No.7 Free Gift With Purchase

 I am such a sucker for the whole "Free Gift with Purchase" promotions and have been known to buy things I don't even need/want just to get the free gift. (Happens the best of us right?) So the latest addition is this box of goodies from No.7. It literally screams Summer with the bright colours. I love the packaging so much, it looked so pretty on the shelves and that was one of the main reasons I was drawn to it. This little box of happiness is free when you buy two No.7 cosmetics!

Inside was a mini BB Lips in Ballerina Pink which is so cute and dinky, perfect for just throwing in your handbag-plus it has SPF15 in it! 

Next is a gorgeous eyeshadow, which is the middle shade from the Good Earth eyeshadow trio . You all know about how I feel about my cool toned browns and looking at it in pictures I'm thinking it could be a pretty good dupe for MAC's Patina (I will report back on that!)  The mascara that is included is the Extreme Length mascara which is fantastic for adding length and definition to your lashes- it is waterproof though which is good to have in Summer but I wouldn't normally pick up a waterproof mascara! 

Finally, the item that sold it for me was the nail polish in Duck Egg Blue- how cute is that name?! It is a true sky blue and only needs two coats to be completely opaque on the nails, it also has one of those "one swipe" brushes which personally I think every nail polish brand needs to get on board with! 

So yes I am a sucker for the pretty things and will buy what I need to get them (In this case a lipliner & a nailpolish) but these are completely essential and I definitely definitely needed them!

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September Beauty Favourites

I can't believe September has already been and gone and we are well into the Autumn now. As you may have seen from my previous post I have been changing up my make-up for the colder months, so I have a lot of new make-up bits added to my everyday routine and quite alot of favourites this month. 

YSL Youth Liberator Foundation

My mum bought this ages ago so I decided to just give it a try this month and I fell in love. I am a massive fan of the YSL Teint Touche Eclat foundation so I had high hopes for this one, and after reading everybodys rave reviews about it I was expecting great things! I am seriously impressed by this foundation- so much so I am planning a full review of it in the coming weeks. My skin has been a little bit worse for wear lately, breakouts, redness, uneven patches- it was just a mess. So I majorly stripped down my skincare and started using this foundation. I'm not sure if it is the foundation, or my skincare routine but my skin has completely evened out and any redness has been majorly reduced! It is a medium/high coverage foundation which I always prefer and I would say it has a "satin" finish which feels nice and moisturising so it is perfect for the  cooler Autumnal months. I find it lasts all day on my skin with minimal touch-ups required. 

Anastasia Brow Whizz

I have become obsessed with eyebrows over the past couple of months and have tried and tested numerous products to try and achieve the perfect brow. Again I had heard alot of hype around this product so I was so excited to finally try it. This pencil makes doing your eyebrows so easy. It is actually part of my routine I look forward to doing now purely because I get to use this. It has a teeny tiny nib so it makes it really easy to mimic the look of brow hairs, therefore giving a much more natural look to the finished look. I have mine in Medium Brown which is a perfect match for me, and the spoolie on the end just makes life so much easier! 

 Essie Angora Cardi

Whats a monthly favourites post on this blog without an Essie polish? I have been lusting after this nail polish ever since I first discovered Essie, bur for some reason it was always one that I never got a chance to pick up. It was always either out of stock or I forgot about it. But on a recent trip to Galway I spotted it in Boots and snapped it up! I would describe this polish as a dusky rose colour, so it is perfect for Autumn. It is a very easy colour to wear for everyday, not too dark and gives a lovely polished look to your nails. I have had this on my nails everyday since I got it, and even my mum has worn it- and she is very picky with her nail colours!  

