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.

The New Irish Powder Pocket Beauty Box

Going from a really negative box review to a really positive one is not something that happens often but it seems this week just keeps getting better and better! As you might have read, I unsubscribed from Glossy Box and instead was treated to a new beauty box by the Mr (Isn't he the best?!). This is the Brand spanking new Irish beauty box Powder Pocket and I think its going to be massive round these parts. Already blogs and the aul Twitter is going wild raving about this subscription and I can see why. 

The presentation of the box is a huge part of the whole experience for me. Give me something wrapped up nice, throw a bow round it and but it in a box and I'm sold! And its as if the good people of Powder Pocket read into my little head, down to the sticker with my name on it, eeakkk!! Oh it was all too much. The outer box is gorgeous too, really eye catching. I can't say anymore other then 20 out of 10 for the visual goodness that my eye feasted on. Nom nom nom.

The first thing that caught my eye when I opened the box and got of the beauty of it all was the Pixy Natural Skincare soap. Pixy is a relatively new Irish brand that has been coming up through the beauty world over the past two years and was really delighted to see that it was included this month. I have actually one or two of their products before and reviewed one here. I'm not a big fan of this citrus scent but my granny has her eye on it so I'm sure it wont go to waste! Full size for this is €3.99.

Next I couldn't help but drool over the La Roche-Posay thermal spring water. I love this brand and have been getting to grips with some of their products over the past few months. This was a new one for me and after reading the little leaflet with it I was spraying it all over the place thinking I was just great. Full size of this is €9 for a 150ml bottle.

I'm slowly accumulating a large collection of hand creams, I mean they are coming out my ears at this stage! But I can never say no to them so that might have something to do with it. Lavera basis sensitiv hand cream nabbed my attention and I really can't wait to use this little beaut. Full size €5.24 for 125ml tube.

I was a bit dubious of the Ginvera green tea marvel gel as gel and me don't go together very well. Its just sticky and messy and no no no. But after reading a little about it I'm going to give it a whirl! Full size €27.

Lastly I didn't even notice the gorgeous Benecos natural kajal black eyeliner! I only bought a new eyeliner the other day and now I'm raging I did as this looks so nice. When I read that this is a natural and vegan cosmetic I was thinking it was going to be very pricey but at only €4.66 I think I might have a look at the rest of their range! 

Lastly I wanted to talk about their leaflet that lists all the products in the box, its like a mini poster and took me a bit by surprise when I had to open it up. Its a great novelty but in coming months might turn out to be an annoying thing to have to wrestle with, we will see. There was a page on the inside with the title 'what's trending in 2014' and who did I spot that had added their piece, none other then the lovely GlitterMamaWishes! I might have gotten a little excited seeing her featured!

I'm really delighted with this new box, I can't wait for next months now! Are you going to get this box or do you have another beauty box? As always have a great day :)

Glossy Box - My Last One

I can't even hide how unimpressed I am with this months Glossy Box. When I first got the box to the front door last year as a present from my boyfriend I was more then delighted. I couldn't believe I was getting something I have watched bloggers and vloggers review forever and lusted over them all. But it seems that Glossy Box has just gone further and further downhill. The general feel on Twitter is the same, Glossy Box has lost well, the gloss? I know, no pun intended though! 

I'm not sure if this is going to be an ongoing thing, but this months box is shiny. I'm sorry but just no. No thank you. Their other matte boxes looked much better and clearly said luxury service, but now this new box just screams cheap and quite frankly, nasty. Back to basics is the theme of this months box and they really got it spot on with basics and the bare minimum in the product department. 

So, this is what I got. Sample size things that would have been cheaper to get in the shop instead of forking out around €16 for next to nothing. 

Yu-Be moisturising skin cream £13.50 for a full size.

 The Vintage Cosmetic Company floral slanted tweezers that are £8.

  Balance Me super toning body wash £10.25 for full size 250ml.

Anatomicals puffy the eye bag slayer wake-up under eye patches £6 for 3 pack.

