What's new?! - a mini Penneys/Primark Haul

Hi, I thought I would share a few things I got in Penneys lately. Penneys (or Primark in UK) is an amazing, very affordable shop which you must visit if you are ever in this part of the world. 

Firstly, how do you like my new background or my fabulous new duvet cover? I quite like the grey colour and design. It is pretty neutral so easy to style a bedroom around. 

I got this as it's long and will cover my bum when wearing leggings. A great colour with a tan too. It has a wide neck and a little sleeve. 

 A bright grey t-shirt which would look great under a blazer for a smart/casual look. I love these type of sleeves too. High necks are flattering for smaller chested ladies. 

 This is my third pair of coloured skinnys from Penneys; I have the brown and pink already. These fit really well (I am a pear shape) and will go with a lot of shoes and tops that I have. 

 I only had one pair of summery work out pants so I needed another. These come just below the knee (I am a lady :) ) which I like and the waist band is a bit of a throwback to the early 90's. Woohoo!!

 I am interested to try this out; I can't turn down coconut! It's also paraben free -not entirely sure what this means but it sounds salubrious!

 My favourite item of this whole haul is this hoody. It is so soft and cosy. I love the colour too. A definite must-have for when the sun goes down. 

 I love my new nightwear. The top is cropped and has such a nice pattern. The shorts are a welcome alternative to full-length bottoms. I carelessly picked up the wrong size so they are huge on me!

And finally these cool, luminous socks which come in a 5 pack, there is an orange pair too. Perfect for working out.

Have you been to Penneys/Primark recently and what did you buy?

What's new?! - La Roche-Posay, The Body Shop & dr.organic

I thought I would share a few new products I got lately. I am not going to talk about them in any great detail today as I do not know what they are like yet but if they work for me I will post about them again in a few weeks. 

La Roche-Posay's Rosaliac Micellar Make-up Removal Gel (for Redness Prone Sensitive Skin) - I have used this twice so far and I love it. Definitely a must try. It's unlike anything I have tried before in terms of consistency, application and removal. 

dr.organic's Organic Virgin Coconut Oil Day Cream - this brand looks great and I wanted to buy more of their products but I thought I would start with this. This brand is definitely worth a browse. 

The Body Shop's Vitamin E Moisture Lotion (SPF 15) & Vitamin E Overnight Serum-in-Oil - to top up those Vitamin E and moisture levels

Malibu's Lipcare SPF 30 - for these brighter days!

Putting your foot in it - Penneys (Primark) & Dunnes

Here are some cute shoes I got recently. I still like pumps as they hide unpainted toes and can be worn with most outfits. They are comfortable enough for doing every day things in - not the most ideal if going for a hike! 

This is probably the most exciting and adventurous I have gotten in terms of colour, pattern and print - I used to always play it safe with plain ol' black and navy. I am wearing the pair with the bow today with dusty pink skinny jeans - very cute and springy!! 

As usual Penneys have a great selection of footwear and I got the second pair in Dunnes - all very affordable.
What pumps did you get lately?

Does Effaclar Duo really clear up breakouts??

My skin, which reacted badly nearly 2 months ago, still has not fully cleared up so I have decided to go gung ho on La Roche-Posay products only. My forehead is quite bumpy and actually looks worse under make-up than without. Around my mouth has cleared luckily. I finally gave in and bought La Roche-Posay's Effaclar Duo  - Corrective and Unclogging Anti-Imperfection cream. I had been refraining from buying anymore products. 

The assistant was guiding me towards their Rosaliac range as it would treat redness but at the moment I just want to clear my bumpy forehead. It did look very tempting though!! If this Effaclar Duo clears my forehead I might treat myself to the Rosaliac range :)

I had simplified my routine and minimised the application of products; I had even avoided make-up but my breakout is still sticking around. There were a few blemishes around my mouth but they have subsided thankfully. 

Many months ago I got a sample of La Roche-Posay's Physiological Cleansing Milk which I loved; I recently bought the full size. It is so soothing, moisturising and smells so so good. It is one of, if not the most soothing, moisturising cleansers I have used. I also got a sample size of the Physiological Soothing Toner.

My plan is to do a 3 step routine of cleansing milk, followed by soothing toner, followed by Effaclar Duo &/or moisturiser. I will post before and after pics once I see a difference.

February Favourites!!

Hello! I thought I would do a 'February Favourites' as I have been having a preference for a few things lately! I'll also include a few new little things I have bought. 

I have never carried a make-up bag around with me but thought it would be handy to store the products I use daily in one place as when I am getting ready in the morning they end up on the floor, table, bag, everywhere!! But now I keep the things I use on a daily basis in this cute little bag (from Penneys). It is just the right size and I love the zip - so cute!

This facial brush is one of the best things I ever bought from The Body Shop - it feels amazing, those bristles!!! Most of the time lately I use 2 pumps of this cleansing foam, then work it into my face and neck with the brush.

When I feel like a cream cleanser I opt for this. I love all the Garnier Essentials ranges.

I am nearing the last drops of this perfume which I loved, it went in no time as any time I use it I sprayed at least four or five times!! I know perfume is a personal choice but I would highly recommend this!

Sorry about this pic, the light was not behaving :) I loved this leave-in strengthening cream by Herbal Essences. Also it's a good alternative if you are in a hurry and have no time to condition your hair.

I was breaking out lately - I didn't know if it was the weather, heating or what it was - and saw this on offer in Tesco so thought I would try it. It feels pretty good and it is lighter than my new L'Occitane moisturiser, which is quite thick and heavy.

If you are looking for a good eye make-up remover, this works wonders and is very cheap. I had been using a No7 remover which was pretty useless. I love this one!

