February Favourites

Well that month simply fly by in flash. It is no nice to finally see the spring to show it face even only for a few minutes at a time. The weather may be still very chilly and extremely unpredictable but the days defiantly seem to hold a little more day light. I love this time of year. As I mentioned before I have a growing appreciation for plants and flowers and I love that the little daffodils are beginning to show their little yellow faces!!

Anyway as February draws to an end I am pleased to tell you all about my favourite products I have been using this month. This month see’s a mixture of body/face care and make up. As always I would just like to tell you that I have tried each and every one of these products myself and my opinions are based on my experience of the products. Seeing as spring is on the way I have started upping my body care routine so I will start here....

1.     Elizabeth Arden Green Tea Honey Drops Body Cream 

€17.25 for 250ml

HAVE A LOOK CLICK HERE  

I love this body cream. It is really rich and smells amazing. It is gentle on your skin and leaves the skin unbelievably soft. It dries in really fast; it is almost like your skin simply drinks the moisture. It defiantly softens smoothes and condition the skin. The Green tea extract is perfect for sensitive or dry skin as it acts to calm the skin and nourish it at the same time. The cream is rich so you only need a little amount at a time meaning the 250 ml tube goes a long way, I have been using it for well over 2 months now.

2.   Benefit It’s Potent Eye Cream 

€30.55 for 14.2g 

HAVE A LOOK CLICK HERE

This eye cream was purchased as part of a trial size set. I written a post on the full set so if you want to have a look at the post just click on ME!

This eye cream is said to help the appearance of fine lines, dark circles and other nasty aging tell tale sign. It is rich and cooling on the eye area.  Benefit claims this cream help restore elasticity & firmness, a blend of hydrating botanical extracts including apple extract, known to help boost collagen. It is correctly named “it’s potent” as it is rich. It is really hydrating and over all I have had a really good experience with this eye cream. I have bought another benefit trial size kit with different products but it contains this eye cream again which I am so happy about.

I believe it is trial and error until you find the correct eye cream or skin care products that suit you and your skin type but this little potent pot is good place to start. 

3.     L’occitane Hand Cream in Cherry Blossom 30ml

TO HAVE A LOOK CLICK HERE

With the weather still chilly and ever changeable a good hand cream is a must in my hand bag. I simply love all L’occitane products but the hand cream is just amazing. Enriched with shea butter, this creamy and non-greasy moisturiser nourishes and protects hands, leaving them delicately scented. It contains cherry extract so smells amazing. A little treat your hands deserve. 

4.     Real Techniques Expert Brush 

TO HAVE A LOOK CLICK HERE

There is not much I can say about this fabulous face brush that has not been already been said and I have to admit all the positive reviews are spot on and completely correct. It is just a great face brush. It is light weight and has the perfect handle for gripping. It buffs makeup on the skin so well. It allows you to apply for foundation flawlessly leaving a lovely dewy look.  It is ultra-plush, synthetic taklon bristles are hand-cut. I love this range of brushes and am building my collection nicely. I actually like this brush so much that I want to add another one to my collection so when I was one and have it drying naturally for a day or 2 I will not be without one to use!!. Addicted much? (“,)

5.     Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector . 

TO HAVE A LOOK CLICK HERE

Once again a product carries in my hand bag at all times and in 2 shades.  I have this product in shades 01 Rose Shimmer and 03 Nude Shimmer.

This Lip gel is really light weight with a brilliant 3d shimmer and shine. It is lightly pigmented leaving your lips bright and shiny with your chosen colour. This product also conditions your lips really well. It is by far one of my most favourite lip products at the moment. 

With a lot of focus on skin care this month I have enjoyed using all of these products so much. I love mixing up my body care products. I hope you find one or two products that you may like to try.

Have you found any products this month that you have been really enjoying using? Please share with your finds with me by leaving a comment.

Am off to begin my search for my new favourites for next month!

Xoxo 

Artdeco.....a few little samples

During a recent visit to my most favourite spa/beauticians 5^th Avenue in Mullingar (for a really good look at all the treats they have to offer click HERE  ) I was given a few samplers of the new range of products from Artdeco.