Montagne Jeunesse passion peel off masque and blemish mud mask £1.09 per mask.

There is nothing in this box that I can't wait to use, I could leave or take it. The tweezers will come in handy if I loose my ones and I will try out the mask but I'm not excited about them like I am for other products. I think you will see now why I'm not impressed at all. I have unsubscribed from Glossy Box and going to take my hard earned few bob else where. 

Glossy Box actually tweeted at me when I took to Twitter to voice my anger at the box and they informed me that nexts months box would focus on make up... I don't know about you ladies and gents, but I'm glad I'm not sticking around to find out if the box delivers a full sized product or dare I hope, even equals to some of the €16 I have paid each month for the service. I am one unhappy girl today, sorry guys for such a grry negative post but I am so so upset and annoyed at this months box of 'samples'.

Wet'n'Wild Launch Night

 I don't think I was as excited about Christmas as I was tonight heading off to the launch night of Wet'n'Wild in House, Oh my goodness can you say quality and affordable make up? I certainly can! I headed into the event with the lovely Samantha (All The Buzz) she seems to put up with me a lot, poor lady! We were met by the lovely ladies who organized this event and the fun started!

As you can see there were cup cakes and cake pops. Oh mammy these were so nice, the people over at Monaco Cupcakes made them. Colours that you can eat? Well it would be plain rude not to! But now onto what everyone wants to read about, the make up!

Below are all the W'n'W products. I genuinely now have a list the length of my arm to buy, I can't wait! They are available in Dunnes, Pennys and selected pharmacies nationwide. One of the really friendly make up artists touched up the remains of my make up for me and I have to say, the foundation and concealer will be first on my list, it felt amazing and covered all my skin sins! Also can you just look at the eye shadow palettes? Oh be still my beating heart. I can't even comment on the sparkly nail varnish, I 'll be here all day. I was also lucky enough to be given a gift bag and I have to admit, when I sat in McDonalds (as you do) and had a peak in the bag I got well overexcited about all my goodies! I will be doing lots of reviews!

Above is a close up of my make up that the make up artist did for me. My lips and skin are all her wonderful work! My eyes are my new TopShop palette and essence liquid eye liner. My OOTD was my Asos dress and my died and gone to heaven Jeffrey Campbells that I got from my besties for Christmas. (I know, right!?) Also a little sssnap of the room!

  

Lastly we have the gorgeous Chloe (Nurse Fancy Pants) modelling W'n'W magazine. Oh *dies* how amazing are her eyes? I give up. Then the entire W'n'W make up stand full to the brim with magic things. I didn't stand beside it for long because drooling isn't attractive so I've been told. I couldn't not snap Robyn (Robyn Rants And Raves) having a go of the fab lipsticks, doesn't she look like a model? 

I had a really amazing night, I was so so lucky to be able to natter with so many lovely bloggers, I am really so lucky! To name a few; GirlFriday  who still loves me even though I'm a bit mad and I also got to meet the really lovely and down to earth Sinead (The Beautiful Truth). I was delighted to finally meet her as I read every blog post she writes and picture she posts on Instagram with (far too much) enthusiasm! I managed to make a show of myself fangirling (and crying - yeah, I know) when I met Karen form Lovely Girly Bits.  She is so super nice and I think I might have freaked her out a bit, I couldn't even tell her my blog name to start with! You can't bring me anywhere, I know. 

Make sure and keep an eye out for my reviews of Wet'n'Wild and also for the products in the shops - que the excitement of it all!!

Provoke Touch Of Silver Sensations And Aussie

I have been colouring my hair on and off for years now, from deep plums, blues, pinks to my current slightly peroxide blonde. Now (and I have the pictures to prove it!) I am naturally a blonde, dirty blonde if yo will but I love the light look right now. When I dye my hair I never give it much love at all. I throw in some shade of blonde that I got in a bottle in Boots, not even bothering with a particular brand , just whatever is on offer or what colour looks like it might suit my mood that hour. Its a good way to pick permanent hair dye, right? I think so too. Just before the bloggers Christmas dinner back in December I decided I would dye the top half of my head in the same Cat just whatever falls in to my basket passing way that I do. But after it going a brassy white blonde from not being cared for, I went on the hunt.

