Empties #11

I'll be the first to say I am shitty at doing empties posts when I read back over them a few months on. Its times like this when I wish I made youtube videos, because then I could waffle on and it wouldn't end up being a massive long post with overbearing paragraphs and loads of photos. So with that in mind, I decided to take my photos differently to how I normally do for these posts and I also cut out some of the boring same-same shampoos, body sprays and the rest. Hopefully it might add something to them, but do feel free to tell me its awful, I'm chipping away at sprucing it up!

Above is some hair bits, most notable is my massive Pantene that I got on offer in Tesco and really liked considering its not a brand I use often. While it didn't give me a 'wow' factor, it didn't bug me and I ran through it. A quick rant for Herbal Essences cos' this gave up the ghost one day and refused to work, while still having half a bottle of product inside. I normally like this stuff, but man it bugged me!

Lastly from the pile, its clear to see I have a liking for the aul VO5 Give Me Texture goodness. I've even bought this when its not been on sale - lads that means a lot. I think this is great and if you have hair, I'd suggest trying it out. A little extra oopphh, while also smelling lovely.

I did a review on The Body Shop Fuji Green Tea range a while back, over here if you fancy a look at more of the line. But being honest, they were lovely to use but I wouldn't buy them myself as they cost way too much for what they are. A nice box of radox and some Ziaja scrub is much better for your pocket and the skin - or so I think.

Nip+Fab Detox Blend Scrub was something I bought from Cloud10 to try out ages ago and I thought it worked well enough. Not my first choice of body scrub, but I might pick it up again in future if I pass by. Side note though, the brand in general has some real gems so do check it out.

And a random one that the sister brought back from France for me, Caudelie Shower Gel. This was peach scented and I was sadly a bit wasteful with it, slathering it on in the shower instead of saving it up. So sad this is all gone and will totally be bothering her to bring me back some again in the future. 

Considering I really love the brand, I thought I'd be onto a winner with the Botanics 3in1 Cleansing Solution, but this didn't do it for me. I think a micellar water is basically more or less all the same, but some do genuinely stand out more then others. This was used up quickly purely because it was so bad at taking off make up I needed loads. Not one I'd ever pick up again.

My love for Ziaja is pure and true, and this toner has been bought more times then I can count. Love this brand with all my heart and love this toner equally. Although the star of the show and my number one product from the brand is in the next photo below.

If I'm feeling fancy, which is lets face it, often enough, I'll wonder over to No7. Theres something wonderful about this brand and although not everything they do I like, they do really know how to do cleansers. This is the beautiful skin cleanser for normal to dry skin. I have spot prone, combo skin but I love this so much I've yet to try one thats right for my skin type. However that said, it doesn't break me out or mess with my skin so I haven't had the need to try something different. Maybe the blogger in me will pick up some others, for science and review reasons. Cough. 

As I said above, Ziaja Rose Butter face scrub is my all time favourite thing from the brand and I've bought this easily 7-10 times since I found the brand. I think this is the best feckin scrub and every time I run out I'll try something different. It never matches up and I have to buy it again. Just. Pure. Love.

La Roche-Posay was a feckin gem in that mad heat. This is a little travel one, but I've a full size in the fridge waiting for me. Can't say enough good things. it has one job and it does it. Couldn't ask for more then keeping me from being an unintentional hot mess when I'm trying to be a lady. (Another side note, I add in bits of mildly sexual comments now and again in beauty posts, as you can see. But its gas when people complain that I only write one sex piece a week. If only they read my beauty stuff!) 

Something that I really disliked to begin with was Super Drugs Deep Action Facial Cleansing Pads. Nope, these were harsh, cheap, painful to use and smelled like I was on the hard stuff. But a few months later my skin changed a bit and I found them to be handy at making my face softer. But the real gem is that even when I have double cleansed, toned twice AND used some micellar water, these still managed to find dirt and traces to make up. I'm anal about my skincare routine so to see what comes off my mug after going at it with all that for a good 15 minutes means I'll be getting at least 3 pots when I'm in again. Mightn't suit the sensitive skin types though, as it is very alcohol-y.

  

Soap And Glory Sugar Crush is all kinds of good and one of my favourite scents from the brand. I'm actually running so low on S&G things, must stock up, cos' you can never go wrong with them! I'm a big fan of their body scrubs too.

