Beauty - Kylie Jenner Inspired Makeup

I've done a blog post on Kendall Jenner makeup (see HERE) but it's her younger sister Kylie's makeup I'm focusing on today.



I'm sure we've all seen pictures of Kylie with this sort of makeup - matte light brown lipstick teamed with simple eyeshadow and some winged eyeliner, she wears it a lot in pictures and it's pretty much her go to look as you can see by the other pictures of her there. I really like it too as it's simple and easy to re-create, and is made up without looking too glam or overdone - my kind of makeup!

Kylie has revealed that the lip products she uses are Mac's Whirl lipliner and Velvet Teddy lipstick. As everyone knows, these are not only super expensive products - with the lipliner alone retailing at about €17 - but extremely hard to get your hands on (I've heard from numerous beauty bloggers that Velvet Teddy is almost always out of stock). However, I was in Penneys (Primark for you in the UK) and was looking through their own brand beauty section. I have used their lip products before and have their lipsticks and lipliner in a purple shade, but I was intrigued by their matte light brown lipstick and lipliner. Could these be dupes for Velvet Teddy and Whirl, I thought. They were both inexpensive at €1.50 for the lipliner and €2 for the lipstick so for that price I didn't have to think about it any longer - I knew I wanted to buy them and try them out!

Starting off I moisturised my face with my trusty Simple Kind To Skin Light Hydrating moisturiser (€5 - review of this product plus other skincare products I use is HERE) and applied some Nivea Essential Care lipbalm to my lips (€2.09 - review of this product plus other products I have been using that cost under 10 is HERE). I have used this Primark beauty lipstick before in different shade and I find that it's extremely matte and drying so your lips need to be well moisturised before application, though it being so matte it will last all day on your lips. As this look involves using eyeliner and I often mess it up, I worked on my eyes before my base.

I applied some Catrice Prime and Fine eyeshadow base (€3.20) to act as a primer. Taking the lightest, champagne shade on the left of the Catrice Absolute Nude eyeshadow palette (5.49 - review of that product is HERE). I sweeped that all over my eyelid and up to my browbone. Taking the colour beside that shade, I applied that in the crease and on the top of my eyelid, then blended it out with the lighter eyeshadow shade. I also applied some of the darker shade to my lower lashline. I carefully applied Essence Liquid Ink liquid eyeliner (€2.49) on the eyelid and flicked it out slightly at the outer corner. I then applied some New York Color Big Bold NYC Mascara (€3.20) to my upper and lower eyelashes.

The foundation I selected to use for this look was the Primark Beauty liquid foundation (a steal at only €3), as it's more matte than my usual Rimmel foundation. I applied only a tiny layer of this because I find with this foundation if you apply too much it can easily look like a cakey mess so do take care when applying it, however that said it is a really great foundation for the price you pay and is well up there with a lot of other expensive foundations I have tried out. I patted some Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer (€6.99 - see review of this product plus other Rimmel products HERE) under my eyes and on my blemishes using my fingers, and set the concealer with my Primark loose powder (€2.50). I then set the rest of my base with a very light dusting of Catrice All Matt Plus powder in '010 Transparent' (€3.49) before adding a tiny bit of glow with the Catrice Defining Blush in 'Sunrose Avenue' ( €4.75 - review of that product is HERE). Regarding eyebrows, I filled them in so they looked groomed using my Primark Beauty browkit (€2 - review of that product is HERE). I am planning on doing a blogpost soon on my eyebrow routine actually.

Onto the lips. I didn't  overline my lips. I think that just looks strange to be honest, but each to their own. Instead of applying lipliner inside of my natural lipline I applied the Primark lipliner on my lipline (if that makes any sense), then coloured my lips in with this shade. I think it looks far more wearable and anyways I really don't want to be walking around with huge inflated lips (my lips are big enough anyways!).  I then applied this matte lipstick.

Hope you enjoyed this look!

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Beauty - Sally Hansen Nail Growth Miracle Treatment: Part 1

As a beauty blogger, I'm constantly in Boots or a chemist searching for new make-up to try out, and of course because all these make-up brands have nail polishes, I end up looking at them too and feeling disappointed that I can't try out these really nice nail polish shades on my own nails.

I bite my nails. So so bad. I have done so since I was about ten years old. It began mostly out of habit and gets significantly worse around the time of stress, i.e. exams (final year college exams I literally had no nails whatsoever).

I decided enough was enough. I'm 23 in a few weeks, plus going to be starting my second degree soon, and I just felt that the nail biting was something a bit childish and implies an unprofessional attitude.

With that in mind, I was in Boots the other day and decided to get something that might help my nails to grow a bit stronger. I picked up Sally Hansen Nail Growth Miracle for €10.50.

