Lush Review: Love Lettuce Face Mask

Hey guys! 

So I've decided to start doing a Lush feature on my blog every week now to review and talk about one product. I adore Lush, particularly their skincare products and I am constantly trying out new bits in there so I really want to start sharing that on my blog. I have 7 or 8 products on the go at the minute (seems excessive but they are all very necessary). I thought about grouping them together to talk about so like face masks together, cleansers together - but I feel like individual reviews would help people get to know the product better.

I only discovered Lush in about February. I do have acne prone skin and at that time it was the worst it had been. I used to only get breakouts on my forehead but it had spread so my entire mouth was affected and I looked like a had a beard of spots. Gross, but if you have acne you'll understand! It's really depressing when even the best foundations don't cover your bumpy skin, so I headed to Lush in search of a miracle. I haven't looked back since.

So the first Lush product I want to review and feature is the Love Lettuce face mask. I've used a few of the fresh face masks but this is my most recent one, I've been using it two to three times a week for the past month. Admittedly I didn't buy this myself, my boyfriend got it for me. He went in to get my beloved Angels on Bare Skin cleanser and the sales guy told him this was the face mask equivalent. 

Love Lettuce actually contains no lettuce, it's just green as you can see in the photo. It does contain, however, skin loving ingredients such as almond shells (a natural exfoliant), almond oil (to soften the skin), lavender oil (a soothing disinfectant to fight spots) and Fullers Earth (an ingredient I had not heard of before but is said to tighten pores). The mask smells of lavender and so is very calming. A little goes a long way with this mask, the 75g pot provided me with over 10 uses maybe upto 12 or 15 which is plenty for the whole month. If you're familiar with Lush you will know that all of their products are natural and have an expiry date. The face masks are made with fresh ingredients, must be stored in the fridge and expire within about 4 weeks - so you gotta use them up fast! This is not a problem for me as they are a joy to use.

The mask went on easily and spread evenly on my face. It dried for the 10 minutes I left it on each time but not in the way that a clay mask does - your face is still comfortable and movable. Despite the thick, rough consistency the mask is actually really easy to wash off. On the addition of water it melts away, leaving the almond shells until last so they give your skin a soft but effective exfoliant. The results are apparent immediately, but even more so the following morning. The natural oils in this mask leave your skin so soft and nourished that it naturally glows. The first time I used this mask, I was shocked with my skins appearance the next morning and my family members all commented on how much better it looked. It soothes angry spots to reduce redness, and evens out your overall skin tone.

This fresh face mask is recommended for normal to oily skin types and having oily skin myself, I can affirm that it balanced out my oiliness and left me glowing. I will re-purchase this face mask, I think it is a good one for skin maintenance. There are other things I would use if I had a really bad breakout, but this is a great skin conditioner and perfect for everyday use.

I hope you guys enjoyed this review! What is your favourite Lush face mask? 

Caoimhe x

Lipstick of the Week 💄

Hey guys!

So I haven't been blogging that much this week. I'm currently getting two wisdom teeth and I'm suffering terribly with them, I may have to get them removed! So I've been feeling a bit miserable and sorry for myself. But I'm back today with my lipstick of the week and today's is an absolute bargain!

I already did a mini swatch and review blog post on this and some other Essence lipsticks so you can check that out if you're interested! I also featured it in this haul video -  https://youtu.be/dlxii2oo0GM

But all my previous mentions of it were before I got to properly try it out. I have worn this almost every day the past week, including on two nights out! It is an Essence long lasting lipstick in the shade Barely There. 

I wear this lipstick sometimes on its own and sometimes with Essence's Satin Mauve lip liner (Mac Soar dupe). I am honestly so impressed not only with the colour of this lipstick but with the quality of it. It was €2.89 in Penneys and it lasts for 6-8 hours on me without re-applying. The formula is creamy but appears as a matte finish, without being drying. This lipstick reminds me a lot of Mac Faux which I also featured as lipstick of the week! What can I say? I love a good pink/brown nude for my everyday look.

This lipstick is such a favourite of mine at the moment and I will definitely be re-purchasing it if I use it all up. For €2.89 I think everyone should pick this up for the perfect everyday colour.

Thanks so much for reading guys!

Caoimhe x

Wet & Wild's Summer Launch Party

Hi guys!

So last night I went to my first ever event as a blogger, eek! I didn't expect to get this post written so soon but the past few days in work have been completely dead for me. The event was the launch of Wet & Wild's Summer makeup range, they had some new products and some old favourites in new shades.

