Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet- Ping Pong

So I'm having a bit of a thing with bright lips at the minute. I don't know what I'll do with Autumn approaching and bringing dark lips with it.
I first seen the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvets on Vivianna does Makeup and thought 'ooh'. I then seen them on Karen from LovelyGirlieBits and knew I had to have them.

It was Ping Pong that caught my eye, and apparently everyone else's too.
It was always sold whenever I went on the look for it and after a few months I gave up.
Of course when I stopped looking for it I found it and it was happily mine.
And I love it.

Its a beautiful bright pink that compliments my pale Irish skin and it just pops. I live in the back end of nowhere and I get funny looks from people when I wear this to go get milk-anyone else have this problem?

I wear it anyway because I love it and it makes me happy.
This is a long lasting lip colour that doesn't wear away leaving only the outline which is one of the reasons I love it. You can vary the intensity of these as well which I really like. If you didn't want a statement lip you could just apply one coat and you get a lovely flush of colour.
You can build it up as well which is what i would usually do.
They apply wonderfully with the dough foot applicator and start off by having a lovely sheen to them. They dry down to a very comfortable matte finish that lasts for hours.

 There are eight shades to choose from ranging from everyday nudes to showstopping brights.

Your pretty much spoilt for choice really.

They retail at €12.49 but I've seen them for around €11 euro in superdrug for some strange reason.

I'll be picking up more shades as soon as my bank balance allows for it!

Have you tried these? What did you think and have you any shade recommendations for me?

Comment below..

Soap and Glory Archery

So like with Barry M this is my first time trying anything from Soap and Glory.

I know most people would start with all their bath paraphernalia but I went straight to the makeup section.

This little guy drew me in as soon as I saw it and five minutes later he was mine.

I had seen a few reviews on but not as many as I'd seen for their other products so that also made me want to try it. And guys, it's love.

The pen is such a great idea for a brow product.I know other brands do them but I would consider them 'high end' and unfortunately I haven't won the lotto yet. It's so easy to use and it looks natural which I love.

I'm not sure just how long it will last before or if it dries out but I'm storing it pen side down just in case.

It looks like just like natural hairs when you apply it using little strokes and the colour of it is lovely- not to reddy or brown. It's perfect to fit in with my blonde hair.

The pencil end is nice as well. It's quite waxy but I find that this is better for me personally as I won't go overboard and have a very hard outline which can sometimes happen with other brow products I use.

the end result us a nice defined brow that doesn't look drawn in.

Pen on top half pencil on bottom half. You can see just how fine the pen goes.

Staying power has to be noted as well. I work in a very hot kitchen for between eight and 10 hours and this little beauty stays put the whole time. I'm pretty sure it's magic.

 It's now my holy grail brow product and I don't think I could be without it.

I picked this up in Boots for €13.00. A little on the pricey side for me but well worth it

Have you tried this product? Have you any recommendations for me to try next from the brand?

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Polishes

Hi guys!

So this was my first foray into Barry M.I knew my first picks were going to have to be the Gelly Hi-Shine polishes as everyone and their mother raves about them.

Sugar Apple and Blueberry 

And I can see why.

I got the shades 'Blueberry' and 'Sugar Apple'.
Blueberry is a lovely cornflower powdery blue and Sugar Apple is a lovely mint green that looks lovely with a tan.

Usually to get this kind of shine on my nails I use a Gel look Top Coat by Essence which is really very good, but I didn't need it with these.

The first time I applied them I was a little apprehensive as the first coat didn't apply as smoothly as I was expecting.It was quite streaky and I didn't know how they were going to turn out.

The second coat worked it's magic though and i was left with lovely,shiny streak-free nails that I love.

I've already about six more shades on my wish list.

The brush on these polishes are quite small compared to other nail polishes in my collection but they are still very easy to work with.

They are not the quickest at drying, but that's my only gripe with them. A few minutes under cold running water and I'm ready to go.
Sugar Apple is a little bit harder to get an even and opaque coverage on but I find that's usually the case with pastels anyway.
I love the square shape of the bottle , it's perfect for storing a lot of them together(which I no doubt will soon have) and the colours are easy to make out just by looking down on them. It's the little things.
I got these in Boots last week at 'buy one get one half price' so that makes them even nicer!
They retail in Ireland for €5.99 and they are well worth it. I only wish I picked up a few more!

Have you tried these nail polishes?Have you any shade recommendations for me to add to my list?

Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde mascara

Hi guys.
So I bought this recently in Boots on an unusually restrained trip and I'm really liking it.

The wand is another of those strange ones that are all over the place recently.

