Ziaja Natural Olive Shampoo And Conditioner

Its no secret that I'm a big fan of the affordable Polish skincare brand Ziaja. They have so many really wonderful products that work brilliantly and because of their price, you can afford to pick up lots of extra bits without breaking the bank. A month or two ago (my memories shot, I'm getting old) they launched their olive leaf range of skincare and I was lucky enough to get to try some out. Needless to say, I loved every bit of it so when I saw the natural olive shampoo and conditioner I was intrigued to see how it differed from the olive leaf. That and the fact that I have never tired anything for my hair from the range before.

Not really sure why the shampoo comes in a 400ml and the conditioner only comes in a 200ml, but leaving that aside they smell divine both in the bottle and throughout the day after your hair has been dried and through the battles of the day. The shampoo ''gently cleanses hair and scalp. Supports hair regeneration process. Restores natural volume and healthy look to the hair...'' I don't find that it gives a lot of volume, but I can certainly see and feel the difference in how soft it is. I'm slightly obsessed with keeping my hair soft to the touch, as heavily dyed hair like mine normally comes under scrutiny that it would be dry and hay-like. I can safely say its silky smooth after using the shampoo alone.

The conditioner is said to ''regenerate disturbed hair structure and conditions its entire length. Reduces static and tangling. Ensures natural softness. Smoothness and shine to your hair.'' I found this one to be a little heavy on my hair and would only use it maybe twice a week in the very ends of my hair. It does make definitely add shine and I notice less knots in it after using. But the shampoo alone would be perfect to use. I can't remember exactly how much they both were as I threw away the receipt ages ago, but I think the shampoo was about €4.99 or €5.99.

I'd definitely recommend having a look out for these if you like to keep your hair silky smooth and get your moneys worth out of a product as I just know this is going to last me at least a month (and I wash my hair daily). Also neither of these have stripped the white blonde or purple out of my hair, so an extra big thumbs up. If you don't fancy your hair too much, then look out for their skincare. Oh holy mammy, their body scrub is cheap as chips and the best thing I've ever used (sorry my beloved Soap&Glory! Your just not as good and too pricey!) Yeah, its safe to say that me and Ziaja are besties.

Blackhead Killer Review

I love those sticky nose strips that you can get in Boots for your blackheads. The satisfaction for letting them dry and then ripping it off to find all your blackheads stuck to the strip. Now a lot of people say that its not the best thing to pull blackheads out of your skin and leave your pours open, but I don't do it daily or even weekly, so I don't think its going to hurt too much. I love toning and then putting a little moisturiser on afterwards, to keep those pours happy and staying spot free.

With all that in mind, I got sent these blackhead remover peel off masks to have a little go of. I'll be honest and say that I've seen a lot of negative reviews of these in the past, so I approached them with caution. When you open the pack there is black liquid that you spread all over your face and wait for about 10 to 15 minutes to let it dry, then just peel it off. I wouldn't recommend using this if you have fake nails on as it took me ages to clean the black goo from under them, but I ended up just taking them off. You'll need warm water and lots of soap to get this off your hands. Maybe it was just me - but I found it really hard to get off when wet!

However when it drys and you peel it off, it comes away easily with no pain - apart from if its dried in your hair or near your eyebrows. It left no irritation and my skin felt fresh after it, but I gave it a quick clean with a cleaner to make sure everything was taken off. As for the mask itself, I was surprised to see blackheads clinging to it along with some tiny hairs. 

Would I recommend it? At £14.95 for 5 packs of 10ml product, I'm not sure I would spend such a lot of money for them. It does actually do what it says on the packet as far as getting rid of blackheads, but it also says that it prevents future spots which I haven't found at all. It says on the site that if your not 100% happy with the product then you can get all your money back, which makes me have more faith that the product is more likely to work, considering they are so confidant in it. 

