Products I Regret Buying!

Hey there!

Over the past few months, I've bought some things that I had high hopes for but I was let down by. 

There aren't many so let's get down to business! :)

After seeing some hype online about the Garnier Moisture Match Ultra Hydrating Rich Cream, I gave into the hype and bought this. I had high hopes for it but it completely let me down. I found it to be very greasy on my skin and after about an hour of applying it, I could feel a massive spot ready to attack. Not sure if it was something else causing these mysterious breakouts, I decided to give it a shot anyway. Worst mistake ever! This does not agree or like my skin in anyway! I think maybe that the strong (but beautiful) scent had something to do with this. Sad days.

The next product is something that I read a lot about but I didn't get the hype surrounding this at all. It's the L'Oréal True Match Foundation. I don't like the finish of this foundation and the fact that it made my pores look bigger than they usually do. It just didn't do anything for me! I do love the L'Oréal Nude Magique Eau de Teint though! :) That is hands down, my favourite L'Oréal foundation! 

Like I've mentioned before on previous blog posts, I'm constantly on a mission to find a face primer from the drugstore that is comparable to a higher end one. After reading some reviews online about the Maybelline Baby Skin Primer, I decided to continue my mission! This is the most disappointing purchase of them all. It just seems like a pointless product. It did nothing to help to improve my pores which was hugely disappointing considering one of the claims that comes with this is that it's an 'instant pore eraser'. I didn't find that it helped to keep the oily parts of my skin matte either. From consistency to longevity, this is definitely one of the most disappointing products that I've tried in awhile. 

Ok, enough ranting! Onto the last item.

It's the Collection No Clumps Definition Mascara. Well, it definitely clumps the lashes together. I think the wand is too flimsy and that because of that it's hard to control it. Too much of the product comes out on the wand and the formula is way too thick for me! I tried but I just couldn't get the best from this one!

So there we have it, the products that I regret buying over the past couple of months. What products do you regret buying?

Linda, xo

November Favourites!

I am so happy that we are FINALLY into December! I can finally openly enjoy Christmas without people giving out to me that it's too early to be talking about Christmas! :P

My favourites for the month are just hair care and a few makeup products! So, let's get started!

Like I've said in previous blog posts, right now, I have ombré hair. The only thing that I don't like about ombré hair is that the bleach leaves the ends of my hair very dry. I try to keep it has hydrated as possible. I use the John Frieda Highlight Activating Moisturising Conditioner to help with this! I try to keep the blonde part of my hair as bright as possible without it being brassy and this is great for doing just that! Another favourite for brightening up my hair is the John Frieda Lightening Spray. This has lightened my hair considerably! At €10.87 per bottle, it had better be good, eh?! :)

The next item is a little gem I've just recently found. It's the Schwarzkopf Got2B Power'ful Volumising Styling Powder. When I wash my hair, I lose all volume. Why, I hear you ask? Well, through sheer laziness and how crap I am at drying my hair, I can never add volume back to my hair using hair tools. That's why I LOVE this product! This adds instant volume. Whether it's a simple or glamorous hairstyle, this product is my new holy grail product!

Now, on to the last of my favourites for this month!

After reading reviews online about the L'Oréal Nude Magique Eau De Teint Foundation, I had to try it for myself! This is the perfect everyday foundation for me. It gives enough coverage to even out my skin tone but, it still leaves my skin looking natural. I will be following this up with a review very soon!

Next is the L'Oréal True Match foundation. I accidentally picked this up before I bought the L'Oréal Magique Eau De Teint Foundation, meaning to buy the latter. I was pleasantly surprised by it though! It is a little too pale for me and the Magique is a little too yellow so, I like to mix both foundations together, especially on those days when I need a little more coverage from my foundation! Perfect! :)

This month, I got new glasses. I need to wear glasses all of the time. Wearing glasses all of the time has made me more aware of the dark circles under my eyes. Because of the shadow that the frames cast, sometimes it can make that area look even darker. So I decided I needed a decent drugstore concealer that brightens that area up pronto! I really liked the Maybelline Fit Me concealer but I find when it oxidises on my skin, it makes that area look grey and makes my dark circles appear even darker over a short period. With that in mind, and after hearing some good reviews, I decided to give the Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer. It does exactly what it says on the tube! I'm loving it at the moment! :)

So, that's my favourites for this month! I'm keeping it short and sweet! :)
What's been your stand out product over the past month?

