Brand Obsession | Cath Kidston

I was pretty late to the Cath Kidston party, but now that I've caught up I'm in love. I managed to restrict myself to only two purchases so far. But I'm always keeping an eye on the website for any bargains! As the company is celebrating their 20th birthday this year I thought I would give them a mention today. To find fellow Kidstonites and maybe convert a few others who may have never heard of Cath Kidston.

I would like to preface this post with the comment, I have no connection with Cath Kidston, this post is no way sponsored, I am just in love with the brand!

So Kidston herself was born in England in 1958. It wasn't until 1994, that the brand itself began, her first shop in London. Her vision was to merge the traditional prints of her English countryside childhood with a more modern twist. She started out just selling small items like cushion covers, ironing board covers and second hand furniture which she customised herself. Then she began to branch out and create more products with her signature prints including washbags and swimsuits. After she began attending trade fairs and selling her products wholesale, she garnered much deserved media attention and things escalated from there. Cath Kidston now produces handbags, accessories, home wear, clothing, kitchen wear and curtains. The company has grown considerably and much deserved as far as I'm concerned. Today there are 59 Cath Kidston stores across Ireland and the UK, with a further 54 across Spain, Japan, Republic of Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China.

I thought I would share with you all the couple of purchases I've made so far (stress on the "so far", I intend to buy much more on my next trip to the store...)

Daisy Rose Hand Bag

Polka Dot Washbag 

As you can see the open Washbag has a hook on the top, so you can hang it anywhere from the back of the door, to hidden away in your wardrobe. It's great for travel or even as a place holder for your makeup at home. The separate compartments make it easy to keep track of everything.

Have you bought anything from the Cath Kidston range?

What is your favourite brand?

Review | Úr Beauty Sponge & Mascara Wands

So I received a little package this week which was kindly sent to me from Úr Makeup*, which is an Irish make up brand created by Nichola Graham, MUA.

After giving the Beauty Sponge and re-usable Mascara Wands a go, I thought I would share my thoughts with you all.

Firstly I used the sponge to apply my usual Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum foundation (which by the way I'm using year round now). 

Initially I felt I had to use a little more foundation than usual, as a small bit got absorbed by the sponge (as is the nature of a sponge, so I wasn't too worried). But then I found my foundation blended incredibly naturally with this sponge and more importantly, it helped me seamlessly cover up the breakouts I'm currently experiencing along my jaw line. Then when applying my concealer, I also used the beauty sponge to blend it all in. While I am a big brush lover and usually shy away from sponges, I feel with continued practice I could get used to this sponge since I was definitely impressed with the finished result!

When it came to mascara I chose the curved wand without doubt I have to say I was in love with the results. It applied the mascara like a dream and the curve really helped with easily gliding the mascara onto the inner and outter corners lashes. It really is one of the best mascara wands I've ever used. Dare I say it, it might even trump my Rimmel Lash Accelerator wand! As the wands are re-usable I gave it a clean afterwards and was impressed with the cleaning capabilities, however it did take me quite a good scrubbing and some time. I think if I needed to use these on a regular basis with lots of different people I would need to invest in a proper cleaning brush to really take off all the product. As a comparison, the one on the left is the wand I used to apply black mascara, after a bit of a clean, this is how the wand looks. I honestly didn't think it would ever be pink again, so it's great to know the wands can handle a good clean.

Overall I am impressed with the sponge and especially the wands (particularly the curved one) and I would certainly recommend them to a friend. I am also excited this is an Irish company as I'm always eager to find Irish make up brands. 

Have you tried the Úr Makeup range yet?

What are your thoughts?

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 #23 | Hair Care Essentials

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?

Blogtober #22 | Favourite Music Band

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?

Blogtober #21 | In the Spotlight: The Conjuring

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?