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As I am writing this, the sun is shining and it’s May. Which means it’s officially Spring, which means no constant rain and being miserable…just some of the time :). A new month also means a look back over the previous month. So, here is a run down of some of my April Favourites for 2018.

april favourites

How was your April? Mine wasn’t too bad all in all. I had some good times and made some good memories.

april favourites

My April Favourites consist of mostly skincare actually with a snippet of makeup, fashion and dare I say some political views as well. Definitely not something I talk about a lot. If I do it’s mostly on Twitter. I don’t shy away, don’t get me wrong, there’s just people out there doing a way better job at it than I ever could. But I think May, for me, for us as woman of Ireland is so very important. Please make sure you are registered to vote, do your research and make an informed decision.

Ok, let’s talk about some silly stuff now 🙂

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My April Favourites definitely reflect the changes in the seasons, I think. As always I talk much more in depth in the video above or here. But I’ll give you a quick run down and link to everything I can.

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  • I’ve reviewed the Catrice Lashes To Kill Pro Mascara here if you want to see it in action.

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  • Then finally my bag was a gift from my friend Ella of Siopaella. She sourced them in Morocco and sells them in store too.

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And that is it for another instalment of April Favourites. Let me know if you like these types of posts, it’s always good to get constructive feedback.

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Thanks for clicking as always.

Gemma

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

I already spoke about my current day time routine here. It’s only fair that I throw my night time skin care routine into the mix too 🙂

night time skin care routine

I am very proud of being someone who removes their makeup every night before sleep. No matter how tired (or typsy) I might be. For me, it’s like brushing your teeth, it just has to be done! I am not really one for makeup wipes. If I am feeling really lazy, I’ll use eye makeup remover and micellar water and call it a day. But for the most part, I like to actually wash my face.

night time skin care routine

This for me, is my current night time skin care routine. I do change up products every now and then. It’s of course part of what I do. I don’t have majorly sensitive skin either so it usually doesn’t affect my skin too radically.

I do like to extra exfoliate a couple of times each week. I’ll usually use the Waxperts Wonder Pads (which I reviewed ages ago here), or the Dermalogica Daily Resurfacer Pads. These contain AHA’s so I stick to using them at night.

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If I have a breakout I use the Mario Badescu Drying Lotion, which I have a review of here. It’s a bit gimmicky, but it seems to do the job. And it dries down on the skin, so you don’t get it all over your pillow which is a bonus in my book 🙂

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I wear waterproof mascara on the daily, so before I wash my face I usually remove my eye makeup with an oil based cleanser.

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I have been using the Botanics All Bright one for literally years. It does a great job at getting even gel liner off without too much rubbing. It doesn’t irritate my eyes and it’s as cheap as chips. You can buy it from Boots here.

For cleansing, at the moment. I have two in my bathroom. The Garnier Pure Active 3 in 1.

garnier pure active

This can be used as a face wash, to exfoliate or a mask. I usually use this in the shower. I can wash my face with it and then pop some on as a mask while I go about my business. It is kaolin based so it dries on the skin like a clay mask. It’s been working really well for my oily skin.

If I am just washing my face and not showering I have been using the Yonka Cleansing Gel. This feels really gentle on my skin.

yonka ireland

It is also like a spa in a plastic bottle, it smells bloody amazing.

For toner, it’s generally just the La Roche Posay Serozinc which I speak more about here. I always have a bottle of it in my skincare stash.

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I use the same eye cream both day and night. My go to one over the past year or so is the La Roche Posay Ultra Toleriane Ultra Eye Contour.

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I really like this stuff and it’s not super expensive either. I have a full review of it here.

Because I cannot get too heavy with moisturiser during the day because I am so oily. I usually make up for it in my night time skincare routine.

At the moment I am using (and really enjoying) the Hylamide Low Molecular HA Booster.

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It’s basically a serum that contains hyaluronic acid. It helps hydrate without weighing down the skin. It’s an extra step in my routine but my skin is reacting well from it. My skin is feeling a little plumper and more hydrated without my pores being clogged up. You can buy it directly from the Deciem website here.

