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".

Can you save dried up cream eyeshadows?

So recently I got the new lavender scented MAC Fix+ and I had been researching on ways to use it. I spotted online somewhere that it can be used on dried up cream eyeshadows to restore them, and I remembered about one of my faves from last year, which was the Chanel Illusion d'Ombre in New Moon. God, I was obsessed with this thing but somehow it totally dried out despite me being so careful and always making sure the lid was on tight. So here is a little experiment to see if I can fix it!

So you can see that the shadow has shrunk from the edges of the pot…

In fact it has shrunk so much that it just falls out of the pot and looks like this little dried up disc.

So first I sprayed 2 sprays of MAC Fix+ into the pot, then I got a little spatula and just started mixing it together.

At this point it started flaking like crazy and I was so upset because I just thought I had ruined it completely!

Then I just started packing it down with my finger and it began to look a lot more smooth and almost normal again.

I was afraid that the Fix+ would water the shadow down and it wouldn't look the same as it used to, but  so far the formula was pretty much the same and the pigmentation seems unaffected, fingers crossed!

So the next part of the experiment was to actually use it on my eyes!

It felt very smooth and creamy, just like when I first got it and I applied it just using my fingertips like I normally did. I always loved this cream shadow because it was like nothing I had ever seen before. It's completely multi dimensional and has pink, purple, brown, even red tones in it. I think this shadow was limited edition too which was another reason why I was prepared to give it another lease of life! I had to take the below photos with a desk lamp shining on me so you can see how incredibly sparkly it is too! 

So there is hope if any of your cream eyeshadows have died on you! 

Chanel Stylo Eyeshadow - Laurier Rose

 This is another new product I picked up on holidays. I was just randomly swatching things in Sephora and this one really took my breath away. All of the Chanel Stylo Eyeshadows looked lovely, but the Laurier Rose shade in particular just looked fantastic to me. It was €30 from what I remember, so not cheap but I knew I'd get plenty of use out of it.

I actually used to be really obsessed with pink shades on my eyes but I haven't worn eye looks like that in a long time.

Isn't that swatch just heavenly? It almost has a metallic quality to it. It's a really warm toned pink with a subtle sparkle. Actually Chanel describe the shadow as having "fresh and iridescent effects". I definitely get that, and the eyeshadow has a cooling effect too when applied to the eyelid. It's very creamy and glides across the eyelid with ease.

I have never actually used an eyeshadow in a pencil form before, but I literally just swipe it over my eyelids and blend out the edges for a simple everyday look. It just adds a little "something" to the eyes, but when I want something a little more eye-catching I deepen the crease using some shades from the Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette, as below. 

I just adore this Stylo Eyeshadow so much, it's a fantastic product and I am so delighted how easily it applies. I actually would love a couple more shades so that I can play around and experiment and try out a whole entire look using the Stylos.
The wear time is really good, I got a good 8 hours wear time before it started to crease (I always wear it over my MAC Painterly Paint Pot).

I'm just so in love with this Stylo Eyeshadow. It's so incredibly easy to apply, and you can make it as simple or dramatic of a look as you like. It has definitely impressed me! Who doesn't love a bit of Chanel!

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette

I am so so excited about this palette! I haven't been this much in love with a make up product in a while.
I had watched many a Youtube tutorial using this palette and while I always thought it looked beautiful, I wasn't that interested in it because I personally thought it was a little too expensive for me when I hadn't heard much about the brand Too Faced before. But, when a Too Faced stand popped up in Debenhams and I got to swatch it for myself, it was true love at first sight. I thought about it and thought about it and finally bought the palette in Sephora when I was on holiday in France. You know when you can't get a make up product off your mind that it is true love!

I love how there is a great selection of shades, and while they are neutral colours they are by no means "nude". Which is good for me because that is exactly what I want in a palette! There is a good selection of blending shades and highlights, and amazing eye popping shimmery shades. Also I like how out of the 16 shadows, only 5 of them are matte. I much prefer a shimmery metallic shadow over a matte!

The shadows themselves are like nothing I have ever tried. They are incredibly pigmented and so soft and easy to work with. I am getting on a lot better with this palette than I ever did with the Urban Decay Naked palette!

Also I should mention - these eyeshadows smell like chocolate! When you open the palette you are greeted with the unmistakable scent of chocolate, as these eyeshadows are actually made with cocoa powder…it's wonderful! It makes me crave chocolate so bad though!  Also the names of the shadows are so cute, when people ask what you have on your eyes and you say "marzipan, hazelnut and milk chocolate!"

 Left to right - Gilded Ganache, White Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, Black Forest Truffle, Triple Fudge

 Salted Caramel, Marzipan, Semi Sweet, Strawberry Bon Bon, Candied Violet, Amaretto

Hazelnut, Creme Brûlée, Haute Chocolate, Cherry Cordial, Champagne Truffle

There are so many different looks you can create with this palette, from very basic daytime looks to dramatic evening looks. I have really had a lot of fun playing around with this palette and I actually am excited to use it when I get up in the mornings (sad, right?!). I have been wearing this palette every day which is a big deal for me because I don't usually bother wearing eyeshadow for just going to work. So that tells you how much I love using this palette!

Urban Decay new eyeshadows for Summer 2015!