I am new to the brand Artdeco so it was a real treat to be given the opportunity to try out these samples, which I must add were a great size for a sample. I have read good reviews of this brand and the many products the offer so I did not waste time in having a little tried myself.

¬  ULTRA VOLUME MASCARA

Anyone who is familiar with me, my blog or my make up habits knows that I adore good mascara. I got this mascara in black. This mascara claims to open and define the eyelashes and it is good mascara as in it is dark and it does open up your eyes. The level of volume is fairly good. I would use this mascara as day wear and seeing as it is a sample size that I have it is perfect for my handbag. I like the fact that the mascara is jet black as it highlights the eye. It is fragrance free and is gentle on the eyes. Overall I like it but as mascara’s go and taking in to account the amount of them I have tried I am not sure if I love it as yet.

¬    Lipgloss

I received this gloss in the shade iridescent. I really liked this gloss. The colour was very pigmented and has the finest of fine glitter particles to give a real glam effect. It does give a high shine and lips are plump looking. It lasted ages meaning I did not have to reapply for hours on end. A great gloss I have used up already.

¬  LONG LASTING OIL FREE SPF 20

Unfortunately I simply did not like this foundation at all. It aims to give the face an oil free matt finish and be of light weight and medium coverage. I found this to be untrue. The consistency was heavy and almost hard to blend. It was not my shade but again this was a sample so it was not matched to my skin so I cannot comment on the shade due to this. I just found it heavy and thick. I removed it once it was applied. I am sure it is perfect for many people’s skin just not for mine.

¬  ILLUMINATING POWDER FINISH

Loved this product so much have went out and bought a new pot for myself. This is a translucent powder that is used to set or finish the desired make up look. It has delicate light reflecting pigments that just give your face a really delicate glow. It is really easy to use and helps you achieve the natural nude look that has been all over the catwalks this year at various fashion shows. I highly recommend this product; it is relatively inexpensive for such good results.

So that is my experience of a few Artdeco products. Some good, some bad experiences but like all cosmetics worth a try. For a look at the full  range of products click HERE

Hope you find this account of my experience helpful.

Xoxo 

Think  Out Loud !!

While I was looking through the many beauty and cosmetic pages on the good old internet recently I clicked across a really great page. This new found gem of mine was focused on famous quotes from styles icons, actresses, actors and all round famous people. 

Of all the quotes I dedicated my time to reading and bemusing through I found one from Miss Audrey Hepburn, the most stylish of them all.

It read something like this:

I adore this quote. It almost speaks my mind in a way. It is simple and straight forward and for me speaks the truth.

To have a look at more quotes and interesting little ideas click HERE

Enjoy

Xoxo 

Style Icon’s

A post a little different today! With all the reports and news from the Oscars taking over the airwaves and magazine pages I got to think about  the celebrities  I rate as style Icons. There are many!

The one major aspect of style I truly adore and am always attempting to achieve is good hair! I simply love big glam hair. The whole pursuit of volume has been a long standing challenge I have a regular battle with! I do hope to win one day.

As far as make up goes I am defiantly an eyes girl. I adore all things make up as can be clearly seen from previous blog posts but if I were asked to choose one aspect of my body that I liked it would have to be my eyes and it is for this reason I adore trying new looks, methods and products to add a little bit of special to my eyes. I like a natural glow also and we all know this glow we speak of does take a bit of effort to achieve.

The style icons I have chosen have been chosen on their hair and makeup, despite the fact that they also have great fashion style. Each lady brings a lot of special in their look and always seems to be flawless yet have a little natural beauty also.

So I begin with the British sweetheart that is Miss Cheryl Cole.

Love her or hate her this lady always looks amazing. Her hair is big, her eyes are bight and her heels are high. I know her hair is, let us say, helped along by maybe a hundred extensions but it sure looks good. Big, glossy and wavy........Oh a girl like me can dream!

