Thursday 30 January 2014

This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray- Review.



Being the anxious worrier that I am, sometimes sleep doesn't come as easily as I would like, especially if I have to be up early the next morning. One thing that really helps me, and that I've done for years, is to write a list before bed. This way instead of lying in bed worrying about all the things I have to do the next day, I can just write them down so I know I won't miss anything important!

Another thing that's really been helping me lately is my Pillow Spray from This Works. This gets raved about in the You Tube and blogging world so I wanted to try it out for myself. I love it.
As I mentioned in this video, I'm not sure if this stuff actually puts me to sleep, or if my brain starts to associate the smell of this with bedtime, I have a feeling it could be the latter. I don't always find it difficult to sleep, but once I have a few restless nights I get stuck in a bit of a rut- and every night my brain just rejects the idea of falling asleep. However, a spritz of this on my pillow helps me drift right off to the land of nod. I was worried the scent of this would be too strong, but I love it- its infused with essential oils of Lavender, Vetivert and Wild Chamomile.

If you find it hard to go to sleep, I can't recommend enough these two tips! Lists have always helped me, its like taking a weight off my mind- and the spray smells super calming and spa-like, guaranteed to help you to relax!

Wednesday 29 January 2014

Wet N'Wild Makeup Range- Review.


In the last few weeks, Wet N'Wild makeup has finally made its way to Ireland, already a huge brand in the US, its often mentioned on American beauty channels and blogs- so of course I had to give it a try. Above, is what I picked up on my first look around the Wet N'Wild stand near me, and it was very affordable- all this cost me only €16.45! That's almost the same price as a MAC lippy!

I've been using what I bought over the past week and a half- so I've tried everything and I love it!
First up, lets talk about the eye shadows- I picked up Petal Pusher which is a beautiful purple toned palette. If you watched my recent haul you'll have heard me mention that the nude palette is the most popular, I already have enough nude eye shadows to last a lifetime so I went with something a bit more colourful!
I also got one of the single eye shadows, at only €1.99 each, its too easy to grab more than one! I got the shade Envy, which is a gorgeous dark, mossy green with a hint of shimmer- to see it in action check out my Get Ready With Me which I filmed during the week!
The eye shadows are super creamy- almost Urban Decay quality but not quite, and the colour payoff and lasting power are both very impressive for the price!



Oddly enough, I also bought a coloured liquid liner. A friend of my Mum's was visiting recently and she was wearing turquoise and blue liner, sounds awful but when you apply a really fine line close to the lash line paired with heaps of mascara it looks lovely! A really nice way to add a pop of colour, and doesn't look as 80's as you might think! I haven't gone too crazy with the colours though, I also came home with a super soft black kohl liner which was only €1.99.


Now lets talk lipstick, I'm a sucker for lip products, I'd easily say they're my favourite thing to buy and use! Interestingly, they had a range of matte lipsticks- my absolute favourite! On my first trip I got Coral-ine, a beautiful bright orangey-red. I did make a second trip to the stand a few days later and I came back with Mauve Outta Here, a lovely purple-pink. I'm so impressed with the quality of these lipsticks- they're matte without being drying and are super long lasting! They have a few other shades I've got my eye on, so watch this space!






On my second trip I also got a face powder which so far I really like, its very light and has kept my makeup in place all day on the days I've used it so far. I got the shade Fair Coverall Pressed Powder. While I was there I picked up another eye pencil as I was so impressed with the black, I got Bronze which is nearly the exact same shade as my Maybelline 24hr Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze, so I will probably be pairing it with that. While I was perusing the pencils I got a lip liner in the shade Fab Fuchsia which is  a nice plum-pink that matches a lot of lipsticks I already have!



Overall, I'm so impressed with this brand- for the price the quality is fantastic! Sorry for the long post- but I did go a bit crazy and bought a lot!



Tuesday 28 January 2014

Get Ready With Me! Crumpets and Marmalade



In case you missed it...

This week I filmed a Get Ready With Me! I love watching these videos and I had a lot of fun making this one, hope you enjoy! And don't forget to subscribe! X

Monday 27 January 2014

Academie Eye Cream/Primer Review.



I've been using the Academie Smoothing Care For Eye and Lip Contours* for almost six weeks now and I am loving it. I would have reviewed it sooner-as I knew early on that I really liked it- but I like to try and use skincare for as long as possible before reviewing it.

