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Makeup, Monthly Favourites, Youtube Video

January Favourites

Yep it’s happening, it’s January Favourites time!

I am panicking a bit, not going to lie. We are properly into the second month of 2017, eeeekk! But in blog/vlog world that gives us an excuse to recap and look over the month and pick out some of our most used bits and bobs. I do this in video form now, but I do like to still do a blog post too.

My January Favourites for 2017 consist of a couple of fashion bits, a skincare item and of course my one true love, some makeup as well.

I have a bit of disclaimer, I filmed this feeling a little bit under the weather. I have the cold that so many people have at the minute that just won’t go away. So it’s a bit of rambley video, hope that’s OK ha. I am a bit zonked on cold medication 🙂

The products mentioned are:

A Zara bag pack, that is gone from the website now, I apologise if you liked the look of it.
Coverse Hi Top runners. You can get these in so many places, but I’ll put a link to them on the Schuh website here if you want a closer look.
Asos watch: I can’t find a to the exact one, but they have lots of similar (and actually some nicer ones) here.
Cailyn Dissolv’It Makeup Melt Cleansing Balm. I got given this at an event, but it retails for €25 from their website here.
Isa Dora Matt Fixing Powder. I got this as a press sample. But, I found it on the Feel Unique website here for €17.86.
Zoeva Blanc Fusion Palette. I have a review and info on all of the palettes within the Plaisir Box here.
Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liners. You can pick these up in Boots in store or online here. They are €5.49
And then finally Mac Extended Play Mascara. I have a whole blog post about this here.

And that is all of my January Favourites. You can watch the video by clicking on it above or going to my YouTube channel here. Have you any stand out products from the month?

xxx

February 8, 2017/by Gem

Makeup

theBalm Appétit Eyeshadow Palette

I asked on Twitter over Christmas if people like ‘What I got for Christmas’ YouTube videos. The result was unanimous. People don’t really care for them. Although, I think they secretly do 🙂 I love seeing what people get both big and small myself. I thought I would show some of the makeup things I kindly got in review form instead. John kindly gifted me theBalm Appétit Eyeshadow palette.

He said he wanted to get me things I could review, so I will do just that 🙂

I have seen people talk about theBalm Appétit Palette online and them enjoying it, so I was very happy to unwrap it. And may I add, he picked it out all by himself!!

It comes enclosed in a sleeve that you of course take off. The palette itself is sturdy cardboard with kitsch graphics and a magnetic closing, like all of theBalm palettes.

When you open it up it has a mirror on the lid and then another enclosure which makes the shadows spell out ‘Eat Ur <3 Out’. This is to signify that the shadows represent a man menu for you to choose from 🙂 It does open up fully though and the pans are a large squares that are super accessible.

There are nine shadows in total ranging from matte, shimmer and foils. They are talc free and designed to be used wet or dry. All the shades are cool toned except for one rogue warm tone in the mix. The colour spectrum actually reminds me alot of the ‘Meet Matte Hughes’ Palette which I own too. Obviously, they are all matte though.

Onto the swatches. The matte shades are on the top row. May I add the gentlemen’s names are all food related 🙂

Bruce Schetta

Mac Encheese

Ray Sinbread

The second row is probably my favourite. These are the foiled shadows.

Tate R. Tots

Rocky Road- Icecream

Chris P. Bacon

The third row is where the shimmers live.

Hal Apeno-Poppers

Artie Chokedip

Alfred O’Pasta

I am a fan of cool toned shadows so I like this palette and I can of course mix it with other palettes I have too if I want to warm things up. I think it is a lovely palette though, not perfect, but sure I am still searching for eyeshadow perfection. I find theBalm shadows really pigmented and easy to use. You do get a lot of kick back (dust) when you put your brush into the pan, but it doesn’t result in major fallout on the face. Overall, I am a fan, and I have been and will get lots of use out of the matte and foiled colours.

theBalm Appétit Eyeshadow Palette is available on Cloud10beauty for €39.50 here. John got mine on Asos here where it’s currently only £18 or €24.

xxx

January 4, 2017/2 Comments/by Gem

Archives, Bargain Buying, Makeup

Essence Autumn/Winter Collection.

I have here some of the new Essence Autumn/Winter releases for 2016/17.

It’s safe to say Essence have been kicking ass of late and are constantly upping their game with their releases. So, I thought I would bring you through some of the products that are going to be hitting stands soon in the Essence Autumn/Winter Collection.

I’ll start with some of the eye products.

We have ‘The Metals’ single eyeshadows.

These come in six colours. I have the shade ‘Frozen Toffee’ to show you here.

These will cost €3.10.

Eye contouring is playing a big part in the Essence Autumn/Winter Collection. We have the Contouring Eyeshadow Set.These are available in 4 colour combos. I have the shade 01 ‘Mauve Meets Marshmallows’ here.

