Welcome to Blogtober Day 24. This is the day where I publicly admit I have a problem. I am supposed to be saving to pay college fees and yet I couldn't resist passing boots without having a look inside, a look inside turns into ah sure I may as well pick up that one thing and that other thing until I've managed to spend about €70 in under 3 minutes. I can never find the clothes I'm looking for, but when it comes to beuaty/makeup, it's like an episode of SuperMarket Sweet (#throwbackthursday). In a very short amount of time I can really dash around and make a decent dent in my wallet. So I present to you today's window shopping exercise...
So as per my post a couple of days ago, I'm obsessed with Real Techniques brushes, so I figured I may as well finish the collection (be rude not to), coupled with some cotton pads (the only product I properly NEEDED in boots), two nail polishes from Barry M (perfect autumnal colours), yet another Apocalips lacquer from Rimmel and two eye liners from Rimmel. I am single-handedly keeping both Real Techniques and Rimmel in business. Someone help me...
What is your go-to impulse buy?
Have you picked up any great items lately (just to add to my list, you know yourself)?
Only a week or so to go now left in #Blogtober! I thought I would share with you a couple of my hair care essentials. Outside of shampoo/conditioner, what items I use in my daily hair care routine.
The first two products I use after the shower, Aussie Leave-In Conditioner & TRESemmé Heat Protector. I adore the smell the conditioner and it's perfect as a de-tangler. Then the heat protector works wells, leaves a nice finish on my hair and I really like the large spray. I have tried a few that fire out in a line and you find you have lumps here and there of product. The spray on this leaves a fine mist over the hair, it's perfect!
Then on the right I have the ever popular Batiste Dry Shampoo. It's of course great for in between washes, but on top of that, you can use it to help build volume in your hair. Finally I have the Alberto V05 Hair Spray. I think this spray is great for holding my hair without leaving too much residue or making my hair flaky.
Do you use of any these products?
What's in your essential hair care collection?
Ok so I have a few top bands, but for sure in amongst the very top is the band fun. They are an indie pop band from New York made up of Nate Ruess (singer), Jack Antonoff (guitarist) and Andrew Dost (multiple instruments).
I have been to see them both times they came to Ireland at both The Academy in 2012 and The Olympia in 2013. Not only do I love their songs, but their stage presence is amazing. They're so energetic and the mood is infectious. While most known for the song We Are Young, they have two albums filled with great songs (in my humble opinion). Generally music that puts me in a good-go-get-'em mood will be amongst my favourite types.
If you've not heard much else or not as familiar with fun. you can check out their website here and their YouTube channel here. Below I have included some pictures from both their Academy and Olympia gigs.
The Academy
The Olympia
What gigs have you been to lately?
Who are some of your favourite artists?
Ok another sneaky missing day... but I had some birthday celebrations to attend to (not my own)!
In yet another Halloween themed post, this is a look at a recent horror. If you're looking for a scare this Halloween, I would definitely recommend The Conjuring. It is a really really long time since I have been properly scared by a horror movie. Don't worry, there are no spoilers in this post.
It is supposed to be based on a true story and it's about a family who have a presence in their home disturbing them and starting to hurt them. They call a couple who are experts in the field and have studied demons, etc. I won't go too much into it, I definitely do not want to spoil it for anyone.
It wasn't all about the CGI or the gore, it was an old fashioned, tension-building scare! I could barely handle it at times, choosing to hide my face behind a cushion, only capable of peeping over it. It's definitely not one for the faint of heart, but it's a brilliant scare.
Have you seen The Conjuring yet?
What is your favourite horror movie?
This is a post to say thank you to Samantha Johnston from All The Buzz for organising a blogger meet up today in Dublin! Everyone had a fantastic time, there was some great goodies for everyone (including cup cakes) and some great talks. It was my first ever blogger meet up and it definitely won't be my last. Got to meet some great people! Below I have a quick run down of the event in pictures!
I cannot get over how many goodies we got...
Then we had a great talk and demonstration from Niamh from Nima Brush
After which we got another goodie, from the Nima Brush collection
We also heard some great insight and tips from Her.ie's Michelle McMahon on being a part of such a great company and the world of blogging.