Hopefully you can make out the tiny little balls that are in the wand. I'm not quite sure what they're there for but the wand is lovely to use.

It's quite a wet mascara which I don't mind.I'll probably like it even more when it dries out a little bit as that's just my preference.

It's beautifully black and it gives the volume it claims to. It also gives a nice amount of length.

The packaging for this is so nice as well. I'm a complete magpie when it comes to shiny things.

The little stopper on the inside of the tube works very well as I don't have to scrape of a ton of product before I can put it on my lashes like I have to with other mascaras I've tried.

Bare lashes

With one coat of mascara.

This retails for €12.99 and it's well worth it.

I'm beginning to think this could replace my beloved Catrice  mascara when it runs out i like it that much!

Have you tried this mascara/ What did you think?

Mini Bourjois Haul

Hi guys!

For the first time in a long time I actually managed to restrain myself while in boots.

This is a big thing for me. Seriously.

I got three things, all from Bourjois as it had a 3 for 2 offer on and you got a free pair of sunglasses along with it.

I've actually had these bits on my wishlist for ages so I'm delighted with myself.

First up is the Rouge Edition Velvet in the shade Ping Pong.
I'm a sucker for bright lips at the minute and already obsessed with this shade.I think I was obsessed with it before I even bought it.

This mascara has been all over the blog world so I knew I had to try it out myself to see if it really did live up to the hype. Full review will be up in a few days but so far so good.

The Java powder has been on my wishlist for nearly a year now but I use powder so little I kept forgetting about it.
It's not a traditional mattifying powder which I love as I prefer a dewy finish. It's illuminating and I've only used it twice now but i think it's love.

I might not of bought much but I have a wishlist as long as my arm now that I'm itching to buy.
I might need to avoid Boots on payday. It never ends well.

What do you think of my purchases? Anything you like? And are you able to restrain yourself when you're in Boots?

Facacia Skincare Review - Initial Thoughts

I'm excited today as I have some lovely news for you lovely people!

There has been a launch very recently (August 2nd) of a brand new skincare brand and I have it here for an initial review today.

Introducing Facacia Skincare.*

They have an antibacterial face wash (£19 for 100ml) and an antibacterial serum (£23 for 30ml)in this line and so far they are turning out to be lovely.

I myself have dry skin but I get spots every so often that then refuse to leave but I'm betting this pair will get rid of them in no time.

Now, like I said, I have dry skin so I was worried the face wash might be to drying for it but so far it hasn't.

It's a foaming cleanser that contains salicylic acid so perfect in the fight against spots.

 I would advise to keep it away from your eyes as it does sting a little.

I love the packaging for this.It looks so clean and fresh. The face wash is durable plastic with a double pump and the serum is a beautiful weighty metal.

For me, the serum is my favourite of the two. It's thick for a serum but it sinks into the skin so quickly and really does moisturise.

 I've used this in place of a primer and it gave a really nice result. It even gentler on my dry skin than the face wash and I may have to repurchase this when this one runs out.
This is available now on QVC for the introductory price of £29 for the pair.
I'll be giving a more in depth review in about a month when I've really tested them out but so far so good!
As far as I I know QVC does ship to Ireland so if your interested why not check it out?
*PR Sample
All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always.

What's in my Makeup Bag

Hey guys.
So I thought it might be nice if you could see what I actually carry around with me on a day to day basis.
If I have done any reviews I'll link them down below and the rest of the items will probably get full reviews in the near future.

Catrice BB All Round Foundation- review here.
NYX HD Concealer in Yellow-Brightens up my undereyes wonderfully.this was €6.99
L'Oreal concealer in Sand- good all round concealer. on sale for €2.00
Sleek Contour Pallette -review here.
Wet 'n' Wild blush in Pearlescent pink-pigmented and long lasting and the colour is just beautiful. this is around the €4.00 mark i believe.

Wet 'n' Wild Colour Icon palette in Comfort Zone -review here.
Essence Liquid Eyeliner- review here.
Essence I Love Stage eye shadow primer-this was less than €4 and i think it's really good.
Catrice Eyebrow kit-I've repurchased this more times than any other eyebrow kit. It's pigmented and the colours are spot on.
Catrice the Giant mascara- review here.

This is the makeup bag in it squeezes into :

I got my make up bag in Penneys just after Christmas and I think it's so cute.

I love the quilted fabric and the little bow on it. You can fit a surprising amount into it as well.

It was €4 and it's holding up really well for it being so inexpensive.

There are always 5 or 6 lip products rolling around in my bag but that changes so often. But there's always a lip balm with SPF, a nude lipstick, a pink lipstick or a red lipstick.
So there you have it. Any of these items in your make up bag? Or have you any recommendations to switch up mine?

