What I've Been Loving Lately

Catrice BB Cream

This is so handy in the mornings when I want to look presentable but not spend half an hour trying o fix my face. I can apply it without a mirror if I have to and it looks great every time. It's a staple for the mornings when I have to drag myself out of bed with 15 minutes until I have to catch a bus( this is somewhat of a regular occurrence these days). Full review here

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils

Rust and French Fries

Again another easy and quick option for when I'm running out the door. I just apply ,blend them out with my finger and set them with a translucent powder. Simple but effective. Full review here

Essence Long lasting Lipstick in Natural Beauty

L'Oreal Paris lipstick in 461 Scarlett Creme

Essence Natural Beauty, L'Oreal Scarlett Creme, mixed together

I love both of these on their own but I'm really liking them layered for just a hint of redness on my lips. Both formula's are creamy, they mix really well together and love the finished colour.

Catrice Better than False Lashes Mascara-Ultra Black

Yes I know, another mascara. But ever since my beloved The Giant mascara died a sad death a few weeks ago I've been reaching for this. It is Ultra Black but I'm still not sold on the "Better than False Lashes" yet. However it is a fantastic mascara.

Soap and Glory Archery

Another quick solution to doing my brows in the morning. The pencil helps keep my brows in place a day and the pen helps me fill them in so quickly and easily. Full review here

Essence "Stay No Matter What" eyeliner

It's not lying when it says stay no matter what. This lasts through lashing rain and boiling hot kitchens. It's also easy-peasy to apply and achieve either a super fine line or a thick one. It boasts 16hr wear and it has lasted that and a bit more on me. Thoroughly recommend it. 

La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5

Possibly the most grubby but well loved one you'll see on the internet. This comes everywhere with me now as the weather has started to get colder and my eczema has decided to rear it's ugly head.

It also brought my cuticles back from the dead after an awful experience with a nail strenghener.

It has proved itself to be a Holy Grail Item and is also very affordable.

Penny's mirror

How cute is this thing? I picked it up when I went into Penney's "for a look" but it's come in very handy over the past few weeks. One half of it is normal and the other is magnified. To make it even sweeter, it was only €1.50!

Penney's Change Purse

I love this purse. It makes it a lot easier when you're running for a bus to have all your change in one place (haven't got around to getting a leap card yet). My cards fit inside it easily too so whenever I don't feel like taking my big one it all fits nicely in here.This was less than €3.

Amazon Kindle

Another well loved item. Now that I have an idea of where my stop is I can relax on the bus so this has been getting a lot of love these past few weeks. I love reading and having this means I don't have to carry around a book or spend a small fortune on a magazine. It's a handbag staple for me now.

I picked these up in Lidl about a week ago and they are they nicest sweets I've tried in a long time. I love how they're packaged in a little tub and the strawberry cheesecake ones are just amazing. If you happen to see these on your weekly shop-pick them up!They were only a euro and I'm going back tomorrow to grab another one.

So there you have it. 

What have you been loving lately?

imPress Nails: The Halloween Edition

In the past few years as I've gotten more into makeup, I've enjoyed Halloween more and more as I can do something totally crazy and out of the box with my makeup. This year however I'm not sure what I'm doing yet but I know I want to make a effort in some way leading up to it.

This is where imPress Nails* come in. 

For someone like me who is hopeless at nail art these nails come in so handy. There's no faffing about with glue or anything, just use the prep pad that comes with it, peel off the back and stick them on.

I received three sets and I love them all.

Total Witch

Supernatural

After Midnight

The detail that they have is something I really like.

They claim to last up to a week and as long as you're careful they will. I applied the Supernatural set on Friday night and they lasted through packing and unpacking over the weekend until Monday night so I think that's very decent.

There are 6 designs in total which include

 Midnight Black- black block colour

Hot Blooded- Black Background with yellow cobwebs and skulls

Rager-A Neon Orange set

These are retailing for €4.99 (half price) as they are limited edition for Halloween.

They can be found in Dunnes Stores and the majority of pharmacies.
Will you be giving these a go for Halloween?

*These were sent for review to me-however that has not affected my judgement or review of them.

Catrice Longlasting Lipliners

In the past, I never used lip liners at all. I never seen the point of them and didn't want to waste my money on things I'd never use.

