Sleek Solstice Highlighting Palette

 When I seen Jaclyn Hill post this on her snapchat I went out the next day and bought it. Even though I would buy most things that she talks about, this just looked amazing. In her snapchat you could see how intense this highlighter was instantly and I knew I needed it in my life. After I found out it was from Sleek - one of the most affordable but high quality brands ever - I had to get it. There was actually only one left when I got to a Sleek stand so there must have been a big demand on it after Jaclyn posted about it. 

 There are three powders and one cream in this quad and they are all of different shades. There is a champagne cream and then a pink, gold and yellow powder. So there should be something to suit different looks and some different skintones. If you are very dark then this definitely would not be for you. It is so highly pigmented that it would show up too pale on your skintone. But if you are of the fairer complexion, you need this in your life! You barely need to touch your brush on the product to get some on it. I would advise to start off lighter on this and build up gradually because if you go in too heavy with it straight away it will be a little too in your face. 

The powders are amazing quality for the price. They don't come across as overly glittery on the skin - instead just giving a very intense sheen to the skin. Once you have your product on your brush, be sure to tap off the excess because the powders can be slightly chalky and to avoid the caked look. As you can see from the swatches they are incredibly intense and a little bit goes a long way. They do last very well throughout the day and remain as vivid as when you first apply them.

 It is called an "eye palette" by Sleek but I have been using this as a face highlighter and I really like how it has been looking. It is available at Sleek counters or online here for €14.49!

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Collection Lipliners | Nude Pink & Cappuccino

Collection is never a brand I usually tend to go for, apart from their concealer there was very little that I have tried. But I seen so many people mentioning these lip-liners that I decided to give them a go. I am a completely changed woman when it comes to lip-liner. I would never have reached for a lip-liner before last year, and now I would find it difficult to do my make up without it. I love a really creamy liner to out-line and fill in my lips. It really makes the difference to the longevity of my lipstick and the over all appearance.

I first seen these lip-liners popping up on people's Instagrams and Snapchats, but found them hard to get my hands on in store. The stands always seemed to be empty or only having used products on them. So when I eventually did spot a fully stocked stand, I snapped up two different shades. The two that I chose were "Nude Pink" and "Cappuccino". Both more neutral shades and lovely to wear on their own or under a lipstick.

I am absolutely blown away by these lip-liners, and for the price you really can't go wrong! For under €5, you need to pick some of these up! The formula of these lip-liners is so creamy and pigmented. A little goes a long way with these pencils. They last so well on me, and really do help my lipstick last longer on top. They go on so easily and you don't need to drag on your lips to get colour. These colours are absolutely gorgeous and would look fabulous on so many people. Nude Pink is almost like MAC "Brave" in lip-liner form, and Cappuccino is a gorgeous brown shade. These have become staples in my make-up bag, and have replaced the likes of my Charlotte Tilbury or MAC lip-liners. 

If you spot a Collection stand with these on them, I definitely recommend you pick one or two up. You really won't regret it! Let me know if you've tried these and if you have, what you think!

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W7 Banana Dreams Loose Powder

I have been eyeing up the Ben Nye banana powder ever since it exploded onto the beauty scene, but I couldn't justify it at that price when I wasn't sure if it would suit me or if I would even use it. Then I spotted W7 were doing a "dupe" for it. The first day I seen it in a shop I didn't pick it up, and by the time I went back to buy it, it had sold out...everywhere. How typical. About a month or so ago I spotted that it was back in stock in Cara Pharmacy so I ordered one. 

I have been using this mainly for setting under my eyes and brightening. I don't think I am brave enough to put this all over my face, although I'd imagine for counteracting redness this would help. I can only really use this when I have a decent bit of tan on as otherwise it is too dark for my pasty skin. But for under the eyes, with tan on- it does a decent job of keeping my concealer where it is meant to be and it offers brightening properties. 

As you can see from my swatch, it doesn't look overly yellow but has a vibrant vanilla undertone. If you are looking for something to brighten up under eye circles or even to brighten up your complexion I would recommend you give this a go. It is under €5 so you can't really go wrong! If you see it, snap it up because it always seems to be sold out!

