Empties

So I've been accumulating a fair few products recently, so thought this would be an ideal time to make an Empties post!

The first was Tresemme's Instant Heat Tamer: not much to say about this. Haven't noticed any crazy differences to the quality of my hair but it does the job and it smells nice!

Victoria's Secret Instant Bronze Body Spray: Not one bit happy to be out of this. Its perfect for those nights you've spontaneously decided to go out and don't have time to wait for a tan to develop. Much more natural colour than any Sally Hansen instant tan. Has a nice bit of shimmer in it too and smells like coconut..SO delicious. Will definitely be stocking up on this again next time I'm near a Victoria's Secret.

Lorac Behind the Scenes primer: Best primer ever. I've gone through a sample size and full sized one of this and have another full sized one open at the minute. Have a separate post on this if anyone's interested.

Benefit They're Real Mascara: Absolutely love this but it dries out so fast. Am now on my second one of these but it's drying out quite quickly too. It's not cheap so I better try something else once I'm done with this tube.

Benefit Bad Gal Lash: This was my holy grail mascara until They're Real came along. Its a great mascara for volumising your lashes and looks fantastic over a coat of They're Real. Won't be repurchasing this soon though since I have a few like it at the minute.

Smashbox Lipgloss in Aura: I love this. One of my favorite lip glosses ever but it's so expensive. I got this mini one in a set of Smashbox glosses and loved it so much I purchased a full sized one. It's a perfect everyday peachy pink shade bit little bits of glitter in it. Not the longest lasting gloss but it does have a lovely formula.

Bourjois Liner Pinceau: This was the first liquid eyeliner I ever tried and I haven't changed since. Lasts all day, works well with my sensitive eyes, and is a really pigmented black colour. The brush is really long and thin making it perfect to sit along the lashes when applying. It doesn't dry out quickly either, I find myself having to replace it because its gone past its use by date rather than because it has dried out. Fantastic eyeliner, haven't found anything that replaces it.

XOXO,

B

Dior 5 Colour Eyeshadow in Rosy Tan

So I made a bit of an expensive makeup purchase a couple of weeks ago, splashing out on the Dior 5 Colour Eyeshadow palette in the shade Rosy Tan. I'd been eyeing this product for months, and the very nice sales assistant was very persuasive, telling me it was the perfect palette for my blue eyes and blonde hair.

First of all, the packaging is just beautiful and so compact.
    

    

Unfortunately, I broke a fundamental blogger rule and used it before taking photos, so I'll have to insert a photo taken from CafeMakeup to show you it in all its glory.


    

The palette includes (going clockwise from left) a very slightly shimmery true pink, a warm deep shimmery brown, a lighter warm brown with a very subtle shimmer in some lights, a silvery glistening brown, and in the centre, a beautiful frosty champagne colour.

My favorite shade is the highlight colour in the centre. The pigmentation is unbelievable, and if you add it to your tear duct it really opens your eyes. I have even used this as a cheek highlight. Another favorite shade is the silvery brown. It is very soft and fantastically pigmented. I was a bit disappointed with the deep brown as it doesn't go on as deep as it looks in the pan.

    


Overall, this palette is perfect for me in the daytime. The pink really brings out my blue eyes, and the other shades subtly define and highlight my eyes. Personally, the shades are not dark enough for a night look for me, as I like quite a deep crease but would be perfect for someone looking for a more natural evening look.

XOXO,

B

Lorac Behind The Scenes Primer- Holy Grail!

I came across my holy grail eye primer about two years ago. Prior to finding it, I had been using Urban Decay's Primer potion, but this was causing my eyelids to dry out and making them flaky. I had bought a Lorac eyeshadow set, which came with a free sample of their primer, and I decided to try it out to see if it was any better than the Urban Decay one.

The primer is slightly thicker than the urban decay one, and is flesh colored when you squeeze it out but goes on clear. I don't have oily eyelids so haven't really had much of a problem with eyeshadows lasting but I did have issues with creasing. This primer fixed that creasing problem, and my eye makeup has lasted 16 hours with it on. The thicker formula was more moisturising on my eyes than the Urban Decay one, so my flaky eyes were quickly cured.

