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! 

Empties #5

Ah lads, why in the name of god do I manage to leave it so long before I have a look in my empty bag of bottles and realise that its overdue a clearing out and a post about what I've been using up? I don't know at all, but my god, here is yet again another mad long one with lots of photos. So, sorry about that!

First off there are all the Garnier Ultimate Blends shampoos, conditioners and masks. Out of these three there is not one I wouldn't pick up again or recommend to anyone and they have been cropping up in my monthly favourites for a while now. They all left my hair softer and in better condition, they smell lovely and I'm a big big fan of their one minute leave in conditioners. If I was going to pick up one of these again I would say it would be the brown bottles of sleek restorer as they smell divine and they are the last ones I used, so naturally still fresh in my mind. Bonus points that this brand is always on sale in Boots, half off and some lovely advantage card points? Yeah I'll take them all thank you!

As always this kind of post wouldn't be complete without a few Aussie products in there somewhere. I have one shampoo and two conditioners, but I have to admit after using so much of the lovely Ultimate Blends things I might be more inclined to pick them over Aussie. However nothing can beat the Aussie 3 minute miracle conditioner for soft makings AND a lovely smelling head. Tiny bit on the pricey side if you don't get them in an offer though. 

  

Kerastase shampoo is something I have had in my drawer for well over a year. I remember getting it at a blogger meet up and all the girls going mad over it, I was delighted (and clueless) a little bit too. After trying it out a few times I just didn't get what the hype was all about. Nor did I get the price tag of €20, say whhaa?! I finished it up when I was on a use up half finished products binge, but I am still scratching my head. 

H'suan Wen Hua was something I tried a while ago in the hope that it would help me get the birds net of a head sorted out a little more. You can read my review of it here.  

Who doesn't go through a bundle of deodorants and dry shampoo? I love these small bottles to throw in my handbag and they are normally on offer too. I also picked up one for €1.49 in Dealz the other day, so you really can't go wrong! Impulse hint of musk has to be my favourite body spray of all time and I am forever stocking up on them. Has anyone else noticed the price of Impulse creep up in the past few months or is it just me? Sneaky!

I have banged on aboout Batiste more then is possible so I'll not say too much. My only regret is that Boots doesn't stock Timotei dry shampoo as well. I think this is one of the best I have ever used and was really sad when it came to an end. I picked it up in Tesco on offer one day and haven't seen it since. It doesn't leave a layer of white powder across your hair like Batiste seems to always do. Its just magic stuff. If you see it make sure and pick one up, its so worth it. Oh and please please tweet me too, I need it back in my life!

Two of these scrubs were in my top 3 body scrub post thats over here. I really love Soap&Glory, it has to be one of my favourite brands for body scrubs and moisturisers. But on the other end of the scale there is the Amatomicals scrubs and the easy to pick up Flower Pharh that you can get in most Tesco's. I go through body scrubs like its the end of the world, so I always look for ones that might be on the cheaper end of the scale! Although the breakfast scrub lasted especially long. And oh, oh the smell! Om, nom nom nom.

Since I finished my Botanics all bright eye make up remover I have been trying out lots of other ones with no luck at all. This is by far my most favourite of the lot , easy on the eyes and takes anything stubborn off in no time. Its also on offer in Boots a lot, but in the past few weeks I haven't been keeping an eye. Now that I'm reminded its off to Boots tomorrow for me! I did a review of it way back when, over here.

Three bath/shower gels now, and two are from Lush. I've slowly but surely been making my way through all my Lush booty and my ban is nearly up! I can't begin to talk about the list of things I want from that shop, my god. This is my second bottle of The Olive Branch is a gorgeous fresh shower gel that smells like olives (well, duh) and quite, savory? Its hard to explain but it wakes me up in the morning and I was sad to see it all gone. The other is Snow Fairy, a cult product that smells like all the sweetest sweets in one little bottle. I didn't use this one up, it was given to himself who loves rock star soap and snow fairy. However it does smell quite nice from afar.

Last in this pile is a massive bottle of bubble bath in chocolate cupcake from Beauticology. I was expecting way more from this product if I'm honest. I used it up quickly as the bubbles it made quickly disappeared in the bath. It did have a lovely chocolate smell but didn't do much else for me. I think it was from a set I got in the Christmas sales and if I remember right the set itself was a lovely presentation, but I might skip these products when buying gifts this year. 

