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

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

NOTD: Glitter Heaven!

Hi there!

So, like I mentioned in my Makeup Haul blogpost, recently I bought the NYC Expert Last Nail Polish in 105 Lights-Camera- Glitter and Catrice Ultimate Nail Lacquer in 107 Genius In The Bottle.

I was very eager to try both of them out together. In the bottle, the Catrice Nail Lacquer looks like an iridescent colour with blue, green and gold tones in it. I thought that it would be an interesting colour on the nails but when I tried it out, it just applies as a gold colour. I'm disappointed that none of the other colours made it out of the bottle! It is a pretty colour on it's own but it's just not what I had expected it to be.

So, with that on my nails, I paired it with the NYC Glitter polish. I'm really liking this! The polish itself looks clear but when applied to the nails, it comes off as a silver colour. There are small particles of glitter that are pink and blue. There are bigger particles of blue and pink glitter too. I would only use this as a top coat. When it's paired with a colour underneath and after two coats of it to the nail, it looks so pretty!

One of the claims with this polish is that it makes your nails 50% stronger within 7 days. It also claims that the polish lasts up to 7 days but that's a bit presumptuous though! 

And here's what they look like on the nails!

What's are your favourite nail polish at the moment?

Linda, XO

Sunday Chit Chat!

Hey there!

So, how was your weekend? And your Valentine's Day? I hope everyone had a great one, regardless if you celebrate it or not! :)
Me? Well, I'm anti-Valentines Day at the moment but I'll be honest, it's because I'm single! :P Haha!

So the past week and a half has been a hectic one for me!

But...first off let me say, the best part of last week for me was IRELAND BEATING WALES in the 6 Nations last week!! I am a MASSIVE rugby fan and I can't tell you how happy I was that the lads won! It was definitely the start of an amazing weekend for me! :)

So, the real high of the week for me was definitely turning 25 last Thursday. I had the best day and weekend! I'm gonna tell you a little story, so get comfortable! :) Since becoming an adult, I've never really celebrated my birthday properly. Obviously, the day was still marked by my family and friends but for me, I didn't feel like celebrating it. My best friend died 2 days before my 14th birthday in 2003, and her funeral was on my birthday and since then, I never ever wanted to celebrate it. The thought of celebrating my birthday, always made me feel guilty. This year though, on account of turning 25, and it being somewhat of a milestone, I thought it was time to start celebrating. It's what my best friend would've wanted too.

So with two of my friends in tow, we headed to Cavan! We went to see the very brilliant Nathan Carter in the very beautiful Kilmore Hotel in Cavan. It was a dance and I'd never been to one before and I didn't know what to expect, BUT, it was THE best night my friends and I have had out, ever! Such an amazing atmosphere! A week on, and my feet are still sore from all the dancing! :P For me, it was the perfect birthday, so thank you to my lovely friends for coming all that way for me! :)

My low of the week has to be dealing with poorly trained and downright rude hotel receptionists! This week I was organising a night away in Co. Wexford. Organising the night was easy but dealing with people with no communication or people skills, was extremely frustrating! After a couple of days with dealing with these people, I was so close to just cancelling the night completely. Now, that it's sorted though, I'm looking forward to it! :)

I'm hoping that this week will be relatively less dramatic and hopefully a little more relaxing! :)

What have been your high's and low's from the past week?

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

NOTW: Ink Stain!

So, here we are. The first weekend of 2014 is nearly through. Did you make any new year resolutions? Did you keep them? I'll be completely honest with you, like I mentioned in my last post, I did make resolutions like eating healthier and exercising more frequently, but I haven't exactly started yet! There's always tomorrow, eh?! :)

OK, so back to business! Right now in Ireland, the weather is even more depressing than usual. So, my nails of the week reflect my mood! Oh summer, where are YOU?!

I'm a big fan of NYC makeup products and I've been really impressed with their nail polishes recently. The one that I'm wearing this week is NYC Expert Last Nail Polish in 115 Ink Stain. It's a beautiful midnight blue, inky colour. I prefer wearing colours like this on my nails during this time of the year, opposed to a flat matte black. It still adds a little bit of colour but it's still perfect for the season too.

(Apologies for the poor quality of the picture! I'm using my phone until I can get a new camera! :) Please excuse the polished cuticles too!)

What's your favourite colour for A/W?

Linda, x

Happy New Year!

First off, let me say Happy New Year! I hope that 2014 brings you good health and happiness. I can't believe how fast this year has gone by! Like most people, for me, this year has had it's highs and it's had it's lows, but most importantly, we're here to tell the tale, eh?! What doesn't kill you, definitely makes you stronger! :)

I'm optimistic and hopeful for the new year. In terms of blogging, I've finally found my feet. I'll be working harder this year at something that I truly love. It's such an amazing community to be apart of!

Of course I'm obviously going to eat healthier, drink more water and exercise more frequently. Well for at least two weeks anyway. :)

But in general though, I'm just going to take each day as it comes. I'm going to fill my time with the ones that I love, see my amazing friends more often and smile more and worry less. Life's too short for it to be any other way! :)

Sending love and best wishes for the coming year to you and yours.

Linda, x