That changed when a Catrice stand came to my local chemist and I was trying out things I'd never tried as I was able to afford them because of the inexpensiveness of all the products. 

I ended up picking up a lip liner and I've been using them ever since.

I have four of the shades at the minute and two of them are repurchases.

The one I picked up most recently is Hey Macadamia Ahey! as I thought it might be an easy way to try out the 90's lip that seems to be everywhere these days. I don't think this suits me at all though. It's just very..brown. It could be perfect for someone else though, just not me. It was on sale though for €0.99 so I can't complain about the price. It is however the driest formula out of the ones I have, so just be aware of that. It does tug slightly and it's quite hard to get a crisp finish with it.

 Hey Macadamia Ahey!

The second one I Got You Babe! It's the first one I ever picked up and I've very recently repurchased. . It's a nice pinky nude that would suit almost everybody and goes well with any nude lipstick I own.

I Got You Babe!

The third one is probably my favourite out of the bunch

It's That's What Rose Wood Do! I've been using it mostly with MAC's Creme Cup as I don't like wearing the lipstick by itself, but by pairing it with this lip liner I'm able to get a lot more wear out of it. But I also love wearing it by itself with just a little balm over the top as it's such a pretty peachy nude. It's the creamiest one and I love this one the most-I'm on my third. It's also the easiest one to apply.

This one is very close to my natural lip shade so I can pair it with any lipstick really

That's What Rose Wood Do!

The Last shade is Berryson Ford. This is a gorgeous red that has a blue undertone to it so it matches the majority of my red lipsticks-I love how they make my teeth look whiter. It's not the creamiest of them but it's nowhere near as dry as Hey Macadamia Ahey!, it's somewhere in the middle of them if that makes sense? It does last around 7 hours-as do all of them- even through eating(as long as it'd not too greasy) and drinking so I think They are well worth the €2.30 and they can be found in Penney's and the majority of chemists.

Berryson Ford

Catrice say on their website that they are "The ideal preparation for fashion lips: the Long lasting Lip Pencil sets colour limits and prevents lipstick as well as gloss from streaking. Its waterproof texture guarantees ultra long lasting contours. And the creamy tip softly glides over your lips to ensure an accurate application."

And I would agree with this-apart from Hey Macademia Ahey! being quite dry, the rest are all creamy. They do help my lipstick last longer and they don't fade during the day.

L-R Hey Macadamia Ahey!, I Got You Babe!, That's What Rose Wood Do! and Berryson Ford.

If you were to try any of these I would recommend That's what Rose Wood Do! as it's beautifully creamy and ridiculously easy to apply.

Do you wear lip liner? Do you use it with nudes and darker colours?

The Foundation That Converted Me To Matte

If you have read a few of my previous posts, you'll know I'm a sucker for a dewy finish. Having dry skin makes it easier for me to achieve a nicer finish with a dewy foundation than a matte one so obviously it's the one I'm going to go for on a day to day basis. That was until I picked this one up.

Catrice Nude Illusion Foundation

This is quite a thick consistency but it glides on to a light to medium coverage, depending how much you use. It takes two and a half pumps for my face and a little down my neck and I get a medium coverage. I apply it using the Real Techniques blending sponge but using my fingers works just a well.

The thing I love about this is that it's not a flat matte finish as it contains light reflecting pigments in it, which makes my skin look alive and still has a tiny little bit of a glow.

 I do still consider it a matte finish though.

 It doesn't cling to any dry patches that I have on my skin, which was my issue with other matte foundations I've tried

It's almost un-noticable on my skin after I apply it so I think they named it accurately.

The bottle is a glass one with a black plastic pump that gives out a nice amount of product.

There are five shades available so not the best selection unfortunately. I was lucky that the lightest shade 010 Nude Ivory  matches me perfectly so hopefully you'll find a shade that suits you.

This is €8.49 which I'm fairly sure is the most expensive item on Catrice stands at the minute.

This is well worth the money and if your looking for a new foundation I would highly recommend it.

Have you tried this foundation? Do you prefer dewy or matte finishes?