Even more Lush things - I swear these are really old! Cupcake is my go-to face mask. I never buy masks from Lush, instead waiting until I have 5 empty pots to bring back so its a special treat! Cupcake is a chocolate mask that targets impurities and spots, so its perfect for me. I never notice a huge difference in my skin from using this, but sometimes its just nice to put a face mask on and enjoy the little things in life. On the other end of the scale is the Rudolph face mask that was out at Christmas time. Don't worry, this has been used months ago and was just lurking empty in the back of my drawers. I hated this one with a passion.. I just realised that I blogged about this in my last empties post! I must have put it back in my drawer by accident! Oh well, you can't always be on the ball. At least everyone can be aware to stay clear of it if it comes back this Christmas!

Another Lush product is my much loved and missed (until the ban ends!) aqua marina cleanser. It smells awful if your not used to it, like a day at the beach when the tide has gone out. All seaweed and ugh. But it makes my skin feel really lovely and I find it clears up the bigger, redder spots that can crop up. I can't wait to get my hands on this again and it lasts so long. I had that pot for nearly 2 months.

A product that I don't go through fast is the antiseptic cream that can be used for burns, cuts and also on spots. I really love this stuff, it drys out spots over night and I always notice a huge difference in the morning after using it for just one night. A holy grail in terms of spot fighting treatments. It also lasts for ages and I love that its a multi purpose product. 

Something that I've had for I don't know how long is my Soap&Glory The Greatest Scrub Of All facial exfoliator. I liked this and would buy it again but since I started buying more face scrubs I have found loads that I really like. In other words, this is on the list of good ones, but along with a lot of others. 

I think by now its safe to say I've gone through about 10-12 bottle of True Match foundation by Rimmel. My god is that stuff good and a lot of the time its on offer. Half of the reason I always pick it up is because I know it works for my skin tone and I'm afraid to fork out for something that might not work as well. I must expand on the foundation buying and try out more! But I do like this one, its really easy to build up too.

Two more continuous repurchases for me are the Natural Collection pressed powder and Essence black liquid eyeliner. Again I have easily gone through about 15 of both of these. Every time I walk by the stands I pick both of these up. They are both under €3, both easy to use and stay put all day. Just what I'm looking for. 

Lastly my mini tube of They're Real Benefit mascara. I am a massive fan of this mascara and already have a brand new full sized one waiting to be opened after I finish trying out a few other mascaras. This is my holy grail mascara - and thats saying something considering the totally crazy price. 

Sorry this was crazy long! Anything catch your eye?

Empties #4 Photo/Review Heavy!

I have really long hair, I dye it all the time and wash it every single day. Man I use a lot of hair related things, I know that. But its not until I looked in my box of empties under my bed that I realised  I go through a feckin' lot of stuff! (And were not going to talk about the wardrobe full of hair stuff either, no sir.) So this is just mainly going to be a quick look at what I've used up in the past few months with links to some of the products and mini reviews of the rest! Sorry for the length of this post, but I think its a nice way to see what I really love and what I'll never buy again, all cut down into one post!

Lets start with the hair considering I have been banging on about it so much. 5 conditioners, 1 shampoo and a thickness booster. Cos' thats just how I roll. I've had loads of other shampoos but I normally throw them out and forget to save them. I think its clear by now how much I love Aussie, have a look at my review of one of my beloved Aussie conditioners here.

The blogger world went mad for L'oreal Elvive's new Fibrology range that came out a month (or two?) ago. Everyone was running to the shops to nab the shiny blue bottles. One of the things that caught my eye was their thickness booster. I read rave reviews and couldn't wait to try it out as I'm always looking for new things to give my hair that va-va-vooom! I was going to write a separate review for this but after using it I was so let down that I didn't bother to. It was hard to use in the shower as the tube was a screw off cap and when your holding a blob of conditioner, your wishing for that third hand to magically grow. The product itself makes your hair more course on the first wash, but after that I couldn't see any difference from using it. This was a big let down and a pricie one at €7.69 a pop. 

I used the LeoBancroft and HeadMasters together as they were on sale in Tesco and I can never say no to sales. I really loved both of them and if I see them on sale again I'll definitely pick them up. They smelt lovely, made my hair super soft and didn't weight it down at all. Big thumbs up here. Plus would you look at the fancy packaging? These are the types of bottles I invite people over to my house to look at. Oh yeah. I also picked up Timotei golden highlights conditioner in Tesco too. Keep an eye out for it if you can get your mitts on one! Have a look at my review of it over here. It leaves your hair silky soft. 

