Seventeen: Easy On The Eye

There was a great buzz around Seventeen recently when some new eye and lip palettes were launched and the world and its wife had to have one to try out. I held back for a few weeks, not really bothered by the mad rush for one, but knowing how good Seventeen was, I had no doubt that the quality would be amazing. And I was right! Theres nothing that I don't really love about this, and even before you finish reading this, I'd run out like a loon (or sophisticated person) and buy one. 

I've also taken a fair few photos of this to try and show the shades in the changing light. Just in case anyone is wondering why in gods name some of the lighting looks so different, it was just an overcast and cloudy day! However the one time that it was beautifully bright was when I went to take photos of the swatches. You can't ask for better then that!

The palette itself is plain, but sturdy none the less. It houses 8 matte, shimmer and pearl shadows, 3 metallic creams and 1 eye primer. All of them are utterly gorgeous and the pigmentation is brilliant and they are all great to build on. I'm also really impressed by the minimal fall out - and thats with really packing on the product. For €10.99 I think its a feckin' bargain! They also have another palette that has warmer tones with purples galore. I didn't think twice before choosing one though, as the light nudes and shimmery browns are my most loved and go to colours.

Above from L-R light nude, a darker shimmer, a lighter pearl and one metallic shade. 

It comes with a lovely big mirror and a double ended brush too, although I've not been a fan of those little awful brushes for years. If thats not enough, when you buy your palette you also get a how to hints and tips leaflet. It doubles as a voucher that gets you €3 off one of Seventeens mascaras. (which I will totally be using some time soon!) 

Another thing that I noticed was that some of the shades were similar to the Naked 3 palette. Some of the pink tones and also the darkest red-brown from the palette really stood out and I knew that I had something in my collection that was a lot more expensive, but almost equally the same shade. Obviously not all the shades are the same, but I think if your on a budget and love the looks that the Naked 3 can create, then maybe give it a go. It would also make a really gorgeous Christmas pressie for any make up lover!

Boots has Seventeen on offer at the moment, along with all of their make up in the 3 for 2 offer, so you might need to pick it up for the extra bargain!

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!

Seventeen Define And Conquer Contour Kit

When this hit the shops a few months ago everyone went wild for it but it didn't speak to me so I left it on the shelf. A few weeks ago when I was in Boots picking up my regular Seventeen concealers and foundation, I decided to give this a try. Seventeen is one of my favourite most used brands and I do love myself a good contour. This was on special offer too, which added to my enabling. I'd been hearing a good few mixed opinions too, so I was interested to see how I got on with it.

First off it has really lovely packaging and a handy mirror. I really like that both the products are of equal size, as some contour kits can have far too much of one and not the other. These are in powder form which is my favourite kind and you can pick it up in two shades, something I'm hoping Seventeen might add to soon. Unfortunately as soon as I tired this for the first time I knew that it wasn't going to be a favourite of mine.

I found it to be powdery, hard to blend and too dark - I've tired both the fair and medium shades just to see if it helped. The highlighter wasn't noticeable at all and made no difference to the over all look. However on the other end of the scale the contour I found really muddy and it didn't sit well on my skin at all. I just couldn't work either shades of them! 

There are a few good points though. This would be perfect for someone starting out on the contour bandwagon, its easy to use and matte so your not going to have a disco ball face on your practice runs! Its also travel friendly and the handy mirror adds bonus points. But overall this just didn't do it for me. I think the Sleek contour kit is way better and its also roughly the same price as this too, around the €8 mark. 

Have you tired this - What did you think?  

June Favourites

Its that time again and I'm a bit late with posting this but sure its here now! I've got woeful with posting over the past few months, but the mojo is hard to come by nowadays. This months favourites post had far too stuff in it, so this is the cut down version. Things like NCIS, Friends, comics and boiled eggs were high on the list. I also forgot to add in the life saver that was La Roche Posay thermal spring water spray, as it was in my fridge keeping cool. But man, I've gone through so much of it in the heat. Best thing ever.

