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Fashion, Beauty And Homeware Edinburgh Haul

Edinburgh definitely wasn’t supposed to be a shopping holiday. We were only there for two days. Myself, John and my Mam went. We explored the city (which is awesome by the way). We did some of the tourist attractions. Camera Obscura is definitely something to do if you go, and ate and drank ourselves silly. On the last day our flight was in the evening so we pottered into the city and the shopping just happened. My mother is a professional shopping in fairness so she took us all along for the ride 🙂 I ended up getting some fashion bits, beauty and homeware bits too. Compiling it all together I realised I had enough to compile a haul 🙂

Also myself and John casually got married in Camera Obscura.

My brother paid for the very intimate ceremony. £2 to be exact. Don’t worry it wasn’t official, if we ever do get married I probably would’t wear a veil…or a denim jacket 🙂

Edinburgh city is really great place to shop as well as sightsee. It’s not too big so you can get around pretty easy by foot and there’s lots of great stores to peruse.

I was particularly excited to see Anthropologie. I’ve never been inside one of their stores, although I have lusted after their products online. I have seen UK YouTubers I follow with their amazing Slivered Geode Coasters. I knew I wanted at one strictly for Instagram purposes 🙂 They are 14 quid a pop! I ended up with two. My brother bought me one (wedding present ha), and then John kindly bought me one too.

I also got the prettiest monogrammed mug which was on special for £8.

You can shop the Gilded Shapes mugs here.

Primark aka Penneys got hit a little as well. They seem to do a thing where you can buy some stuff in certain stores but not in others so it’s always good to have a little looksy.

Apologies, I have no idea if any of these are available in Ireland.

I picked up two pairs of trousers.

I have a really similar black pair from New Look and get a lot of wear out of them so I thought I would pick up a couple more.

This super cute t shirt was £8.

Definitely more for Spring, but you have to act fast in Penneys so this went into the basket too 🙂

I chose two of the cream eyeshadows from their newly released In The Nude Collection.

I actually went to the launch of this collection here in Dublin a couple of weeks ago and these were one of the products I was impressed with. They were only £2!

The last thing fashion related thing I bought is probably my favourite.

Yes, they are Disney themed!!! I just fell in love with them, they’re so cute right? They have Mickey and Minnie AND lipstick kisses on them! And they were only £10. I am a child at heart for sure.

A quick look around Superdrug just to see if they had anything different than in Dublin made me leave with two things.

Although I’ve tried a fair few items from Makeup Revolution, I’ve never tried anything from their I Heart Makeup Range. Now I’m fully aware that these are a complete rip off of Too Faced, but sure look they were cheap 🙂

The Chocolate and Peaches Palette went into my basket. It was £7.99.

Keeping on the peach them then, I got the Peachy Pink Kiss Blush. This was £4.99.

I will keep you posted about how I get on with them.

I decided on this trip that I was going to keep a look out for a baker boy cap. How fashion forward of me. Initially I had bought this one before Christmas from ASOS. I bloody love it but unfortunately my giant head is too big for it as it’s made from quite a ridged material.

This striped one was spotted in Zara.

I put it on and although I liked it it’s not as universal as just a plain black one. I was about to put it back the mammy whipped it off my head and bought it. It stayed on my head for the whole day after that and I love it. Although the boys kept calling me a train conductor 🙂

I was still on a quest for a plain black one, and ended up spotting this corduroy one in Topshop.

Because of my big mallet, I didn’t want one that was too puffy and if it had hardware I wanted it to be gold, this fit the bill perfectly.

The Mammy then spotted the same cap in pink and insisted on buying that one for me too. It’s not on the website so I can’t link it sorry.

Yes, she is a shopaholic. So now I am the proud owner of THREE baker boy hats! There’s a grey one too that she wanted to get as well, I had to reel her in at that point 🙂

The last thing I got was this little gold star and moon pendant from Topshop also.

It was on sale for £3 and I absolutely love it.

And that’s it for my Edinburgh fashion, beauty and makeup haul. We had the best time there. Myself and John are already planning to go back. Have you been? Click here to check out our Brussels vlog.

xxx

February 28, 2018/by Gem

Youtube Video

What I Got For Christmas 2017

I’ve done it! I know it’s a controversial kind of post, but I love having a nose, so here’s my offering of ‘What I Got For Christmas’ 2017. We didn’t go to mad on pressies this year, but I did get some lovely bits and though I would chat through some of them 🙂

I’ll list some of the main things in case anything takes your fancy or you want to add anything to your list for next year.

John got me the L’Oréal Steampod. He bought it directly from Peter Mark in one of the salons. But you can find it online here.

My red lipstick for this season was the Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet Lipstick in 56 Rouge Charnel. You can get in from Debenhams online here.

My very fancy lip balm is the infamous ByTerry Baume De Rose. He picked it up from Spacenk in store, but it’s online here if you want a closer look.

My future Fenty purchases will be from Harvey Nicks in store, but they also sell online here. You just can’t use gift cards on their website which is a bit of a pain.

Here is the candle I chat about close up. It’s a Malin + Goetz Dark Rum candle and John picked it up from Spacenk here.

My Chanel Mademoiselle Body Oil is from Brown Thomas here.

The Casio watch is from Asos. It’s not there anymore unfortunately. However they do have a a yellow gold one (which I want now as well), here. The bracelet is from TK Maxx so I can’t link it.

Anything else, just holler 🙂 The full video is over on my YouTube channel here.

So, I’ve told you what I got for Christmas this year. It was a really nice chilled affair. I ate and drank loads and I’m still recovering. Now you tell me, what did you get?

Happy 2018. Hope it brings loads of lovely happy memories.

Thanks for sticking around.