They cost €3.10

There’s a Contouring Eye Pencil too. Essence say it can be used as a liner, eyeshadow or highlighter, and it’s available in two shades. One for darker skin tones, and there’s one for lighter which I have here. It’s called 01 ‘Caramel Meets Frosting’.

They cost €3.10.

There is six shades of the new Extreme Lasting Eye Pencil.

I have the colour 05 ‘Rockin’ Taupe’.

These are said to be waterproof and ultra longlasting. They cost €2.50.

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Duo Stylist Eyeliner Pen has a ball-shaped felt tip for creating dots and lines on the eyes.

It costs €3.10.

There is three new mascaras in the Essence Autumn/Winter Collection. I have two of them here to show you.

The Rock ‘n’ Roll XXXL Volume mascara that has long and short fibers within the formula.

And, the False Lashes Mascara Dramatic Volume Unlimited.

All three mascaras are priced at €3.50.

Up next we have lip products. There’s a bundle to choose from including lip balms and plumping lip glosses.

We also have Matt Matt Matt lipsticks.

These come in a total of seven colours. The shades I have here are 07 ‘Purple Power’. And, 02 ‘Perfect Match’.

These retail for €2.90, not bad at all!

Essence have also jumped on the matte lipgloss bandwagon with these Matt Matt Matt Longlasting Lipgloss.

There will be five colours in these. I have here 03 ‘Girl Of Today’. And, 01 ‘LA Vie Est Belle’.

They again cost €2.90.

There’s BB beauty balm Lipglosses that contain vitamin E and shea butter with a subtle hint of colour. There will be five shades in this range. I have 05 ‘Heartbreaker’.

The retail price for these is €2.50.

The final lip product I have is the Essence 2 in 1 lipstick & liner. These are also part of the Matt Matt Matt range and come in three colours. I have the shade 02 ‘Make Some Noise’ here.

You are supposed to be able to define your lip line with these aswell as apply full on colour. They cost €3.10.

The Essence Autumn/Winter Collection has all new face products included too.

There’s the Camouflage 2 in 1 makeup & concealer. This claims to offer long lasting high coverage and provide a matte, flawless finish.

This is the shade 10 ‘Ivory’, there is a total of three to choose from.

The price is €4.80.

Here we have the Get Picture Ready Long Lasting Compact Makeup.

You get a mirror and a sponge inside the compact and the cream to powder texture is meant to be great for on the go. It comes in four shades. This one is in 10 ‘Mat Ivory’. And, it will set you back €4.95.

We have a Get Picture Ready brightening concealer too. Essence say it has light reflecting pigments to help diminish under eye circles. You apply to product with the ball shaped sponge applicator. It comes in two shades. This one is 10 ‘Ivory’, and it costs €3.80.

We also have a Light Up Your Face Luminizer Palette with three highlight shades.

It costs €4.95.

There is three Satin Touch Blushes for Autumn/Winter. This is in the shade 10 ‘Satin Coral’.

These will cost €3.10.

Last but not least we have an abundance of new nail products.

I am a big of The Gel nail polishes so I’m delighted to see Essence adding to the shade range.

I believe these cost €1.99.

The nail care products range from €2.10-2.50 and even includes hand cream and nail stencils!

Phew, so there you have it. Some of the products to expect to see from the Essence Autumn/Winter releases. 🙂 Anything tickle your fancy?

You can see them all listed on the Essence website here.

PS. Shout out to Rosie for all the help with taking the pictures in the garden 🙂

xxx

August 29, 2016/by Gem

Makeup

theBalm Put A Lid On It Eyelid Primer

Through the years of wearing makeup and then becoming a bit of a makeup fiend, I’ve realised just how beneficial eyeshadow primer really is. I haven’t strayed very far from the cult classic Urban Decay Primer Potion. I’ve bought a lot of their palettes. And with alot of the palettes you get a sample of the primer potion. It works well for me so I never really felt the need to try something else. However, I received a few pretty decent samples of theBalm Put A Lid On It Eyelid Primer in a goody bag a while back and I must say, tentatively… I think I prefer it 🙂

I’ve been using theBalm Put A Lid On It for a good 3 months now, so I think I’ve given it a fair trial.

I have two 3.7 ml sample sizes and I am still on the first on! When it comes to eyeshadow primer, like your face primer, less it more. You only need a very small layer of it under your eye makeup to do its magic. I sometimes use it under my eyes too to help my concealer sit a bit better too!

theBalm Put A Lid On It comes out of the tube in a skin colour, but when you blend it across your eye lid, it is pretty much undetectable.

It has a really light texture and smooths over any imperfections you might have. It dries down really quickly too and makes it very easy to apply creams or powders over top.

Of course, the main job of a eyeshadow primer is to make your eye makeup last and theBalm Put A Lid On It does a really good job at that. I have oily lids so I think I am a pretty good judge because without a primer, within a couple of hours I get creasing on my eye lids.

