January Beauty Favourites

Is it just me or was that the longest month ever? It seems like ages ago since Christmas and New Years (and ages away until payday!) I just thought that January was never going to end. I am quite proud of myself that I have (kind of) gotten back into the routine of blogging and have worked out a schedule for working out and have stuck to both. I have been keeping track of the products that I have been reaching for the most this month, and a lot of them were new to my collection towards the beginning of the month.

Aussie Miracle Dry Shampoo

I picked this up towards the end of last month and it was purely because I was stocking up on shampoo and conditioner and there was a 3 for €13 sale on. I decided to give this a go because I was getting fed up of using Batiste and wanted something different. I was pleasantly surprised with it. I don't find it as heavy as Batiste. It is a very light spray which deposits a very fine mist of powder into your hair. I normally leave it for a couple of minutes to soak up any excess oil and then give it a good rub in. It doesn't leave any nasty white powdery residue in your hair and it doesn't feel chalky either. I bought the Aussome Volume version because we all know how I feel about having voluminous hair, and I found it did give me a little bit of lift similar to the look a texturising spray would give but not as long lasting.

Charlotte Tilbury "The Sophisticate" Palette

You all knew that this was coming. This is the most beautiful eyeshadow palette I have ever seen and I have been completely in love with it the past couple of weeks. The shadows are so ridiculously pigmented that the first time I used them I went abit overboard and ended up looking like I got punched in the eye. Not a good look. But since then I have learnt that a light hand is needed but you can create both night and day time looks with this palette. The eyeshadows are really buttery and so easy to blend and I just can't get enough of them! I still keep it in its original packaging in my make-up bag because I am so afraid of damaging it.

No.7 Lip Crayon "Daydreamer"

I got a mini of this in my stocking at Christmas, and I ended up liking it so much that I went out and bought the full size. The vouchers are doing the rounds again so I took it as a sign that I should pick it up. I have worn this pretty much everyday this month. The mini has been in my handbag all the time so even if I don't start off the day wearing it, I will have it on by the end of the day! It is a perfect everyday nude shade. It doesn't give off that much colour but it is so shiny on the lips without feeling sticky which is a major bonus for me. If you build it up enough it gives a gorgeous pink tint to the lips. One of my main staples this month. 

Jack Willis Hope Cove Body Mist 

This was something I bought in the Boots sale. It came in a set of three that I got for around €6. I bought the set to keep in my locker at work for mid-day freshening up, and this is the one out of the three that I have gotten the most use out of. You all know how I am at describing scents but it is a very refreshing, clean scent with hints of vanilla and some floral notes too..(I think!). It lasts surprisingly well considering it is only a body mist and it is so handy to have in my locker if I want a change of scent or just want to freshen up.  

Thierry Mugler Alien EDP

I was reunited with my favourite perfume this Christmas- I was lucky enough to get a bottle of Alien under the tree. I have been such a fan of this perfume for years now but I ran out of my last bottle halfway through last year. So I was delighted to get my hands on another bottle and this is something I wear on an everyday basis. If you are a fan of deeper, more muskier scents then this is the one for you. Since it is the Eau de Parfum, it is so long-lasting so all you need is one or two sprays and it lasts up to six hours on me.

Soap & Glory Smoulder Kohl Eyeliner

Another sale purchase, I bought a set of four eyeliners from Soap & Glory for half price. I have been so impressed with all the make up that I have tried from Soap & Glory in the past, and I was on the hunt for a new eyeliner so I decided to give these a go. I got the set of four for around €9 and it is €6.50 for one so I thought it was a bit of a bargain. I was not disappointed with the quality of these liners. My favourite is the shade Cocoa Bean which is a lovely deep brown shade. It looks slightly more natural than a black kohl line in the waterline and I have really been enjoying wearing it this past month. It has amazing staying power, but if you smudge it out before it sets in place you can get an amazing smoked out look to your eyeliner. 

So those are my favourites for the month of January. I am putting myself on a spending ban for the month of February because I seem to have accumulated a lot of new products this past month and I don't need any more at the moment. So if you see me tweeting about making a purchase, or even in a shop do not let me buy anything!   

