Happy 29th Birthday!!

Sunday 15th August was my 29th Birthday, I had been dreading it for months but it was actually a great day and I survived!  There is a certain sadness knowing you will never have another 20 something birthday, to me being in your 20's is still 'young' so I did dreaded this day coming around.

As a child I always thought I would get married and have children in my 20's, so to reach 29 with neither really tugged at my heart strings and left me quite tearful....then one  night on Facebook I saw lots of girls I grew up with moaning about their children/husbands, basically sounding  like 'fishwives' and I suddenly snapped out of it!

I have my 30's for babies....infact I think 45 is the cut off point so I have 16 years to meet a hot millionaire, persuade him to marry me and have children. Actually I would love to adopt but that is another story!

Decided I just wanted a quiet family day, so off we all went to my sisters house for chinese take-away, food, gifts, laughter and no fighting!  I  feel uncomfortable receiving gifts, I just hate being the centre of attention but this year it was fine...the gifts were spread out during the day which made it enjoyable.  My parents, aunts etc gave me cash gifts, I  prefer this as I can save some and also buy things I really need...make-up obviously!

Every gift I got was special but some are more relevant to this blog.

My brother and his fiancee got me a gorgeous black 'pauls Boutique' bag and purse, really fun items that I will get lots of use out of. They also had a purple shawl, lipglosses and trinkets for me, very generous of them especially as they have their own home now and a wedding to save for.

My sister got me a  gorgeous necklace and some MAC items, she asked what I wanted and I said "make-up" but she chose MAC and the items herself.  Three items were 'Gold Deposit' MSF, 'Band of Roses' blush duo and 'Dare to dare' lipglass.

I REALLY loved the look of the lipglass when it was released but knew I could not order one item from MAC so did not get it, it is a gorgeous bright pink shade with blue undertones...looks and feels nice on the lips.

Gold Deposit is not a subtle gold, definately a MSF for when I have a tan but a little bit on cheekbones looks lovely.

Band of Roses was another story, I put far too much on and looked like Aunt Sally!! (British tv character)

A little of this blush goes a long long way but once you get the amount right it looks lovely and fresh.

Had so many lovely gifts I would be here all day showing you them, appreciated them all and thank you to everyone who tweeted birthday wishes....that was a lovely touch!

So, turning 29 was not THAT bad, lets hope 30 is as easy!

In & Out July/Aug

Must admit it was much easier to find 'outs', recently not too many things have been rocking my World.
IN!

* Guru Makeup Emporium - Now selling online and offering fab products. Made an order later Saturday evening, one item was sold out but still showing online. I was contacted, offered an apology and the rest of my order was sent out and arrived first thing Tuesday morning. I was given a free sample of MUFE elixir, something I had wanted to try but was not sure I would like.  The customer service was amazing, can't speak highly enough of them...definately placing another order soon.

* Hand Cream - Not sure if it is age, probably is, but I can not put my hands anywhere near water without following it up with hand cream. I used to use hand cream as a luxury, now it is a necessity! They feel so dry and painful at times that I have to slap it on every other hour, I now have tubes of the stuff beside my bed, in my bag and beside every sink.  Have tried various brands but not found my holy grail just yet...some are too sticky others too scented. Any recs?

* MAC Face & Body - lollipop26 and Bubblegarm both mentioned this product on the same day so I thought it must be good and it is.  Gives me a gorgeous glowy coverage that does not cake and is amazing value.

*  Lola Rose summer scarfs - I managed to pick a couple of these up in the Lola Rose sale and I adore them. They give just enough warmth for a Northern Irish Summer day and manage to look cute at the same time.

* Pretty Woman - LOVE this movie, SKY showed it over and over again in the last few weeks and me like a sucker watched it . How can the story of a hooker be so good? Where is MY Edward Lewis!?!

OUT!

*  MAC eyeshadow palette - Just not feeling the love for this anymore, picked out my favs and filled the palette but hardly used it in the last 2 months. Not sure what it is, I guess as it is too big to carry around in my bag it puts me off. I am a sure it will come back into favour at some point but not sure when.