The Beauty Scenario Tag

I've seen this doing the rounds on Youtube and I thought it might be a fun blog post to do so here it is.
Everyone who wants to do it is tagged :)
There are eight questions in this and I don't know of there are different variations so i'm taking the questions from Siobhan at letzmakeup's video.

You have to get rid of all your foundations and you can only keep one high end and one drugstore. Which do you keep?
I don't actually own any high-end foundations yet so I'm gonna go with my No. 7 Instant Radiance one for that and then my Catrice BB all round foundation as my drugstore choice.

You go for an interview and the lady interviewing you has lipstick on her teeth. Do you approach the subject or ignore it completely?
I would probably ignore it.I think it's the safest thing to do definitely as you don't know how she would react.

Your not feeling yourself and need a pick me up. Which lipstick do you put on to make yourself feel beautiful?
Probably Essence's long lasting lipstick in Wear Berries. It just makes me feel nice.

You go back in time for a day to your teenage years.How would you do your hair and makeup differently?
Probably not dye my hair from light blonde to jet black. I then used to punk it up a bit by wearing this bright magenta eye shadow all across my lid and not bother to blend it. I thought it looked great but looking back it was disastrous.

You ask your hairdresser for a shoulder length Pixie Lott haircut but they mishear and give you a pixi cut. Do you
 A: Smile, say thank you, leave and call your mum hysterical.
B:Cry in the chair and then things get awkward.
C:Complain to the manager and demand a refund.
I would probably cry in the chair. I unfortunatley have no grasp over my own emotions so it would end up being very very awkward knowing me and it would be horrible.

Your friend surprises you with a four day city break. Which 'do it all' Palette do you bring with you?
I would bring my Wet 'n' wild Comfort Palette with me. You can make so many different looks with it and it's great for either daytime or night time looks. 

Your house has been robbed, don't worry everyone is safe, but your beauty stash has been raided. what is the one product you really hope is safe?
The makeup wouldn't bother me as much. It would be my brush collection that I would be more worried about as I've spent more time and money building that up. None of my make up would be that difficult to replace compared to my brushes as it is all drugstore items.

Your friend borrows your makeup and returns it in awful condition
Do you 
A:Just pretend you haven't noticed
B:Ask them to repurchase it
C: Secretly do the same to something of theirs
I don't think I'd do any of the above really. I would ask them what happened to it and see if we could come to some sort of agreement but I wouldn't demand they repurchase it and I definitely wouldn't do the same thing to something of theirs 

July Favourites!

So this is my first ever favourites post!
I Thought I'd have a lot more than I do but there's still quite a few bits and bobs.
First up is this lovely foundation from Catrice

Now it doesn't last 18 hours as it claims but oh, its just beautiful. it has a demi-matte finish which I feel is perfect for my dry skin in this clammy weather and I love it.

Full review will be up soon as it needs its.

Priced at 6.99 euro 

Catrice Ultimate Shine lipstick in Read the Nudes- Paper

This is such a lovely nude for pale skins. it has a lovely amount of colour and the shine is incredible.

it's not as glittery as it looks here.. i swear.

This shade is actually being discontinued at some stage next week so do try get your hands on it and maybe stockpile them..I bought six of them. That's how much I love it. They retail for less than 5 Euro.

Next up is MAC Magenta lip liner

This is my go-to lipstick if I'm going out for the night. I always get at least one person asking what it is as well as it is a colour you don't see around that often.

It's just gorgeous and in some lights it has a purple/blue iridescence to it. This was 15.00

Top: Catrice Read the Nudes-Paper

Bottom : MAC Magenta lip liner

Catrice The Giant Mascara

I've blogged about this already here  but if I'm wearing mascara it's usually this.

Silly Catrice is also discontinuing this so pick a few up if you get a chance.

This is my third tube of this. I had a horrible reaction the the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish so I thought I'd give this one a go instead. Now i did get rid of the muslin cloth but that's only because flannels retain the heat much better. I pick this up whenever Boots are doing the vouchers and it's around 7 euro when I use one.

It does what it says and my skin loves it.

This candle is probably my favourite candle I've ever purchased and unfortunatly they are only available in Donegal at the minute.

You can usually find them in gift shops around the county and the range from 6.50 to 9.00 Euro.

They are hand made and scented using only essential oils so are natural.

The scent fills the entire room within 10 minutes and are one of the few candles that doesn't give me a headache.

If your ever in Donegal keep an eye out for them.

They do loads of different scents so I'm sure you'll find one you like.

I borrowed this of a friend and I'm devouring it.