A quick one on Lush now, just to say that So White was a Christmas shower gel and not really my thing. Kind of a more fruity bitter lime thing going on, whereas Its Raining Men is honey sweet and you can get it all year round. Its got to be the men for me. (But of course the ladies too!)

Yes, more Ziaja, and I enjoyed this micellar water way more then the Botanics one! I'd pick this up again no bother, but at €6 it is a little on the pricey side for the ml. This is where Garnier wins with their massive 400ml bottles for feck all.

Speaking of, Garnier 2in1 Eye Makeup Remover is life. I've bought easily over 12 of these bottles in the past year or two and I think its just really good stuff. Plus its normally on offer in Boots for under €3. It takes off all the heavy panda eye looks that I regularly sport, win!

This was fecked into the photo here because I forgot about it when piling all the hair stuff together. Tricky business, this blogging thing. Green Angel Conditioner was a little sample I got ages ago and honest to god its bloody amazing. Something I would highly recommend getting if you dye your hair a lot, use a lot of heat on it or in general have dry, frizzy, knotty, in need of tlc hair. Its the stuff.

All my favourite things in one photo. I have bought all these again and theres no real reason to say much about them, other then love, love, love. Seventeen is affordable, the coverage is intense, an SPF of 25 AND they make it in my colour. All hail Seventeen!

Revlon is also a good coverage foundation, a little more pricey but it stays put until its bed time. Honestly doesn't budge, love it! And then of course the cult love for Maybelline Eraser Eye is a concealer that I didn't like the look of, but fell for it once I tired it out. This this also on the pricey side but I've had 3 so far and will totally buy more.

Random section now/ Cutex is the best brand of nail varnish remover ever, just a fact! It doesn't do much in the line of strengthening or whatever else it claims, but it does take off nail varnish like a hero.

So this Garnier Body Oil was all the rage last year on the blogs, so naturally I picked it up. But man I hated the stuff as it was messy, didn't sink in and was like putting chip fryer grease on my skin. But after my skin had a seriously bad month of bring dry and my drawers didn't have any bath goodness in the line of softening me up, I fecked caution to the wind and plonked this stuff in. Its still going to make you feel a bit greasy, but man did this noticeable make a difference to my skin after steeping in it for 40 minutes. I towel dried and patted off the most of it, but in the morning it was like I'd brand new skin. Yes, it felt a bit gross, yes I did have to scrub the bath for a good 10-15 minutes, but totally worth it. I'll pick this up again purely for the bath.

Lastly in this massive long post (sorry lads, if you've read right to the end your all troopers and I love you like you don't even know!) is my favourite mask, Lush Mask Of Magnaminty. You don't need to leave it in the fridge like with their other masks and it lasts way longer too. Great one for helping fight spots and leaving your skin feeling fresh. Will buy this again soon!

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!

Crazy Bargains At The Cosmetic Outlet

I've been down this road before and I know all too well that you can't go into the Cosmetic Outlet on Meath St in Dublin for 'just one thing'. But thats what I told myself after seeing their new w7 palettes in stock. Honest to god, I only went in for a look... And then suddenly I came away with a light purse and several heavy bags. Thats just how it goes. If you fancy a look at my first major savings haul from this shop, you can have a read here. Be warned, not only is the shop coming down with bargains, but they have new stock in almost weekly, so you'll always find something new you want every time you go in!

I bought the first w7 palette in the Cosmetic Outlet and use it all the time. The range of shades, the pigmentation, the long lasting wear, the fact that its a dupe for the Naked 2 palette! Theres nothing I don't love about it. So naturally when they came out with a dupe for the Naked 3, I couldn't pass it by. You can get it for €10, which is a fraction of any of the Naked palettes. 

I also picked up w7 angel eyes in their dark natural palette. Its small, easy to pop in your bag and has a lot of colours to choose from. Its also got a really handy mirror and I can't wait to have a play around with everything. This was €5 so I thought it would be rude not to pick it up considering the history of amazing quality w7 shadows.

While I was at the w7 stand I couldn't help notice the Honey Queen blush that looked gorgeous and not unlike the Benefit blushes. Seeing as it might be a dupe I had to get it and it was only €5 too. Once I get stuck into all these and use them I'll do some reviews and tell everyone how I got on!

