Warm your face with lip colour!

If you are in a hurry, even applying the right shade of lip colour can make a huge difference, warming and brightening you up instantly. Check out the very flattering colours I got recently here

Body Skincare

I am not one to moisturise my body after showers nor do I have any body skincare routine whatsoever but since we are having such warm weather and I am wearing summer clothes I have been taking greater notice of the condition of my skin, which is pretty dry! This morning I took a fit and decided to get hydrated. I have had these products for ages but rarely use them but I am determined to use them more frequently from now on. If this is going to become part of my day, it is going to be quick! I used small amounts as I want it to dry in quickly, my mistake in the past was I lathered it on and was left standing for ages!

Fenjal Firming Body Lotion - I used this on my upper arms and thighs. As I have a regular exercise routine I want my skin to tone along with my body. 
Bio-Oil - I found it interesting that it directs to use it twice daily for at least 3 months - that is quite a commitment! I have some stretch marks on my hips from when I was a teenager. I am curious to see if Bio-Oil works. 
Garnier Intensive 7 days Hydrating Lotion - I applied this everywhere else and it soaks in really fast! 

Penneys Water Bottles

These cool water bottles seem to be all the rage lately so I picked up this aqua one for only 3 euro!! It can hold 600ml. You would want to be drinking 3 and half of them per day. They also come in a pink and grey colour in Penneys. I always wake up so thirsty and drink water mostly in the morning and during exercise. 

Update - reading and rosacea!!

The last few days I have been giving my skin a break from makeup and it feels lovely. I just apply minimal foundation to one bad blemish and then leave the rest. I am enjoying it for now! I would love to roll out of bed in the morning, splash water on my face and head out into the world but I can't. Due to the rosacea I would feel way too self-conscious to go out and about in public with it exposed. The main reason I wear makeup is to conceal it and I usually do my full face. Now that I am on holidays, I can get away with lightly covering the worst part, leaving the rest of my face as is and going about my day. It's great as now I have practically nothing to wash off at night and I think my skin is more able to breathe.

There are many things in life that are worse and my little blemish is nothing compared to what I could have. I am very lucky. My only issue with it is that it is on my face, which is the part of the body people see the most, and I don't want it to stand out. I would think that is all they are looking at. I'm sure there are many people who can relate to this. 

Anyway!! I finished one of the books I was reading, check out what I thought of it here. 

Avene Gentle Gel Cleanser

Here is the latest cleanser I am using and loving! It is amazing and leaves your face feeling super soft!

Happy 1000 views!!

I am so happy my blog has been visited so often. I have really enjoyed posting about all the little things I am interested in and I hope you have enjoyed or learned something too. Here's to another 1000 views! 

Rimmel "Wake Me Up" Foundation

This is one of my favourite foundations as it actually does make one look very awake and healthy with its anti-fatigue effect and radiant glow. It has an SPF 15 and I got mine in the shade True Nude 303 (I am pale). I apply mine with my fingers or a brush and it blends very easily, giving quite good coverage. It is probably the one I most frequently opt for when I have not slept well or am feeling under the weather as it "wakes me up" right away!

Concealers - Estee Lauder Double Wear & L'Oreal Perfect Match

Here are the only two concealers I have and I love them both! 

Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay in Place Flawless Wear Concealer 02 Light Medium  SPF 10    24months

L'Oreal Perfect Match Skin Toning Matching Correcting Concealer 04 Beige       6 months

I am quite pale and these shades seem to suit me. Remember to keep your concealer lighter than your foundation! :) 

At my make up course, it was recommended to avoid putting foundation on your eye lid and brow bone area and to alternatively use a concealer, then set with a light/translucent powder. This is the priming or preparing stage before you apply eye shadow. If you have not bought an eye primer already, I think the above stages would perfectly do!

If you have a concealer brush, use it to blend the concealer in properly.

BENEFIT Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Oil Free Brightening Makeup

I was given this sample of Benefit's liquid foundation and tried it the other day. I loved the very healthy look it gave, I had the shade ivory and it comes in 8 other shades. It didn't cover all perfections, but I liked that I could still see face!! It has an SPF 25. I would definitely buy the full size product.

Eye Makeup Training!