Two things that I use daily and will have used to death pretty soon are the Wet'n'Wild Bare It All and my Mary Lou Manizer. Bare it all is a MAC dupe for Velvet Teddy and is just a gorgeous matte nude that needs to be in everyones life. Plus its only €2.99 so your not breaking the bank if you want to get yourself a lil' somein' somein'. You can see in in almost all my photos that I've posted up over the past two months. I'd wear it to bed if I could.

I'm not to natter on about Mary as I've done a full blog post all about her over here, so do have a look for the swatches and such. But in summary, its a keeper!

 Next are three things that have been keeping me happy the past while. Imperial Leather is a brand that I over look so much and theres never any love for it round the internets, so its easily forgotten about. I dug this Day At The Spa out of my drawer on a whim to use and my god am I glad I did. I've since bought two back ups from Tesco - its on special offer at the moment if anyone wants to pick up some of their body washes! Love the sweet scent of this and although its a bit sad to say, I do look forward to my shower in the morning that bit more now, because it smells so good!

After the shower I want something light and quick to slap on myself. This comes in the form of Ziaja's natural olive body balm. I love this brand and this in particular is one that I buy all the time, its so easy to use, drys in quickly and doesn't weigh you down or leave you greasy. Perfect if you need something to keep you topped up in between the odd session of thick moisturiser.

Although I love my heavy musky scents, I feel a bit over the top wearing them in the summer, so I have turned to DKNY Be Delicious Women. Its light, fruity and adds something extra. Not a scent thats overpowering but it also doesn't last long at all, so you have to top up a lot throughout the day.

  

And these last two are gems. Not sure why Wet'n'Wild is reading my mind, but I'm not complaining! Their new brow pencils are feckin' amazing and less then €3 so you can buy loads if you want back ups! I use this all the time, its replaced all my other brow products and its a must have in my make up bag. If you look at my Wet'n'Wild lipstick post over here, you'll see it in action. (along with feckin loads of their new lipsticks. Win win!)

And then my base, my love.Seventeens poreless primer was a on a whim buy, I didn't really want it. But I thought I might have a go and it turned out to be one of my best buys in the longest time. I suffer with the biggest pores known to man and nothing I have ever tired seems to help with them. That was, until I tried this little beaut. If you have a few bob left over from buying Wet'n'Wild goodies, then pick this fella up, you wont be disappointed!

Not So Essentials Boots Haul

I went to Boots about three weeks ago for eye makeup remover and I naturally went a little mad. I haven't had a good look around a Boots in the longest time (well over a month - a lifetime for me!) and when I'm in Liffey Valley that has one of the biggest shops, I love to have a proper spend on a few bits. I always feel like that have the best deals with the best selection of things.

First I got some L'oreal pure colour shampoo and conditioners. Being honest these were a little more expensive then my regular always-on-offer Garnier, but I've watch Fleur talk about the brand so often on her channel that I decided to try them. Normally both €7.99, they were on offer for €3.99 each. I'l totally be putting up a post about these in the next few days. 

The Dove leave in conditioner was grabbed on a whim, but I'm so glad I did get it. Normally €4.99 it was down to €2.49 and I definitely think it gives Aussie a run for its money. If your an Aussie lover like myself but see this on offer, do pick it up. It does the job just as well, smells like Doves lovely shampoo and also has a much better spray disperse then Aussie which kind of squirts a load of product on one piece of hair.

I'll admit that I go through make up removing products like no ones business, I just have to make sure that I remove everything. And lets face it, I do cake on a lot of make up. I got my regular Garnier eye make up remover (which I'm almost all out of again) for €2.99 - its always on offer though, but sometimes it can be €4.49. I might have a look out for an eye make up remover thats in a bigger bottle. No point in having a tiny bottle with all the mascara and eyeliner I wear!

Botanics is a lovely brand that I do use when I'm feeling like a treat, but it can take ages to be on offer at times! Garniers micellar water is the best value for money hands down, but I thought I'd pick up Bontanics that was €6.49 down to €3.24 to try out and also the cream cleanser, €5.99 down to €2.99, as I was running out. To be honest I don't think both are anything special, especially the cleanser. I think Ziaja do a much better one for less then €4.99. 