Next is all the necessity bits that you really can't do without. A little travel size Soleil lady shaving gel, I think I picked this up on offer a while ago. Its a really handy size and like this gel but Tesco own brand is way cheaper and you get much more product for your money. Its also easy to use, smells nice and is in a purple bottle. (but mainly cos' of the purpleness.) Two bottles of Batiste that I can't live without, but I have been using way more of the Timotei dry shampoo recently, I think Batiste has major competition there. I also have a billion deodorants as well, no one likes the thoughts of smelling anything but delightful! I love Nievas anti-white marks sprays. I did a review of the battle of  Vaseline .v. Nivea roll ons over here if you fancy a goo.

Way back at Christmas I was excited to try out Lush's new Rudolph face mask but after just one use I knew it really wasn't for me and was a major let down. It had a really odd consistency that was hard to spread across your skin with large chunks falling off. I felt the mixture was poorly thought out and wouldn't recommend it to anyone. I hope Lush don't bring it back next Christmas and work on something else instead. On the other end of the scale then two things that I really loved.
The first is my Marks&Spencers New York perfume that I have a review of over here. The smallest size is about €7 and is perfect for throwing in my handbag. I get so many compliments when I'm wearing this and I have since bought two more. Can't get enough of this stuff!

Moving away from the cheap and cheerfuls for a second to talk about No7. I got this lovely little Cleanse and Clear eye make up remover in a set and used it like it was liquid gold. I can't wait to run to my nearest Boots and pick up another one. Its a tad pricy around €11.50 but I think its too good not to get. It doesn't irriate my skin or my eyes, gets all the make up off in seconds and theres no scrubbing the life out of your eye balls to achieve a clean face. Winning!

 Anatomicals have some really great products and some really crappy ones. I've blogged about both kinds and I'm still on the fence with this anti-stress face mask that I got in a beauty box. Did I think it did much? Not really. I might pick it up just to try out again but I wouldn't go out of my way to look for it. Theres better stuff in their range to try. Look at my review of their throb head here. Another little packet is this argan oil hair mask that I picked up in Penneys for about €2. I loved this, made me feel fancy and my hair silky with added bonus of a lovely smelling head! I'll definitely be picking this up again soon, so should you!

I made my way through all of my Body Shop shea butter body scrub that I have a full review of over here and my oh so gorgeous shea shower cream. I will be running full speed to the Body Shop for more of their shower cream, this was such a lovely treat in the shower! It was easy to apply, didn't leave my skin feeling like theres was a layer of goo on it, left me feeling soft and smelling quite divine, if I do say so myself! Make sure and have a sniff next time your passing by one of their shops, its good stuff!

I managed to polish off a Cocoa butter from Marks&Spencers and a non scented moisturiser from Boots own range over the past few weeks. I liked both of these but doubt I will pick them up again. I didn't feel a massive difference in my skin after using them and felt they were both a little heavy and I had to do the Flappy Cold Dance of Doom in the bathroom to help them dry. Lets just say I feared some of my bits would fall off and not make it. Apart from that, they were those 'meh' products that you have a more or less neutral  approach to.

 Last in this pile is my Lush the olive branch body wash. I am really sad that I came to the end of this bottle and don't know if my will power will hold up until my Lush ban is over in September. This smelt really great but from talking to others its a marmite kind of preference for some. Apart from smell, this left my skin really soft and a tad oily so there was no need to moisturise after. If my hair was really uber dry I sometimes washed my hair with it to give it a mini extra condition and tlc! All rounder this bottle.

I can't even say a bad word about the lot above. My Catrice concealer holy grail has been banged on about so much. One of the reviews is over here with much better photos! Same goes for the Benefit dupe of the year, Seventeens phwoarr paint concealer. I have a rave review of it here. Both of these concealers are so cheap and work so well you would be mad to fork out for high end products that might only work half as well!

Next my two favourite foundations, Rimmels perfect match in ivory with a spf of 18 and Seventeens on the spot foundation that has spot reducing ingredients. I have gone through countless bottles and tubes of these two and if I'm having a really awful skin day, I mix the two together for a fuller coverage that works a treat. Both of these are under €10 each and Boots is doing a lot of 3 for 2 offers at the moment, might be the time to stock up!

