#FOTD | Everyday Glam

This is a bit of a different post from yours truly. I've decided to share with you some of the products I would use for an everyday look with that little something extra. So what would be perfect for a day out with the girls, on a trip away with that special someone or just whenever you might want to go that little bit extra! I don't tend to go too dramatic with my night out makeup most of the time, for me, this look would be perfect for a night out too! I may even do more of these "Face of the Day" type posts down the line, should anyone find them useful!

Quite a natural look with a little shimmer around the eye

Unfortunately as with all (mine anyway) natural looks, there are quite a few products involved to get to this point! To start with I prepped my skin by using my cleanser, acid toner, serum & moisturiser as usual. Then I got started with the makeup itself, this is going to sound like quite a lot of products, but when you're used to all the steps it really doesn't take as long as this post will make it seem. To make it a little more digestible I've broken it down by area of the face.

Face
Foundation: Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream applied using a flat foundation brush from Nima Brush
Concealer: Correction Lasting Perfect Concealer under the eye and on blemishes, using my finger and then finishing the blending with my foundation brush
Powder: One Heck of a Blot from Soap & Glory using my Real Techniques Powder Brush

Cheeks
Blush: NARS Orgasm which I applied using the Real Techniques Blusher Brush
Contour: NARS Laguna which I applied using Real Techniques Contour Brush
Highlight: Very very small bit of The Balm Mary Lou, applied with my fingers

Eyes
All over Lid: Sin from Urban Decay NAKED 1 palette, patted on with the brush in the palette
In the Crease: Smog from NAKED 1, patted on with the brush in palette (also brushed this along lower lash line)
In the Outer Corner: Darkhorse from NAKED 1, patter on with the brush in the palette
In the Inner Corner: The Balm Mary Lou, applied with my fingers

In all instances the shadow was of course blended out with my MAC 217 brush, the key (I've learned) is to build up colour through patting and blending and repeating, don't put it all on at once!

Upper Lash Line: Bourjois Liner Feutre - also along outer corner of the lower lash line
Mascara: Benefit's They're Real, two generous coats (don't also forget to use your eyelash curler first)
Eyebrows: Essence Eyebrown pencil with Buck from NAKED 1, applied using the Real Techniques Brow Brush

Lips
Make Up For Ever Lip Liner Pencil in the shade 43 all over the entire lips and then a coat of Dior Addict Gloss in the shade 684 and then finally a light patting of Virgin from NAKED 1 the lips using my finger. I did this for two different reasons, one, to set the lipgloss in place and two, to give a nice sheen to the lips

A little disclaimer, buying make up is definitely my hobby, so while there are quite a few high end products in here, they have been built up over time, certainly not all bought at once! Then of course the look can easily be replicated by substituting these products with your own favourites!

Hopefully I might have given you some inspiration or ideas on how to create your own everyday glam look. If you do, definitely be sure to send me a pic through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram! If you've any recommendation on similar/better products, get commenting! I'm always looking for new products and shades to try.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you're having a great day whatever you're up to!

Favourites | The Best of 2013

Okay okay, it's been a couple of months, instead of boring you with the details, let's just get 2014 off to a productive start! What better way to begin the year than a quick look back to 2013 and what products I reached for time and time again! There are loads of products I could have included, but I really tried to keep it to the bare minimum of what I used almost everyday.

So I touched on some of my favourite face, hair, lip and eyes products along with two of my favourite tools. There shouldn't be any major surprises as most will have featured in my monthly favourites throughout the year.

What were your favourite products of 2013?

Blogtober #24 | Boots Haul

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)?

Blogtober #16 | My Brush Collection

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?

Blogtober #4 | What's in my bag?

For this post I thought I would share what I keep in my every day handbag. For when I'm heading to work or out shopping, etc. I used to always carry around really big handbags, but in more recent years I've returned to the smaller bag. I've learned I wasn't using half the stuff I was lugging around anyway.

I found this mini satchel in New Look for a very reasonable price (under €20) and it has served me well. I have it 6 months at least and I've had no issues to date. Now more importantly onto the contents, as the bag itself is quite small, I've gotten my handbag essentials down to the minimum.

Starting from the bottom working to the top we have:
- Samsung Galaxy SII (yes I am badly in need of an upgrade)
- Keys
- Brushes, which are all Real Techniques (Blush, Buffer & Contour brushers)
- Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum (#51)
- Collection Concealer (#2)
- Bourjois Shine Edition Lipstick (#24)
- MAC Lustre Lipstick (Lustering)
- NARS Palette (The Happening)
- Silver Make Up Bag (part of a gift, so unsure where it came from)
- Calvin Klein Purse (which I picked up while holidaying in Orlando)


I hope you enjoyed having a nose at what's in my purse.
What are some of your handbag essentials?

Summer Series | Holiday Essentials

Okay apologies are in order. There has been a massive delay between my last post and this one. July seemed to pass me by in a flash. Granted it's now August, but until schools are back, it always still feels like summer, so I have the final post in my Summer Series, you can find post one here and post two here.

So the reason my July was so jam-packed was mostly due to holidays. This year I decided to do a series of small trips and as a result my make-up bag needed to stay light. So I'm going to share with you what made the cut.

Since I spent some time travelling around Ireland as well as the UK, airport security was also a factor. Keeping it basic was key (full details of products below).