Boots Time Delay Oil Cleanser and Daily Brightening Toner

These two products are something I picked up around a month ago when i was searching for a new skincare routine. It was the fact that the Boots own brand were having a sale on that got my attention first and then I seen the brightening toner and remembered that I was wanting to try it out.

 Cleansing oil was also something I has been wanting to try out as well but I never came across one that wasn't quite expensive. These two products together came to €9 and change, so I was pretty pleased with that.

The Cleansing oil is a really nice cleanser. Maybe not the most luxurious out there but still not bad. It breaks down and removes all of my makeup nicely and as long as you give your face another go with a warm facecloth after there's no residue left on your face. I have yet to try it with Benefit's "They're Real" mascara to see if it can remove that as not many cleansers I've tried can.

The only problem I have with this is the packaging. It's just a normal bottle that you pour the oil out of and I find I waste a lot of it this way. If it had a pump it would be a lot easier and there would be less oil all over my bathroom floor.

The brightening toner I had heard Caroline Hirons (I think) say it was a good gentle daily exfoliator and with having dry skin I know how much better my skin looks after I've exfoliated. This is so easy to use and it's one of a few toners I've tried that doesn't leave my skin feeling tight and dry. In the month using it I have to say that I have noticed a difference in my skin. I need to use a physical exfoliator a lot less than I used to before I started this. It does state on the bottle that your sensitivity to the sun may be heightened so be sure to wear sunscreen while using this.

These two products together are working out very well on my skin and I'm pretty sure that when  they're normal price they're €15 together. I think it's an accepatable price for good skincare that will last a few months (unless I spill the whole bottle of cleansing oil everywhere, it could happen)

What are your favourite skincare items? Do you always notice a difference when you switch products?

Top Ten Tag

Hey guys,

I was tagged about a fortnight ago by the lovely Nicholle over at Beauty, Lifestyle, Ramblings to do this tag and I'm finally getting around to it now. I like these kind of tags as you can easily see what products people use and love on a regular basis so you know that they really are good.

So lets get started..

Foundation

My favourite foundation that I've found so far is the  No. 7 Instant Radiance Foundation. As you can see it's nearly finished but I'm going to ration it out until I can get a voucher, as it is around the €18 mark, which I think a little expensive.

I have dry skin and this just sits so beautifully on it and gives my face a lovely natural looking glow with the dewy finish that it has. It also matches my skin and undertone perfectly which I also love.

The lasting time is around eight hours before any sign of wear but if I powder it it will stay in place a day for me.

Concealer

Concealer isn't something that I would reach for on a day to day basis actually. Any that I've found just doesn't sit the way I want it to on my dry skin and usually just emphasises it. If you have any recommendations for a good one please do let me know! The concealer that I do use is the NYX HD in Yellow but it's more for brightening my under eyes more than concealing my imperfections.

Powder

Myself and powders have never really got on in the past, any I tried all ended up looking cake-y and dry which was not what I wanted. Then i tried the Bourjois java powder and have been reaching for this every day. A lot of people may not like the fact that it's a little shimmery, but I love it as it illuminates my face in a lovely way. There will be a full review of this up in the future as I feel it deserves it's own post.

Blush

I have been using this every time I apply makeup since I got it way back when Wet 'n' Wild first launched here. I heard that Pearlescent Pink was a dupe for NARS Orgasm which I loved the look of so it was on the top of my list. And it's beautiful. It give such a nice flush of colour that doesn't fade on me throughout the day and the pigmentation of this is amazing. You barely touch it with your brush and your enough for both cheeks.I've had this for about seven months and I've barely made a dent on the design so this will last you for absolute ages and it's only €3.99!

Bronzer and Highlighter

I stuck these two together as they're in the same palette. For for contouring I use the contour side of the sleek contour palette as I love how it doesn't look orange or muddy on my fair skin. It's lovely and pigmented as is the highlighter. the highter is a beautiful champagne tone with really fine shimmer. It catches the light really nicely and it also suits my fair skin tone. Review here.

Mascara

 Catrice The GIANT Extreme Volume mascara. My favourite mascara and now unfortunately discontinued. I have a few mascaras that I do really like but they just don't make my lashes as amazing as this one does.

I have a full review on it Here if you want to know more about it.