After that settles in, I apply a light layer of the Image Vital C Hydrating Facial Oil.

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It just feels so nice. I pat a dropper amount into my face and neck. Although I am oily, I do have areas of dehydration so I use the serum and the oil in the evening to help with that. The Vital C is formulated for dull, tired skin but also suitable for acne prone skin that is healing. Image skincare is stocked in salons throughout the country including Millie’s here.

The final step in my night time skin care routine then is just lip balm. I usually just use some Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream.

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I have a full review of this here.

 

And then my night time skin care routine is completed and I am ready for bed 🙂

xxx

 

When is comes to my day time skin care routine. I keep things fairly simple.

Day Time Skin Care Routine

I am not a morning person at all, so I usually do my showering and deep clean my face the night before, if I am up and out early in the day. I have oily skin, with places of dehydration. I am prone to breakouts and blessed with lovely (not so lovely) large pores, that like to get blocked. As a result, I don’t like to layer too many products onto my skin. Because of this, my day time skin care routine is pretty simple.

Day Time Skin Care Routine

I start out with cleansing my skin. For me, micellar water works well. I know not everyone gets along with them. Right now, I am using the Garnier Pure Active that is for oily skin prone to imperfections.

garnier micellar water

I just apply some to a cotton pad and swipe all over my skin to refresh everything and get rid of any oil build up. It is available on the Boots website here.

penneys

These large oval cotton pads from Penneys are my favourite. They are quite thin, so the product soaks both sides, but they don’t break up or become ‘fluffy’ :). I always just pick these up when I’m on the queue in Penneys. I love that they leave them beside the till 🙂

For eye cream, I have been using the La Roche Posay Toleriane Ultra for probably more than a year now.

la roche posay

Although I have oily skin, I tend to get some dryness under my eyes. This does a brilliant job of keeping the under eye nourished without being to heavy. I have a full review of it here, if you want to know more about it.

I don’t tend to use a toner generally during the day, but if I do it’s usually either the La Roche Posay Serozinc which I have a full review of here.

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Or I do love the Pixi Glow Tonic, which again I have spoken about in more detail here. I think I need this is my life again very soon.

For moisturiser, I tend to go with something light weight that won’t disrupt my makeup. I have a couple of holy grail moisturisers that I always recommend to people with more oilier skin. The La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo, I have a full review of it here. Or the Vichy Normaderm Anti Blemish Care which I’ve reviewed in the past here. At the moment I am switching between the Dermalogica Active Moist.

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And the Garnier Pure Active Sensitive Anti Blemish Soothing Moisturiser.

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I have to say both of them are working really nicely for my skin. They do a good job of hydrating, but sinking in quickly with no residue.

I always use some sort of lip balm in the morning too and let it do it’s thing while I do my makeup. At the minute I have three in my everyday skincare drawer.

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream. I always have a tube of this on the go. I have a full blogpost on it here.

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Then I have a Nivea Lip Butter.

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I use this going to bed too. I love the scent 🙂

And then if I want to use a lip balm that doubles up as a lip product to leave the house in, I will reach for the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector.

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I just have a mini of 01 here, which has a peachy tint to it. I love how this feels and looks on the lips.

 

And there you have my current day time skin care routine. I like to think it’s pretty simple, but effective. At the moment, there is no SPF included. I haven’t found one that doesn’t interfere with my makeup as of yet. I usually use a foundation with SPF in it or mix one in with the foundation I’m using.

 

Have you any skin care products you couldn’t live without?

xxx

 

 

 

 

It’s the beginning of a new month! That can only mean one thing in blog/vlog land. It’s monthly favourites time 🙂 Here is my round up of February favourites for 2017!

My February favourites consist of all beauty related products. There is a mix of makeup and skincare. I do have an honourable random mention at the end of the video though. You can click the video above, or watch it directly on my YouTube channel here.

The Body Shop Almond Milk & Honey Range is first. You can see the range in more detail over on The Body Shop website here.

Garnier Pure 3 in 1 Wash, Scrub & Mask. You can pick this in Boots stores and online here. It costs €7.49.

