MAC | Oh Darling Highlighter

This has blown up on social media since the MAC "Magic of the Night" collection was released a couple of weeks ago. The MAC "Oh Darling" highlighter seems to be the stand out product from the whole collection - and the one that seems to be the hardest to get your hands on, so I do apologize if you feel you need this highlighter after reading this! I was lucky enough to attend one of the preview nights that Brown Thomas were holding the week before the official launch. I had originally gone in thinking I might pick up a lipstick, but once I laid eyes on this highlighter I knew I had to have it. Myself and my two friends that were at the preview, snapped it up once the girl showed it to us. When I was paying, the girl that was serving me said that we managed to get the last three in the store and since then I haven't been able to find it anywhere.

Apparently this is a product that has been in a previous collection from MAC a couple of years ago, so it must have been popular enough for MAC to bring it back. Even just looking at this in the pan, without swatching it, you can see how gorgeous it is. In the pan it looks like a very pale golden colour, not a million miles away from my beloved The Balm's Mary Lou-manizer. The embossing on the powder itself was so pretty that I didn't want to even swatch it in case I spoiled it. (I got over that pretty quickly though!)

Once swatched, or applied on the skin it comes off as a slightly more champagne shade which is normally the type of tone I go for in a highlighter. It is definitely on the warmer side of champagne, so it is perfect for when I am slightly tanned and when I'm not. A good all rounder. There is the slightest hint of glitter in it, but it is so subtle that once it is applied on the skin you have to look very hard to spot it. It can be used to create a nice subtle everyday look or it can be layered up to look a bit more dramatic. I think that it would be suitable for most skintone, and it is a very easy highlighter to wear. I prefer wearing this to my MAC Soft & Gentle on an everyday basis, just because it is that little bit more subtle. I save Soft & Gentle for when I really want a more "in your" face highlighter look.

If you find this at a MAC counter anywhere- I definitely recommend you pick it up. You won't regret it!

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Tan Eraser

This post is well over due, I have been meaning to write about this product for ages because over the past couple of weeks since using it- it has changed my life! A touch dramatic, but that is actually how I feel about this glove. I was generously sent this a few weeks ago to try out, before it launched in pharmacies in Ireland. Over the past couple of weeks I have been giving this a go, and I have been genuinely surprised at how much I like it. Before I first gave it a go, I was thinking to myself- I'm sure it will give a good exfoliation but I was doubtful as to whether it would remove any my tan on its own. 

The tanning mitt has a pink and a black side to it, the pink is the slightly softer side and the black is a little rougher so it is perfect for the tougher areas that tan tends to cling to (knees!) I started off with the pink side on my arms and legs and it instantly took off the bulk of my tan. I always find my ankles, elbows and my knees are where the majority of my tan hangs around- and it is always the hardest areas to remove it from. The pink side didn't cut it for this so I switched to the black side and managed to get almost all of it off. 

The thing I like the most about this glove is that it doesn't feel like you are scrubbing the life out of your skin. It still feels very gentle to use and doesn't leave my skin red raw at the end. If like me, you struggle to remove the last few bits of tan off, I would 100% recommend that you give this a go! It is available in Pharmacies across Ireland or on their website here.

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October Beauty Favourites

  

Coming to you a little later this month with my monthly favourites. I asked on twitter the other night if it would be too late to post a monthly favourites and everyone said no. So I decided to share the few bits I have been loving throughout October with you.

Charlotte Tilbury | Dolce Vita Palette

You all knew this was coming. This has been my go-to eyeshadow palette this month. It screams Autumnal, and is absolutely perfect for this time of year. The shades go absolutely perfect both together and paired with other eyeshadows. I have worn this during the day for a subtle pop of colour but it is so easy to amp it up and create a really gorgeous smokey eye look for night time. The quality of the eyeshadows are unsurprisingly amazing. The pigment is really vibrant and they blend together so easily. They last all day on my eyes too which is one of the main things I find hard with eyeshadows, because I have hooded eyes some shadows tend to fade really easily on me throughout the day. I haven't had any problems with these shadows, and although they are expensive at €50 a palette I do think that they are worth it for the quality you are getting!