I also went a bit wild and picked up two Rimmel lipsticks and a Maybelline one. I've passed these by more times then I can count when I'm in Boots and always say I must pick some up, but they are near €8 so I always pass them by. Then the craving for a loads of them comes back when I'm reading about them on some of my favourite blogs. Its just not fair if you ask me! (someone play me the worlds smallest violin, thanks.) But these were only €5 each and I'm genuinely sad that there weren't more shades to choose from. There were lots of Kate Moss for Rimmel lip sticks, but I have a lot of those already. I will be scouting out the shop for more Maybelline ones especially as they are gorgeous. I've not even swatched any yet and I know I need more, the Maybelline ones smell sweet and I'm half tempted to have a taste. Its also not the normal colour I would go for but at 5 quid I decided to try it out. The Rimmel ones look really pigmented and I can't wait to start using them, I got a deep blue toned red and a lighter pink toned red. All of the lip stick noms. (I sound like I'm having them for dinner. Honestly I don't eat them!)  

I'm forever buying Impluse. One goes in my handbag, another in my room, the bathroom and then the ones that grow legs and wonder off. So I couldn't help get 3 for €5 while I saw them there. They will be used in no time and already my mother has her eye on them. (Actually when I showed her all these bits shes asked me to go back in and pick up some things for her. Mammy stamp of approval right there!) 

Brows are something I've stayed cleat of for years and am only beginning to start filling them in. Paul gave me this w7 Brow Bar to try out and I'll admit, I laughed when I saw that they come with stencils. I'm someone who has a dreadful habit of plucking my brows to nothing or having the odd alcoholic accident where I wake up with them shaved off (Its happened more then once) so they may come in seriously useful if (and when) something happens again. This is €5 too, do you see the trend here!

Lastly two of my most exciting things that I got in the shop. Paul very kindly gave me an orange skull detailed clutch bag and a statement flower chain necklace. I knew when I saw the bag I had to get it as it matches my orange pumps perfectly. You can see them here. It comes with a chain that you can clip of and off the bag which is a great extra. I love that theres a pocket inside to put your phone too. This is going to get really good use on nights out or even just if I'm popping to the shops and not brings loads with me. This is €10 and comes in loads of different colours. I'm keeping an eye out for a black one next!

Lastly is the statement flower necklace that I've not taken off since getting it (mainly because my mother has tried to rob it a few times!) Its sparkly, weighty and perfect for someone like me who wears basic darks and needs something to brighten up an outfit and give it that wow factor. This is €15 and there are so many more to choose from. I have gotten necklaces from the Cosmetic Outlet before for myself and as presents and they wear so well. I always get compliments when I have them on and theres far too many I'd love to get! They are all between €10 to €15.

If your not close to Dublin but plan on making a visit nearer to Christmas I'd really suggest you head over to the shop. Paul let me in on a few secrets and I'm really excited. I want to be first through the doors when the new stock hits the shelves and his new brushes(!) come out. Oh god, the excitement is nearly all too much.

And if you need one more push out the door to make the trek up Meath St, then I have just the thing. The shop right next to the Cosmetic Outlet is a lovely clothes and shoes shop. It stocks loads of gorgeous things that are for next to nothing. I got a really nice floral kimono in it for only €7 after paying €13 for a plain black one in Penneys. I'm such an enabler, I know! 

NOTD: Maybelline Color Show Brocades Knitted Gold

I don't own a huge collection of nail varnishes, but those that I do I always wear loads and love them like they are a limb. And the past few months writing a blog has given me an excuse to buy and try out more and more, oh bold girl that I am! One thing I'm not a massive fan of is glitter, but when I saw this online I knew it had to be mine. The new Maybelline Color Show Brocades has 10 new beautiful glitter shades that I want all of. Like every single one, thankyouplease! They look nice on Maybellines online store, but seeing them in person when I was in Boots was a major treat for the eyeballs. 

Knitted gold has a gold shimmer base with thousands of bigger and tiny rose gold/pink pieces of glitter that aren't really circles, more like a hexagon shape but I can't really count the sides properly a they are so small. But just wow. Who doesn't need a bit of sparkle in their lives? And especially as the party season is now upon us and not everyone (me) wants to deck themselves out in a eye catching dress or glittery pair of heels. 