Lastly my favourite liquid eyeliner that I have used for easily 5 years now, Essence. Its €3.09, it stays put and the applicator is so easy to use. These should be like hens teeth but you can get them in Penneys and a lot of chemists. Wonderful! Lastly is my Urban Decay eyeshadow base. I don't use eyeshadow bases a lot, but when I do I use this and have no words for the lasting results. I can see why its a cult product!

3 For 2 Offer In Boots You Say?

So I eh, went to Boots. Its a 3 for 2 offer on so many of the products and apart from going in for more Batiste and sprays, I might have had a little look round at some other things. All in the name of bargains of course.

A quick look at the Seventeen stand and I came away with a gorgeous nude lip crayon and a new colour clash nail effects nail varnish that looks really different, I can't wait to try it out. I also caved into the BB cream craze after avoiding it for so long. Rimmel had a nice one that I tried on the back of my hand with the added bonus of factor 15. I'm dying to give this a test drive and see if all the hype is as good as it sounds or if its one only fit for the bin.

Next I picked up 2 Impulse's for €4 and a half off bottle of Sure in the new mini size which is going to be handy to pop in my bag. It smells nice and also claims to leave no white marks, so we shall see. 

Lastly I bought 2 Batiste in blush as I ran out last week and was left nearly crying! To finish off the 3 for 2 offer I picked up L'oreal elvive's fibrology thickness booster that I've been hearing loads about so I wanted to try it out for myself. 

I've now loads of things I didn't necessarily need but none the less am dying to try out and most likely I will write some reviews on them! What about you, have you taken advantage of Boots brilliant 3 for 2 offers on loads of their ranges? I think I might need to do round two some time soon, just to make sure I'm taking in all the good bargains, you see ;) 

Make Up Face With Wet'n'Wild

Above is how I generally look when it comes to talking about make up or indeed putting it on. Looking confused, slightly frazzled and scratching my head. I'm no expert in the field and can regularly be seen sporting lipstick down to my boobs, big bushy eyebrows and eyeliner across my cheeks. What can I say, I like to do my make up in a darkened room and hoping for the best outcome. But today I thought I'd give all you internets people some lolz while I show you what I have on my face, Including Wet'n'Wild which is brand new to Ireland, so we need not be so jealous of American people and their wonderful cheap make up any longer!

Whats on my face:

Benefit POREefssional 

Wet'n'Wild cover all concealer palette

 Catrice camouflage concealer 

Model co fluid splash foundation

Seventeen miracle matte pressed powder 

Benefit eye shadow 

Wet'n'Wild eyeliner in black

Essence liquid ink in black

Wet'n'Wild mega protein mascara in black

Rimmel Kate lipstick in 107 

My Sleek and w7 makeup brushes

I really liked the Wet'n'Wild mascara for a subtle day time look, but the only down side is that it takes ages to dry. I was flapping my eyelids about like a crazy person trying to get it to dry! The eyeliner is massive and will last ages but pulled a little when drawing it on. Lastly the concealer is great and it has a highlighter in there too which is handy but a bit too sparkly for my liking. If I was going for a concealer palette like this I would use Catrice's one that I have reviewed over here. Much better constancy, colours and it doesn't hurt my skin.

I got the four Benefit eye shadows in Groovy Kind-a Love set for Christmas but depotted them and didn't take photos of the set before hand like the dope that I am! On the outter corner of my eye I have tickle my ivory, then guilt-y pleasure and in my crease I have both shimmer down and kiss me, I'm tispy. You can see the full set below; image from Benefit.com.

Naturally with big dark red lips I couldn't help but pull a Miranda Sings face, she is so funny and I love watching her youtube videos. You can check her out here, and I also love her instagram profile too! Thats all from me now, I hope my face hasn't scared you all too much! As always, have a great day x

January Favourites

Last year I was all over the gaf with favourites, I had weekly ones then I think I had random ones and finally now I'm trying to stick to a monthly as part of a I'm being good and not frying the head off myself or anyone else. New year, fresh start and all that jazz! I love haul posts and favourites posts as you get a good few products to read about in one go and if anything takes your fancy you already have read a mini review of it, sounds pretty good huh!? So here are mine, its a mixture of things this month. I surprised myself with going straight for make up and then body products.

First off my trusty batiste dry shampoo. I think at this stage everyone has tried one of these life savers. I go threw a crazy amount of these bottles and they are my favourite brand too. Oh and the smell! They work wonders, can't get enough of a good thing.