MAC Mineralise Skin Finish | Soft & Gentle

This is one of those products that has been talked about so much in the beauty community that it really has achieved somewhat of a cult status among beauty lovers. You all know that I have been obsessed with  my Mary Lou-manizer from The Balm for ages and I haven't felt the need to change it up in the highlighter department. But I eventually cracked after seeing this featured in so many YouTube videos and on people's Instagram posts. I have already done a post all about this, but just to say it is definitely on par with my Mary Lou. It is a more champagne shade compared to the Mary Lou's golden under tone. It packs some serious highlighting punch and it is definitely worth all the hype it gets! 

MAC Lipstick | Viva Glam II

I have definitely been on a major MAC obsession these past couple of months and I have really built up my lipstick collection. One of the most recent additions to the family has been Viva Glam II. This has been compared to Velvet Teddy but as a lighter version. I feel that this works slightly better with my skintone, both when I'm tanned and when I'm pale. It is a gorgeous brown toned nude that really goes with every eye look I have been wearing the past month. It is a very easy shade to wear, and if you feel that Velvet Teddy was too dark for you I would definitely recommend you give this a go! 

Flormar | Dipliner

I have heard nothing but good things about the Flormar products the past couple of months so when I discovered that there was a counter in one of my local pharmacies I picked up a few bits, including their liquid liner. I find it so hard to find liquid liners that I like, for the same reason as eye shadows, they always seem to transfer on to my upper lid or wear off. But with this I find it to last all day without moving or smudging. It is a lovely dark black colour and I find it to be really long-wearing. It has one of those hard nib applicators which is quite easy to work with. I would prefer if it had a bit more flexibility but for the quality of the liner I will learn to work with it! 

No.7 | Eye Make-Up Remover

This is actually something that I have been using for months, but never thought to put it on my blog because it just slotted straight into my routine and I forgot that it was a new addition. I didn't actually realize how much I loved it until I ran out of it and had to go back to using my micelliar water on my eyes. The No.7 eye make-up remover is the most effective way I have found to remove the bulk of my eye make-up. I always tend to go a bit heavy on the eye make-up, I love lots of shadows, eyeliner and lately I have been trying out some water proof mascara. I found this to remove all traces of the make-up (including the water proof mascara) around my eyes without having to pull at them too much. If you get it when the vouchers are doing the rounds it works out at only €5.50- Bargain!

So that is the round up of my October favourites, I can't believe we are already in November and the countdown to Christmas is well and truly on! Let me know what your favourites were this month, and if you have tried anything I have spoken about here!

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MAC Mineralize Skin Finish | Soft & Gentle

Possibly one of the most old school products ever, but I've only just gotten my hands on it! MAC's Soft & Gentle was the be all and end all of highlighters before Mary-Lou came around. Now we all know I am in love with Mary-Lou and it has been pretty much the only highlighter I have been using the past few months (apart from Lulu from the Pippa Palette when I'm travelling) But lately I have been getting the urge to try something different and having heard so much about this over the past few years, I decided to go for it. 

I had never tried a Mineralize Skin Finish before this one and really didn't expect it to be so intense! This is one of the softest powder formulas I have ever tried. It is so pigmented and it is so easy to go overboard with this! I think I will have to get a fan brush to use with it because all my other brushes just pick up too much product. As you can see from the picture the product is so intense.Compared to the Mary Lou-manizer, this is a bit more of a champagne colour and I feel that it would suit a lot more skin tones. It definitely does contain tiny specks of glitter-which doesn't bother me but it might not be for everyone. I have been wearing this as my everyday highlighter since getting it but I will be amping it up for nights out soon. I just love having all the highlight on my face, all the time.

I would definitely recommend you give this a swatch the next time you are at a MAC stand, if you love highlighter as much as I do-you need this in your life!

