The smell of holidays

I am of course talking about Jo Malone Wood Sage and Sea Salt. I bought the 30ml bottle at Dublin airport last year while I was on my way to France. I must admit that I used it up pretty quickly… shamefully fast really considering the price.

Ever since I have used it up I have completely been lusting after this fresh scent again. I cannot describe it, perhaps it's because it was my "holiday fragrance" last year, but while browsing in Brown Thomas recently and spritzing myself with it I was instantly transported to the hazy lazy days I spent on holiday.

This scent isn't your cliched coconutty/fruity scent usually associated with Summer perfumes. This is completely different to me. I am absolutely dire at describing scents. All I can say is that it smells wonderfully fresh and absolutely unique.

So this year, again I found myself at Dublin airport bound for Lake Como. And I thought, feck it, I am going to treat myself. And I bought the 100ml bottle.

I was telling the sales assistant about how this fragrance just transports me to Summer holidays and she said the lady she served before me said the exact same thing!

I wouldn't exclusively use this scent just for Summer. It's pretty universal for all year round. But it has that wonderful nostalgic quality and I am absolutely in love.

Anyway, my trip to Lake Como was rather fabulous too. We didn't get the best weather while we were there but it didn't spoil it in the slightest. I mean, those views are pretty amazing no matter what.

I will finish off with a nice photograph I took one wet evening in Bellagio. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Wedding Style!

I was at a wedding yesterday and thought I would share what I wore! I actually had a lot of fun choosing this outfit and putting it all together.

The dress is from a brand called Soma London which I found in a boutique in town. The shoes are from the Bourbon Amy Huberman collection.

Necklace and bracelet are from the Newbridge Guinness collection.

My bag was a really cute one by Lollipops, it was great and had so much room! The shiny part was a really good match for my shoes and it has a delicate pink lace detail that nicely contrasted with my dress.

I had a really good day & hope you liked this post! I don't often do style related posts but this was fun.

YSL Touché Eclat Slogan Edition

Last week this little beauty arrived on my doorstep. Touché Eclat was a staple in my make up bag a couple of years ago! I didn't repurchase it of late as I was trying out other concealers.

The truth is, concealer under my eyes doesn't quite work for me. It doesn't matter what I use or what consistency the formula is, concealer always settles into my fine lines and genuinely makes me look older than I am (I'm only 27 by the way! I shouldn't be having this problem but it's just the natural contours of my eye).

Touché Eclat is the only thing that genuinely makes me look more awake and it's so lightweight it's the only product that doesn't affect me how concealers do.

I know touché Eclat isn't concealer as such. It's a brightening product that can be used to highlight anywhere on the face. I'm quite lucky I don't have any dark circles to hide as Touché Eclat wouldn't quite be heavy duty enough to disguise the aul eye bags.

So what I'm trying to say is, I didn't realise how much I missed it until now I have it again :)

These new slogan editions are available now, this one describes me perfectly as I do sometimes have trouble sleeping and this is my secret weapon to make me look bright eyed!

My Top 3 Favourite Brands

Number one favourite brand…of course, Cocoa Brown. It is the only fake tan I will ever use. It gives the most perfect colour for Irish skin tones, it applies beautifully and basically is fool proof. Also Cocoa Brown have the best tanning prep products and I have been enjoying playing around with the Golden Goddess oil (can't wait to use this in the summer). 

Number two favourite brand is MAC… they just have got it all, haven't they! Their lipsticks are amazing, their eyeshadows are brilliant and I use the foundation and concealer every day. Also love fun products like their glitters and limited edition things (I just love looking at the Cinderella powder pictured - it's so stylised Disney looking!). They are also not the most expensive brand out there I don't think and are really accessible to all. 

My final favourite brand is of course Clarins. You have heard me rave about Clarins on this blog many a time before so I won't bore you with more of that. I just love the elegance of their products. Their bases are amazing (if you haven't tried the concealer yet you must!) and they also make lip products like no other brand. Also for Summer they always bring out the most amazing collections! 

