Drugstore Gems

Hello Lovelies!

I hope you are all having a lovely relaxing weekend! You all know at this stage there is nothing I love more than a Boots splurge! I love that you can pick up about three or four items for the same (if not cheaper) price as a high end product. Now I will always be a snob about some products and will always need certain high-end products in my life but I do love my high-street bargains too. So I thought I would share some of my favourites with you.

Rimmel Foundation
I am such a massive fan of all of the Rimmel Foundations. I think they are amazing quality for the price, their Wake Me Up foundation blew up all across the beauty community last year and since then it's been a firm favourite of mine. I also love the Match Perfection for days when I don't want such a dewy look. They all give brilliant coverage and are brilliantly long lasting! I just wish that the colour range was abit better but that is my only complaint! 

Maybelline Falsies Mascara
I feel that Maybelline have really hit the nail on the head the past while with their mascaras. Really good price for amazing results! I am such a massive fan of the Original Falsies, I have the flared version too which I don't like as much but the formula of both is amazing! It holds a curl all day and it is the blackest mascara I have found yet! 

Real Techniques Brushes
If you haven't heard of the Real Techniques brushes what rock have you been living under? The brushes created by Pixiwoo sister Samantha Chapman have been creating waves of excitement for make-up lovers worldwide! The infamous brushes have even been spotted in a Taylor Swift music video! I've had mine for nearly a year now and I have reached for them literally everyday! They are such amazing quality and mine have had no issues of shedding at all! They are all brightly coloured and look amazing on your dressing table too! They are such an amazing bargain and I would definitely recommend you give them a go! 

Rimmel Scandal Eyes Eyeliner
I have been obsessed with these ever since they came out. I'm a big fan of eyeliner in general but I always found it difficult to find one that lasted longer on my waterline. Enter Rimmel Scandal Eyes. These eyeliners are ridiculously long-lasting. They apply like a dream, you can blend them out if you want and once they set they do not budge! The other thing I love about these eyeliners is that there is a Nude colour in the range! I had been on the hunt for a decent nude eyeliner for so long and when I discovered that there was one in the Scandal Eyes range I quickly snapped it up!

L'oreal Glam Shine Stain Splash

The newest love of my make-up life, the L'oreal Glam Shine Stain Splashes. I have been waiting for these to be released as soon as I heard the rumours that they were going to be dupes of the YSL Glossy Stains! I've done a whole review on these beauties here. But long story short they are absolutely amazing and even though they are over-priced in Ireland, if you buy them at UK prices they are a bargain! 

Barry M Nail Paints
I think everyone will have at least one of these beauties in their collection, the infamous Barry M nail polishes! They literally have every colour you could ever think of and amazing quality too! They've recently began to expand their range with nail -polishes with different finishes like the Gelly Hi-Shines and the "Textured" nail paints. You really can't go wrong with these, there's a colour for everyone and they're insanely affordable!

So those are all my favourite "Drugstore" gems. I think that sometimes if you look you can always find high quality products for a not so high price! There are so many more "Drugstore" products that I love and use all the time. So if you like I can always do a second post like this showing you some more of my favourites! Let me know if this is something you would like! 

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Spring Wishlist

Hello lovelies!

I hope you are all having a good week! I was back to work yesterday after a lovely long weekend, but at least it's a short week to get through now! It's my best friends birthday this weekend so I'm getting very excited for that!
I am trying to behave myself on the spending front lately because as I'm sure most of you know I went a bit OTT on the shopping front the past couple of weeks, and also I'm going to London in May so I want a few pennies saved up for that! So on that note I decided to show you a couple of the things that I have been lusting over (that I will most certainly not be buying in the near future..definitely definitely not!)

1. Emma Bridgewater iPhone Case
I am after a new phone case at the moment and I've been eyeing this one up since Christmas when I seen it on Tanya Burr's phone! I adore it and I think the design is really unusual and different. I know Emma Bridgewater is mainly a homewares design but since I have no use for buying homewares at the moment I think I'll stick to the phone cover!

2. NARS The Happening Palette
I am in love. This is one of the most beautiful palettes I have ever laid eyes on! It contains four eyeshadows, Laguna bronzer and Orgasm blush. I am a massive fan of Laguna as you know and I've always wanted to try Orgasm. The eyeshadows look gorgeous and from what I've tried, I've found NARS eyeshadows to be amazingly good quality! And if that wasn't enough those evil (but oh so good) people at NARS went and made this limited edition...Way to make a girl want something even more NARS!!

