February Favourites!

Ah, February. My favourite month of the year! It was an absolutely hectic one, it wasn't as good to me as I had hoped but that's life, eh?!

Fashion wise, I love February because you're past the dreariness of the dull winter wardrobe colours, and back to adding a little colour back into our lives!

My favourites from February are a bit of a mixed range. So, let's get down and dirty...

I don't know if this is just me but, during the winter, I'm not one of those ladies that likes to apply fake tan. I don't know, maybe it's just because I'm lazy. This however, is my favourite time of the year to tan - when spring is in the air and summer's so close you can almost smell it! My favourite tan of the moment is Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan. It is hands down the best tan that I have ever used. Being a super pale cailín, it's a pain trying to find a tan that looks natural. THIS however, is the answer to my prayers!

So, as I've mentioned before, I have ombré hair. I was thinking about dyeing it and going back to brown all over but seeing as we're heading towards summer, I said I'd give my locks one more chance! One of the reasons I wanted to go back to having completely brown hair was that, the blonde is so expensive to maintain. That being said, the products that I'm about to mention, have made a considerably big difference to the blonde part of my hair. I've been using the Bleach London Silver Shampoo and the John Frieda Sheer Blonde Highlight Activating Conditioner. I use the John Frieda Sheer Blonde Go Blonder Lightening Spray too. Using these three products has really made a difference in eliminating and preventing the brassy tones that usually come with blonde hair.

Next is skincare! My favourite cleansers always tend to be Garnier. I don't tend to use their moisturisers because they usually break me out in massive ugly spots. Trust me, I'm not exaggerating. OK then, maybe a tiny bit. I recently decided to give Simple skincare a try again as I hadn't used any of their products since I was a teenager. I bought the Simple cleanser, used it on my skin and instantly remembered why I stopped using it back then. After first application, it didn't take long for the attack of the zits! Ugh, not good! So I went back with open arms to my Garnier Simply Essentials Cleansing Lotion. And so far, so good!

And lastly, this is something that I love and I have carried around with me everywhere (well in my handbag, otherwise that would just be weird)  since I bought it. It's the Inglot Loose Powder. It takes away the shine from my skin and makes my makeup last longer than most face powders do. Although, it does tend to get a bit messy with it being a loose powder and all but I can forgive it for that - it's worth the mess!

And there you have it, my February favourites.

What have you been loving recently?
Linda, xo

Makeup Haul!

Hey there!

I have never done a haul before, so I decided to give it a shot and share with you some of the things that I've picked up! :)

It was my birthday last week and I decided to get myself a few birthday presents, you know, just because! :)

I picked up the Inglot Loose Powder in number 12. I got it from the Inglot store in Dundrum town centre. It cost €22 which is amazing because you get 30g of  the product! So far, I'm loving it!

The next two products that I got are both nail polishes and both are from the pharmacy. They're the NYC Expert Last Nail Polish in 105 Lights-Camera-Glitter and Catrice Ultimate Nail Lacquer in 07 Genius In The Bottle. The NYC one cost €1.99 and the Catrice one was about €2.99. I'm looking forward to paring both of these babies together!

Because, I have such pale skin, I have a problem finding a contour colour that is just right for me. I found the perfect one for me this week though! It's the NYC Color Wheel Mosaic Face Powder in Translucent Highlighter Glow. Even though the name suggests that it's a highlighter glow, it is the perfect contour colour for me!

After hearing the amazing SoSueMe raving about this mascara, I had to try it for myself! It's the NYC Big Bold Volume By The Lash Mascara in 857 Extra Black. This is actually my second tube and I'm loving it! I paid €3.99 for this in my local pharmacy. Perfect!

So, I am on a constant quest to find an inexpensive eye brow pencil that is actually good. So, this past week, my noble quest continued! I came across this Catrice Eye Brow Stylist Pencil in 030 Brow-n-eyed Peas. It was €2.79. I'm not completely loving this at the moment but watch this space!

And lastly, I picked up Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan. As a super pale Irish gal, when I'm actually bothered to tan, I don't like to be too dark or an odd shade of orange, so Cocoa Brown is the only one for me! I leave it on for just one hour for a more natural look but if you prefer to go darker, you can leave it on longer. In general, I love the whole Cocoa Brown range. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on some of the new products being released in March!

There you have it! A few of the things that I've treated myself to recently.
What products have you bought that you're loving?

Linda, xo

Festive/Party Makeup, Part 1: Winter Cranberry

I know that I have said this before, but can you believe that it's almost Christmas already?! It feels like this year has flown by!

As we're getting closer to "party season", I am starting a series of Christmas/Party makeup ideas and I'm starting with "Winter Cranberry". Usually I stick to fairly neutral/nude tones but when it comes to this time of the year, I love adding cranberry/burgundy tones to my makeup.