So I was super nervous to go, as this was my first ever event and I didn't know what to expect. I also arrived alone which I think is a bit nerve-wrecking even for the most experienced of bloggers. The even took place at a cute little studio on Bond Street in Dublin 8. A lot of people had trouble finding the location, but I actually work on the next street over so for me it was perfect! From the outside the location looked like an old warehouse, but inside the furnishings were modern and chic. The event room was decorated beautifully in a tropical theme and you could tell that a lot of effort had been put in to make this event perfect! The lighting, music and decorations were all perfect and the atmosphere was so inviting and fun. The DJ actually deserves a special mention because girl every song that came on made me want to dance! I didn't, for everyone's sake.

I arrived promptly at 6 and for the first half an hour I just walked around, swatching lipsticks, taking a few photos and generally being awkward. I soon settled in though and got chatting to some other bloggers who had also never been to events! Everyone was so friendly, I only wish I could have talked to more people - but there's always next time! As you can see from the picture there were super cute cupcake shaped refreshments and drinks were flowing on the night too. 

The makeup itself was stunning, with a clear theme of colour running through the Summer collection. Much to my excitement, they have added new summer colours to the Megalast lipstick range (see my last post for my lipstick of the week ft. Megalast). They had a stand with just about every Wet & Wild product and I literally wanted every lipstick on there. At €2.99 a pop I think I will have to invest! There were also new nail varnish shades, new mascara formulations and some totally new products including a primer and most importantly - brow products! The girls from Publicity Loft were really friendly and helpful and informed us about all the exciting new pieces!

At the end of the night we received a super generous Wet & Wild goodie bag featuring both old and new products. I couldn't believe how jam-packed they were. I will definitely be filming a haul and swatch video on these bits so keep an eye out for that! I actually have none of the items that I got in my goodie bag so I am thrilled to bits with everything.

 

Overall I can say that I really enjoyed my first brand event. Like I said, I wish I could have socialised more but I think that will get easier as I go along! I want to say a big thank you to Wet & Wild and to Publicity Loft for organising such an amazing event and for having me! I couldn't believe the generousity and the effort that went into this event and I only hope my next event will live up to this!

Keep your eyes peeled for a video featuring all of my new Wet & Wild bits and thanks for reading guys!

Caoimhe x

Lipstick of the Week 💄

Hi guys!

So I usually try to do my lipstick of the week on a Sunday.. You know, because it's the end of the week and I like to honour my favourite lipstick of that week. However it's now Tuesday of the following week. I wasn't wearing makeup on Sunday or Monday and I wanted to lip swatch so I waited until today!

This weeks lipstick of the week comes to you from Wet and Wild and it's one of their Mega Last lipsticks in the shade Bare it All. I have a few of these lipsticks and they are amazing! They are €3.99 as far as I can remember, and the quality is outstanding. This particular one is a dupe for Mac Velvet Teddy, Kinda Sexy, Oxblood, Honey Love.. all of those brown/rusty coloured matte lipsticks that we all adore. I don't have my Velvet Teddy with me at the moment but I can tell you that when the two are swatched on my arm you cannot tell them apart! On the lips it pulls a bit more orange so it then reminds me more of Oxblood & Kinda Sexy. 

So here it is swatched, apologies for my mouth I'm all hormonal and broke out right now! But you can just get an idea of what this lipstick looks like. I wore this to work a ton last week and it was soo comfortable on my lips. I would actually go as far as to say that I prefer this to my Velvet Teddy. The formula of this lipstick is so creamy, it feels moisturising on the lips but it also appears as a matte finish. Beautiful! And the name Mega Last is spot on because this lasted me even through meals for 8 hours without re-applying. Velvet Teddy does not deliver that kind of longevity, in my opinion. It also is quite drying and can become flaky if my lips are in anyway dry. But Bare it All actually hides dry patches with its outstanding coverage.

I would recommend the Wet & Wild Mega Last lipsticks in any colour because the quality of them is just fantastic! Bare it All is my favourite shade from the range because I am a die-hard nude gal and I find this perfect for everyday wear. If you're after a Velvet Teddy type lipstick this has got to be the one for you!

I have my first ever blogger event coming up on Wednesday and it is the Wet & Wild Summer collection launch! I'm nervous but I'm also excited. Who knows there could even be Mega Last lipsticks in Summer shades?! I'll keep you guys updated on that event, but for now you can pick up Wet and Wild in Dunnes, Penneys and in selected pharmacies!