I'm on the fence about this one. I love things that I can peel off my face and it is nice to find a product like this that you don't have to rip off your face in little strips. And the fact that you can apply to to where you like on your face instead of only on your nose and chin as I've seen marketed by other brands. Have a look at them over on the site here.

*I did not pay for this item, it was a PR gift.  Please see my disclaimer here.

Maybelline Lash Sensation Mascara

The latest must have mascara came out at the start of the year in the form of Maybelline Lash Sensation and I didn't take any notice of it. I'm not a huge mascara person and rarely stray from my Benefit They're Real. But the other week I decided to pick it up for the simple face that it was in the colour wheel of a possible purple, Yup, you can sell me anything as long as its purple. In fairness I had read very good reviews of it as well, so I wasn't being entirely bought over by packaging alone. 

I will use any mascara to test it out for the blog or just myself. But I have noticed the ones I've tried out more recently I've been reaching for over my beloved They're Real (yeah, real expensive you mean! Its one of the only high end products I use daily by the way.) But I must say, if I was a mascara, I would like to be this one. It has a lovely consistency, is a true black shade and drys quickly enough that I'm not getting it all over my face or glasses. If you really want to blow people away on a night out, lash on two coats of this stuff and your set. It doesn't flake or end up half way down your face by the end of the day either, as I've wore this many 14+ hour days.

However if you do accidentally rub your eye, it will smudge. I've been wearing a lot of cheaper mascaras recently that don't budge if you do it. I will do a blog post on them, don't worry! But the cream of the crop is not based off of rubbing your eyes raw, its how they look in the end. And this wand gives the most beautiful separation without making the lashes look like spider legs. There are two sides to this curved wand,  the outer with longer teeth and the inner has smaller. This makes it so much easier to to both top and bottom lashes without getting blobs of product all over your face and the curve in the wand is a huge help too, making it easy to get right at the root of the lashes - which is not the easiest thing to do! Or maybe thats just me. Elephant in a china shop, me. But the curve does almost enables you to want to put on more! 

As you can see in the photos below, it really does make a big difference, The mascara lengthened the lashes and gives an incredible volume, especially considering the ones below have only one coat on them. Its also very easy to take off and I use the Garnier eye make up remover on them most nights. However it will come off easy enough with a cleanser or micellar water too - hey we can't all be perfect all of the time!

This is currently €11.99 in Boots and they naturally have their famous 3 for 3 offer running at the moment so it would be utterly rude not to buy this. Its genuinely the first mascara in years that I've wanted to make family and friends buy  so they can see just how good it is. If I had a SnapChat, this is the type of photo you'd be seeing on it. The tube of mascara entitled 'Buy it, thank me later'. (And I can tell you, I have a special rant just for that bloody snapchat yoke. Young'uns!)

Sexual Sunday: Speed Dating With GetOut.ie

If you've been hear for a while then you'll know all about my Sunday carry on. If not, then welcome to #SexualSunday where I post every Sunday with something sex related. Sometimes its a Dublin sex shop review and then other times its me ranting about anal or porn.This week its the one I've been threatening for a while now, I went speed dating. For those of you who weren't following me on twitter (shocking!) then you wont have seen my live tweeting some of what was going on. I previously emailed GetOut.ie and asked if I could talk to them about their site and go on a speed date. I'm cheeky like that you see. The lovely people over at GetOut happily sat down to answer my never ending questions, so a big thank you to them for putting up with me! I did not pay for my evening, but nor is this a paid for review. So all the opinions below are totally my own, as are my poor attempts at chatting men up and managing to mortify myself and those around me. A massive thank you also to the utterly wonderful hostess on Thursday night for making sure I was looked after and who was a mind of information, utter credit to the GetOut team. But before I tell you about the dates, lets get a bit of background for you to chew on.