* MAC Prep & Prime SPF50 primer - I have combination skin, I need a silky primer for my nose and cheeks otherwise foundation can go on patchy and this product does not help at all.  It was £20 for a small amount and does nothing, definately does not prime my skin!

* The weather -  I admit I am more of a Autumn/Winter girl, love big wooly cardies, boots, snow etc etc but at the moment I don't know what weather I am going to wake up too. Here in Ireland, June was beautiful but July and August have been wet and humid, just uncomfortable and miserable really.  Just seems the weather has been all 4 seasons in 1!

* Talullahtu - Got some gorgeous earrings in the sale  here, think I first heard of the site from Sam (Pixiwoo) They don't have a huge range but sometimes you can pick up  great items. I had been after the large coin earrings for a few months, they were £10 but I managed to get them for £3 in both silver and gold. They have a bohemian feel and look to them and I just ordered this gorgeous nude ring . Really great service too!

* Sara Carbonero - She is my girl crush at the moment!  A Spanish Sports reporter with gorgeous hair, clothes and a hot footballer boyfriend who also knows how to work a smokey eye. Keep checking out pics to see her make-up and hair, she also has a gorgeous tan that you just don't get living in Ireland!!

Benefit dupe for Tom Ford

Last week I mentioned that I had ordered a Tom Ford lipstick, it had been on my 'want list' for a while and I was so excited to have my hands on it. The packaging did not disappoint, it was weighty and I loved the gold and white colour scheme.

Unfortunately my excitement soon faded, after a quick swatch on my hand I recognised the colour, in fact I had wore it a few days before in the form of Benefits 'Sassy-Frass'.  Tom Ford lipstick cost £35 compared to Benefits £13....£22 difference!!

To say I was annoyed is an understatement of the century, reading the online swatches and discription 'Moroccan Rouge' sounded much darker and the texture was depictated as being totally luxurious. Personally I found it a little uneven to apply, maybe a little too thick to spread.

Sassy-frass has a gloss like feel on the lips, perhaps it does have a slight sheen but it is not detectable to others. When I asked a friend if she liked my lipstick she said "that's the Benefit one". Aaaah NO! It is my new one I paid £35 for!!!! Of course I did not tell her how much it cost...felt silly enough without hearing it from anyone else.

So there you have it, if you like the look of 'Moroccan Rouge' save your pounds and go for 'Sassy Frass', better on your lips and definately better for your purse!

*Note to self - do not spend £35 on a lipstick you have not sampled!!

Oh the positive side I am still in love with my Jennifer Aniston perfume, perfect for me. Had comments that is is not distinctive enough for some, they prefer their perfume to hit people between the the nostrils....thats is exactly what I try to avoid so it gets  a 10/10 from me.

If you like Philosophy fragrances....you will LOVE Jennifer Aniston's perfume!

I was in the middle of sorting out beads when the door bell  rang, I could not believe it when the delivery man handed me a 'Harrods' box as I was not expecting it to come until the end of this week at the earliest.

Obviously I dropped everything and ripped the box open and I was not let down by Miss Aniston...her fragrance is perfect for me. I am not going to pretend I know much about perfumes, I don't! As I mentioned in a previous post a strong fragrance gives me a splitting headache so I stick to the same few brands.

In the past I have used Philosophy fragrances, I find them  easy to wear BUT the scent all-too-soon fades on me meaning I go through the bottle in a flash.

I purchased the Jennifer Aniston perfume only knowing what the press release shared, it sounded like my type of thing and it is.  I have had it on for 40 minutes now, two squirts and it is still  fresh smelling, no fade, not over-powering but it is there....I feel  when  I wear some light perfumes, after the inital application  the scent all but dies instantly.

At the moment I can't put my finger on which Philosophy scent this reminds me of, might be 'Baby Grace'? Not sure, but to be fair there is not that much difference between the Philosophy Graces. The benefit of Aniston's is it will last so much longer therefore will be more cost-effective that Philosophy ;))

Jennifer's perfume is womanly, clean and gentle, nobody will smell you before seeing you...but you will feel fresh and know you, well, smell good!!