3. Mary Kate & Ashley Influence
Not much to say about this one to be honest. I've been a massive fan of Mary Kate and Ashley since I was little, I still have all their films on video! So on a more "grown-up" obsession level I think this book would be the perfect coffee table read! 

4. NARS Copacabana Illuminator
Yes yes I know two NARS products in one wishlist! What can I say, I'm loving the look of NARS at the moment. I am going to be straight to the point with the reason why I want this. Millie Mackintosh uses it. That is all!

5. Alpha H Liquid Gold
I've heard so many rave reviews about this that I'm beginning to think it is actually made from gold! As you all know I'm such a fan of skin care but once I find something I love, I'll stick to it like glue! I really want to try this out but the price is the main thing putting me off because if I don't get on with it, it'll be such a waste of money! If any of you gorgeous ladies (or gents!) have tried this please let me know if it's worth the money!

6. River Island Star Snood
This I have been on the hunt for, for so long! I originally seen it in one of Fleur de Force's videos and instantly knew that I needed it in my life but I haven't been able to find it anywhere! I must have been in at least 10 different River Island shops and I've been checking the website but haven't been able to find it! SOB!


I think I've done really well on this wish list, compared to others I have done in the past. But since I am going to put myself on a strict(ish) spending ban I will not be seeing any of these beauties in my life anytime soon! But when I go away I will definitely be paying NARS a visit and knowing my luck come away with so much more added to my wishlist!

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Rimmel ScandalEyes Eyeliner

Hello Lovelies!

I hope you are all enjoying your Bank Holiday Monday! I'm currently recovering from all the chocolate from yesterday! A bit of a random side note but wouldn't it be amazing if they made easter egg sized Maltester bunnies? I think we should start a petition to Maltesers to get this happening next year...and to also make the bunnies a year round thing...anyway enough about chocolate (the diet starts tomorrow) 

Enter my latest obsession., the Rimmel ScandalEyes eyeliners. I think Rimmel have been on top of their game with all their releases in the past year. One of the things I was most intrigued about was the new eyeliners. I was immediatly drawn in by the Nude shade because I much prefer using a nude eyeliner to a white one because I think it's less harsh and it is so hard to find a nice nude eyeliner on the high street. The nude was the first one I picked up and I was instantly smitten. It glides on like a dream...and stays put ALL DAY! When they say water-proof they really mean it! Since then I picked up the Black and Taupe shades and all three have become permanent fixtures in my make up bag. Each of them are amazingly pigmented, apply so smoothly and you can smudge them in really nicely but once they set they do not budge! 

I would thourghly recommend you give these a go! They are such amazing quality for an amazing price and they are definitely comparable to higher-end alternatives! 

Let me know if you've tried these and what your favourite colour is!

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March Favourites

Hello Lovelies!

A very Happy Easter to you all! I hope you all are having an amazing long weekend! I'm spending mine just chilling out and eating lots of chocolate! I can't believe it's nearly April already! Where is this year going? Anyway it's monthly favourites time again so on with my March favourites! 

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish
Liz Earle is more of a permanent love affair in my life, anything I've tried from her range I've absolutely loved and her Cleanse & Polish is no exception! Last month I finished another tube of it but I didn't bother repurchasing it straight away...big mistake! My skin went absolutely insane, I had breakouts left right & centre! It was not a pretty sight let me tell you! But since I've started using it again my skin has completely settled down and it is behaving itself again. I have definitely learned my lesson and will not be straying again! It's such a nice treatment for evening-time and it literally removes every scrap of make-up! 

Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette
I bought this just after Christmas and it has been permanently in my make-up bag ever since! I've used it to create so many looks over the past few weeks and since work has been slightly hectic the past couple of weeks it has been a life saver! It's perfect for a nice neutral everyday look and it is compact enough to carry around during the day if I want to top-up or change my look to a more evening look by using the darker colours. It has also got a good big mirror which is perfect for on the go touch ups!

Cocoa Brown Tan
I could not tell you how long I have been on the hunt for this tan, every-time I went to buy it, it was always sold out! I finally got my hands on it on one of my recent shopping trips. The poor sales assistant must have thought I was such a weirdo because I got so excited! It has fast become my favourite tan! You only have to leave it on for an hour, wash away the excess and it continues to develop after that. It leaves a gorgeous natural colour which you can build up if you want! For €7.99 it's the best value tan I've ever tried! Amazing!