Originally I was vaguely appalled by the idea that not only would someone pay money for an online dating service, but they would then be willingly herded at the 5 minute mark around a room to talk to each other in awkward social settings. I didn't like (and still don't) the fact that there were ageist restrictive groupings and as the age goes up, so does the price. I put these questions to a member of the GetOut team who sat down with me for a chat and he made a few holes in my points. Those who might be sick of the club scene or online dating might want to actively seek out a real conversation face to face in a safe and controlled environment. Theres no swapping details so if you don't want to talk to them again, theres no obligation to do so. Its also a way to get to go on mini dates with several people for less then if your forking out for a full date with someone who you might never speak to again. And then the simple fact that people are actively paying to look for something more then casual dates or random flings. Overall, in my opinion very good points were made for both the pros and cons.

GetOut host events all around the country several times a month, so there are plenty of options and times to choose from. I booked only hours before the evening as I was attending an event only around the corner. You can see the full list on their site and email or call to book and then get a conformation email telling you the time, venue and some tips on how to get conversations going, even pointers on how to dress. A lot of people, especially women I was told, go in groups with friends. I think this is both a good and bad idea, but if your going to try speed dating, do nights on your own and also with friends. You will get such different experiences from them! If your not too sure about the whole meeting face to face just yet, GetOut does have an online dating site where you can sign up to create a profile and have a look at the people out there that you could potentially match with. The GetOut staff are also friendly and helpful over the phone (I called and didn't state who I was the first time, so there was no bias conversation) so if you have any questions or worries they will be able to answer them.

Now the event itself. Personally I didn't really have enough time or energy (man was that day warm) to be nervous about meeting lots of new people, I just concentrated on not being the last straggler in the door. The venue was Foleys bar, which was dead easy to find and I inquired at the bar where abouts the speed dating was going to be held. After asking lots of staff on the several floors above, I finally found the right room. I was first there so I signed in and chatted to the hostess while waiting on the others to arrive. This was the 26 to 35 dating night, so I felt I was going to stick out like a sore thumb a little, but it was also nice to know that the age limits on the site weren't super strict so both younger and older people could attend the events. The first half an hour was the worst part as people slowly poured in and we all waited around. The men gravitated towards the bar (which didn't have staff to serve on it! Major minus points all round and everyone who I talked to commented on it too.) While the women sat in little groups chatting. I talked to three German girls who came in a group and asked if they had done this before. The general feeling was all three had in the past and it was a great way to meet new people in a safe and controlled environment. I was actually surprised that they brought up the safety element as it never features too high on my list when meeting people online in the past.

While I waited, the hostess handed out name badges to everyone and explained how the night was going to work, letting the men rotate tables every 3 to 5 minutes while the women remained seated. Just as well considering I had a tonne of bags. Some which contained makeup, shoes and new knickers from shopping earlier that day. (At least I'll never be accused of being classy.) We also got cards to write the persons name and badge number on, along with ticking a box of yes, no or just friends. I noticed that one of the first men to come into the pub was slowly making his way around the groups of women - which is perfectly fine and well. But he came across as very full on and several women leaned away from the table when he approached them. After the event he was also standing outside the pub talking to every woman who passed by and if I was anyone else I would have found his behavior intimidating and totally off putting. However the hostess was busy with other things and to be honest is there much GetOut can do in a situation like this? I wouldn't say so considering he wasn't actually doing anything wrong. Bit of a sticky one there, but just thought it was worth noting. 

Apart from that one very off putting guy, the rest of the dates went very well and I found that I actually properly enjoyed myself. I was nervous to start with, trying to concentrate on asking general questions and avoiding telling the guys that I came to review the event when they asked why I was out tonight. There was a funny mixture of very professional people, I spoke to a guy who worked in a bank, an accountant, a chef and a doctor to name a few. It was impressive to say the least, but naturally everyone was nervous and on their best behavior so there were many 'I like to read, run and I'm in a very professional career' recited a lot. (In fairness I did more or less the same, without the running though. That'll be the day.) The one down part about meeting so many guys all in one night was that by the end, I wasn't really sure who I had what conversation with. I loved one conversation about House of Cards, then in another we talked about football - he was a ManU fan, thanks be to baby Jay. I even had a bitchy conversation with one guy about people getting married and having kids, oh how we scoffed at them! I wish I could have had some extra paper to write little bullet points down beside each of their names, so I could remember better as I was super excited about continuing them on. After all, who doesn't like football or bitching!?

