Bourjois Healthy Mix Correcting Concealer

This Bourjois concealer is a re-discovery for me. I used to love this concealer and then I discovered Collection's Lasting Perfection Concealer which kind of took over! However, recently I've found that its a bit too heavy for under my eyes and went on the hunt for something else. So what's so good about it? Firstly its super thick and creamy which makes it great at covering dark circles under my eyes without being too dry. Oddly enough it also smells amazing! It has a fruity-raspberry scent to it but it doesn't irritate my skin.
The only downside to this concealer is that the lightest shade is just that bit too dark for me, I have the lightest shade- 51 Light Radiance.
Next up- I need to try the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation - I hope its a better match to my skin tone as it gets such amazing reviews!

About Time - Film Review

Another weekend, and yet another Rom-Com hits the silver screen. However, something about this particular film caught my eye- perhaps the relatively unknown Domhnall Gleeson cast alongside Rom-Com-Queen Rachel McAdams gave me hope that maybe this was a little different from the rest.

This film wasn't what I expected, I presumed it would be a typical boy-meets-girl, they fall madly in love and everything falls apart only for him to win her back at the end. How wrong I was, of course we have the boy-meets-girl and falls madly in love part but that's really as far as their relationship develops in the film. The really interesting bit is Tim's (Domhnall Gleeson) ability to time travel, along with all the other men in his family. This adds plenty of amusement to the film as Tim gets the unique opportunity to fuck situations up quite spectacularly and then gets to go back and fix his mistakes. Domhnall Gleeson is excellent in these horribly awkward and cringe-worthy situations, and its refreshing to see someone other than Hugh Grant in a British romantic comedy!

For me, this film was more about Tim and his relationship with his wonderfully quirky and eccentric family, Bill Nighy as Tim's Dad is a particular gem! It makes for a really heart-warming story that by the end has veered into more of a Father-Son relationship than romantic Rom-Com. If you haven't already seen it I would strongly advise that you do, just don't get too caught up in the ins-and-outs of Tim's time travelling abilities. This isn't Back to the Future so don't expect many space time continuum rules to apply here!

A really great date night movie that even your boyfriend will enjoy as it never gets too slushy and at times is really hilarious, or just a fun film to see with the girls!

Hightsreet/Drugstore Beauty Buys.

 

 

Its my little sister's birthday this week, which also coincided with her running out of almost all her makeup- does anyone else get that mascara, foundation and concealer all love to run out at the same time? So being the lovely sister that I am I decided to get her some of the make-up bits she needed. Concealer is something she already had, as well as her Naked palette from Urban Decay so these weren't necessary.
So here's what I picked up in Boots;

No7 Instant Radiance Foundation.
I was wearing this foundation earlier on this year and really liked it. My sister previously had the matte version of this which she picked up by accident, I got her the Instant Radiance this time around as now we are coming into the Winter months our skin needs that extra bit of glow! Shade- Calico.

Rimmel Max Volume Flash Mascara.
I picked this up quite randomly, just knowing that mascara was one of the things she needed. A lot of the mascaras I looked at had the plastic comb applicator which I know she hates. I'm not sure how good this one is (I'm still waiting on her review!) but I mostly got it because it had a fat brush applicator.

Seventeen Skin Wow! Three Way Highlighter.
This is something I am definitely going to go back for myself, my friend who was with me in Boots suggested this as she loves it. It can be used underneath foundation as a luminescent primer, blended onto cheekbones for a nice bit of glow or even mixed in with a pump of foundation for an all over sheen. For roughly €4 I couldn't believe how lovely this product was, super pearlescent and pigmented. My sister always steals my Lush Feeling Younger cream highlighter so I knew she would be a fan of this!

No7 Stay Perfect Lip Stain.
This was another product I immediately wanted myself after I swatched it on the back of my hand! My sister is a huge fan of lip stains as they last pretty much all day with minimum touch ups. However, her Rimmel lip stain was looking incredibly worse for wear (I dread to think how long she's had it for)- so I picked her up a new one. I had intended to grab another Rimmel one but these No7 versions caught my eye, I think they're quite new to the range? I got her the shade Ballet which is a gorgeous deep berry colour and is lovely for the colder months- they also come with a sheer lip balm at the opposite end to stop the stain from drying out your lips too much.

I also got her a new make-up bag- only €3.50 from Pennys/Primark!

Dr Martens.

