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I bought a couple of lipliners from the Longlasting Lipliner range from Essence randomly when I was in Lanzarote. And I liked them so much and they are so cheap (I think they cost €1.80) I had to pick up another couple when I got back. Essence have more colour choices in these. I just have four of them here to show you today. I reckon I’ll end up with all of them at some point though 🙂

They are mechanical lipliners in plastic very durable packaging (especially considering how much they cost).

essence cosmetics ireland longlastin lipliner

The pencil itself is soft, pigmented and applies really smoothly. I would say they wear well, but they do wear. You’ll be left with a stain to your lips after eating and drinking rather than full on colour. Of course, if you use them under lipstick or lipgloss they will definitely help the longevity of them.

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The four colours I have (so far) are:

06 ‘A Girl’s Dream’

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To me this is a dark pink with a red undertone.

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03’Yummy Berry’.

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This is a deep raspberry pink.

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02 ‘Sweetheart’.

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Is a brighter pink but with a more nude undertone (I think this my favourite of the four I have).

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Then finally 04 ‘Peach Beauty’.

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An orangey peach shade.

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The colour range of these Essence Longlasting Lipliners are really great too. Very logical shades that work for everyday use on their own and also to use under other lip products you already may have. You can see all the shade choices on the Essence website here

Essence Cosmetics are available nationwide. I got the Longlasting Lipliners in Penneys, but there are so many independent pharmacies all over Ireland now stocking the brand which is brilliant. They are really doing a good job of making great makeup with lots of products to choose from and for an amazing price point. I reviewed so many Essence products in 2015 and they come out with new lines all the time so I am sure I will be reviewing lots more in 2016.

Let me know what you think?

And thanks for reading, as always 🙂

xxx

 

 

 

 

I had to try one 🙂 This is the Charlotte Tilbury Eyes To Mesmerise Cream Eyeshadow in ‘Bette’. I think there is six to choose from and I would have picked them all, but at €26 from Brown Thomas here, I went for the one I thought I would get the most use out of. And so here she is…Ms Bette, as in Bette Davis 🙂

Beauty BlogBette is kind of a burnt gold colour.

Charlotte TilburyCharlotte description of her Eyes to Mesmerise:

‘The clever cream-to-sheen colours form part of my quick and easy ‘Minute Makeup’ range because they’re just so simple to use. Add a wash of colour with your fingertip for a flattering finish for day, then amp things up by applying with my eye blender brush for high-impact, molten smoky lids. The revolutionary water-infused formula with added vitamin E soothes and hydrates the eye area and offers seamless application for super smooth results. It’s the ultimate fool-proof product that forms part of my One-Minute No-Mirror Makeup Revolution: minimum effort = maximum impact’.

I can only speak for Bette, although from swatching the others in Brown Thomas they seemed pretty similar. Bette has a mousse like texture. It is extremely pigmented and glides and blends on to the skin, with no effort at all.

Charlotte Tilbury Eyes To Mesmerise BetteThis swatch is from one light push on the product with my finger. It’s quite a wet formula. It does set on the lids but as the lovely bearded dude at the counter did warn me before I bought it, if you have even slightly oily lids you would have to set with a powder. As I do, I was expecting to have to do that. Obviously, that does take away from the colour slightly but it does enhance any colour you add on top which is lovely.

Charlotte Tilbury's Bette on my eyelids

Here it is on my lids with no primer underneath or shadow on top

 

Overall, myself and Bette are getting along like a house on fire. She is a lovely addition to my makeup collection, and I have been complimented on my makeup every time I’ve worn her 🙂

xxx

Smashbox Contour Stick Trio (4)

 

Smashbox Contour Stick Trio

Guess what’s on the agenda today? How did you know 🙂 Yes I am waffling all  about the Smashbox Contour Stick Trio. I decided I was going to pick these up with my Boots points, so I had been patiently saving my points and then I went online to browse the Boots website. They were on special for €38…and so… they were bought and the story begins.

So as you can see there is three pencils. A highlighter, a bronzer and then a contour.

Smashbox BeautynookYou get a sharpener in the box too which I think is very necessary as these pencils are really creamy so use up very quickly. I think if you were using these everyday you wouldn’t get a huge amount of time out of them.

Here they are swatched on my arm. You can see how pigmented and creamy they are.

Smashbox Contour Stick Trio SwatchThe highlighting shade is pretty light, I could probably do with a shade lighter for my pale skin, this is the story for most of these kind of things.

The contour shade (in the middle) is a grey toned brown, perfect shade for it. And then the bronze shade is a warmer toned brown for warming up your complexion, as I am sure you know 🙂

So onto using it on my mug.

First up here I am without any of the Smashbox Contour Stick Trio’s applied and some lovely bed hair too 🙂

Irish Beauty BlogI first apply the highlighter stick.