As the great lady herself said, it evokes memories of 'pure happiness'.

Perfume (EDP 85ml £36)is exclusive to Harrods

 My sneaky purchase, Tom Ford  'Moroccan Rouge' lipstick, at £35, is it worth it?  Doubt any lipstick is worth that much but it is a little bit of luxury not to be repeated any time soon.

I went for this burgandy shade as I knew it would suit my colouring, seems to brings out the blue of my eyes. Did not want to remove the 'TF' logo just yet so did a quick swatch using the back of the lipstick....I am pleased with the shade, the packaging is as gorgeous as I have heard. Will get back to you on how it feels on the lips, the most important thing!

Have any of you went for the perfume? Would love to hear your thoughts!

Time to cut up the credit card!!

Something about cold and wet weather leads me to spend way too much online...and this week was no exception. Now I should say that I never spend more than I have, would love too but I still have a sensible side that dishes out guilt if I try to go over a limit.

Having purchased lots of MAC make-up earlier in the month, then having my brothers birthday gift to buy I had already spent quite a bit doe-ray-me (slang for money in my World) 

 I really, really needed a new bronzer, I still love my NARS Laguna but find when I tan it is just not strong enough. So as I REALLY needed one I decided to go for Korres Monoi Bronzer in 02.Sunglow Warm shade as reccomended by Tali on her blog.  I was able to get this at ASOS for £12.75 with free delivery, was very proud of myself for not adding lots of other things to the basket, think it is the first time I have ordered one item from ASOS.

Shortly after things went down hill!

Next up MAC....Lollipop26 (blog) is a huge favourite of mine, Laura could talk about anything in a video and I would watch it. She just seems normal, she is pretty, educated, funny but she seems like the type of girl you would want as a friend....no higher than mighty attitude some gurus have.  Pretty much 99% of items I have purchased after Laura reviewed I have loved, NARS Sheer Glow was a revelation for me. Up until I tried it I hated liquid foundation with a passion, they streaked on me, rubbed off on my clothes and generally made me miserable.

Sheer Glow is fantastic but expensive for amount you get and I find it too heavy for a casual, shopping type day. When Laura gave a positive review of MAC's Face & Body I had to do a little bit more research and thought it sounded perfect. I opted for shade C3 from seeing swatches online and it turns out to be perfect for me and really looks natural, mum just said my skin looked lovely!

As it only arrived this morning it would be silly to give a final review but so far so good...really looks good, feels good and I like the value of it.

Now MAC is not a company I can just buy one item from!

As you can see I also went for,

* Prep &  Prime Face protection visage SPF50 - First reaction is how little you get for £20...felt a little thick going on but will give it a chance.

* Studio Finish Concealer - seemed to find equal hate/love reviews but took a chance on it, first try it went on smooth and did conceal my dark circles so feeling positive about it.

*  Brow Set in Beguile - My eyebrows are a nightmare, naturally I could give the Gallagher brothers a run for their money! I need to tidy them up daily and seem to go from too thick to too thin...constant battle that I have yet to win. This gel seems to just add a little colour and fill the shape out, perfect for lazy days.

Then Jennifer Aniston with her gorgeous blonde mane, tanned skin  and fabulous figure arrived at Harrods with her new perfume.  I can't wear heavy scents, I get a headache just walking through the perfume section on stores so the words  'beach' and 'tropical' in the description had me sold instantly.

As there was only a few pounds between the small and large EDT I opted for the large, obviously! It cost £36 which I did not think was too bad, there is no chance of me getting to London  so ordering online was my only option.

A month or so ago I tried to order Tom Ford's  Moroccan Rouge lipstick, at £35 it was a considered purchase but I had set the money aside and when I saw them on Harrods I decided it was fate.  I love nude shades too but they did not have the shade of nude I like and berry colours really suit me.

Harrods delivery is between 5-10 days so  could be a bit of a wait but hopefully it will be worth it!

In between all this spending my Visa card would not verify, panic stations!! I must have spent over limit!