I have left my lovely holy grail L'oreal purifying micellar solution over at a friends house and have been left to rummage through my potions and lotions to find other things to take my make up off. And with that I have been reintroduced to Botanics soothing eye make up remover. I did a full review of it over here.

Flower pharm is something that I have known about for quite a while, I see it in Tesco a lot and my sister buys me products from the line for birthdays and Christmas' but this is the first time I have used the lime blossom body scrub and it is amazing. I love a scrub thats not too harsh when your skins not feeling up to it and this works a treat. Also I'm not normally a fan of citrus scents but this is gorgeous and helps me to wake up in the morning. Try one out their not pricey at all!

Lush. Oh Lush. I know I'm on a spending ban from this shop but it means I have more time to try out and get to find some new loves in my big pile of products from their line. Lovely Jubblies breast cream is normally over €20 but I got it half price in their after Christmas sale, lucky girl for spotting a bargain, me! I will definitely do a full review on this as its amazing and smells divine! Nom for my boobs!  

I went off earlier this month to TopShop and got some goodies along with this matte blue nail polish. Its already been slapped on my nails loads and I know its going to be worn to death over the coming summer months. Its just so pretty!

Next I am in love with The Body Shop white musk smokey rose* perfume. I have been wearing it for at least two months now and its such a lovely scent, I get compliments about it all the time. Its an old teenage favourite with a new twist! If your near one of their shops I'd defiantly recommend going in for a quick sniff to see for yourself.

Normally when I go to a Catrice stand they are all out of this concealer palette but someone obviously was loving me earlier in the month when I stumbled across this, ugh its perfect! I have used Essence ones before but they seemed to have discontinued them, boo. But I think after using both, this is the better one. It also has three different shades of concealer for different skin tones which I really like too. Bonus!

My new beaut of an eye shadow palette that I also got in TopShop the day I got my nail varnish, it was on sale at only €4 and I was delighted with life! It has gorgeous shades and the pigment is to die for. It lasts all day and blends amazingly well. I think everyone needs one in their collection. You can see swatches here.

Lastly my lovely Rimmel Kate Moss lip stick that I had lusted over for ages when they came out. I got my very first one for Christmas and I am firmly hooked, I think about 10 more are in order! This is in the shade 107 and is a gorgeous dark red colour. Its very pigmented (you have to scrub your lips a little) and it lasts ages. On the down side because it is a matte it hides none of those lip sins and isn't moisturizing at all so a lip balm and maybe a gloss is a must.

Thats all my January loves, I hope you enjoyed them! I'll do another favourties next month and keep up the good behavior of sticking to one type of posting and blogging. As always I hope everyone is having a good day. Whats some of your favourites this month? 

Products marked with * are PR or gifted samples. Read my Disclaimer here.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Eye Shadow Sticks

I've had these two for about 3 months and they have found a new home in my make up bag. I switch them up with my 17 eye shadow trio that you can see in my whats in my make up bag post. Rimmel the past 12-15 months they have been on the ball with things like their match perfection foundation and apocalips lip lacquer, just love this make up brand so much and they can do no wrong!

Theses are a beautiful creamy formula that are easy to apply and blend. The colour pay off is amazing too, something I was quite surprised about considering how creamy they are. The two I have are bulletproof beige and the darker brown is bad girl bronze. They are gorgeous to blend together and if I'm in a hurry or don't fancy spending ages fixing and blending loads of eye shadow these are my go to. Even the lighter bulltetproof beige works great on the water line and the inner eye to make them bigger and brighter to give you an overall brighter more awake look. Thank you please! The packaging is also sleek and easy to store away, just a quick pop off the lid and a swipe on the eye lids and your good!

The one down side to these is they don't tend to stick for the same hours as my normal eye shadow lasts. I find myself touching my eyes up more and if its any way warm then its off down my face with them! A litte does go a long way though, which is a plus. They come in five colours and are €5.95 but at the moment Rimmel have a 3 for 2 offer on in Boots, so you might be able to pick up a little something extra for yourself totally free. Now if thats not something to smile about then I don't know what is!

Hope everyone is keeping well and having a fab week - the weekend is in sight!

Favourite Things The Past While

My take on monthly favourites, instead of the more normal ones you find on blogs. Those people are a lot more sorted and organised then I could ever hope to be, bless their little socks. So 12 things I want to tell you all about. Show and tell, my fav!

