I could do the back to MAC I just decided to go for it and I can honestly say that I haven't regretted it one bit! I love this lipstick so so much! I have gotten so much use out of it since I've gotten it (which is unusual for me and a bright lipstick) 

Ruby Woo
I was after a classic red lipstick for so long and then I received this for Christmas this year and the hunt has stopped. I would normally tend to go for matte look lipsticks because you have the option of adding a gloss on top if you want to go for that look, so this was right up my street. Now when they say this lipstick is matte, they definitely mean it! Compared to Lady Danger which is another matte lipstick, it just feels completely different. It is a lot more drying so I would recommend a lip balm underneath but it is just the nicest red I've found so I am definitely willing to put up with the dryness for that!  

Girl About Town
And finally the most recent addition to my collection is the gorgeous Girl About Town. I won this in a Giveaway hosted by the gorgeous Vicky. Again it was one of those shades I had seen around for so long but never thought I would get away with it (I really need to start getting braver with my lip choices!) but again I am so glad I have this in my life now! It is a gorgeous cooler toned fuchsia pink that I honestly think would look gorgeous on any skin tone. It is an amplified finish so ladies beware! A little definitely goes along way with this one! 

So there you have it! My slightly basic MAC lipstick collection. I am really happy with all the colours that I do own and think I have good all rounders to cover me for all occasions but if you have any other recommendations for colours you think I'd like please let me know! I'd love to check them out!  

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Cocoa Brown Tan

Hello Lovelies!

Hope you are all having a brilliant weekend! As you all know by now I am a complete and utter tan-aholic! I am a woman obsessed. I think it's because naturally I am quite pale and I just hate being that pale, because it's so hard to find foundations to match my natural skin tone. Plus I always feel that little bit more confident with a little bit of colour to my skin! 

I have found the tan love of my life. Now I'll be honest and say I was always a cheaper tan fan (ooh rhyme!)  I've never been one to splurge on a tan, even though I love it, I just feel that it wouldn't last me enough to justify the price of the bottle. Enter Cocoa Brown. First off it's an absolute bargain at €7.99! I used to buy St.Moriz for around €6 so it's not a major difference for me. The packaging is just me. Bright pink and girly, you really can't go wrong! It looks lovely on my dressing table too! 

I'm not going to lie, the first time I used this tan I was completely disappointed! The idea is you just need to apply it and leave it on for 1-3 hours and then you can rise off. I left it on for an hour and a half and washed it off. In the shower all the tan came off and I was utterly disgusted!  I was as pale as I was before I started so I threw on a long sleeved top and went off to work and forgot completely about it. When I got back that evening I was amazed, the tan had developed after I had washed it off and became a gorgeous natural bronzed glow on my skin. If you're after a darker colour this can be easily achieved with another layer or two. It doesn't streak, it doesn't go patchy, it doesn't even dry my skin out like other mousse tans do! I think I will be forever be repurchasing this! It's available in pharmacies across Ireland and excitingly enough it's actually launched in the UK too! 

I would 100% thoroughly recommend you try out this tan, it's honestly the best tan I have ever tried and I don't see anything stealing it's top spot any time soon! 

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YSL Rouge Volupte Peach Passion

Hello Lovelies!

Happy Friday! I love short weeks! I personally think every week should be like this! First of all I just wanted to apologise for the extremely picture-heavy post today, but surely you can forgive me...Look how pretty! When I was up in Dublin with my boyfriend a couple of weeks ago for our anniversary I was lucky enough to be treated to some YSL loveliness! After some (a lot) of indecisiveness on my part as to what colour to get and a lot of patience on my boyfriends part, we emerged from Brown Thomas nearly an hour later with this little beauty in my possession. It's love. I have been literally obsessed with this lipstick since the fabulous YSL girl applied it to my lips! I was between this and a more pinky shade but we all (boyfriend included...granted he may have wanted to get out at that stage!) that this suited my skin-tone better and would be better suited for the Summer months that are coming hopefully sometime soon! 

This is the most luxurious lipstick I have ever laid eyes on! The packaging is just phenomenal  Major thumbs up from me YSL! I could write a blog post purely based around the packaging but I will delve a little deeper with this review! I had expected this lipstick to be of a much higher quality to other lipsticks that I have and let me tell you I was not disappointed! The formula of this lipstick is absolutely gorgeous! It literally glides onto the lips and once on it feels lovely and hydrating on the lips. The pigment in it is amazing and it is honestly one of the longest lasting lipsticks I have ever owned. Even once the gloss wears off the colour is still there! And on a random note it smells quite pleasant too! 