In minutes I was able to see online (how did I live without it!) that I was nowhere near my limit and had paid the bill, a quick customer service call later I found out my card had been blocked. Apparently a company I used it with before had a security breach so they block cards just incase...thankfully all transactions on my account were mine and a new card is being issued. Panic over!

Had to whip out the debit card, usually save it for emergency situations, and getting my hands on a lilac headband from Lorraine's online shop was an emergency. Had been wanting to get my hands on one of these for a few months and when they went on sale it was a must-have item and at $25 it was not going to break the bank at this stage of the spending game!


Maybe I need to do a blog sale to lessen the guilt of all this spending?!
Not going to literally cut up my credit/debit card but the shame of all these parcels arriving has led me to hide it, on the upside my birthday is next month s I will not have to do without nice, shiny new items for long!

Like Cake?

Just thought I would share this picture of a cake I made last month for my brother's engagement party...kinda proud of it!

MAC 'In the Groove' Haul

Hi guys! Long time no see!! Things have been pretty crazy for me recently and my blog has suffered...I promise to try and update more often.

So, MAC had ANOTHER collection out so of course I got sucked into the hype and made a order. Unfortunately I do not have a counter near me and as the UK had the collection first I had to purchase from the few pictures and descriptions available. Would much prefer to test the items first but that is not possible...thankfully I have been happy with what I picked.

I went for 4 items from the collection,

*JAZZED lipstick   £12.50

*STEREO ROSE MSF   £19.50

*TOGETHERNESS Mineralized Eye shadow (Trio) £15

*PERMAPLUM Powerpoint eye pencil    £12.50

I have lots of pink shade lipsticks so decided to go for 'Jazzed' , a peachy/coral colour that usually I would dismiss as unflattering but I am so excited by this colour. It is a cremesheen lipstick which happens to be my prefered type, the shade really is perfect for Summer and I have had many a compliment already!

HOWEVER, I did find the colour a little uneven on my lips, I really had to work at getting an even coverage...really not sure why this was the case but the eventual payoff makes the application effort worth it.

So Jazzed gets a huge thumbs up from me!

Next on my hit list was "Stereo Rose" Mineralize skinfinish;  I am not going to lie, I had never heard of this before but when Lollipop26 mentioned that she really wanted to try it it got me interested. At £19.50 it is not cheap but I figured if I really disliked it I could pass it on.....thankfully I love it!   Thought I loved it but now in 2012 I have used it twice!

For the first few days I thought this colour was not for me in the summer, I tend to like purple shades on my eyes during the hotter months and feel pink blusher works better but I went for natural eyes today and the stereo rose give me a lovely healthy 'bloom' to my cheeks so might have to give the purples a rest during the day. 

Pleased with this product although I do think it is a little over-hyped...lovely yes, glad I got my hands on it but I would not worry about having a back-up.

What was that I said about giving up purple eye shadow??! No seriously I am going to try and resist it during the day BUT at night I will try to rock it with the help of 'Togetherness' eye shadow triple! Having never tried a MAC mineralized eyeshadow I was not sure what to expect and to be honest I think I got too excited about the shades in this trio and did not read reviews on the texture.

First the colours, I have tried to come up with good descriptions but I feel temptalia (http://www.temptalia.com/mac-in-the-groove-collection-mineralize-eyeshadow-trios-review-photos-swatches) does it best so here it is,

                             "Togetherness is a cool-toned purple trio that includes a soft lilac with a satin sheen, blue-based violet purple with a frostier finish, and a mid-tone silver gray."

Each colour swatches really nicely but I found the shadow fell on to my face way too easily and the colours looked a bit blah on my eyes. In fact I actually liked how the eye shadow looked a few hours later...kinda a sultry 'come to bed' look.....if only I had a man to direct that look at!

But back to the make-up...I do have a little buyers remorse with this product, I have so many purple shadows and this one really does not wow me. I will use it but have a feeling it will sooner rather than later end up in my drawer with all the other 'mistakes'...oh well, you  live and learn!

Permaplum Powerpoint eye pencil was a last minute add to my basket, it is nice....nothing more to say really, oh apart from the fact it does not work in the waterline at all but still a nice liner shade.

