Oh My Goodness Gracious! Humongous Haul!

So I was at the AWear Rimmel Masterclass with Ken Boylan last night and got a fantastic goodie bag which consisted of these products...

When I got home there was a slip from the post office in my post box. They had tried to deliver something. I ran up to the post office this morning to collect it and it turned out to be...

Then I had to go get my cousin some presents for her 30th Birthday tomorrow and popped int Sally's on Drury Street and picked up... 

The one that got away, Teenage Dream, Last Friday Night, Not like the Movies.

The very last Katy Perry miniatures in the shop! I have been dying to get the "not like the movies" one which is the one on the far right but they all look gorgeous! 

I also picked up a few Barry M nail varnishes for spring because they were 2 for €8 - I am such a sucker sometimes. 

If you would like to see any of these reviewed or swatched please let me know. I will be doing reviews soon but as I said my cousins 30th is this weekend in Donegal so it wont be this weekend anyway. 

I will say one thing I am not very impressed with the Rimmel eyeliner. I swatched it on my hand last night and it was so hard to remove and there is still a mark  but that is just my initial opinion but I will try it out over the weekend and let you know how I get on. 

Have a fabulous weekend guys and hopefully we will get some lovely sun to enjoy. I am looking forward to one of these too... 

Rimmel Masterclass in AWear Tomorrow!

I was lucky enough to win a Masterclass with Ken Boylan, one of Ireland's most esteemed freelance make up artists to show us how to do the seasons key looks and introduce us to the new collection. Thanks AWear for the prize.  


I know it wont be just me, I mean there will be loads of other people there but I will be too! Yay!

Anyway I am ridiculously looking forward to it and to letting you all know how I got on and what I got in my goodie bag and how I find the products. I have never been to something like this, hence the over-excitement.  :) 

Pennys/Primark Glo Baby Glo Bail Varnish Update. AMAZING!!

OH MY HOLY GOD!!!

So I told you I would get back to you about the UV reactive quality of this polish, or if I didn't I intended to and I happened to be in a club with UV light on Saturday night and was so excited to see the UV in this varnish works. I may have actually let out a squeal on the dance floor! 

I am definitely going to get myself a few more shades and try them out but for now here is the one I got again. 

Oh Yeah and they are €2.50. Where can you go wrong? 

I'll update you when I manage to get to Pennys again and let you know what shades I picked up. 

Have you tried this brand? If not this colour is amazing for starters. 

My St. Patrick's Day Eye - EOTD

Ok, so I know it's a bit late but I figure better late than never. This was the look I wore for our patron saints day, better known as the day everyone goes mental, or Paddy's day. 

Actually while I have you here does anyone know where the whole calling it "St. Patty's day" came from. It is inacurate and headwrecking. 

Anyway here it is. 

What I used:

• Benefit Creaseless Cream Eye Shadow in Skinny Jeans on the outer third of the lid.
• Benefit Creaseless Cream Eye Shadow in R.S.V.P. on the rest of the eye up to the brow. 
• MAC Juxt on the inner third, or so. 
• MAC Shimmermoss on the centre of the lid. 
• MUA (Make Up Academy) shade 7 on the outer third and in the crease.
• MAC Shroom up to the brow. 
• Essence Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner on the top lid. 
• Urban Decay 24/7 Pencil on the bottom and in the waterline. Set in the waterline with a Matte black Rimmel eye shadow (that I can't find right now) I also ran some of the MUA shadow over the lower line.
• Maybeline The Falsise Volume Express Waterproof. 
• I actually ran some of the black eye shadow through my brows cause they are so dark naturally. (I know they need a good pluck but I don't trust many people to do them and I can't do it myself) 

Go easy on me this is the first look I have posted. 

Mini Pennys/Primark Haul

I know it's a random lot but that's how my trips to Pennys are. I usually come out with the most random things. 

So yeah the hat? What was I thinking?  

I was thinking that there is always a hat party or a costume party at some point and if I didn't pick it up at €4 then I would regret it. I know I will wear it at some point and I just think it is amazing.

I mean just look at it! It's a bit Cheryl Cole last year I know but I still love it! 

Not one but TWO pairs of sunglasses am I losing the plot completely? Probably but let me justify it to you... 

The first pair was only €1.50 and they will be the ones I fire in my bag just in case the day gets sunny. I know a lot of England has weather like ours here in Dublin and because of that you just don't know whether to pack sunglasses and lotion or an umbrella and wellies so these can be my "If I lose them I won't cry glasses".

Then I saw these ones with a gorgeous sparkly bow on the corner and I thought they would be lovely when I am going somewhere fancy and at €3 I couldn't but give them a good home. 

I had been looking for a nice blue Nail Varnish for the Spring and had had my eye on a few online but when I saw this one for €2.50 I couldn't resist. Here is a photo of it and one of it on my nails. It says that it is UV reactive but I have yet to be in a UV light to see for myself.  It looks a little more turquoise in real life.

Excuse the state of my nails by the way! 

