Charlotte Tilbury | Bitch Perfect

 I have recently become obsessed with all things Charlotte Tilbury. I bought two items in the last month of hers and have been using them on an everyday basis since. I will blog about the other product in the next week or so, but I couldn't wait to show you this beautiful lipstick! This lipstick was not on my up until recently where I started to notice it pop up on a few peoples blogs and Instagram.

First of all look at the packaging...it's rose gold. I had to have it, if only for that- which does seem a bit obsessive but I just adore anything Rose Gold! So the packaging itself was just compete luxury and really helped justify that eye-watering price-tag. The shade itself is called "Bitch Perfect" which is possibly the most sassy named lipstick I own. The shade is just right up my street. It is a peach-toned pink which looks amazing with a tan. It is so amazingly pigmented and creamy. It feels so similar to a MAC Cream Sheen finish on the lips, so it's perfect for this time of year when its getting a bit cooler and you need the extra moisturisation on the lips. I have been wearing this on an everyday basis since I bought it, which I know I really shouldn't because of the price but I just can't seem to put it down.

The thing I like the most about this lipstick is that it really goes with any look. I have worn this with my everyday make-up look and a more smokey eye look. It compliments both looks and like I said earlier, it looks gorgeous with a tan. It seems to brighten up my complexion when I apply it. I am just addicted to it! It is expensive, but the quality of this product is just out of this world so I think if you want to treat yourself get down to Charlotte Tilbury and pick up a lipstick!

Charlotte Tilbury is available from Brown Thomas and this lipstick is available online here. 

Read More»

Urban Decay | Riff Eyeshadow

This is quite possibly the most talked about eye-shadow this year. Urban Decay's Riff has caused quite the commotion the past couple of months with bloggers going absolutely mad for it. When I was up in Belfast a couple of weeks ago I decided to pick it up and see what the fuss was about. The girl on the counter didn't even know what shadow I was on about, so maybe they are part of a new collection or it has only just been released. But it was kept separate to the other eye-shadows and it took abit of explaining to get my hands on it!

This is not my usual kind of colour. I am a matte, cool-toned eye-shadow wearer through and through and this is totally out of my comfort zone. As you can see from the pictures it is a very warm-toned brown shadow, with the slightest hint of sparkle going through it. I will say that the sparkle doesn't really show up when you have it applied to the eyelid so I did manage to get away with that. I don't really like to have anything overly sparkly on my eyes for everyday.

The first time I applied this, I fell in love. I was heading out with my boyfriend at the last minute so it was a quick get ready job. I put this all over the lid with some liquid liner and lashings of mascara. When I got in the car and had a chance to look at the eyeshadow in proper light I loved it. While it is a very orange looking brown, it made my blue eyes stand out so much more than usual. It looked amazing when I was tanned and really gave a bronzed look to my complexion. The quality of the eyeshadow is unsurprisingly amazing. Like any other Urban Decay shadow I have tried, it is pigmented, easy to blend and really long lasting. I have found myself reaching for this over my palettes lately. It creates such a lovely look on the eyes for everyday and is so quick and easy to do in the mornings!

Have you picked up the eyeshadow of the moment? What are your thoughts on it?

Read More»

Top Five Make-Up Brushes

I love writing "favourites" posts, I love organizing everything and narrowing everything down to my top favourites. I decided to do my favourite make-up brushes today because like I mentioned in my "Current Favourites" post I have been away from home a good bit and I feel like I have really picked the best of the bunch when it comes to my make-up brushes. I want to just mention that I have far too many make-up brushes. It really is excessive the amount that I have and when it comes to cleaning/drying them, it takes up a day at least. But if I had to only use five brushes to do my make up, these would be the ones.

Real Techniques Buffing Brush

I decided to get the obvious out of the way first. Best foundation brush ever. I really don't know how I put on foundation before this came into my life. It makes foundation application fool-proof. It really does all the work for you. It is made of synthetic hair, so it is suitable for powder, cream and liquid products. I use it daily for my foundation, and it always leaves my skin looking even with no streaks. This comes in a set from Real Techniques with three other brushes and in my opinion it is worth buying the set for this brush!

MAC 217 Brush

Yes, another obvious choice, and one everybody probably owns. But I couldn't write about my favourites without mentioning the 217. There are so many dupes for this on the market, but I still think the original is the best. I use this both to apply and blend my eyeshadow. It picks up the perfect amount of product and blends everything like a dream. It is so soft and even though I have had it for years, and use it everyday without fail, it has not lost its shape. It is one that I really couldn't do my make-up without!