There was also some yummy cupcakes for everyone from Monaco Cupcakes.
Then if I wasn't having enough of a good time, to top it all off, I wont the €100 voucher for Dundrum Town Centre.
I just want to say thanks again to Samantha for such a successful event. It was fun, informative and I also got to meet lots of fellow Irish bloggers. I am looking forward to many more meet ups and the new friendships!
Were you at the #DublinMeetUp?
I look forward to seeing all your pictures (as well as some official ones)...
Due to technical difficulties I am a little later than planned here. Blogtober Day 18 is upon us. Another short one this evening. I thought I would share with you a mini haul drugstore haul.
I got quite a few No7 protect & perfect skin items along with dry shampoo, leave in conditioner, heat protectant spray, foundation, lip lacquer and eye shadows. It was a relatively small haul, but as of course skin care was involved, it didn't exactly make it a cheap one. I will however be doing a Skin Care Routine post in the coming days, featuring some of the products shown above, so keep an eye out for that.
What I am interested to know is, am I alone in this one? I went into Boots with the intention of buying the Bourjois Serum Foundation, that was the only thing I "needed" and yet I cam out with a much lighter wallet. I've decided there's too many brands under one roof and there's something hypnotic in their lighting...
What little shopping trips have you made of late?
Are you like me and cannot be left unsupervised in a shop?
So for something a little different I thought I would get you thinking about Halloween Costume Ideas. It's just around the corner and if you're planning on heading to a fancy dress party, you would want to start getting organised! As some inspiration I have shared below what I went as the last two years...
Last year I went with a classic, Zombie! You just need to have a little time and patience with some theatre wax and a lot of fake blood (plenty of old clothes too of course). White face makeup is another essential. One great part about this look is, you can't really go too wrong, you are supposed to look a mess and you don't even need to worry about your hair, let it dry naturally and you're done.
The previous year I was as a box of cinema popcorn. Definitely much less frightening. For this your main equipment includes a cardboard box, white paper, red paint, glue, lots of cut up pillow cases. The box part is relatively straight forward, you just need to cut it to shape, paint it and stick it all together. Then for the popcorn around the top, cut up old pillow cases and staple in individual chunks, which you then attach to a sheet which will travel around the inside of the box (glue/stitch it to the box). Then put some straps inside the box and hey presto, you're off!
Are you dressing up this year?
What are you thinking of going as?
Hello my lovelies. On today's blogtober post I am going to share my brush collection. It's not huge by any stretch, but there is a nice selection in there. There are of course plenty more essentials* when it comes to a brush selection, but this is what I have so far...
*should be read as what I really want, by no means essential
I have some brushes from MAC, Make Up For Ever, Revlon, Avon and the Body Shop, but as you can tell if you own any yourself, the most popular brand in my collection is Real Techniques, which are made by Sam Chapman, one half of the sisterly duo that is Pixiwoo. As a make up artist, blogger and youtuber, Sam really knows her stuff and these brushes are excellent.
I have yet to get my hands on the eye brushes, but don't worry, they will follow in due course. Some of my favourites from my collection are the Real Techniques expert face brush, blush brush, detailer brush and buffing brush. Outside of that I really really like my Make Up For Ever lip brush and of course the MAC 217.
Do you use any of these brushes?
What are your favourite brands and types of brushes?
Welcome to Blogtober Day 15, apologies for missing the last two days I have been quite unwell. Feeling much better now and ready to get back into it! So this is a look at some of my favourite lipsticks which are perfect for Autumn/Winter. I have included a mixture of high street and high end brands, with a price range from approx €6 to €36, so something for all budgets.
In addition to above I couldn't find my MAC lipstick (shade: lustering) for this picture, but here are some of my favourites at the moment. I've mentioned the Bourjois lipstick on more than one occasion, so it's no surprise it's here yet again! The Make Up For Ever nude shade is great for everyday wear, where as the Rimmel Kate, Topshop & YSL lipsticks are definitely reserved for nights out or whenever a bold lip is acceptable.
I just think lipstick is amazing, you can have the most minimal of make up on, pop on some lipstick and you've transformed any look (especially if you go for bold colours).
What lipsticks are you loving right now?