My two major face palm moments of the night? (apart from one guy looking at my tattoos and asking if I did drugs) One poor soul told me I looked no more then 30, in what I'm sure he thought was his most charming manner. Naturally he sweated for the next 2 minutes until the bell went for us to change seats again. I would say this is my fault as I told him he looked very young, but telling someone they look young is always a compliment. And if men are reading this, never tell a 22 year old they look 30. That lad is lucky to be able to tell the tale! My other foot in mouth moment was when I (boldly) took out my phone to read a text as the guys were moving seats. My friend said to brag about being a doctor to the next person who sits down. Only the man was actually a doctor and I loudly exclaimed 'Fuck off!'. As in a 'no way, thats funny I just got a text,' way. Only I didn't manage to explain until 5 minutes later after the poor guy wiped tears away from his eyes from laughing at me so much. (Note to self: Don't tell any future doctor date to fuck off. Poor fella.)

GetOut claim that 70% of people get matches for each event they attend. And if you don't find anyone that takes your fancy, then they give you the chance to go again for half price. If thats not totally great and enabling, I don't know what is. In my honest opinion would I go on a speed date again? (if I was single that is) Yes, 100% I would go again. Hell, I might even go again and bring a friend just for the craic of an unusual night out. The sigma attached to speed dating has gone out the window for me and I would love if everyone did it, even just once.  I'll admit it does have some flaws, but what part of dating doesn't. I'd recommend it to any age group and GetOut offers lots of different activities and events. So go on, give them a look over here and tell them that Cat sent you! (Then email me your stories if you do decide to go on one of these nights! I can't be the only one to bring extra knickers and tell a doctor to fuck off!) 

GetOut.ie 

speed dating currently has special offers on for April if you fancy it too!

My Hair Care Routine

Not everyone has nice things to say about my hair, especially when they see thats its dyed a few shades. But what you might not notice is that there are hardly any split ends and if you feel it, its silky. (I have gotten many a 'oohhh!' when people touch it. Its so satisfying to hear that!) I don't do lots with my hair, I'll admit it. Apart from dying it and washing it daily, I never really bother to style it unless I'm really jazzed about an event. After a few questions of what I use and how I keep my hair in such good condition considering its dyed, I though that I'd do a post on it. Sure why not!

Firstly I am actually a natural blonde and in the summer months when my natural shade is on show, it will turn a strawberry blonde with light highlights from the sun. However this will be the first summer in about 4 that I've had my natural shade on show. I'm letting my hair grow out (although the itch to dye it is crazy!) so I'm not harming my roots with bleach which is a plus. But the ends of my hair are dyed purple every second or third week, depending on how faded its gotten. So if your into changing your hair colour, I'd suggest just the ends. Not as harmful and you can chop it off if you get really sick of it and don't want to take the colour out or redye it!

I like a few brands of shampoo and conditioner, one being Aussie. But I will use basically anything on my hair, I'm not fussy. The only thing that I stay away from is Head and Shoulders as it strips colour very quickly with any colour. Right now I'm really loving Aussies volume shampoo and their wonderful 3 minute conditioner mask. I have limp hair that is continuously knotty - and with the harsh water we have in the house, it doesn't help. But these two, especially the conditioner, always helps to keep my hair less knotty. Next on the list of things to try out is the Ziaja natural olive collection. I hope it works on my hair just as well! If my hair is really sleek and flat after these products, I will sometimes use a Lush hair/face product mid week that contains salt to give it some texture. It always works a treat.