Que Provoke touch of silver sensations shampoo and conditioner for gray, blonde and white hair. It protects from fading, dullness and gives it back a slightly softer and nicer shade. What I really like about this besides it working, is the smell. It doesn't have the normal fruit or floral scent that nearly all hair products have, it has a more high end just-went-to-the-hairdressers kind of smell. And bonus points for the salon look and smell but the next to nothing price! The fancy eye catching bottles and the purple colour of the product itself. Thanks, I'll just take the shelf full and be on my way.

 Anyway it really does work, I have the proof on my head after all! After only about 4 days using this I could visibly see a difference in how my hair looked. The grayish-green hue that had once been was gone and a softer, but still very white blonde look, was left. I also used the conditioner every second day as my hairs condition was less then loved from getting blow dryed and violently brushed (thanks tangle teaser) all over the place. However I noticed while the colour of my hair was looking better, the texture and general health of my hair was still downhill and the conditioner wasn't working.

I would highly recommend the shampoo for anyone who has coloured hair and wants to keep it looking amazing, but the conditioner in my opinion did nothing at all and was a waste of money. Instead I ran to Tesco and nabbed my life saver, go to hair care range, Aussie. I like to change up my shampoos and conditioners, trying new things is great fun! But really Aussie has my heart and I would think it would take a very special product to change my mind on that. Get the 3 minute miracle colour conditioner to go with this shampoo or even go the extra mile and get Aussie recharge colour leave-in conditioner. 

As always hope your all having a great day and week! Loved writing a review for this as it was an amazing thing to find that worked so quick for me, hope I find more to share with you all soon! x

Day Zero Project

So this idea was gotten after I read GirlFriday's post here.  I really loved the idea of having 101 goals and things to achieve in 1001 days. So this being the 24th of January 2014 I have until the 4th of November 2016 to mark off everything on my list. 

Over the last year things have been up and down with me, I feel like I've gone into myself a bit and my anxiety of meeting new people and being in big groups has started to take over my nerves a bit. So this year I really want to try and over come that as much as I can. I also want this year to be even better then last year when it comes to my blog. Blogging has opened so many doors for me. I have something to look forward to doing, more new friends to share it with and a great community that I get to be part of. So here are my 101 things, some are easy and some are really hard! I'll come back and cross off the things as I do them and maybe even post about the bigger ones!

