and Archives - Irish Beauty Blog Beautynook

Posts

Makeup Favourites At The Moment

I didn’t do monthly favourites last month. I went on holidays. Have I mentioned that already? 🙂 And just didn’t get around to it. So I thought I would have a look at my stash and talk about five of my makeup favourites of the moment. You know I like to do these things in fives for some reason. I have no idea why.

Five makeup favourites that have been on my face consistently for the past few weeks. All of these were on holiday with me. Although I will say I did buy two of them while I was there. But once I did, I didn’t stop wearing them.

First up is something I haven’t really shut up about and have a collective post on the range here.

In particular, this eyeshadow called Zinc About You’, from the Essence Melted Chrome range has been making it onto my eyelids a lot.

It’s just a cool taupe pinky colour to wear on it’s own patted on the lid. You can check it out in that capacity here. See told you I haven’t shut up about it, I have a ridiculous amount of content on these. But it also works within a full on makeup look. I wore it out for dinner more dramatically with a smidgen of glitter added over top and got so many compliments. And it’s only €3.80. Bloody score!

Second of my current makeup favourites is something I got in a giant press pack from theBalm, seriously it was epic. This was one of the things that stayed in my possession from all the loot. It’s their Balm Beach Long Wearing Blush.

It’s just a really un offensive, goes with anything kind of blush.

It has a bit of pink to it and a hint of peach, so I just feel like it works well for warming up my skin tone. It’s a blush you can build up or just add a wash of colour to the cheeks with, which is what I personally like. Just a really good staple.

Third up is a product I’ve bought time and time again through the years. I have a review of it here that I did years ago. Sorry about the brows 🙂

They’ve changed the name since then and it’s now called the Catrice Glam & Doll. I generally always use a waterproof mascara, just because they hold a curl better.

I just bloody love this mascara. It lengthens my lashes, gives them volume and keeps the curl after I use an eyelash curlers. I bought a fresh tube to bring on holidays with me just because I know it works for me, and I am so glad to be using it again. It’s also less then a fiver and so readily available too.

My last two makeup favourites of the moment are holiday purchases from Kiko.

One was something specific that I went in for, although they didn’t have the exact colour. My lovely OG blogger friend Dee said to me the last time I went to Kiko to get their Water Eyeshadow in 200. Not only is it a lovely eyeshadow, it makes such a gorgeous highlight. I forgot that time, so I was made sure not to this time round.

They didn’t have the shade unfortunately, but I did find a great alternative in 208 Light Gold.

These are specifically formulated to work wet or dry. I think as a shadow it’s better to wet your brush, as a highlighter it works perfectly as is. It’s a lovely light gold shade. And I think €8.95 for a dual use product is pretty decent.

My other makeup favourite from Kiko was a last minute decision. And a bit random, but it totes worked out 🙂

This is the Kiko Pencil Lip Gloss in 06 Pink Glitter.

It was €3.95, it’s pink, it’s sparkly and I bloody love it. I’ve never owned a gloss in pencil form. It’s not the easiest thing to sharpen because the product is quite soft, that’s definitely a downer. But, I love the colour, love the sparkle and love that you can draw your lip line and fill in with your lipgloss. It’s kind of ingenious, right?

And for now, I’ll stop rambling because this post is 700 words long 🙂

xxx

CONTAINS PR SAMPLES**

October 15, 2018/by Gem

Makeup, Monthly Favourites, Youtube Video

July Favourites 2018

Yep, we’re over half way through the year, no need to panic, although I am kind of! Another month down means a monthly favourites round up. So here is my July favourites in all of their glory 🙂

My July favourites for 2018 consist of a good mix of products and rambles, if I do say so myself.

For some reason, when it comes to these roundups, I always end up talking a lot of beauty nonsense, so I apologise in advance 🙂

As always I’ll try link everything I talk about so you can have a gander if you so choose. Please do check out the video above or here though. I go into more detail and hopefully explain in not too many rambles why everything individually made it into my July favourites.

Missoma initial hammered disc and small bobble necklace. It’s free to get them engraved.

My little star huggie earrings are from Betty & Biddy and the second pair is from Ali Express.

