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Elf Magnetic Mask & Night Time Routine

The Elf Magnetic Mask is one of the coolest products I have ever tried. Does it work? I’m not sure yet I’ve only used it twice so far. I couldn’t resist putting in a video though to show you how you use it.

This concept of the Elf Magnetic Mask isn’t new to the market necessarily. There has been a few out before it. But, this is hands down the most affordable one at the moment. Unfortunately it hasn’t made it to our shores yet.

I was lucky enough to get one as a press sample. It is on their website here though and they do international shipping, if you fancy taking the plunge. For some reason the euro price is much more expensive. Hopefully if it does come over here, it won’t be as bad.

I can say my skin felt really nice both times I’ve used it. And I do feel like it drew some clogged pores to the surface. I definitely had a bit of a breakout after the first time. But in a good way, if that makes sense? 🙂

So in the video I give you a demo of the Elf Magnetic Mask. It’s so much fun to use. You apply the mask and then use the magnetized applicator to literally pull it off your skin. Sounds scary, but you can hardly feel it. There’s iron in it so that’s what makes it magnetic.

I’ve never been happier using a face mask…look at me like!

Within the video, I also gave a quick rundown on what I’ve been using to cleanse and then my bedtime moisturising concoction too.

I used:

Bioderma to take my eye makeup off. It’s in a limited edition pump bottle. If you can get your hands on it. Do! It’s on the Cloud10Beauty website here.
Nia Cleansing Balm. It’s on their website here.
Clarins Double Serum. (Review here).
Clarins Total V Contouring Serum.
Neostrata Bionic Eye Cream Plus. I found it on the Meaghers Pharmacy website here.
The Ordinary Retinoid 2%. More info on this here.
Botanics Facial Oil. It’s on the Boots website here.
Catrice Volumizing Lip Balm.

This is my current night time routine although I do alternate serums and I don’t always use an oil. I have oily skin, so it really just depends on whether I feel I need it or not.

As always you can click on the video above to watch the magic happen or you can go directly to my YouTube channel here. 🙂

Let me know what you think.

Gemma

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

September 22, 2017/0 Comments/by Gem

Bargain Buying, Makeup, Skincare

Affordable Beauty Favourites Currently

I’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.

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 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.

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. This 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.

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. Visually these lippies are so cool. The bullet is completely matte!

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

What 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***********

September 20, 2017/0 Comments/by Gem

Bargain Buying, Makeup

Current Budget Friendly Makeup Favourites

I haven’t done a round up like this in a while. So, here is five of my current budget friendly makeup favourites.

I am not a makeup snob by any means. If a product is good, it’s good, regardless of the price 🙂

My first budget friendly makeup pick of the minute is the very talked about Coverage Foundation from The Ordinary.

I harped on about this here in a dedicated blogpost, so I won’t go into too much detail. But, I am a big fan. I always judge a foundation on whether I would pick it up to wear for a night out or going out all day. This is definitely one I reach for alot. I love the coverage, the finish and the longevity. Oh and may I add, the price point too!

My second choice will come as no surprise either (sorry ha!). The Maybelline Eraser Eye in the shade ‘Brightener’.

I like both of the colour correcting shades (details on both of them here). I think I just reach for the Brightener more. I feel like I can get away with it just on it’s own. Whereas the ‘Neutralizer’ leaves a bit of a yellow hue to the skin. I am delighted these shades are available in Ireland now, because for me, the ‘Light’ concealer version, just wasn’t light enough. These work so much better.

My third budget friendly makeup favourite is another Maybelline Product. This is their Master Fix Setting & Perfecting Loose Powder.

This is actually Maybelline’s first loose setting powder. It is super finely milled and applies really lightly and smoothly onto the skin.

It’s really mattifying, so I usually apply a liberal layer of it and then use a setting spray over top to lift the skin a bit. It absorbs oils really well though and definitely helps with the longevity of your makeup. It is a more pricey ‘affordable product’ at €13.79 from Boots here.

Number four is the Catrice Metallic Liquid Liner in 010 ‘Bronze Lee’. I bloody love that name 🙂

You can see it in action is a previous blogpost here. These Metallic liners come in a couple of different shades, I believe. I need to find the others to add to my collection. I really like the formula and the finish. The shade is less intimidating than black or even dark brown. And I can generally create a flick with the applicator. When I can say that you know a liquid liner is half good. Feline flicks are not my forte at all.

Last on my budget friendly makeup roundup is the Maybelline Brow Artist Plumper.

I am way late to the party with this one. I don’t know why I never tried it up until now. I have the shade Medium/Dark. I like that the spooley isn’t very tightly bound.

It means it doesn’t hold onto alot of product. I can find with some coloured brow gels, it can end up all over your skin. This doesn’t leave your eyebrows feeling crispy either. It just adds a bit of a tint with some added fibers for fluffiness. It’s a really decent tinted brow gel. It costs €8.49 from Boots here.