Charlotte Tilbury Powder & Sculpt Brush

This is one that I debated getting for months and I'm not going to lie, it was expensive. But since getting it, it has proven to be an investment brush. The quality of it really does show in comparison to some of my more affordable brushes. I have had no problems with shedding or anything like that, and the detail on this brush is amazing-right down to the flattened parts on the handle, so it doesn't roll off a table. The hairs on this brush aren't the softest I've used, but don't let that put you off as it does pick up the right amount of product and always blends perfectly. I have used this for so many things- highlight, contour, powdering under my eyes, blusher.

Zoeva 317 Wing Liner Brush

When I used a powder for my eyebrows, this is always the brush I go for. It is so fine and slim at the top that it gives a really precise look to my brows. It never applies too much product. It makes it really easy to mimic the look of natural hairs on my brows. I also use this if I want to use a shadow to create liner on the upper eyelid. It gives a really gorgeous smoked out look with minimal effort!

Sigma E10 Brush

Another brush I don't think I could do my make-up without. This is a really soft long-haired brush that I use to blend my eye make-up. I sweep it across my eye-lid to make sure there are no harsh lines left and to finish off the look. Again there are so many dupes of this on the market but I've always just stuck with this one.

So those are the five make-up brushes which if I didn't have,  I wouldn't be able to do my make-up! What brushes are your all time favourites and let me know if you have any recommendations! 

Read More»

Current Beauty Favourites

Yes I know. I'm back again. This time I'm back for good, I swear. I have really fallen off the blogging bandwagon the past couple of months but I am back and ready to share lots with you. I may have not been blogging as much the past few months, but I definitely have not stopped shopping! I'm going to share my current favourites with you today because I didn't do an August favourites but I still want to show you what I have been loving lately.

Blank Canvas Pippa Palette

Over the past few weeks I have been staying away from home alot and needed to fine tune my make-up bag. This palette has been pretty much all I've been wearing on my face since getting it. It has six very wearable everyday shades, a blusher, bronzer and the most beautiful highlighter. I have been using the shade "Tobi" all over my lid with a little bit of "Dodo" through the crease. I find the shadows very easy to work with, long lasting and a great combination of colours to create any amount of different eye looks. The highlighter in this palette has taken over from my beloved Mary Lou-Manizer. It is just fabulous! I did crack the mirror on my travels which I'm devastated about but thankfully it didn't affect any of the powders. I would 100% recommend you pick up this palette, especially if you are a girl on the go and like to have everything you need in one spot!

Cocoa Brown 1hr Tan Dark

My love for Cocoa Brown is no secret, but I recently picked up the 1hr tan in the darker version and I have been obsessed! It gives such a gorgeous deep colour. It is the easiest tan to apply, it's a tinted mousse formula which means you can see exactly where you are putting it. You can leave it on for an hour and get a lovely natural shade or if you like a more intense colour like me, leave it on over-night and wash it off in the morning. It doesn't have that usual tan smell that alot of other tans have as they develop which is always a bonus. I find I can get a good five days out of wearing this before it needs a top up. All time favourite tan, and I won't use anything else!

No.7 "Graceful" Lipgloss

Recently No.7 had their 80th anniversary, and to celebrate they launched some limited edition products. They released a limited edition highlighter, two eyeshadows palettes and three lipglosses. I picked up one of the lip-glosses in "Graceful" to try out and was pleasantly surprised. It has a gorgeous creamy formula, similar to the formula of the NYX Butter Glosses which I am a big fan of. It has a lovely tint of colour, and is surprisingly long-lasting for a lip-gloss. It contains jojoba oil which leaves your lips feeling nourished and moisturized.

Smashbox Matte Tech Brow Pencil

I felt that my brows just weren't working for me lately so I invested in this newbie from Smashbox. I picked up the shade "Taupe" which works well for me. The nib on the pencil is one of the smallest that I've used, and the pencil itself is very soft and easy to work with. It makes it so easy to mimic the look of hairs on the brow. It gives a lovely defined look to my brows, and it is the perfect pencil to amp up the brow look or just to create a nice everyday look.