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What's in my Bag | Michael Kors Selma

Ever since I bought my bag back in the Summer of last year, I have been meaning to do one of these posts. Since we are at the beginning of a new year, I have done a major clear out and organization of my bag so I thought what better time to do it? I have hopes that I will be slightly more organized this year and wont accumulate as many receipts as I have done in the past! (you know you have a shopping problem when you have more receipts in your purse than money!) 

I have absolutely been loving this bag since I've gotten it and have used it as my everyday handbag since! I find it really sturdy and a perfect size to carry all my essentials while not being overly big. It is a very classic shape and colour so it goes perfectly with alot of outfits and occasions. It also comes with a long strap which is handy if you want to carry it across your body.

| iPhone 5s | a|wear Purse | Coin Purse | Kindle | Diary | Headphones |

 | NUXE Reve de Miel Handcream | NYX HD Concealer | Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk |

| River Island Hat| Bag Hook | NYX HD Concealer | Hair Clip |

| Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector | Locker Keys |

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The 7am Face

More like the "5 minutes to get out the door" face, but I thought my other title sounded more appealing. We've all been there, hit the snooze button a little too often and suddenly realise you either get up or be late. I have stages of arguing and making deals with myself at that hour of the morning which I later on in the day end up regretting- deals such as today will be a dry shampoo day, or no you don't need to wash off the layer of fake tan you put on last night...deals that the more awake version of yourself never agrees with. So with that in mind I have pulled together a go to look for myself, so that when the alarm clock goes off I can snooze for an extra 5 minutes before reaching for these products, knowing that I won't be let down!

Starting on the base, at that time of the morning I will need as much skin-brightening help as I can get- plus no-body likes messing around with brushes too early-am I right? So what I've been reaching for lately has been a mixture of Chanel Vita Lumiere Aqua and NARS Copacabana Illuminator. I mix a blob of each on the back of my hand and blend it into my face just using my fingers. I find that the combination of the two gives me a really natural yet illuminated look to my skin which is what I need first thing in the morning. For concealer, I want to go for something that I know will cover both blemishes and discoloration- and for this it has to be my NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer. It has the perfect amount of coverage, but I find it to be brightening for under my eyes too. 

You all know how much I love my brows, but sometimes a girls got to make sacrifices for her beauty sleep! I find that the Benefit Gimme Brow still helps thicken my brows and keep them in place throughout the day! It has tiny little fibres which add the thickness, it is coloured so it evens out your brows and the gel helps set it all together! A similar approach comes to eyeshadow, I just haven't got time to add different colours and to blend them all together, so my favourite product has been the No.7 Shade & Define eyeshadow stick in Cool Mink. A quick swipe of this all over my lid and some quick blending with my fingers and I am done. I don't bother curling my lashes, just adding a quick layer of Maxfactor's Clump Defy False Lash Effect Mascara. 

I don't normally bother doing much else to my base as I carry a powder with me throughout the day, so I can touch up if needed. I do add a tiny bit of the Balm's Frat Boy blush to add some warmth to my skin but other than that I just leave it as it is. I use a tiny bit of one of the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfectors and I'm out the door! 

So with those products I am less likely to look like a zombie first thing in the morning. Let me know what your go-to products are for when you hit the snooze button too many times!

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Charlotte Tilbury | The Sophisticate

  *Insert heart-eyed emoji here* May I introduce to you the new love of my life. Charlotte Tilbury is a brand that I have been following since it came out and I have fallen in love with many pieces from the collection. But since it is on the higher end of the price scale I have resisted the urge to treat myself too much. I did have one particular palette on my wishlist. Matte, cool-toned and beautiful..it is the Sophisticate palette. This was the stand out palette from the collection for me because it is just right up my street. The other palettes are beautiful but I knew I wouldn't realistically get the use out of them, and this one just seemed perfect for me! 

My boyfriend very generously treated me to the palette as part of my Christmas present and as soon as I seen it, it was love. To get the obvious out of the way, it is the most beautiful packaging on a product that I own. It looks and feels so luxurious with the gold embossing, and looks really nice in your make-up bag! (I still put it back into the original little box after every use though, anyone else do that?) 

The eyeshadows themselves are like nothing I have ever tried before. They are so soft and buttery, so they are so easy to work with. They blend like a dream but be aware that they are also ridiculously pigmented so a light hand is all you need! I have created both day-time and night-time looks with this palette so I can see it becoming my new staple palette that I use on a day to day basis. The top two shades are perfect for an everyday, natural look and then you can add a touch of one of the bottom two shades to deepen up the look or to add some definition at the lash-line.