Thanks for reading,

Caoimhe x

Smashbox Blemish Control Primer Review

Hi guys! 

So just thought I'd pop up a quick review tonight. I've had this primer since about Christmas but I just started using it regularly recently and have been using it every day the past week! It's from the Smashbox Photo Finish primer collection, they have an ordinary one, one for hydration, colour correctors etc. and this one is aimed at troubled skin types. It's in an aqua green/blue bottle, all the different types are colour coded because I think there's almost 10 so it's easy to get confused that way!

I had tried the original Smashbox primer before getting this and I absolutely loved it! It's one of those ones that leaves your skin like velvet so I thought that this one would be similar, but with spot-fighting action too! Unfortunately it isn't really like that. This primer is more like a moisturiser in my opinion. The packaging claims that 'makeup meets skincare' with this primer, and it's got that anti-acne super ingredient salicylic acid in it which fights spots while also keeping your makeup in place.

At first I didn't really like this primer, I suppose I was used to the original one and this one was completely different. It's a white creamy consistency and is quite hydrating on the skin, leaving it moist and almost greasy actually on very oily skin. I used it this week everyday and I actually didn't have any breakouts this week, but my skin was very oily. I found that this primer didn't do that much to mattify or reduce the oilyness so some days I was very slidy and my makeup did not last all day, particularly in my T-zone. But while I wouldn't recommend it for really oily skin, if your skin is normal and you just get a lot of breakouts this may work for you. The formula of this primer is very very light and gentle on the skin, and in areas where blemishes may have been developing I could feel the primer tingling and fighting it when I put it on. 

This primer was €35, which is quite expensive. I doubt I will re-purchase it just because it is so expensive, and I wouldn't spend that much on a product that I didn't really love. However it's not a bad product at all, it definitely works against spots and is very good for sensitive skin. Unfortunately it just wasn't a perfect match for my skin, I imagine it might work that bit better in the Winter when my skin is a bit dryer, so I might just keep the rest of it for then! Would that be weird?

Anyways I hope you enjoyed this post! Let me know what you thought and if you have tried this primer!

Thanks for reading,

Caoimhe x

Essence Lipstick Swatch & First Impressions

Hey guys!

So today I went on a bit of a shopping spree. I think I'm going to make a haul video because I got a lot of stuff and I want to talk about it all, but I'd be writing blog posts for days! But anyways along with everything I got my very first Essence lipsticks! Essence is a brand I don't actually have a lot of products from, they were probably the first brand I used when I started using makeup at about 14, but since then I forgot about them a wee bit. I of course have some of their amazing nail colours but nothing else, so today I picked up loads of goodies including 4 lipsticks! They are so affordable at only €2.89 each so I thought why not?

So I picked up the shades Cool Nude, Barely There, Oh So Matt! and Nude Love. Yes they are all nudes but I am a nude freak and right now they are all I'm wearing for daily makeup! I have searched the colours on my arm below in the order that I've listed them above:

So I was pretty impressed with the pigmentation of these right away, I was a little worried that Nude Love (far right) was going to be a bit light on me.. It. Reminds me of Mac Myth a bit which is just awful on me, but when I put it on my lips I was pleasantly surprised:

It's actually quite pinky and cute and doesn't wash me out. The formula is really creamy and comfortable to wear.

Excuse my clothes tag hanging out (awks for me) but next up is Oh So Matt! This reminds me of Velvet Teddy and Honey Love from Mac. I haven't swatched any of these side by side but when I do, I will let you guys know if I find any dupes! This, as the name suggests, is a matte lipstick but it's not super matte. The formula is still light and creamy and not drying at all. I'm not sure if this colour is a favourite of mine yet, but I'll try it out for sure.

So this one is Barely There and when I saw this first it reminded me of Mac Brave, but when I put it on I was shocked. It pulls really berry-toned! It is absolutely beautiful so I thought it deserved two photos. I just love it on my skintone, I think it looks really healthy and I can tell I'm going to be wearing this loads!

Last but not least is Cool Nude which is probably my favourite apart from Barely There. This reminds me of Mac Faux which is my lipstick of the week and I wear it every single day! This is that same kind of browny pink nude and I adore it. All of the lipsticks are in Essence's long lasting lipstick range but this one is a newer shade I believe and it's also in the 'I <3 Nude' collection. 

I absolutely love these lipsticks so far, I mean for under €3 you can not go wrong these could be new favourites of mine. Thanks so much for reading today,

Caoimhe x

Benefit They're Real Review (Mascara & Liner)

Hey guys!

