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.