You can expect to see this appearing in next months monthly favourites- I realise it is only the beginning of January but that is just how much I love this! Let me know if you have any recommendations from Charlotte Tilbury that you think I should try, I have my eye on the Bronze & Glow palette next! 

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Rimmel Provocolips | Play With Fire

 You all know my preferences when it comes to a darker lip, I like long lasting matte finishes- the more matte and chalky the better! I'm not normally one for bringing a whole pile of make up out with me on a night out or on a day to day basis so I like minimal touch-ups if at all possible. Also bold, glossy lips and myself do not get along- they end up being everywhere but my lips so it is safer to just stay away! I was on the hunt for a long lasting lipstick for my work's Christmas party recently and I had seen alot of posts about the new lip release from Rimmel called the Provocolips. Everyone said that they are ridiculously long lasting and some even saying that they had problems getting them off- so I picked up the shade "Play With Fire" to give it a go! 

On the night of my Christmas party I applied this around 5pm. I found it really easy to apply with the doe-foot applicator provided. It is really easy to outline your lips with the pointed side and then fill them in with the flat side. After leaving that to dry for a minute or so, I applied the clear balm on top. This is the sealing top coat which gives a gorgeous gloss to the lips as well as holding in the colour. When I first applied it I sat for about ten minutes waiting for to set, because since it was glossy I didn't feel like I could smear it! But then I did the tissue test and it passed, there was not a bit of lipstick on the tissue and my lips still had the bold, glossy finish. That night I went out without the lipstick in my bag- not completely on purpose but I figured it would be a good test if I couldn't top it up at all. So after plenty of eating and talking that night I arrived home with my lipstick still intact! I didn't have any problems removing it either which was something I was worried about as I had work the next day and didn't fancy rocking the same lipstick from the night before!

The shade "Playing With Fire" is very like Nars Cruella- another firm favourite of mine- so if you are looking for a dupe of the shade Cruella I'd say give this a go! It is a very deep burgandy red, perfect for the party season! I love wearing this with a very minimal eye look, maybe some winged liner and Nars Doucear on my cheeks. When I wear a statement shade like this I don't want anything else to take away from it so I focus all attention on my lips. I would definitely recommend you check out the Provocolips range if you haven't already! There is not a massive shade range and I'm hoping they bring out more shades but if you are looking for something for the Christmas nights out go for "Playing With Fire"

Have you tried any of the Rimmel Provocolips? What shades would you recommend? What is your go-to lip product for the festive season?

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2014 Beauty Favourites

This has definitely been a busy year in terms of make up and trying out new products. It really doesn't feel like a year since I wrote my last yearly favourites and I feel like I am still loving the products I featured in my 2013 but for the sake of some variety I have tried not to include the same products again. I will admit this favourites post is slightly NARS-centric but I did have to restrain myself to not include all NARS products. But if I was to choose a favourite brand of the year it would be NARS without a doubt!

Base

NARS Sheer Glow- This will come as no surprise to any of you that read my blog. I found my holy-grail foundation this year in the form of the NARS Sheer Glow and I have raved about it in many posts! I love this so much I have it in 3 shades currently! I have Mont Blanc, Deauville and Fiji- all for different stages of the tanning process! It is a medium to full coverage foundation which leaves a gorgeous natural finish to the skin. It blends beautifully into the skin and is so long lasting it's unreal!

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer- Another predictable pick for those of you who follow this blog. I bought this at the same time as the Sheer Glow foundation. I will admit that it was a bit of an impulse buy, and the sales assistant really did sell it to me but after using it for the majority of the year, and repurchasing it last month I can say it is one of the nicest concealers I have ever used. It covers a multitude of sins and stays put all day. I use the lightest shade in this- I probably would get away with using a shade or two up, but I like to use this for highlighting too! 

Bourjois Healthy Balance Powder- This is the same as last year, and it is purely because I haven't found a powder I like as much as this. I have been using the No.7 loose powder the past couple of months but I don't like it as much purely because it is not as travel friendly as the Bourjois one, and I have had a few spillages with it! The Bourjois powder is really finely milled and doesn't leave your skin looking overly matte or cakey. It does a brilliant job at setting your foundation and taking away any excess oil or shine there might be.