After a bit of a hair cut, done by yours truly (you can see I'm not too bothered about messing up the hair, as it always grows back!) I made sure that my split ends didn't come back with the help of some hair oils. The one I'm using at the moment is a Tresemme one and one pump does perfectly. I use it daily and have noticed a massive difference in my hair, so I'd highly recommend picking up one. It can be hard finding an oil to suit your hair, so you could be on the hunt for a little while. (But for the most part, the ones you pick up in Boots are all under €10, so its not too bad.)

I've also started using a vo5 heat protect spray as I like to blast my hair with the hair dryer in the morning. If you have long hair you'll understand the need for this, or suffer the horrible wet clothes and back for half the day. I really like this and although I've only been using it about a month, I think it might be helping. Less static and frizz after brushing it out anyway!

And for my dye, I love and always highly recommend the Live XXL in purple. I have gone through easily 20 or 30 boxes of this stuff and it has the best colour pay off of all the alternative shades and brands out there. Because I only dye the ends of my hair, I tend to leave this in for a few hours or even overnight for an intense colour. Don't worry, my hair has never been worse for wear, changed shades, gone green or fallen off! Although I wouldn't recommend using it for that length of time if your doing your roots and close to the scalp. 

Lastly if I'm having a shower but want to give my hair the day off, I'll use a dry shampoo and a little Aussie leave in conditioner spray. Right now I'm loving the Herbal Essences dry shampoo, but I do switch it up a lot. This is about my 5th bottle of this particular one. And as everyone is a little obsessed at the moment over hair brushes, I have been a long time lover of my Denman brush. It seems to get out my knots the best and is dead handy to clean. You can pull off the head and out of the teeth by the row to clean them all.

Thats all there is really, just lots of oils, conditioners and protectors! Have you any favourite hair products or maybe something you could suggest for me to try out? I love new hair things!

Ziaja Haul

The other week I went to a really wonderful event hosted by the lovely Emma from Mastering Your Makeup. I'm a massive Ziaja fan as some of you will know from past posts and monthly favourites, so I was delighted to get to hear more about the brand and try out brand new things from the range. I was kindly given some things to try out in a jam packed goodie bag, but I also picked up a bag full of things that I thought sounded interesting or that I had run out of. Its a serious downer when you run out of your favourite things!

I came away with a lot of the olive leaf range by accident, but everything just looked and smelled really good. In my goodie bag I got a lovely olive leaf regenerating face mask (that I've seen lots of bloggers really love, so I'm excited to try it out!) and a olive leaf micellar water. If you saw my Boots haul you'll know that all my skin care make up removing products ran out at the same time, so I was delighted to get this in my bag. I've had my big 400ml Garnier water for less then a month and I'm almost finished it (!) so this will be next on the list to try.  

I also got my most sought after product from Ziaja in my goodie bag. Their shower scrubs are so cheap and amazing quality, so they are always sold out when I try to get them. I felt extra lucky to see them floating in our bags! Lastly from the goodie bags was a mens shower gel (that smells really good) that I've passed on to himself. And not pictured is a goats milk face cream that my mammy got more then attached to when I was showing her the things, so its living with her now! 

I had to pick up two face products that I buy time and time again. The manka tree purifying toner (that I've talked about in my skin care routine) is one of the best toners that I've tried out in a long time. It also smells clean and it could be a placebo, but I think it cleans my face better because it smells of tea tree!

I also got my all time favourite face scrub, the rose butter micro peeling face scrub. This has to be my 4th easily, I can't do without it. I ran out of this a few months ago and didn't manage to get into the shop to pick it up for about 3 weeks. In this time I tried out some scrubs that I got in Boots but none were as good. This makes my skin so soft and gets rid of the dry pieces of skin that tends to appear around spots. I use this about 3 times a week and always notice how much better my make up goes on afterwards.

After talking to one of the girls from Ziaja she recommended that I try out the olive shampoo and conditioner from them, so I got them. I'm not really sure why the conditioner is so much smaller then the shampoo, so I must tweet them and ask! I was done with buying half the shop until I smelled the olive body balm and knew I had to try it out. It sinks into the skin so quickly and makes me feel lovely and soft without being sticky or weighted down for the day. I can see this becoming a regular buy for me.