Got my mitts on the new L'oreal skin perfection after reading blog reviews, can't wait to use it more and see if I love it as much as I think I do. Also in love with my Rimmel volume mascara / Twinings rejuvenating nettle tea for €1.75 in Tesco, it tastes really lovely - and pretty box / Downloaded the new revenge wears prada, I'm about 15% in and I am really liking it so far

Cake Boss, I'm obsessed! I've got Stephen hooked too / Bourjois sharpener that I lost for over a year, I just found it again. Best sharpener around, and its only €3 in Boots. Go get it! / After getting this Marilyn Monroe picture for my 18th birthday - thanks Steph! - I finally got it hung

Halloween! I'm so excited, I found these guys a while ago, post here / Again, this girl spider candle holder is from the pound shop and shes a sparkly pink! / I can't wait to try my new Soot from Lush, I got one for my blog giveaway too :)

When I was in the Georges Arcade I had to take a picture of how colourful the earrings were / Hello Kitty slippers I got for my birthday - ruined already from over use! / My grans homemade chocolate biscuits, there were more before the photo was taken, but everyone wanted like 3!

As always, I hope all you fab people are having a great day and start to the week. For those of you who are new, hello and welcome! Thank you so much for following my blog. You can also find me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bloglovin' too :)

Have you entered my Halloween giveaway yet?

Boots, Pennys And Lush Haul

All these things I have picked up in the past few weeks, just in case anyone thought I had gone off on a mad one and was now a share holder in all these places! But thought I would give everyone a look at my new buys, cos' I love being nosy like that too!

First off three Boots make up things. A repurchase for me, Rimmel's Exaggerate waterproof eye definer eyeliner (€5.49) - what a mouth full! Love this little pencil, you can see it in my whats in my make up bag post. Boots is doing a buy one get on half price on some products at the moment and so I picked up Seventeen's new On The Spot foundation (€8.89) that claims to give you clearer skin in 4 weeks.. We will see. And also Seventeen's new phwoarr paint heavy duty eye concealer (€5.49). I like the sound of it already!

You might see that I'm a bit of a fan of Lush, just a bit.. I got two things in particular that I had been lusting after for months now. I am currently using up all my cleaners and will be running out soon so I finally got 9 to 5 cleansing lotion (€10.95). I have tried it before and my word. Heaven. Can't wait to use it. Same goes for the Twilight bath bomb (3.95) that I have never had before but always looked at with such longing. However it broke on the way home and to say I'm upset is an understatement. I know I will get it again though, purely because it has made my room smell fab while its been sitting in the bag. Lastly I got a little Space Girl bath bomb (€3.85) I always get the Out of This World gift set for non Lush people that I want to try and convert because this one is a small fun starter and the box looks so cool. But I have never tried the bath bomb before so I thought why not!

I also went to Pennys and nabbed some leggings (€4.00) and a pair of really lovely floral shoes (€5) because cheap and cheerful is always welcome any day of the week!

Anyone been doing a spot of shopping lately? Talk to you soon, have a fab day! :)

Things I've Used Up #1

These posts are all over the place and I also love watching them on YouTube. There is something so satisfying about finishing a product and being able to replace it with new and exciting things. I have been trying to be very good and not buy anything until I have used up bits of half used products and bottles of fun. So now that I am going use-up-old-things mad, expect more of these types of posts in the near future! You'll have noticed I went a bit wild with taking photos outside while the few days of sun shine graced us, unlike the rain I'm looking out at now..

First off is my new favourite cleanser, Botanics All Bright Gentle Cleansing Cream. It smells wonderful and is really soft and gentle on my skin without drying it out at the same time. It has hibiscus which is a brightness booster and natural AHA's from the flower act as mild exfoiliators that leave your skin feeling very loved. It has no nasty parabens, basically does what it says in the bottle! I will definitely be repurchasing this little beauty again really soon once I finish using up one or two half bottles of cleansers I have floating about. Normally it costs a little over €6 but right now Boots is having a 3 for 2 1/3 off sale, so grab one for a bargain! 

My lovely 500ml bottle of Aussie Miracle Moist Shampoo for dry and damaged hair that has lasted me nearly 3 months! I wash my hair everyday and I really loved the smell of this shampoo, so I picked it up just to try it out. I have used Aussies conditioners before and have always noticed how shiny and soft they left my hair. This shampoo was no different. Its €7.59 but sometimes you can get these on offer, right now in Boots they are doing a 3 for €13 on selected Aussie products. I'll get this again for sure, but first I want to try out some other brands to see if they are as good.