Eyeshadow

This was quite a hard one as I do mix and match different brands together but if I'm going away for the weekend or anything I always take the MUA Smokin Palette with me so this is a definite favourite.

 You can create day and night time looks with the colours and the pigmentation is excellent. I have a full review if you'd like to see swatches Here.

Brows

Soap and Glory Archery. It's been on my face everyday since I bought it. It's so easy to use and the colour range is quite goos as well. there's a full review here.

Lip Products

The Essence Longlasting Lipsticks (black tubes). These are amazing. They were in my first few reviews on here (here) and I still wear them a few times every week. I have a stockpile of the colours I love in case i lose them or use one up as I'd hate to be without them.

So there you have it. Those are the products that i love to use and don't know if I could do without.
I tag : sparkleblossombeauty
Ah Sure Tis lovely
Passions and Preening
Blather and Beauty

and anyone else who'd like to do it!
What are your holy grail products and have you any conncealer reccommendations for dry skin? I'd love to know..

A little life update..

I've been very inconsistent at blogging lately, which I'm actually really missing. But life has completely taken over in the past month or so. 

I've been working crazy hours to try and get and much money as possible for the move down to Dublin (terrified and excited all at once!) and trying to move out of our place we have now all in the space of about three weeks.

from something like this:

Image source

to this

Image source

We still don't actually have a place to move into in Dublin yet, but as soon as we do I'm on my way down. We have a few places to view on Friday and I've stupidly fallen in love with one of the places already. Bad idea I know.

 So hopefully in two weeks I'll be down in Dublin, settling in and not getting lost absolutely everwhere.

 The bf's as calm as anything and I'm freaking out enough for the both of us, fear of the unknown and all that.

It's going to be a bit of a culture shock as I'm used to traffic jams caused by sheep or cows on the road, my local town having one main street so no chance of getting lost and everyone knowing everyone( and their business-I won't miss that).

So blogging will probably take another while to become consistant again while I get sorted and then settled down with a job in Dublin (fingers crossed).

You can follow me on Twitter here and see just how often I get lost while there, It'll be fun for everyone ha. 

Am I silly to be freaking out? And what places to I need to go to in Dublin? Seriously, I have no clue.

Autumn Clothes Haul!

I don't go clothes shopping that often as I went through a spell a few years ago of buying absolutely everything, so i do have enough clothes to last me a few years. I was in Penny's in Derry a few weeks ago and did pick up a few things though so I thought I'd share them with you.

I picked up these stud earrings as I'm having a bit of a moment with small earrings. In the past I loved the big dangly ones but studs are just so handy for work and everyday. So I bought three different designs.

I love buying cosy jumpers as it gets colder so I picked up these two in this simple design to just throw on whenever it did get a little chillier.

I got them in a size 16 as I like my jumpers to be a little loose but I was swamped by them. My mum measured them and it turns out they're really a size 22, not 16 like the tag said so I think next time I go shopping I'll actually try things on before I pay for them..

These were around the £10 mark.

I fell in love with this scarf as soon as I saw it and then fell in love a little bit more when I felt it. It's so soft and perfectly cosy and I love the colours of it.

This was £3.

Hat's do not suit me much but when it starts to get very cold I don't really mind that. I'd rather be nice and warm than looking ok and freezing.I like the colour as back and white go with nearly everything and it's just handy to pull on.I've never mastered those floppy hats that sit halfway back on your head.

Socks..not very exciting but a necessity. I was actually looking for the thick fluffy socks that Penney's do but they didn't have any that I could see.these were £3 for seven pairs.

'Ugg' boots as I love to wear these around the house when it starts to get chiller as they're so cosy and if I need to run outside quick I can carry on easily.these were £7

I picked this up in Asda as it was on offer for £4 and I love anything by Karin Slaughter.

This book follows Faith Mitchell after her mother disappears and Will Trent and Sara Lipton help her figure out what happened. Terrible description but I don't want to give too much away, but I'm about halfway through and I'm really enjoying it.

I got this purely because it reminded me of Calamity Jane which is one of my favourite films so I thought I'd try it to see what it was like.

It's rotten. I nearly spat it out it was that bad . It has a strange taste of liquorice which I usually like but it was just not for me at all.