This is kind of like a cream/primer hybrid. It prevents, and smooth's deep lines around the eye area and apparently improves make up wear on the lips- a lip primer? To be honest, I haven't tried this on my lips at all so I can't review it with regards to that but I have been using this as my everyday eye cream for quite a while now. What I love most about this is that it leaves the skin feeling mattified- not in a horrible dry way- but its a nice base to apply my under-eye concealer to. I've found that my concealer lasts a lot longer with this as it isn't an overly-rich or greasy formula. It also feels lovely and cooling on the eyes-which I love for early mornings, it really helps to wake me up by tapping this lightly under and around the eye area!

Academie is a French brand that is now available in Ireland- I'm very interested in trying more from this brand as I love this product so much, so I'll keep you updated if I do!





*PR Sample

Wednesday 22 January 2014

Dr Bronner's MAGIC Soap.



If you've already watched my What I Got For Christmas video you'll have heard me mention the Dr Bronner's Magic Soap, if you haven't yet you can watch it here.

This stuff really is as amazing as it is hyped up to be here in the blogging and YouTube world. I'd read a lot of reviews on how it is multi-purpose, you can use it as shampoo, as soap, on your dishes, etc., however, I just wanted to use it on my make-up brushes! I saw this in TK Maxx, and I'm not sure how readily available it is elsewhere in Dublin at the moment.

I have always washed my brushes with Johnson's Baby Shampoo and it worked a treat for me- however since switching to Dr Bronner's I've noticed a huge difference in my brushes;

Firstly is how much quicker they are to clean. With the baby shampoo I would always have to lather the brush up at least twice, and more if it is a heavily used brush like my Buffing Brush for foundation. Since switching to this, for most of my brushes I only need to lather them up once, and my foundation brush twice to get them thoroughly clean! I don't enjoy spending ages cleaning brushes so f I can get it done even a slight bit faster that's a bonus!
Secondly, I've found that my brushes feel a lot cleaner after using this, in fact they feel fluffier. This is my favourite thing about the soap, it leaves your brushes super soft and fluffy, almost like brand new! Looking back I think the baby shampoo might have weighed my brushes down a bit and left some residue in them after cleaning as they never felt fluffy even after a thorough rinse.


Overall I think this soap is fantastic- mine is the Almond Hemp scented one which smells delicious, just like marzipan! I will definitely be repurchasing this- however if I did want a cheaper alternative I would use baby shampoo again, its not a bad way to clean brushes I just think the Dr Bronner's is better!

Tuesday 21 January 2014

Fashion & Beauty Haul! Crumpets and Marmalade




Just in case you missed it.....

Check out my latest video over on my You Tube channel, its a pretty big (and very long!) fashion and beauty haul!
Enjoy! X

Monday 20 January 2014

Tom Ford Heaven.


Apparently today is the most depressing day of the year- Blue Monday. Or at least that's what everyone is saying about today, we have the post-winter blues and are already sick or have given up on our New Years resolutions. So I thought I'd inject a bit of glamour into your Blue Monday by reviewing probably the most luxurious product I own- my Tom Ford lipstick I got for my birthday.


 
Behold it in all its glory, (bit over the top? I think not!) really though, have you ever seen such amazing packaging? Its gold, and so heavy for a lipstick-it really feels expensive (well it is, but we won't go into how much, its almost horrifying) it also has a satisfying click when you pop the lid back on, which for me is a selling point and I really don't know why!

                                         

I have the shade Bruised Plum- a real 'me' colour. As the name suggests its a vampy, blackened-purple, quite similar to my trusty MAC Rebel but darker. The texture is rich and creamy and it just glides over the lips leaving a beautiful sheen which I'm not normally a fan of but I can definitely make an exception here! As of yet I have only worn it three times- I feel like I need to use it sparingly! Two of these occasions, I wore it for a long period of time with eating/drinking involved and I was very impressed with how it held up. Given the creamy formula it doesn't rub off too easily, although I did need to reapply more frequently than I usually do (you know by now I'm a matte lipstick girl).

Overall I love this lipstick- lovely formula and colour, and just don't get me started on the packaging again! Such an amazing present to get someone as you would never buy one for yourself !


If you want to see what it looks like on- check out my latest video here!