You all know I'm a big MAC lipstick fan but after dipping a toe into the YSL pool I can be forgiven for not wanting to go back right? Have you tried any of the YSL Rouge Voluptes? Let me know if you have any colour recommendations for me! 

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Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum

Hello Lovelies!

If you live in Ireland you'll know that the weather today definitely isn't as nice as it was the day I took these pictures! But as the days are turning a bit sunnier and getting that (tiny) bit warmer I think we all strive to find a lighter feeling foundation! I was on what felt like an endless quest to find a decent foundation that still offered decent coverage but didn't look or feel heavy on my skin. Enter Bourjois and their Healthy Mix Serum. As you all know I am a massive fan of Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation and when I bought it I wanted to pick up the Serum at the same time but for some reason I just didn't. A few weeks later I just couldn't resist any longer and made the purchase!

Since then it has been a firm staple in my make-up bag along with Revlon's Nearly Naked foundation for my lighter make up days! I tend to go for the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum on days that I don't have tan on as the Revlon one is just a tad too dark for me. I explain why in my review of it here. (Lets just say desperation was creeping in!) I am such a big big fan of the Healthy Mix Serum. It has a lovely scent, which might put alot of people off but don't worry it's not an over powering scent and I find once I have all my make up applied I can't even smell it any more!

It provides light to medium coverage for me. I pair it with my trusty Collection Lasting Perfection concealer to hide anything that does not need to be seen! It is also a very dewy foundation which again might not be for everyone but personally I really like that dewy "awake" look. (I need all the help I can get)

Please let me know if you've tried this foundation, especially if you have a different skin type to me (I have dry skin) as I would be interested to see how it works for you!

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Essie | The Pastel Edit

Hello Lovelies!

I hope you are all having a brilliant Bank Holiday weekend! I am in complete chill out mode at the moment! This morning I was reorganizing my nail polishes, I just put all of my Essie polishes together for organisation and realised how pretty they all looked together so I thought I would talk about my favourites for Spring. 
So my three picks are Bikini So Teeny, Mint Candy Apple and Fiji. First off I just wanted to say how obsessed I am with Essie nail polish. I find them to be brilliant quality, they don't streak on me and I find that they last ages on my nails. They are on the pricier side but in my opinion they are definitely worth it! 

In Ireland the weather is (slowly) getting better so I have been trying to break out the brighter nail polishes for my fingernails  I have been so loyal to my Maxfactor Midnight Bronze the past couple of months but I am trying to add a little bit of variety! I have been obsessed with pastels lately! I love them in clothes, accessories and nails! I think that they are the perfect colours to wear during Spring and they look gorgeous with a little bit of a tan!

Bikini So Teeny
This polish was so hyped up all last Summer so when I spotted it on Fragrance Direct a couple of months ago I instantly ordered it. (For £1.99 may I add!) and to be honest I haven't really worn it much up until lately. I would describe it as a very light periwinkle blue with a slight shimmer to it. I think it is like the baby version of Lapis of Luxury which is a stronger blue. I think this is so nice with a tan, one of the more unusual nail colours that I own and whenever I wear it somebody always asks what it is! 

Mint Candy Apple
One of the most hyped nail polishes of all time, and rightly so in my opinion!  I think it is the most perfect mint "Tiffany box" colour ever. It looks lovely with a tan and it brightens up any look. I definitely think this is a more Spring/Summer nail polish and last year it was constantly on my nails. It's not to everyones taste but it is certainly to mine! Plus it has been worn by both Millie Mackintosh and Beyonce and if it's good enough for them! 

Fiji
I won't go into too much detail about this nail polish purely because I wrote a whole blog post on it last week which you can read here. I do really love this nail polish and it is one of the most recent additions to my Essie collection but has fast become one of my favourites! 

I hope you liked this sort of post. It was kind of one of those randomly planned ones, I put a picture up on Twitter of how pretty these three looked together and it kind of went from there! Let me know if you have any more pastel nail polish recommendations for me and I hope you all enjoy the rest of your long weekend! 

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