All in all a good days shopping. :) 

No7 Stay Perfect Smoothing & Brightening Eye Base

I am going to disagree with the masses, at the risk of being given out to, but Urban Decay Primer Potion doesn't agree with my eyes and, to be honest, it makes my eyes weepy and causes creasing quicker as a result.  I have VERY weepy eyes anyway but this just seems to make it 10 times worse.

As I age I find my shadow creases a lot quicker as well which is just depressing! I discovered this product by Boots brand No7 when I got a voucher for €7.50 off any No7 products. 

Being honest I have read a LOT of negative reviews of this product but I am here to add my voice to the chorus of "We love it".

Ok so the packaging is kinda crap and the applicator is pure shite (I use my finger to apply) but the actual product itself works very well for me. The trick with this product is not to put on too much. I mean anything is going to be greasy and crease if you shovel it on. Be VERY sparing with this product!

Because of the pigment in this the product helps to hide veins and dark spots as well as being a lovely base to pack your eye shadows onto. It helps intensify the colour and in my experience it helps prevent the shadows creasing. 

This is by far my most favourite eye primer I have ever tried

Have you tried this product? Do you have any other recommendations for primers apart from the Urban Decay ones?

Turn Waves into Filthy Curls - Umberto Giannini Filthy Curls Scrunching Jelly

I have always been cursed with in between hair. It is not curly and it is not straight, for years I used to tell people it was kinky! *cringe* 

I never quite knew what to do with it because the straightened-within-an-inch-of-it's-life-look does nothing for my face shape and when I curl with a hot curler it doesn't hold well. That is until I discovered this product. 

How I use it: 

I wash my hair in the shower as usual and when I get out I towel dry it I then take about a €2 coin amount on my hand and begin scrunching it into my hair. The texture is a bit sticky so do wash it off your hands after. I continue to scrunch it a bit while doing my make up and let it dry naturally. I think they say the best results are from using a diffuser but I just couldn't be arsed with all that messing about!! Then I let it dry and stick some serum on it when it is done. 

Anyway, I digress, what I love most about this product is the fact that even if my hair is dry (to touch) and frizzy and I can't do anything with it, a splash of water and a little of this sorts it right out. It does require a serum or a defrizz spray after usually. 

The Verdict:

All in all I do not know what I would do with my hair if it weren't for this product. It is available in Boots in the UK and Ireland and you can get it in a trial size so I would suggest getting the trial size to try it out and be sure before committing to a full size version. I actually carry around the trial size in my bag, just in case I have to go somewhere important to go and I haven't had time to do my hair before I leave. 

Have any of you tried out this product? How did you find it? Have you any tips or tricks or posts about any similar products?

Make Up Academy Haul (Photo and swatch heavy post)

The best part is everything in the range is only £1!!!!

So as some of you may know I am living in Ireland and so many brands are out of reach for me but I was very excited to be travelling to Manchester last weekend so I could have a gander at some of the brands that I can't get at home. 

I had recently seen these two wonderful videos by RebelMakeUp on YouTube and fair play to her she got me very excited about the Superdrug brand Make Up Academy. Have a look at her videos here: 

 

So in I trotted to Superdrug, armed with a list as long as my arm of things I wanted to get. (The sales assistant thought I was a bit mad but sure we all have been there at one point or another.)

So despite my list I came out with only seven things, that is not because I didn't love their products, because trust me I fell in love, but because I was actually overwhelmed by how much I actually wanted to buy. You know what it is like, you pack your basket, look at it have a panic that you are buying too much and put it all back and start again. 

I am so very happy with the products I did purchase though. 

Eye Shadows: 

Matte Black : Shade 20

Forest Green, Pearl:  Shade 7

Really Dark Plum, Pearl: Shade 13

The consistency of these is beautifully creamy and glides on the eyes. They are amazingly pigmented for £1 eye shadows too but I will say however that the darker shades can stain a wee bit, so I would definitely recommend using a base of some sort. 

Here is a swatch of all three:

Blusher: Shade 3

The blusher is the same consistency as the eye shadows and this shade is perfect for me. I don't usually use blusher because I have very pigmented cheeks but this blusher is the perfect shade not to draw attention to my cheeks. 

Here is a swatch of this:

Lipstick: Shade 9 

Now this is not very pigmented and does have a "lipstick" scent to it but it is a nice colour over the pigment of my own lips. I don't feel that I can criticise this range's lipsticks because I just tried the one. Actually if you try any of the lipsticks you love let me know and I will add them to the list for the next time I get to a Superdrug.

Here is a swatch of the lipstick:

Nail Varnishes: 

Green: Shade 13

Pink: Shade 16

Look at those shades ^ Holy goats! Seriously! They are absolutely beautiful. I haven't tried the pink yet because, of course, this week is St Patrick's week so I have only been wearing the green but the green is so gorgeous. It's the kind of shade I will probably never come across again. My nails are still in crap form but if you want to see swatches of the nail varnishes I got have a look at the videos I posted above from RebelMakeUp.

In case you missed it under the first picture: The best part is everything in the range is only £1!!!!


Have you any more recommendations of which of this range I must ABSOLUTELY try?