I made sure to keep it really minimal, I left out things like primer, eye lash curlers, extra brushes, brought no more than one of each type of product.I brought the two essential brushes (and the NAKED palette comes with one), I figured anything else could be blended with fingers. I guess my main piece of advice, even if you think you need everything, there's surely a couple more things you can cut out. I know personally when I'm away on holidays, I just want to spend the minimal amount of time on getting ready as there is so much to go out and enjoy and experience. I even know some days I won't want to wear make up. So I really factor this into my final choices. Essentially a good rule of thumb is: no more than one of anything. I find the biggest thing that will weigh you down is have three different mascaras and five types of lip gloss. Choose the bare essentials and your back will thank you for it, when you don't have to lug it all around from city to city.

I teamed my make up collection with the a couple of nail varnishes (again look for cheats like using the same polish for your base coat and top coat). I kept it bright, summery and simple.

So the running theme is basic and minimal. What are you holiday essentials that you can't live without? Do you pack light or do you pack everything, including the kitchen sink?

Face
Make Up For Ever Face & Body Liquid Make Up (#20)
NARS Creamy Concealer (Custard)
Bobbi Brown Sheer Finish Pressed Powder (Pale Yellow)
Bourjois Blush (48 Ashes of Roses)

Brushes
Real Techniques Expert Face Brush
Real Techniques Powder Brush

Eyes
NAKED Palette (No. 1)
Essence Eye Liner Pen (Black)
Maybelline The Rocket Volume Mascara (Waterproof - Black)

Lips
Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer (Big Bang)
Make Up For Ever Rough Artist Natural Lipstick (N22 Pink Peach)

Nails
Essie Top Coat (No Chips Ahead)
Rimmel Salon Pro - Kate Collection (Purple Rain)
Models Own Splash Collection (Pink Paradise)

High End Foundation for Dry Skin

So I previously covered a high street (drug store) foundation that is perfect for dry skin, in this blog I'm looking at a high end variety, Bobbi Brown's Moisture Rich Foundation.

After seeing a lot of recommendations for Bobbi Brown foundations, I decided to give them a try myself. I picked this one up in Brown Thomas after consulting with the girl behind the counter and trying it out (which is what I love about buying at make-up counters, you can really try everything out first). In the end I went for the shade Porcelain (0) as I have quite pale skin.

The formula is very runny and I would definitely recommend applying this foundation with a brush as I imagine it would be difficult to apply using your fingers. I use the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush and I find it blends it in seamlessly. In my experience a little goes a long way and I can really use the smallest of amounts to get an even, beautiful finish. It is however build-able if you're looking for a little more coverage.

What I definitely love most about this foundation is how moisturising it is. As someone who suffers with normal to dry skin, it is difficult to find a foundation that doesn't ultimately accentuate my dry patches. My skin never feels dried out when I use this product. With a sweep of setting powder, I'm done. I would definitely recommend this foundation to anyone with dry skin.


Pros: Great for dry skin, SPF 15, good medium coverage,  build-able
Cons: In my opinion, the only one is, it is quite expensive (at €38)


What are some of your favourite foundations?

May Favourites

That month seemed to fly by, hard to believe the June bank holiday is now over. So below I have included some of my favourite products from the month of May.

I have only recently discovered essie nail varnish, but I am already in love. With a base coat and top coat, it lasted 5 days entirely chip free and it is a great summer pastel shade. While I know Apocalips lip lacquer's abilities have been well documented, I am really loving the shade Celestial this month. Unlike my Big Bang and Apocaliptic shades, I can wear this as an everyday colour. It brings some colour to my face for the somewhat sunnier weather we've been experiencing. Which brings to my other face favourite this month, the Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer. I use this product in conjunction with my Real Techniques Detailer brush. I find a little really goes a long way and the detailer brush is perfect for allowing me complete control over how much product I use and allows me to blend beautifully. I have never owned a detailer brush, before now I always used my finger. However if you are someone who suffers from blemishes like myself, I would definitely recommend the investment.

In terms of eye shadow I am really enjoying my Inglot pallete which I received as a gift from a friend for my birthday. I am particularly liking the first two shades, gold and brown, for two toned eyes (you can tell by the packaging it is well loved).

Then moving on from make up, my favourite hair care product this month is Aussie 3 minute miracle, the frizz remedy. I don't use this product every day (as it is quite pricey for its size), rather I use it as a treat for my hair at weekends. I do I feel it has helped soften my hair, especially since it is blonde, I may try the Reconstructor variety next.

The last product to feature in my May favourites, is a skincare product from Clarins. I also received this a gift, but have only recently begun using it regularly. It is there Silky-Smooth body cream. Just as the name suggests it leaves your skin feeling silky smooth. I love how it glides onto the skin and doesn't leave an oily/sticky feel afterwards. It is especially great for dry spots around the elbows and knees!

This month's star product? essie nail lacquer


Do you use any of these products, how are you finding them?
What have been your favourite products from May 2013?


Products in this blog:
- essie nail lacquer (Spring 2013 collection) - bond with whomever
- Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer - Celestial
- Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer - 51 eclat clair
- Real Techniques Detailer Brush
- Inglot Eyeshadow - AMC Shine 34 (gold)
- Inglot Eyeshadow - 457 (brown)
- Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Deep Treatment - Frizz Remedy
- Clarins Eau Ressourçante Silky-Smooth Body Cream