Honorable mention goes to Lancome and Too Faced, I love those brands as well but I just haven't tried enough of their products to say that they are my favourite "brands".

New Skincare Favourites - Bioderma, MooGoo, Bia Beauty

Aaaah Bioderma why did I not discover you long ago. I thought I was scarred for life of water cleansers after using the Clarins One Step cleanser which literally eroded my face. But I was forking out £20 a go for a 125ml bottle of Clarins eye make up remover (which is amazing even though it's expensive) and I just happened to move to Bioderma, because I thought well I can get a 500ml bottle for £12, I could use this for my eye make up remover instead!

Turns out this stuff is absolutely amazing and I use it to initially remove all my make up now. As you can see I have it in various sizes too…the baby one is 100ml so you can take it in your hand luggage. My fave is the 500ml bottle though because it's the best value and lasts me a good 4 or 5 months!

Now you may have heard me chatting about Bia Beauty in an earlier post. I love this stuff! It's good, it's natural, it's fresh and beautiful and gives my skin life. The exfoliator/cleanser is the only product gentle enough to tackle yet aid my dry skin patches. The moisturiser is just so lightweight and glorious to apply. I am using the eye gel as well though I am not sure how I feel about it yet. It feels very nice and cooling on the eyes (and a little tightening too!). The Feed Your Skin set has all you need for your facial cleansing/moisturising routine. And it costs €45, not bad! 

This is a new addition (using it about 3 weeks) but already I have to include it. After hearing so many bloggers talk about MooGoo I really wanted to give it a go myself. I saw my local chemist had some of their products so out of curiosity I picked these two. Now confession time… I did not read the package properly and thought I was buying a cleanser and a moisturiser. In actual fact, I bought the Blemish Cleansing Moisturiser, which I guess is designed for blemish prone skin (which I do not have), however when I used it, I thought it actually performed like a cleanser, in that I was massaging it into my face like nobody's business but it wasn't absorbing into my skin at all, the product was still on the surface of my skin. So I have been using it in that fashion and then wiping off the excess with a wash cloth. It smells so amazing and almost edible…like lovely vanilla ice cream. I have also used it on any body acne and I have to say it did clear that up.

Now the Full Cream moisturiser….oh my god. It looks and smells like real double cream. Delicious! This is a nice thick but not sticky moisturiser and it is so satisfying putting this on. it has that lovely dairy cream smell and it's just so nice I find it hard not to want to eat it! ha!

Newbridge Silverware Guinness Collection Rose Gold Pendant

Bit of a different post from me today, but I really wanted to show you this lovely necklace which I got for Christmas.

I'm not really a big jewellery wearer. I will put my Fossil watch on when I remember about it! But generally I find wearing jewellery a little uncomfortable. I'm always aware of it being on me. But I really wanted a nice piece to have, a keepsake piece.

I wanted something special and Newbridge have some fantastic jewellery, and while I do think the Grace Kelly collection looks beautiful (as does the Maureen O'Hara collection), I felt that I probably wouldn't wear them all that often and also that perhaps they were a little old fashioned for me?

Anyway, I came across the Guinness collection which is absolutely beautiful in rose gold and black. This chunky pendant was just right up my street. It can be worn everyday with casual wear or dressed up for a night out. It is almost reminiscent of medieval style jewellery I think?

I adore the black presentation box, it just looks very classy altogether! Anyway, my dad did buy this for me for Christmas which makes it all the more special to me. I just love looking at it! (and i really want the matching bracelet…)

Too Faced Born This Way Foundation

Lately I have kind of had an obsession with Too Faced. I never really knew anything about the brand other than I thought their products were way too expensive! That all changed when back last summer I got the Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette which for me is the mother of all eyeshadow palettes and the best money I'd ever spent!

Anyway I had watched numerous YouTube reviews on this foundation and was dying to try it for myself. I do love a good full coverage foundation. My lovely friend Danielle (AKA Lilliwhiterose) very kindly sent me her bottle as she felt this shade was too dark on her.