Hello! I am sorry I have not been too active on here lately - it is partly due to being too hot! Ireland is having its best summer in nearly two decades. I have been getting a healthy glow and drinking lots of water!

Yesterday I attended a local make up course which was three hours long and focused on eye makeup. I learned a lot about eye shape, eyebrows and day/night time looks. I had a good idea before but now I am much more informed about my eye type and shape. Sometimes I used to put on eye shadow and my eye used to look even smaller or darker when I wanted it to pop or appear brighter, so I have found out now what I was doing wrong!

Don't forget to keep track of my progress as I am working on toning up and losing some weight. I have to be honest and say I have not being doing too well. Perhaps its all the icecream - oops! I have slackened with exercise too but walked over 4km yesterday and just need to get back on track again!

I have many new ideas to post so don't be a stranger :) I appreciate all my readers and would love to hear from you!

Glossybox July

Hooray! I love getting this in the post and the element of surprise. The box is so summery, perfect for storage and would cost a few euro alone so I think Glossybox is well worth it.

I have not heard of Coola before so I am looking forward to trying out this tinted moisturiser. It has an SPF 20. The sample has 7ml. 50ml would cost £30 sterling so its quite pricey. 

In keeping with the summer season, the next item Anatomicals Facial Spritz is perfect for times when you need to cool down. It has a great, refreshing scent and really does freshen you up. I find these sprays good to use over any dry patches you may get after applying foundation. It adds moisture without having to touch your face. This size is 100ml and costs £6 sterling. When it's all used up hold onto the container for carry-on luggage. This is my first Anatomicals product, I always thought the packaging was cool!

I have seen Essie stalls in pharmacies lately, they always remind me of essiebutton! I am not overly into doing my nails and have never tried anything as adventurous as these nailstickers but am willing to try anything. The style I got is 09 stickers and stones and are quite blingy! One thing I find funny is that they give you 18 stickers, not 20 ha! They cost £10 sterling.

Another name that is new to me is Sleek and I got two of their Pout Paints in Peachy Keen and Minx. They smell really fruity. A little goes a long way so they are very good value. These 8ml tubes cost £5 each.

Finally Alterna's Bamboo Style Boho Waves Tousled Texture Mist - the name is quite self-explanatory. It says it adds texture, volume and shine to all hair types and can be added to damp or dry hair. Yesterday I added it to my damp hair and it did add a bit of a kick. I will test it out again today. I got a 25ml bottle, 125ml would cost £23.

Of the brands, I was only familiar with two: Anatomicals and Essie. It's always good to hear about new names and products. Check back to see how I get on with the products!

NYC Individual Eyes

I love these little palettes!! I bought these two - for green eyes and for blue eyes as I have blue/green/grey eyes. There is also one for brown eyes. They are so cheap and come with step by step application techniques - perfect if you are starting out or simply want complementary colours put together for you!

For Green Eyes - golds, browns and plum

 

For Blue Eyes - greys and lilacs

The sets come with primers, illuminators and highlighters. You get a lot for what you pay!

MAC Smoke and Mirrors Eye Shadows

Here is another palette I have loved using the past year or so. I have only recently dipped into the darker colours as you can see but I intend to use all these colours up! It is really a gorgeous palette and I will be talking more about it as soon I complete my make-up course on eyes!!

                                   Smoke and Mirrors      Deception          Spell No.9

 

                                    Black Magique     Wide-Eyed Wonder    Fire in her eyes

Benefit's Big Beautiful Eyes - eye contour kit

This was one of the first more high end palettes I bought. I know it came out a few years ago but I loved it at the time and recently it caught my eye (excuse the pun!) again.

It came with step by step directions and is very easy to use. I would highly recommend it to anyone starting out with eye-shadow. In my opinion, I think less is more, so start with a little on your brush and build up then if you want. If you would like me to go through the steps just leave a message!!

You get Boi-ing 02 concealer, a base shadow, a contour shadow and a liner shadow ( reverse order in the picture).

5 Faves

If you are into primers check out the ones I have tried and tested!

What I just got in ... The Body Shop!

I had received a voucher for free eyebrow threading (which is usually €12) and I needed my eyebrows done so in I went yesterday. The voucher included 20% off all products. I thought it would be mean to just walk out after getting my eyebrows done for free so I said I would avail of the 20% discount and this is what I got.