This is marketed as a salon strength treatment that promises to give 30% longer nails in just five days. To quote what's on the back of the pack:  "Exclusive soy protein formula helps strengthen and lengthen nails without brittleness. Keratin formula protects nails against splitting, cracking and tearing. Collagen and multi-itamins formula promotes healthy nail growth."

The packaging is quite basic - all plastic with a gold cap. The brush is big to allow for easy application. The liquid is clear and you apply it to your bare nails much like you would do with a regular nail polish. It does have quite a strong smell so when you apply it sit beside an opened window so you won't die from the fumes!

This blogpost is basically a part one of how I got on with it after five days and what was my initial thoughts on it. I'll have another blogpost in a month when I've tried it out that long.

After using it for five days, applying it to my nails once a day and not biting my nails for over a week (bit of an achievement for me!), they appear to have become stronger. I'm not just saying this, but I definitely did feel like they had got longer. I can scratch things now, yay! Haha. After five days that is pretty phenomenal.

I've added some before and after application photos below, you can decide for yourself whether it's helping to grow my nails. Bear in mind though that this is only after five days of usage!

I do apologise if I gross anyone out with before and after pictures of my nails.

Before

After

Fashion & Beauty - Girly Summery Outfit of the Day

I was rooting through my blog and it came to my attention it's been a while since I did a blog post on an outfit of the day. Truth be told, I was wanting to do a summery outfit of the day for quite a while but as the weather in Ireland this summer has been more like winter, with rain and cold, I just had to keep postponing it, as I didn't want to catch pneumonia in a short little dress! But we got 'lucky' in Ireland earlier this week when we got one day - yes, just one day! - of good weather, so my outfit of the day post had to be snapped then!

Anyways, I bought this dress in a charity shop in my local town at the start of the summer. Initially, I thought it looked quite old fashioned, but when I tried it on I immediately fell in love! It is such a perfect fit on me and it's quite a nice length too, so the five euro price tag was the sprinkles on the sundae for me. 

The floral headband was bought in Penneys at the start of summer, and I actually bought it shortly after I bought the dress. I thought the both items would go oh-so-well together, and they do! It cost €5.

I bought the pale pink wedges in Penneys also about three months ago. They were €12. They are so comfortable to walk in, I really like them.

As for my hair, I washed it and used a hair mask before rinsing and leaving it to dry naturally. I was sitting out in the sun earlier in the day and my hair naturally dried in the sun, there's no product added to it bar what was added to it in the shower - no mousse, no gel, no nothing. I don't wear my hair like this too often, I prefer to have it straightened. I think many other girls are the same - if you have naturally curly hair you want straight hair and vice versa. Sometimes I feel like curly hair goes better with many of my looks especially girly, feminine looks like this so it worked with this look. This will be the last blog post that you will see me with this length hair by the ways - the day after I took these photos I went for the chop and my hair is now in a short bob!

I wanted to have my makeup 'glowing' and healthy looking, to tie in with the whole girly summery theme of this look. I moisturised with my trusty Simple Kind to Skin Light Hydrating Moisturiser (€5 -review HERE) before starting to work on my eyes. After I priming my eyelids with Catrice Prime and Fine eyeshadow base (€3.20), I decided to go for a very soft pink, romantic smoky eye created by my W7 In the Nude eye shadow palette (€9.99) before applying Essence Liquid Ink Liquid Eyeliner (€2.49) and adding lashings of New York Color Big Bold Volume by the Lash Mascara. (€3.20).

I applied a light layer Rimmel Match Perfection foundation in 100 Ivory to my skin to keep things quite natural, with my Primark beauty blender, then added Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer under my eyes and on my blemishes using clean fingers. (review of these Rimmel products is HERE), before setting my complexion with just a tiny amount of Catrice All Matt Plus powder in '010 Transparent' (€3.49) where needed. I added some Catrice Defining Blush in the shade 'Sunrose Avenue' (€4.75 - review of this blush plus my review of some other makeup products under €10 is HERE  to my cheeks and filled in my eyebrows with Primark beauty browkit (€2 - review of this product is HERE).  For my lips I went for a natural look and applied Boots Natural Collection Juicy Lips (€2.70). To really bring out that glowing summery look I applied some Essence Cinderella highlighter powder. This was part of Essence Cinderella's range and the review of this product is HERE. 

The nail polish I'm wearing on my fingers and toes if anyone's wondering is Catrice Ultimate Nail Lacquer in the shade 'Raspberry Fields Forever'. That picture of the colour there is not mine obviously - don't have any nails as I bite them - it's just a photo I got from internet to give you an idea of the shade! I couldn't find my own bottle to take a quick pic of it!