 So there you have it. I might do another Autumn and Winter shop once I get settled in down in Dublin as I already have my eye on a gorgeous jacket in Penny's that I know I need to have.

Is there anything you always buy as soon as it starts to get cold? 

My Autumnal Makeup

Hi guys,

I thought I'd show you what i've been wearing almost everyday for the past fortnight or so.

I do change up different bits of it like lipstick or the eyeliner but this is the basic look.

 I start with my eyes first by putting a layer of NYX jumbo pencil in French fries all over the mobile lid and a little into the crease.

I then pat on the rose gold shade from my Catrice eyeshadow quad in Never Let Me Go all over it. This makes it so shimmery, It's not too disco ball though I think. I then blend the mid brown into the crease to give my eyes a little more depth. I sometimes skip this as I have hooded eyes so you don't always see it anyway.

On days where I wear eyeliner I use my Ted Baker felt tip eyeliner to draw a very small wing. If I'm not using eyeliner I trace across the lash line with the definer shade from the green side of wet n wild comfort zone palette.

I apply my foundation (currently the Catrice Nude Illusion) with my Real Techniques blending sponge.

For lips I do change it up every day but I've been loving wearing the Wet and Wild Megaslicks Balm Stain in Lady is a Vamp patted on and blended out my lip. I love using this because as the day goes on I can easily apply more to bring it to a more night time look or just keep it sheer for daytime.

Blush is usually my Wet n Wild Blush in Pearlscent* Pink.

*Not a typo,it's the way it's spelt on the packaging..which I'm fairly sure is a mistake..

Brows are done using Soap and Glory Archery in Love is Blonde and then that's me done for the day.

 What colours do you like to wear in Autumn? Would you try this look out?

Essence I Love Stage Eyeshadow Primer

This is one of my most repurchased items from essence. For a cheap and cheerful product it certainly packs a punch.

It's a yellow toned primer so if you have quite noticeable veining or blueness on your eyelids then this is perfect.
It's in a little plastic tube that comes with a doe-foot applicator. I have enough for both of my eyes with the product on the applicator.

I find that this product is brilliant for bring out the duo chrome and shimmer that are in shadows as well as prolong the lasting power considerably.

Left-over primer 
Right- without primer
I also like to use this under my under eye concealer as it is yellow based so it helps to neutralise my dark circles further and helps my concealer from creasing.
 The only thing is with this primer is that if you apply to much you get the opposite effect. I find if I use more than just enough to blend over my eye from lash line to brow that my eye shadows do tend to crease a bit more than usual but if you use this sparingly I think you'll get on great with it.
It comes in one shade only which I hope they expand soon.
This retails for €2.99 and you can find it in Penney's and most chemists around Ireland.

Have you tried this primer? What primer do you love?I'd love to know..

Dream Dots* Review

I was sent these over a month ago for review purposes and I have been putting it through it's paces. They are an Irish brand that are also vegan and cruelty free.

image source

I used it first on a few little pimples and they did exactly what they claimed to do. The spots were gone overnight and left no proof that they had ever been on my face.

I was delighted.

Then I got a monster of a spot right between my upper lip and nose for all the world to see. This was one that was actually painful if you touched it at all so I was depending on the dream dots to work it's magic.The first night I put it on an hour before bed to give it a little extra time to work and hoped for the best.

The next morning I peeled it off and the spot was still there. Not as big or painful but still noticeable. I used the dots for the next two nights in a row and by the third morning it had disappeared.

On the Sam Mc Cauley website it does say to use over 3 days so they do work within that time limit.

I've used all but four of the dots that I received and I did notice that some of them were a little stickier than others. They weren't painful to remove but it took a little bit of fiddling with them. I used these on the right side of my face as that is the side I sleep on and they were all intact in the morning so in that case it is a plus.

They are simple to use, just cleanse your skin,peel a dot of the backing and apply to your spot.It changes overnight from clear to a white milky colour to let you know it's ready to be taken of in the morning.

Apologies for having no pictures but I think your better off not seeing my spots.

These retail for €14.99 for 24 dots with free delivery from Sam Mc Cauley but Lloyds Pharmacy Has them for €9.99 at the minute. If You have anything special coming up or just hate having pesky spots I would recommend them. They work within their claims and heal spots completely, even huge painful ones.

