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Affordable Beauty Favourites CurrentlyI’m back with some affordable beauty favourites.

I have here six products that are currently in heavy rotation in both my makeup and skincare routines. And they all fall under the affordable beauty umbrella. My last version of this post is here if you fancy seeing what made the cut.

Affordable Beauty Favourites Currently

All the makeup products are reasonably new to me. The skincare, I’ve been using for quite a while.

First up we have the new product to me in the bunch the Elf Shimmer Highlighting Powder in Pearl Glow.

Elf Highlighter

Elf can definitely be a hit or miss brand for me. Well let’s face it, most brands can be hit or miss. But I’ve owned Elf products in the past that I’ve adored and some that made their was straight to the bin. This highlighter falls into the adore category. I’ve been wearing it everyday since I got it. It’s a really soft blendable powder with a pearly gold shimmer.

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Really nice for pale gals like myself 🙂 Elf is now available in Superdrug, certain Penneys stores and an abundance of pharmacies here in Ireland. You can also buy from their UK website here.

My second current affordable beauty favourite is the L’Oréal Paradise Extatic Mascara. L'Oréal Paradise mascaraThis is a weird one for me because if I didn’t have my lashes lifted, this mascara wouldn’t have really gotten a look in from me.

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Generally my straight lashes need a waterproof formula. But as they are currently chemically curled, this has been my jam! The brush is huge and it does clump a little. But, it also gives really nice length and volume. If you have semi decent lashes naturally, this is a really nice mascara.

You can find it on the Boots website here.

Thirdly, we have the Catrice Ultimate Matt Lipstick in From Rose With Love. catrice makeup irelandVisually these lippies are so cool. The bullet is completely matte!
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They have a really nice smooth long lasting formula as well though. I am not just digging them for the bullet 🙂 This colour is just me in a lipstick. I am a mauve whore and this feeds my habit completely. I have been gravitating towards this so much since I got it.

Number four is a makeup brush. I picked up what I could find of the new Primark/Penneys PS Pro makeup brush range. This particular one came in a pack of two that cost €4.

Penneys Makeup Brushespenneys ps pro brushes

It’s called the 236. It’s a dome shaped blending brush. It is small but soft and fluffy. I love it for applying colour softly in the crease. I am super impressed with these brushes so far.

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primark ps pro makeup brushes

My last faves come as a combo for me. The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% and the Advanced Retinoid 2%.

the ordinary retinoidI feel like I can’t review them singularly because I alternate between the two.

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At 32 now, I am doing some major ageing prevention in skincare form at least. Retinol is the way to go if you are looking to do this. I use this every second night in my skincare routine and my skin has been really enjoying it. Also, it’s only €9.80 from the Deciem website here.

When I don’t use the retinol, I use The Ordinary Hyaluronic 2% + B5.

the ordinary hyaluronic acid

Hyaluronic Acid can apparently attract 1000 times its weight in water. It’s great for hydration and helping in plumping the skin.

irish beauty siteWhat I love about this is that it doesn’t feel heavy, but still feels like it’s moisturising the skin. I generally use it conjunction with an night moisturiser or a face oil. This is again available from their website here.

And… I’ll stop waffling.

xxx

*********CONTAINS PR SAMPLES***********

 

If you follow me on Snapchat (my username is Beautynook if you don’t, shameless plug), you’ll know I’ve been testing out the new Rimmel Super Gel Top Coat pretty vigorously.

Rimmel Super Gel Top Coat

I’ve used it about 5 times on top of different branded nail polish and base coats and I pretty much had the same outcome with them all. Boots describe it as “Rimmels first ever 2- step Super Gel nail polish for superior colour and shine that lasts for up to 14 days. Easy to apply, it dries like a regular nail polish, no UV lamps needed.”

It has the standard Rimmel nail polish packaging, which I am a fan of.

rimmel irelandI love that the brush is quite large,flat and rounded at the tip. For me, this makes application easier.

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Just to show you the process quickly:

Here’s my bare nails.

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Here’s the base coat applied.

irish beauty bloggerTwo layers of nail polish.

top irish beauty blogI let the nail polish dry for a few minutes before applying the Rimmel Super Gel Top Coat.

top irish beauty bloggerYou can see, it definitely adds a lovely glass like shine to your nails and really finishes them off. It’s easy enough to apply and doesn’t drag or move the nail polish underneath. It also dries reasonably quickly, which is a plus too! I painted my nails in the evening time, so the next morning, they were still looking good!

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My Nails The Next Day After Application.

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My Nails On Technically The Third Day.

After the second full day of wear, you can see (especially on my pinkie finger), bubbles have started to form.

By the third full day, this had happened.

Rimmel Super Gel Top Coat_2071The nail polish on my little finger had completely come loose and just peeled off. Not ideal!

Overall, and after testing out the Rimmel Super Gel Top Coat on numerous occasions, I really can’t say it lasts as well as gel UV nail polish. I got pretty much 3/4 days before it started to crack and I was at the stage where I could just peel it off my nails (I do really enjoy doing that though) :). For me, I will use it because I have it, but I won’t be repurchasing it any time soon.