The V05 give me texture spray was a repurchase and its the best thing since sliced bread. It was also on offer from €5.09 down to €3.81 so I couldn't not be happy with that. I'd highly recommend it for anyone who wants to jazz up their hair a bit, but doesn't want to spend ages curling it or putting loads of styling products in. I haven't noticed that white layer on my hair after using it, like some dry shampoos can have. It smells great too. 

I didn't really need to get a hair spray, but the Tresemme salon finish extra hold was on offer from €4.09 to €2.72 so I got it. Have to say that I'm not at all impressed with it though, I don't think it has an amazing hold at all and I have gone back to using my Aussie hair spray instead as it holds the aul curls much longer. Not one I'd recommend picking up if your looking for heavy duty hold.

So Seventeen had a buy one get one half price on. And I think by now we can all agree that I'm a big fan of the brand. I was in need of a new pressed base €5.09 and I've used this one lots before so I got it - since then I have drunkenly broken it after I grabbed my clutch while it was open. So so sad. I got a repurchase of my much loved stay time foundation €8.19 and then a random spend of their flawless poreless primer that was €7.59 which I'm enjoying so much. I've come to the end of my favourite contour kit by Sleek and decided as the offer was on  I would get the offering from Seventeen which was €7.59. I'll be doing a post about it in the near future as well.

Lastly I picked up a lipstick from Sleek in Exaggerate. It the most beautiful matte deep purple and I couldn't love it more. I've been wearing it non stop since getting it and its that loved that I will be picking up another one in a month or two if I keep using it at the same rate. It was only €5.99 which I think is great value for what you get.

Empties #10

I'm like a broken record saying I must do these more often and not have such a pile to talk about, but I have a box under my bed so I don't notice it getting full. And I'm also in denial about how much I spend and use so it doesn't help. But none the less, these posts always give a good indication of the things I really love and will get again. Especially when they pop up in every single feckin empties I do - sorry about that!

First I have the massive pile above of hair stuff. I wash my hair daily so I tend to get a big pile of shampoos and conditioners in no time. Favourites of mine are the Ultimate Blends in this brown and also in the red (which I currently have in the shower at the moment). Normally my hair loves this sleek restore duo, but this time I found I was switching up different products to give my hair a little break. I found it to weigh my hair down and it was annoying to be fecking around with. Would totally pick these up again though. Same goes for one of my all time favoruite brands, Aussie. I've nothing to say about them, as they can do no wrong in my eyes.

Blousey was a 50% off christmas sale buy in Lush. I really liked this and would love to have it again, but for the crazy price of €20 I doubt I'd get it a second time. I loved the smell of this and it did leave my hair so soft. Why you so expensive Lush!? My two regular dry shampoos are bought all the time to give some extra oomph in the mornings, but I have been switching dry shampoos a lot in the last while. I might do a quick post/Instagram photo with some info on it.

Lastly in this pile is the Ziaja shampoo that I just did a post on, so I wont go repeating myself! But if I find it in the shops, I'll be picking it up again. Such a big bottle too, it lasted ages!

More Ziaja stuff.. Its hard to deny that I really love the brand! These cocoa butter shower scrubs are amazing and if you see them, don't hesitate to buy them! (then tweet me where you found them!) I've actually asked my local chemist to please put in an order of them and stock them. They are so cheap and work so well, its no shock to say I prefer them to any S&G scrubs! Theres also the lovely Olive Leaf cleansing oil that I used in the shower. This isn't a must have product, but if you like a bit of extra spoiling yourself, then I'd recommend it. It always left my skin lovely and soft, not to mention a gorgeous scent that lasted a good while after.

Aussie no rush shower gel was lovely to try and if it was on special offer in Boots I would pick it up, but theres a lot of others that I would reach for instead of it. I was dying to try out all the scents though! And lastly theres the two Soap&Glory sugar crush body scrub and orangasm body wash. The scrub as I said earlier isn't as good as my new Ziaja love, but it was nice all the same. If I never had something else to compare it to, it would still be my favourite. And as for the shower gel, it can do no wrong, That scent needs to be in everything. Mmm.