Linda, x

Rimmel Stay Matte Mousse Foundation REVIEW!

When I saw the newly formulated Rimmel Stay Matte Mousse foundation, I could hardly contain myself! I picked this up for €6.99.

I wasn't a fan of the original Stay Matte foundation so I had high hopes for this newly formulated one! The original texture of this foundation was a liquid but they've changed the texture to a mousse. Not a massive fan of mousse foundations but I was willing to give this baby a go!

There are six shades. The shade that I chose was 100 Ivory. Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation is available in Boots, Superdrug and pharmacies nationwide.

Right...let's get down and dirty! The claims that come with this foundation...

"A Feather-light, liquid mousse that blends flawlessly for natural-looking and an all day shine control
Silky smooth formula for a perfectly matte, baby-soft finish.
Lightweight texture won’t feel heavy or greasy.
Minimises the appearance of pores."

So let's tackle these claims! When blended into the skin, it definitely is feather weight! It does blend beautifully on the skin, leaving the face looking natural but beautifully flawless. Regarding the all day shine control, I disagree. After a short time after applying this, shine began showing through. It definitely doesn't feel heavy or greasy but the more foundation that I applied to the skin, it began to feel a little tacky on the skin. On first application, it definitely minimised my pores but I needed to apply a primer beforehand though because without it, the foundation settled into my pores.

So on to the review! On first application, I was impressed. Initially, I applied this with the Real Techniques Stippling Brush and then gave a little extra blending using the Real Techniques Buffing Brush. However, I preferred using the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. It gave an airbrushed finish to the skin. This evened out my skin tone beautifully and covered up redness around my chin and my nose very well. An added bonus too, I needed to use less concealer with this!

So before I go on, I should say that I have combination skin but it tends to be more oilier than dry. It's not extremely oily but I can't get away with not applying powder to those parts of my face so this foundation was formulated for people with my skin type.

Back to business! I have used this foundation everyday for a month and I can honestly say, I'm disappointed. When initially applied to the skin, it leaves the skin looking flawless and beautiful but that's where my love affair with this ends. It didn't leave my skin completely matte which, was disappointing. Obviously, if you apply a face powder to those parts of the face, you will mattify that area but as the foundation claims to be a matte foundation, I definitely expected it.

After an hour, I noticed that my face was beginning to get oily. By the second hour my face was considerably more oilier and the foundation had started to fade from those areas of my face. Plus, it had settled into my pores and the drier areas of my face. Let me tell you, this wasn't a pretty sight! By the fourth hour, it had completely worn off of my face. So disappointing!

With that being said, when I applied face powder to my face, the foundation lasts a little bit longer but not a lot longer. I only wear this foundation during the day, when I don't need to be anywhere important because there's too much touching up to be done with it.

So there you go! But, hey, that's just my opinion. What doesn't work for me, may be your holy grail product!

What tried and tested products are you disappointed with?

Linda, x

PS: I apologise for the quality of the lighting in these pictures. I'm still getting used to all of this! :)


Picture of Product Credit: http://ie.rimmellondon.com/

October Favourites 💖

Now that Halloween's out of the way, we can all get excited about Christmas, right?!
But seriously though, how fast is this year going by?

This was a hectic month for me. With birthdays, parties and lots of other drama, this has been a crazy month but it was all gooood!

My favourites this month range from haircare to skincare and everything in between! So let's get down to business...

Last month, my best friend made my lifeless, unexciting hair into fabulous, beautiful ombré hair! The colour on the top part of my hair is a copper/brown and on the bottom is a dirty blonde colour. To keep the blonde part nourished and try to keep the brassiness away, I've been using the John Frieda Colour Renew Tone Correcting Shampoo. The conditioner I use is the John Frieda Go Blonder Lightening Conditioner. I love these two. They do an amazing job together!