Have you or are you thinking of trying these?Let me know below..

*I was sent this product for review but this has not affected my opinion on the product

A post on grieving..

Grieving is something everything has to go through in their lives. It's horrible but it's true. Whether it be from a beloved pet, relative or friend, it happens to us all.It's a tough time but you do get through it, it could take months or years but you do get through it and you come out stronger in the end.It's just the getting through it part that is difficult. 

The funny thing about it though is that you never know how you'll react. You think you do but until you have to go through it you won't know for sure. I thought I  would be very strong, and in some cases I was, but in others I was a wreak. You can react differently every time it seems.

I was the biggest wreak when I lost one of my parents. It's over five years since it happened and I'm still going through the 'Five stages of grief'. 

I lost a parent when I was a teenager. It's a tough time anyway but add that on top of it and it's hell. 

I was in the first stage of grief-Denial- before they even died as we knew it was coming. I knew it was coming but I was in complete denial. I believed everyone was lying to me. I believed that a miracle would happen and that they'd be fine,that it was all just a misunderstanding. It didn't and it wasn't unfortunately, but I was adamant it would. And this is completely normal. Everyone may go though it for some length of time, even it's it's only for a few days.

The second stage is Anger. I was only in this for a short time, but my god I was angry. I blamed everything and everyone for my parents death including myself.I was angry at my parent for leaving me and making me deal with all this. I pushed away all my friends as they just didn't understand. I pushed away everyone that tried to help. Looking back I think this was the hardest time, not for me but for the people around me.Again, it's different for everyone.

Bargaining. Another short stage one for me. I was making deals with God and Buddha and anything I thought would help. They didn't of course but I tried my best. I would've gave anything to have them back. 

The Depression Stage

This was my longest stage.Honestly there are days I think I am still in it. This was the most difficult time for me. I felt completely alone. My friends and family all said 'they understood' but they didn't. Some friends (no longer though) felt that I should be over it after four or five years but I just couldn't. They thought I just wanted attention and an excuse to talk about myself. This wasn't the case at all but that's how they seen it. 

I got in touch with a therapist and only for them and not sure how I would be. Only my very close family knew about it as I didn't want it getting out that I was seeing a shrink. The stigma of depression is quite bad in Ireland unfortunately and I was afraid of what people would think.

But if you think it would help please go and see one. Even if it'd just to talk freely about your day to day life, screw the stigma and talk to one. It honestly helps so much. I don't understand why there is still such a stigma about depression still but that may be another post.

Acceptance

This is the stage I think I am going through at the minute. That I hope I am going through anyway.

Although, just because I may be going through accepting it all doesn't mean that I am carefree and happy all the time. There are still days when I don't want to even get out of bed and put on 'The Happy Face'. It's still difficult but it is getting easier.I find that going to their grave and telling them about everything that's been happening ,makes me feel close to them. This has only happened in the last six months or so though. Before that I only went to their grave twice in five years.

Like I keep saying though is that everyone handles it differently.what was hard for me may not be as bad for you. What was easier for me may be the difficult thing for you.Everyone is different.

Not everyone goes through all these stages though and any stage can last any amount of time. It depends on the person going through it.

If there is anything I want you to get from this waffling of mine is that it honestly does get easier. There may be a few hurdles along the way put you will manoeuvre around them. Whatever it may be that you are grieving for please know that they are always with you, whether it's when you think back on something funny they did and smile, or cry from missing them so much, that's them being with you. They are always in your heart and mind and they will never truly leave you. That's what I think anyway. There are always people to talk to, whether it be your friends, family or people like the Samaritans (116123-now a free to call number) and it really does help to talk. Whatever you are feeling let yourself do it. If you want to cry then go ahead and cry, if you want to laugh then carry on. Don't feel guilty about doing any of these things.

I've been writing this post for over two weeks now and changed it god knows how many times. I'm a little scared to put something this personal to me out there but if it helps anyone then it'll be worth it. I hope this post has made sense to you, I kind of blurted everything out every time I tried to rewrite it. 

If you want to talk about this more or have something made a little more sense of  my email is everydayunicorn1@gmail.com and twitter is HERE. If I can help with anything at all I will.