Random essencials now. If you hadn't guessed it, Impulse hint of musk is my all time fav - and you can get it in Dealz too! Major stocking up did happen! Also over the past few months I've been getting really in to roll ons. I don't think they are as good for protection as deodorant sprays, but they don't stain, don't effect my asthma and don't clog up a room. So I don't mind having to apply them a little more often. 

I'm not sure whats been happening over the last month or so, but all my skin care went at the one time and I seem to be flying through it. I think its because I'm now wearing a lot of make up daily and in the evening I love to spend a good 20/30 minutes taking it all off and giving my skin a seriously good clean. Ziaja is again making an appearance here, can't get enough of it! The cleansing milk is easily a Boiderma dupe and so is the micellar water. I've not bought the cleansing milk again as I've been using my No7 cleansing lotion, but I've gone though about 5 of the micellar waters - I love them! Also my all time fav face scrub is from Ziaja, I honestly freak if I've run out of this stuff. (Yes, yes I did cry outside the chemist one evening in town when I went to buy it after not having it for 3 weeks and the place had closed for the night. Not a proud moment. But a very much sleep deprived one.)

When I can't get my hands on the Ziaja water, I use the Garnier one and its still quite good. If you were going on price alone then its better value for money. Also I'm beginning to use a eye make up remover again over the past few weeks as my eye makeup has been very heavy. I love the Garnier one and have just this week bought another to keep up the stock!

Waxpert pads are a big love of mine and although I can sometimes forget about them, they always make such a noticeable difference when I do start using them again. I'm going to be getting another pot when I place my next order on Cloud10. Lastly is a random little mask that I added in. I used it so long ago that I've forgotten why I didn't really like it. I think I thought if I put it in then I'd remember but nope, its not coming to me. So do ignore it!

And finally a selection of used up body creams that I've had for ages and used up. I think they are all grand but I'm not sure if I'll be buying any of them again for a while as it got to be a bit of a chore trying to finish them. Don't you just hate when that happens!!

Theres a Seventeen foundation, as normal in these posts! my all time favourite one for colour and some serious heavy coverage. I'm a little oily so I do touch up a little during the day, but I wouldn't hold it against the foundation itself. I think this is about my 7th or 8th. Just bought another two this week as well. Clearly, I have a problem! Same goes for the Wet'n'Wild powder, I really love it and will be picking it up when I'm next in Penneys. Currently I'm trying to finish off the many half used powders I have stilling around the place.

Lastly two very random ones. A Nima brush that I've loved for so long, but finally have to say goodbye to and a Beverly Hills toothpaste. I got the toothpaste at the beauty show and can safely say I don't think it does any of what it claims. I was going to write a ranty post about it, but its only toothpaste after all. Wont be buying it again though, purely because its claims are full of shit.

Man, that was a really long post, fair play if you read to the end you little rockets! :D

Empties #9

I didn't think I would have enough to do a full empties post, but after having a quick look in my box of bits, I realised I will always have enough for a post. I go through things so feckin quickly! 

First are three perfumes that I've been hording because they look pretty on my shelf. I've used up all of my lovely Body Shop smokey rose and recently bought myself another one. This is the kind of scent thats musky and heavy, totally perfect for the colder months. But I like it so much I'll be using it in the summer too. Is that a weird thing? I feel like your meant to change your perfume with the seasons, but if I like it, I'm a gona' wear it. Doesn't matter if its snowing or boiling! 

The other two are a mini Kylie Minogue 'darling' and the purple bottle from Ghost. I always was in two minds when it came to darling, I liked it but it was just a little too sweet, maybe someone younger would love it more. Or maybe I'm just at the grumpy 'theres too many colours and salts in these smarties' stage of my life. The Ghost one is an old favourite that I never seem to think of picking up. Perfume is so damn expensive! This is a lovely light floral scent thats just right up my street. Out of all three there, I'd recommend smelling this one the most. (Not that I can even tell you the name other then 'its the purple one!') Sorry lads.