Then as I hadn't seen that there was a mask in the goodie bag, I decided to pick up another that was only 70 cent! As I remembered how well they were reviewed by bloggers before. All in all I think I did really well with my little haul and will be steadily making my way through them all in the next few weeks! Make sure to follow Ziaja and Emma on twitter as I've heard that they will be doing lots more events like the one I was at. You might be able to sign up for one soon!

Ren Bath And Body Discovery Kit

Ren is a brand that I never pay much attention to. I always think of it as far too expensive for me personally and also it seems like its marketed towards an older person. Thats just my feelings on it though, I've no doubt that theres lots of younger people who use and really love Ren. I was kindly given this *Ren bath and body discovery kit a few weeks ago to try out.

This kit comes with four mini Ren clean skincare moroccan rose body wash and matching body lotion. There is also the revivo tonic body wash and lotion.I used both of the shower gels and found them grand. Neither were amazing but I did like the rose scented one a little more then the odd smelling mint revivo tonic. I would say that it would be good if you had a cold and needed to clear your head a little. But other then that, I didn't really like it and used the last in a bath for the bubbles.  

The two body lotions however I liked even less. They sat on top of my skin and I found it really difficult to get them to sink in. Even a little at a time really working it into my skin didn't help. They rubbed off onto my clothes and anything I  touched off of. My skin didn't feel any more moisturised and I couldn't wait to start using my other (and cheaper might I add!) moisturisers. Again the rose scent was a little more bearable then the mint scented one, but I find the rose scent that Ren uses in all its products a little aging. I normally really like rose scents so I can safely say I'm not bias towards the aul scent!

Overall for the price of £16 (about €22 straight off a converter, it could be a little more or less in the shop) I don't think that its worth the money. Its a cute little gift and its great for trying out a number of things from the range, but I'm just sadly not in love with it at all.    

*I did not pay for this item, it was a PR gift.  Please see my disclaimer here.

Sexual Sunday: Women Don't Like Porn (And Other Myths)

Do you ever have those moments when you read something online that people genuinely think is a real thing? (or indeed say IRL). You look at the screen and either cackle in utter disbelief or wonder if you should give up on humanity entirely if this is the best that can be found. I do that a lot when it comes to the myths of the opposite sex or sex in general. The fact that people all over the world do IT a lot, we don't know much about the ins and outs of what actually goes on. (the biology lesson is another post. And don't laugh, I bet you have no idea where the bulbocavernosus muscle is, now do you?) Well today is your lucky day, because I'm going to talk about just some of the absolutely mad things that people think is true, or don't even know.

The perfect example is the crazy myth that women don't enjoy porn or sex. I know some of you will find it hard to believe, but I will speak for women as a whole when I say that the majority out there really love both. Now don't throw your hands up and say 'But Cat, your a sex blogger and will naturally like both!'. People of the internet, have a proper chat with the ladies in your life. Not all might want to admit it about the porn in particular, but we like it. A lot. 

 - Side note. When on porn sites there is sometimes a section for 'female friendly' porn. This bugs me a lot considering everyone will have different tastes and categorising it by gender enrages me. *Looks pointedly at PornHub* I understand there are sections for gay, lesbian, age and so on. But female friendly porn? Really! No. Nononono. 

Anal sex. I know theres a lot of people who would believe that if they only have anal they are still virgins. But hand over heart. Honey, thats also sex. 

Which leads me on to people who say that gay or lesbian sex is not actually sex because there is no opposite gender sex organ in the mix. What are these people smoking! On googling 'definition of sex' the very first thing that comes up is below. Note the use of both virginal and anal. A persons genitals. Fingers and toys also count, they are being inserted for the purposes of sex. 

noun
noun: sex; plural noun: sexes

1. 1.