I believe this eye primer is very underrated in the beauty community, and so I just wanted to give it some love since I've gone through the sample, and am now on my second full sized one. I couldn't do without it. It is a shame, however, that it's not available in Ireland so I have to stock up on it in America, but it lasts so long I don't need to restock very often.

Have you found any good eye primers? Let me know!

XOXO,

B

NO 7 Cleanse and Care Eye Makeup Remover

As I've said before, I'm unfortunate enough to have quite sensitive eyes. Last year, the weather caused the skin on my eyelids to become quite flaky (not very pleasant) and this led to my usual method of removing eye makeup (Boots baby wipes) to sting my eyes a little bit. I went into Boots and had a couple of ladies at the counters advise me on what to use and a few recommended the NO 7 Cleanse and Care eye makeup remover, which claims to be suitable for sensitive eyes.

                 

When I used this for the first time, my eye makeup came off quite easily but it left a bit of an oily residue which I didn't like but was willing to deal with. The next morning I woke up to a terrifying sight when I looked in the mirror (and no that wasn't just because I wasn't wearing makeup haha). It looked like I had been in a boxing match with my eyes having been repeatedly punched. They were extremely red and swollen. I had never seen anything like this with my eyes before. The new eye makeup remover was the only thing I had used differently in my routine and I had no allergies, so there was only one place to put the blame.

I would strongly advise against getting this eye makeup remover. It is not good for sensitive eyes despite what it says. I had to take a day off college because I looked that horrendous and it actually took about 3 days for my eyes to go back to normal. Now the only use I have for this bottle of blue oil is to take the glue off my false eyelashes when I take them off. This really was a terrible product which I certainly will not be buying again.

What eye makeup removers do you guys like to use?

XOXO,

B

Victoria's Secret Scent Splash!

Hey guys, sorry it's been a while since my last post, haven't been feeling the best for the last week. Anyway, despite the fact that the weather has been icy cold recently, I am in a ridiculous summery kind of mood, which has lead me into busting out some fresh summer scents. Nobody is better at doing these kind of scents than Victoria's Secret so thought I would tell you about a few of them.

    

The first is their Luscious Kisses fragrance mist which is described as a coconut and passion flower scent. I've never smelt passion flower so don't really know what it smells like but what I can tell you is that this scent makes me feel like I'm somewhere tropical drinking a pina colada. You can definitely smell the coconut in the fragrance along with something fruity. Despite being a fragrance mist, it is quite strong and lasts all day. I've had a couple of friends say it's too sweet but I think it smells delicious.

    

    

The next scent I wish to talk about is their Romantic Wish fragrance mist which contains freesia and cucumber. I love this. It smells so fresh and delicious and everyone I'm around asks me what I'm wearing. You can definitely get the notes of both freesia and cucumber upon spraying. This is a perfect spring/summer scent if you just want something light.


    

    

The final scent I'll talk about today is Pink With a Splash Pretty and Pure body mist which is described as containing jasmine and pink lemonade. I don't know if I can get either of these notes particularly well. It does give both a sweet and floral scent but I just don't get those particular notes. It is a nice sweet and fresh scent but it doesn't last very long at all. I would recommend the first 2 scents over this one.

    

    

What scents are you guys loving at the minute?

 XOXO,

B

Diaries of a Fair Lady- Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation

So as I've said in a previous post Makeup Forever Face and Body foundation is my go to foundation, being the only one that matches me. Well the stockists of Makeup Forever in Dublin (FACE2 on Clarendon Street) are always out of this product. After Christmas, I was running very low on this foundation and thought I had a spare bottle in my drawer. Well, I didn't...so I went in to buy another bottle. They told me they were out of stock and that it would be a whole month before they got it back in. (Note that they have still not contacted me...very poor customer service).This sent me into a panic as I had no foundation that would match me. In my frenzy, I ran into Brown Thomas searching for a shade that would match my pale complexion.

One of the samples I picked up was Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation. The lady at the counter was very nice and advised me to pick up shade 2, which as their palest shade. It looked slightly yellowy in the packaging so I asked did they do shade 1, to which she replied that it had been discontinued since nobody had that pasty of a complexion...I'd beg to differ!