So this is the shade Vanilla, and it's definitely quite deep as vanilla shades go. I have included a comparison photo with MAC Pro Longwear NW15 so you can see the difference. Too Faced's Vanilla is a good couple of shades deeper and rather yellow toned. But I have quite a neutral skin tone and I can make it work. It also matches perfectly when I have a layer of Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan on!

So this is labelled as an "undetectable medium to full coverage foundation". Infused with coconut water, alpine rose and hyaluronic acid. So it's great for us dry skinned gals. It's oil free also so I imagine this would work on pretty much all skin types?

Anyway, one pump of this is enough to cover my entire face and neck. I use the Real Techniques sponge to apply generally. It blends really smoothly and evenly, and although it feels incredibly lightweight the coverage is fantastic. I personally would only wear one light layer of this for fear of it looking caked on if I applied any more.

It wears really well on me and still looks nice and fresh at the end of the day. The finish is more of a Demi matte I would say.

I've really been enjoying this foundation and it has been my base of choice over the Winter. The bottle is very cute as well, it looks very fancy on my dressing table!

Once again I'm really quite impressed with Too Faced though I do think this foundation is rather on the expensive side, £29 on the Debenhams website. If you're willing to splurge on it I say check it out!

Simple Christmas Make Up

Hi! Long time no see, right? I have taken a little blogging hiatus for a while. Life just got a little busy and of course with Christmas coming up and the horrible weather we had been having I just did not have time to blog. But today I wanted to show you quite a simple make up which I intend on wearing on Christmas. Nothing too fancy, I have really come to the realisation that "less is more" when it comes to make up. I really don't suit a whole big plaster of make up on my face and I have been enjoying simpler looks. By that, I mean no highlight, no contour, no bronzer. Anyway… here is what I have on.

Too Faced Born This Way foundation (shade Vanilla)

MAC Pro longwear Concealer (NW15)

Illamasqua Cream Blush (shade Dixie)

Clarins Loose Mineral Powder

MAC Painterly Paint Pot

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette (shades Salted Caramel, Milk Chocolate, White Chocolate, Semi Sweet)

MAC Blacktrack gel liner

Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara

MAC Reflects Pearl

Clarins Joli Rouge Lipstick (shade Joli Rouge)

I really like how it all looks together. For my eyes I like to use the matte browns in the Chocolate Bar palette just to give my eyes some definition. But then I remembered I had the Reflects Pearl glitter in my drawer from the MAC Cinderella collection which I have never really used. No better time than Christmas, right? I sprayed a little brush with MAC Fix+ and just dabbed it really in the centre of my eyelid. What I like about the Reflects glitter is that it really is quite subtle (despite being sparkly glitter! It's hard to describe). You don't see any big chunks of glitter, just a nice wee bit of sparkle. 

For my lips I just couldn't wait to use this Clarins lipstick for Christmas. I don't think I suit reds very much as they clash with my hair but for me this is such a classic true red, it makes me feel very old Hollywood movie star! Plus it's very creamy and nice to wear. 

Oh and for my hair I used the Remington Pearl curling wand and did really tight curls, then I just brushed through the curls with a big paddle brush.

Sorry I do not have a better pic of the make up actually on me! The lighting was so bad and it was just taken on my phone as I was heading out the door!

If I don't get speaking to you before then I hope you all have a lovely Christmas and wish you health and happiness for the new year xx

Products you NEED for Winter

1. Hydraluron Serum. 

This was recommended to me by Aisling from totalmakeupaddict during a time when I suffered severe dry skin. I finally got it in August of this year and have been using it every night. At first I couldn't understand the hype or even see any difference, but here we are mid November and my skin is great! Despite being in and out of the cold, central heating etc. my dry skin has not flared up. I have to put it down to Hydraluron because it is the only thing that has changed in my skin care!

2. A rich moisturiser. 

My favourite it La Roche Posay Nutric Intense. I think this is around £15.00, not overly expensive and it is a 50ml jar. This is an extremely thick moisturiser, best used at night.

