Monday Mani: Caviar Darling!

Hey everyone!

 I hope you're all well!

So... like loads of other people, I lusted after a lot of Ciaté products. So, when I went into a local TX Maxx store, I was so excited to find some of their products!

I picked up a limited edition "Caviar Manicure" set for a very impressive €9.99. In this set you get a paint pot and a bottle of their caviar pearl too.

Let me just say, I love this set! This particular set will be a recurring feature for me during the summer! They're the perfect colours for summer.

I am super impressed with this and one of the main reasons for this is, it's so easy to use which is very important for me because I am rubbish at anything nail related!

So in this set I got the paint pot in "holiday blues" and the caviar pearls in "cotton candy" along with a funnel for putting the excess pearls back into the bottle when you've finished the manicure.

Here's a step by step guide on how to do a caviar manicure:

1. Apply a base coat.
2. Apply the paint pot to the nails and let it dry completely.
3. Next, sit the tray that the products come in, underneath your hand to catch any excess pearls and then apply another coat of the paint pot and then sprinkle the caviar pearls over whilst the nail polish is still wet.
4. Secure the pearls by pressing down on them and VOILA! 

Using the funnel that comes in the set, pour the excess pearls back into the bottle and you're done! Obviously, if you want, you can apply a top coat over this.

This is super simple and so pretty on the nails. I think this may be the start of a love affair between Ciaté and I! :)

What nail proucts are you loving at the moment?
Chat to you soon!

Love, Linda x

January 2015 Favourites!

Hey everybody.

I actually can't believe just how fast this past month has flown! It's been an amazing month for me so far. I'm now a super proud aunt to the most beauitful little girl I've ever seen! :) This is shaping up to be a pretty good year!

So in terms of my favourites this month, some of the products featuring in my January Favourites are Christmas presents that I am in love with! So, let's get down to business.

First up is something that I had to try after watching Dale from MonsterMakeupxx first impression of this product. It's the P.S. Love This Makeup Brush Cleanser. It's as cheap as chips and does a top job of cleaning my makeup brushes in between their dreaded weekly bath! I'll definitely be repurchasing this!

So, we've all been there. It's Christmas. You're broke from buying presents for everyone and you've just run out of your favourite moisturiser. You're on a budget but you'd love to find a half decent product to keep you going until you can afford your auld favourite again. Well, this is my scenario down to a tee. So, off I went to my local Lidl having a wee nose around the place when I found this little gem. It's the Cien Intensive Anti-Wrinkle with Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin E & UV Filter Moisturiser. My dry skin loves this product. It has been a bit of a saviour these past couple of months for me and has been a staple in my everyday skincare routine this month.

So last year, I remember a lot of celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Nicole Scherzinger raving about this next product. As usual, I tend to wait for the hype to die down and eventually try the product! Ha Ha! It's the EOS Smooth Sphere Lip Balm in Strawberry Sorbet. I like this and I've used it everyday in January but honestly, it's a nice lip product but it's not amazing. Judging by the hype that surrounded this, I was expecting miracles but it's just a nice lip balm with nice packaging with a couple of celebrity admirers. It's kept my lips moisturised during the winter months and for that, it deserves a mention here!

Next up is my favourite eye primer ever! It's the Urban Decay Primer Potion. I've tried and tested many eye primers over the years but this is the one that I always come back to. It's a staple in my makeup bag. When I'm running low on this and I'm on a budget, I love that for only €11, I can pick up the travel size one and it lasts such a long time! It deserves the cult status that surrounds it!

One makeup product that I couldn't live without is concealer. I have tried and tested many 'drugstore' concealers over the years but this is my favourite. It's something that I have used constantly over the past few months and I'll definitely be repurchasing when I get to Boots next week! It's the Seventeen Stay Time Up To 18 Hours Full Cover Flawless Finish Concealer. I have dark circles underneath my eyes. They aren't very prominent but I do like a full coverage concealer to covering them up and this does an amazing job at cover them up! I'm going to do a review of this product soon. I have a feeling this will be a recurring feature in my monthly favourites! :)

NYX Cosmetics is a brand that I fell in love with a couple of years ago after buying some of their products from Makeup Geek's website. Now, NYX are stocked in Ireland and they're very much becoming a cult brand this side of the pond too! After seeing many of my fellow Irish beauty bloggers raving about this product, I couldn't get to my local pharmacy quick enough to pick up this product. It's the NYX Powder Blush in Taupe and it is the perfect contour shade for me. It's perfect for a daytime or a nighttime look. The quality is amazing and the best part of all is, it's inexpensive. At €7.99, you get 4 grams of product. Very impressive! I have a feeling NYX Cosmetics are going to be a massive part of my makeup collection!

So before Christmas, I was ashamedly, a Sleek Makeup virgin. Well that is no longer! With the help of my best friend, I burst my Sleek Makeup cherry! She bought me the Sleek i-Divine palette in Storm. I have used the lighter colours for daytime and used the darker, more sultry colours for nighttime looks. It's such a versatile palette with a broad range of colours. They are super pigmented and very buttery. They blend beautifully and have amazing pay off! With such amazing quality at such an inexpensive price, I'm looking forward to adding more Sleek Makeup to my makeup collection!

And last up is a makeup brush that I have been lusting after for a very long time but never got around to purchasing. So my brother, with a few hints from moi, got me this for Christmas. It's the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. HOW DID I COPE WITHOUT THIS BRUSH IN MY LIFE?! Ha Ha! I'm a massive fan of the very amazing Pixiwoo ladies. I was lucky enough to meet them during the summer in Dublin during their Real Techniques Roadshow tour. Here's a picture of my best friend and I meeting Sam and Nic! :) 

It's safe to say, this brush definitely lived up to my very high expectations. These girls can do no wrong in my eyes. I can't wait to get my mitts on some of the brushes from the girls Bold Metal collection!

Phew! So, that's it! Thank you if you stuck with me through this super long post!

January has definitely been an interesting and exciting month for me. In terms of beauty, I've been enjoying trying out new brands. I've found a few brands that will definitely have a permanent place in my makeup collection and will undoubtedly make an appearnace in upcoming 'favourites' blogposts!

I hope February is as kind to me as January was. I hope January was good for you too! :)

Love, Linda x