If you are looking for a primer that makes you shadows more vibrant, this probably isn’t for you. There are others on the market for that. But, if you are looking for one that smooths out your eyelids, is not sticky or tacky and makes your shadows last for the whole day, I wholeheartedly recommend this. As much as I like the Urban Decay Primer Potion, it can be a bit drying on the lids, whereas theBalm Put A Lid On It is a bit more fluid in texture and is easier to blend.

A 11.8 ml tube of theBalm Put A Lid On It will set you back €20 from Cloud 10 Beauty here.

Do you use eye shadow primer?

xxx

August 15, 2016/3 Comments/by Gem

Makeup

theBalm Meet Matte Nude

theBalm Meet Matte Nude Palette caused alot of hype when it was first released. As far as I know this is the first palette in the Meet Matte collection, the second was Meet Matte Trimony which is a selection of mattes more on the burgundy side . I picked this palette up from the Makeup Forever Store here in Dublin. They had both palettes but I ended up going for Mr Nude…… 🙂

theBalm say ‘You’ve met Matt(e), now it’s time to Meet Matt(e) Nude…nude eyeshadows that is. Because size matt(e)rs, there are nine larger Matt(e)s showing their true colors in nude hues. As a matt(e)r of fact, this palette is versatile enough to wear day and night, as liners and as all-over colors…the whole 9 yards! With so many guys to choose from, you’re sure to find your perfect shade, no matt(e)r what!’

The packaging as with all theBalm products is adorable. It’s sturdy enough cardboard with a magnetic closing.

You get a really decent sized mirror too.

There’s nine eyeshadows in the palette totally 25.5 grams of product.

In my opinion, the shades are a good mix of warm-ish and cool-ish tones, so the palette is quite versatile.

Onto the swatching, the bit we all come to see 🙂

So there you have it. theBalm Meet Matte Nude in all it’s glory. Overall, I think it’s a really nice palette. Some of the shades are a little more powdery than others, making them a bit harder to work with, bit I think I will get alot of use out of it overall.

As I said, I bought it in the Makeup Forever store in Clarendon street here in Dublin, but if you are looking to buy online, you can find it here from Cloud10beauty. It will set you back €44. theBalm is much cheaper in America unfortunately, it seems to be marked up here in Europe quite alot 🙁

Does theBalm Meet Matte Nude take your fancy?

xxx

June 29, 2016/by Gem

Makeup

theBalm Meet Matte Hughes Committed

I have already harped on about the other theBalm Meet Matte Hughes shade in my collection Charming here. I was browsing theBalm section in Foody’s Pharmacy and saw that they had the shade Committed and the rest is history 🙂

I love this shade so much, I felt like it needed it’s very own blogpost #obssessed or wha’? 🙂

I think Committed is like Charming’s nude best friend. Like all of theBalm Meet Matte Hughes Liquid Lipsticks. Committed has a minty, but still sweet smelling (without being too overpowering), they have a creamy formula when first applied, are opaque and dry down to a matte finish on the lips. Although they are matte, they’re not super unconfortable to wear, although as I said in my previous post, it always helps to have your lips in tip top condition to get the most out of a matte liquid lipstick. theBalm Meet Matte Hughes are super long wearing and do little to no transferring unless of course you break into the greasy foods, it will start to separate.

Committed is the perfect pinky nude shade. I am a girl who likes a bit of pink in her nude, no that is not an innuendo, get your mind out of the gutter 🙂

Really paled out lips just don’t suit me though so I’ll always opt for one with a bit of pink to it, I think it warms up a lighter complexion more.

You can see it here swatched on my lips.

Here it is swatched beside Charming, just in case you want to see the difference between the two. Charming (on the right) is definitely more mauve.

Committed is one of those really easy shades that will work with any makeup look no matter how simple or bold you might go. You can even just dab a little onto the lips and add a balm or some lipgloss under it or over top for a long wearing, but glossy version.

You can pick up the theBalm Meet Matte Hughes of course from Foody’s Pharmacy, but you can also get them online from Cloud10beauty here for €16.50. Now, the question is….which one do I pick up next?

xxx

May 20, 2016/by Gem

Posts

Yep it’s happening, it’s January Favourites time!

He said he wanted to get me things I could review, so I will do just that 🙂

I have seen people talk about theBalm Appétit Palette online and them enjoying it, so I was very happy to unwrap it. And may I add, he picked it out all by himself!!

Onto the swatches. The matte shades are on the top row. May I add the gentlemen’s names are all food related 🙂

I have here some of the new Essence Autumn/Winter releases for 2016/17.

It’s safe to say Essence have been kicking ass of late and are constantly upping their game with their releases. So, I thought I would bring you through some of the products that are going to be hitting stands soon in the Essence Autumn/Winter Collection.

I’ve been using theBalm Put A Lid On It for a good 3 months now, so I think I’ve given it a fair trial.

I have already harped on about the other theBalm Meet Matte Hughes shade in my collection Charming here. I was browsing theBalm section in Foody’s Pharmacy and saw that they had the shade Committed and the rest is history 🙂