Dr Martens are definitely a Marmite shoe- you love 'em or hate 'em. Personally, I love them-its been a while since I last wore a pair (the only ones I own are covered in flowers-big mistake). I've been coveting these low rise ones for a while now and finally decided to get a pair! They literally go with everything- I've been pairing them with thin black tights and rolled down white socks- definitely a schoolgirl-esque vibe but I like how it looks. They look great worn with girly dresses as it really offsets how clunky they are.
They do set you back a fair bit of cash but they really are worth every penny as they will last you for years. I picked mine up in Office where they were around €110/115 and with a student discount I got them for €96. They have them in loads of different styles-I also have my eye on the burgundy pair!

New MAC Lippies

 

As you can see I have recently acquired some new MAC lipsticks. I'm quite a sucker for the MAC lipstick counter and can spend a rather long time swatching every colour under the sun on the back of my hand.
First of these two lovely lippies is MAC's Lady Danger- I have wanted this lipstick for SO LONG. I already own MAC Red and Ruby Woo and for a long time convinced myself that I didn't need another red lipstick. However, when I was on holidays I decided that what the hell, I really do need this lipstick in my life! I'm so glad I did make this spontaneous purchase as its such a gorgeous colour. A really vibrant orangey-red, unlike Ruby Woo's blue toned red, it really packs a punch on the lips. I like to think its quite a quirky colour and that it really stands out against my pale skin. Another huge bonus is that its a matte lipstick, which I love. I hate re-applying constantly and with MAC's Matte range there really is no need, they have some seriously good staying power!

Top- Lady Danger. Bottom- Plumful.

 Another new addition is MAC's Plumful. This is a shade I've also had my eye on for a while- any followers of Essie Button will know she is a huge fan of this shade, and after hearing her rave about it I swatched it for myself- alas it was love! Not my usual go to colour as it is quite muted for me (I do love a red lip) however I've found it to be so nice as an everyday colour. Bought for me by my two best friends as a graduation present I don't feel too guilty that I have yet another lipstick in my collection- especially as I know I shall get so much wear out of it! The formulation is a Lustre which is something I would never usually go for- its quite sheer and creamy with a slight shimmer to it. Normally this would be a no-no for me, but in this particular shade I love it! The lasting power isn't quite there but I think this may be that I'm more used to MAC's matte formula.

MAC Studio Fix Fluid Review

In the past I have never been a fan of MAC foundations, for two reasons. Firstly, the shade range- Oompa Loompa was the only option for me unfortunately! Secondly, the smell. Does anyone else get that distinctively paint like smell from MAC foundations or is it just me?

On a recent holiday I decided to treat myself to a new foundation and thought I'd check out the new shade offerings from MAC. I was very impressed- finally a MAC foundation for pale girls like myself! I currently wear the shade NW10 which suits my skin tone perfectly, something I usually struggle to find. The only other foundation that has suited me as well is Bobbi Brown's Skin Foundation in Porcelain. The reason I switched to the MAC this time is that my skin has been quite a problem lately and I needed a foundation with a higher coverage.

I graduated from college not long after buying this foundation and for me, it was a really good way of testing the longevity of Studio Fix Fluid for a number of reasons;

1. It was quite hot on the day of the graduation- and combined with some seriously heavy robes I didn't want my make-up to be sliding off my face! Thankfully this didn't happen and it stayed in place despite the heat.

2. The nerves and stress leading up to the graduation played havoc with my skin-meaning I had to wear quite a lot of make-up. I followed the tried and tested Lisa Eldridge technique of applying a few thin layers of foundation and letting them set in-between, rather than one super-thick layer. This technique really works with MAC Studio Fix Fluid. I applied one layer, followed by concealer and then one more thin layer of foundation. This gave me the perfect amount of coverage without looking like a caked on mask.

3. There were so many photographs taken on the day, and looking back on them I'm very happy with how this make up photographed. The finish of the foundation is slightly dewy (not as glowy as Bobbi Brown's Skin Foundation) which I like but for such a long day I did powder the skin to set everything in place. I used Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Translucent. This combination left my skin with a slight glow in photographs but not an uber- shiny face look.

4. This foundation has some serious lasting power. Given that I put my make-up on at 10.30 that morning- it was really put through its paces. With the ceremony in the afternoon, a meal afterwards and a night out in the city to follow it really had to last all day! I'm happy to say that when I haphazardly came through the front door at five the next morning my make-up wasn't looking too worse for wear.

Sorry for the rather long review but I think this might be a holy grail foundation for me as it is the perfect shade, coverage and finish!