I also got Cherry Electric Superglass, looks nice on the lips and it stayed on for ages. Looks quite sheer on but I found that perfect for a day look...apparently you can layer it with a lip liner for a dramatic look.

MAC Prep + Prime powder was my last buy, used it once and applied it too heavily, felt cakey so will try and find the best brush to apply it with and then review it. Heard good things about it so hopefully I will work the application out!

So that is my haul, liked a few more lip products but held back as I have so many simlar shades. MAC collections are like a never ending story...no sooner had I received all this stuff and I was online checking for the next collection, I have a serious issue!

Loving Lancome!

I had only ever used the Lancome Juicy Tubes  but having heard lots of great things about their Hypnose mascara it was addred to my 'want' list. Then Lorraine (CurrentCustom/boobies fame) showed her daily make-up routine and it included the Artliner.  So of course that too went on my never ending list!

Debenhams had a 25% off promotion last week and Lancome had a free gift giveaway if you purchased 2 items. Well it would have be rude of me to say no!

Being a big fan of the Angelina Jolie 'cat-flick' look I have always been fraustrated that I could not achieve a similar look. Tried pencils, gel, liquid products but they either took me ages to attempt or they were wonky so I decided the look was obviously  not meant for me.

I purchased the EYEKO graffiti liner and found it great for lining my lid but still could not acieve a winged look that was even. With the skill I am sure you could use this much cheaper product and get the same look but I am rubbish at draawing lines! Also after a few weeks of owning (eyeko) it I found the ink was much more grey and  seems a little patchy. It looks like a felt tip pen so I guess just like them it has a shelf-life.

So back to the Artliner....it is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!  This morning I sat down to use it with the usual fear I have of hating a product I really wanna love, but it was so simple to apply! The nib seems to be flexable therefore it glides nicely, perfect product flow and I managed a flick first time!! I am kicking myself for not having a camera with me right no as knowing my luck this will never happen again.  I managed to get my second eye equal and it looks pretty good...and I don't even think it looks out of place in the daytime.  Although it is on the expensive side for a liner I do think it is worth it at the moment, lasted a few hours so far on my eyes. I just hope the product lasts in the tube without changing colour or texture.

As I said I also got the Hypnose mascara, so far so good...I like to give mascara a few goes in different conditions etc before making up my mind but on first look it went on easily, no clumps and my lashes do look lovely, long and glossy...but we will see.

Always love a free gift, it included-

* 2ml Hypnose Drama mascara

* 3ml   Youth activating eye concentrate

* 5ml  Youth activating face concentrate

* 15ml Renergie Lift Volumetry - lifting and shaping cream

* 125ml Galateis Douceur - Gentle softening eye and face cleansing fluid

* Half penzil size Le Crayon Khol Noir

* 7ml Juicy Tube

After using the cleanising fluid and cream my skin felt a little uncomfortable with a warm sensation, thought 'I won't be using that again' but when I woke up  my skin looked good. I could see all the make-up had been taken off and it looked healthy and rested.  Definately going to use it and see if the inital feeling goes away with time.

Really excited by these items, always nice when products live up to your high expectations!

Yu-Be my new hero product!

While browsing on Hqhair.co.uk I came across a product called 'Yu-Be', the number 1 selling medicated, moisturizing vitamin-enriched skin cream in Japan, that claimsto  help treat chapped lips, cracked heels, severe dry skin, burns, cuticles etc. I had extremely dry lips at the time and nothing seemed to help, so thought I would give this product a go. Although I was hesitant as it seemed to promise the same things as Elizabeth Arden's 8 hour cream which I really dislike. I know it is a hero product for many but I just found it sticky, smelly and not that agreeable at all. The 'Yu-Be' definately has a distinctive scent but it does not annoy me...and a strong scent can make an amazing result void in my opinion.

'Yu-Be' is a  very creamy, yellow substance...you instantly feel how moisturizing it is and it leaves no sticky residue to annoy me.  It helped my lips without drying them out further like many chapped lips products, I used it on a stubborn dry patch on my face and within one night it was much better by the second it was gone.