Dove 2in1 was nabbed in Dealz and much loved by my hair. I always feel so extra fancy when I use something from Dove, but I especially love when it only costs €1.49! Smells great and leaves my hair silky. All the good things in this bottle.

The herbal essence shampoo that I did a review on over here is nice and I liked using it, but I think theres so many other great shampoos out there that I'd pass on picking this up again. It doesn't leave my hair as smooth as garnier or aussie.

Pantene was picked up on FragranceDirect and was a treat, but I would only get it if its on offer and not full price. I can't say the same for Aussie 3 minute miracle though, I'd pay serious money for that stuff! Its one of my all time favourite conditioners and I'm a massive fan of their shampoos too.

Lastly Aussies new shower gel that I did a full review of them over here was lovely and I'd pick it up again. Same goes for the amazingly gorgeous smelling Soap&Glory orangeasm. This entire range is just to die for, that and the almond scented products. Oh man!

My two favourite things to use is the Seventeen stay time foundation and Collections extreme felt tip eye liner. I can't say enough good things about them both, I think I'm on my 5th/6th bottle and 3rd pen. Full flawless coverage and the easiest to use blackest black eyeliner. Don't question, just go buy them and thank me later.

Also my sister brought me Ruth Crillys CoLab hair sprays down from the north and I'm really in love with the London scent. They are super light weight and work quite well. I wish that they were easier to pick up in the south though. If you see them, pick one up. I'm 99% certain they will work well for most people. (But if you have super not washed in like 2/3 days hair, it wont work for you. Its not the heavy duty kind of spray.) 

 I did a review of the two of these Bioderma and Ziaja cleansing milks (cos' they are so dupes!) over here, so I wont bang on about them. But I highly recommend picking up some of the Ziaja range if you stumble across it. Its a really amazing Polish skincare brand thats so wonderfully affordable! 

I'm compiling a shopping list of Ziaja products I have to repurchase next time I'm on Talbot st. in town. This toner will be top of the list, its a really lovely one and I'll also be on the look out for a new cleansing water from this brand too as I'm all out now,

Lastly are these random bits. I can't recommend the human+kind family remedy cream enough. You can use it for so many things and it really helped my eczema on my hands. I hared my way through it and will be getting another as soon as I can deal with forking out over €12 for a tiny tube. 

We don't even need to comment on Green Angels body lotion ot Soap&Glorys orangeasm body cream, they are both amazing. Although I think I'll be picking up S&G a little quicker as its more affordable and easier to come across. 

And finally another bargain in Dealz, I'm a big fan of roller ball deodorants as they don't effect my asthma half as much as sprays do. Not the most amazing protection if your exercising, but its grand if your just doing normal day to day things. 

Empties #8

I had to have a look back over my old posts to see when I last posted one of these empties posts. It felt like only yesterday but apparently it was way back in November! Doesn't time fly when your having fun slapping things onto your skin and hair. 

First thing that I was sad to finish was the two Bioderma's. I used the mini one for oily and combination skin over Christmas when I was away and although this one is better suited for my skin type, I found the big pink bottle for sensitive skin better. When my sister heads back to France I'll definitely be asking her to pick up some Bioderma products for me, but I also think that any other cleansing waters are just as good as these and I'm not really sure where the hype for these products come from. 

I'm not going to say too much about my much loved Bia Beauty cleaner and exfoliator right now. I've bought another of these dinky pots and have a post coming up about it next week. (I promise I actually do, I just took some photos for it!)

The last thing in my skincare empties is an old packaging bottle of Soap&Glory's Peaches and Clean. I found it really hard to get the last of the product from this, so theres minus points for loosing product. But I actually prefer Soap&Glory's other hot cloth cleanser/make up cleanser as it doesn't have such a strong scent, it comes in a tube so you can get all the product and its more gentle to my skin. I doubt I'll be getting this Peaches and Clean again.

Two of my favourite shampoo brands, Garnier Ultimate Blends and also Aussie are always popping up in my empties posts. I consider leaving them out, but I don't want anyone to think that I've stopped using them! Its always good to recommend what you love, so apologies to those who regularly read my blog. If you've not tried either of these shampoo's or conditioners then you need to put them on the to get lists!