So I got really excited last night looking at everyone's pictures from the Benefit Ireland event and it inspired me to do this post! Everyone knows about Benefit's They're Real mascara, it is raved about and has been since its release. Last Summer they also added a They're Real push-up gel liner to the range, and the They're Real remover to take off this powerful stuff. Now, Benefit are releasing the mascaras and liners - IN COLOUR. I am honestly so excited for this particularly the liners, which will be available in purple, blue, green and brown as well as the usual black. 

So why am I so excited? I got the They're Real liner on its release date last year, I was even on the waiting list for it in Brown Thomas. And it didn't disappoint. It is the easiest liner to use, it comes in an eyeliner pen with an angled tip that fits perfectly around the curves of the eye. The product comes sealed with a little tab in the nib of the pen, so you pull that off and twist the bottom of the pen to push up the liner itself. Now I must admit I found this part difficult to manage at first. It takes patience and practice in the beginning, because if you don't twist it enough nothing comes out, but if you twist it too much it vomits out eyeliner. It's pretty tragic when that happens because all that beautiful product is gone to waste! I think I have mastered the art of twisting now though, and I would recommend that a little goes a long way! Don't over-twist.

When you do get your pen up and running, it glides onto the eyes seamlessly. One layer is all it needs for an intense black line. I suppose if you're going for a natural look this wouldn't be your best bet, but for me it's perfect as I refuse to leave the house without my eyeliner! Now with some liquid liners that are this intensely black, I tend to get a lot of rub-off on my lids and I end up with more of a smokey eye than a perfect liner look. And by the end of the day there's not even any liner left! But this one literally sets in a few seconds and stays put for the day. I have finished one of these already and bought my second last month, it lasted me about 6 months of almost daily use. At €25 a pop I think that's great value! This is literally my holy grail eyeliner and I wouldn't use anything else. The thoughts of it in green and purple is almost too much to handle!

The They're Real mascara is a new favourite of mine. I've had a travel size one for a few months now, but it's been in my makeup drawer unopened. I always loved Benefit's Bad Gal Lash mascara, finding it to give great volume, so for some reason I never bothered with They're Real. The brush is a bit scary, it's very spiky, but it is genius. I started using it recently and I am wondering where it's been all my life! I have horribly straight, thin lashes naturally, and this mascara curls them and brings them to life. It really does give a false lash effect, and my lashes appear bigger, more curled, blacker and just better in every way when I use this. With other mascaras, even when they claim to be waterproof, I find that as the day goes on and I blink more - I get horrible black smudges under my eyes that I have to check up on and wipe constantly. This isn't the case with They're Real, once it's on your lashes it's actually pretty impossible to get off. There's no rub-off and my lashes stay upright all day

I've been using both of the They're Real products together recently for my daily makeup look and I am loving it. You can see the mascara more on my left eye in the picture, it just defines the lashes beautifully. Both of these products are low-maintenance and I know that when I'm wearing them, they'll stay where they are supposed to and I don't have to worry about panda eyes. 

I know these products have been mega-famous for ages but I've actually been speaking to people lately who have never tried them! So I hope this post was helpful. I personally cannot wait to get my hands on some of the coloured versions and when I do you can expect to see them here!

Thanks for reading,

Caoimhe x

Brow Sculpting Kits Comparison - High End vs. Drugstore

Hey guys! 

So today I will be comparing three eyebrow sculpting kits, all of which are basically the same product but different brands' versions of that product. 

There are tons of kits like these on the market at the moment but these are the three that I have tried personally. These little kits come with a gel, a powder and usually little brushes and tools to tame your brows with. They are my current favourite brow product and it's been that way for a while actually! I used to use a pencil but I found the look so un-natural looking, it was obvious they were drawn on and so my friend recommended I try one of these kits! I've got really dark hair but for some reason my body hair is really fair and is actually blonde sometimes! This is a blessing when it comes to legs and arms because they are essentially hairless, but a curse when it comes to eyebrows. How am I supposed to rock Cara eyebrows when mine are blonde?! These kits are an absolute lifesaver, they just tint and fill in my natural eyebrow hairs, respecting their natural shape and giving a natural-looking finish!