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Pillow Talk. I have a full review and details on this here.

februaray favourites

Mac Soar Lip Liner is on the Brown Thomas website for €17.50 here. Not the cheapest lip liner in the world, I know. But I haven’t found a similar colour for less money as of yet. I will keep hunting though 🙂

Spring Sheen Blush from Mac. I am definitely having a bit of Mac revisit at the moment, I know! Again, this is on the Brown Thomas website here. €24 is a bit steep, but you can buy Mac blushes in pan form too.

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Then my final February favourite is the Clarins Ombre Iridescente Cream To Powder Eyeshadow in 09 Silver Rose. I cannot find a link to this particular colour in Debenhams or Boots. But it is avialble to buy online from CH Tralee chemist for €22.50 here.

february favourites

 

And that sums up my February favourites in one blogpost, oh and a video too :). Do you have any stand out products for the month? Beauty or otherwise of course? Let me know and as always thanks for clicking and watching.

Gemma

xxx

It’s monthly favourites time again. I’m back to ramble all about my September Favourites for 2016 this time.

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Can you believe it’s October? The year is honestly slipping away at a rapid speed, I can’t keep up at all! My September favourites consist of makeup,skincare,fragrance and even a stab into the fashion world.

September Favourites

There’s the original Urban Decay Naked Palette. You can of course get this from Debenhams here.

The makeup mixing palette, I picked up in store from Penneys for €4. A little bloody bargain.

The Sleek Cleopatra’s Kiss Palette. I have a full review and demo of this here. It’s worth a look, I promise 🙂

The Clarins Instant Light Comfort Lip Oil. A definite splurge at €21, but a really nice treat for the lips. You can get it from Debenhams here.

Stella McCartney Pop Eau De Parfum. Summer in a bottle for me 🙂 You can buy this from Boots or any decent perfume shop. Here’s a link to it on the Debenhams website.

Asian sheet masks are readily available from different sellers on eBay or Amazon. A Irish distribution called Natural Balance Global sent me the SNP ones that I have particularly enjoying. Here’s a link to their website if you fancy checking them out. They do come in boxes of ten though, I think that’s worth noting, in case you were just looking to try them out.

Then, the last of my September Favourites includes my cute little Zara bag. It’s €29.95 and I ordered it from the website here. May I add, Zara are killing it in the bag game. I just went on there to get the link for my bag and saw at least five other bags I really really want!

And there you have my September favourites for 2016!

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I am kinda sad to be leaving the Summer behind, not gonna lie 🙂

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Anything you’ve been particularly loving lately?

xxx

Another month another bundle of random products and things. Yep, it’s time for my August favourites for 2016 🙂 Summer is just about to come to an end. I am completely ok with Autumn coming, Winter is another story though…bleh!

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Anyways…my August Favourites bring a random array of goodies your way. If you are an eagle eyes reader you may notice that there is a makeup brush in my hand in the cover photo. First off well done for noticing 🙂 And also it’s nearly become a tradition for me now to lose chunks of footage from my monthly favourites videos and the brush clip was the unlucky one that just disappeared off of my camera. But, it’s a dual ended blending brush from Blank Canvas Cosmetics with the E26 on one end and the E25 on the other. It’s on their website here and I really like it, it’s so handy!

The rest of my favourites look a bit like this.

August Favourites

You can buy the Adidas Superstar runners from JD Sports here. I’m nearly sure John paid €88 for my ones in June for my birthday but the listed price here is €95.

I have a whole post about the Becca x Jaclyn Hill Palette here.

You can buy the Dermalogica Hyrda Blur Primer here.

I have a video about the Garnier Micellar Oil infused Cleansing Water here too.

The Guns n Roses T-shirt is from the men’s department in H&M. I found it on the website here. It’s actually €14.99, I got my pricing wrong, apologies.

And then finally, my random phone ring thing 🙂 I got it from eBay here and I regret nothing :).

August Favourites

So there you have it, if you need anymore info, by all means just ask. You can of course watch the video above on the website or you can watch it directly from youtube by clicking the link here.

 

I hope you have a healthy and happy September. Thanks as always for the support.

Gemma

xxx