Max-Factor Midnight Bronze
I've only discovered this nail polish in the past week or so but it was love at first sight! I am obsessed with Rose Gold as most of you know and I have been on the hunt for a perfect Rose Gold nail-polish for months now! Then I found this little bottle of happiness in my local Boots! It is exactly what I was looking for! It goes on really opaque, doesn't streak and lasts so long without chipping!

L'oreal Glam Shine Stain Splash - Romy
Yet another new purchase this month were the L'oreal Glam Shine Stains. I've already done a review on these here. I've found myself reaching for Romy on a more regular basis compared to Juliet. I love the colour, the longevity and to be completely shallow I adore the packaging! I definitely want to pick up more of these! There is a nude one I definitely want to try out!   

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation
The new love of my foundation life! I picked this up in February and have been pretty much reaching for it all this month! I find it gives medium but very build-able coverage. I absolutely love the finish it leaves, it is such a gorgeous dewy natural finish and no matter how much you put on it doesn't look heavy or cakey! It also smells so good! I think they've recently repackaged this, I hope they haven't changed the formula! I also recently picked up the Healthy Mix Serum so I hope I like it as much as this one!

River Island Paris Perfume
One of my most random purchases this month has been this perfume. While I was out shopping for my birthday this month I went into River Island for a look. I had never known that they did perfumes and randomly had a sniff. I completely fell in love with this one. I ended up putting it back and went about my day but ended up running back to River Island at the last minute to grab one! I am terrible at describing scents but I definitely describe this as my "grown up" perfume. I have worn it constantly since I bought it. I bought mine in a set which contained a 30ml bottle, a 15ml travel size and a bubble bath all for €20! Bargain!

That is all my products that I have been loving for the month of March. I still can not believe that it's almost April already! Craziness! 

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Updated Skin Care Routine

Hello Lovelies! 

I'm sure you're all aware at this stage, if you have read my blog for any length of time how much I love my skin care! I think skin care is unbelievably important and I would much rather invest in good skincare items than I would make up. I feel that if your skin looks good your make up looks so much better and sometimes you don't need to use as much make up. It's best to get the basics down before adding any layers me thinks! I have done a skin care routine before but I wanted to update it since I have discovered new products and  been loving lots of new things! 

The first thing I like to do is take the majority of my make-up off using my Bioderma Crealine H2O make up remover. I find this to be the best thing to take off my eye make-up (including waterproof mascara!) and the majority of my make-up. I usually put abit on a cotton pad take off my eye make-up and use whatever is left after that to remove some of the rest of it. Following that I use my beloved Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish to cleanse my skin. I either use this with my No.7 Cleansing Brush or a muslin cloth to remove it after. I don't see myself ever straying from Liz Earle, she has done no wrong yet! Next is my favourite part of my skin care routine...toning! I must have a hundred different toners at this stage but I always gravitate back towards my Nivea Refreshing Toner. It leaves my skin feeling lovely and cool and refreshed (surprisingly enough) again I apply this using a cotton pad all over my face and then give it a few minutes to sink in. 

Depending on whether it's day-time or night-time I have two different moisturisers. For during the day I have my faithful Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturiser. I think it's such a gorgeous light-weight moisturiser but still gives me the hydration I need throughout the day! It smells gorgeous too! For night-time I switch over to my Lancome Hydra Zen moisturiser. This is one of the thickest, most luxurious moisturisers I've ever used. I actually got it off my mum because she didn't like it. I love it for night-time use for a deep moisturisation.  My skin tends to get fairly dry and I find that this keeps dry patches at bay! I then apply one of the most recent additions to my skincare routine, my Boots own brand Eye Gel. Simple, cheap but does the job! I have been again suffering with dryness under my eyes and I found that this really hydrates that area. I've also found that it has helped with my under eye bags, it really has reduced the puffiness! Then the final step of my skin-care routine is applying my La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo. This has fast become Holy Grail material in my book! I have used it religiously every day since I got it. It really does help combat breakouts and it overall has improved the texture of my skin! I honestly would be lost without this! 

Two other add-on's to my skincare are my new favourite face-mask and my beloved exfoliator! The Mask of Magnaminty is the first Lush face-mask I have ever tried and I adore it! It's so gorgeous and cooling on the skin and helps to clear up any breakouts I may have at the time! I aim to use this once a week. For my exfoliator I use St Ives. The classic St Ives, I'm sure most of you (if not all of you) have heard of/used this at some stage throughout your life! It's such a good exfoliator words can't even describe! I also tend to use this once a week!