So first up is Benefit's Brows A-Go-Go. My friend had this and after trying hers I converted from pencils to sculpting kits! This is actually the same product as Benefit's Brow-Zings, it just comes with a few extras like brow bone highlighter, a cream highlighter for the eyes and it also came with a mini smokey eye pencil. It also gives you two shades of brow powder, the Brow-Zings only gives you one, so the Brows A-Go-Go is probably the better option for a first timer on this kind of product who isn't really sure what shade is going to suit. Brows A-Go-Go is €38.50 as far as I can remember and Brow-Zings is €34 so it's probably better value to go with this one too!

As you can see from the picture I have used up all the gel from my Brows A-Go-Go and am in need of a new one! The other products are relatively un-touched and that's simply because I tend to use eyeshadows to powder and highlight my brows. I eventually will getting around to ordering the Anastasia Beverley Hills dip brow promade, which will be a lot handier for me seeing as I mainly use the gel! But for now I'm sticking with these. I can't fault this product the gel is great and keeps your brows in place and filled in all day. The only negative would probably be the price, which is a bit much if you're like me and only use the gel part!

Next up is Sleek's Brow Kit and this is €10.99. The packaging of this product is an actual dupe of the Benefit Brow-Zings, but is the product as good? In one word - no. Don't get me wrong I am a huge Sleek fan, and I picked this up in the hopes that I'd be saving a fortune, but this didn't suit me at all. For one, this shade is the lightest shade available and is extremely dark. The gel is also of a wetter consistency than Benefits, and so it requires a lot more powdering to achieve a natural-looking finish. I wore this quite a few times and powdered it well each morning, but by evening time my eyebrows were shiny. I do get oily-ness around my forehead from time to time, so my skins natural oils and the wetness of this product made for a disastrous finish. The last time I ever wore this, I came home from college and my sister described my eyebrows as being 'really obviously not your real eyebrows'. They appeared wet and shiny and it just wasn't pretty at all. I think because of my sometimes oily skin, this product just wasn't for me.

Last up is Rimmel's Brow This Way kit, which is €4.49. The picture shows a new one, I'm making my way through my old one! But I have already re-purchased so you would be right to assume that I love this! This kit is so small and unassuming, and as I came nearer and nearer to the end of my Benefit one I just picked this up randomly not thinking it would amount to much. But I was wrong, for a tenth of the price this Rimmel kit is of practically the same quality as the Benefit one. I see very little difference between these two, and I have been using the Rimmel one every single day for a month now. Again, I don't use the powder but the gel barely even needs powdering to be honest. The finish is really soft and natural, it blends and fills in my eyebrows seamlessly. I will definitely be using this for the foreseeable future! For €4.49 I don't think you can go wrong.

I am hoping to eventually move on to a brow gel that comes in a little tube with a brush applicator, they seem a little daunting right now, but I hear the finish is super natural. For now though, I'm happy with my brow sculpting kits! I hope you guys found this post helpful!

Lots of love and thanks for reading,

Caoimhe x

Lipstick of the Week 💄

Hey guys!

So I meant to put this up yesterday but ended up having tons of odd jobs to do! This is of course my lipstick of the week feature and this week it is a lipstick that I wear almost everyday, always keep in my handbag and goes with almost every makeup look!

It is Mac Faux! I got this about a month ago I'd say but I knew right away it was love. Faux is a satin finish but it appears quite matte on the lips, it makes them appear bigger but doesn't dry them out! I've got quite pigmented lips so this is a 'my lips but better colour'. I wear it on days when I'm wearing simple makeup just to enhance my lips a bit and make them look a bit more pronounced on my face.

Faux is one of those pink/brown/mauve tones nudes, basically a Kylie Jenner colour, pretty similar to Brave. I'm even preferring this to Velvet Teddy at the moment which is usually my go-to nude. This is such an everyday colour and id recommend it to anyone who was looking for a new Mac lipstick or even looking to buy their first. I can guarantee you would get so much use out of this.

Just thrown in a lip swatch of Faux on me, I think it's just so beautiful and natural. I hope you guys enjoyed this post! Let me know if you've tried Faux or what your favourite everyday lip colours are!

Thanks for reading,

Caoimhe x

The Nude Lip Pencil Edit

Hey guys!

So my post today is all about nude lip pencils. These become super famous and popular after Kylie Jenner said they were what make her lips so voluptuous - we now know that isn't true, but nude lip pencils are still great! They can be worn alone to enhance your lips or under a lipstick to pro-long the wear of that lipstick. My favourite type of lip pencil at the moment is a brown nude (think Mac Spice) as opposed to mauve nudes (such as Mac Whirl). Not that I dislike any mauve nudes I just don't happen to own that many!