Milani Ruby Jewels Nail Varnish

I was waiting to have a swatch of this for you to see just how beautiful it is on but my nails aren't in great shape and  I couldn't wait anymore to tell you about this amazing varnish. 

So my initial concern with this varnish was that it would be sheer but I tried it in the shop and holy goats it wasn't in the slightest bit sheer at all. It is red with a fabulous red glitter.

How it looks in the photo of the bottle, is exactly how it comes out on your nails. I ALWAYS put on two coats of every varnish on and this is beautiful. It reflects the light and the glitter is so gorgeously fine.

It makes me very happy just looking at it on my nails.

I know it is not a very spring colour but I think there is always a time for a Ruby Red glitter nail varnish. 

It absolutely reminds me of these: 

Anything that reminds me of the Wizard of Oz is good in my book!

Anyone have any recommendations of other Varnishes or have you tried this one?

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Review

I had been looking for a good contouring powder for a very long time and I finally gave in and trapsed into MAC in Dublin to have a look at their range about a month ago. The sales assistant was very lovely and pointed me in the direction of the Mineralize Skinfinish Natural. I have to say that when she recommended the Medium Dark I was a bit hesitant to even try it but I gave her the benefit of the doubt.

I am loving this. It is a beautiful soft powder. It is suppsed to have a matte finish but to be honest it has a teeny tiny sheen to it but because I have dry skin that is VERY welcome. 

I am very sure that in the summer when my skin gets darker this powder will go from being my contour powder to my all over face powder. 

If you are in the market for a new contour powder or even a new all over powder I would definitely recommend this one. It is definitely my favourite powder I have EVER purchased. Go give it a look! 

Have you tried this out before?

MAC Viva Glam IV Lipstick Review

I have been trying to get my hands on this product in Dublin for AGES!! Finally last week I managed to get one. I was unbelievably happy and I continue to be.

It is a deep rose colour with a goldish shimmer/frost to it. I had never owned a MAC lipstick mainly because I tried my friends Russian Red Mac Lipstick and had found it so terrible drying, but as the sales assistant told me Russian Red is a matte lipstick and so can have that effect.

As most know Viva Glam was set up in 1994 to help raise money for MAC's HIV charity.

EVERY cent you pay for this lipstick goes to this charity, which makes it even more appealing to me.

I do find that this colour is difficult to remove but this also makes it very long wearing. If you are aware that it takes a wee while and a bit more effort to remove and you still love the colour then I would absolutely recommend the purchase of this.

It goes quite well with my dark hair and eyes and still doesn't look like too much of a statement for daytime wear and if worn with a gloss it is perfect for a night time look. All in all well worth the money.

I do think I will try to limit my purchase of MAC lipsticks to the Viva Glam range as it does feel good to know you are doing something good for HIV charities as well as getting a beautiful lipstick.  I hope they do something good with my €17.50.

Have you tried any other MAC lipsticks, especially the Viva Glam ones? Can you recommend any? What is your favourite MAC lipstick?

Boots No. 17 Photo Flawless Skin Primer

When I saw that Boots "teenage" range No. 17 had come out with a primer I was a little dubious as to it's quality and passed it up a good few times when in Boots but eventually curiosity got the better of me and I bought it, simply because if it was terrible I wouldn't have lost out  lot of cash as it is very affordable at approximately  €8 and boy am I glad I did!

I have been using it for the last three or four weeks and it has been constantly in my "necessity make up bag" in my handbag. I have used it under my make up and all on it's own and it does exactly the job I am looking for from my primer.

I typically reach for it, in earnest, the morning after the night before because it helps to give the skin a lovely finish. So even if you are feeling rough your skin will still look gorgeous. The texture is beautiful. It is soft and silky in texture and has no scent.

This product was released with a foundation but I actually couldn't even bring myself to purchase the foundation as the shades are pretty unwearable for my skin tone.

Have you tried this product? Did you try it with the No. 17 Foundation? If so how did you find it? 

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Lancome L'Absolu Nu Lipstick Review. (Gloss finish)

I stumbled across this little beauty in Brown Thomas in Dublin last week and now I have no idea what I did without it. I actually went in to buy the MAC Viva Glam iv (Which I will review soon) and came out with this beautiful lipstick/gloss as well.

This seems to be a new range of lipsticks by Lancome which has a beautiful, hydrating gloss finish. While the assistant directed me to the red shade I myself was drawn to the gorgeous berry shade in 103.

The colour is quite sheer and not as long lasting as a traditional lipstick but that's what you get when trying to make a lipstick like a gloss and I think it would be amazing on a nice summer evening when you are looking for a pop of colour but not the heaviness of a lipstick. It has a pleasant scent of violets, which I absolutely adore. I have actually taken to putting this on top of my Viva Glam iv as the gloss-ness of the L'Absolu Nu really compliments the colour of the Viva Glam iv and deepens the shade, as well as adding a gorgeous sheen.

Here is a swatch of the L'absolu Nu in 103:

All in all, I would recommend having a look at the shades the next time you are near a Lancome counter as I absolutely love these. There are a good few shades and I would hazard a guess that there is one for almost everyone in the audience. 

Have you tried these lipsticks? If so or you have any comments please do so below. 

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