    

I heard fantastic things about this foundation so was very excited to try it. I was a bit disappointed. It clung to all my dry patches and made my pores look very pronounced. For a 'luminous' foundation, I thought it would give my skin a healthy glow but it just made me look like I had very dull, dehydrated skin. Saying that, my skin was very dry at that time due to the cold weather but I have tried it since and it still doesn't look great.

    


In terms of colour, it went on slightly too dark and yellow for my skin and oxidised a touch more so that it really wasn't a good match for me. I could get away with it if I added a touch of bronzer on my neck and chest but for the hefty price tag (about 50 euro or so) this was not what I was looking for.


    

I also found the smell to be very strong and chemical like. I would't have minded this if I loved the product but for those of you sensitive to scents, I'd suggest giving this a try first.

Overall, I was quite disappointed. This may just have been due to the fact that I had such high hopes for it. For those of you with a normal skin tone, I'd say you could definitely find a colour to match you and if you have normal to slightly oily skin this may look great. For me, it just didn't work.

Have any of you guys tried this foundation? What did you think?

XOXO,

B

Liebster Award!

First of all I would like to say thank you so much to Adi from Coffee. Beauty. Life  for nominating me for this award.

The Liebster award is passed on through bloggers with under 200 GFC followers and helps to 

promote their blogs. So here are the rules:

1. Those who are nominated must link back the person who nominated them. 

2. Once nominated you must write 11 random facts about yourself.

3. You must also answer the 11 questions from the person that has nominated you.

4. Come up with 11 questions to ask the 11 people you have nominated for the award.

So let's get started!

11 Facts about me:

1)I have quite an addiction to chocolate...I even get bad headaches if I'm deprived haha

2)I am terrified of needles

3)I love a good Nicholas Sparks book (and movie!)

4)Reality shows are my guilty pleasure...I watch nearly all of them

5)I like to think I can rap...I can't

6)I am in my final year of uni...SCARY!

7)My favorite number is 8

8)I used to be quite OCD

9)I love pilates and yoga

10)I really miss the tv show Brothers and Sisters

11)I hate being in really crowded places

My questions from Adi:

1)Your idea of a perfect Sunday: Lie in until about 12pm, and stay in my pjs watching romcoms or reality shows. (Yes I am quite lazy haha)

2)Your favorite music artist: I actually don't have one! I go through phases! At the minute I'm liking Hunter Hayes and Colbie Callait

3)What's your current favorite beauty product?: YSL Le Touche Eclat foundation (review coming soon!)

4)One thing in your life you just cannot do without?: My family and friends, they keep me sane :)

5)Your favorite colour: I love aqua blue, such a cheerful colour I think haha

6)For a night out, what would your outfit be?: Depends where I'm going. If its to a pub, jeans and a nice top and some heeled boots maybe. If its to a club, some form of dress (it involves no thinking) and heels

7)Your sun sign: I had to google that, but I have realized it is the same as star sign. I am a virgo!

8)Nail polish- bright, dark, neon or natural?: Depends what time of the year but I'm a fan of red nails or French manicure all year round

9)Your favorite scent (perfume): At the minute it's Jo Malone English Pear and Freesia

10)Piercings or tattoos?: I've none! As I've said...I'm terrified of needles

11)After 5 years where would you like to see yourself?: Well at the minute I'm trying to decide what direction to go with in my career but I really don't know yet. I'd just like to be really happy!

The 11 brilliant bloggers I've nominated:

1)Tales From The Kingdom

2)Beauty is Perfection

3)Aoife's Beauty Blog

4)Glamorous Glitter

5)Not your average

6)Fuchsia Forest

7)Blogging My Days Away

8)Emilie The Hackett

9)Little Miss Lifestyle

10) I Fell into yesterday

11)Deceptive Beauty

Questions for my nominees:

1)Why did you start blogging?

2)What's your all time favorite movie?

3) What was the first beauty product you ever bought?

4)What is your job/what are you studying in school or college?

5)What's your favorite song at the minute?

6)Who is your favorite blogger?

7)Are you a summer or winter person?

8)What perks you up when you're in a bad mood?

9)Do you sing to yourself in the car/shower?

10)What TV show do you love?

11)What's your favorite thing about yourself?

Please link me to your post when you're done, I would really love to read your answers!

Thanks again to Adi, I really enjoyed doing this post :)