Beauty - Caring for Dry Skin

I've done a skincare blogpost before, and I mentioned in it that I have dry skin.

A huge cause of dry skin is the weather. In Ireland this year our summer has been more like winter, with plenty of rain (rain, rain and more rain), wind and cold temperatures, and this of course takes it's toll on your skin. Dry air will leave skin feeling extremely thirsty. Indoor heating and all this nice warming up against the fire (although super nice!), wrecks havoc on the skin further as it will strip more moisture from the air - and your skin. While we obviously can't unfortunately change this unseasonable weather, we can do something about how we react to it. If possible try to keep the thermostat at a cooler temperature.

Setting the shower to a hot temperature soothes your body after a long day of work, but it certainty won't do your skin any favours. It dries out the natural oils in your skin a lot quicker. Standing in the shower long enough for you to have deep thoughts about the universe/life/other important shizz or to belt out your favourite tune is also a no-go area. Dial down the temperature to lukewarm, and try to keep your showers as short as possible (not a bad thing thanks to these pesky water charges). Save the sing-along for the car or your bedroom! 

While you're in the shower too, it's worth noting that even though some shower gels and soaps smell super nice, some are more than a bit harsh on your skin and will send your skin's moisture straight down the drain. Use a mild, fragrance free shower gel on your skin (Simple do amazing ones) that will moisturise as it cleanses. That Simple shower gel will set you back a mere three euro.

Have you noticed that your favourite jumper might be to blame for your dry skin? Often it's the fabric, fabric softener or the washing powder you're washing your clothing in. Lots of everyday products can irritate the skin - from dryer sheets to perfume. "Free" is the key word to bear in mind when it comes to choosing products - fragrance-free and dye-free, or look out for ones specially formulated for sensitive skin, I know there's many washing powders that are available for baby's sensitive skin such as that Fairy's one there.

Dry skin may be an underlying cause of a health condition as well. If it's scaly and red, it could be a symptom of determitis or psoriasis. It could also be the symptom of diseases such as diabetes or an under active thyroid gland.
Disclaimer: I'm not saying it is, but if it refuses to go away, it might be worth getting checked out!

Here are a few of products I have tried out in the past that I find work well on my dry skin, some for face and some for body.

Face

So obviously it goes without saying that if you have any bit of dry skin at all, you need to have a good face moisturiser in your life, especially to act as a base when you're applying makeup. I've been using this Simple Kind to Skin Light Hydrating Moisturiser on my face before applying makeup for the last six years. I find that usually one layer is enough, but if my skin is especially dry I apply it in three thin layers. I have done a more in-depth review of this product on my skincare regime blogpost, please see HERE. It currently costs €5.29 in Boots. If you have sensitive skin I would highly recommend you to try out the Simple range, I cannot recommend it enough and most of the products are under ten euro as well, so it won't break the bank.

E45 Cream is something of a cult product when it comes to dry and sensitive skin. It's unperfumed and uncoloured. I personally find it a little too greasy so I wouldn't recommend it to use as a base before applying makeup for that reason. I prefer to use a light layer of it during the day after cleansing when my face is makeup free, if you apply a heavy layer it will cause pores to become clogged hence causing spots. Though if you use a light layer it does help your skin to be super smooth and supple. It costs €7.99 at the minute in Boots.

I tested out Garnier Moisture Match 24 Hour Ultra Hydrating Rich Cream which is specially formulated for Dry to Very Dry skin, mainly because my sister had bought it and at the time my skin was extremely dry. The packaging as you can see is quite girly and pink. It smells absolutely fabulous, quite flowery. It is absorbed very quickly into the skin and makes your skin super soft and smooth. As the name suggests, it is indeed very rich so like with the E45 cream I would really not advise to wear this as a base under your foundation or it will slide right off. Often products for dry skin are also formulated for sensitive skin as the two conditions often go hand in hand, but this is the exception, as it did sting my sensitive skin quite a bit. It costs €4 in Boots if you want to give it a try.

Body

Nivea have a good reputation for being leaders in skincare so it will come as no surprise when I say the two body moisturisers I use on a regular basis are by the brand.