I had a tiny burn caused by spitting oil and after runnning my hand under cold water I applied 'Yu-Be'...it took that killer burn feeling away and soothed the skin. I just pop the tube in my make-up bag so it is always with me, at £12 for 33g it is good value as you only need a small amount at a time.

Thought I would blog about it as I had not come across it before, there might be others out there that like me did not like the 8 hr cream...here is a fabulous alternative.

Check out http://www.yu-be.com/ for more information.

MAC- To the Beach Buys

Finally my order came! I ordered in the early hours of last Monday, usually it take 3 days to get to me in Ireland but it was a long 7 days this time. To the Beach is the first MAC collection in ages that I has had me lusting after it long before its release date. In fact I only knew it was available from MAY in the UK, no exact date so was very happy when I checked the site and there it was.

Had a hard time deciding what to go for, usually I have seen numerous reviews, swatches etc before purchasing but it was not possible this time with the collection launching in the UK first. So I came to the conclusion that none of the eyeshadows would get much wear from me, I had just ordered NARS bronzer and blusher (see post below) so they were ruled out.

In the end I went for-

*Lustre drops in 'Sun Rush'

*Bronzing Body Oil

*Lipglass in 'Flurry of Fun'

*Lipglass in 'Splashing'

*Lipstick in 'Lazy Day'

*Nail Lacquer in 'Scorcher'

All nice and pretty looking packaging...nice to have a summery colour rather than everything being dark.

On inital review I am loving 2 items,

1 I don't know what you do with it,

1 could be duped for much cheaper,

1 I am not sure if it is me

and the last 1 is a a let down...for now.

So the good- Instantly loved the lipstick, not too much of a stretch from another favourite of mine, Angel. 'Lazy Day' is a baby pink that really would be perfect to wear on a nice sunny day, feel it works best with a tan though. Might be too much for a really pale skin and be lost if you have dark skin. Gives a nice glossy finish to the lips, had to swipe it over my lips a few times to get a good colour pay-off but still a hit.

Second hit is the lipglass in 'Splashing', now I have a many blue/pink glosses, this one sits in the middle range of pink in the tube but is actually quite sheer, of course you could layer it up. Nowhere near babypink but not so deep it only works at night time.

Went for Lustre Drops in 'Sun Rush', a peachy bronze colour...they look lovely but to be honest I am not sure what I am actually meant to do with them! Thought this shade would suit my colouring best especially as I plan to pull out the fake tan soon.

Rubbed in-

Next up, 'Scorcher' Nail Lacquer, a coral/red colour that, this is a lovely colour but not as bright as I thought it would be. Whilist it is a great summer shade you could find a much cheaper dupe elsewhere...if I had tested it out instore I would not have purchased it. Oh and it definately need 2+ coats, the first coat was a watermelon shade.

I decided to go for 'Flurry of Fun' lipglass as it is not like any shade I own, MAC describes it as a Sheer sparkly peach. I was imagining peach sparkle but they are blue, this is the not sure product, just looked a bit too disco for me. I will try it again, perhaps over a lipstick...I imagine some people would look amazing wearing this but the jury is out for me.

And now for the biggest disapointment for me...the 'Bronze Body Oil', at the moment I am quite fair so maybe with a tan it would work better but it is just blah! I love a nice Tropical Island scent with this type of product but this is one has none. Of course this is a personal thing, other people might not want any scent taking away from their perfume but for me it is a must. Apart from the lack of scent, it did not do as much for my skin as I hoped for, when rubbed in it left a sheen but the colour pay-off minimal. I tried and tried to take a picture of it but could not get anything amazing...it definately did not bronze my skin...I will try it again over some false tan but for now it is just a bit of a let down!

                                                                     Looks promising-

                         Rubbed in.... there is a sheen but not as much as I had hoped for what I was expecting

                                                              
Over-all I am happy with my purchases, everything will definately be used but they won't make my top 10 list...I doubt I will repurchase anything. I love the lipstick and pink lipglass but will just move on to something similar, the orange packaging is great, pleased with that and as I say the items I am not sure off I will try again with different make-up, fake tan etc and I will report back any changed in my opinion of them.