July Beauty Favourites

This month is a mixture of old favourites and some new discoveries. I really do need to put myself on a spending ban and actually use up some of the products I have before buying more..but that’s not how things work around here..right? Also..its August now? How did that happen!?

Vichy Idealia Life Serum

I purchased this before Christmas and while at the time I loved it and used it almost every night I ended up getting some new products and this got shoved to the back of my stash. I recently pulled it out again because I felt my skin just needed a little something extra. Since using it I have noticed my skin looking a lot brighter and clearer. I use one pump at night and apply to my whole face. It feels lovely and luxurious on the skin and I have really noticed a difference since using it! It has big claims stating it will help with brightening, evening and plumping your complexion. It is one of those products that you really notice a difference after a few days of use which is really impressive! I pop it on at night-time under my GinZing moisturiser and I just find that the two together work miracles! I have this firmly on my nightstand again and once I finish this bottle I will be straight back out to buy another! 

Nars One Night Stand

I swear I will stop mentioning this palette..soon. I have been after this palette for months – every since it came out and then sold out. But I finally got my hands on it on Depop (that app is far too addictive!) and have been using it everyday since! It contains 4 blush shades, 1 bronzer and 1 highlighter, so really it is all you need! The bronzer is Laguna which is already a firm favourite of mine, the highlighter is Devotee which absolutely gorgeous! The blushers are Mistinguette, Orgasm, Deep Throat and Goulue. Over the past month I have found myself using Mistinguette- a cooled toned pink- the most but during the winter months I can definitely see myself reaching for Goulue! I absolutely adore this palette and I am so glad I finally got my hands on it!

Essie Watermelon

Another month another Essie polish. This month’s polish of choice has been Watermelon. This is a nail polish that I have had my eyes on for months and eventually just bit the bullet and picked it up. It is a gorgeous hot pink which is just in between being red and pink. I have pretty much had this either on my fingers or toes the whole month.

 

Korres Jasmine Lip Butter

An oldie but a goodie. I have been using this on and off for months. It is a gorgeous creamy lip balm which smells amazing! I don’t know what Jasmine smells like but this has a slight hint of vanilla to it. It leaves a gorgeous neutral pink tint to the lips without looking too much, so it is perfect for during the day. Sadly I think I am coming to the end of this pot but I will definitely be picking up another one should I eventually hit the bottom! 

 

Liz Earle Instant Tonic Boost Spray

It is no secret that I am a massive fan of the Instant tonic boost because I have raved about it before, but if you live in Ireland you will have experienced the heatwave that we have been having over the past few weeks. I don't deal well in the heat or the humidity so I bought the mini version of the spray to carry around with me in my handbag. This has been an absolute lifesaver the past couple of weeks. It is so nice and cooling to spray over my face when things are getting a little hot and bothered! 

  

Real Techniques Duo Fibre Brush

This was definitely the month of rediscovery. I bought this brush in the set in London last year and never really got much use out of it. But lately I have been getting into bronzing my face lightly using NARS Laguna and have found this the perfect brush to do it with. It gives a lovely, light dusting of product without looking patchy or cakey. I have been bringing it with me during the day to use with my powder as it is the perfect brush to use for touch ups! 

And so the spending ban begins! But do feel free to tell me what your monthly favourites have been this month and I may be persuaded to try them out!

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New Handbag Love!

So I made a bit of a bold purchase. So bold that I decided it was only right to dedicate an entire blog post to it.. It is the Micheal Kors Selma handbag that I have been lusting after for well over a year now. The excitement that I feel every time I look at it is probably a bit worrying. I brought Michael on his maiden voyage to Tesco..(glamorous..no?) and it was the most traumatizing thing ever! People coming towards me with trollies, children with ice-creams and people in general just being too close for comfort! How do other people just walk around with pretty handbags without the worry of other people destroying them!? Please leave your tips below!

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Beauty Empties

I haven’t done an empties post in so long, and in all honesty it is purely because I haven’t had any products to show. They have either been products I have featured in empties posts before or I’ve accidently thrown them out before I took pictures for the post…oops!  But finally I have enough products gathered to show you and tell you what I’ve thought about them!

There is a lot of skincare/body care featuring in this post because I just use them up a lot quicker than make-up.

Sugar Crush Body Butter

I absolutely love this range by Soap and Glory- I wish they had a body spray in this scent! I have already repurchased it since finishing that pot! It smells exactly like Coca Cola. I would normally save this for my night time body moisturiser because it is just that little bit thicker than your normal body lotion, but it does give amazing long lasting moisture to the body without feeling overly heavy and sticky. 