Lancôme Le Vie Le Belle Eclat. I’ve linked the Eau de Parfum, it’s always a much better investment I think. I got sent the Eau de Toilette and it’s still really nice though. As I mention, I am loving layering with other more deeper scents to ‘Summer’ them up a bit 🙂

Super Facialist Rose Hydrate Miracle Makeover Facial Oil is the next product in my July favourites. You can have a closer look at this here.

An oldie, but a rejuvenated goodie is my second last favourite, the Maybelline The Eraser Eye in Ivory. They have released more shades in the range now which is brilliant. It is good to note though the shade Ivory is the lightest. Perfect for my skin, but definitely swatch is you’re lighter than me.

My last fave for July is the Pixi Glow-y Gossamar Duo in Subtle Sunrise. I have not shut up about this, I am so sorry 🙂

And that’s it. Let me know what you’ve been loving. Thanks as always and hope you have an awesome August.

Gemma

xxx

PR SAMPLES INCLUDED**

August 5, 2018/1 Comment/by Gem

Makeup

Pixi Liquid Fairy Lights Cream Eyeshadows

Pixi is a brand I know quite a lot about, but I’ve never really used much of their products. The brand has only been available here in Marks and Spencer, and any time I went to have a look, nothing really stood out for me. The Glow Tonic is a staple in my skincare though. (I did a really old blogpost on it here, if you want to know more). I was super lucky to meet with the PR for Pixi Beauty a little while back. They let me swatch lots of their new releases, and I was honestly so impressed! I got to bring some home to play with, including three of the new Pixi Liquid Fairy Lights Cream Eyeshadows.

They are a cream eyeshadow with flecks of glitter running through them. There’s five shades of these to choose from in total including a gold and a rose gold, which I will be needing in my life.

The shades I have to show you are:

Bare Brilliance which is a shimmering taupe.

Passion Light, this is a coppery shade with sparkles.

And the third one is Crystalline. This is a white silvery shade with multi coloured sparkle running through it.

They come in a plastic tube, with a doe foot applicator and contain 5 mls of product.

There’s is lots of talk online about the Pixi Liquid Fairy Lights Cream Eyeshadows being dupes for the Stila Magnificent Metal Eyeshadows. Having tried both, I completely agree with that statement. They range in pigment opacity depending on the shade and are a choc full of sparkle, much like the Stila offering.

For me, they work best over a cream or shadow base as you would really need to build up the product for full on colour, and that can be potentially super messy as they are cream shadows. I usually apply them from the doe foot applicator to my finger or a brush and press it on the lid. I find there’s minimal fall out that way and you can disperse the glitter better by patting it down.

Overall, I am a big fan of the Pixi Liquid Fairy Lights Cream Eyeshadow. They are comparable to Stila and depending on where you buy them, are around a tenner cheaper! I found them online for the lowest price here. Have you tried them?

xxx

PR SAMPLE

February 20, 2018/2 Comments/by Gem

Makeup

Affordable Makeup – Five Current Favourites

I do this every so often. I’ll pick five (or so) affordable makeup products that are in my makeup rotation at the mo and have a little chat about them.

Why do I give them different names you ask? The last one here was called ‘Current Budget Friendly Makeup Favourites. Well the only reason for that is that it’s good for SEO not to have the same titles all of the time. That’s the only reason I am calling this Affordable Makeup. Sure it all means the same thing 🙂

My first affordable makeup love of recent times is the L.O.V Cosmetics Eyeshadow Palette in ‘Devoted To Metallics’.

L.O.V is created by the same company who brought us Catrice and Essence. You can find it in pharmacies nationwide. There’s more information on the Irish Facebook page here. I’ve used a fair few products from the brand, It’s definitely been hit or miss for me. This palette from their Autumn collection is a hit in my humble opinion though.

It’s €14.99 so not the cheapest out there I know. The quality of the packaging is A1 though and the shimmery shades inside are super pretty. The pink colour in particular has been getting a lot of love from me on minimal makeup days. It’s a great ‘whack all over the lid shade’.

Next we have the Eylure X Fleur De Force Brow Define Pencil.

Now I did a whole blogpost on this a while back here so I won’t go into it too much. But, I have been thoroughly enjoying this. Having the two tones of brow pencil in one means I reach for less brow powder too. I think this makes my brows look a teeny bit more natural and less drawn on.

My third affordable makeup choice is the Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liners.