I had some mini's on the go over the past two months and I've not too much to report on any of them. I got some Body Shop Rainforest shine shampoo and conditioner from fragrance direct to try out before forking over almost €10, but I'm not taken with it. It does the job but not any better then the much cheaper brands you can find in Tesco or Boots. I wont be getting a full size. The same goes for the Great Lengths shampoo, I think I got it on one of my subscription boxes months ago. It was fine to pop in my bag, but nothing special that would make me buy a full size. 

The new Herbal Essence conditioner is the only one pictured here, as I had thrown out the shampoo bottle by accident, but I did a review about the new range and spray over here.

Then of course theres something form Lush. I will buy Daddyo shampoo every few months when I feel that my hair is lacking in the colour department and this shampoo perks up the colour, taking away any brassy tones and leaving it shiny, a lovely colour and smelling like violets! Its a small bottle but you only need a little and you don't have to use it daily either to get results.

Theres nothing much to say about this pile apart from I buy them all regularly and love them. I've talked in many monthly favourite posts about my love affair for Herbal Essences dry shampoo. Hair removal cream and Nivea roll on deodorant (the best one ever in my opinion) are both €1.49 from deals, bargain! The only thing that I wont be getting again from this pile is the Boots own brand nail varnish remover. It smells so bad and takes massives amounts of product in order for it to work. I picked up nail varnish remover in a pot from Dealz that works much better for next to nothing.

The candle is a gorgeous vanilla one that I've had for a few years. It only gets used on special occisions as I loved the smell too much and didn't want to waste it. Theres no sticker on it so I can't find where to buy it again and the shop (Evolution in the GPO arcade) doesn't sell them anymore. Very sad to see this one go.

Lastly is some sort of advertisement for Seventeen! I think its fair to say that I'm a big fan of the brand and I especially love their new Stay Time foundation (my 5th bottle) and the phwoarr paint concealer (easily my 12th). Theres nothing to say about them apart from try them all out because they are normally on offer in Boots and so cheap. 

Another little thing from Lush is the Charity Pot cream that smells amazing. For €1 that goes towards charity, I always pick up a little pot when I'm in Lush as they are so easy to keep in your hand bag. And the smell is so nice too. I have bundles of them floating about!

My 2014 Favourties

Yeah so the first month of 2015 has nearly come to an end and I'm only getting around to doing this now. Honest to got, some things never change. Just to note, I'd like to say sorry as the photos are all a little off colour. Theres nothing worse then the winter light not letting up and the three times that I retook these photos, they have all been far too dark. But sure, the show must go on. This is a feckin massive list of my all time favourite things of 2014. Some things immediately came to mind and then some things I had to narrow down, it wasn't easy!

First I want to talk about hair. Its one of the things that is a part of my personality and I'm always trying new things in it. Surprisingly, shampoos get me excited the same way a new eye shadow palette would, or a cake. Aussie 3 minute miracle is one of my most loved conditioner, theres nothing as quick or effective to make my hair feel amazingly soft. It smells really lovely as well. I've gone through countless bottles of this goodness. Not pictured, but something that I had to add in is the Garnier ultimate blends shampoo and conditioners. They are so lovely and when they are on offer I love to stock up.

Herbal Essences dry shampoo is my top dry shampoo of the year. I go through loads of this stuff and love it. It doesn't have the white residue that some dry shampoos leave in your hair and it really helps reduce the grease in my hair. Lastly is my favourite purple hair dye, Live XXL. I think I keep these lads in business, I've bought so much of these tubes this year! It lasts such a long time in your hair, even with my daily washing it.  

Next is skincare and the first thing that came to mind when I thought of this catagory was my Vaseline spry and go moisturiser. Theres no waiting around for it to dry in or taking too much of the product in one go. You just spray it on quickly, give it a little rub and boom, your ready to go - well put on clothes first, of course. To help keep my face from falling to bits I love to use Green Angel seaweed daily face cream. It smells lovely, is so moistursing and you only need the tiniest amount to do your full face, so this will last ages. Himself is a big fan of it too, so I'd say the men in your life might appreciate this if your looking for a unisex gift that you might be able to 'borrow' a little now and again. You can read the full review of it over here.