 

You can get the Rimmel Super Gel Top Coat from Boots in store or online here. It will set you back €7.99 so definitely not the cheapest version on the market at the minute.

On my weekly trip to Boots (no judgment, it’s all for research purposes,right?) :). I came across these new Barry M Illuminating Strobe Cream Sticks.

Barry M Illuminating Strobe Cream

Stobing is such a buzz word in the beauty industry at the moment. I like to just think of it as good oul highlighting myself.

Anyways the new Barry M Illuminating Strobe Cream Sticks are bascially cream highlighters in twist-able chubby stick form.

Barry M Illuminating Strobe Cream

They come in two shades and are part of Barry M’s new Summer collection.

The first one is aptly named 1 and is in the colour Frosty Pink.

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The second one is 2 Iced Bronze.

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The Barry M Illuminating Strobe Cream have a really light texture to them. It nearly feels oil like on your fingers, but then when you apply them to the skin they dry and blend in really nicely to give the skin a really subtle sheen. If you are looking for your highlight to be seen from space, I don’t think these will work for you 🙂 Although, there is two colours, I think they both have a really similar colour effect when blended in.

For someone like who is on the oilier side (skin wise), I can’t get away with the ‘healthy’ skin look, sure my skin does that to itself after a little while as it eats up all my lovingly applied makeup 🙂

So I would use the Barry M Illuminating Strob Cream as more of a base for a powder highlighter.

Here’s Frosty Pink with theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer applied on top (I have a review of this on it’s here).

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And then here’s 2 Iced Bronze with Becca Champagne Pop applied over top. (There’s a review of this here too, if you’re interested).

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You can pick up the Barry M Illuminating Strobe Cream from Boots in store or online here. They will set you back €6.49, but Barry M are currently on buy one get one half price. Do they float your strobing boat? Let me know 🙂

xxx

 

 

I am a big fan of the Soap & Glory Archery Brow Filling Pencil & Brush. I’ve bought a few over the years. I ran out of my current one and went into Boots to stock up. For some reason I’ve never done a post on it, but you can see it on the Boots website here if you’re interested 🙂 Instead of going with my old reliable I picked up it’s chunkier friend, the Soap & Glory Archery 2 in 1 Brow, which is a sculpting crayon and setting gel.

Soap & Glory Archery 2 in 1 Brow

I think Boots only stock two shades of this, in Ireland anyways, which is not ideal! You can get it in Blonde Ambition and the darker one which I have here Brown & Out.

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The pencil itself is flat with an angled edge, it nearly has a triangle shape to in when you look at it head on.

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It’s a hard waxy pencil, which I personally like in an eyebrow pencil,as you have more control over the product and are less likely to over do it. It’s a pigmented pencil and applies easily onto the skin. On first glance, the colour looks like a good neutral shade, however it does apply a little warm. I’m fine with that personally as my brows (and hair) have a got a bit of red warmth.

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The pencil is quite thick though and as you use it, it does wear down and mine has crumbled a couple of times, although I feel like this happens with most retractable pencils, so I don’t really hold that against the product. You just have to be careful about the amount you twist up when you’re using it.

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My brow with no product

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Because the pencil is on the thicker side, it is hard to get a defined line with it. If you are someone who is not too blessed in the eyebrow hair department, I don’t think the Soap & Glory Archery 2 in 1 Brow would necessarily be for you. I am kind of in between, I do have brows but they don’t grow naturally on point, so I can get away with using it somewhat, I do have to be careful though! I generally add a bit of brow powder over any pencil I might use, just to help the setting process and fill in any gaps I might miss. I have used the pencil and setting gel on their own a few times though and they lasted quite well!

 

You sacrifice the spooley end like on the Brow Filling Pencil & Brush, for a setting gel.

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It is a clear setting gel and does a really great job at getting your brows into formation (bit of a nod to Beyonce there 🙂 ), without making them hard or crispy…nobody likes a crispy eyebrow!

 

Overall, I like the Soap & Glory Archery 2 in 1 Brow. I have to admit though I like the Brow Filling Pencil & Brush more. You just have more control with it! If you have fabulous bushy brows and just want to fill in the gaps and clean them up a bit, the 2 in 1 brow works really well. I, personally just need a bit more definition in my life 🙂

The Soap & Glory Archert 2 in 1 Brow is available from Boots in store and online here and it will set you back €13.50.

xxx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I already have makeup looks with all the Urban Decay Naked palettes here on Beautynook.You can check out Naked 1 look here, Naked 2 here, Naked 3 here and Naked Smoky here. I did a look with the Naked 2 the other day and put a couple of selfies up on my Facebook page and some of you seem to like it and asked me to film a tutorial, thank you by the way 🙂

irish beauty blogger urban decay naked 2irish beauty blogSo, I did it, well attempted to anyways 🙂 I am really new to this Youtube thing, but I gave it my best go and managed to recreate this really easy Urban Decay Naked 2 makeup look. I am not a makeup artist so I am going to call them makeup looks rather than tutorials, hope you don’t mind.

If you like this video, it would make my day if you went over to my youtube channel and subscribed. I am going to try my best to be consistent with it.