Her makeup is impeccable.  Focus is automatically drawn to her eyes which seem to be perfectly matched to her eye colour with a smokey look and wide eyelashes. I also like the nude natural lip look that she goes for. Some commentators may believe that she is “overly made up”, well if this is the case make me up as much as you like to achieve this style.

Next up I have chosen Rachel Billson.

I really like this lady’s natural bouncy look. Her hair is really glossy in a very natural, barely touched way. Her makeup matches this by being on the nude side and focus again on the dark lined eyes. She keeps her makeup look day friendly but could be easily modified to bring her to a night look also. The natural tan also helps her achieve a healthy glow. She just has a laid back, easy style to her that is so glam in its own right.

Lana Del Rey

This lady has it all in my eyes at the mo. She is a great artist with a fresh style of music and excellent lyrics. On top of that she has a fabulous style. Once again we see hair being a massive focus. The 50’s/60’s inspired wave is just lovely. Her makeup look seems to be inspired by a very natural flawless bronzed finish, nude lips and angled eyeliner. She just carries this look off perfectly. I like her fashion sense also. She really does offer great inspiration.

I love attempting to recreate some of these looks, as they say try and try again!

Who do you rate as your fashion icon? Do share your thoughts by leaving a comment below. I love to read any comments.

I am off now to look at a little more glamour from the red carpets Have a great Monday.

XOXO 

Naked Skin

I seem to be constantly on the lookout for a perfect foundation and my journey has brought me to the “Naked” look. I have tried two foundations that claim to help you achieve this look and want to share my experience!

• Urban Decay Naked Skin

I was introduced to this foundation last year by my sister who insisted I simply had to try this fabulous new make up! Off I popped to the Urban Decay counter with my new found knowledge to treat myself to the Naked Skin foundation. Available in 18 different shades taking advice I decided upon shade 4.0. This foundation’s formula is oil-free, paraben-free, and fragrance-free, which are all huge positives in my book. Again on advice I purchased the GOOD KARMA OPTICAL BLURRING BRUSH.

This brush is amazing! It buffs and blurs the foundation perfectly and I have been using it with lots of products. I highly recommend this brush even if you don’t use the Urban Decay foundation.

When I applied this foundation I found I did not need a setting powder and it did not dry out my skin at all. For the first couple of hours of wearing the foundation people actually commented on how well it looked. It gives your skin a lovely glow and is in not heavy or cakey in any way.

The problem I found with this foundation was that as the hrs went by it wore off and not in a great way! It got slightly patchy and I really did not like the look that appeared. I did try to reapply foundation but still found it difficult to achieve my dewy flawless look I had that morning! This foundation is a good foundation I just think it may not be for me. I will try it again and maybe will have a different experience. In theory and initial practice the foundation is really nice; I just need to ensure that this look lasts a few hours more!

Revlon Nearly Naked Range

I have to admit I am newbie Revlon fan with the Lip Butter being the catalyst to my liking of this brand. It was this new liking combined with my never ending search for the perfect foundation that suits me that lead me to purchasing the Nearly Naked Foundation in shade 150 Nude and the accompanying Pressed Powder Compact in shade 030 Medium. I absolutely love the whole idea and concept of “the naked” looks makeup and has tried and test other brands offerings such as Urban Decay Naked Skin.

My first impressions of this offering from Revlon was good – on sight it is really well presented as in  has plain white packaging with a clear bottle so you can see the liquid foundation and the powder inside. I liked this as it fitted nicely into the whole naked look I was hoping to achieve.

Using a real techniques expert brush I poured what I thought was too liquid on to the back of my hand before using my brush to apply it. First off I would highly recommend using a brush like this as the liquid is a little runny and the brush is just cleaner and prevents you applying too much. The foundation itself went on really well. It does take a fair bit of buffing to get it absorbed into your skin due to the consistency of the liquid. Once it is buffed in you realise you really do only need a very small of foundation to cover your whole face. The colour is natural looking and has a lovely dewy finish. It has staying power and I did not have to top it up all day. I really like this foundation and I will continue to use it.