Next is body moisturiser. The one that I have been loving recently is the Dove Intensive Nourishment Body Lotion for Extra Dry Skin. It does exactly what it says on the tin. My skin is noticeably more hydrated after just a short while of using it. LOVE!

As winter has well and truly arrived here in Ireland, my pale skin is in desperate need of some colour. My favourite (ever) tan is the Cocoa Brown Night and Day Tan. As I am so pale, I always find it hard to find a tan that actually looks natural on me, and this one definitely does just that! This winter, Cocoa Brown tan and I are going to be the best of friends!

As I've already mentioned, winter and the dreaded cold weather has arrived with a bang here in Ireland. Already, my skin, lips and hands are so dry. My holy grail lip balm for the past year has been the Burt's Bees Original Lip Balm. This is some serious stuff! A little piece of heaven in wax form! 😍

On to my favourite makeup products for ze month of October! For me, I always go back to the Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation. No matter how many times I stray away, I always come back to this piece of amazingness. No other drugstore foundation ever compares to it for me! My favourite makeup tool to apply it? The Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. Check out my review here. For such a small, odd shaped thing, this thing can work wonders! *awkwardly hugs sponge*.

Last month, after hearing people say how surprisingly good they thought the Catrice Eyebrow Set was, I had to try it for myself. And I've got to admit, it is pretty good for the price. I think I paid €4.49 for this. It's a powder duo with a light brown and dark brown. I mix both together and it's a pretty dead on match for my brows. It's the only thing I have used on my eyebrows during October. The next two things are finds from Essence that I have been pleasantly surprised by. They're the Match 2 Cover Cream Concealer and Get Big Lashes Volume Boost Mascara. Both are great for everyday use and both save me a lot of money too! Bonus! 👍

I had to include the piece of jewellery that I have worn everytime I've gone out in October. It's a necklace - a black cross with diamonds in the middle. I think it looks beautiful for both casual wear or for a night out. It's from A-Wear and it's precious. So there.

With the arrival of October, saw the return of two of my favourite television shows The Walking Dead and Love/Hate. I adore this show. Both amazing shows definitely worth checking out if you haven't already.

So there you have it! My October favourites. What have your go to products for October been? What tv shows have you been loving?

Linda, x

The Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge REVIEW! 💖

I have heard so much about the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. So, when this little beauty caught my eye in Boots, I couldn't resist!

I picked this up for €5.89. Absolute bargain! 

The sponge is super soft and quite different to other sponges like the Beauty Blender in how it's shaped. It's egg shaped. At the top of the sponge, it has a tip but it's flat at the bottom is flat. At the opposite end, it's rounded. Unlike the Beauty Blender, you don't need to wet it but you still achieve the same result. You can use it damp but you achieve the same results, regardless.

So how do I use it? I pop some foundation, as usual, on the back of my hand. I pat a small amount it on to the flat side of the sponge. As usual, I start with the centre of my face. I stipple my foundation on with the flat part of the sponge. Like every other method when applying your base, less is always more. You can always apply more in the places where you need more coverage. 

Anyway, back to business! To ensure that the foundation I've already applied is blended, I turn the sponge around to the round part and again, in a stippling motion, I continue to blend it in. It blends it into the skin beautifully! It leaves you with a flawless finish.

One of my favourite things that about the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge, is that it minimises the appearance of my pores. It gives a flawless finish to my foundation without the foundation feeling heavy on my skin. This really is the perfect tool to use for your natural or daytime foundation!

I love this for blending in my concealer! I use the tip of the sponge in a stippling motion to blend it in. Concealer tends to crease and cake up under my eyes but I've found that, that happens less when I use the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. I also use this to apply my primer before I apply my foundation. I have found that my primer settles better into my pores because of using this sponge.

Here's a before and after, using the Real Texhniques Miracle Complexion Sponge.

Overall, I would award the real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge:

Packaging: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Performance: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Re-purchase?: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Real Techniques are fast becoming my favourite brand for makeup brushes. Their products are so easily accessible, affordable and very effective. 

If you see this baby lying around, I'd definitely recommend getting it! Believe me. You'll thank me for it! 👍

What makeup tool can you not live without? 

Love, Linda x