Vichy Idealia Life Serum

Hello lovelies!

This is one of the excellent example of where all you other Beauty Bloggers are a terrible influence on me and my poor bank account. I recently purchased the Vichy Idealia Life Serum after hearing so many rave reviews about it online from other bloggers. I have a small confession to make, I have never used any serum before. If I'm honest I never really understood the point of them and never seen the benefits, but after reading a lot about this particular one it really stood out to me and I knew I had to try it.  It is said to be designed for the everyday woman, helping with the things that take the biggest toll on our skin in everyday life such as stress, late nights, bad diets, pollution and exposure to UV rays. The stress part really intrigued me, because when I'm stressed my skin really pays the price so that really sold it to me and I knew I had to have it. 

So €38.50 later (ouch!) I had it and I have been using it every evening since and sometimes in the morning as a base for my make-up. On first impressions I really love the packaging. It's pink which obviously wins me over but it feels really luxurious and expensive. It has a pump on it which makes application all the easier, one pump and I'm done! The product itself is white in colour with a pearl sheen to it, but once applied to the skin it is invisible. It smells gorgeous and again really luxurious! I find one I apply this it really does make my skin look brighter and healthier. Like I said I use one pump, it sinks in really quickly which is great because you can use it as a base for under make up if you like or just use it on its own.  It can also be used under or instead of a moisturiser, some nights I just stick with this because I find it gives my skin enough moisturisation on its own and I don't feel like adding another layer.

I really do love this product and it's fit in perfectly with my skincare routine and has become an excellent addition! It's available online to buy here if you are interested!

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Cocoa Brown | Chocolate Whip

Hello Lovelies!

You all know about my love for Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan, so just imagine my excitement when I came home to a parcel containing their new Chocolate Whip Oil Free Moisturiser* (there may have been a happy dance!) I have been such a big fan of the Cocoa Brown products for ages now..in my opinion Marissa Carter is an absolute genius and a godsend! That lady can just do no wrong! A couple of months ago brought the release of the "Tough Stuff" body exfoliater (which is now available in a tube..yay!) and now there is the Chocolate Whip body moisturiser.

First of all lets talk about the packaging, simple, cute and pink - what more could a girl ask for? There are lots of helpful tips on the back about how to use. They do recommend to patch test on your skin 24-48 hours before use, the moisturider itself is fragranced so I'm assuming if you have sensitive skin you might need to just be a little careful to make sure your skin doesn't react to it. It also contains Vitamin E and Panthenol, which on further investigation I found out that Panthenol helps protect your skin against environmental damage and Vitamin E helps with reducing stretch marks and age spots...pretty cool no? In terms of fragrance it smells exactly like the tan which for me is fine, I don't mind the fragrance and I don't find it lingers too much after application. 

The consistency of the moisturiser is really lovely and creamy. It sinks into my skin almost instantly so there is none of this hanging around waiting for moisturizer to dry business which during the colder months gets a massive thumbs up from me! I did get a bit of a fright when I first squeezed it out of the tube...I was definitely not expecting it to be brown, although in hindsight with a name like Chocolate Whip I don't know why I was so surprised! It left my skin feeling really hydrated and soft. I really noticed a difference with the longevity of my tan too, since this moisturiser is oil-free it is actually designed to help keep your tan looking fresh for longer. 

Call me a little biased - but I am yet again thoroughly impressed by another Cocoa Brown product, I would definitely recommend you give this a go! Its available to buy online here with free delivery!

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Essie's After School Boy Blazer

Hello Lovelies!

I hope you all have had a fantastic week! I know..I have jumped on another bandwagon with this nail polish. Everyone has already fallen in love with it so obviously I couldn't not get it! 

The nail polish in question is of course Essie's After School Boy Blazer (quite the mouthful but cutest name ever!) This was released as part of their Autumn 2013 collection and of course once the hype kicked in it was impossible to get! I ended up getting my mine from Beauty Bay and after a few days waiting by the door for the postman it was finally in my hands and within minutes it was on my nails! I am a massive fan of the whole darkened nail colours and love my deep reds and plums for Autumn/Winter but I have never really tried a navy shade before. I really have fallen in love with this nail polish, I have literally not had anything else on my nails since getting it so you can expect it in a favourites soon!  I found it does apply a little streaky on the first coat but coat number two fixes all that and you are left with a beautiful polished manicure! 

I have definitely found my Autumn nail polish staple for this year in After School Boy Blazer. Did you manage to get your hands on it? What are your thoughts?

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Bourjois Java Rice Loose Powder

Hello Lovelies,

Yes yes I know what you are all thinking...not another Bourjois review..but like I said in my Colour Boost Lip Crayon review, I think Bourjois are really doing amazing with their latest releases and I am addicted! Today is a review on the Java Rice Loose Powder that they recently re-released into their permanent line as part of their 150th Anniversary celebrations!

The Java Rice Powder was one of the first products that they released back in the day and I think it is amazing that they have re-released it back into their line. First off I think the packaging is just lovely. It's so cute and vintage-y looking. Inside there is a little twist top that you can twist around to get the product out. I think that is brilliant because since this is a loose product it saves on wasting product!