And that’s my five current picks! Things that are actually in rotation on my makeup desk at the moment, that hopefully won’t break the bank 🙂

xxx

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

June 30, 2017/1 Comment/by Gem

Bargain Buying, Makeup

The Ordinary Colours Coverage Foundation

I already posted about the Serum Foundation here if that would tickle your fancy more. This post is all about The Ordinary Colours Coverage Foundation though. My personal favourite out of the two 🙂

The Ordinary Colours Coverage Foundation is as the name would suggest the more full coverage of the two foundations.

They both have the same 30ml plastic bottle with a rubberized pump (although you can buy a glass pipette separately if you would prefer).

They both come in the same 21 shade ranges and are deemed SPF 15 here in Europe. I will quote Deciem for the pigment explanation because they do it better: ‘These foundations contain higher pigment levels than our Serum Foundations but still offer a smooth finish that avoids the heavy makeup look that can make skin appear more aged. The texture is that of a lightweight, non-oily cream.’ For me, this sums up the Coverage foundation perfectly.

I feel it’s a medium coverage foundation, that you can build up easy enough without it looking too caked on the skin. I definitely do not think it’s full coverage like Deciem say, but it’s a solid medium coverage which I can definitely live with.

The Ordinary Colours Coverage Foundation is a little thicker in formula than the Serum. Here they are side so you can see the difference. Serum is on the left and Coverage is on the right.

On my skin, it applies really easily and smoothly. I always use a primer underneath foundation, which I thought was good to note. I have the shade 1.1N which is a decent match for my paler skin.

It has a semi matte finish on me. I say semi matte because although it’s not dewy, it’s not drying or heavy either. It blends really lovely and evens out my skin tone really well. It glides over my pores really nicely too and it doesn’t sit in any fine lines.

Before:

After:

I like this personally more than the Serum foundation for two main reasons. 1, it has more coverage. And 2 it lasts really well on my skin. This is a foundation I can confidently apply in the morning and know it will stand the test of time. The Serum foundation is lovely but I don’t have that longevity guarantee with it on my oilier skin.

This is a just a winner in my book! I really like it!

The Ordinary Colours Coverage Foundation is still awaiting stock on the Deciem website, but the link to order it is here. You can sign up to get an email when it’s back in though. That’s how I got my hands on it. It costs the same as the serum, a very reasonable €6.90. I thought it was good to add here that the Colours are alcohol free, oil free, silicone free, vegan and cruelty free.

Are you intrigued?

xxx

June 4, 2017/3 Comments/by Gem

Bargain Buying, Makeup

The Ordinary Colours Serum Foundation

If you follow me on social media, you know I have not shut up about The Ordinary over the past few weeks. It is a really affordable but effective skincare brand created by Deciem. They have now released two foundations. I managed to get my hands on both! So, I thought I would break it down into two blogposts, in case one takes your fancy more than the other. This post is dedicated to The Ordinary Colours Serum Foundation.

Now I knew ordering this foundation, that it probably wouldn’t be compatible with my oily skin, but I wanted to try it regardless. The hype about this brand is just too much, and it’s super affordable to boot 🙂

The Ordinary Colours Serum Foundation comes in a 30ml plastic bottle with a rubberized plastic pump.

The packaging works really well and is very sleek for the price. My only gripe with it is that because the pump is matte, it tends to get really grubby with foundation. You can order a glass pipette for it separately if you’d rather apply it with that.

The foundation comes in an abundance of shades from super light to super dark. 21 shades in total! It also comes in tones aswell which is even more awesome! So you can choose from pink, red and neutral undertones. There are 3 shades with S and G as the undertone, which stands for silver and gold. These have added highlight in them. Deciem say they will eventually create separate enhancers and highlighter so we can customise. I ain’t mad at that!

I totally guessed my shade and did a pretty good job I think. I went with 1.1N (neutral).

The formula is light and nearly runny when you pump it out. It is a serum foundation, so that’s completely what you would expect. They use high saturated pigment, so a little goes a long way.

To me, this is a light but build-able to medium foundation. It blends in to the skin really nicely and definitely covers up and even out any discolouration. A little goes a fairly long way. It doesn’t settle into lines and is really light weight on the skin too.

Here in Europe it is deemed SPF 15 (there is different regulations in different countries). The finish for me is more on the dewy side which again is what I expected. But, it’s not greasy on the skin. I’ve been wearing The Ordinary Silicone Primer with it and they work well together.

Before:

I usually just pump some directly onto my face.

After:

Obviously you can see it in action on my skin in the pics above, but I used it in a recent video here too, so you can see it kinda sorta in ‘real life’! When I first apply it, it has gives a velvet like finish to the skin. There’s definitely more of a glow to it after it settles though. I personally wouldn’t get more than a couple of hours wear out of before the oiliness wins the war. But if I use a good primer and powder (alot), I can get a bit longer.Having said though, if you have more dry, combo skin, this will work a treat for you. It is a gorgeous everyday foundation.

The Ordinary Colours Serum Foundation is currently out of stock on the Deciem website (sorry), but you can sign up here to be notified when it’s back in. It costs a ridiculously reasonable €6.70. Deciem also offer free shipping over €25.

Are you intrigued? Have you tried it yourself? Let me know 🙂

xxx

May 31, 2017/0 Comments/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, 2017/0 Comments/by Gem