I picked up these in Penneys - I always find it hard to find the right summer footwear as I don't like straps between my toes. There were wedges too, which I would love, but they were too high. Next time I go shopping I will have to keep an eye out for wedges. I thought these were quite nice as a flat, dark, no-strap-between-toe option :)

L'Occitane Immortelle Collection

I treated myself to some new creams last weekend, deciding to indulge in L'Occitane. Their store in Liffey Valley is so inviting and I could have bought many other things but these should keep me going for now! There was a special offer on their Immortelle collection which targets anti-aging. I got the day cream, night cream, cleansing foam, serum and lots of samples thrown in. It ended up being very good value for money. I have been using these for a few days now and they feel amazing!

A mini Clinique haul!

Happy New Year to all my viewers!! I thought I would share a few things I got in Clinique last month. I was delighted as bonus time had ended but the assistant fortunately let me have the last bag she had put away. Hooray!!

I was keen to try out their Redness Solutions daily relief cream. It is suitable for Rosacea or redness prone skin. I really like its thick and creamy consistency; it is also oil-free. I will be using this a lot more often to see if it really does relieve redness. 

I was also curious to try out their chubby sticks for eyes; I chose the brown colour 'lots o' latte'. They are so easy to use, all you need to do is run it over your lid and blend with your finger. These are perfect if you don't want to spend a lot of time doing eye makeup and you don't need any brushes.

I got the following products as part of bonus time: 

7 day scrub cream: a great exfoliator, leaving your skin soft and smooth

blush, in iced lotus: a very nice, rosy pink

high lengths mascara: I found this disappointing as it doesn't seem to lift the lashes or give length

chubby stick for lips, in plushest pink: this is a bright pink, more suitable for summer

Looking forward to wearing ...

I was shopping yesterday and picked up a few nice basics including these t-shirts with lovely feminine detail around the collar and sleeve. I think they are very pretty. I am trying to wear brighter colours so I went for this reddish colour and also the black as a neutral. 10 euro each in H&M.

I found this on the sale rail in Oasis for just 10 euro. I like that it is flowy and light and that it has a wide neck. If you look closely you can see nice detail on the shoulders and sleeves. It was there in brown too but I thought I would go for this greeny colour (I am not great at naming colours!!)

 I also got this on the sale rail in Oasis for 19euro a week ago. I have been wearing it with leggings and it's really nice. Another wide neck! Again if you look closely you will see zips on the front, at either side. I love prints so this immediately drew me towards it.

At the end of the month I will be posting "What I wore in August" 

Review of Dove Summer Glow, Hoola, Benefit Facial Emulsion, Benefit It's Potent Eye Cream & Revlon Lip Butter

Ok, so I posted about my mini haul this morning and then I went and tried 5 of the products. I thought I would write about them right away before I forget my initial thoughts. 

So first the Dove Summer Glow, if you want a tanner that does not have a strong scent then this is not for you - it has that typical tanning smell and it's quite strong! I think my tan is coming up already and it's looking nice and even. 

I thought the Facial Emulsion wasn't that creamy and quite light, a little hard to rub into my skin. It almost felt that it is not for dry skin and more for oilier skin. I'll have to try it again to be sure. 

The eye cream felt very similar to The Body Shop's. I didn't see any immediate difference but I'm sure it would need to be used consistently over a long period of time. 

Hoola was nice, a little goes a long way. It is definitely more pigmented than my usual L'Oreal Bronzer, but it would want to be as it's nearly 3 times the price. In saying that I would say Hoola will last a long time. 

Finally, my favourite of the five was the Revlon Lip Butter. I thought it would be very moisturising and it is. Usually I put on lip balm before lipsticks but I did not need to with this. The colour Berry Smoothie is lovely and now I want to buy more lip butters!! Yum!!

A mini haul!

I am just back from visiting a friend and we treated ourselves to some goodies!! 

Here is what I got ...

-Benefit Triple performing Facial Emulsion Oil-free SPF 15 ... I think the packaging is so cute, I have never used it so looking forward to doing so. It came in a little mini size set with the eye cream and the Porefessional Pro Balm.

-Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Brightening Makeup in Honey ... a few weeks ago I got this in Ivory and was very happy with it, I think this is a darker shade so it will be interesting to compare the two. I like that this sample is of course bigger than the last but comes with a pump - very cute! Thank you Benefit!

- Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie ... it sounds yummy. I have been hearing about lip butters and how buttery they are so am dying to try it. It sounds like it will be moisturising but we will see.

-Dove Summer Glow Nourishing Lotion ... I have heard a lot about this too but have never tried it. I am curious to see how the shade Fair to Medium will come up! I only want a hint of a colour just to look healthy.

-Benefit It's Potent Eye Cream ... this came in the little set and looks so cute. Benefit's packaging is my favourite!! As I have only one other eye cream it will be interesting to compare their texture and effectiveness.

- Benefit Hoola Bronzing Powder ... I have had my eye on this for so long and have bought it at last! I have heard it is amazing but will see for myself once I get ready very soon!!

-Artdeco Blusher ... This brand caught my eye as I had never heard of them and they are reasonably priced. I like to try new brands. They are numbered not named, I got 44, a peachy shade.

-Benefit Stay Flawless 15 Hour Primer ... I was kindly given this sample. I am not the biggest fan of primers at the moment but of course will try it out.

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 :) 

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

I went shopping!!

Yes, I finally treated myself and splurged out on a good few things. There are some great sales on at the moment. Looking forward to telling you all about what I got in the next day or two. Would love to hear what you think of my blog and if you have a blog let me know! :)