Nivea Rich Nourishing Body Moisturiser: This comes in a navy plastic container as you can see. It contains Hydra IQ formulation which is a patented intense moisturisation technology specially formulated by Nivea which penetrates deep within the skin to foster new aquaporins (these are water channels in the skin that allow water molecules to travel in and out of skin cells), thus regulating the skin's moisture balance and reducing moisture loss. It also contains almond oil which has been used in skincare for centuries due to it's moisturising properties.
I'd use this product for a deep moisturisation if I spend a bit too long in the shower or if my legs feel dry after shaving them. I wouldn't be a fan of using this moisturiser after I shower and shave before applying tan. The proof is in the name that is guy is super rich and heavy and if you apply fake tan even three or four hours after it will rub off as it takes it's time to completely absorb. If you have no choice, shower and shave and apply this then apply tan the following day. The smell is fabulous though (like sun cream, which makes me weep for our lost summer!), and this smell lasts long after the moisturiser has been absorbed. It costs €3.54 in Boots.


Nivea Express Advanced Moisture Care Lotion

This is like the above product's sibling, same container design, only in white. It's designed for normal skin, but I use it on my dry skin as it's less rich so it's much faster absorbed into the skin, which means of course it can be applied once you come out of the shower to moisturise before applying tan for the night. Nice smell, it doesn't last quite as long as the above product's smell and is just more barely there.  It will set you back €3.66 in Boots right now.

Fashion & Beauty - Floral Girly Outfit and Look of the Night

Welcome back to my blog!

Before I start, I'd just like to say a huge thank you to everyone who checked out my last blog post I posted last Thursday - the travel diary on Liverpool. I was so nervous hitting the 'publish' button as it was the first blogpost of it's kind I had done on my blog, but I had such a great response for it so needless to say I was delighted! I am planning another travel blogpost very soon as well - on Edinburgh - so keep your eyes peeled for that!

Anyways, this blogpost centres around the outfit and hair I wore for my best friend's birthday celebrations in the middle of July.

The dress I'm wearing is from Irish website Dresses.ie, and  I actually won in an Instagram competition a week before I wore it out.  I think it's so pretty and summery. Their Facebook page is HERE, on it you will find a link to their website (AKA a massive urge to buy most, if not all of their clothes, LOL!). As an Irish blogger, I really think it's important to support Irish brands so I was happy to do up this blogpost. This dress is still avaliable to buy too - yay!

The wedges are from Penneys, I bought them a while ago for €12. They are actually really comfortable to walk in so I managed to keep them on my feet the whole night. I really like them a lot.

The tan I'm wearing is Cocoa Brown Day to Night tan, I've done a review of this tan  plus the Tough Stuff exfoliating scrub HERE.

My cute feather necklace was bought for £1 in Primark in Edinburgh when I was there a few months back.

For makeup, I used many of the items before in many other of my blog posts. After cleansing my face with Boots Tea Tree and Witch Hazel Foaming Wash (review HERE), I applied Simple Kind to Skin Light Hydrating moisturiser (review HERE as a base to my face and Nivea essentials lipbalm (review HERE) to my lips (where else?!) and started to work on my eye makeup. I didn't go too mad with the eye makeup, I just applied Primark eyelashes in Volume (they're part of a five piece set of eyelashes), and applied Natural Collection Liquid eyeliner on top, flicking slightly outwards for a feline-like effect. As per usual, the foundation I used for night-time was Max Factor Skin Luminiser foundation in the shade Light Ivory. I applied Kubiss concealer under my eyes and on any blemishes before setting my whole face with Primark Beauty loose powder. I defined my eyebrows using Primark Beauty eyebrow kit. I then applied Catrice Defining Blush (Review HERE) to the apples of my cheeks. I applied Catrice Ultimate Colour Lipstick in 'Pinkerbell' to my lips before blotting with a tissue to make it a bit more wearable and less bright and 'out there'.

For my hair, after washing it I applied some of the Macademia oil hair mask (review of that product is HERE), left it in for 2 hours while my tan was drying, washed it out and was left with curls but I defined them more using my Remington curling wand, wrapping it around my hair in big sections.


                                                                          Products Used:

Cocoa Brown Tough Stuff Exfoliating Scrub, E4.99, Penneys.
Cocoa Brown Day & Night Tan, E7.99, Penneys.
Boots Tea Tree and Witch Hazel Foaming Wash, E4.75, Boots.
Simple Kind to Skin Light Hydrating Moisturiser, E5, Boots.
Nivea Essential Care lipbalm, E2.09, Penneys.
Primark Beauty False Eyelashes in 'Volume', part of a set of five for E5.
Boots Natural Collection Liquid Eyeliner, E2.75, Boots.
Maxfactor Skin Luminizer Foundation in '40 Light Ivory', E15.99, Boots.
Kubiss London concealer, E2, local chemist.
Primark Beauty loose powder, E2.50, Penneys.
Primark Beauty browkit, E2, Penneys.
Catrice Defining Blush, E4.75, Penneys.
Catrice Ultimate Colour Lipstick in '140 Pinkerbell', E4.49, Penneys.