Let me know what your holy grail skin care products are, I think skin care is my favourite thing to research and to try out (although once I find something that works for me I tend to stick to it) Let me know if you would like to see an in-depth review of any of these products, the ones I have already done I have linked in this post!

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"Drug Store" Haul

Hello Lovelies!

I hope you're all having a good week! I can't believe it's only Tuesday but roll on the Bank Holiday weekend! I can't wait for this evening, I'm heading over to my boyfriends after work and going to eat lots and watch Geordie Shore!

If you follow me on twitter or have seen my blog posts from last week you'll know that I've been shopping the past two weekends...oops! So to justify these purchases I've decided to do a haul post! Gives me a decent enough reason to have bought this unnatural amount of products! Lots of new goodies to test out and review and a few some old faithfuls that I needed to repurchase!

Rimmel Fix & Protect Primer
One of the first items that I needed to repurchase was my faithful Rimmel Primer. I'm a big fan of this primer and have been using it for quite a while now! I recently tried out the Laura Mercier foundation primer which I do love too but it's just so expensive I don't want to use it everyday because I will run out of it really quickly. So the Rimmel will be my everyday primer!

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum
A foundation that I have seen raved about so much in the blogging world. I recently picked up the Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation and have fallen in love! I had never tried Bourjois foundations before that but it has set a very high standard for any to follow! Somebody told me before that Bourjois are the same people who make Chanel make-up, I'm not 100% sure how true that is but the quality of the foundations are amazing for "drug-store" They are pricier than your average drug store foundation but in my opinion completely worth it!

Batiste Medium Brunette Dry Shampoo
Another repurchase for me, can't be without a can of dry shampoo! I love Batiste, I have ventured out into other dry shampoos but always seem to fall back on Batiste without fail. It does the job, plain and simple. You really can't go wrong with Batiste, they come in different colours (blonde, light brunette, dark brunette etc) and different scents which are really nice too!

Seche Vite Top Coat
This is a product that I have been lusting after for ages! But I could never justify the price of it, but since it was my birthday last week I thought why not? My boyfriend backed me up on this (granted this was after nearly an hour of being dragged around Boots so he probably just wanted to get out and would agree to anything!) so I took the plunge! Since getting it I have heard some scary stories about it's ingredients and the effects it has so I'm a bit reluctant to use it!

Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Polishes
I am such a big fan of the Barry M Gelly polishes so when I seen that they had released some new colours I knew that I was in trouble! I ended up picking up the colours Lychee and Grapefruit. A gorgeous nude which is apparently a dupe for Chanel's Frenzy (again I'm not sure how true this is but I do love a good dupe!) and a gorgeous light berry pink. The quality of these nail polishes is just phenomonal and I really hope they continue to expand the line!

MaxFactor Midnight Bronze
I FOUND A ROSE GOLD NAIL POLISH!! Sorry about that but yes I am extremely excited about this nail polish! I have been on the hunt for a decent rose gold nail polish for ages so you can imagine my reaction when I found this in my local Boots last Thursday! I have it on my nails now and I think I have found the nail polish for me. This is it! I'm committed!

L'oreal Confetti Topcoat 
Again I had been on the hunt for this for fricking ages and would get a tiny bit sad inside whenever someone would feature this on their blog, because I adore the effect of it but couldn't find it anywhere near where I lived! So when we went shopping last weekend this was one of the things on the top of my list (yes I made a list, don't judge!) and was over the moon to finally get one! I am currently wearing it on my toes over Essence Free Hugs and I love it!

Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation
This was the next thing on the top of my list! Ever since I seen Essiebutton rave about it I knew I needed it in my life! I've been using it everyday since I got it and I absolutely love it! If your a full coverage kind of girl this is definitely not the foundation for you! It's such a gorgeous lightweight foundation but gives you a gorgeous glow! I was abit worried because the lightest shade I could get it in was 130 Shell but when I'm wearing tan it looks fine!

Soap & Glory Hand Maid
Something again I had wanted to try out for awhile but never got around to picking up is Hand Maid! I am such a sanatizer addict, I hate the thought of having dirty hands so I tend to have a good sanitize every so often if I'm not near a sink to wash my hands! It smells lovely, no hint of that usual horrible sanitizer smell that is in nearly every other hand sanitizer out there! Definitely a firm staple in my handbag lately!