What are you favourite shades for Autumn/Winter?
Welcome one and all to day 12 of Blogtober. This is a very simple little post on what colours I'm currently enjoying wearing on my eyes for this time of year. It's probably not very surprising, but I am of course utilising my NAKED 1 palette from Urban Decay. It's nothing ground breaking, but since there are so many shades in this palette, I try make the most of it using it as a shadow, liner and brow filler.
Another cheeky Blogtober post a little late... hello day 11! This my friends will definitely have to be a short one, a little look at some of my favourite YouTube Channels.
Fleur DeForce
Fleur is actually the person who got me properly into make up and taking note of what I'm actually putting on my face. Before she came along, whatever was closest to hand/cheapest was sufficient. She has completely revolutionised my approach to skincare, hair care and make up.
She also has a vlog channel as well as a channel where you could follow her wedding preparations, having just recently gotten married, she has released a highlights video:
Zoella
In some round about way through Fleur, I found Zoe. Her posts focus more on hauls, favourites, etc. Not so much in the realm of tutorials, but her cheery attitude makes her videos appealing, and I certainly can't be the only one who thinks so considering she has over 2 million subscribers. She also has a vlog channel she updates from time to time. She also does tags and collaborations with lots of other YouTubers
Shaytards
In the non-beauty world, I follow the Shays, what a cute family. The Shaytards have been vlogging their daily family life for the last 5 years, they have four children with one more on the way.
Lisa Eldridge
Again one of the earlier channels on YouTube that I would have subscribed to. She has worked with some amazing people on some amazing sets over her career as a make-up artist, I treat anything she has to say as gospel when it comes to make-up. She has so many straight forward tutorials as well as video series to help you with everything from picking your foundation to how to look like celebrities.
Fine Bros
Lastly again from the non-beauty range, I am a long standing subscriber of the Fine Bros. They make so many different types of content on YouTube, but what originally drew me to the channel was Kids React to which has now expanded into the react series with Teens React, Elders React and now even YouTubers React
Hello again everyone and welcome to Day 10 of Blogtober. I thought to give a little more insight into my life I would do the 20 Random Facts About Me tag. So let's get straight to it:
I have never broken a bone
I'm in my 7th year at university (non-consecutive)
My favourite sound is a golf ball falling into the hole
I like to swim and that's where my interest in sports ends
I'm not allergic to anything (that I know of)
My favourite types of food are Italian & Mexican
I am afraid of heights
I don't like hot liquids (except hot chocolate), i.e. tea, coffee, soup
My favourite colour is burgundy (darkish purple)
I cannot stand tissue paper touching off someone's teeth, it gives me the shivers
My favourite cocktail is a frozen strawberry daiquiri
I am quite accident prone (walking into door frames, stubbing my toe, etc.)
I naturally talk very fast, I have to actively think about talking more slowly
I carry a donor card
I will pretty much always cry during an emotional movie/television show
Watermelon is my favourite fruit
I am pretty outgoing and prefer to be out with friends versus home alone
I don't have any pets (although I wish I did)
My favourite book is A Child Called It
If I had to live on one type of food for the rest of my life it would be ice-cream
I tag anyone who hasn't already done a Random Facts About Me tag.
Almost one third of the way there already, welcome to #Blogtober Day 9! Ok so I have a confession to make from the outset, we're not allowed any pets in our apartment, so as a result we live vicariously through my boyfriends cats (who still live with his parents). But I really love animals and hate that we can't have any ourselves for now, so visiting them will have to do. I thought I'd share a few pictures with you of their lives so far. I can't remember exactly, but I think they're three (black/grey) and five (ginger) years old respectively.
Are you an animal lover?
Do you have any pics of your pets for me to dote over??
So guys, yet another late post, welcome to Blogtober Day 8. For something a little different this post will focus on some other blogs I am following & I enjoy reading. You can never have enough blogs to read, so to follow on from the the great idea of MakeUpMonster.ie I will mention below a few sites I follow that belong to fellow Irish bloggers. While I read plenty more, I just wanted to highlight a couple of them.
