Review: Essence Eyebrow Pencil

Hey everyone,

I've been using this pencil everyday for the last few weeks and I have to say it is an absolute gem of a product. It costs only €1:49 and it's available from Penneys or Dunnes. What I love about this bad boy is that it stays in place all day and doesn't smudge or run. As I have very thin brows, regular pencils don't really work for me but I find because the actual pencil itself is really stiff (and once you keep it sharpened) it lets you create your preferred eyebrow shape. I have it in 2 shades, 04 - Blonde and 02 - Brown. Both of these have made it into my professional kit and my own make-up bag. Defo one to buy.

Here's a few pics of the amazing effects of this pencil....lol

Talk soon...xxxxx

Magazine Benefit Freebies....

Hey Girls,

It's that time of year again, where you get your bite size Benefit treats in Glamour Magazine.

As I'm a sample whore I picked up 2 magazines and got myself a sample or their Pore Professional Balm and a Bad Gal Mascara. I'm not too gone on the mascara, I've used it before and found it a bit dry, but it was way too cute to leave behind. As for the Pore Professional Balm I've been wanting to try this for ages. 

These are so handy to pop in your makeup bag. The magazine itself costs just 2.97euro and are on the shelves now...

Laters....xxxx

Review - Eau Thermale Avene High Protection Compact Foundation SPF 50

Phew...that's a mouthful of a name. As I am always on a foundation search I requested a sample of this beauty to try. Alot of my clients would ask me about different foundations to suit their skin types and as its coming into summer most want something lighter in coverage. Now, I am definitely a fan of medium to full coverage and wasn't expecting much from this for me, as it states its a tint -  that word actually scares me. Boy was I shocked with this. It has now replaced all my usual day foundations of MAC, Estee Lauder and Christian Dior. I tried it the first day with a sponge provided and it applied way too thick and mucky, but I then used the Real Techniques buffing brush and it goes on like a dream. Once you apply your concealer for the olde bags and set this with powder you are good to go. I think its just the best idea, not only have you lovely fresh looking skin, it has factor 50 and excellent coverage. Irish people tend to forget about any kind of sun protection but apart from the whole skin cancer fear there is also the dreaded fear of ageing!!!!...I think I'm really now starting to think of skin and aging now that I'm hitting mid thirties..sob sob..why did I fry myself in baby oil when I was younger!!!
What I also love about this is that its a compact, I haven't used a compact for years since I used the muck that is Elizabeth Arden but I find it so handy to whip this bad boy out if I need to have a quick touch up.
I think this foundation will be brilliant for anyone that doesn't have very oily skin. I have normal skin type with an oily t-zone and this is perfect for me - once I set this with powder. It doesn't leave me very shiny and find I'd only touch up my makeup once after about 8 hours. This would look fab on someone with very dry skin as its going to add natural dewiness to your skin. You don't need a separate sunblock, and it's very gentle on your skin. One thing to remember with this foundation is that it has an SPF of 50 so its not camera friendly, perfect for every day but not good if your planning on having photographs as the SPF diffuses light and make you look ghostly.

Eau Thermale Avène High Protection Tinted Compact SPF 50

·Handbag friendly size

·Protects against UVB/UVA sunlight

·Conceals imperfections and evens out skin tone.

·100% mineral free

·No chemical filters

·Fragrance free

·Paraben free

·Water resistant

How to use

Before sun exposure, apply thin layer (at least 1g) of product onto facial skin, reapply frequently (every 2 hours) and after towel drying, swimming, or perspiring.

Avoid contact with eyes.

Eau Thermale Avène High Protection Tinted Compact SPF 50 Beige €25.41,10g

Pros: • Provides SPF50. • Gives flawless natural skin and blends easily • Suitable for sensitive skin types. Cons: • Limited shade range. Only two shades are offered, and while both are workable for me, this is really not right see as there are more skin shades out there...get on it Avene. The lightest shade, which is the one I have Sable/Beige is about a NW25 from MAC and the darker shade is the Dore/Honey shade, which can turn slightly peach on skin. Its about a NW30. • Not suitable for oily skin types. Laters...xx

Review - La Roche Posay Physiological Micellar Solution

Howdy...
I have been on the hunt for a new cleanser for a while now. The last cleanser I have just used up is the La Roche Posay Physiological Micellar Solution.