Liz Earle Eye Bright Soothing Eye Lotion

I impulse-purchased this a couple of months ago when I was not getting much sleep and looking particular panda-eyed. This paired with my beloved Origins GinZing Eye-Cream is a match made in heaven. It really helped with the darkness that had appeared under my eyes. It feels so lovely and refreshing to use in the mornings to help wake you up!

Just Cavalli

This quickly became my favourite perfume this year. So much so that I finished it within 7 months! I bought it with my Boots points around Christmas-time as a treat for myself and I just absolutely love it! I am so bad at describing scents but I feel if you like Alien you will like this. I'm not the biggest fan of the packaging- snake print just is not my thing but I really adore the scent and I would thoroughly recommend that you give this a sniff!

Origins GinZing Moisturiser

As already mentioned in this post I am a big fan of their GinZing Eye-Cream and when I had just purchased that I felt I needed all things GinZing and bought their moisturiser. I have already bought a new pot of this I love it that much. I don't think I have felt so strongly about a moisturiser before. It completely brightens up my complexion and since it smells of oranges (yuuum) it feels really refreshing on the skin! It is really moisturising on the skin and a little goes a really long way! So this post has lasted me nearly 4 months! 

Urban Decay NAKED Basics Palette

You all know my feelings about this little palette. I bought this two Christmas' ago and have used it pretty much everyday since! I use at least one of the colours from this either for blending, base colour or highlight. As you can see I do still have some of the shadows left but I have completely finished Naked 2 which was my favourite colour from the palette and Venus is on its last legs. So I did order another one a few days ago because honestly I would be lost without this palette. I have it in my make-up bag everyday and bring it where-ever I go. It is the perfect everyday palette but I have used it to help create night-time looks too! 

Vaseline Spray & Go Body Moisturiser

The lazy girls perfect body moisturiser. I'm sure we have all been there where we just can not be bothered with doing a proper whole body moisturize but we know we should. This is my third or forth can of this and although it is expensive I always get full use out of it- it is usually on offer every couple of weeks too FYI! 

It literally does what it says on the tin, you just spray it all over your body, do a quick rub in and your good to go! It's definitely not as intense as the Sugar Crush body butter but it is perfect for a quick fix!

So those are the products that I have used up over the past couple of months. I'm going to wait until I have another batch of completely new products that I can share with you before I do another one of these posts.  

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Palette Lovin'

So lately I have gone abit palette crazy..I have ordered no less than 4..yes 4 in the past month. I much prefer having a palette full of colours rather than carrying around singular pots of product that clutter up my make up bag far too quickly. So today I though I would share with you my picks from my collection.

MAC Pro Palette

Ok this is cheating slightly, considering the fact that I filled this palette up myself but I really do love all of the colours that are in it so unlike the Urban Decay Naked palettes that have the 12 different shades in them, I know I’ll use every single colour that is in this palette. This is the one I go to for travelling because I have the perfect range of colours that will bring me from day to night. It is nice and compact and you get a decent amount of product in each pan. All of these eye-shadows are amazing quality (and so they should be at the price of them these days!) and are really long lasting. My top picks would be Vanilla (as you might have guessed from the picture), Satin Taupe and Omega. As expensive as it is I really couldn’t be without my MAC palette. 

Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette

This palette is my baby. I recently repurchased a new one because as you can see this one has seen better days. This is just constantly in my make-up bag. It is always there for me hail, rain or shine and never lets me down. I use this palette the most out of my entire collection. I reach for it every day without fail whether it’s for a complete eye look or just for a blending shade or a highlighter shade for the inner corner. The colours are all so easy to wear, amazing quality and they blend like a dream – which is perfect when you don’t want to be wasting time at 7am trying to get eyeshadows blended! 

NARS One Night Stand Palette

Since its release last October I have been on the hunt for this palette. Finally this month I found one on Depop and had it bought within minutes- I even had one of those moments where I thought it was just too good to be true! But it arrived at my door a couple of days later and I have been using it ever since. It contains 4 blushers, 1 bronzer and 1 highlighter- so pretty much everything you could ever want for your cheeks. I have literally used this everyday and I went away for a night for my boyfriends birthday at the beginning of the month and even though I needed both day and night time looks this was all I needed. All six shades are amazingly pigmented (no surprise really coming from NARS) and so easy to apply and blend!