Two Lush things that have to get a mention, keeping all my face uglies at bay are Grease Lightening and of course my much loved Mask of Magnaminty. Both of these help to keep my spots under control when used regularly. Theres nothing negative I can think to say about either of these, they are just perfect! Natural stuff that doesn't smell awful or hurt my fussy skin. 

Lastly is my all time favourtie perfume, the Body Shop White Musk Smoky Rose. When I first got this to try out I wasn't sure about it, it was nice but not something I'd use everyday. But now I've grown to love it and I have to have it in my handbag, just in case. I'm coming close to the end of this bottle and hope to get a new one asap. Running out just isn't an option!

I've read a lot of books and comics in 2014 and although I have so many new favourites, the two that stand out the most have to be Sex Criminals - that I did a full post on over here. And then The Good Girl that I did a review of over here. I'd blab on about them non stop, but I think this is a really long blog post without adding to it! 

Sleek has been one of my most loved make up brands in 2014. I've just started to use their blushers, (instead loving my Benefit one, full post over here)but the eyeshadow palettes and my overused but much loved contor kit has been my go to all year. I did a full blog post on it here, but I think since then I've fallen even more in love with it!

Another go to for the year has been my Wet'n'Wild Comfort Zone palette. Its cheap as chips and has so many highly pigmented colours in it, I just love how handy it is to throw in my bag, without having to worry if it gets a bit bashed. I a full post with swatches over here.

You would want to have been blind not to notice my new found love for Emmas Soy Candles this year. There are so many to choose from, they don't effect my asthma and they are an Irish brand. They just tick all the right boxes. Family and friends got these as Christmas presents, with much happy camper feedback!

Three nail varnishes that I've used non stop were by Paese - review here. Its the perfect red. My lovely mustard Barry M review here and my favourite from the entire new collection by Max Factor - review here.

Out of all my toys, this year Doxy has stolen my heart. I did a full review on it over here, but I'll save you the hassle of reading it - just go order it right now!

I've never fully understood people going on about products that would be desert island things to take with them. That was until I tried Ziaja Rose Butter, This is something I found about half way through the year after finding the brand stocked in a chemist on Talbot St. I picked it up as I was looking for something new to try and I'm so glad I did. Theres nothing as nice as the feeling of really clean, fresh and soft skin. Not only does it work total wonders, it smells pretty good too. I thought it would be too harsh when I felt the sand like texture, but it hasn't once hurt my sensitive skin. Ziaja is one of those brands you need to buy if you see.

Nimue rejuvenating mask is one of my favourite high end masks of 2014. But something that is much more budget friendly and works just as well is the Simple one. I've nothing to say about these, other then every time I have a bath or a bad day, then one of these gets slapped on my face and I feel so much better.

Lastly is my favourite make up. Reds were big for me this year, especially my Wet'n'Wild balm stain and my Inglot lipstick. I did a full review of some Inglot lip products over here. When theres a strong lip, there has to be some strong black eyelashes and flicks! Benefit They're Real and a bargain Collection extreme felt tip eyeliner for €3.99 are, dare I say my all time favourites. 

Everyone and their mammy needs to know about the Hero Brush. I only found it in October but its not left my side since. Its one of my most read posts in 2014 too I'm glad to say. Its an Irish make up artists brand and I honestly need to buy more of them. In love, have a look at the full review here. - Not to mention seeing photos of it clean, sorry!

And whats the point of having an amazing foundation brush if you don't have a lovely foundation to use with it! Seventeens Stay Time is my all time favourite foundation this year. Its full coverage, in a light shade that actually matches my skin tone and lasts a surprisingly long time. I think this is about my 4th or 5th bottle and nothing else that I've tried has compared to it. Seventeen are on fire with their new products that came out in 2014! Can't wait to see what they have in store for the rest of the year.

Empties #7

I think I'm getting better at doing these empties more often, thing aren't piling up so much! I only did one of these last month but since then I've had loads more odds and ends that I've been using up. Some of them I'm very sorry to see go and will be on the list must buys again soon, once all the Christmas presents have been bought!