I do love Summer make up releases. Urban Decay have some fantastic new bits for Summer 2015. I was very lucky to have been sent one of their new eyeshadows to try out. There are 8 new shades available, and I have here "Sideline" which is described as gold with a green shift. 

First of all, let me say that the packaging is absolutely stunning! The eyeshadow itself is very unusual, it is a very yellow gold into an almost olive green. It's definitely up my street. I much prefer duo tone shadows like these compared to any other shadow. They are just something a bit more interesting!

I found it really easy to apply, it is just bursting with pigmentation and it's quite soft and easy to blend out. It's such a unique colour, that I really didn't know what to do with it or what to pair it with! In the photos below I am just wearing it alone with minimal eyeliner and I just went for a neutral lip. I think it speaks for itself but I would like to pair it up with more eyeshadows for a more intense look.

Because it is such a soft eyeshadow, I found that it had creased on me after abut 8 or so hours (I always use an eyeshadow base, currently using a Mac Paint Pot) which is a fairly decent wear time in my opinion.

I am kind of an Urban Decay newbie and have just discovered that these eyeshadows pop out and you can create your own palettes with these! That sounds very handy if you have a few of these single pots. The new shades all seem to be absolutely stunning and that little something different. I would love to try "Fireball" next! But I am very happy with how Sideline looks and performs.

The new Urban Decay eyeshadows are available now from select Debenhams www.debenhams.ie and House of Fraser at Dundrum Town Centre and cost €18 each.

What do you think of the new eyeshadows?

Clarins Aquatic Treasures collection for Summer 2015

Hooray for outdoor photos! Isn't this lovely sunny weather just the perfect tonic? That means it is almost time for Summer make up, and who does Summer make up better than Clarins? I have been so obsessed with their Summer collections the last couple of years, so I am so delighted to be able to try out some bits from the new Aquatic Treasures collection!

Aquatic Treasures Summer Bronzing Compact £30

Every year Clarins release a knockout bronzing compact. This one really is a stunner! The exterior of the compact is just beautiful, I could stare at it all day! Inside is a wonderful matte bronzer, with four segments of different shades. I love the embossed design on the powder. I just swirl my brush around the entire compact and I have been using it pretty much all over my face to bronze up my make up. The powder is extremely soft, and is very pigmented so a light hand is needed. Gorgeous!

Instant Light Radiance Boosting Complexion Base £26

The Instant Light Radiance Boosting Complexion Base is a permanent fixture in the Clarins make up range,  though they are bringing out 2 limited edition shades for summer. I have the shade "04 Apricot" and there will also be a shade "05 Golden Bronze". This can be worn alone or as a base for your make up. I have tried it both ways, and love it! I love how the tube has a pump and it dispenses the perfect amount to apply all over your face and neck. It's not shimmery but just gives an incredible "glow" - I am not one to use base products like this but I have to say there is a noticeable difference in my complexion when I wear this! Although the shade Apricot looks rather dark in my swatch here, it blends in beautifully and looks perfect on me, especially if I am tanned. It doesn't particularly give any coverage if you did decide to wear it on it's own, but I think it would be the perfect face product to wear on a holiday. It has a gorgeous scent and just feels so fresh and light on the skin.

Clarins Waterproof Eyeliner Pencil £17

Next up I have been trying the double ended eye liner pencil, which I have been loving very much! The pencil has a gel/cream texture and is so easy to apply and smudge with the little rubber end. It's great for a quick smokey eye! It stays on your eyes all day long and because it is waterproof it will be great for summer heat, or at the pool!

Clarins Ombre Iridescente £19

Last up, we have a gorgeous little eyeshadow pot in the shade "01 Aquatic Rose", which is a beautiful neutral, rose gold shade. I can imagine this colour suiting everybody. I got on a lot better with this eyeshadow than I did with the Ombre Mattes which were released last Autumn. I think probably because these are a little more shimmery, there is more "stick" to them and this has been lasting on me all day without creasing. Anyway, these are definitely a powder formula and I guess you could apply with an eyeshadow brush but I just prefer to use my ring finger and really pack it on all over the lid, much the same as if it were a cream eyeshadow. I have really been loving this eyeshadow, after the heavy eye make ups of the Winter season it is just so nice to pare it all back with beautiful, simple neutrals like this. And I do love a pearly, iridescent shade! There is also a darker shade available, "Aquatic Grey" if that is more your style! They are absolutely brilliant and hassle-free to apply.

Another close up of the bronzer, I just think this is the most beautiful piece of make up I have seen in a long time!

Wearing all of the products….I have the Complexion Base on under my foundation (Clarins Everlasting+ - love this stuff!), the bronzer all over my face, Ombre Iridescente all over my eyelids with the bronzer as a crease colour, the waterproof eyeliner pencil on the lash line smudged out, Clarins Blush Prodige 02 Soft Peach, Clarins Jolie Rouge lipstick in "Coral Dahlia".


What do you think of this collection? Isn't it just gorgeous and perfect for Summer? I must admit I was looking forward to a Clarins summer eyeshadow palette like the last couple of years, but I guess because they brought out a palette in the Spring collection, they didn't do one for summer. I feel like this collection is all about very understated make up, glowing bronzed complexions. I am so into that right now!

The Clarins Aquatic Treasures collection is available in May 2015.



Products provided for review. All opinions my own.