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Seventeen Wow Concealer

I have been loving trying out different concealers lately, and have really been trying to get a highlighted look under my eyes the past while because they have been looking less than bright. So when the new concealers from Seventeen came through my door I was so excited to give them a go. I received two shades to try out and I have been flicking between the two, depending on how much tan I have on.

On first impression, the packaging of these concealers are very impressive. The gold packaging is very comparable to some higher end products. They look and feel lovely to use and to have in your make-up bag. So straight away I was really excited to use them. As you can see from the swatches below the medium shade has a slight pink undertone which makes it ideal for cancelling out the dark circles.

I found both of these concealers offered really nice coverage that lasted well though-out the day. They did a brilliant job at cancelling out the darkness that I have under my eyes but offering a decent amount of brightening too. I have been reaching for the medium one for under my eyes and the light one for more general highlighting on my face, forehead, nose etc.

I am so impressed with these concealers, they are amazing quality for the price. They are available to buy online here for €6.99!

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Rimmel Sculpting Palette | Coral Glow

 Rimmel recently released a contour kit and I was very excited to give it a try. There was two different shades released, one darker than the other. I picked up the lighter of the two - Coral Glow, but I might end up picking up the darker one for when I have more tan on. I did prefer the blush shade in this one so I thought it would be perfect for the Spring seasons. I think that the darker palette has a matte bronzer which would be perfect for contouring. The bronzer in this has a slight bit of a sheen, it doesn't really translate to the cheeks though. 

This palette is so handy to have in your make up bag. I have used at least one shade from it most days since getting it. The colours are not overly pigmented, but they are so easy to build up so the palette would be perfect for someone starting out in make-up. You can build them up to the intensity that you want. They go on like satin on the skin- if that even makes sense. They just look so smooth on the skin, and never look cake-y regardless of how much you put on.

The highlighter is my favourite from the palette. It gives such a gorgeous natural glow, with out any signs of glitter which is really good for a "drugstore" highlighter. Like I said, the blush is perfect for this time of year. It is also a very similar colour to the MAC Spellbound blush that I have been obsessed with lately.  

The palette is available to buy online here for €6.99. I would definitely recommend you give them a swatch if you are at a Rimmel stand, it would make a nice addition to any make-up bag!

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Essence Lash Princess Mascara

I am in love with the Maybelline Falsies mascara. I would go as far as to say that it is my holy grail mascara I love it that much. But still I am always on the hunt for something that might do a better job. Something that will give me the same look as the Falsies but better. So I continue to try out different mascaras and will always be sure to report back! This offering from Essence is one that I've heard a few people mention on their blogs. It has got nothing but rave reviews so I decided for €4 I'd give it a go. Essence is one of the make-up counters that I very rarely get to visit but I have tried a few items and have always been impressed. They always have bargain prices for reasonable quality products. So I had high hopes for this mascara. I love big thick voluminous lashes but without looking clumpy. There is a fine line between looking thick and looking clumpy and the Falsies do a great job at sitting at the right side of that line. 

As you can see from the pictures, the brush on this is unusually shaped. It has one flat side which is perfect for grabbing the lashes, and then the other side which has a slight more curve to it I use for giving the lashes some lift. This mascara gives outrageous volume. If you are looking for a mascara that will give you thick, black lashes look no further. It does not do a great job at separating the lashes so it can veer a little towards the clumpy side. I find that two layers is more than enough to create a fuller look to your lashes, but work quick because once this mascara dries it won't go anywhere. It lasted really well on me though-out the day and held a curl as well as any of the other mascaras I use. I do curl my lashes religiously everyday so I can't comment on how well it would curl the lashes but I like the way it looks when I apply it after curling. 

Do I like this as much as the Falsies? No probably not, because it is too easy to get carried away with this mascara and you can end up with spider lashes before you know whats happening. If you have the time to apply it properly you will get gorgeous results but if you are in a hurry or if you are using it first thing in the morning I wouldn't recommend.

For the price, which is less than a fiver you really can't go wrong. If you are a voluminous lash girl I'd recommend you give this a go!