What Kate Healy Did
Kate really has a diverse range of products she reviews and I feel like when you go to her blog you really don't know what to expect next. I feel like she gives great reviews and her I often get a good chuckle out of her Twitter feed.
MakeUpMonster.ie
I like how user friendly her site is, there is a real modern feel to how she lays it all out. Design-wise I think it's really good (especially when compared to the more IT illiterate contribution I've made). I like how you her personality really comes through in her posts. Each one reads like that of a friend you can trust
Blushful Beauty
This is another blog I like due to the straight forward way in which she rights. I feel like she gets her point across quite succinctly without being too wordy (says the woman using the word succinctly). There is quite a range of topics she discussing and when she recommends something, I feel like it's an old pal suggesting it.
All The Buzz
I like this blog as it's not just beauty, but a combination of lifestyle & entertainment too. From posts on how to get the most out of your commute right up to inspiring woman of the week. She has such a great variety of topics that can appeal to all tastes.
Who are some of your favourite Irish bloggers?
Comment below with suggestions of who else you think I should be following...
I'm really sorry guys, this post is totally cheating, it's after midnight, it's officially the 8th. But I figure that's no reason to give up, you'll just have to get two posts today! So I'll keep it short and sweet, here are a couple of products I've recently gotten from the Sally Hansen range that I'm really not happy with.
I felt the gel cuticle remover did nothing, at all. The Nail Polish strips came off in under an hour and the No Chip Top Coat lead to the nail varnish underneath becoming separated, leaving the appearance of cracks.
It's very disappointing as I really love the airbrush legs, their nail varnish remover and I even have a few nail varnishes which I like, but these three products did not reach the standards I've come to expect from Sally Hansen. So hopefully I'll save you all a few euro by not wasting your money on this products. Avoid at all costs!
Have you tried of any of these products from Sally Hansen?
What products have you found disappointing lately?
Welcome to Blogtober Day 6! This post is just a short one, allowing me a moment to take a step back and reflect on Breaking Bad (don't worry, there are no spoilers here). A week after the finale, I finally feel ready to talk about it! What an amazing 5 seasons it has been. I am so sad it is over forever, but at the same time I love that the writers knew it was coming to an end and they could go out on a high. Rather than getting lost in the drama like so many long standing television shows.
Photo courtesy of AMC
This show is what television should always be about. It made you laugh, it made you cry, but most of all it had you on the edge of your seat. There was never a dull moment, it was cluttered with a laugh track or rife with cliches. It was quality writing, excellent acting and expertly produced.
At times it certainly isn't for the faint of heart and it can get quite gritty, but I really would recommend this to anyone and everyone. A lot of the elements of it aren't necessarily what I would normally like in a television series, but it all just worked so well together. I have known people of all kinds of tastes who love it. It really was epic. On par with major movie productions. This show was quality television at its finest.
The story lines are all so engaging. While I will admit I found season one rather slow, it got progressively better as the seasons progressed (even though it is often the opposite for most other shows). But I would definitely stick with it. By the same token I wouldn't skip over the first season, it's incredibly important for character building and watching all characters and story lines evolve and develop.
I don't know how I'm going to fill my Monday evenings now that it is gone, but I hope we're not left waiting too long until another such masterpiece is created.
I found this great clip on YouTube, Breaking Bad as a sitcom.....
Of course unless you're a fan of the show, that clip might be a little lost on you! But I thought it was pretty funny!
Were you a fan of Breaking Bad?
Or fed up of listening to everyone else obsessing over it?
For something different for Day 5 of #Blogtober, I thought I would highlight one of my favourite cities that I have ever visited... Prague! Below I have chronicled my trip in photographs. It is such a pretty place and everything is so reasonably priced. I would definitely recommend this city to everyone (although for anyone who struggles with getting around, beware there is quite a lot of hills). Once you get into the city, you don't even really need to use public transport, most of the main attractions are within walking distance. Which of course is great if you have a limited amount of time or are only on a city break!
Everything is so quaint and the architecture is beautiful, so without too much more rambling, here are some pictures from my time there...
The stalls around the place sold some great quirky items...
And if you're a fan of beer, there are definitely some interesting ones to try in the Czech Republic...
Have you ever visited Prague?
What is your favourite city for a weekend break?