I also purchased the pressed powder compact in shade 030 medium. Again, presented really well in a plain white compact with a small mirror. I found this pressed powder a nice shade that matched my skin really well. However, it is a slightly heavy powder and when applied over the foundation it was a little heavy looking for my taste. I now use this powder over a BB cream and it is really good. It provides a really fresh faced look and adds a little texture to the BB cream and defiantly adds to the long lasting desired look I was hoping to achieve.

Over all I am enjoying using the Revlon Naked range. In my opinion it is a welcome change to the traditional full coverage foundations out there. I love the natural look and with the spring summer season just inches away fresh faces are a must in my book.

Have you tried any foundations you found to be fabulous? If so please do share your finds with me by leaving a comment......I am always looking for a new foundation.

Have a lovely weekend....

Xoxo 

RIMMEL ........my little investigative haul !!

After reading so many positive reviews about the newest ranges on offer from the British cosmetics brand RIMMEL I simply just had to treat myself to a few little products just to see if the hype was in any way true. I picked four products to try out as I found that the price range of this brand was very competitive. They offer a wide range of products from nail polish to eyeliner to multiple types of skin foundation.  Have a look at the products I chose......

RIMMEL APOCALIPS LUNA

This lip product has been raved about in every beauty corner you can find so had to try them out. Do they live up to all the hype? Well in my opinion they are good but not sure if they are excellent! The colour is very pigmented and rich which is good, they do moisturise the lips and have a fabulous shine. My one disappointment was that the colour did not last as long as I hoped. I found myself reapplying the lippy quiet often during the day.

For a lip product of this quality the price is very competitive and allows you treat yourself to maybe a few shades. I am defiantly going to be treating myself to one or two more shades.

RIMMEL WAKE ME UP CONCEALER

Once again this concealer had been raved about and been highlighted as one of the best concealer’s around. In this case I simply have to agree. This concealer and corrector claim to provide an anti fatigue effect and radiant glow. I find it hard to find a nice concealer as I found a lot of them cakey on the skin and hard to find a shade that suits my skin tone. This concealer really does fulfil all my needs. It gives a good coverage without being too thick and does indeed give the “wake me up” effect under the eyes. You don’t need to apply a lot of the product to get the desired results. I have found a concealer I am honestly happy with and will repurchase in the future. 

RIMMEL WAKE ME UP Instant radiance shimmer touch.

Released recently as part of the “wake me up” range this radiance shimmer touch is a real little find. I picked it up just to try it and if I am being honest I did not have great expectations. I was misguided as I like this little bottle of sunshine! I am using the shade 004 shimmer sand. It is a light weight formula but is extremely potent so as they say a little goes a long way. It acts as both a highlighter and a blush for me. I like to apply it on the apples of my cheeks for an instant glow. It adds a really nice finish to even the simplest of makeup looks. A great little find indeed.

RIMMEL lasting finish soft colour blush

Availing of the great 3 for 2 offer in my local Boots Store I picked this little powder blush up in the shade 010 Santa Rose. It is a very delicate peach/coral colour. It is very light weight and even on the skin. I have to admit it not very pigmented and the colour is very light on the skin but it is perfect for a light day wear makeup look. It is cheap and cheerful and worth a try if you like light colour on in your blush.

I have to admit I was impressed by these products more than I had expected to be. I will defiantly not dismiss the RIMMEL stands on my beauty shopping day trips. I really hope you found this post interesting and maybe you found a product you might like to try too.

For a more look at the full range from RIMMEL CLICK HERE

Do you have a brand of cosmetics that you tried and liked? Leave a comment below to tell me about it all recommendations are brilliant.

Have a great day

Xoxo 

My Week In Tunes

Been a little while since I done “the music I am listening to this week” post so I decided to do it now! This week has been really busy but as always I find the time for a tune or three to sing my little heart out to or just hum along to in the bath!