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Inglot HD Lip Tint Matte | 17

You know he's a keeper when he's goes into Inglot to try and get the lipstick you wanted for your birthday. He did good, and got the exact colour I was drying to try from the new Inglot HD lip tint collection. As soon as I seen these appearing on Snapchat and on people's blogs I fell in love with it instantly and knew this was the colour I had to try. So after weeks of seeing people rave about them online, I was lucky enough to get one of them for my Birthday. The shade that I received was #17. 

This was the more brown-nude of the collection and the one that alot of people seemed to go for. I haven't tried a big selection of liquid lipsticks, so I don't have a whole pile to compare this one to. This lipstick goes on super opaque with first application. I found I only needed one layer of product to coat the whole lip. It dries matte almost instantly, but you do have a little bit of time to work with the product before it sets. Once it does set, it is definitely a matte finish but it is not an uncomfortable matte. It still has a little bit of give to it so you don't feel like your lips have completely dried up.

This has withstood a whole days worth of eating, drinking and talking. I put this on at 7am on a work day and it still looked perfect at the end of the day. There were some slight signs of wear around the edges but nothing major enough that you would need to top it up. Inglot have such an amazing collection of shades in this line so it will be easy to find a colour to suit you. 

The HD Matte Lip Tints are available to buy online here with such an amazing range of colours.

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March Beauty Favourites

When I sat down to pick out and write out my March favourites, I really didn't know where to start. There were a lot of products that I started to use this month that I loved, but I also pulled out some old products that I haven't used in a while and rediscovered this month. I have really stuck with the same products for this past month and got into a routine that I am happy with for my make up. 

 

 

Bourjois CC Cream

This is something that I go back to every couple of months and I always fall back in love with it every time. I have been having a rare good skin month so I haven't felt the need to reach for my heavier duty foundations. This always seems to be what I pick up when I'm looking for lighter coverage. It evens out my skin tone and still gives a flawless coverage without feeling heavy on my skin. Most of the time I don't even use a brush when applying this, I would just pop it on with my fingers. This makes it perfect for when I'm putting on make-up early in the morning. It is incredibly long lasting for a CC cream too, so I love wearing this during the week when I'm at work. It's perfect as a go to everyday base. 

Rimmel Kate Lipstick in "40" and Rimmel Lipliner in "Cappuccino"

This is the lip combination I have been reaching for the past couple of weeks and I have been obsessed with it. It does only work when I have a decent bit of tan on, otherwise it makes me look a little sick. It is a very nude lip but I have been loving it. I took inspiration from the fabulous Jeanette Cronin who recently shared her go-to lip on Snapchat. I haven't been able to get my hands on the products that she used so I have been doing my own combination with these. First I line/overline my lips with Cappuccino and then put the lipstick all over the top. I have been wearing this for a day and night time look, and although it does look a little like concealer lips. I do really like it!

MAC Tan Pigment and Urban Decay Riff

I have been all about the combinations this month, another one I have been wearing constantly are these two eye products. One has been a favourite for months, which is Urban Decay's Riff. I bought this back in August and have been obsessed since! It is completely unlike anything I would have ever worn this time last year (I was all about the cool-toned shadows!) but I have been wearing it fairly consistently since. Over the past month I have started pairing it with Tan pigment from MAC. I also bought this in August but never really knew how to wear it despite absolutely loving it.  So I have been putting Riff in the crease and on the upper half of my lid and then putting Tan all over the lower part of my lid. It gives a gorgeous rose gold effect and the colours do compliment each other beautifully.

Miss Fit Skinny Tea

 I had heard all the hype about this tea last year but never really thought about trying it. I have been trying  to loose some weight and decided to give this a go. I'm not the biggest fan of green tea's so I knew the first couple of days would be a bit of a challenge. But honestly at the end of the 14 days, I had actually started to like the taste. It has a slight lemon taste and is quite easy to drink. I did find that I lost with by drinking this in combination with eating better and exercising. I was drinking 3-4 cups of this a day, and I really enjoyed it. I will definitely be giving this another go! 

 

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