Penneys Spring/Summer Collection

Hey everyone...


The Penneys Spring/Summer collection is here and I have to say I am seriously impressed... They are bang on trend this year.. The collection sees pleather, bold prints, bright colours and pastels, coordinate sets and chunky statement jewellery..



Here are some of my favourite pieces from the collection!

Beauty Favourites of 2013

Another year over... whaaaaat.. Where did it go! I thought it would be fun to share with you some products I discovered this year that will be staying in my beauty bag for a long time.... There's a mix of make up, skin care and hair care... Here goes :) 

Catrice Brow Kit

This has to be my most used product of 2013... This product is just seriously WOW... This seriously ticks all the boxes.. It has excellent staying powder.. It is so affordable, only €4.49 and it lasts for months if not a year.. The packaging is sleek and it contains 2 eyebrow colours, a mini tweezers and a mini brush with a spoolie on the end.!

Avene Thermal Spring Water

Love this stuff so much.. It's such a refreshing mist ..  It feels your skin feeling replenished, awake and it can even be used to soothe irritated skin.. It's quite inexpensive, it costs around €6 and it lasts for months! 

Soap and Glory Butter Yourself Moisture Lotion

I discovered this stuff in September and my only regret is that I didn't find it sooner... The smell is Uh-mazing,. The smell is so good I could eat it... It costs about €12 but Boots always do 3 for 2 offers on Soap and Glory products.. I cannot wait to try some more Soap and Glory products this year!

Uniq One Cleansing Balm

I cannot praise this stuff enough.. Seriously if you've never tried it you need to try it.. It cuts your hair care time down so much.. I've done a full review on it here ...

Barry M Gelly Nail Polish

This is by far my favourite nail varnish of 2013. Its lasting power is actually unbelievable.. I only have the colour 'Prickly Pear' I totally need to get my hands on some more colours.. Whenever I wear this varnish I feel like I've just left a salon my nails look that good and last at least 3 days.. What more could you ask for :)

No 7 Stay Perfect Foundation

A fairly new discovery of mine, but I will definitely be repurchasing this.. It's one of the best foundations I've ever used.. It claims to be 18 hour wear foundation, Its never lasted me that long but it does last me a good chunk of the day without re application!   

Urban Decay Naked 2 Eyeshadow Palette

Do I even need to elaborate on this??? 

Crown Duo Fibre Brush

Crown brushes... They have become a holy grail item of mine in 2013.. I especially love ther duo fibre brush which I use to apply foundation.. These brushes are such amazingly good quality, they are as good as any MAC brushes I own and a fraction of the price! There is such a huge selection of brushes on their website (visit them here).. I plan to do a full review on these brushes soon.. And in case anyone noticed these are the same Crown brushes that make the paint brushes.. Weird!! 

Dr. Organic Dead Sea Mineral Bio-Plasma Mud Mask

I try to use this face mask once a week and after using it for about 4 months now I can see a clear difference in my skin.. I get less spots and blemishes using this.. It feels really nice when you put it on, kind of tingly but in a nice way.. You can really feel it working! It's available from Holland and  Barrett here .. Its €9.99 but there's always buy one get one half price on the range!

Head Jog Back-combing Brush

Hands down the best brush out there for getting huge backcombed hair.. This is always the first tool I reach for if I want big, volumised hair ..

Hope you enjoy this post.. I'd love to hear some of your favourite products of 2013

:)

(Image sources: beaut.ie, drorganic.co.uk, hairtools.co.uk)

Party Season Saviours ..

The Party Season really, really takes it out of you... I've put together a few of my favourite lotions and potions to help you look and feel better after the night berfore :)

Tangle Teezer:

If you have hair like me you know the feeling after a night out.. Trying to brush out the knots the next morning.. My hair looks like it has dreadlocks... This brush has saved my life.. It makes brushing your hair soooo easy.. If your hair gets knotty you seriously need to get your hands on one!



                               

Bonacure Oil Miracle Hair Treatment:

Great for giving your hair an extra shine and leaves it feeling soooo soft... I've had this bottle for 7 months and there is still loads in it.. I put some oil on my hands and spread it through my hair, focusing on the ends, then brush my hair with my tangle teezer!