1.  Pink Ft Nate Ruess – Give Me A Reason

Click Here HAVE A LISTEN 

First up, this week I heard this collaboration between Pink and Nate Ruess from the band Fun. I really loved this song on the first listen so much so I had to pull over the car and Shazam it yet again. Love that app by the way – another great little find. Pink always offers the listener a good pop song but this is a little better than her usual offering in my opinion. It has a great melody, lovely lyrics and is perfect for a good old’ sing-a-long. I am fan of Nate Ruess from the band Fun as so far the band have offered catchy tunes that side step the teeny poppy usual tunes found in the charts at the moment. I do think that his voice is so similar to Mika but over all I really like this tune. One of the best of 2013 so far!

2.  Hootie and The Blowfish – Let Her Cry

Click Here HAVE A LISTEN

Not many people would be familiar with this band and if you are not then I highly recommend that you go have a listen to them as they are just great. An American band from the 1990’s who offer fresh, well thought out songs that are accompanied by excellent music. I have liked this band for years. While adding music to my ITunes collection during the week this song came on. Have a listen it is really nice.

3.  Fatboy Slim - Right Here Right Now

Click Here HAVE A LISTEN

Little bit different from my previous choices this week but still a good one none the less. I have been trying to incorporate more activity into my daily routine and this tune always helps to motivate me. It is a great up tempo tune from a few years ago. Not a fan of the video but love the tune.

4.  Stevie Wonder – Superstition

Click Here HAVE A LISTEN

This song is my favourite driving tune this week. It is simply a classic. Funky, upbeat and perfect to dance along to anytime. I love this song as it just reminds me of summer time and long sunny days (the few that we do get and if am honest sitting in a beer garden drinking a cheeky cold cider) – defiantly a tune that will stay in my car stereo for a while.

5.    One Direction – Kiss You

Click Here HAVE A LISTEN

What can I say who does not like One Direction at the moment even if only a little bit! I still can’t believe it when I see them on TV as one of the band members are from my home town and all I can say is he was always a nice guy from what I knew of him. This is the only one of their songs that I just love and always turn up the volume. It is just a happy song with a great vibe. Despite the fact that I feel a little old (ok a lot old) in comparison the band or the majority of their fans I think fair play to them and keep doing what they are doing.

That is it for my favourite tunes for this week. Hope you find one or two that you might now grow to love. What are you listening to this week? Please do leave a comment and tell me your recommendation I love to hear them.

Happy Listening

XOXO 

Bath Time Bliss – L’Occitane Heaven

I received this fabulous gift set as a Christmas pressie and how perfect is it for me. I adore L’Occitane products-all of them and I love all things lavender (even lavender tea I included in my December favourites post)
proudly found in the high end section of the body care product department L’Occitane is really as good as they say. The ingredients are super luxurious and the products are such a treat. This brand offers a wide variety of scents in their products I find it hard to choose just one but my gift giver of this treat knew me well. The lavender offered here is very nice. It is delicate, relaxing and very gentle. It is not in any way a false or manufactured smell it is do natural that it probably is nicest version of lavender I have smelt.

I was delighted to open this gift. This gift set included: 

A large bottle of lavender bath soak - this is just a fabulous addition to bath time. The lavender is delicate yet effective, it almost insists on you relaxing while you soak! The smell lingers enough for u to enjoy it but by no means is over powering in any way. I love this as part of my bed time bath routine.

Second item is a pump bottle of lavender Hands Wash. Again a luxury item. I would love to tell you I place this in my bathroom accompanied by the matching hand lotion but this would be a lie! Instead I use this hand wash as a shower gel and it is great! It leaves a really nice softness and hint of aroma. It is gentle and effective and far too nice to be just used on your hands.

Next up is the solid bar if hand soap. Now this little lavender gem has pride of place by my bath room sink! It's long lasting, nice on your skin and smells so good.

Lavender body lotion - rich, creamy and super absorbent your skin practically drinks the stuff! My only issue with this item is you do receive a big enough bottle!  It!

Last but by no means least we have a lavender hand cream. L'Occitane is renowned for their hand cream and rightly so. I always carry a little tube of my favourite at the time in my hand bag. It's really effective for dry skin and has built in ingredients to nourish your nails and skin. If I were to recommend one product at all from this range it has to be the hand cream it is just amazing!

