Botanics Facial Oil

Over the past couple of weeks my skin has been going though a bit of a phase. I am normally oily, but lately I have been having a couple of unwanted dry patches randomly on my face and overall it has just been feeling a little tight and uncomfortable. I went hunting through my beauty drawers to see what I would have to combat it, and I came across this facial oil from Botanics. I am a massive fan of Botanics skincare, I love their radiance balm, micellar water and their brightening day and night creams. I find Botanics to be amazing quality skincare for amazing prices and they are normally on offer at Boots too!

I applied this facial oil one night in sheer desperation, I put it all over my face but particularly focusing on the corners of my nose and forehead. These are the areas I found to be most dry. The oil is very lightweight, I was expecting it to be alot thicker and almost to have the same consistancy of a hair oil. But it is so much lighter than that. It glides onto my skin and absorbs surprisingly quickly. It does leave a slight film on your skin but if you leave it on overnight it will have sunk in by morning. 

The morning after I first applied this I found that my dry patches were significantly reduced. I continued to use it for a few nights after and they had cleared up in no time. Now I apply this all over my face and leave it on overnight for an intensive treatment, and if I'm feeling like I need a good bit of moisture I will apply my Origins Drink Up Intensive overnight mask and pop this on top. They work amazingly well together and your skin will feel so hydrated and plump the next day. 

It is available online here or in Boots stores.  

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MAC | Blankety Lipstick

Yes, I know...another MAC lipstick. But I really do have an addiction, and it could be worse right? I recently had a few items to use for Back To MAC so I had a freebie coming my way! If you didn't know, if you return 6 of the black plastic packaging of any MAC products - like an empty lipstick, eyeshadow, etc- to MAC they will give you a free lipstick of your choice! So after much deliberation, I decided to go for Blankety. Because I clearly don't have enough neutral lip options!

Blankety is actually an Amplified finish which I did not realise at the time. I would normally associate an Amplified finish with some of their more brighter colours, but I have been pleasantly surprised with how this has been working for me. It is a gorgeous creamy lipstick that has amazing pigment. It is very like MAC Honeylove but with a bit more shine to it. I would describe this as being a creamy beige nude. So it is a gorgeous nude lipstick if you are around my skin-tone. It looks gorgeous with a bit of  a tan too and really compliments it. 

 I have been so used to wearing my matte MAC nudes the past couple of months that this really was a nice change. It is not drying whatsoever on the lips but it still has amazing staying power! I do normally pair this with a lip-liner underneath which does make a difference. 

I have been wearing this shade non-stop since I got it. It works with so many different eye-looks and it is suitable for so many occasions. If you are on the hunt for one of those "brown-toned nudes" but not a matte one, I would recommend this one!

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Inglot Sparkle Dust

You all know I am obsessed with highlighters. It is a major part of my make-up routine, and even on an everyday basis highlighter is one of the main things I couldn't be without. The amount of highlighters I have in my collection is actually embarrassing (but if you would like a highlighter review/top five post let me know!) But when I seen this on a few girls on Instagram, I had to have it. Anyone who had an amazing glow on their cheekbones, when I looked at what they had on it was this. I have read rave reviews about this before but for some reason it was never something I looked for when I was in store, I always seem to get distracted with the eye-shadows. But when they recently had an online promotion of 10% off I ordered it (and a few eyeshadows of course)

The Inglot Sparkle Dust in 02 is out of this world. Think MAC Soft & Gentle but on steroids. This gives the most intense highlight I have ever seen. Now it does have very fine particles of glitter in it, which alot of the time I wouldn't even consider wearing. But with this it works. For most people this would be a night out highligher, but I've been wearing this everyday without shame. I absolutely love it. I love a good intense highlighter, I would want it to be seen from the moon if possible! 

This is a golden toned highlighter when you look at it in the pot, but once it's applied to the cheeks and blended out it has a very neutral undertone so it would be suitable for most skintones. I have worn this when I have no tan on and when I have all the tan on, and it works both ways really nicely. They have made this highlighter in a way that you can apply it to most areas on your body. I have used it on the standard areas on my face- cheekbones, brow bone and cupids bow- but I have used it on my collar bones too and really loved the effect it gives. One thing I found amazing with this highlighter is how long it lasted on me. I can apply this at 7am on a working day and it would still be perfect at 7pm! So it would be perfect to wear on a night out for the lasting power!

It can be abit messy since it is a loose powder, but for the sheen that you get from it - trust me it's worth it! It came with a powder puff that I haven't used but it is the softest thing ever! (random) If you buy one thing from Inglot this year, I would recommend you get one of the Sparkle Dusts. You wont regret it!

 Available online here or at Inglot counters for €20.

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MAC | Viva Glam Ariana Grande

So, looking back, this might have been a slight impulse purchase. And I know you are all probably looking at the pictures thinking when on earth are you going to wear that? But hear me out. It's not as dark as it looks!