Please tell me what your favourite palettes are at the moment...or don't because heaven knows I don't need to buy any more! But go on, enable me anyway.  Next on my hit list are the Smashbox Full Exposure palette and the beautiful Lorac Pro palette!

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What to buy using your No.7 Vouchers

I love seeing that the No.7 Vouchers have come out again, and have been known to buy something completely unnecessary to get my hands on one..yes I am that bad! So I though I would pull together a short list of the things I would recommend you spend your No. 7 vouchers on!

Instant Radiance Highlighter // €8.95 with Voucher

You all know about my feelings for this little stick of goodness, I could even stretch to say that this is my favourite highlighter of all time...(big statement, I know!) It is basically a cream highlighter in stick form. Perfect for just throwing in your make-up bag, it won’t take up too much space and it is a great size for travelling also! This gives the most gorgeous glow to the skin, I just use my fingers to apply a little bit to the tops of my cheekbones, down the centre of my nose and on my cupids bow. It gives a gorgeous highlighted look to the skin without looking glittery or false. If you loved the Jemma Kidd All over Radiance Cream get your hands on this!

Lash Impact Mascara // €13.50 with Voucher

First off look at the packaging on this beauty! I am a massive fan of the No.7 mascaras in general- I loved the Exquisite Curl one years ago that is since discontinued…sob! This mascara is fantastic for both volumising and lengthening. It is a very black mascara also so it really does give the false lash effect that we all crave! The thing I love most about this mascara is that it stays put until you want to take it off. I always reach for it if I know I have a long day at work or if I’m going to be out and about and wont get a chance to top up my make up through out the day.

Stay Perfect Super Light Foundation // €14.95 with Voucher

This is my go-to foundation for everyday where I want to look like I have made an effort but don't feel like putting the work in. This gives decent coverage while still feeling nice and light on the skin. It just sinks in to give a gorgeous natural, your skin but better finish. It lasts really well throughout the day on me and I am so bad at topping up my base through out the day most of the time. It has been compared to Chanel's Vita Lumiere Aqua and while I do see some similarities I wouldn't say it is an exact dupe for it. 

Overnight Radiance Boost // €14.25 with Voucher

I have raved about this before, in my opinion I think that this is a similar idea to the Alpha H Liquid Gold, now I have never tried that so I can't say if it is an exact dupe but it's definitely worth a go if your thinking on splurging on the Alpha H version but your not sure how your skin will react! Basically it is a chemical exfoliator which gently works away at the top layer of skin to reveal a healthier, brighter layer underneath. So while you sleep this works overnight and when you wake up in the morning you have a gorgeous glow to your skin. I use this once a week, or more if I feel my skin is looking particularly dull. 

Protect & Perfect Advance Serum // €24 with Voucher

So this is No.7's new baby. We have all heard the rave reviews about the original Protect & Perfect serum which had people queueing outside Boots for, and this is the sequel to that! So those beauties over at No.7 took their star product and made it even better. I won't get too much into the science of the product but basically it is all down to an ingredient called Matrixyl 3000 Plus (how very fancy sounding) It also contains Salicylic acid which helps prevent break outs! They have tested this on hundreds of women and almost all of them seen  a difference in their skin in just 2 weeks. I am working on a full review of this product so I won't go on too much about this but trust me ladies..its a good one! 

So those are my top picks from the No.7 counter! Let me know if what your favourites are and if you will be picking up any of these beauties the next time you're in Boots! 

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What's in my Make-Up Bag

I have posted quite abit about all my latest make-up loves but I feel alot of the time we spend so much time writing about the latest additions to our make-up collection that some of our old reliables get forgotten about. So I thought I would show you what I have in my make-up bag at the moment and what products I use on a day to day basis. 

Base

 

For my base on a day to day basis I can not go without my beloved NARS Sheer Glow foundation. I picked this up earlier in the year and am on my second bottle at the moment. It gives a gorgeous natural finish, not to heavy but still giving decent coverage. It lasts really well throughout the day. To go along side that I have my NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, I'm not as devoted to this as I am the foundation but I really enjoy using this for under my eyes and on any red marks that are hanging around after a blemish. If I want some serious under-eye brightening I have one product that instantly makes me look wide-eyed and bushy-tailed and that is the YSL Touche Eclat. Pile this on, on a Monday morning and it's like the weekend never happened! For the blemishes I have my Seventeen Phwoarr Paint concealer. As much as I hate the name of this I love the concealer a million times more. It is seriously heavy duty stuff and covers a multitude of sins! To set this all in place is a newbie to my make-up bag called the Maybelline Matte Maker, as the name would suggest it is a mattifying powder. I don't love this as much as my Bourjois Healthy Balance powder but I'm going to use it up before I repurchase that.