It's just Tina Fey being her usual hilarious self and it's well worth a read.

Songs I've been loving this month is SIA's album 1000 forms of fear and a brilliant Irish band called Walking on Cars. It's something for me to find a band that i love every single song of but these guys are amazing.

The video's that they put with the songs really just add to them and I'm pretty obsessed with everything they do.

So there's my July favourites! Hope you liked them!

Is there anything on this list you've been loving too?

My Leibster Award Post

So I woke up this morning and checked twitter only to see that Clare from sparkleblossombeauty had nominated me for a Leibster Award! So huge thanks to her and be sure to check out her blog along with the others she has nominated.

I love the idea of this as you find so many new wonderful blogs to read that you may not have found before so kudos to whoever came up with it!

So the rules for this is:

Thank the blogger who nominated you (Thanks Clare!)

Write eleven random facts about yourself.

Answer the questions you have been set.

Nominate eleven blogger with under 200 followers.

Write your own set of questions for the bloggers you have nominated.

My eleven random facts

1-I don't hate anything as much as I hate bellybuttons. I can't look at them or talk about them, even now I'm squirming writing about them. I don't know why but, ugh, I can't strand them.
2-I love ducks. I want to have a few of my own some day once I get the man friend convinced. They're just so cute!
3-I went off pizza for a full year. Never again. Ever.
4-I am a qualified chef, and i can't really cook. Desserts are my speciality though.
5-I love reading books set in the Second World War. There's just something about them.
6-I don't know how to drive or swim.
7-I hate ironing. I would rather clean the whole house than iron.
8- White peanut butter cups are my favourite chocolate.
9-I own all the Batman movies. Even the 80's ones and I can watch them over and over again.
10-I love playing Call of Duty Zombies.
11-When i was younger i wanted to be a Forensic Anthropologist.

Clare's Questions :

What is your favourite season?

Winter definitely. I love everything that goes with it-hot chocolate, layers of clothes, Christmas...

Name one thing on your bucket list.

Get a VW camper van and road trip all over America and Canada

What is your favourite book?

Any of the Harry Potter books. I read them over and over.

Cats or Dogs?

 Dogs- unlimited affection.

What is your favourite part about being a blogger?

Seeing someone has actually read something that I've worked hard on, and the fact that any blogger I've talked to on Twitter has been more than lovely.

What is your holy grail beauty product?

My No. 7 Instant Radiance foundation. I haven't found one that beats it yet.

How do you get inspired for your posts?

Reading other established blogs makes me want to be at their level. Finding really good products that are affordable makes me want to blog all about them as well. 

What fictional character from a movie/book would you like to be?

Batman 

If you were a superhero which one would you be?

I'd like to think I'd be the black widow but I've more in common with the hulk so..

Who is your beauty icon?

Rosie Huntington-Whitely. just classic beauty

If you could have dinner with any famous person living/dead who would it be?

Probably Slash from Guns and Roses.

I still don't know how he's still alive if he was telling the truth in his autobiography about the madness he used to get up to.

Who I'm Nominating:
http://bigblondegirl.blogspot.ie/
http://afoxyreview.blogspot.co.uk/
http://makeupalwaysfitsme.wordpress.com/
http://ahsuretislovely.wordpress.com/
http://rosesandrockets.blogspot.ie/
http://atthebeautydesk.blogspot.ie/
http://pinkelephantbloggin.com/
robynrantsandraves.com
http://feebleflower.blogspot.ie/
http://caledoniankitty.blogspot.co.uk/
http://ohhsorosie.blogspot.co.uk/


My Questions
1. What did you want to be when you grew up?
2.What country have you always wanted to visit?
3. What makeup item could you not go without?
4.Bright or nude lipstick?
5.What's your favourite part of blogging?
6.What's your favourite beauty brand?
7. What's your favourite part of yourself?
8.How would you describe your go-to makeup?
9.What would your superpower be?
10.Who is your role model?
11.What is the biggest beauty mistake you've made?

If everyone I've nominated could link me to their leibster award post that would be lovely.

NYX Butter Gloss- Peach Cobbler

Hey guys, hope your well.

Today's post is about this lovely butter gloss from NYX:

I have it in the shade Peach cobbler and it's a lovely peachy coral shade that's perfect for summer.

I love everything about this gloss and will definitely be picking up a few more shades when I next can.

It has such a nice amount of pigment in it. Not too sheer but not too in your face either. The packaging is a good concept as well, as the colour of the packaging corresponds with the colour of the butter gloss. This will come in very handy if you have a few too many lip products as it's easily recognisable.