When I seen that MAC was pairing up with Ariana Grande for their latest Viva Glam offering I wasn't overly excited. I'm not the biggest fan of Ariana Grande and would never have known her to have very dramatic make-up. But when I seen the lipstick that was on offer, I was in two minds to get it. I am a neutral lip wearer- through and through so this is a major step in the opposite direction for me. I do like to wear a darker lip on a night out or for a more special occasion but this is way darker than I am used to! 

When you first look at it in the bullet, you would be forgiven for thinking it is a black lipstick., But it is actually a very dark purple with a slight red undertone. Completely vampy, slightly gothic and definitely out of my comfort zone. This lipstick is matte, but it is a very comfortable matte to wear. It dries down to a nice satin finish that doesn't dry out the lips but still doesn't have a massive sheen to it. As you can see from the swatches it is amazingly pigmented and you don't need alot of product for that intense dark colour.

It is nicely longlasting- although the downfall for me was when I ate with it on. It ended up everywhere so just to be cautious if you are thinking of wearing this to dinner etc. But if you are looking for a statement lipstick, look no further. With a colour like this on the lips you really don't need a whole lot going on anywhere else on the face. Maybe some bold lashes- but you don't want to add too much colour so that it takes away from the lips. 

Definitely not one for everyday but a nice addition to a MAC collection! It is available to buy online here or at MAC counters!

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Bourjois Radiance Reveal Concealer

When I spotted this on Instagram, my first reaction was ooooh how fancy! This is the new concealer from Bourjois called the Radiance Reveal Concealer. I spotted it on a local Bourjois stand a few weeks after seeing it first pop up on Instagram and picked it up. Concealer is never really something I go to Bourjois for- but I do love so many of their base products like the Healthy Mix foundation and the CC Cream so I thought it would be worth giving a go.

The packaging of this is absolutely gorgeous, It is the same casing as the Velvet Matte lipsticks but it is clear with a silver lid and frosted packaging. It looks alot more expensive than it actually is, and would pass for something more high-end in my opinion. 

I picked this up in the lightest shade 01 Ivory, because I am so naturally pale but when I wear tan I like to highlight under my eyes with a lighter shade. There is a doe-foot applicator on this so it makes it really easy to apply. I have only been using this on my under-eyes so far and I have really been enjoying it. I don't suffer with really bad darkness under my eyes but I do have puffiness and dryness under there. 

This concealer has medium coverage so it does cover the majority of discoloration that I may have, but the good thing about this is that it is so light-weight in consistency that you can build it up without it caking up. Thoughout the day of wearing this it doesn't crease or go cracky under the eyes. It doesn't leave my skin feeling dry but still has amazing lasting power. This is perfect for creating that Kim K under-eye concealing technique that everyone has been going crazy for lately. It offers amazing highlight, coverage and hydration.

This is available from Boots online here for €10.99. It does only have three shades so I would recommend going into store and trying out the shades to see what one would suit you!

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Flormar Illuminating Primer

Flormar is a fairly recent addition to the Irish beauty market, and one of the items that I was most excited about trying was their Illuminating Primer Base. This has been raved about in the beauty community so I was looking forward to seeing if it lived up to the hype. I am not a big primer person, I normally stick with the No7 Airbrush Primer which I know works for me and I love. So this would be going to the opposite end of the primer world for me! Even though I am oily, I love a dewy finish to my make-up but it is a very fine line between dewy and greasy so I have to be careful not to cross it. Espicially on days where I am at work for long days, and might not get the chance to powder or top up my make-up, I want to make sure it lasts for as long as possible and look as natural as possible also. 

I picked this up in a local pharmacy for €9.95, which is brilliant value in my opinion for the quality of the packaging and for the amount of product you get. There is 30ml's of product in the bottle which is standard enough for the likes of drugstore foundations. The pump action on my bottle took a little while to get working so I just used it straight from the bottle for the first couple of weeks of use. The first thing that I noticed about this primer was the smell. It has a very strong smell and this made me nervous, because my skin tends to flair up at the slightest sign of a scented product. Thankfully after a few weeks of using it I can report that I have not had any issues with it breaking me out. 

One thing that surprised me about this primer was that it didn't contain any shimmer or glitter, when I seen the word illuminating in the title, I immediately expected it to have something along those lines to add to the sheen. But I was pleasantly surprised by this when it turned out to be a white primer that once rubbed in didn't leave any white residue- only a very subtle glow. 

I have been wearing this under my current favourite foundation - Inglot HD and have been loving the combination. The Inglot HD has alot of coverage to it, but this primer just helps it look that little bit more natural. I have found my foundation to last really well though-out the day- but I find the Inglot HD to be very long-lasting anyway so I'm not sure if that is due to the primer or not. Either way this primer is a nice addition to my everyday make-up routine. I like the way it makes my foundation look though-out the day. You can pick this up at any Flormar stand for €9.95.

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