The products I used:

Face:

Foundation: Rimmel Stay Matte Mousse Foundation in 100 Ivory

Concealer: Essence Match 2 Cream Concealer

Powder: Maybelline Fit Me Powder in 120 Classic Ivory

Contour: Rimmel Natural Bronzer in 022 Sun Bronze
Highlight: Catrice Prime and Fine Highlighter

Eyes:

Primer: Inglot Eye Primer in 001
Highlight: MAC Satisfy (from Infatuating Rose palette from years ago!)
Browbone: Urban Decay Naked
Lid: MAC Bon Fete
Crease: MAC Cavort
Outer Crease: MAC Feast
Outer Corner: MAC Deep Feelings
Tear Duct: MAC Satisfy
Brows: Catrice Eye Brow Set
Mascara: Maybelline The Colossal Volume Waterproof Mascara
Eyeliner: Essence Gel Eyeliner

Lips
Essence Soft Rose Lip Liner

As there is so much going on with my eyes, I decided to keep the skin and lips fairly simple. I love using cranberry and burgundy colours during this time of the year! 

What's your favourite look for this time of the year?

Linda, x

September Favourites

So, can you believe it's October already?! You know what that means, right? It's so close to Christmas! It's so close I can almost smell it! :)

Autumn is my favourite time of the year. I love the transition between Summer and Winter. Not just regarding the seasons but with fashion too. I love the darker, sophisticated colours, layering clothes, getting yo boots on, scarves. And of course there's the shorter evenings, hot chocolate, hoodies, duvet days watching Disney movies, the return of the X-Factor and of course the start of the season of one of my favourite things ever, rugby! (I'm a Leinster girl!)

Right, on to business! My 'September Favourites'.

I'll start with the peak and the pit of the month for me. One of the highlights of September for me was being a model for my best friend (who is a trainee hairdresser) for a hair competition. I had so much fun doing it! I now have amazing ombré hair thanks to Will. He is going to be an amazing hairdresser, and is proving it already. That wasn't the peak of the month for me though. It was getting to see my best friend more frequently. He is amazing and I'm so blessed to call him my best friend. :) The pit of my month was my aunt passing away. It really put things into perspective for me.

OK, on to my favourites.

This past month, my skin has been oilier than it's ever been. As a result of that, I've turned to my trusty Nivea Daily Essentials Light Moisturising Day Cream for Normal to Combination Skin. This is light weight, fast absorbing and doesn't leave my skin looking even oilier than before I applied it.

Something that has made a huge difference to my skin this month is, before brushing my teeth I apply a hydrating face mask to my face, *obviously* and let that work it's magic whilst I'm brushing my teeth. Then I wash it off and finish my usual morning skincare routine. I got this amazing tip from Lisa Eldridge's PMS video. It's something I've incorporated into my morning routine and it makes such a difference! The face mask that I use is Avon Planet Spa Mediterranean Olive Oil Hydrating Face Mask. Pure magic.

Something that has been very apparent during September, were my pores. *le sigh|*
Fear not! I had my new bessie mate to help me. Yep, it's the Garnier 5 Second Perfect Blur Smoothing Perfecting Primer. Without this piece of heaven I'd be lost! It's inexpensive and easily accessible. It's something I've recommended to my friends and would definitely recommend to you.

Towards the end of September, I woke up one morning and looked in the mirror and got the absolute shock of my life. My lips were so swollen, sore and slightly cracked. My top lip was enormous! *scarlet for me*. In that situation you would hope to look like Angelina Jolie. Nope, not me. It was more like looking at Mick Jagger! What caused it? Well, it was a bad reaction to a lip product. Thankfully, my Burt's Bees Lip Balm was on hand to help me out! I'd apply Vaseline first, let that absorb and then apply my Burt's Bees lip balm about 20 times a day. *I'm actually serious*. It took a week for my lips to get back to normal but thankfully they're back to their usual uneven selves again!

My 'go to' foundation and concealer during September was Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation and Inglot Cream Concealer. My favourite makeup brushes were the Real Techniques Buffing Brush, Real Techniques Stippling Brush and Real Techniques Contouring Brush. I love Real Techniques which was created by the amazing Sam Chapman. None of my other makeup brushes compare to my Real Techniques ones. If they're available to you, I'd definitely recommend you getting them! Such amazing quality and really inexpensive too!

I can't let this post go without mentioning something that I have used everyday since I got it. That's my beloved Urban Decay Naked Palette. All of my other eyeshadows are very neglected at the moment at the expense of this piece of amazingness!

My favourite song that has inspired me this past month is the amazing The Script Hall of Fame. I love The Script's music, I just relate to it so much. Their album '3' is one of my favourite albums of all time. Love it! :)

So, there you have it! My 'September Best Bits'.
What's yours?

Linda, x

PS., here's a picture of my new hair! :)