 

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Charlotte Tilbury | The Dolce Vita Palette

Can it get any more Autumnal than this? I think not. This is a palette I have seen and admired online since the launch of Charlotte Tilbury. But I never entertained the thought of getting it because I thought that the colours would not suit me. Like I said in a previous post, I am a cool-toned eyeshadow wearer but over the past couple of months, my tastes have changed and I am embracing the warmer tones. I was eventually pushed over the edge when I seen Karen wearing this palette on her eyes on Snapchat. That woman could make me buy anything, it looked GORGEOUS on her! So that evening I logged on to Brown Thomas and made the purchase.

When it arrived, my first thoughts were "What was I thinking?!" when I seen the colours and realised how far from my usual shade choices they were. So I sat down that evening and piled on the make-up and had a play around with the palette. I actually really like the way these colours look on me. They would 100% never have been my first choice if I was to pick them, but when I have my whole face done with lashings of mascara it actually looks really nice.

This is not the first eyeshadow palette from Charlotte Tilbury I've tried, and the quality is fairly consistent throughout the palettes. The shadows are nicely pigmented and easy to work with. The glitter is not as pigmented as it looks in the pan but I have mixed it in with my Inglot Duraline and it really intensifies the glitter, I can't wait to use it at Christmas!I think I am going to get so much wear out of this palette over the colder months, and since buying it, I have really become obsessed with all things Charlotte Tilbury and just want everything in my life!

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MAC Diva Lipstick & Burgundy Lipliner

 Once October rolls around, I am all about the Autumnal make-up. In my opinion nothing gets more Autumnal than a dark burgundy lip. I have been lusting after MAC's Diva for months now. I bought the Wet 'n' Wild dupe back in March but that didn't curb my craving and I just had to get the real thing. So after looking at it online for the millionth time, I ordered it. I had a Wedding to go to last weekend and I thought the colour would look perfect with my dress, and since it's a matte formula it would last all night without top-up. While I was browsing for this lipstick online I did notice a lot of people recommending to wear it with a lip-liner. I had absolutely nothing like this in my collection, but my boyfriends brother was coming through duty free at the time so I asked him to pick me up the MAC lip-liner in Burgundy which was a perfect match!

So when I applied this on Saturday night, I applied the lip-liner all over my lips- making sure the have a more precise line around the edges. I didn't have a lip brush to apply the lipstick and I feel that it would have been a nicer application with a brush. But it still glided on to the lips. Even though it is a matte finish lipstick it still has a slight sheen to it. It does set on the lips and I can guarantee that it does not budge. We had dinner that night before going out, and I looked in the mirror after stuffing my face expecting to see lipstick up to my nose- but it was still intact. A little bit faded but it had not moved. 

The colour of the lipstick is just amazing, the shade is perfect for this time of year. It was a very comfortable lipstick to wear. It didn't dry out my lips, which is a problem I tend to have with matte lipsticks. I love the lip liner so much, you could wear it on it's own for a lighter look or add the lipstick for a more amped up effect. I am so glad I got my hands on this combination and I will definitely be getting a lot of wear out of them in the coming months.

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GlamGlow YouthMud Face Mask

Something that has been so hyped up this year has been the GlamGlow mud mask range. I remember when this first started to arrive in Ireland, I remember thinking that the price was outrageous and I would never pay that for a face mask. Ha! I ended up getting a sample of this with a Cloud10Beauty order and it all went downhill after that! I ended up buying it with 20% off, so that did take the edge off a little bit. But after using this for well over a month, I would definitely say that you get what you pay for!

This is a very traditional face mask, it has a clay texture and after you apply it to the skin it dries down and hardens on your skin. I found that it dried really quickly on my skin and had a really cooling/tingling effect to it. It is designed that you leave it on for ten minutes and then wash it off with water in a buffing motion so you get a light exfoliation too. Since using this I found my skin to look and feel a lot smoother. I think it's the combination of getting an exfoliation as well as the face mask that works well with my skin. It doesn't leave my skin feel tight or itchy after removing it either. I have been doing this mask once a week and my skin has improved so much. 

It is formulated without parabens, sulfates or phthalates which makes it suitable for all skin types. It brightens skin and tightens the pores. I have not had any experience of  purging since using this mask, but I have read that some people have so proceed with caution!

This is an expensive facemask but the results definitely justify the price tag. I would recommend trying a sample like I did before buying the full size! It is available to purchase online here.

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