Irish Beauty Blog Highlighter

I applied it under my eyes, the centre of my nose and eyebrows, the tops of my brows and above my cupids bow.

Then the bronzer.

Beautynook Contouring

Contour and Highlighting

Smashbox say use the product in an x formation and I think it does work best because you tend to use less product than just drawing lines around your face.  I personally use it around the periphery of my face and then blend it down. You could use the contour shade in the same way too, I just like the warmer shade around my face. I don’t contour my nose or anything like that because I feel that it is pretty small already so I don’t really find it necessary.

I use the contour shade of the Smashbox Contour Stick Trio just on my non existent cheekbones.

Smashbox Contour highlighting

Beautynook Beauty Blog

I am only gorgeous I know 🙂 Again using the x formation around 2/3’s of the way down my cheek. Just follow where you naturally have a hollow. If you’re chubby like me do the fishy face to find out where it is.

So then onto blending. Blending the Smashbox Contour Sticks is actually really easy, they don’t take much work at all. I just use whatever foundation brush I used. I blend the bronze shade into my skin more, whereas with the highlighter and contour shades I keep the blending more isolated to where I applied them.

 

Cream Highlighting

Cream ContouringYou can see the bronze and the contour shades do warm up my complexion and give a slight illusion of definition on my cheeks, happy days. The highlight shade really doesn’t do a whole load for me, I’m just too pale.

Here is the whole shabang with powders and lipsticks added and the gruaig looking a bit better too.

Beautynook blogOverall, I really like the Smashbox Contour Stick Trio. They are easy to use, easy to blend and the colours are mostly good. They are by no means a necessary step in your makeup routine. For me, I like them for when I want a more pronounced contour for going out. I will layer contour and highlight powders over top. Or for a more subtle highlight, I will just set  the Smashbox Contour Sticks with face powder. Obviously there is tonnes of alternative products to get your chisel on, the sticks are just a handy one as they are small and easy to control. It’s only a matter of time before the highstreet brands are all over it and bring out their own versions. I look forward to that 🙂

What do you think? Let me know.

xxx

Barry M Matte Me Up Lip Crayons

I was in Boots last week swatching lip products like a good thing and I ended up getting a couple of the new Barry M Matte Me Up Lip Crayons. These are (as I am sure you can see) twist up lip colours…and they are matte!

On first swatch in store, I thought oh these are really soft and pigmented and also not really drying and I can concur after playing with them and wearing them that they are like this in ‘real life’ too.

I chose two shades.

The first one is number 4, original I know 🙂

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This is literally my favourite shade of pink to wear. Think of Mac’s Girl About Town but a little more muted and matte.

Number 4

Matte Me Up Number 4

I know I know my skin is different colours, I fake tanned my body not my face ha I probably should have slapped some makeup on to swatch…sure not to worry, you get the idea :p

This out of the two colours of the Barry M Matte Me Up’s I got is my favourite. It is a gorgeous blue toned pink. It goes on the lips really smoothly and lasts really well too.

The second shade I got is…number 1

Matte Me up Number 1This is a true peach shade.

swatch number 1

barry m matte me up lip crayon 1This is a more unforgiving shade on the lips, they need to be in tip top condition to pull it off. I also think it would be more suited to someone with sallow skin, it is still a gorgeous shade though.

The Barry M Matte Me Up Lip Crayons are gorgeous in my book. They are easy to apply, really buttery, comfortable on the lips and last very well too. I’m very happy I bought them and will be open to buying more the future I’m sure 🙂

At this minute in time the Matte Me Up Lip Crayons are on special for €4.99 in Boots They will normally retail for €7.49 so if you like what you see, get them while they’re hot!

xxx

Dove Deeply Nourishing Body WashBody wash? Yep we’ve all got to use it. Sometimes I feel like investing money into it and splashing out and sometimes I want a reasonably priced pick that I know I can rely on. For me, Dove is this pick. I was sent this new Dove Deeply Nourishing Body Wash, but I had actually done a basics shop in Boots a few days before and picked up a bottle myself!

I love the soapy “clean” smell of it…if that makes sense? 🙂

Irish Beauty BlogIt has a thick consistency, so you can use it just with your hands and create a nice lather or with a sponge or a flannel, what ever your poison.

beauty nook review dove

I tend to use it on my hands when I am washing as normal. A little goes a long way and it feels really nice and silky on the skin. I use it to shave aswell. I am not really a shaving gel lover, and I find the Dove Deeply Nourishing Body Wash is a great alternative. And because it is so reasonably priced, I don’t feel like I’m wasting the product either.

Once or maybe even twice a week, I like to exfoliate my skin. Again, I can use the Dove Body Wash for that too.