Cheeks

A recent addition to my life is the NARS One Night Stand palette, which is something I have been on the hunt for since it sold out last October/November. I eventually found one on Depop and I haven't been able to use anything else since. It has everything I could ever need for any type of look - including bronzer and highlighter! Before I got my hands on it I was using the Bourjois Nude Velvet cream blush for a nice neutral everyday look. So easy to apply and never looks too much! For highlighters the No.7 Instant Radiance highlighter is just always in my make-up bag, I use it at least 50% of the time if not more, it is so beautiful on the cheekbones and just gives a gorgeous glow to the skin. If I really want to have that glowy, bronzed look I use my Seventeen Wow Tan Liquid Gold mixed in with my foundation. It adds a nice warmth to the face which is good if I have a bit of tan on.

Eyes

I have two newbies and two oldies in the eye category. For the oldies they are the Rimmel Scandaleyes eyeliners in Nude and Bronze. Pretty self explanatory additions to the make-up bag, one for a bit of definition and the other to help brighten my eyes. For winged eyeliner I have the new They're Real Push-Up Liner from Benefit. I have a full review coming on this but it has made doing winged eyeliner so much easier and quicker in the mornings! For mascara is the Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde mascara - yes the one with the funny wand. It has a mixture of bristles and balls on the wand and this mixture of the different shapes helps apply mascara to every lash giving great length and volume!

Eyeshadow/Eyebrows

For eyeshadow itself I always have my Urban Decay Basics palette thrown in there. It is such a good palette to have for an everyday neutral look plus if you want to add other colours to it you can but at least with this you have a good basis to start off on. Mine is very well loved and I think it might be time to buy another one! For under this I use the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion. It really helps my eyeshadow go on smoother and really helps it last throughout the day! I have been loving the Sleek Eyebrow Stylist the past couple of weeks, it has a spoolie on one end and a waxy pencil on the other to fill in your brows with. To set this in place I use my MUA Clear Mascara.

Lips

Considering how much I love lip products I am pretty self restrained as to how many I have in my make-up bag (you should see my handbag!) My lipbalm of choice is the Nuxe Reve de Miel in stick form- just as good as the pot version but easier to carry around! I have my MAC Naked Lip Liner which is just the most perfect neutral lip liner I have found. I wear this on its own, with a lipstick or a lip gloss on top. The NYX Butter Glosses have been my new found love. The one I have in my make-up bag at the moment is Eclair which is a gorgeous cool toned pink, but I also love Creme Brulee if I want a neutral option. If I want a bold lip I have my NARS Red Square matte pencil, an orange toned red that is super long lasting and really easy and quick to apply. 

So that is the contents of my current make-up bag, I may add new items from time to time but the majority of things stay the same. What is your current favourite product in your make-up bag old or new?

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Urban Decay | NAKED 3 Palette

Yes you've all seen it before, nothing new to see here but I couldn't not write about this little palette of loveliness that I acquired lately. Already a massive fan of the Urban Decay eyeshadows and the Naked palette range I did feel slightly under-whelmed after seeing the latest addition before Christmas. I didn't really fall in love with any of the shades and even though the rose gold packaging was enough to sell it to me itself I was very well restrained and put it on the maybe list. Fast forward 6 or so months and Feel Unique were having a special offer and this worked out ridiculously cheap. Since I would never get it as cheap again I bought it. And shock horror, I love it. 

At first sight you would think oh my...when am I ever going to wear a pink eyeshadow? (in the 90's perhaps...) but when applied in the right way and paired with the right colours, eyeliner and mascara these colours can look amazing! I am a neutrals girl through and through but I think Urban Decay have really hit the nail on the head by incorporating a little bit more colour into a neutral girls life. I would never go out and buy a baby pink eyeshadow but after wearing some of the colours in this palette I have grown to accept that when worn correctly they can look beautiful! I won't focus too long on the colours as there are a million and one other blog posts that go into a lot more and better detail about them. But I will say as with any Urban Decay eyeshadows, the quality is out of this world. 

If you already own Naked 1 & 2 this will be a lovely addition to the Naked family but if you are just starting out I would definitely recommend you try Naked 2 first and then start to dabble with different colours! Available online here.

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