Smashbox Photo Finish Priming Water

There has been a lot of love for Smashbox over the past couple of years and rightly so. They have done so well with all their recent releases and I have been a big fan of a couple of their products such as the Full Exposure palette and more recently the contour palette. The latest product that caught my eye was their Photo Finish Primer Water.

I am a massive fan of finishing sprays and tonic mists anyway so I was instantly drawn to this. It says on the packaging that it can be used in three different ways. It can be used on your skin before you apply any make-up as a primer, as a finishing spray to set your make-up in place or you can use it throughout the day as a refreshing face spray. I have used it in all three methods and over the past couple of weeks I have really been loving this step in my make-up routine. 

I do find that it does slightly help the longevity of my make-up while helping my skin feel hydrated throughout the day. I'm not the biggest fan of the spray though, because it is not the most even of sprays. You might get a nice light mist in your face or it might be a squirt of product - so I'd definitely recommend you spray a couple of spritzs first before going near your face with it.

It is also silicone, alcohol and oil free which is an added bonus! I have also found since using this that my skin has been looking a lot brighter and my skin tone has been more even and there isn't as much discolouration. I don't know if it is down to this completely as I have been changing up my skincare routine a bit lately, but it definitely has not done it any harm!

I am so impressed by this spray overall, and I am even willing to forgive the dodgy squirter for how good the product is! If you want to pick this up, it is available online at Boots.ie for €22.

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MAC Velvet Teddy

  
I finally got my hands on the much coveted Velvet Teddy. If you have been living under a rock the past couple of months and are unaware of the hype surrounding this lipstick - basically it apparently Kylie Jenner's go-to lipstick and has been sold out everywhere for the past 6+ months. Obviously with it being sold out just made me want it all the more and I literally became obsessed with getting my hands on it. It became a ritual to check the Brown Thomas website, forever asking the sales assistants in store and looking for dupes online. I even asked my Auntie to pick it up while she was in New York for me and it was even sold out there! So I thought I was seeing things when I randomly checked it one evening and it was in stock! I had it bought before I knew what was going on. I was afraid it was an error on the website so had to check out as quick as possible before it had a chance to correct itself! 

When it arrived a couple of days later I was almost afraid to use it. I had spent so long trying to get it, it just felt wrong to use it. I got over that feeling pretty quickly and got to the testing of this. First off I have been using lip-liners with it, a mixture of either Whirl or Soar depending on what look I'm going for. Whirl is almost the exact match for Velvet Teddy and Soar is a little more pink toned. Velvet Teddy is a matte finish and I think it is similar to Ruby Woo, and when I say that I mean that it has the same very dry texture to it. It is a true matte lipstick and can be a tad drying so a good lip-balm is needed with this ladies!

The colour is a major 90's throwback. It is a very dark nude brown shade that I really think would suit almost any skin-tone. It also is the kind of lipstick that you can wear on an everyday basis but would look good on a night out or a more dressed up event too! It is a really nice shade and something that fits in well to my collection. If you are on the hunt for a dupe the closest I have found is a Wet n Wild lipstick in "Bare it All", the only difference is that it is not as matte so if you suffer from dry lips it might be a better option for you and it is also alot easier to get hold of! 

Top- "MAC Velvet Teddy"
Bottom- "Wet n Wild Bare it All"

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No.7 Early Defence Day Cream

  
No.7 have recently released a new line to their very popular skincare range called the Early Defence. What attracted me to this new release is that it is aimed to younger people who are looking to start off in skincare and who want to protect their skin and keep it in the condition it is in. It is particularly aimed at 20-35 year olds with younger complexions. As you all know I am a massive fan of the Origins Ginzing Moisturiser but I did want something to go along side that which had some anti-aging properties in it to work on my skin at keeping it looking the way it does while still keeping it nice and moisturised. 