 Cocoa Brown Gentle Bronze

If you had asked me a few months a go what my favourite Cocoa Brown product was I would have sworn blind it was the 1hr tan and that nothing else would ever come close. I think that my beloved 1hr tan has been knocked off the top spot by the "Gentle Bronze" Gradual tanner. For the colder months I wanted to start embracing my natural colour(ish) so I was trying to wean myself off the darker shades of tan and go for a more "sunkissed" look. I find that the Gentle Bronze gives an amazing colour with just one application. You can go back and add more layers depending on how dark you want to go. I have been applying this every second night, and my regular body moisturiser every other night and I have been loving the results! Cocoa Brown never lets you down! 

 MaxFactor Clump Defy Mascara

This is a mascara I picked up after watching Suzie from Hello October's monthly favourites last month. I love thick volumious lashes, but it is a very fine line between volume and clumping. This mascara claims to give amazingly plumped up lashes without any of the clumpage. Like Suzie mentioned in her video, it took me a little while to really like this mascara. After about a week or so of using it I started to really really like it. I think you need to let it dry out a little bit first and then it gets so much easier to work with. It really does give amazing volume to my lashes while still making them appear defined and lengthed. I'm not sure if I prefer this to my Maybelline Falsies, but it's coming pretty close!

Zoeva Rose Gold Brushes

Yes I finally caved and bought those brushes. I have been lusting after these since they were originally released, then they went out of stock (typical) and then I wasn't sure if I really needed them. But after staring longingly at pictures of them for months I just ordered them. And I am not sorry. This is my first experience with Zoeva brushes and I am delighted to report back that it is a good one. All of these brushes are fantastic quality and are all I have been using over the past couple of weeks since I've gotten them. My favourites are the Silk Finish buffing brush, the Luxe Soft Definer brush and the Luxe Sheer Cheek brush. All of the brushes are incredibly beautiful and amazing to use! Full review coming soon! 

The Wet Brush
You all know how loyal I am to the tangle teaser, but that was until the Wet Brush had arrived in my life. It glides through my hair and detangles in one swipe. It doesn't tug or split my hair. I have been using this everyday since I got it and I am obsessed. It also has the added bonus of a handle which is something I have missed with the tangle teaser. I would thoroughly recommend you get your hands on one of these. Amazing!

I feel like I have had so many products this month, and I have a feeling next month will be the same because there are so many exciting make up launches coming up and I just want to try everything! Let me know what your number one product this month has been and why!

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Louise Young Super Foundation Brush LY34

 Oh look its another review of the most talked about brush at the moment. I know I jumped on yet another band wagon but I completely blame all of the other beauty bloggers who got this first and who made me want to buy it. It was out of my hands and I simply needed it! Plus those rascals over at Beauty Bay sent me an email to say there was 10% so whats a girl to do really?

So I placed my order for the LY34 Super Foundation brush and waited for baited breath for it to arrive. Other than the few MAC brushes that I own, I have never spent this much money on a make up brush before so I was hoping it would be worth the investment. Firstly this may seem like a silly thing to say but it feels so lovely, to hold it you can tell it cost that little (ahem...alot..) more than say Real Techniques or Eco Tools. The handle is nice and heavy and feels so luxurious to hold. The brush itself is mind-blowingly soft. Honestly I have never owned a brush so soft, it feels like silk when I'm applying foundation. 

I have had this for a few weeks but wanted to wait and try it out with all of my foundations and I have even used it on my mum to see what the finish looks like on different skin types too. So from the heaviest foundations to the lightest I have used this brush for and with every foundation that I have used, I love the finish that this brush helps achieve. If you are after a full coverage finish and like to buff in your foundation to achieve said coverage then maybe this brush is not for you. It has helped me achieve a very natural, light coverage with all foundations used but what I love about this brush is that it does all the work for you. These days it takes less than two minutes for me to do my foundation where as before I was buffing in for ages to make sure there were no lines or patches. I don't know what magic this brush works but it blends foundation seamlessly and quickly. 

I can not recommend this brush enough, it makes putting on foundation all the easier and makes it look amazing with minimal effort! Available to buy online here. Go go go!