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation

Rimmel recently relaunched their Match Perfection foundation. I was a fan of the original formula so I decided to pick it up. It claims to have 24hr moisture hydration and a pore blurring effect. You all know that my all time favourite foundation is Nars Sheer Glow, and I actually think this is quite similar. It's not as long lasting but when you first apply it, it gives the same flawless, dewy finish. It has very good coverage, and does a good job at covering any imperfections. I use the shade 100 Ivory which I think is the lightest in the range. 

So those are the fews bits that I have been reaching for the past couple of weeks while I have been off the grid! Have you tried any of them? Let me know what you think!

Read More»

Revlon Uniq One All in One Hair Treatment

Just wanted to start off this post by apologizing for the lack of content on my blog lately. I decided to take a small break from social media and I haven't been posting as frequently on my Instagram or Facebook. But I'm getting back into routine this week and wanted to share something that I have been using and loving for awhile now. You know those products that is so raved about, and so hyped up that you just refuse to try it because you're convinced that it couldn't be all that? Yeah that's how I was about the Uniq One. This has been raved about both online and in "real" life and I just couldn't believe that it could be that good. But you all know how weak I am and I ended up buying it anyway. I'm fickle and I wanted nice hair. I have recently gotten a bit of a hair chop and a few layers put in and I haven't been so happy with my hair in a very long time. I got it styled at Jiksaw Hair Design in Carrick on Shannon. They are honestly the nicest girls ever in there and Hannah is a miracle worker! So after she put so much work into fixing my hair I vowed that I would take better care of it. This seemed to be on the top of everyone's list of hair care products along with Moroccan Oil so I made the purchase. 

This is a leave-in hair treatment that comes with big claims. It says it has 10 Real Benefits- Repair for Dry & Damaged Hair, Shine & Frizz Control, Heat Protection, Silkiness & Smoothness, Hair Colour Protection with UVA & UVB Filters, Easier Brushing & Ironing, Incredible Detangling, Long-lasting hairstyle, Split ends prevention and adds body. So of course I didn't believe any of those claims before using this and was a complete and utter pessimist. Sickened to say, I was wrong. I fricking love this now and haven't gone a hair wash without using it since getting it! 

I spray it all over my hair while it is still damp and then brush through. The combination of this and my Wet Brush makes it so easy to glide the brush through my hair. My hair feels so much less knotty and tangled so there are less breakages which is always a good thing. Once my hair is blow dried it feels so silky and smooth. I have been limiting myself to the amount of times I straighten my hair and I find this helps cut out any need to really use the straighteners. It also leaves your hair smelling like you've just walked out of the hairdressers! (Swish Swish!)

I don't think I have been using this long enough to see benefits like the spit end prevention or to see how the heat protection is but so far so good and I am pleasantly surprised with how this has worked on my hair. I ordered mine from Cloud10Beauty which is one of my favourite online beauty stores.

Read More»

Pippa for Blank Canvas Cosmetics

So like the majority of Irish girls two weeks ago, I pre-ordered the Pippa Palette and waited with baited breath for it to arrive on my door step. I have been a fan of Pippa for a long time, I really admire her as a business woman and have a little bit of a girl crush on her. From looking at all the swatches and pictures online, I knew that this palette would be right up my street. It is an all in one palette which contains both eye and face powders. The eyeshadows are all matte and then there is a highlighter, blusher and bronzer too. 

When this came through my letter box, I literally pounced on it and I had it Instagrammed, Snapchatted and blog pictures taken within minutes. I then started to pile on the make-up. The palette comes with six matte, neutral eyeshadows ranging from light to dark. There is everything you would need to create a subtle everyday look or a dark smokey eye for night-time. The eyeshadow shades are also shades that you could wear alone, swept all over the lid or blended together to create a more shaded look. 

The face powders are amazing. Mother of God they are pigmented so a light hand is needed! The bronzer is matte, so perfect for either if you want to do a bit of contouring or just want an all over bronzed look. The blusher is right up my street, a gorgeous peach-pink colour which compliments the bronzer beautifully. But the star of the palette for me has got to be the highlighter. I can not get over how absolutely gorgeous this highlighter is. Think Mary-Lou, but better! It is the most perfect natural (not with the amount I put on) looking highlighter. It glides on to the skin, doesn't look chunky or glitter and lasts forever on the skin!  I really hope that they release this on it's own because I can guarantee that this will be the first thing I run out of in the palette.

The quality of the powders in this palette is outstanding. They are all like silk to apply, they blend beautifully and wear amazingly well. I definitely recommend you give this palette a go, it has everything you could ever need all in the one handy, travel friendly compact. It is available to buy online at Cloud10Beauty.