First is my lovely Body Shop chamomile cleanser that was an utter dream to use on my skin. It took off all my make up and didn't irritate even my eyes. It was pricey at €15 and not something I will be picking up soon, but is on my wishlist of lovely things to get when I have a spare few bob floating about. You can read my full review of it over here.

Seventeen is the love of my make up life, we all know that by now. So when they brought this new foundation out a few months ago I couldn't have been happier. I'm now on to my third bottle of the stuff and use it daily. Its the perfect tone for my pale completion and can build up to have a totally flawless - slightly thick, but full coverage. Theres not much else in the make up section that could make me change my mind. This is just over €8 but all the make up in Boots tends to be on 3 for 2 so you can pick it up on the cheap. I need to get a back up of my back up for this one!

My Garnier micellar water is finally finished. When the internet went mad for those waters I naturally jumped on the bandwagon and bought a million different ones. This one is by far the best, purely based on the price. Its one of the biggest bottles at 400ml instead of the usual 200ml. So when I next run out of all my water, I'll pick this on up again.

Ziaja is amazing, theres not one product that I've tried of theres that I've not loved - which is a big thing for me to say. The Ziaja rose butter micro peeling face scrub has been my go to scrub for months now and I'm sad thats its come to an end. I'll be keeping an eye out for this again and buying a back up when I do find them. I used this about 3 times a week and it kept my skin soft while not being too harsh or stripping it. This was about €6 if I remember right and is worth every penny. 

My fall down with these posts are the crazy amounts of hair things in them. So I'll keep this one really short. We all know I love Dove and I buy this conditioner for coloured hair religiously. Big thumbs up. Next is a let down of a Dealz find, some random shampoo and conditioner that wasn't very good. I wont be getting it again.

Onto the hair dyes now. My Bleach London dye needs a full ranting, so heres the blog post for it. I just hate it so much! The other is XXL Live and that is the other end of the scale entirely. I use this all the time and love it so much. I lasts ages and gives such gorgeous colours once its washed out. You can pick this one up on offer in Boots all the time for about €5 which is perfect for me.

Two bottles of dry shampoo that I now use all the time. Batiste is an old favourite that I used a lot of especially around Halloween as it gives great texture and the white powder it leaves behind looks great too. But a new favourite is the Herbal Essence range and I have about 3 as back ups! They were on special offer in Tesco so I really stocked up. Best dry shampoo ever!

Few deodorants I really like is the Nivea no stains one and the roll on energy fresh one. Mostly the bigger bottle is about €5 in Boots but I always buy the roll on one in Dealz for €1.49 which is great for just before bed if you don't fancy having a stuffy room of spray left or if you have asthma and find that sprays irritate it. 

Next are two body scrubs, one is a mini from Soap&Glory. Sugar crush is by far my favourite scent along with the new orange one thats out. Nom nom nom, they smell so good! I'm asking santa for one of those sets for Christmas and in the mean time I might just accidentally buy one! The other is the raspberry body scrub from the Body Shop that loads of bloggers raved about. When I was in one day they had it on special offer so I picked it up but I wont be getting it again. It just didn't do anything for me and left my skin, unscrubed?

Once I found the dupe in Dealz for my Bourjoir nail varnish remover, I'm not going to be picking it up again. But this did work really well and if theres no Dealz near you then I'd recommend getting this one. Its about €6.99 so its not breaking the bank.

I really love Ghost and enchanted bloom is my favourite one of the collection. I have had this still in my shelf far too long but I could bare to throw it out. But considering its less then €30 I think I'm going to ask himself for it for Christmas. Perfume is such a lovely gift and an easy one once you know what type the girl or guy likes!

Lastly is one of the best Irish candles around, Emmas so naturals. This is one of their winter limited edition ones in masala chai. I think this is one of the nicest ones of all the winter candles out there. For €9.99 I think this is going to be bought again really soon. You can see all the other scents and full reviews over here.

Do you think empty posts are good for finding new things to try?