3. Nuxe Reve de Meil lip balm. 

You need this. You just need it. I use it 2 or 3 times a day. Without it, my lips will literally shrivel up and dry and crack. For me, this is a Winter essential.

4. A cinnamon candle. 

There is nothing that gets me feeling more festive than the smell of cinnamon. I absolutely love Christmas candles and will burn them from Halloween til about March or April! Of course Yankee Candles are my favourite, the one pictured is from Our Own Candle Company which is also a really nice candle and the cinnamon one is just divine. 

5. A Winter perfume. 

It's time to do away with our light florals and reach for something a little deeper. my favourite is Thierry Mugler Angel. It's smokey. It's spicy. It's woody. It's sexy. Admittedly, it's not for everyone, it may be an acquired scent but for me there is no better perfume for Winter.

6. A red lipstick. 

With Christmas party season imminent it's not a bad idea to have a nice red (or whatever colour you fancy) in our make up bags. I for one can't wait to wear this little number, Clarins Joli Rouge (in the shade joli rouge). For me it is the most beautiful, glossy, neutral-red. It's very Hollywood glamour and quite festive looking!

Christmas gift alert! Too Faced Melted French Kisses

I spotted this cute little set on Youtube and was searching online to see where I could order it.  I thought it was probably only available in the US but it is available on the Debenhams website for £22.00. I ordered it as a little treat to myself but it would make a lovely gift for a make up lover for Christmas!

There's a nice selection of colours here, two fairly neutral colours and two bold and bright colours.  Two of them have a metallic finish (almost frosty) and the other two have quite a nice satiny finish.

 They have a really soft velvet sponge applicator

These lipsticks are quite a generous size, they are about half the size of the full sized Melted lipsticks. It's also a good way to try out a few shades for near enough the same price as one full sized Melted lipstick (which is why I ordered it!).

I haven't really put them to the test yet and worn them properly so I can't comment on what my thoughts are on the products themselves. But I did photograph some swatches so you can see what the shades look like:

I think this is a really lovely set and would be a brilliant stocking filler or gift for someone who loves makeup! I think my favourite shade in this set is Melted Berry!

MAC Mehr Lipstick

The latest addition to my MAC lipstick collection. I was on the hunt for a lipstick that would be neutral enough that I could wear every day, yet deep enough that it would give my lips definition. I must admit that I am falling out of love with glossy/balmy lips, and I am head over heels for a more matte finish.

I bought MAC Velvet Teddy some time ago, purely because everyone was raving about it since it is the lipstick Kylie Jenner uses. While I absolutely loved how creamy and how nice Velvet Teddy was, the colour was just not right for me and I don't think it suits me at all. I need something more pink. Cue, Mehr!

Isn't it beautiful? It is exactly the kind of lipstick that I wanted. MAC describe it as a "dirty blue pink" and while I'm not sure if I can see blue here, it definitely is quite a dusky looking pink shade.

For comparison here it is against Velvet Teddy, which looks very brown compared to Mehr! 

Anyway, I am really enjoying Mehr lipstick, it's great for everyday yet it is a rather striking colour. The matte finish is lovely but need to keep a lip balm close to hand!

*new* Cocoa Brown Instant Tan Bronzing Gels

I had a fantastic time last month at the Cocoa Brown Passion Persistance Pink event, when the latest Cocoa Brown products were revealed. I was so delighted, I really wanted Cocoa Brown to come out with an instant tan! And it's great that you have the option of matte or shimmer.

I wanted to give these bronzing gels a proper go before I wrote about them on here. Although it has to be said, I have only really put the matte one to the test. The shimmer one looks fabulous, and I imagine it will look phenomenal on legs during the summer months. So sadly I haven't had a chance to try that yet! This review is of my experience using the matte gel.

Check out that shimmer!

I used the new Cocoa Brown Pink Velvet tanning mitt to apply..which is absolutely amazing and I went online straight away to order another one as a backup. It is so soft and really nice to apply tan. It also washes really well. So I would definitely recommend checking out the mitt! 

So you can see the gorgeous bronzed glow it gives me in my before/after photo! 