I talk about these all of the time. They are some of my favourite liners out there full stop. I feel like when the weather gets cooler I become more obsessed with lipstick and branch out a bit more. I consistently pick the Rimmel liners to either use on their own as they are super creamy and pigmented. Or to use under lippies.

I have the shades Addiction, Diva Red and Eastend Snob here:

Because they are soft, they do have a tendency to break. This doesn’t bother me too much though. I’m just careful not to twist them up too much. You can find them on the Boots website here.

Another Rimmel offering has made into my current top five. This is their Insta Fix & Matte. Rimmel know their way around a setting powder and this one proves that for sure. It’s just a general talc based pressed translucent powder but it’s quite smoothing on the skin too. This is something that I always appreciate as I have ginormous pores. I like it 🙂 You can get this from Boots online here.

My last favourite is the Wet n Wild Liquid Catsuit Matte Liquid Lipsticks. I am fairly late to the party with these. Everyone has been raving about them for a good while now. I have two shades in my possession.

Nudist Peach and Give Me Mocha.

Give Me Mocha in particularly has been floating my Autumnal lip shade boat. I have been using this with Rimmel Addiction lip liner underneath. They are of course matte liquid lipsticks so they can be drying. But I find the formula on these quite thin so it doesn’t ball up or feather. And they stay on put once they dry too. I need to try more shades. They are under a fiver aswell which makes it even better!

And there you have my current affordable makeup favourites. What’s yours?

xxx

*********INCLUDES PR SAMPLES**********

November 6, 2017/by Gem

Makeup

Summer Makeup Essentials!

Since the sun is shining, don’t say that too loud, we might spook it! But, since it is, I thought I would put together some of my summer makeup essentials. This isn’t so much about the products, just dive into your collection and see what you have already to play with.

These are products I have in my stash right now. I love shopping my stash, especially when a new season begins.

Summer makeup for me, is about a light base and having fun with everything else.

My skin tends to behave itself a little bit more in the summer months so I can spend less time on my base. It still needs help though!

My Summer makeup will always consist of primers. I have oily skin.

I just find adding a few dabs of it to the t zone and blending it out over my whole face, really helps with the longevity of anything I put on top of it. Eyeshadow primer is another must for me. All year round, but particularly in the warmer months. Oily lids are no joke! I am really enjoying The Ordinary High Adherence Silicone Primer (you can buy it here) and Benefit Porefessional has always been a holy grail for me.

Because I use a more mattifying primer, I find I can go a little bit more dewy and light with the foundation.

If I know I am going to be out in the sun for a long period of time, I will of course use sun protection on my face. However, it does tend to melt my makeup. So, if I am going somewhere that is more shaded, I’ll use a foundation with SPF.

One very important Summer makeup essential for me, is coloured eye liners.

Whether it be liquid, gel, waterproof pencil, or pencil with eyeshadow over top, this is something I cannot get enough of in Summer. It is just such a fun way to add something to your makeup without trying too hard. I love applying a slick of it across the lash line. If I am feeling extra daring, I’ll even attempt to wing it out. Adding a pop of colour to your water line too is a lovely way to incorporate a hint of colour to a makeup look aswell. I used the Nyx Vivid Brights Liner here in a makeup look last Summer.

Without waterproof mascara, I am a basic lash person.

My lashes are straight and need waterproof mascara to hold a curl. It is imperative in the Summer time too though. It is a bitch to get off, but a decent waterproof mascara means you don’t have to worry about panda eyes behind your sunglasses. Or if you suffer with watery eyes, you are less inclined to have black marks down your cheeks. I talk about two of my favourites pictured here and here.

My last Summer makeup essential is a glossy lip. I never thought I would say those words, but glossy lip products have come such a long way.

They don’t have to be sticky and they can be super long wearing and colourful too. Products like the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfectors are great. They add shine with a hint of colour as well as nourish the lips. So handy to throw in your bag for top ups throughout the day.

Shout out to Rosie for helping me take the photos!

And, I will stop rambling 🙂 Have you any Summer makeup essentials?

xxx

May 26, 2017/by Gem

Makeup

Kat Von D Shade & Light Eye Contour Palette

I already gave my first impressions of the Kat Von D Shade & Light Eye Contour Palette here not too long ago, along with some other bits from the brand.