A micellar cleanser is a water-like cleanser specifically tailored to sensitive, imperfection-prone skin. It cost me 15.00euro from Cassisy's Pharmacy Ennis which I thought was great until I realised I had the whole thing used up in under 2 weeks. If you're on a budget, using this as a makeup remover, especially if you love slapping on the muck like me, will end up being a very expensive product. I will repurchase this but will keep it only for a morning cleanser or maybe as a quick fix after I come in from a night out.
What I think this would be perfect for is someone suffering from breakouts or Rosacea or even a cleanser to take on holidays if your planning on being sunburned. It doesn't irritate sensitive skin and eyes, isn't drying and this cleanser will leave your feeling clean and refreshed.
I wouldn't recommend this for teenagers and early twenty-somethings, who often prefer a more aggressive cleansing process due to higher oil production, I might suggest using this as a toner--it will sweep away dead skin, but it won't irritate skin, which can often be counter-productive for dealing with oiliness or acne.

 Hope this helps.

Primark Cotton Wool

Hey everyone......I just have a little post, I know its a shitty post but I just wanted to vent to you. Last week while buying more crap from Penney's I picked up a double pack of cotton wool pads, thinking I was getting a great bargain for just 1 euro.

Boy was I bloody wrong. They are absolutely crap. They fall apart at the lightest touch and leave horrible stringy bits of cotton wool all over your face. All the fluff sticks to your eyelashes and eyebrows and removes NO makeup. On top of that they seem to have little flecks of wood!! or something in them that took a lovely chunk of skin off my eyelid......

My advice to all of ye is by pass the bas***ds and pay the extra euro for proper cotton wool....

Now rant over..I must go and rub vaseline into my poor eyeball...xxxx 

Laters...xxx

pic stolen from Google images..xx

Review - Rimmell Lash Accelerator Mascara

Sorry everyone - Another mascara review....I'm gone a little obsessed!!

I really wanted to like this mascara. I love Rimmel and have always had a great experience with their products and the fact that this had a lash accelerator and wasn't too expensive got me really excited about this.
I have read so many reviews on this mascara and the results are half and half, people either hate it or absolutely love it!!
For this review I have done something a little different, I got my poor momma to be the guinea pig. My eyes have gotten very sensitive at the minute, probably from constantly trying so many products, so I have been sticking to my trusty Boujois Mascara for sensitive eyes. My mum was saying she wanted to try something different so I picked this bad boy out for her to try. She was looking for all the things this mascara was offering, a thin wand as she has short lashes and the promise of new longer fuller healthier lashes.

This is how Rimmel describe it...

Lash Accelerator Mascara is our first mascara that actually helps to promote the natural growth of beautifully long, remarkably strong lashes. Instantly, your lashes look up to 80% longer, but then after 30 days of continued use, they’ll appear up to 117% longer! Our exclusive GROW-LASH complex, features Procapil® which works to strengthen lashes’ roots and also contains natural lash enhancing ingredients such as, biotin, keratin, and bamboo extract which help to reinforce, restore and moisturize your lashes.
After reading this I was expecting momma to have Kim Kardashian's eyelashes but unfortunately this didn't happen. She wasn't too impressed and let me know she would never buy this again - whoooopsies.
Now first off though, she did like the wand, found it very easy to use and she really liked how the bristles were distributed. However, she found that the formula was too watery and it took FOREVER to dry. Throughout the day, it kept on bleeding through her under eye area as well, leaving her with panda eyes. She also thought it felt very heavy on her lashes. This was discarded and binned after about 2 weeks so I never got to find out if it would have made her lashes grow thicker or stronger.

Overall, this was not worth the 10 to 11 euro spent on it and it definitely does not do what it says on the tin.
Laters...xxx

Magazine Freebies March 2012

Magazine Freebies March 2012

Every couple of months I break my magazine ban and go a bit gaga and buy a few magazines purely for their excellent selection of freebies. And I never, ever read the bloody things just throw them out. Here's the 2 magazines I picked up this week with some juicy freebies

Firstly, check out this month's Glamour magazine, which includes a 100ml tube of hair conditioner by the brand Percy of Reed

Here's how it is described: "This bottle is packed with moisturising marvels. Blueberry extract, grape seed oil, sweet almond oil and aloe vera gel all combine quite beautifully to hydrate and deeply nourish your hair."
I'd never heard of the brand Percy & Reed, until this week and have to say it is a lully conditioner, my fuzzy hair felt and looked shiny and soft after this.

The second magazine I bought this week was Elle, purely because of the freebie, which is the Soap and Glory Mascara.

The Mascara itself is 14.00euro to buy in Boots so I got a good bargain in this one. I've been so impressed so far with their makeup so love getting to try more of their products. The mascara itself is a very natural black mascara that has a glossy finish. Defo a good one to get for free in a magazine as it doesn't harden the lashes and doesn't flake but not good enough to repurchase I think. I'll keep trying it and see do I change my mind....

Laters..xxxxx