I went off outside in the natural light to show you all how divine this nail varnish is. Pretty, no? But besides how fab it looks, its a pain in the backside to keep on. The Maybelline site claims that this is a chip-resistant nail polish. Lads they are having me on, chip-resistant my... Umhum, well besides that, its just really annoying. After only a day it comes off in big chunks. I put two lovely coats on last night, then after having a shower and putting on my tights the next morning it looked just dreadful, take a look at the picture below. Devastated. 

I've been wearing this about a week, reapplying it loads. Applying it is fine, the nail varnish has a normal decent brush for application that causes no hassle and after two coats your ready to hit the town. But you need patience and a good nail varnish remover to get this off. Its a well known fact that glitter nail varnish is harder to scrub off then normal polish, but man its a pain when your in a hurry and you end up frantically picking and chipping away at your nails (we've all done it don't lie and look so shocked). 

 Overall I love this so much while also hating how bad it is for chipping quickly after only just putting it on. Why cruel world, why? Despite all the negatives, I will be picking up one or two other shades in the Color Show Brocades as they've all stolen my little heart and at €5.95 they wont break the bank. 

On another note spelling colour as 'color' for this entire post nearly sent me mad!

Things I've Used Up #3

Its been a while since my last things I've used up post, hence the large amount of potion and lotion bottle I have for your lovely viewing. If you fancy taking a peak at my first post here or my second one  here. Some of these things I had half used up and then did the bold thing of bringing out something new and shiny, forgetting to use the other half bottle of goo. 

Shower things first, and its all shower gels and creams. I'm a big fan of taking an extra blob of whatever I'm using and really getting the biggest amount of bubbles on my luffa that will fit. I had two Palmolive Naturals in Delicate Care an Nourishing Delight. I think Palmolive are really under rated and don't get as much good press as they should, being overshadowed by bigger brands. These two were creamy, easy to foam and smelt so so good. A bottle isn't that expensive either so I will be picking another bottle up soon!

I'm not going to rabbit on about my Soap and Glory body wash as I wrote a post on it here, all I'll say is I'm glad its finally gone!

Lastly my Lush Ponche, full of fruity orange and tequila that really wakes you up in the morning without being overpowering. I will be getting the biggest bottle Lush has to offer as its only a limited edition for Christmas and I'm not waiting a whole year to have it back again. Just love it. So. Much. 

  

 I wont go on about Maybelline mega plus mascara as I talked a lot about it over here. 

I went looking for something that would keep my makeup from sliding down my face while making sure I wasn't traffic light shiny. No7 shine free primer was meant to do that but I must say I wasn't hugely impressed with this. It was shine free but a little hard to apply as it dried quickly so spreading it across your face was an operation in itself. Not something I will be getting again at €16.25 a go!

Lastly I have repurchased both Lush tea tree water toner and L'oreal's 3in1 purifying micellar solution. Both wonderful things that I really can't get enough of. 

I have been meaning to use up this Nivea refreshing cleansing lotion for ages now but just haven't got around to it as its not my most loved one. I'm not going to be getting this again as the L'oreal beside it is my main go to now a days.

 My favourite deodorant, Nivea. A bottle of my favourite body spray, Impulse hint of musk (I just repurchased in my last haul post) and lastly the best dry shampoo every, Batiste. 

Hope everyone is keeping happy and well. Have a fab day x 

Maybelline Baby Lips

Just about everyone and their stylish cat has one of these fellas, Maybelline baby lips. They took America by storm, ladies and gents all over the UK went mad for them and now they are in Ireland and us Irish folk seem to only have good things to say about them too. So I felt a bit left out and decided I'd have a sneaky visit to Boots and pick one up. 

These come in cute coloured packaging thats very girly and a little childish almost. There are 6 of there lip balms, 3 are pigmented and 3 are colourless. I went for Cherry Me which is a redish tint and smells just like yummy cherries. If you happen to taste it as many people will - I mean come on your lips are covered in the stuff, no judging! - you will be seriously put off, it tastes awful. Other then that the colour pay off is ok but I wouldn't be wearing it on a night out, opting for a stain or even lip gloss. 