When it comes to the actual powder itself I'm not quite sure what to use it for. I've read so many different reviews about this where people use it all over their face or just use it as a highlighter. It's definitely too shimmery/glittery for my taste to use all over my face but when I used it as a highlighter I thought it was too subtle...maybe I'm just being difficult! It is apparently a "one shade suits all" powder too, if you have a darker skintone to me I would love to hear how you got on with this! 

So overall I'm not completely sold on this. Please let me know how you got on with this if you have it and what you use it for, I may grow to love it!

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Chanel Vita Lumiere Aqua

Hello Lovelies! 

I made a bit of a naughty purchase. The Chanel Vita Lumiere Aqua foundation has been something I have been lusting after for quite awhile now after hearing nothing but rave reviews about it over and over again. I never really got the chance to get to a Chanel counter to get colour matched, but the other day I randomly came across one and impulse bought. I am happy to report back that I definitely am not suffering from buyers remorse! I am absolutely in love with this foundation and I don't want to speak too soon but I think we could be talking Holy Grail status here.

I found it to be quite similar to another one of my favourites Bourjois Healthy Mix, but with a few differences. This foundation is incredibly lightweight, it literally feels like you have nothing on your skin but don't let that fool you. I really wasn't expecting much coverage from the foundation with the word Aqua in the name but I would say it is medium build-able coverage. It gives a very natural look to the skin, not too dewy and not too matte - a very healthy satin finish. It glides on to the skin and blends seamlessly into the skin. It doesn't cling to any dry patches or leave an obvious layer of make-up on top of your skin. I've used both my brushes and fingers to apply this and I am happy to say that it worked amazingly well with both. The packaging is also really really cute. Very compact and light-weight so it is perfect for popping into your make up bag or for travelling.

Admittedly this was a bit of a splurge but in my opinion completely worth it, I would definitely repurchase this over and over again!

Have you tried Vita Lumiere Aqua? What are your thoughts? My shade is 10 Beige and it is available online here

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MAC Rebel

Hello Lovelies!

Following on from my previous post where I told you all the major news about my bold lips revelation and I mentioned that there was a second lip product that I have been reaching for a lot lately. Yes I eventually gave in and bought Rebel. If you live in Ireland you'll know that Brown Thomas is now online and you can buy make up brands like MAC, Bobbi Brown and Laura Mercier on there. Now if like me you live in the middle of no-where and getting bigger brands is a bit difficult this is brilliant news! So of course I had to celebrate the fact that these brands were more readily available and purchase a lipstick. Rebel had been on my wish list for so long. In Autumn/Winter time this is pretty much the only lipstick you hear about so I had always been tempted but the dark colour put me off because I was afraid I would buy it and just end up not wearing it. 

But I just decided to go for it and force myself to go outside my comfort zone and I literally convinced myself that this would be my new everyday lip colour. Looking back I was a little over enthusiastic, I definitely would not wear this everyday but I have been wearing this once or twice a week lately! It is such a wearable dark berry red colour, I feel that this kind of shade would look stunning on so many different skin tones. It literally glides onto the lips and leaves them feeling nice and moisturised. The thing I loved most about this was that it fades evenly. I hate when a lipstick fades or wears off in patches and if you don't have the product you're wearing on hand you could be left with very questionable looking lips! Even when it's worn down a bit I still really like the look it gives. So you really could wear this two ways. You could pat it in to your lips lightly to give your lips a tint of colour or you could really build it up and go for the full on bold lip.  

 Overall I am so happy I finally added this to my collection and I am so glad I ended up loving it as much as I do! I'm predicting that this may appear in a monthly favourites soon!

Have you tried Rebel? What other MAC lipstick or eyeshadow recommendations do you have? I love discovering new colours, it's definitely a problem! 

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No7 Overnight Radiance Boost

 Hello lovelies!

Today I wanted to share something with you that I have been using for a few months now and have become utterly addicted to. For ages I have been covetting after the much hyped Alpha H liquid gold. But the price was always a major factor holding me back because if my skin took a disliking to it, it would be a bit of a waste of money. So I was on the hunt for a cheaper dupe, and so my research lead me to the No.7 Overnight Radiance Boost.

Under half the price of the Alpha H liquid gold sounded good to me so I picked it up. My skin tends to look a bit dull so I wanted this to pump the radiance back into my skin and help me look healthier and brighter! It does such an amazing job at plumping up my skin and making it feel moisturised and looking so much nicer! I can't quite put my finger on it but my skin always looks so much better after I use this! 

I usually apply it instead of my moisturizer once or twice a week and when I wake up the next morning my skin looks so much fresher. It is a chemical exfoliater so it basically gets rid of any dead skin cells. I much prefer this kind of exfoliation compared to a manual exfoliator because I find that can be a bit too harsh on my skin. 

I could completely recommend you give this a go if you are thinking of investing in the Alpha H Liquid Gold. It works really well and it is definitely a firm favorite in my skin care routine, especially throughout the colder months!

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