   (chiefly with reference to people) sexual activity, including specifically sexual intercourse.

   "he enjoyed talking about sex"

   synonyms:

   sexual intercourse, intercourse, lovemaking, making love, sex act,sexual relations, sexual/vaginal/anal penetration; mating;  informalnooky;  informalbonking, rumpy pumpy, a bit of the other, how's your father;  informalpata-pata;  vulgar slangscrewing,fucking;  vulgar slangshagging;  formalcoitus, coition, copulation; archaicfornication, carnal knowledge, congress, commerce euphemistic

   • a person's genitals.

In some recent emails I found that a man was asking how to stimulate a woman. Not because he didn't know how to have sex, but because men were immediately turned on by the thought of (and I think this is the crudest phrase, only using it in the form of a quote) That 'another hole is another goal'. Whereas women have to think about it, with feelings and need more mental stimulation in order to get turned on. Anyone who thinks this needs to have a talk with themselves. The same goes for those who think women need emotional connections and therefore can't have one night stands. Some women do need emotional connections, but then so do some men. Its not a gender specific thing.

Using two are more condoms will not protect you more from STI/STD's or getting pregnant. It will most likely increase the risks as they can easy come off or break when more then one is used. Just use one girls and boys! One.

And lately, a personal fave of mine. You can learn to be sexually attracted to the 'right' gender and being gay is a choice. I argue this quite a lot (but then again, I do seem to attract a lot of bible bashers) but there are still people out there today that think this is true and that its wrong to be gay. More now in recent times are we seeing thoughts like this raise there ugly heads as a referendum for gay marriage is to be put to the island of Ireland in May. As a friend pointed out recently, its not just older generations who have these misconceptions, but its ingrained into some younger people too. Isn't it sad in this day and age that people still think like that? And still don't know the facts from the myths? 

I'm on a mission (as are many others. Yay, friends!) and I hope one day the word spreads enough that people know women enjoy porn equally as much as men, That being gay is grand, anal is still sex and so much more! Until then, I'll just continue to rant on about it in a mismatched angry fashion. Feel free to add in any sex myths you've heard in the comments below or expand on the ones listed above! I love when people rant with me.

Maybelline Flawless Nude Fluid Touch Foundation

Purely for the fact that I wanted people to be able to search my blog easier, I titled this by the product and not my original idea of 'Why You Should Listen To Bloggers'. I rarely buy make up without having researched it and made sure all my most trusted and loved bloggers have given it the thumbs up, but this time I ignored their warnings. Why is that you ask? Well I had had a crap day and the Boots was closed by 5 minutes (yes, 5 minutes. It was that kind of day) but I wanted to pick up a few bits to make myself feel a little better. After all, who can stay say when they have a new lipstick or shower gel to try out? So I went off to Tesco to have a look at their offerings.

Can I just state for the record that all the blogs I read reviews of this foundation on said it was less then amazing. With full knowledge I threw caution to the wind and bought this stupid thing. I've never been so annoyed at a product or at myself for that matter. And bloody hell the prices of make up in Tesco! Its utter day light robbery!! I felt bad enough buying something that didn't come with Boots points and wasn't on 3 for 2 - even texting himself to morn the loss of my beloved points. But when I looked on the two sites to compare prices I was sickened. Nope, Tesco is only good for €3 Comfort and €1.50 chocolate chip cookies. 

Leaving the crazy Tesco prices aside, this is one of the most expensive foundations on the 'lower end' side of the market per ml as this is only 20ml compared to the normal 30ml - I pulled out every foundation I own to double check this. Next the odd looking glass bottle is gorgeous for displaying and taking photos of, but its weighty for such a little thing and the weird wand is useless. I've no clue what dopes at Maybelline designed it, but I could do a 100% better job. I end up just pouring this onto my hand or brush and making a right mess. 'Unique tear drop applicator for a fuss-free application' my arse!