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Sick Day Essentials

So you might have heard that this week I am abit under the weather. (Its not like I've mentioned it on twitter a million times, worst patient ever!) I haven't been feeling right for about a week now. But since I still have to go about my normal day and am still expected to look human I decided to share with you the products I have been reaching for this past week to try and help me look that I am still functioning - even though underneath I am a pale, shivering mess.

YSL | Le Teint Touche Eclat Foundation

I have been trying to give my skin as much glow and moisture as possible because it is definitely looking a little worse for wear. So of course I have been reaching for the foundation with the serious "glow-factor". I love this foundation because it gives you such a natural, healthy looking glow which is exactly what my poor skin needs at the moment. It doesn't feel heavy on my skin as the day goes on and it is relatively long lasting (although after blowing your nose a couple of times you might need to top up to avoid looking like Rudolf!)

The Balm | Mary Lou Manizer

Following on from the glow-giving foundation, I have been piling on the highlighter. The one I have been loving this past week is the Mary Lou Manizer from The Balm. Now I have heard so so many reviews and ravings about this highlighter and I just never believed the hype. I ordered it on a bit of  a whim last week and have been using it solid since it arrived. It is safe to say the hype is definitely true. Where has this been all my life?! It is the most amazingly pigmented highlighter I have ever used. It is not glittery and just gives your skin a very "Hollywood Glow" look without looking like you dipped your head in grease!

Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeliner | Nude

This eyeliner is the most well-loved in my collection. When I am sick my contacts feel so uncomfortable and my eyes always tend to go red and puffy. So during the day when it is socially unacceptable to go around with pieces of cucumber on my eyes I have been carrying around my nude eyeliner instead. It is perfect for cancelling out any redness and giving you a wide-eyed, well rested look that you may not have achieved by sleep.

NUXE | Reve de Miel Lipbalm

Finally to keep the chapped lips at bay I have my tub of Reve de Miel with me. This is the lipbalm that puts all others to shame. It gives my lips such amazing moisture that I have never gotten from anything else. It is a seriously heavy-duty lipbalm. It has a matte finish which is unusual for a lipbalm but it feels lovely and velvety on the lips and stays on for ages!

So those are my "sick day" products, along with plenty of Kleenex and paracetamol! Let me know what products you would use if you are feeling a little under the weather! (PS the tissues in the pictures are not used, promise!)

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Soap & Glory | Massage Glove for Cleaning Brushes?

Don't judge me yet, let me explain! I'm sure you've all seen that brush cleansing glove from Sigma, it looks like it makes brush cleaning a breeze but the price really put me off and I just couldn't justify it! So when I seen this on the shelves of Boots I whipped it up hoping it would be a good dupe. 

It's not identical to the Sigma one in the way that the Sigma glove has all these different fancy grooves for different brushes and this one is the same all over. But to be honest that didn't really matter to me, I just wanted to see if it would make deep cleaning my brushes any easier. So when I got home I gathered my Johnson Baby Shampoo and my brushes together (lets just say it was definitely time for a deep clean!) and set off on my cleaning mission. I popped a little bit of baby shampoo onto the centre of the glove and just started to swirl the brush in. I had the tap on as I was doing this so I could dampen the brush as I went and to get rid of any excess shampoo that was getting in my way. 

  
This glove is absolutely amazing. I found such a difference in my brushes compared to just hand washing them. It really got down to the nitty gritty bits in the middle that you might not get otherwise. The little grooves really help to get right down to the bottom of the bristles to make sure every last piece of dirt has been lifted. Even though it is obviously a little rougher than just using your hand I haven't experienced any shedding or anything like that so I believe it is still gentle enough to use on your brushes.

It is available online here for €11. I think if you have had your eye on the Sigma one definitely give this a go first! 

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Going Bare-Faced?

If you follow me on twitter you will know I recently went a week without makeup. I had a family wedding coming up and I wanted my skin to look good for it. So since I was on holidays from work for the week leading up to the wedding I decided to go cold turkey on the makeup front and didn’t put anything near my face for the five days before the wedding.