Read More»

July Beauty Favourites

I have tried so many different products this month, which is unusual for me. I normally find something I love and stick with it. But I have just been chopping and changing a lot of things in my everyday routines. That sounds like a risky move but it has been working fine (so far!) So I have a good mix of products this month, some skincare, make up and even some dental bits. 

MAC Burgundy Palette*

I wrote a blog post about this palette during the month going through it in more detail so I won't go on about it too much here. But I got sent this by MAC a few weeks a go and have not taken it out of my make-up bag since. When I first got it I was worried that the colours would not suit me and I wouldn't be able to get as much use out of the whole palette but I am pleased to report that I have used every single shade in this palette. You can create so many different eye looks going from day to night with this palette. The pans are a little bit smaller than your usual MAC shadow but in my opinion it is such a nice way to have all your shadows in one compact case and not have it over crowding your make-up bag. 

Kinvara Absolute Cleansing Oil

Again I have a blog post all about this cleanser so I will quickly run through it. This is the first cleansing oil that I have ever used and I have really fallen in love with this method of cleansing. It breaks down all my make-up with a maximum of two pumps and leaves my skin feeling so soft and moisturized. It is one of the most natural cleansers I have ever used and I would thoroughly recommend it for anyone with sensitive skin! 

Inglot YSM Foundation

I picked this up on a trip to Galway at the beginning of the month and it has been my go-to daily foundation since. I really didn't expect to love this as much as I do. I colour matched myself in a bit of a hurry and ended up going for shade 42 which is a nice neutral toned foundation. It works well if I have a little bit of tan on, which I usually do. It leaves a semi-matte finish to the skin but the thing I like most about this foundation is that it is incredible long-wearing. This will stay on my face until I go to take it off in the evening. It is perfect for long days at work, or even nights out since it has no SPF and won't create any flash back in pictures!

Rimmel Nude Lipsticks

Rimmel released a whole range of nude lipsticks earlier this month and of course I had to pick up one or two (three!) Everyone and their dog is all about the nude lips these days and Rimmel definitely hopped on that bandwagon while it was still rolling. The lipsticks are a part of the Kate Moss collection, which I am already a massive fan of. The idea behind the lipsticks is that they have a nude to suit everybody. They have them colour-coded depending on your skin tone, so there is ones suitable for cool, warm or neutral undertones. The one I have found myself reaching for the most has been number 45 (really wish they had names!) and sometimes if I don't have as much tan on I will go for 40. They are lovely moisturising lipsticks and feel really nice on the lips. Definitely check them out if you are passing a Rimmel stand, although most of the stands that I have been at have been cleaned out! 

No.7 Dramatic Lift Mascara

So No.7 launched a new mascara this month called the Dramatic lift, ad let me just say this one does exactly what it says on the tin. The wand reminds me of a mascara from No.7 that was out years ago named Exquisite Curl which I loved but sadly got discontinued. But this is the next best thing. It coats the lashes in product, lengthens and adds lovely volume. I curl my lashes everyday without fail and I have found this to really help the curl last. I also think that this is the kind of mascara that will only improve as it drys out! Really impressed with this one from No.7 and I will definitely be repurchasing. 

Beverly Hills Perfect White Black Toothpaste 

This is something I have been meaning to try out ever since I seen pictures of it doing the rounds on Instagram. This is a black toothpaste that helps whiten your teeth. It contains Activated Charcoal which is a very popular ingredient that people use to whiten their teeth. I have used a lot of whitening toothpastes in the past and can say confidently that I have found the best results with this. I have only been using it a few weeks but already I can see that my teeth are shades whiter than they were before. I do drink a lot of coffee and would be prone to staining but this completely counteracts that and reduces any staining. Love love love this and I couldn't be without it! 

MAC Fix+

This is a product I have reviewed on the blog a few weeks ago, but since then I have become obsessed with it. I am going to have to buy another bottle so I can leave one in my handbag and one in my make-up bag. This stuff was a god-send during the humid weather we had in Ireland a few weeks back. I can't stand the sweaty, heavy weather so I was drenching myself in this every hour on the hour. It leaves your skin feeling so refreshed and cool. It smells gorgeous and is a really nice step to add on to the end of your make-up routine as a finishing spray. 

So those are all my Beauty favourites of the month of July. I really feel like I have discovered some keepers last month. Let me know what your go to product has been for the month of July and I'll be sure to check it out!

Read More»