So there you have it a little run down on my favourite gift set I received at Christmas. I love rich body products and therefore this is perfect for me.

What is your favourite body care brand or product? I would love to hear your recommendation so please leave a comment.

Happy Valentine’s Day

XOXO 

Love .....Sweet Love

Happy Valentines Day

May each and every one feel a little flutter of love today

 xoxo

Benefit’s Trail Size Sets

 Recently during a rummage thought my sisters cosmetics I convinced her to gift me two fabulous Benefit sets, one from the skin care range and one from the makeup range. Traditionally I would not be drawn to Benefit but I have to admit since I began using these sets my opinion has changed from somewhat indifferent to being very positive.

 First off, 

I have been using Benefit Porefect Radiance Gift Set. 

This set contains;

·           

  The Porefessional (7.5 ml or 0.25 fl.oz) – This balm is designed to minimise the appearance of pores; fine lines and leave your skin feeling super soft and pampered.

I did like this balm and it did leave my skin soft. I am glad to say I don’t have many noticeable pores so if it does reduces the appearance of fine lines and pores all I can say is I hope it worked on me. 

·         It’s Potent – Eye Cream (30g net weight) – this eye cream claims to work wonders on the delicate skin around the eye area. It aims to fade dark circles and smooth fine lines so you are left with younger looking eyes. I have to say I liked this eye cream so much so I have it all used up. I used it mainly at night after my cleansing routine. I had not been using an eye cream at all before so I have noticed brightness around my eye area. I would definitely consider repurchasing this product in a larger size. 

·         Triple Performance Facial Emulsion (8.9ml or 0.3 fl oz) – Such a cute little bottle! This emulsion has SPF 15 and claims to hydrate, protect and comfort the skin. It is oil free and light weight. I used this lotion at night and I liked it. Again I don’t feel there is enough provided in this set to help you form a definite opinion but I did like it while I used it and my skin was bright and hydrated.

Over all I did enjoy using this set. My favourite item was the eye cream. I liked how all 3 products had a very delicate yet creamy texture and had no smell. I would recommend purchasing a set like this to try the products before purchasing a larger size.

Click HERE to have a look !!

The Second Benefit Set was from the makeup range, in particular the Illuminating Collection - Finding Mr Bright.

The set contains;

1.      

Girl Meets Pearl – this little potion claims to provide “an all over glow from within”. It’s a really light pinky gold consistency. You are advised to wear it on top of your make up or with no makeup at all. It did give a nice gleam which was subtle, though I think that may be due to me being rather sparing with the application. It is nice and the little tube will do me ages.

2.    Posietint – This is a really nice liquid blush. 2 or 3 drops rubbed into the apple of your cheeks is really nice and delicate. I advise to wear with natural look make up for a really fresh faced look. Again I would be very sparing with the application in attempt to try to avoid the clown look so this little bottle will last you a while. 

3.    High Beam – This is my favourite element of this set. It is a perfect high lighter for the face that can be worn all over face from cheek bones to eyebrows. I intend on repurchasing this product in a full size version I liked it that much. 

4.    Erase Paste – described as an “industrial strength concealer” this product hopes to erase all imperfections, flaws and blemishes. Nice as it is, personally I prefer my regular concealer as I am sure of the shade as I found this one to have a slightly pink tone to it. For those who like a general concealer this is good and it defiantly covers and last.

I am really glad that I tried this set. I liked it a lot, as mentioned my favourite product being the high beam high lighter. Again I would recommend this set to anyone who is curious to try the products as you are given ample opportunity to try each one in this set as you are given a generous sample of each.

To have a better look click FINDING MR BRIGHT 

Since I have been using these sets I was intrigued to what other skin care or makeup sets Benefit has to offer. I was nicely surprised to find that they have quite a few to choose from. A favourite beauty emporium website feelunique have a great variety.

Also have a look at the BENEFIT website 

Have you tried any trial size products and loved or hated them? Do tell (“,) by leaving a comment below I love to hear recommendations.

Have a lovely evening ya’ll

Xoxo