The Bronzing Gel is really nice to apply. I can't even describe the texture of it! It is a true gel, it glides over your skin and you have quite a bit of "play time" with it if you are afraid of it looking streaky. Just keep blending it in until you get the look you desire. I do feel it is a little sticky for a minute or two after applying, but it does set and does not budge on me all day.

I used to use the Cocoa Brown Lovely Legs all over the summer when I couldn't be bothered fake tanning, it's just so handy to put on an instant tan as and when you need it. And it washes off so there is no maintenance involved! But I definitely think the matte Bronzing Gel has a much better, more natural looking colour than Lovely Legs and it is a lot more durable too, I got a lot more wear time out of the Bronzing Gel and it still looked perfect at the end of the day.

These Bronzing Gels are also water resistant so no need to worry if you get caught in the rain! I find they only really come off in the shower with plenty of shower gel.

The Bronzing Gels are £5.99 each and the Pink Velvet mitt is £4.50. My suggestion is to snap these up quickly! You need them in your life!

Autumn face featuring MAC, Too Faced, Illamasqua & more

Hi guys, long time no see right? I took a little blogging hiatus for a couple of weeks. Just finding it really difficult to blog at the moment! I just haven't been struck with inspiration by anything in a while. But lately the nice Autumn weather we are having has made me think more about my make up and what fits this season. Everything I used is pictured above, and I will list them for you too.

MAC Prep & Prime Skin Base Visage

Clarins Instant Smooth Line Correcting Concentrate

MAC Pro Longwear Foundation (NW15)

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer (NW15)

MAC Paint Pot (Painterly)

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette (shades Creme Brûlée, Haute Chocolate, Semi Sweet, White Chocolate, Milk Chocolate)

MAC Blacktrack gel eyeliner

Lancome Hypnose Doll Eyes mascara

Maybelline Brow Drama

Illamasqua Cream Blush (shade Dixie)

MAC lipstick (Velvet Teddy)

I am really loving the MAC Pro Longwear foundation. I think it was the beginning of Spring when I got it, and I couldn't really wear it because my skin at the time was so dry, and it really emphasised any dry patches. Also at that time of year I would wear a bit of fake tan and NW15 was just way too pale. But I am finding that my skin is a lot better, and it is just the right shade for me for when I am rocking my au natural paler skin! 

Also the Pro Longwear concealer is just freakin' amazing, it covers absolutely everything and it isn't too heavy for wearing under your eyes. Though I will say the NW15 in this concealer is really very white, naturally concealers come up lighter than foundation shades but it's something to bear in mind if you were looking into buying this.

I whipped out Velvet Teddy lipstick again, even though I am not sure brown toned nudes suit me but I just adore the matte lipsticks from MAC, they are perfect and I think really great to wear at this time of year.

OK I won't bore you with more talk of the Chocolate Bar palette (aka the palette that changed my life!) but lately I have been loving creating just very simple looks with this, I went for a golden bronze look today and I really love how it turned out.

What make up are you wearing this autumn? 

Bia Beauty

It seems everything I write about on this blog always comes back to me having dry skin. But, I really needed some kind of gentle facial exfoliator, and I remembered about the fantastic brand made in Cork  Bia Beauty. I used a sample of their Orange & Grapefruit Facial Exfoliant & Cleanser a while ago and I remember I loved it because the little exfoliating beads were that fine, they were extremely gentle on the skin and yet they got the job done. So, I finally purchased the full size. I absolutely love the quirky jars that they come in.

The lovely people at Bia Beauty put in a sample of the Mellow Mandarin Moisturiser in my parcel so I was delighted to try that as well. I loved it so much I went back and ordered the full size of it too!

First of all let me talk about the scent of these products. I think some will love it, some will hate it. They just smell completely "natural" if you know what I mean? I just love the scent. You really feel like you are putting something really good on your skin.