1. Meet MakeUpMonster - I just love her blog so much
2. Try a MAC product
3. Go and see a ManU game (preferably a home game)
4. Start saving for driving lessons
5. Get fitted for a bra  
6. Get my hair properly styled in a salon
7. Make dates of weekends away or days out with Stephen and take photos of the time
8. Get a massage or facial
9. Save up for a new camera
10. Get two more tattoos
11. Don't eat chocolate for one week each month.
12. Send more hand written letters
13. Get a bikini wax
14. Buy a double bed
15. Tell people I love them more, especially when fighting
16. Join a campaign
17. Do more volunteering
18. Try tanning (from a bottle mind!)
19. Learn to knit
20. Learn more basic French
21. Read at least 50 books
22. Buy and wear something that I wouldn't normally
23. Go on a holiday away to France 
24. Blog about more taboo things
25. Do at least 7 blog tags
26. Clean my makeup brushes every two weeks
27. Bin all my knickers and buy a whole new lot
28. Make vegetarian lasagna
29. Do a blog sale 
30. Go to more blog/events
31. Stick to my not buying anything in Lush until September rule
32. Meet and talk to more bloggers
33. Comment on blogs I love more
34. Eat more fruit
35. Treat myself to hard sole slippers
36. Host a dinner/some sort of food party
37. Go to watch people busk in Dublin on Christmas eve
38. Learn how to make use of an avocado in a mask or food dish
39. Go to Dingle, Kerry 
40. Print out photos and make something with them/display them
41. Save change in a jar 
42. Learn how to waltz and jive better
43. Try to use more skin care to beat my spots
44. Moisturize at least 3 times a week for 6 months
45. Stop talking to negative people out of politeness 
46. Declutter my Facebook/Twitter and phone book
47. Cut back on fizzy drinks and opt for water
48. Have lunch in Bewley's on Grafton St 
49. Sit and write dates on old photos with my gran
50. Learn how to contour
51. Get my brows shaped
52. Strip my bedroom walls and paint them
53. Buy new storage and makeup storage
54. Buy some jeans (I don't own any)
55. Go for a cycle somewhere
56. Help a friend start up her blog
57. Buy a cat brush for my cats
58. Update my about me section 
59. Get new glasses and keep them in a case
60. Bring my Irregular Choice heels to be fixed
61. Smile more at strangers
62. Dye my hair one primary colour (pink, green, etc)
63. Go to the dentist
64. Get up earlier for a month
65. Go to bed no later then 12 for a week (and then try a month!)
66. Eat in a new restaurant
67. Take up kickboxing
68.  Get a teeth whitening kit
69. Take photos of friends and family a lot more
70. Try a new food
71. Say yes more
72. learn about more Irish brands
73. Buy at least 3 different types of candles, not just Yankee!
74. Put money in a jar for vet bills
75. Try to help bloggers more with their blogs/products.general things!
76. Mind my friends mental health better - talk and be more active with them
77. Get my tongue double pierced
78. Get a friend to join a group/activity with me
79. Learn how to dive underwater 
80. Buy lots of bath towels and tooth brushes - forever running out
81. Collect addresses from friends and family 
82. Buy an address book
83. Go to the beach
84. Have a picnic with friends
85. Go on a hike
86. Save more money
87. Update my cv
88. Find more blogs to follow and love
89. Don't eat bread for one week each month
90. Buy a top that isn't grey or black
91. Learn how to cat walk in heels
92. Go stay in Belfast (at Christmas time?)
93. Email old friends I haven't talked to in years
94. Go to a Kerry or Galway market
95. Drink more herbal teas
96. Get to know more of my distant relatives
97. Make pancakes
98. Climb a tree
99. Dive off the end of a pier 
100. Wear brighter eye makeup for a day
101. Blog more then 115 times this year

I hope you might join in and make your 101 things list too. If you do, please leave your links below so I can take a look at your lists. Its not easy to come up with all of them, so don't worry if you have to have a think or come back to it later. Also use the hashtag #dayzeroproject on Twitter so can update everyone and give each other a bit of support too :)  

TopShop Haul

Another haul, I know. But this time its nothing to do with the Christmas sales I promise! I have never bought any Top Shop make up before and after reading a few posts on their lipsticks I wanted to go in myself and have a little look at what they had on offer! I actually didn't get any lipsticks sadly as Stephen was complaining that I was taking ages so I have to go back on the sly!

I spotted a cheap as chips €1 hot/cold penguin hand warmer. I'm a massive cute animal print fan so how could I say no. That and its normally about €9 if peeling off the little stickers underneath is right. I also got lovely shiny pink sliver and blue leopard-like printed wrapping paper for only 50cent, its normally €3, yonk!

First off I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw an eye shadow palette for only €4. There wasn't anything wrong with it apart from the outter packaging being a bit battered. But smokey eye Tawny had to come home with me. I love this so much! From looking on the Top Shop site there is a palette similar to this for £12 that you can see here.

Lastly I couldn't help but get some glitter while I was there picking up 2 nails in dark knight. And the cute packaging for the polishes, gahh!! At €3 I had to get one for my giveaway that I am going to be running some time side of 2014.. Promise ;) I also just had to take the 2 for €13 offer on all their nail varnishes up. They have new matte shades that are to die for. I picked up a light lilac in mellow and a light blue in whisper. You can see a little photo of them in action on my Instagram. I'll also do a review soon too as they are to die for spring colours!

Keep on smiling and have an amazing week! Its almost the weekend too, yay!