eyelashes Archives - Irish Beauty Blog Beautynook

Essence Lash Princess Mascara Waterproof

Well hello there, it’s been a minute or two since I put fingers to keys and wrote a blogpost! Life, lack of creativity and well the lack of people tuning into them all contributed to it in all honesty. But sure no harm in letting my creative juices out every so often, I like writing 🙂 I picked up the new Essence Lash Princess Mascara, the waterproof version, pretty much upon its release. I always use waterproof mascara and people had such good things to say about the other formulas. And it was less than a fiver! I got mine in Penneys.

From the get go, the Essence Lash Princess Mascara (waterproof), was for me. I don’t use waterproof mascara, because I think I can dunk my head in water and be ok, although some formulas are reasonably good for that. I use it to hold a curl in my straight, boring lashes.

This mascara is quite a thick consistency and it has a bristle spoolie, which usually my lashes don’t like as much. In this instance they do though.

You get volume from the first application of this mascara. A lot of product goes on to your lashes. I don’t find that it weighs mine down in anyway, but it can clump. That is something to be wary of.

It provides volume and length really quickly and holds a curl, so it ticks all the lash boxes for me.

It can flake a little after a few hours of wear, but I don’t find that it transfers too much. I don’t use it on my bottom lashes, I find the wand to cumbersome for that. I stick to my trusted Mac Extended Play for that.

The Essence Lash Princess Mascara waterproof is a damn good mascara though. It gives maximum impact with very little effort. I curl my lashes and apply a couple of coats and I’m done. I don’t feel the need to layer too much more for a long, (well as long as my lashes can go) lashed look 🙂

Have you tried it yet? Are you a fan of the original? Let me know.

xxx

July 16, 2019/by Gem

Treatment

Getting a lash lift. My Experience

I just got my third lash lift and shared some of the experience on my Instagram, as I always do. There was lots of questions so I thought it might be worth doing a blogpost about my thoughts on it here.

I had my first one at the beginning of 2017 in the Vanity Rooms in Stepaside. They invited me out to try out their LVL lash lift. I was so excited because I have super straight lashes. It’s something I always moan about. If I want a curl to last, I have to use a decent lash curlers and then go in strong with the waterproof mascara to maintain it. I toyed with the idea of lash extensions. But I am too much of a picker, and I love eye makeup too much 🙂

Disclaimer, excuse the brows from these throwback pictures, I’ve come along way :)

So what is a lash lift? It’s basically a perm for your eyelashes. In my experience, it’s a three step process. I have had both LVL (a brand name of Nouveu lashes I believe), and then I was invited to try Yumi lashes too in Elysian Brows, it seems to work the same way for them all.

You’re prepped and your eyes are protected. A plastic shield is put on above the top lashes and then the lifting solution is applied in upwards motions moulding your lashes around the shield. Very gently and precisely I might add. That’s left to do it’s work, then removed. A setting solution is then applied and you let that do it’s thing. After that in most places, A tint is applied to make your lashes look darker and more defined.

A lash lift is not particularly a comfortable treatment. Your eyes are closed throughout and they are being prodded at, so going to a professional in my humble opinion is a must! It’s uncomfortable for sure, but it’s not painful, nor should it be.

It’s also way less maintenance than eyelash extensions. It’s just your own lashes curled, so you don’t have to maintain them necessarily, although it’s good to brush them through regularly and try not sleep on your face if you can 🙂 Some single lashes can go astray, so combing them through helps keep them on the curl and narrow ha! They say you don’t need mascara after getting it done, I use mascara to make them look more full and I get the six-ish weeks out of my treatment. Just don’t do anything crazy for the first 24 hours! You can of course purchase specific serums and mascaras in the salon that may help prolong the effects, I don’t do that myself.

A lash lift lasts as long as your natural lash cycle really, so it can be up to eight weeks. You’ll see the curl disappear, and you’ll want another one 🙂

My latest lash lift was in the Brow Boutique in Jervis Street shopping centre. At €55, it was the cheapest place I could find in the city with decent reviews and a reputable name. They did a great job and I’m super happy with the outcome. I would recommend all three salons.

If I can fork out the cash every six-eight weeks, it’s something I would definitely keep up! Have you had a lash lift? What has been your experience?

xxx

December 14, 2018/2 Comments/by Gem

Beautynook Tips, Makeup Tutorial, Youtube Video

Glam Purple Makeup Tutorial

This was like all my makeup look posts pretty much off the cuff 🙂 I needed to do my makeup, had some time so thought I would do a glam purple makeup ‘tutorial’.

I hate calling it a tutorial, but that’s what people seem to search so it just gives me more reach. As I always reiterate, I’m a makeup enthusiast, I know I’m not a professional. I had notions of attempting to do a cut crease, but my hands just wouldn’t let me, so this is what I came up with 🙂

There’s definitely a mix of high end brands and more affordable brands within this purple makeup look. I don’t think it’s too over complicated either.

I’ll try list and link everything I used here:

And I believe thats everything! You can check out the video directly here or click on it above.

I think I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. To me it’s a glam purple makeup look. I could see myself rocking this on a night out. Pretend I didn’t just do it and then sit on my laptop for the rest of the day 🙂

Thanks for tuning in as always and let me know what you think.

Gemma.

xxx

*PR SAMPLES INCLUDED**

August 1, 2018/by Gem

Makeup

L’Oréal Paradise Waterproof Mascara & Primer

My lash lift has finally given up which is very sad. But, it did happen around the same time I received the new L’Oréal Paradise waterproof mascara in the post. Silver linings and all that 🙂 I used the original formula while my lashes were lifted and really like it!