I finally got to go into the counter in Debenhams on Henry Street and check out everything in the flesh. How cool is it we have counters in Ireland now though? So exciting 🙂

After using the Kat Von D Shade & Light Eye Contour Palette consistently for the past couple of weeks, I feel I can give a decent enough opinion on it. I also wanted to swatch all of the shades so you can see them in action on the skin.

The packaging is pretty robust cardboard adorned with hand drawn calligraphy depicting the palette name done by the lovely Kat herself. It has a generous sized mirror in the lid too which is always handy. Although if you look at the American site here, you’ll see they have redone the packaging and the shades are now housed in a plastic palette.

The palette is described as: ‘Inspired by an artist’s palette and loaded with twelve matte shades that capture the true hues of shadow and light, this ‘Shade and Light’ eye contour palette is arranged by undertone for neutral, warm and cool shades. Use deeper contour shades to add natural shadow and depth to the face, then accentuate best angles with the brighter highlight shades. These silky, buildable powders blend effortlessly into the skin with a formula so incredibly fine, it’s like brushing on powdered silk.’

So we get 12 shades in this palette. All matte and they are a mix of neutral,cool and warm shades.

They are arranged in their tone families, each one has a base, contour, define and highlight shade. Of course you can mix them whatever way you see fit though! I’ll swatch them in their tone groupings (from left to right) just to give you an idea of what they look like together:

For me, the shadows are rich in pigment, soft and really easy to apply and blend. I do find you get some kickback when you dip your brush into the pan. But, that doesn’t take away from the quality, it is just something to be weary of. There is a good range of shades to suit everyone too! You can go from a really simple makeup look to a full on smoky eye with one palette. Matte colours aren’t always the easiest to get right, I find, but Kat Von D have done a stellar job. The shade range covers a multitude too! I’ll be honest and say I find the colour selection very similar to the Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics Palette which I have a blogpost on here. The Kat Von D Shade & Light Eye Contour Palette did come before it though 🙂

The Kat Von D Shade & Light Eye Contour Palette is available from Debenhams in store or online here. It’s priced at €46. It’s nice to note, the Kat Von D brand is 100% cruelty free!

Have you picked up anything yet? Do you have your eye on anything?

xxx

April 21, 2017/by Gem

Posts

First up is something I haven’t really shut up about and have a collective post on the range here.

Second of my current makeup favourites is something I got in a giant press pack from theBalm, seriously it was epic. This was one of the things that stayed in my possession from all the loot. It’s their Balm Beach Long Wearing Blush.

Third up is a product I’ve bought time and time again through the years. I have a review of it here that I did years ago. Sorry about the brows 🙂

My last two makeup favourites of the moment are holiday purchases from Kiko.

And for now, I’ll stop rambling because this post is 700 words long 🙂

xxx

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

Yep, we’re over half way through the year, no need to panic, although I am kind of! Another month down means a monthly favourites round up. So here is my July favourites in all of their glory 🙂

And that’s it. Let me know what you’ve been loving. Thanks as always and hope you have an awesome August.

Gemma

xxx

******PR SAMPLES INCLUDED********

Overall, I am a big fan of the Pixi Liquid Fairy Lights Cream Eyeshadow. They are comparable to Stila and depending on where you buy them, are around a tenner cheaper! I found them online for the lowest price here. Have you tried them?

xxx

*********PR SAMPLE*********

I do this every so often. I’ll pick five (or so) affordable makeup products that are in my makeup rotation at the mo and have a little chat about them.

My first affordable makeup love of recent times is the L.O.V Cosmetics Eyeshadow Palette in ‘Devoted To Metallics’.

Next we have the Eylure X Fleur De Force Brow Define Pencil.

xxx

Since the sun is shining, don’t say that too loud, we might spook it! But, since it is, I thought I would put together some of my summer makeup essentials. This isn’t so much about the products, just dive into your collection and see what you have already to play with.

I already gave my first impressions of the Kat Von D Shade & Light Eye Contour Palette here not too long ago, along with some other bits from the brand.

I finally got to go into the counter in Debenhams on Henry Street and check out everything in the flesh. How cool is it we have counters in Ireland now though? So exciting 🙂

CONTAINS PR SAMPLES**

PR SAMPLES INCLUDED**

PR SAMPLE