The first thing I noticed about this when I first used it, was how thick the day cream felt. I was abit worried that it wouldn't absorb into my skin properly in the mornings but I didn't have to worry. It may feel thick on first application but it absorbs quickly into the skin and leaves a lovely base for make up to be applied on. It doesn't leave my skin looking oily though-out the day and it hasn't made a difference in the longevity of my make up which is great that I can apply something as moisturising as this and not have my make up slide off my face during the day. It's ingredients include Lipopeptides and Vitamin A, which are there to help reduce fine lines which may be beginning to appear. It also helps protect against everyday environmental stresses on your skin and as with all No.7 Day creams, it contains SPF15 so you know that your skin is protected from the harmful rays throughout the day. It is also hyperallergenic so it is perfect for sensitive skins. It does have a fragrance to it, but don't be put off by that, I'd definitely recommend you give it a go! 

There is a day, night and eye cream available in the range and they are all available online here or at any No.7 counter!

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Sure Maximum Protection Stress Control Anti-Perspirant

I have been loyal to a deodorant brand for so long, and it is never something I shop around for. I know what works for me and don't normally feel the need to stray from it. But recently my underarms have been feeling a little dry and irritated (TMI?) so when the Sure Maximum Protection Anti-Perspirant* arrived through my letter box I decided to give it a go to see if it would help. 

This is a cream deodorant which offers 48hr protection. I felt that because it is a cream product that I would be applying under my arms on a daily basis, it might be more moisturizing than my regular everyday deodorant. First off with the protection I have found it to do exactly what it says on the tin. It has kept sweat and odor at bay thoughout the day. I'm not sure about the 48hr claim since I apply my deodorant every day so I don't let it get to the stage where I would need 48hrs protection! The difference with this is that you apply it before you go to bed and it get to work overnight and then leaves you protected for the day after. It really feels strange applying deodorant before going to bed but I found it really works. It has really helped moisturise the area too, I have found that tan sits a lot better and it feels better under there too! The smell is a very clean scent- not too over powering or in your face. It is just very fresh but still leaves room for you to add your own fragrance for the day.

I can't imagine going back to using a spray after using this because it dries almost instantly and  doesn't leave that sticky feeling some sprays can. The fragrance doesn't over power like again the sprays can tend to do. Overall I just find that this works better for  me and I would definitely recommend this if you are not getting on with your current situation! It is available online here.

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Barry M | Speedy Quick Dry Polishes

 I have recently gone through a phase of absolutely loving painting my nails. The past couple of months I haven't really been bothered with my nails. The polish didn't seem to last and I was just a bit bored with all the colours and then I got Gels so I didn't need to paint them. But over the past couple of weeks I have rekindled my love for nail polish and I am putting it down to this new collection from Barry M. It is called the Speedy Quick Dry collection and is available in stores and online now.

The first thing that attracted me to the collection was the selection of colours, on the shelf they all looked so pretty together and individually they work amazingly well. I don't think there is a colour out of the collection that I wouldn't wear which is really rare for me because there is always one that I don't like. But I did restrain myself to three shades - Pole Position, In a Heart Beat and Eat My Dust. Pole Position is a muted lime green, In a Heart Beat is a coral/pink shade and In a Heart Beat is a pastel blue/grey. I have been rotating these colours over the past few weeks and I am more than impressed with them. 

Firstly the brush. Barry M finally has the fan brushes on their nail polishes! I have been a massive fan of Barry M polishes for years but the only thing that always bothered me were the skinny brushes! Don't need to worry about that anymore- with the new brushes all you need is one swipe and it coats the whole nail perfectly in product. I found that two coats is needed to get opacity and full colour pay off. They have lasted well for me, and even though I have been at work and have been giving my nails abuse they have come through with minimal chipping. I have just been wearing my usual Sally Hanson Insta-Dry top coat with them (I am all about the quick dry polishes!) and I found that with the combination of the two polishes that my nails are dry almost instantly. 

I have seen online that there are new shades being released so I will definitely be picking some up! I think Barry M have really done well with this collection and I am a massive fan!

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