I think its fair to say I am a lover of Nivea deodorants in general (see here) so I got a massive 250ml Nivea Invisible Black and White Pure 48hr Anti-Perspiration . It smells nice, works well and the best part is that there are no marks left on clothes at all. I always have a little bottle of this kept in my handbag too for when I'm out and about just in case. Nivea can do no wrong in my books.

Picture on the right is not my own. Source: lush.co.uk

Hmm, LUSH's The Joy Of Jelly shower jelly. I wasn't mad about this scent by the end of the pot, but it did make an amazing bubbly bath for me several times and was fun to play with and poke at too! It kind of reminds me of the sex bomb bath bomb smell, but a little stronger. Its a lovely purple colour that has rose, jasmine and ylang ylang packed into it. Like all shower jellies can be broken up and frozen or used all at once. You can use this in the shower on your body and hair or in the bath. Not sure if I will be getting this again and it doesn't seem available on their site anymore. Here are some other jellies instead. At least its one more pot to add to my pile of pots to return and get a free face mask from! Read my Love Lettuce Face Mask review if you don't know about the LUSH recycle programme. 

Next comes Rimmels Hide The Blemish Concealer in Ivory. I have gone through tonnes of these little sticks and still think they are the best long lasting concealer out there. It has such amazing coverage that really hides both blemishes and dark circles. I couldn't ask for more. This costs just over €5. You can find it on the Rimmel stand in Boots, but they don't seem to have it online. Oh dear. You can also see it here in my whats in my makeup bag post.

And lastly my go to colour of the summer was Barry M's Blueberry. Its a gorgeous light blue that just screams sunshine and ice cream! Its all used up and you wont be seeing that colour on my nails again this year since were now in Autum, but you can be sure I will be getting this again in time for next summer. You can read my full NOTD review here.

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.

Fragrance Direct Haul

Ladies and gents I am excited today to share this little haul with you all! Hope everyone is keeping well and looking fab, as always!

Fragrance Direct is something that I am quite new to and this is my very first haul from it. This site has a fab range of different low and high end products at a knock off price. Every item is in perfect condition unless otherwise stated e.g. the packaging has imperfections or there is no box. They ship world wide and shipping normally takes 10 working days if its not in England. But I must say, besides being excited about finally getting my hands on my cheap as chips goodies, I am very disappointed at their customer service. I waited 16 days before my box arrived and in that time I emailed them about the delay, wondering why it was taking so long after reading on their site that it would take up to 10 days for delivery and got the same information in my confirmation email. Their customer service replied to say that due to changes in their postal service it now takes 14-24 days to be delivered. So if you are thinking of ordering something please do note that as they don't mention it in emails or at the check out service and you could end up nearly pulling your hair out like I almost did. If they had just informed me of the longer delivery times I wouldn't be half as bothered as I am now. But anyway, new info/rant over!

L'oreal Recharge Lip Balm for Infallible Lip Duo Top Coat

This was 50 pence and if I'm honest I kind of got it on an impulse buy. Don't judge me, I think cheap things are amazing at the time! It smells like all other L'oreal lip products, the overly sweet I-want-to-eat-it kind? And feels lovely and soft on my lips. I have yet to use it with any lipsticks to check out the staying power, but you can be sure I will keep you all updated!

Essie Off The Shoulder

£1.99 for a Essie nail varnish? Yes please! I am new to the Essie craze, but every blogger and their grannys parrot raves and loves this brand. It is too expensive for me to even consider normally. Off the shoulder it a gorgeous hot pink that I'm sure will get loads of use this summer. 

Kylie Minogue Darling

I love all of Kylie's fragrances and really wanted to pick up a little bottle of Darling for my hand bag. It smells divine and I'm already getting asked what sent I'm wearing. Its floral, sweet and a lovely fresh sent that will be used to death for the summer months. From what I've used so far, it seems to last a good while too. Double score considering the 15ml bottle was only £4.99.

Bourjois Bio Detox Organic Foundation

This is a brand I rarely go near, as I think its a bit expensive when you can get something similar for half the price. But £2.99 sounded better then good to me and with all the hype its been getting I thought I would give it a go and see what all the fuss was about.

Rimmel Hide The Blemish Concealer

This was just a repurchase for me, my trusty old Rimmel concealer that I have been using since the dawn of time. But its normally around the €5.50 range and I nabbed it for £1.50. Think I should have gotten a tonne more, silly me. 