So I have six brown nude pencils that are all basically the same ranging in price from €1.50 to €16.50. The most famous one of these would probably be Mac Spice, this is a best-seller for Mac and is constantly sold out. I do love Spice, but I find all of these pencils almost exactly the same as it and they are all much more affordable.

As you can see all of these liners are really similar and are even more so on the lips. From top to bottom the swatches are: Rimmel Lasting Finish 1000 kisses lip liner in Tiramisu (€4.49), Nyx lip pencil in Natural (€4.99), Mac lip liner in Spice (€16.50), Penneys/Primark PS Love lip liner - No shade name (€1.50), No 7 Precision lips pencil in Nude (€8.75) and finally Elizabeth Arden lip pencil in Bare (Price unknown).

I would recommend any of these lip pencils but my favourites would be the PS Love one for its price point, the No7 one for its longevity and creamy texture and of course Mac Spice. All of these lip liners are perfect with Velvet Teddy, Brave etc all of those 90s brown nude colours. I hope you guys enjoyed reading this post as I certainly enjoyed writing it! I am obsessed with nude lips right now and dont see that changing anytime soon!

Thanks for reading,

Caoimhe x

Rimmel Rita Ora Nail Polish Review (New Collection) 💅🏼

Hey guys!

Another review I knowww but I love doing them so I hope they're not super boring to read? This time around is the new 60 second nail polishes from Rimmel, they are festival and flower themed and fronted by Rita Ora! So let's get to it.

I got three shades which you can see above, but I have my eye on many more of them they have the cutest pinks that I just need in my life! I thought the blue colour furthest right (Bestival Blue) was just so unique, I had to get it. My mom made me get the teal coloured one because teal is her favourite colour! And the nude one I got just because I am obsessed with nude everything right now!

So I tested out the nude one (Rain Rain Go Away) this week and I tested the teal one (Portaloo Blue) on my mam. The picture above shows my nails after 4 days of wear. These polishes are seriously so durable. My mam works in an engineering company and she said the polish protected her nails from damage and didn't chip at all for the first few days! I work in a less severe environment so mine didn't chip at all. After the four days I changed to a different polish but I kind of wish I hadn't just to see how long it actually would have lasted? Rimmel nail polishes obviously have such a good reputation already but these new ones in particular are formulated so well. 

I think I should mention that my nail colour finished matte and my mam's finished really glossy. I found this really weird as they're the same range and they are marketed with the slogan 'Shine on' but for some reason mine came out matte. The colour (Rain Rain Go Away) came out really beautifully like a greyish-mauve nude and the matte finish only added to this.

I picked these up in Penneys at the introductory price of €3.50 which is an absolute steal! They are also 3 for 2 in Boots right now so it's a good time to pick some of these up! They are normally €4.49 in Penneys, and they are well worth it. They are longer lasting and stronger than the SoSu polishes I previously reviewed, and those cost €7.99. So it's well worth picking a few of these up if you're looking for some new Summer nail colours!

Thanks for reading guys,

Caoimhe x

Mac Wash and Dry Review

Hey guys!

So I already reviewed the Wash and Dry lipsticks yesterday with swatches, you can check that out if you're interested! This post is to review the rest of the things I got. First off I don't think I mentioned in the other review how AMAZING the packaging for this collection is. I recommend getting at least one thing just for the packaging alone, you'll have it forever and it really is beautiful and so summery.

I headed straight to Brown Thomas Grafton Street yesterday morning and was waiting at the door when they opened. A bit extreme I know but I did the same for Cinderella and I will do it for any collection that's going to sell out quickly! For Cinderella there were tons of people queuing outside but there were only a few die-hards yesterday. A lot of people didn't know this collection was actually coming out because BT don't really advertise upcoming collection, but it was released in store and online yesterday. The collection is huge and has a bit of everything; eyeshadows, brow products, lipsticks, powders, nail polishes and more, and there is quite a bit of stock available from what I can tell. 

Apart from the lipsticks I also got both nail polishes, a bronzer and the highlight powder. Everything looks amazing and if I had the money I would have gotten the brushes, eyeshadows and maybe a lipgloss as well!

So first up is the highlight powder in 'Freshen up'. Can we just take in the beauty of this for a moment? This is such a beautiful and unique piece, even if I never use it it is something I want in my collection. This was €33 and is limited edition. It's marketed as a highlighting powder but the dark shade is also a blush, so it's a multi-use face product. I find the lighter shades to be best for highlighting under the eye area. I wore this along with the bronzer today and they actually all went really well together to give a really glowy summery look!