Nivia Lip Butter Caramel Cream
I kind of picked this up on a whim, I seen them in my local Boots but it was only the raspberry and original flavour there. But when I smelt this I went a little weak at the knees! It smells good enough to eat and I instantly threw it into my shopping basket! When I got home I was pleseantly surprised to discover that it is actually a really lovely lip balm! Bonus!

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer
Surprise surprise, this is another one of my essential repurchases! I think I will be repurchasing this until I'm old and wrinkly or until they stop making it, whichever comes first! Also has Collection finally changed the packaging? So far none of the writing has wore off and I've even tried to rub some of it off and it didn't budge! This is a momentous moment if they have finally changed it!

Rimmel ScandalEyes Eyeliner
I already have the nude version of this eyeliner and I am a massive fan of it! The quality is amazing, and it lasts forever on my water line so I thought it would be worth investing in some more since I adore the quality of that one. I picked up the Black version and the Taupe version. Both amazingly pigmented, longlasting and so smooth! I really hate when an eyeliner pulls on your eye or scratches it, there'll be none of that happening thanks to these beauties!

Original Tangle Teaser
Yes I gave into the hype, I had avoided it for so long it was bound to happen! This was another Seche Vite situation, I had wanted to try it for so long but couldn't justify the price and then went abit crazy last week and threw it into my basket. I don't know how it works but it is amazing! It detangles my hair like no other and it is literally a god send!

L'oreal GlamShine Stain Splash
Another product that I was majorly excited to get my hands on was the new YSL Glossy Stain dupes! I had been waiting for these to be released for ages! I've already done a blog post all about these beauties here if you want to go and have a look!

So there you have it, my massive drug store haul! I'm sorry it was so long, and a big well done if you made it to the end! It's safe to say I will not be buying any more make up for awhile but at least I've justified all these purchases by writing about them! Lots of reviews to come, Yay!

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A Week In Lip Products

Hello Lovelies!

As you all may know I'm a lip-product junkie. Now granted I may not wear a bright lip all that often but I feel really strange when I'm not wearing anything on my lips. With this in mind and also the fact that I haven't cleared out my handbag in a while, I thought I would show you the lip products that have accumulated in my handbag this past week.

MAC Girl About Town

This has been in my handbag since I wore it shopping last Saturday. It is my new favourite MAC lipstick. It is an amplified finish so the pigmentation you get from it is amazing! It is also slightly moisturising on the lips so it doesn't completely dry my lips out. I love the colour of this, it is a blue under-toned fuschia, I think it would look good on all skin tones and it's the perfect statement lip.

L'oreal GlamShine Stain Splash

I've recently reviewed these here. I found that Romy was the more wearable of the two that I purchased. It has become a permanent fixture in the bottom of my handbag since I've got it. I normally am not the biggest fan of lipgloss but I find these to last ages on the lips and I'm really loving it lately!

Revlon Lip Butter Creme Brule

My favourite everyday lip product at the moment is my Lip Butter in Creme Brule. I'm such a big fan of the lip butters and this is my most used. It is a gorgeous nude, perfect for whacking on through out the day. Such an easy colour to wear and a gorgeous formula that  keeps my lips feeling hydrated throughout the day too!

Rimmel Apocolips Celestial

I don't know why I had so many pinks in my handbag this week. I'm sensing a colour theme happening here! I am a massive fan of the Apocolips and my favourite out of the ones that I have is Celestial  It is a kind of a muted rosy pink. So easy to wear as an everyday shade. You do have to be careful when applying the Apocolips because they can tend to get a little messy! 

Carmex

So surprise here. I couldn't leave the house without Carmex. My lips have been getting so unbelievably dry so I'm constantly applying this to my lips. I love Carmex. I think it is one of the classics of the lip product world and everyone possibly has a tub or tube of this! I recently repurchased it in tube form, I think it's slightly more hygienic than sticking your finger in the tub every time!

Korres Lip Butter Wild Rose

I don't really know why I have two lip balms in my bag either but you can never have too many lip balms,..right? I am such a big fan of the Korres Lip Butters and I currently have my eye on the Mango one! I love the flavour, the colour and the way it makes my lips feel! It does make me feel slightly posh when I pull it out of my handbag because it is one of the nicer lip products that I own.

Slightly excessive amount of lip products I have pulled out of my handbag me thinks! But I truly believe there is no such thing as too many lip products! Please agree with me otherwise I'm in trouble haha!

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