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

November Favourites!

Hey everybody!

Can you believe that it's almost CHRISTMAS?! I'm so excited for it! It's my favourite time of the year!

So, November was a mixed month for me! The highlight of my month was seeing my oldest brother getting married. :) It was a beautiful day for my family. We all had such an amazing day!

The low of the month for me was a family friend passing away aged just 22 years old. It was such a shock to the close knit community that I live in. His passing definitely put things into perspective. Life is short to be anything other than happy. Live each day to the fullest.

So with that being said, let's get down to business!

My favourites this month are a bit of a mixed bag!

First up is Schwarzkopf Got2B Glued Blasting Freeze Spray. This is my favourite hair spray ever! This is gooood stuff! I bought this after Nikki Tutorials recommended it in one of her videos recently! LOVE!

Next up is a cheap as chips dupe! It's Suddenly Madame Glamour perfumme. You can get it in Lidl for €3.99 and I'm not joking when I say this is a dupe for Chanel Mademoiselle. This stuff lasts all day. I love Chanel Mademoiselle but I can't afford to get a new bottle so this is definitely a great alternative!

I love my 'drugstore' foundations and I think that there are so many amazing ones out there. You don't necessarily need to spend a shed load of money on expensive ones when you can get the same benefits from a less expensive one from the 'drugstore'! With that being said, my favourite foundation this month is from L'Oréal and it's the True Match foundation. I always stray away and try other foundations but ultimately, I always come back to this!

So, on a recent shopping trip to Blanchardstown Shopping Centre, I accidently picked up Urban Decay Naked Skin BB Cream instead of their primer. I am so impressed by this! I use it as a primer and so far it's been amazing! I've a review to come soon!

Next up is my trusty Urban Decay Primer Potion. This is my favourite eyeshadow primer. Enough said really!

My favourite nail product of the month is Catrice Quick Dry and Shine Top Coat. I don't tend to spend a lot of money on nail products and this is definitely great quality at a low price! In general, Catrice is one of my favourite makeup brands. They do some amazing products, so if you haven't checked their products out yet, and they're available to you, I definitely recommend you give their products a try! :)

And lastly is something a little different. It's Cosmetic buds from Penneys Love This beauty brand. They're double ended, obviously. One end is a q tip and the other side is flat. Both are perfect for makeup application and clean up. It's available for €1. Bargain!

So, that's my favourites for this month! I am super excited for Christmas!

What makeup products are on your Christmas wishlist?

Linda, x

FOTD: Natural Everyday Look

My everyday makeup routine usually involves some neutral eyeshadows, flawless skin and a little bit of contouring to the cheekbones. Sound like a lot? It's actually not and takes under 5 minutes for me to do.

Products used:

Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation in 100 Ivory,
Essence Cream Concealer,
Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in 003 Peach Glow,

Catrice Prime and Fine Highlighting Powder,

Urban Decay Naked and Buck eyeshadow as a contour.

Catrice Eye Brow Duo,
Urban Decay Naked and Buck eyeshadows,
Essence Get Big Lashes Volume Boost Mascara.

I don't wear makeup everyday but this is what I wear if I'm going somewhere important or if I have something planned.

What's your favourite everyday makeup products?

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! :)