As you will well know I use waterproof mascara pretty much exclusively. Not because of smudging necessarily, but because it just holds a curl better. And my lashes don’t curl naturally. Lash lifts help with curl so brilliantly, they also cost around €60 a session though, so when I can’t fork out, I go back to waterproof mascara.

Along with the new L’Oréal Paradise Waterproof mascara. I also got the new lash primer from the same range. I don’t really have much to say about the primer really. It’s meant to help boost volume and care for your lashes at the same time. You apply a layer of it before mascara. If you have long luscious, curly lashes it might really be of benefit to you. For me, it’s just an adds product that weighs my lashes down.

It does help with volume a little, but it pulls down the curl I use the eyelash curlers to create and the waterproof mascara to maintain. I prefer my lashes without it. It’s available from Boots for €15.49.

The waterproof mascara however, I really really like. Like the original formula it has quite a large bristled brush, not what I normally gravitate towards, but it works really well. The formula of this mascara is quite thick, so I find the bristles help to distribute it evenly on the lashes.

For me, it gives fluttery volume. What I mean by that is, it beefs up my lashes but not in a gloopy way ha! It gives a decent amount of length and it holds a curl really well.

That’s the thing I want in a mascara the most. It does get a little dry towards the end of the day, but I kind of expect that with most mascaras. I tried it on my bottom lashes a couple of times and if definitely did smudge a few hours in. I tend to be extra and use a separate mascara on my lower lashes. (Most of the time, it’s exclusively this). I know most mascaras smudge on my lower lashes so I use what I know works.

Overall though, I really like the new L’Oréal Paradise waterproof. I’ve reached for it every day since getting it without hesitation. That alone is a good sign for me. At €16.49 from Boots, I think the price is a bit sticky for a more ‘drugstore’ mascara. But having said that, it is one I can whole heartedly recommend. Have you tried it?

xxx

*PR SAMPLE***

June 20, 2018/by Gem

Makeup

theBalm Mad Lash Mascara

You know I love me some waterproof mascara. If I’m talking non waterproof it’s generally because it’s really bad or really good. For me, theBalm Mad Lash Mascara is really good!

I used it for the first time in a video here using all theBalm products. You can see there that I was impressed from the get-go!

I don’t talk too much about mascara here, because I tend to be a creature of habit when it comes to them. Which is not very good when you class yourself as a beauty blogger I know. But I just have crap lashes generally. They’re straight and a bit lack lustre. So when I find something I like I tend to stick to it on a day to day basis. But, I do try lots, I just don’t talk about them because they don’t work for me. However theBalm Mad Lash Mascara does!

Reviews are obviously up for interpretation and subject to what you look for. For me, a plastic spoolie generally works better. Not all of the time, but, alot of the time.

I like when the bristles are small-ish and there’s plenty of them. It means you get a good amount of product on the lashes, but it doesn’t get too goopy and out of control.

As I have naturally straight lashes, I always curl them, unless I have a lash lift. If I have a lash lift, other formulas can work for me too, as they don’t necessarily hold a curl. theBalm Mad Lash has a tubing formula, I believe. So it forms a tube of mascara around each lash. It means it will hold the shape and also tends to be easier to remove than waterproof at the end of the day too.

On my lashes, this mascara ticks all the boxes. It elongates them, gives me volume with a smidge of clumping (I kind of dig that look), and above all holds a curl, this is the thing I want most.

The formula doesn’t smudge when I use it on my top lashes. I can get a bit of smudging on the lower ones, but I’m actually a bit of a mascara brat and tend to use a separate formula on my bottom lashes. (I love the Mac Extended Play, review here).

Overall, I am a fan of theBalm Mad Lash. If you like a bit of clump with your volume and curl, I think you would be too. It is available now from Debenhams in store or online here. What do you think?

xxx

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

January 1, 2018/by Gem

Monthly Favourites, Youtube Video

June Favourites 2017

Yep, It’s June Favourites 2017 time 🙂

June is my birthday month so I always think it’s extra exciting for monthly favourites, because I usually have more stuff to ramble about.

This year’s June favourites really consist of a mixture of everything really.

My first faves were something I bought out of my birthday money.

I am totally not cool enough for these babies, but sure I am going to wear the hell out of them anyways 🙂 These are The Quay Australia X Desi Hi Key Black Fades. I bought them on Asos here. YouTube totally made me do it and I am completely OK with that :).

The really inexpensive eBay half lashes that I talk about can be found here, if you want a closer look at them. Definitely not great quality, but they do the job!
The band tees are a mixture from Primark and H&M. They are pretty much everywhere at the minute though. I am very much jumping on the bandwagon. It’s a comfortable wagon though so I feel no shame about it 🙂
I speak more about the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge and link to it here.
Benefit’s Hoola Bronzer is swatched and linked in a blogpost here.
I chat about my new favourite AMC gel liner from Inglot. I did a blogpost on my latest Inglot haul here. You can see the liner swatched and where to get it over there.
And then, my final pick for my June Favourites was The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution. This has such a long scary name, I know! You can read more about it on the Deciem website here.

I obviously ramble a lot more about these in the video here. I just like to do a blog post to accompany it with links, and to add in anything I may have forgotten.

Let me know what you think and if you have any June favourites yourself.

Thanks for clicking.

Gemma xxx

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

July 2, 2017/3 Comments/by Gem

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