 You have to shake this product very well as it separates in the bottle at an alarming rate for a brand new bottle of foundation. The texture is very runny but once applied to the skin it turns light weight and has a mousse like feel. But that doesn't mean it doesn't cake over any imperfections and look patchy on my face. Even after I used a mask and a face exfoliater to see if it would sit any better it just made small spots look twice there size. The coverage is light and you basically need perfect skin before you use this stuff. - I get a few spots and have patches of redness but I wouldn't say my skin is dreadfully bad. But looking at this stuff on my face made me want to go back to bed.

I also have combo skin, but for the past month or so its been behaving very 'normal' with no major oiliness or dryness. However after having this foundation on for 3 or 4 hours, its sliding down my face and its very oily. Even after prepping my skin with primers and applying a setting powder on top. 

Its not for the want of trying as I spent a stupid €12.99 on this. I've used my fingers as it suggests (which is horrible let me just say. Make up brushes for the win!) I've used several different brushes and beauty blenders. It just refuses to sit on my skin right. The only positive about this is that the bottle looks nice and the lightest shade that I get in all foundation isn't too far off my own colouring. Other then that, this has sadly done nothing for me. I'll try finishing it off by mixing it with other better foundations, but I have learnt my lesson. Wait until Boots is open (where its on 3for2 and only €10.49) and the major one. Listen to your favourite, most trusted and loved beauty bloggers when they all say a product isn't worth buying!

My Pet Project (Picture Heavy)

Its safe to say that I am a massive cat lover and spend a good 99% of my day talking to my cats. If not with them, then I am looking at cat memes online or finding cat prints in shops. There is nothing more I love in the world then my two fluffy little ladies. Not everyone is a cat person and I understand that (well, not really. But I wont hold the grudge for too many years.) but its really the same feeling you get for any pet you might have or have had in the past. They are the thing that brightens up your day. Unconditional love and affection given to you, just as much as you want to give them it back. (Along with many toys, chin rubs and treats. Or new collars.. Or a walk.. Letting them take over the entire bed..)

But with the many years I have with my lovely furry friends, its always in the back of my mind that they wont be here forever. That really was floating around my head the past few months since Dodie got very sick and not long after she was all better, disappeared for 2 days which was so unlike her. The horrible thought came into my head at those times that all I really had was photos of them. So as down and depressing as that thought is, I wanted to do this little project and write about it to inspire others. Maybe you might do the same thing, or maybe you might just take an extra second to go and give your pet some love and tell them they are the best thing since sliced bread. 

I'm a big fan of getting tattoos when they mean something really important to me, so my thoughts behind this was getting my two cats to make paw prints that I could eventually get tattooed to always have them with me. For this all I needed was some paper and a little palette of non toxic ink in black. I went to great lengths in the shop and checking online that this ink was safe to use on their paws, believe me! I got more then a handful of odd looks as I gathered half the staff in Easons for second and third opinions on the ink. As you do.

It was surprisingly easy to get both the cats to do this, once I had cat treats to bribe them with. My god don't attempt it without them, especially if your pets like to chew you a little!

After their paws were printed I washed them both with a little water and got off most of the remaining ink. (Washed just their paws mind you, I wasn't dunking the poor cats into the bath or anything like that!) I would recommend putting down some newspaper as well, as my floor was left with some little black paws prints after this project. Opps. Also if you can, try and get someone else to help take a few photos of the activity. Its a little something extra to keep or even turn into a scrap book type memory.

Overall I'm really delighted with their little paws on paper that I can keep forever and I know that one day if I decide, I can trace over them and have them tattooed on me. I really hope that my cats live for many more years to come, but I know that the craic (yes, genuine tears streaming down my face laughter) of that day trying to work with them will always be a fond memory. One kitty heading out the door batting the pen with her, the other managing to open the treat bag and stick her head in. Them having a fight and both running all over the place, leaving a black paw trail. This is a mad house, I'm telling you!

No animals were harmed in the making of this post. The same can't be said for the owner!