With and then without the lip balm

I've been wearing baby lips for about 2 weeks now and I haven't noticed any difference to my lips, they are no more nourished or hydrated then normal, nor or they any worse then when I first started using it. Overall its a bit 'meh' for me. I like it and will get others to try them out but its not a big wow product for me at €4.49 a pop.

I am giving away one of these baby lips in my Halloween giveaway. 

Have you tried them yet? What did you think?

Whats In My Make Up Bag?

Please excuse the messy products! They get like that every 5 minutes from being together in my makeup bag :/

I said I'd do this post, I told myself many a time and even sat down to do it a few times but it well, you know the story!  So, whats always on my face and in my make up bag, keeping in mind that I don't use a lot of make up because A. I'm not bothered to spent that long on it and B. See A again. - I got the No7 bag as part of a set well over 2 years ago and never used it, only discovering it again when I was rooting through a draw last month. (I just realised I have forgotten to take a photo of it, I'll put it up in a future post, silly me!)

First off whatever foundation I happen to have floating about. Currently its Rimmels Match Perfection in the lightest shade, ivory that tends to be on offer for €6 or €7. I like this one and have repurchased it over 4 times now. It only has a light to medium coverage and I think the next time I go to buy one I will be looking for something to suit my blotchy uneven skin tone to cover it a bit better. It has an average lasting/staying power that would be fine for a lot of you girls out there but for me its only ok. I really love the smell of this too, little added bonus! 

Next is Rimmel again, my concealer of choice for about 5 plus years now, hide the blemish concealer. This is a classic, great coverage and something that really stays put once you put it on with a quick sweep of finishing powder to set it. I love this and it lasts ages too. Around the €5 mark.

My pressed powder is the Natural Collections cheap and cheerful in cool. Its the one I have been reaching for the most considering the price, how much I use it, that it lasts forever and oddly enough for something so cheap it doesn't break or go all over the place, score. It's less then €3. As you can see from the photos I'll need to be repurchasing this asap!

This trio of eye shadow is from 17 and called Matallio Coffee. As you can tell from the pictures I have used it to death and it has to be the best trio I have ever owned. Light, medium and dark brown shimmer shades that you can create a bundle of different looks with? One please! There isn't a lot of fall out with this, the colours pop by using just a little and they stay put. I never tend to use an eye primer either with this.I have a feeling this was about the €7 mark but its been ages since I've got this so do double check. On my last visit to Boots I went looking especially for this only to find that it was out of stock - devastated! But I will find it as soon as I can, cheeky thing hiding on me.

For eyeliner I use the forever trusty Essence Liquid In in black - about €2.99. I have loved and used Essence for years now and this is there most amazing formula to date. It has amazing staying power and is 100% water proof (trying to get it off can be tricky without proper eye make up remover) and the little applicator is easy to use, giving loads of product with just one stroke of the brush. For my waterline I use Rimmel's super duper Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definer in 261 Noir - about €6. You don't need to sharpen this pencil as the product just twists down and it also has a built in smugger on the other end for days when using liquid eyeliner is just too much or when you want to get the smoky eye effect. This glides on so easy which is a must for me, who else hates when eyeliner snages on your lid? Ahh! It comes in 6 shades and I might just have to nab the purple shade when I see it next. 

Maybellines Volume Express Mega Plush is currently in my make up bag, but its not my favourite mascara at all. When I bought it about 2 months ago I expected great things from hearing the fuss it was causing. It had a fancy flexibly brush and it was a gel-mousse with 40% less hard wax which was meant to be easier to use and wear. Eh no. The brush bristles aren't as good as some I have used and using the flex on the brush is hard. I don't think it was worth the €7.99 (on offer) I paid for it and once I have used this up I'll be glad to see it gone. 

Lastly to finish off my eyes I use Benefit's Eye Bright on my lower water line just to brighten up my eye. This is a pricy one at €21.50.

And that is all that I keep in my make bag and use daily. I can almost here to intake to breath here but I don't use moisturiser or primer, and rarely do anything to my eyebrows. I might get better one day, but I've  feeling I've a bit to go yet! As always I hope everyone is having a fab day! Talk to you all soon.