I used this Aloe Calming Facial Cleanser with the facial brush last night and it felt so nice. It actually helped with removing my make-up as the bristles loosen everything. This aloe range is for sensitive skin and is very gentle. I know I have been using Avene but I didn't have a full size gentle cleanser to remove my make-up. 

I needed an exfoliator as I only have a mask so I picked this up from the same range. I have not used it yet but will let you know how it goes next week. 

I didn't have any eye cream and as I am in my 30's I definitely think I should be using one. The sales girl strongly recommended Nutriganics Soothing Eye Cream so I'll use this daily and see if there's a difference in a month. 

I love this brush! I've only used it once but it feels so nice. It says it lightly exfoliates and stimulates circulation, improving skin tone and texture so fingers crossed! I think it looks so cute. Last night I put the cleanser on my face and then started brushing which worked well but today I think I'll apply the cleanser directly onto the brush to see if there's any difference.

After I cleansed I used this toner from the same range. There are only a few ml left in it as I got it about a year ago. I love the cool, minty green colour they use - it definitely suggests its soothing and calming. I highly recommend these for anyone who has any sensitivity.

I also got a free sample of their Coconut Body Butter which smells divine! I actually wanted to taste it! As usual I would love to hear from you :) 

Today's Face - Bare Minerals, Catrice and Benefit

A few months ago I stocked up on Bare Minerals while in Boston. At the time, I tried it once or twice and it just wasn't going on right for me. The other day I said I would try it again and it went on amazingly, giving a very healthy, natural look and completely covering all my blemishes!! Today I woke to a beautiful, sunny sky and went for this healthy look again.

The products I used are: bareMinerals Original Foundation - fairly light

                                      bareMinerals All-Over Face Colour - warmth

                                      bareMinerals Mineral Veil Original

                                      Catrice Blush - Toffee Fairy

                                      Benefit They're real Mascara

Because the fairly light is too light for me I add in some of the face colour warmth. The warmth is very dark so I am careful just to add a little as I want my face to still be the same colour as my neck. I tap a little of each into a lid and swirl my brush around, mixing the two. I then tap off any excess into the lid. With the brush, I work in circular motions, blending and buffing it onto the skin. If I need more coverage I repeat this step. I am amazed at how well it covers redness - my skin looks practically flawless wearing mineral foundation.

Next I tapped a little mineral veil into a lid, swirled the brush around and tapped off the excess. Using the same brush I pressed this into the skin, especially in the t-zone. 

As I thought the mineral veil might affect my blush I put the blush on after it. I knew I would love this shade by Catrice, you only need a little so this little container which was so cheap will last for ages! It gives a very healthy glow. Yesterday I tried and tested Prime and Fine by Catrice - it says it evens out imperfections, which I guess it did to an extent. It minimised the appearance of a few blemishes I have and gave a slightly luminous finish. 

On my lashes I used this new mascara by Benefit which is probably the best mascara I have ever used. I love it. It actually does look like you have false lashes on. 

These are from Next and both have a vanilla scent/flavour. Yum!!

My skincare routine

If you are like me and have redness/rosacea, you may want to see how I clean my face as gently as possible. Lately I have become obsessed with Avene and La Roche-Posay! Read my routine

Catrice Cosmetics

Last Christmas I was first introduced to this brand when I was given an Eye and Cheek palette which I love. Yesterday I was pleasantly surprised when I found their stand in my local pharmacy. As if they weren't very affordable already but there was a half price sale on many of their products. I got these four products for under 10 euro. I tested them on my hand and they seemed lovely but will let you know when I try them on my face.

Ultimate Moisture Fresh Skin Make-Up in Light Beige 

Defining Blush in Toffee Fairy

Colour Infusion Longlasting Lipstain

Prime and Fine Illuminating Base

Update

I have lots of new things in store including foundations, mineral make-up, my skincare routine and some bargains I have picked up recently - very exciting!

Travelling lightly!!

Last summer my friend Kate and I decided to go to Italy!! If you find travelling lightly a challenge, perhaps you might like to see how we packed.

Also I have included a minimalist way of packing for an overnight stay.