Barry M Gelly Nail Polish:

WOW... This nail varnish is amazing... I'm sorry I didn't get my hands on it sooner.. I always used to see this polish in Boots but never thought it would be any good... Eventually I took the plunge and bought one.. Oh my gosh,.. It lasts for days..... Whenever I put nail varnish on a few days later it chips... But this stuff lasts for at least 5 days without even using a top coat or a base! My only complaint about this nail polish is the fact that they don't have a great colour selection.. They're mainly bright summery colours and there's not that many to choose from :( The colour I have is called Prickly Pear ... though I didn't know pears were purple??

Optrex Dazzling Eye Drops:

These are the newest addition to my beauty bag... I seen this in a magazine, they claimed to make ur eyes whiter and brighter looking... I knew straight away I had to get my hands on them!! When I opened them, the bright blue colour of the drops slightly put me off... Is it really safe to put this bright blue stuff in my eyes? I eventually plucked up the courage to put them on and the results were amazing! They really do brighten up your eyes... Perfect for when you have tired and red eyes!

Batiste Dry Shampoo:

Who doesn't love this stuff??? I really don't think I could live without dry shampoo! My favourite one is the 'Floral and Flirty Blush' .. It smells so sweet and lovely.. Perfect for those in between days when your just too lazy to wash your hair!

Avene Thermal Spring Water:

I love this stuff... Its a refreshing, light mist... I use it all the time.. After I do my make up I spray some all over my face as it helps set your make up... I use it throughout the day when my make up starts to look a bit dull, I spray it on and then use a  foundation brush to buff in my make up and it leaves you looking like you've just applied your make up...I also use it when I'm tired and need a little pick me up.. If I go on holiday I bring this too its so refreshing in the heat :)

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Years :) 

xx






(Dry shampoo image source: www.wilko.com)

How I wear it: Dark Lippy

Perfect for winter time... Every year I always try to find the perfect dark lipstick... This year I think I may have found the one...  Even better its really purse friendly :) Yay!

Its Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in the shade 'Dark Night Waterl-oops!' (380)... It costs around €6! This is a gorgeous purply pink and it is the perfect moisture rich dupe for MAC 'Rebel'.

To apply:

Firstly I line my lips.. If I don't have a lip pencil in a similar colour I take a lip brush and use the lipstick as a liner..

Then I apply the lipstick all over.. I use a lip brush as this is such a vibrant colour it can be quite tricky to apply straight from the bullet..

To finish I blot my lips with some tissue and away you go.. Simple as!

Baking Mince Pies

Hi everyone!

Today I made some mince pies... I love mince pies.. They are so christmasy and I thought what better way to celebrate a month off from college then make some christmas treats!

So here's how I made them for anyone who wants to give them a go :)

Ingredients:                                                                                          Equipment:

- 250g cold, cubed butter                                                                     - A large bowl
- 350g plain flour                                                                                  - Rolling pin
- 100g caster sugar                                                                              -  2 cookie cutters or glasses will do
- Half a jar of mincemeat                                                                      - Muffin tray
- 1 egg
- Icing sugar, to dust

• Sieve the flour into a large bowl. Rub in the butter, using your hands, until they look like breadcrumbs! 
• Then mix in the caster sugar and a pinch of salt, using a spoon.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 6.
• Next, roll this out with you rolling pin to about 1cm thick or less.
• This pastry is quite hard to roll out as it is a crumbly pastry.. So an alternative is to pull off walnut sized pieces, flatten it and then cut out your shape.. 
• Cut round pieces for the bottom of the pie...
• Place the bottoms in  greased muffin tray.
• Put a heaped teaspoon of the mincemeat onto the pastry.
• Cut a smaller circle or a star shape out of the pastry and place it on top of the mincemeat, pressing the sides onto the bottom piece of pastry.
• Lightly whisk the egg with a fork and then brush this on top of the mince pies!
• Pop into the oven for approximately 12 mins or until golden brown!
• Leave on a wire rack to cool.
• When cooled dust over some icing sugar and serve... Yummy!! 