The dough-foot applicator picks up the perfect amount of product and it's easily controlled.

 The only thing I would maybe change is the stickyness. If it's windy and you have long loose hair it could have a tendancy to get stuck in it but that happens with the majority of glosses so it's not too big of a deal.

It retails at 5.49 Euro which is a nice price for the quality. Lasting time is around the 2 hour mark but I lose the glossyness at around an hour. the colour does stay though so I do like that about it. 

I already have my eye on 4 other shades so do try them if you ever see them, just be prepared to want more.

Have you tried these? What did you think?

L'Oreal Paris Extra-Volume Collagene mascara

Hey guys, hope you are well.

In a recent splurge in a chemist i came across a box of L'Oreal products reduced down to 2 Euro, there wasn't much left but i did manage to get my hands on this:

 

L'Oreal Extra-Collagene mascara

I had actually never heard of this particular mascara. Usually ads for L'Oreal are on all the time showcasing their products but I don't remember seeing this one. Maybe it's been out for a few years?

I picked it up anyway thinking that if it was good I'd got a bargain and it if wasn't then well, it was only two euro.

It has a wand with bristles that grabs every lash and is in an hourglass shape.

I am glad I picked it up. While it definitely isn't my new favourite mascara it's still very decent.

It's very black and it applies nicely- as long as your not in a rush.

The first time I applied this I really didn't like it as it clumped together so badly. It gave me about six lashes as it was so clumpy.

I don't have anything against spidery ashes but it did look ridiculous.

I didn't want to write it off so i gave it a few more go's over a couple of days and I've found a way to use it that I like.

When I open it I scrape off as much of the mascara as I can and then wave it around for a few seconds to dry it a little bit. I then do two to three very light coats going in with a lash brush if there are any clumps.

This leaves me with voluminous and fanned out lashes with no clumps.

If I was in in a rush I would probably skip this mascara but when I have time I do like to use as I really like the effect it gives.

No mascara

Lovely fanned out lashes 

It doesn't give me an awful lot of volume but I'm not really one for it anyway, but just keep that in mind if you're looking for a mascara with volumising properties.

All in all it is a nice mascara, doesn't really do what it says it will but its very black and will fan out your lashes beautifully.

NYX Matte Lipstick-Summer Breeze

Hey Guys, hope you're well.

So recently I got a few things from NYX and this matte lipstick was one of them.

I got it in the shade Summer Breeze and it's a beautiful candy pink.

It's a little bit lighter than the pinks I would normally go for but for summer I can just about pull it off with m slightly darker skin tone.
In the winter I might mix it a little bit with a deeper pink shade.

For a lipstick that is marketed as being matte I find it very creamy to apply and its beautifully opaque and doesn't dry out my lips at all.

The finish isn't as matte as I was hoping for though and lasting time is around the two hour mark- not one the longest lasting mattes in my collection but it doesn't leave that horrible line around the outline of my lips as it wears away, which is definitely something I appreciate

I do love the finish even if it's not matte and I'll definitely be picking up a few more of the shades as soon as i can.

Have you tried these lipsticks?What are your thoughts on them?

Beauty Haul!

Hi guys and welcome back.
So yesterday i found out that NYX finally had a stand in an area that wasn't to far away from me.
I hotfooted it over and had my money at the ready.
The stand had just been put in that day and not all the products were there yet so I'll have to make another trip in a week or two I think.
This is what I got altogether:

I picked up a few L'Oreal bits as the were all reduced to two Euro.
This was because they got rid of the stand to make way for the NYX stand.

These were the 3 NYX products i picked up.
The HD Photogenic concealer in the very yellow shade which was 6.99 Euro
a Butter Gloss in Peach Cobbler (6.49) and a matte lipstick in the shade Summer Breeze.(5.49)

I picked up 4 products from L'oreal as they were on such a good deal. I would've got more but this was the only things left that I liked the look of.

I got a Perfect Match concealer in the shade 3 Cream,

a Glam Shine Miss Candy lip gloss in 703 Tart Lollipop,

a Colour Infallible pressed pigment 14 eternal Black and an Extra Volume Collagene mascara in Smoky Black.

From the Catrice stand I picked up two of their BB Allround Foundations in 010 Light Beige , half price at 3.53 Euro

These were half price as they are getting discontinued soon and i may pick up another few as they are one of my favourite bases. Review here

I also picked up their Photo Finish foundation in the shade 010 Sand Beige. This was 6.99 Euro.

No doubt you'll see these products being reviewed in the coming weeks when i have properly got a feel for them.

What do you think of the items i got? Are there any i should of left behind or stocked up more on?

Thanks for reading!