Dove Beauty Blog

I can sometimes find gritty body scrubs a bit too harsh. Using the body wash, which feels lovely and nourishing, I apply it with this exfoliating gloves. You can pick them up in loads of different places. I get mine in Penney’s. I love this combo, because I am in control of the scrubbing, not the product and The Dove Deeply Nourishing Body Wash lathers up nicely and makes my skin feel nice and soft afterwards.

Overall, The Dove Deeply Nourishing Body Wash is a winner in my book. I have always loved the Dove range of body wash products. My skin doesn’t feel dry or dehydrated after using them. The Nourishing Body Wash is particularly good for this. At the minute it is €1.74 (half price) in Boots . Cannot argue with that really 🙂

xxx

 

Beautynook Top Cream Shadow Stick Picks

I use cream shadow pencils, sticks whatever you want to call them alot in my day to day makeup routine. Formulas have gotten so great nowadays that you can use them as shadow on their own and they don’t budge (for the most part) throughout the day. Or you can layer them under shadows to intensify them or increase their longevity too. They come in very handy.

So I compiled some my favourite brands for this post to show you some of the ones I love using and that I have tried and tested.

First up is the posh ones of the group.

By Terry Ombre Blackstar

These are the By Terry Ombre Blackstar. These are so very nice and so very posh with their €30 price tag. They are so creamy, pigmented and easy to blend though and they last all day on the lids. You can literally just throw one of these all over your lids, blend the edges and you’ve got yourself a really lovely eye look.

I have two shades…so far 🙂

5 Misty Rock 4 Bronze Moon

5 Misty Rock (on top) 4 Bronze Moon (bottom)

I have a couple of brands that I just have one offering from, but I wanted to include them because I pick them up regularly.

Rimmel Scandaleyes shadow stick

The Rimmel Scandaleyes. I love this shade under gold or creamy coloured shadows. It’s a great neutral shade to have in your collection. They come in an alot of different shades though. This is 002 Bulletproof Beige.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Bulletproof BeigeI bought one of the new Bourjois Colorband sticks not too long ago in Boots.

Bourjois Colorband Eyeshadow & Liner

This shade 05 Mauve Baroque is a great more affordable dupe for the By Terry Ombre Blackstar in Misty Rock. These stay put on the lid too, no messing about. You need to work quickly with them once it’s on it’s on!

Bourjois Colorband Mauve Baroque

Bourjois Colorband Mauve Baroque

 

The Kiko Longlasting Shadow Sticks are new in my makeup collection, but I picked them up because I’d read so much positivity about them in the blogging and You Tube world. You have to order online if you’re in Ireland which is a pain but the shipping is really good, as are the sticks themselves 🙂

I got three shades 05 (another dupe for the By Terry Ombre Blackstar, do you see a theme forming?), 10 a sparkly blue green shade and 10 an electric blue.

Kiko Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadow

These are just awesome, simple as that. Creamy, smooth ,vibrant, longlasting, and come in a plethora of colours to suit everyone, and they are so reasonable priced too. More will find their way home to me soon, I’m sure of it.

Kiko Longlasting Shadow Sticks 05,11,10

05, 11,10

A couple of Wet n Wild picks up next.

Wet n wild Idol Eyes Creme Shadow Pencil

If you are a regular round these parts you’ll know I am a huge fan of this affordable brand. These are their Idol Eyes Creme Shadow Pencil. So ridiculously affordable and lovely base for shadow to help them stick around and help the colour become more vibrant too. These come in loads of colours, soft, but not as pigmented as maybe some of the others on the market. For the price though they are pretty great 🙂 I have two:

Wet n Wild Idol Eyes Graphite Techno

E133 Techno (on top) E135 Graphite (on bottom)

I left the probably most well known ones until last.

Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencils

These are of course the Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencils. Apologies as mine have seen better days, they aren’t very photogenic. That doesn’t mean they’re not good at their job though. These things are brilliant! I’ve been buying Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencils a long time, I use to have to buy them on eBay from America, but thank god Ireland now finally has gotten its act together and we are starting to see Nyx in pharmacies more and more. Wohoo! These literally come in all of the colour of the rainbow and more. They come in different finishes too,  some are matte some are more shimmery or sparkly. They are stupid pigmented and last well on the eyes. I have even used these on my water line and they last really well inside the eye too. I know Milk is such a cult shade now. It’s a matte, opaque white, if you are wanting vivid colours to stand out, you need Milk in your life believe me!

I have six in my collection, I’ve had more in the past but where they’re gone I don’t know 🙁

Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencils

In Order 603 Pots & Pans, 615 Slate, 612 Gold, 617 Iced Mocha, 624A Rocky Mountain Green and 604 Milk

There you have it, if you are in the market for some new cream shadow sticks, I hope I’ve helped a little showing you some of my favourites. I tried to pick some from all spectrum’s of the market to suit everyone. I honestly get so much use from all of these little beauties. Writing this blog post has just made me want to buy more 🙂

xxx