 You might be thinking that this is a different blog post coming from me, considering I usually just stick to the beauty reviews and it is but I just wanted to share my experiences with you. Now as you may have gathered from reading my blog I do tend to wear make up on a daily basis. Even if it’s just a little bit of CC cream and mascara, I just feel that little bit more confident with it and above all I just really enjoy applying it and it is part of my daily routine. So to go from that to a bare face was a big step for me. Granted it was a little easier because I didn’t have to go into work but I was still out and about on an everyday basis running errands before the wedding so I still seen people I knew. Going out for the first few days was more daunting than I was expecting. I was almost apologising to people I met out that I knew for my appearance when most of those people probably didn’t care or even notice. Once I got over those couple of days I started to forget that I didn’t have make up on and just went about my day as normal. Plus having the option to rub your eyes in the middle of the day is just a glorious feeling! 

During the week I got so many breakouts which was just typical since I couldn’t put a bit of concealer on to cover it up. I started to do a mini facial every second evening to help draw out all of the impurities that were lurking beneath the surface. During the last couple of days I found such an improvement in my skin. All of the red nasty breakouts had gone down, blackheads were reduced and I found that my skin overall had evened out and just looked a lot brighter and healthier. So the break from make up really did do it the world of good. On the day of the wedding when I finally put on makeup, it glided on and sat perfectly on my skin for the day. I was so happy the way it looked on the day that it really did make it all worthwhile.

I’m sure there are plenty of people reading this and thinking it’s no big deal to go without makeup and there are people that never wear make up but there are also people who wouldn’t dare step outside without their “face” on and before that week I would have considered myself to be in the second category. Since doing my “make-up free week” I have gotten more confidence in my own skin and not caring so much if my face is not perfect because lets be fair who’s is? I feel like I could go out without make up and I really wouldn’t care who I met on my travels where a couple of months ago I wouldn’t have gone out for fear of who I’d see and if they wouldn’t recognize me without makeup (mad I know!)

So as ridiculous as it may sound to some people, I am really proud of myself for going without make up for the week. My skin has really thanked me for it and now I feel less pressure on myself to have make up on everyday. I’d love to hear your opinion on this topic, what are your thoughts on going make up free?

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Benefit They're Real Push-Up Liner

I'm sure over half of you have heard of - if not tried the infamous "They're Real" mascara from Benefit which has taken the world by storm. Apparently it is the UK's best selling mascara and rightly so, I am such a massive fan of the mascara so it seemed only fair that I would give it's sister product a try! 

 Gel eyeliner is just something I never tried. Usually it involves the pot, the brush and a steady hand that I don't have unfortunately! Since I have hooded eyes and winged eyeliner takes a lot of work to look ok on me, it was just too much hastle to bother with. Enter Benefit who just takes a job which can be so much fuss and turn it into something even I can handle. The Push-Up liner is basically a gel eyeliner in pen form. Revolutionary no? You simply have to twist the bottom and it pushes the product out through the perfectly shaped nib. The nib itself is pointed which makes doing that winged out flick that we all love, completely quick and easy! The formula itself is amazingly smooth. The gel glides onto the eyelid making it really easy to create an even line on the first application.

Since I have hooded eyes (incase you hadn't heard the 500 other times I've mentioned it) I find alot of other eyeliners that I wear on my upper lash line transfer to the top of my eyelid which is not the look I want to go for after spending ages trying to get it to look even. Thankfully this is not a problem with this! Like the mascara once its on it is on! This stuff does not budge until you want it to - which in Ireland where watery eyes may be an everyday occurrence thanks to the wind, rain, extreme sun or anything else the weather decides to throw at us - is a very good feature to have! 

You can vary your look from a thicker line to a very discreet lash hugging line. Maybelline apparently have a dupe for this beauty from Benefit which I am half-tempted to give a go. But if you have an "L Plate" for eyeliner like I do then you need this in your life! Priced at €25 and available online here!

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August Beauty Favourites

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