Eyes

Anastasia Brow Whizz- I have had an eyebrow revalation this year after trying the Anastasia Brow Whiz.I normally get my eyebrows threaded every couple of weeks anyway so using this pencil has just introduced some more definition to my eyebrow life. It has a spoolie on one end and on the other is the tinest pencil ever. It really helps you mimic the look of tiny hairs so the look you can achieve is so natural and it is so quick and easy to use!

Smashbox Full Exposure Palette- I have still been loving and regularly using the Naked Basics palette this year but another neutral palette that I have been using consistently since I bought it back in August is this beauty from Smashbox. It is a palette with half matte shades and half shimmer shades, so you can create a great variety of looks with this. All the eyeshadows are really nice and easy to work with and they have decent pigmentation to them. As you can see from the picture, I got the most use out of the cool-toned, matte shades (shock) and have been wearing them on an everyday basis!

Max-Factor Clump Defy False Lash Effect Mascara- This was a new discovery for me this year, it might have even been a new release from Max-Factor! I have used the regular version of this mascara in the past, and while I found it good I was never overwhelmed by it. But when I seen this on the shelves of Boots I decided to give it a go. It has a slightly curved wand which allows you to grip all lashes and it distributes an even amount of product. It adds both length and volume to my lashes without looking spidery.

 

Face

NYX Taupe Blush- This year I have really been getting into contouring. Before this year it was always something I attempted to do with my bronzer. But I discovered this year that using a more cool-toned shade worked better on my skintone and gave a more natural shadow. When NYX launched in Ireland I picked up the blush in the shade Taupe. It is a grey-toned brown colour which makes it perfect for contouring. I use this under my cheekbones to try and add more definition before adding my bronzer on top.

Liz Earle Radiant Glow Bronzer- I have chopped and changed my bronzers alot this year, but one that I seem to have gotten the most use out of is the Liz Earle Radiant Glow Bronzer. This bronzer has four shades in it, going from very dark to a light golden bronze. I just tend to swirl my brush through all four colours and apply to the top of my forehead and down the centre of my face. It also adds the smallest amount of glow to your skin without looking overly glittery.

NARS Doucear Blush- I discovered this blush later on this year but in the short space of time that I have owned it, I have found it to be the most useful blush I own. This is the most versatile, easy to wear blush that I own. It is brown-plum in colour. If you are looking for a colour to wear while you are wearing a bold lip or a smokey eye this is the one for you. It adds a flush of colour without taking attention away from anything else.

The Balm Mary Lou-Manizer- The Balm was a brand that I discovered this year and have been loving everything I have tried from them so far! The Mary Lou-Manizer highlighter was the first item I tried from them, after hearing all the rave reviews online. This is an absolutely gorgeous gold-toned highlighter. The powder is so finely milled it looks like you have nothing on your skin. It is not at all glittery in slightest but just leaves a gorgeous - almost wet look - sheen to the skin. 

Lips

NARS Cruella- For a bold lip this year, Cruella has been the main one that I have been reaching for. I love a dark vampy red and this is the one that just ticks all the boxes for me. As a whole I have been loving the NARS Velvet Matte lip pencils, they are just amazing! Matte, but not at all drying and extremely long lasting. Cruella has been the one that I have been carrying around in my handbag the past couple of months just incase I want to change up my look during the day. It is a really easy to wear red and it makes your teeth look really nice and white!

Nuxe Reve De Miel- During the year I have gone through many nude lip options, but when it came down to it the one that I have reached for the most has been my Reve De Miel lip balm. I bought this as a birthday treat for myself back in March and have used it everyday since. It is the most hydrating lipbalm I have ever used. I have used it with both lipsticks and lip pencils and it works well with both. It has a matte finish so it tends to stick around longer than your average lip balm. Slightly more expensive but so worth it!

So that is the round up of my favourite products of 2014! I have picked up a few new bits over the Christmas and have been lucky enough to recieve some make-up bits as presents so you can expect alot of reviews in the coming weeks! Let me know what your top products of 2014 were and if you have any similar favourites to me! Happy New Year to you all and thank you all so much for reading my blog over the past year!

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