I got the bronzer in the shade 'Refined Golden'. I was torn between getting a regular bronzer and one of the new studio sculpt bronzing powders. They are limited edition as far as I can tell, and I was really interested in them as they're described as being a liquid bronzer but in powder form.. If that make sense? However I read some really bad reviews on these, and when I swatched one in the shade 'Delicates' in store, I found the consistency really chalky and it was really difficult to blend it even just on my hand. I reckon the studio sculpt powders are more of a pro-product, and I'm not a professional in any way so I stuck with a plain and simple bronzer!

There are two bronzer colours released with this collection and both shades are in the permanent range. I don't have a Mac bronzer so I was happy to pick up a permanent shade in the pretty packaging! I picked up Refined Golden because it has a bit of subtle gold shimmer in it. Some people hate a shimmery bronzer but I think they're actually really pretty especially for Summer. This was €30.

The final thing I picked up was the nail polishes. I actually bought all my lipsticks and powders first thing in the morning, but as I was in a hurry to get to work I didn't get to look at much else. So when I was finished work I popped back over to the Henry street Mac store to browse a bit more. I got talking to one of the Mac girls and she was literally like 'You have to get this polish', the one on my nails above in Washeteria. For some reason I had not even considered buying this before, but she had it on her nails and couldn't stop raving about it! Before I left the shop two other Mac girls also came up to me and told me I had to get this! That was enough for me!

I also picked up the second polish because I figured at €11 each why not? This one is in the shade Monday Blues and I can't wait to try it. I have tried Washeteria and just one coat gave me complete coverage! The formula is creamy and the brush is such good quality too. I don't own any other Mac nail polishes but after these two I think they might be a new obsession of mine!

I hope you guys enjoyed this review. I really do recommend picking something up from this collection it's so beautiful and there are some real winners in my opinion!

Thanks for reading,

Caoimhe x

3 Foundations I Regret Buying ❌

Hey guys!

So I thought I'd do something a bit different with this post and talk about three foundations that I have trialled and tested, and essentially thrown in the bin. I find when I'm reading blogs and reviews that I rarely see a negative one, or a warning about the possible downsides of a product. But we all know that some products we buy we just do not get along with and never use! The three foundations I'm going to talk about are three completely different foundations, ranging in price from €4 - €45. For reference I have blemish-prone combination skin, so some days it's oily, some days it's dry and some days it's perfect.

Okay so first up in my least favourite foundations is this NYC natural matte foundation. This was €3.99 in Penneys. I picked this up because I had forgotten to bring a matte foundation with me to work, I had only brought a dewy one with me and this was during the Irish heatwave a few weeks ago and dewy was just not working for me. I'm from Offaly but work and go to college in Dublin so im constantly living out of my suitcase, and if I leave something at home I have to just do without it until the weekend. But in this case I thought no, I need to be mattified! And rather than spend €10+ on something I had at home, I figured I would pick up a cheap one just to do me for the few days! Big mistake. The next morning I applied a primer and prepared to put on my makeup. I was using a damp makeup sponge, and began applying the foundation. It immediately started to dry and stream as I applied to my face. I tried my hardest to blend and even things out but it just seemed to make it worse! I ended up looking like I was wearing some kind of brown/orange camoflauge. I had to remove all of my makeup and start over, I just stuck with the dewy one. I never attempted to use the foundation again, I just threw it straight in the bin. It also smelled like chemicals and I didn't like imagining what it was doing to my skin. I was really disappointed because NYC is a budget brand but I've always loved their lipsticks and nail polishes! But yeah the foundation I would recommend avoiding.

Next up is Maybelline SuperStay Better Skin foundation. It is said to give a flawless finish and improve skins appearance with continued use. I picked this up because I needed a new foundation and I had heard great things about this. Also, anything that says it's going to improve my skin is a winner for me. So I picked this up and I did wear it quite a few times, but everytime I wore it I noticed that by about lunchtime, it had dried out really badly. Particularly around my nose and under eye area. It became patchy, some parts had come off completely and others were stuck to patches of dry skin that I didn't even know I had! I tried mixing it with other, wetter foundations but it always had the same effect. I really did try with this one as it smells nice and applied really smoothly, but in the end it also ended up in the bin. Not a good experience at all.