I use the cleanser/exfoliator every other night to keep my skin as flake-free as possible! As I said before, the "grit" in this product is extremely fine and does not cause any irritation or redness on my sensitive skin. It contains castor and thistle oil, orange blossom water, orange & grapefruit essential oils, and jojoba grains. I just give it a good massage all over my face, focusing on the extremely dry areas and just rinse off. My skin has never been in better condition and I really mean that. My complexion is brighter and the jojoba grains are keeping the obvious dry texture of my skin at bay.

So to finish off my cleansing routine I slather on the Mellow Mandarin moisturiser! I know the Bia beauty slogan is "feed your skin", well i really feel that is what I am doing when I use this moisturiser. It feels really nourishing on the skin..I actually think I am addicted to it! It's suitable for all skin types, and it's a light enough moisturiser to use as a day cream too. It contains Mandarin essential oil, calendula water and sweet almond oil to keep skin hydrated and to balance the skin's sebum levels. I use it day and night and together with the cleanser/exfoliator they have made such a massive difference to the condition of my skin.

Also ordering from the Bia Beauty website has been really great, they are kind enough to include a little "bite size" sample of their products with my orders and a little handwritten note which honestly just makes my day when I open up the package. And also the service is super fast, my package is delivered to me in the north after about 2 days.

I am so so impressed with Bia Beauty and I am very eager to try out more of their products. I think I might try their eye cream next.

My Current Yankee Candle Collection

 I am a long time fan of Yankee Candles. Only recently though I treated myself to the black cat burner, and it has completely changed everything! The little wax tarts I feel have a much stronger scent than the jar candles and it's so easy to pick up loads of different ones and try lots of different scents. My sister got me the other burner for my birthday and I was delighted!

So the wax tarts I currently have are:

Home Sweet Home

Tarte Tatin

Pain au Raisin

Fireside Treats

Gingerbread Maple

Kilamanjaro Skies

Red Raspberry

Mango Peach Salsa

Cranberry Twist

Garden Sweet Pea

I also have about a third of last year's Halloween Candy Corn jar candle left. I absolutely love the design of this jar and I will definitely be keeping this. But I am not a huge lover of the Yankee Candle Halloween scents. Much prefer the Christmas ones by far! Also this Candy Corn one never burned right for me. It ends up with this massive flame and smoke coming out of it. But I do want to use it up so that I can clean out the jar and keep it (not sure what I'm going to do with it, but it looks pretty).

I am sure there are plenty of Yankee Candle fans out there! I want to know what all your favourite scents are, tell me in the comments!

*new* Clarins Joli Rouge lipsticks "Soft Plum" "Joli Rouge"

Recently I was sent 2 of the lovely new Clarins Joli Rouge lipsticks to try. As you all probably know I am a massive Clarins fan and I love their lip products, so I was excited to try out the new formulation of the Joli Rouge (have a look at one of the old Joli Rouge lipstick which I reviewed here )

First thing you will notice about the new formulation is that they are not as sheer as they used to be! Look at that gorgeous creamy colour. Also the packaging is a lot less heavy and chunky, a nice improvement!

Anyway, old vs. new comparisons aside, these lipsticks are really great. They are very soft and comfortable to wear. These lipsticks have a nice glossy finish, but they don't slip and slide on your lips either (I never wear lip liner and they wore perfectly on me).

According to Clarins these lipsticks can provide up to 6 hours of wear, and with their moisturising formula they are kind to your lips as well. Containing organic marsh samphire extract and mango oil (sounds fancy) and with Clarins signature red berry scent these lipsticks are an absolute pleasure to apply and wear.

Wearing "Soft Plum"

"Joli Rouge"

Of the 2 lipsticks I was sent, Soft Plum is my favourite! I have never worn such a dark lipstick before but I really love it, it actually is perfect for Autumn. Joli Rouge is a beautiful red (I call it a candy apple red) and isn't overbearing or garish. I don't normally wear reds for fear they clash with my hair but I really like this shade!

There are a whopping 25 shades available of these lipsticks so there definitely will be something there for everyone! They are £19.50 a pop but in my opinion they are definitely worth the money, I have been saying it for ages but Clarins really know how to do lip products! 

See any shades that you would like?