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did!! Let me know if anyone tries this recipe :)

My Top 3 Foundations

Hello :)

So today I thought I would tell you all about my top 3 foundations!

1) No7 Stay Perfect

This is my most recent purchase in the line of foundation.. I went into Boots and they used their 'special device' to take a picture of my skin to found my perfect shade! I was matched up to the shade 'Calico'.... The palest shade they have, curse my pale Irish face! So I've been using this foundation for about 4 weeks now and I have really fallen in love! It's easy to go on, it's liquid foundation.. Sometimes I apply it with my fingers which also looks really lovely, but my favourite way to apply it is with a duo fibre is brush.. The foundation claims to be 18hour wear, though it does last a long time with out touch ups, I don't think it lasts 18 hours! This one costs €18.50 in Boots"



2)Bourjous Healthy Mix

This is a lovely foundation.. It has such a lovely consistency.. Its a liquid foundation but not too thick, not too liquidy! It lasts most of the day, though unlike the No7 needs a couple of touch ups! This one costs about €13 but also goes on sale in Boots!




3)Rimmel Wake Me Up

Good aul reliable Rimmel! I don't think I'm ever going to stop purchasing Rimmel make up.. It's such a reliable brand, I love all their products! The Wake Me Up foundation is one foundation I always repurchase! I use the shade Ivory, which again is the lightest available shade! It lasts for a relatively long time, but not as long as the No7 Stay Perfect! The one downside I have about this product is that I find the shades to be slightly more yellow toned and my skin is more suited to a pink toned foundation and also there are only 6 shades to choose from! Other than then that this is a great, purse friendly product!






(Image sources: Boots, ASOS)

Top Party Season Dresses

Hello :)

Firstly, apologies for the lack of posts lately, I haven't been able to blog due to personal reasons, but I'm back!!

Soooo it's that time of year again...Who can believe it!!! The christmas jumpers are out and it's time to start thing about the endless amount of dresses needed for the party season! Here are a few of my favourites for this Christmas and New Year......


The 'LBD'...

An essential part of every girls wardrobe... The little black dress just never lets you down.. Need I say more!!? I am in love with this dress!



http://www.asos.com/ASOS/ASOS-Sequin-and-Lace-Skater-Dress/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=3283901&cid=14543&sh=0&pge=0&pgesize=-1&sort=-1&clr=Black


The 'work party' dress...

This has got to be the most tricky outfit ever to plan.. You want to look nice, make a good impression, not drink too much mulled wine! This dress I love.. Its classy but still christmasy and nice.. It also comes in navy!




http://www.asos.com/ASOS/ASOS-Scalloped-Lace-Skater-Dress/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=2947097&cid=13930&sh=0&pge=0&pgesize=204&sort=3&clr=Navy

The 'New Years' dress...

Sparkly.. Girly.. Fun.. Perrrfect for New Years Eve :) 

http://eu.riverisland.com/women/dresses/bodycon-dresses/Green-aztec-sequin-bodycon-dress-646526

The 'comfy' dress...

A cosy, warm jumper dress is perfect for Christmas time.. These with some thick black tights are perfect for Christmas day :)




http://www.asos.com/ASOS/ASOS-Christmas-Longline-Jumper-With-Reindeers/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=3379471&SearchQuery=jumper%20dress&sh=0&pge=0&pgesize=-1&sort=-1&clr=Blackcream

The 'back up' dress...

For last minute nights out.. We've all been there.. Made no plans to go out, then get a text from a friend and you decide to go out, with only half an hour to get ready, hair, make up, tan and find an outfit.. Aghhhh!! I think this dress is perfect to have as a back up dress.. It ticks all the boxes for the party season!




http://www.asos.com/ASOS/ASOS-Scalloped-Lace-Skater-Dress/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=2947097&cid=13930&sh=0&pge=0&pgesize=204&sort=3&clr=Navy

Hope you enjoyed these :)


(Image sources: ASOS, River Island)