Finally I have a super high-end foundation, Chanel Vitalumiere foundation. I picked this up on the way home from a holiday last year in the duty free. It had been a particularly horrible trip so I figured I deserved some luxury! Now my experience with this foundation is not the products' fault. I bought this in an airport in Portugal, where all of the makeup was in one giant room and there were no designated counters or advisors. The only person around was a cleaning lady who didn't speak English. Also the bottle is entirely in French so basically, I had no clue what I was buying. Yes, I should have looked into the product before buying it but hey, Chanel is Chanel and the colour matched me perfectly. I couldn't wait to get this home to try it, but when I did, I pumped a bit out onto my hand and it ran right off. It is by far the wettest foundation I have ever come across. That's the only way I can describe it, wet. It's supposed to give a radiant glow and light to the face but on me it just looked like I'd dipped my face in Orange, wet paint. Even after blotting and applying buckets of mattifying powder, I couldn't work it. I tried with this about 3 times I think before finally accepting that it wasn't for me. I believe that this foundation is for a different age group, whose skin is that bit drier and looks beautiful with a bit of extra gleam. At €44.50 in Brown Thomas I did not throw this in the bin, I found it a new home with someone who could put it to better use than me. The quality of this foundation was outstanding, it smelled great and was so smooth and beautiful. I believe the Vitalumiere Aqua may be a better fit for my skin and I may try it in the future, after enquiring with the Chanel makeup counter ladies first of course!

I hope you all found this post helpful! It's important to keep in mind that not all foundations work on all people, so while some people might rave about a product it might look completely different on you! I always research foundations now before I buy them because it's so disappointing to get one that doesn't work!

Thanks for reading,

Caoimhe x

Mac Wash and Dry Lipstick Review and Swatch

Hey guys!

So if you follow me on Instagram ( @caoimhehand ) or on Twitter you will know that this morning I was really excited to pick up some stuff from the Mac Wash and Dry collection which launched in Ireland today! I got quite a few bits but decided to split up my review of them and give the lipsticks their own feature. Lipsticks are by far my favourite beauty product, particularly Mac lipsticks!

So there were 4 lipsticks released in this collection: (L-R) Creme d'nude (Permanent), Tumble Dry (Limited edition), Morange (P) and Steam Heat (LE). I of course bought them all because I love nothing more than walking into Mac and saying 'Give me all the lipsticks!'. Strangely enough Creme d'nude and Morange were my first ever Mac lipsticks. I bought them both last Summer, I gave Creme d'nude away straight away because I thought it was too pale for my skin tone. I kept Morange and I adore it but never got to use it, I find it incredibly dupeable and I have tons of orange lipsticks similar to it. I was struggling with how little I was using it, but then I found out it was coming out in beautiful rainbow packaging so I once again have my original away and waited for the LE one. I don't know if I'll use it any more now that I did before, but at least it serves another purpose now to make my dressing table look beautiful.

So first I searched all the lipsticks on my arm, I think Tumble Dry and Creme d'nude look quite different here than they actually do on the lips. I did give my other Creme d'nude away but I decided to give it another go with this collection, maybe using it over a darker lip pencil or something.

So above is Creme d'nude on ma lips. I actually don't know why I hated it so much before, it's a really beautiful nude and I think I will get some use out of this. This is a peachy nude in a cremesheen finish so it's quite sheer but super moisturising. This is a permanent shade so if you were only going to pick up one lipstick from this collection, you shouldn't feel obligated for it to be this one because it is available all year around in normal packaging. 

Next up is Tumble Dry, and I'd best describe it as an apricot colour. It's a lustre finish so it's very sheer, it took a lot of swatching to get the colour payoff in the photo. But I actually do really like this, it's really Summery and I think it makes my lips look really juicy. This colour would work with a lot of eye looks so I definitely would recommend it, it's so unique.

In contrast to other two, this is Morange and as you can see it is SUPER pigmented. This is literally one coat, it's completely opaque and is a really loud and beautiful colour. It's an amplified creme so it super creamy and comfortable, and it is also a permanent shade. This is one of Mac's most popular shades and it works on just about everyone.

Finally is Steam Heat, a bright tomato red. It literally is the colour of a ripe tomato and there are no obvious undertones it's quite neutral but I suppose it's edging on the warm side. It's a satin finish and has completely opaque colour coverage. I was actually quite shocked with this, from the promo pictures it didn't look quite as red as it actually is. It's beautiful but it is one of those colours that makes your teeth look yellow, so it is important to keep that in mind!

These lipsticks are €21.50 from Brown Thomas and won't be around very long so grab them while you can! Also keep an eye out for my follow up blog post which will be on the rest of the collection.

Thanks so much!

Caoimhe x