Thanks, as always for stopping by.

Let me know what you think.

Gemma

xxx

 

If you follow me on social media, you’ll know instead of giving big gifts this year myself and my family went to Spain for the week of Christmas. We had a really great time. The weather was so good to us and we spent most of Christmas day in the ocean, so I ain’t complaining 🙂 I did by myself some goodies  throughout the week though so I thought I would compile them into a holiday haul if you fancy a rummage.

Time ran away with me in the airport and I was gutted I didn’t get to shop in the Loop, I’ll just have to be sure I make up for it next time I fly.

We went to Lanzarote which is a tax free Canary Island. There’s not a whole load to be buying there, it’s a very holiday orientated town, so lots of tourist shops and the likes. Perfume is a good chunk cheaper there though, so I made sure to stock up on a few.

Don’t laugh, but I bought Britney Spears Fantasy.

irish beauty blogBritney Spears FantasyThis is the only celebrity perfume that I’ve ever really bothered with throughout the years. It smells like sweets, I was feeling nostalgic and it was only €15 🙂

My brother and John (the other half) know I love Lady Million from Paco Rabanne, so I got a couple of bottles to keep me going ha!

lady million paco rabanneI bought another nostalgic perfume for myself. I use to wear this so much when I was younger. It’s Gucci Rush.

irishbeautybloggucci rush 2Luckily it was cheap, because I think I’ve grown out of the scent now…typical.

My fanciest pressie to myself was a bottle of Tom Ford Velvet Orchid. Well in Dublin this would be the fanciest, this set me back less than 40 euro over there which I don’t think is bad at all.

irish beauty blogtom ford velvet orchidThis is a cologne. And it would be classed as a unisex fragrance. John has Black Orchid, and I adore it, Velvet Orchid would be a ever so slightly sweeter version in my opinion, but still a very musky night time fragrance.

Of course there’s a big Zara where we were, it’s a Spanish company, so I had to have a look. I ended up only picking up two things. A dark green faux leather over the shoulder handbag, with gold hardware. Very Chloe-esque I thought?

zara green bagAnd a long sleeved wool jumper of all things! I couldn’t leave this behind though 🙂

zara jumper #instamood From one of the little boutique shops on the strip, I bought this really cute delicate rose gold plated bracelet.

christmas holidau haul

If you’ve been to Lanzarote, you will know they have a stand alone Flormar store there, which is pretty cool. The brand has just been reintroduced here in Ireland, so I had to take a look and pick up a few bits. On a side note, they had different more seasonal products within the store, but the price point was the same as Ireland.

flormar irelandI got their Matte Velvet Mattifying Foundation. This is in Vanilla, but it’s a good bit darker than my skin tone (my fault), so I’ll have to keep it for when I have tan on.

irish makeup and beauty blogI got one of their nail polishes, this colour is just unusual and caught my eye. it has a duochrome effect.

irish makeup and beauty bloggerflormar irish beauty blogI get searches everyday here on beautynook for the Flormar Lip Primer, so I had to pick one up and give it a try.

flormar lip primerI bought one of their eye primers too.

makeup and beauty blog irelandflormar eye primerI liked this one because it has a concealing effect on the eyelid, so it will cover imperfections.

beauty blogger irelandThis eyeshadow stick was from their Christmas collection and I just thought the colour was so pretty. The formula is really nice too.

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This twist up lipstick in the colour raspberry and I have 20 lippies in the same colour but I couldn’t resist. Love the packaging too.

top irish beauty blogbeauty blog irelandbeauty blogger irelandThe last thing I bought was a baked eyeshadow which they call a Diamonds Terracotta Eyeshadow.

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Upon swatching it, I see it as more of glitter to apply over other shadows to add a bit of sparkle. I’d like to mix it with a bit of Inglot’s Duraline too and see what happens (I have a review of Duraline here 🙂

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I bought a couple of random things on the strip too which we can get here easily, but sure I was on a spending roll so I just kept going 🙂

catrice makeup irelandI had just run out of primer so I thought I would give the Catrice Prime and Fine one a trial.

catrice irish beauty blogI also got a Catrice Beautyifying Lip Smoother. This is really similar to the Clarins Lip Perfector and a quarter of the price. There’s a few shades to choose from too.

Catrice Beautifying Lip Smoother

catrice makeup irelandThe one I picked up is in the shade Coffee To Go.

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I got a couple of Essence Longlasting Lipliners in the same place. The formula of these is actually pretty great!

essence makeup ireland lip linersThe pink shade is called Sweetheart and the peachy one is called Peach Beauty.

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The last thing I got is from a brand I’ve never used before. This is the Palladio Crushed Metallic Eyeshadow.

palladio crushed metal eyeshadow irelandirish makep blogmakeup blog irelandI swatched all the colours of these and I really regret now not picking up more, but I settled on this burnt bronze colour in Eclipse.

palaThere you have it, my holiday haul. All of the goodies I crammed into my suitcase and brought home to Ireland 🙂

Hope you had a brilliant Christmas (and new year). Hope 2016 is the most exciting year yet 🙂

xxx