Dainty Doll Mascara and EyelinerThis was a oohh and ahhh moment for me when I realised that Dainty Doll was on this site. I have only ever looked and longed for some of these products so when I spotted this for £1.99 I pounced at the chance to try one of my longed for items out!

Prestige Cosmetics Wet To Dry Foundation

I had never heard of this brand before but I decided to try out a few new types of foundation while I was picking up a few things that were all so cheap. I have never used this type of foundation before so it will be interesting to see how it goes and maybe I will find a new favourite along the way, fingers crossed.

So that it all my haul, hope you enjoyed seeing what I nabbed and maybe gave you all some ideas of lovely cheap as chips things to go and look at. I will do reviews on all of these products once I give them a good test drive and find out if they are as good as I hope they are! Since ordering these I may have done the dreadfully bold thing of ordering another little box of fun things, so look out for my next haul from my growing addiction site!

Friday Favourites #8

This is the perfect way to describe me right now!

Hello everyone! Now I'm sure you might think something is a little off and your very right. I'm posting this on a Sunday, oh dear. I got really sick on Friday night and have been in bed trying to sleep it off since with doctors orders. I have been totally out of touch with the world for far too long, I wasn't even aware that it was snowing all Saturday until Stephen opened the blinds and made me have a look. (I felt like hissing and demanding he closed them like a vampire from the bed.) So please forgive the lateness of this! However, in my absence from blogger and the internet in general there has been an increase in the number of followers here! I am super excited about this and want to wave madly and talk 90 miles an hour to you all. So hello, welcome and thank you for following me! 

Product: Rimmel Match Prefect Foundation

This is my second bottle that I've picked up in the past few months and I really am loving it. It has great coverage, a lovely finish and the colour matches my skin tone perfectly (I use the palest shade, Ivory). What more could one ask for? I will be doing a everyday make up routine in the near future so I will be giving a much more detailed review of this product, but for now you can go buy it in Boots, I really recommend it!

Film: A Dangerous Method

I was pottering about Netflix and came across this. Not having heard of it before I wasn't pushed about it but then I noticed it had Keira Knightly in it. An hour and a halfish later I was a little better for having watched it. Released in 2011 this is a historical fiction about the beginnings of psychoanalysis. The impossible case Sabina Spielrein is handed to Dr Carl Jung to be his deeply disturbed, yet highly intelligent patient. Dr Jungs method is taken from his master and father figure, the renowned Sigmund Freud. This woman takes both under her spell and is eventually let back into society, but not before leaving her mark. I was shocked at Keira's role in this and how well she played it. Its really not your everyday run of the mill drama. Now the underlining theme here is sex, so don't watch it with your easily shocked granny, but do give it a watch as it is an amazing film.

Blog: Thunder&Threads

The reason I got the confidence to start blogging? Right here! I have followed Leanne from the start, she is the most amazing Irish blogger you will ever come across. She is also a YouTuber and just a fantastic reviewer of all things fashion and beauty related. She has the most amazing style and is full of class. Go check her out here, I don't know anyone who doesn't love her. 

Book: Lazy Ways To Make A Living

This is one of the books I nabbed on my crazy charity shop book haul of about 7 books. I know I'm a total nutter but I can't turn a good book or bargain down! I might have also done some awful spur of the moment buying on Amazon Kindle and got a tonne of new lovely reads. Expect a bombardment of new book reviews! This is slowly but surely becoming a book blog, not a fashion/make up one!

Its not often I take embarrassing pics, so this has to be big!!

Product: Lush Mask Of  Magnaminty

When I was in Lush just before Valentines day to pick up a massage bar for Stephen, I got a sample from the lovely Karla. - Side note here, not only was she lovely, friendly AND gave me a free sample, but she had the most amazing eye make up I have ever seen. I have since used the cleanser a few times and wow, it makes my skin feel yummy! It smells like tooth paste and is green, but it works a treat. As you can see, I like to make an eejit out of myself by posting this sort of thing on Instagram. 

Drink: 7up

The way to do it in Ireland, if your sick you drink 7up! and that is what I have been doing since Friday night. Lovely stuff but kind of very very bubbly all the same. I think I'll stick to a nice cup of tea. Oh I tried vanilla tea for the first time the other day, it was nice but nothing could replace a cup of Barrys!

Thats all from me for now, hope everyones weekend has been nice and relaxing and were all ready for getting up early in the morning for work and school! (eh, not.) I'll be back to posting normally from tomorrow, promise! Have a comfy night :)