Gemma

xxx

January 3, 2018/by Gem

Makeup, Youtube Video

How I Did My Makeup In School

This is a tag that has been going around the beauty Youtube community the last few weeks. I have really been enjoying watching all the videos from big and little youtubers (like myself). So, I thought I would chance my arm and film How I Did My Makeup In School 🙂

In my how i did my makeup in school video, you will learn nothing at all believe me. But it is makeup related, so I figured it was ok 🙂 I actually couldn’t believe how much I remembered about doing my makeup when I was 17 and 18 because I’m not going to lie it was a good while ago now.

Some of the products I used where ones that I did in fact use back in the early noughties.

But I did replace some of them with newer versions that still gave the same effect. Can you believe at one stage of my life, I probably owned only 8 makeup products? It doesn’t even bare thinking about 🙂

I even threw in how I did my hair and my outfit of choice (kinda) for good measure 🙂

If you want to see me actually do my makeup half decent, here’s my latest look. This is a little more put together and appropriate of the time!

I actually really enjoyed just chatting to the camera for this video, so much so I had to edit alot of it out!

If you want a laugh, you can just click on my how I did my makeup in school video above, or you can click the link here and head on over to my Youtube channel. And if you are a Youtube video junkie like myself I would love if you subscribed too. I am trying to make a video a week along with my blog posts 🙂

So tell me, what were your go to products back in the day?

xxx

September 25, 2016/by Gem

Makeup, Skincare

Image I Conceal Flawless Foundation

I’m a big fan of Image Skincare. I’ve used a fair few of their products over the years. It’s definitely not the cheapest out there, but with it being a salon grade brand, you do get what you pay for.

The Image I Conceal Flawless Foundation has gotten a bit of a a spruce up. The packaging is more modern and sleek than previously. I’ve been using this bad boy for a good chunk of time now, so I thought it was time for me to give my thoughts on it and show you it in action. Readers beware, there is some no makeup pictures below 🙂

I really like the new packaging. It has a brushed clear plastic casing and then you twist the top to reveal the pump.

According to Image: ‘I Conceal is the all-in-one illuminating, lightweight and water-resistant foundation, which heals and conceals to reveal a healthier, flawless complexion every day. It is available in 6 different colours – Porcelain, Natural, Beige, Suede, Toffee and Mocha – so there is one suitable for everybody. This daily healthy skin foundation is mineral based, paraben free, is breathable and oxygenates and heals the skin. It gives maximum coverage without a heavy appearance and gives a dewy glow to all skins. I-Conceal Flawless Foundation is SPF 30 and provides broad spectrum UVA / UVB protection. This Image Skincare Flawless Foundation is indicated for daily use on all skin types and highly effective for the following:

Pigmentation
Redness & Rosacea
Acne & Acne Scarring
Post-Cosmetic Injections
Bruising & Scaring
Post-treatment
Post-Laser
Post-Surgery

In Gemma terms the Image I Conceal Flawless Foundation is really rather nice! With my skin being on the oilier side, I find anything with a high SPF is usually too greasy for my skin and it either slips and slides on my face or makes my makeup slip and slide. This means I end up not using an SPF which is so so bad I know, or using a foundation with a much lower amount, that’s probably not really doing much for my skin at all!

I have the colour ‘Natural’ which is a shade or maybe two too dark for me, but I make it work by taking it down the neck. ‘Porcelain’ would be a better match.

This was a press sample though so I wasn’t colour matched for it.

Although the consistency is on the thicker side, it does blend really well too so I can kind of get away with it. 🙂 So here it is in action on my mug.

My skin with no product applied

I applied the foundation with a dense brush and made sure to take it down my neck

I buffed it in really well

Straight after application

About ten minutes after application

The I Conceal to me has a medium to full coverage depending on how much you apply or what tool you use. It covers redness really well and I find I use less concealer on blemishes afterwards. It has a more dewy finish, but it also sets so it doesn’t feel oily or leave a residue behind. As I do have oily skin, I tend to powder down my makeup or go for more matte finish foundations just because they last longer. I don’t mind a bit of luminosity at all if it doesn’t make the natural oils come through. And I concur that for me the Image I Conceal really doesn’t. Actually after this application, I wasn’t going anywhere so I didn’t add any more makeup after taking the photos and went about my day. It took a good few hours before what I like to call the ugly shine came through 🙂

I can’t speak too much about it’s restorative qualities as my skin is not healing from anything major. I do suffer from spots though and it does seem to ease the redness and any inflammation which is awesome!

I honestly can’t fault the Image I Conceal Flawless Foundation. It’s skincare, SPF 30 and good coverage mineral foundation in one! They say it works for all skin types and usually I would kind of guffaw at a statement like that, but the fact that it gives a dewy finish, but has really great staying power…dare I say, I kind of agree with them!

I think the Image I Conceal Flawless Foundation retails for about €48 so it’s definitely a splurge. If it does interest you though, pop into a salon that sells Image and ask for a sample. Renaissance have a list of stockists here.

xxx

June 3, 2016/2 Comments/by Gem

Beautynook Tips, Makeup

Cleaning My Makeup Brushes

I don’t think there’s one person in the world who enjoys the task of cleaning their makeup brushes. If you do I applaud you, for me it’s a menial task. However, the aftermath is so rewarding, seeing all of the white fluffy head peaking out of their flower pot homes 🙂

How I clean my makeup brushes is not a new way or a fancy way (have you seen the machines you can buy now to do it?) but it gets the job done and it gets my makeup brushes and sponges squeaky clean.

Over the years of being a makeup fanatic I have accumulated alot of makeup brushes, so it does take me a while to get through them and then that means when I run out of clean ones, I have a pretty mammoth job on my hands. I change up my foundation brush probably every three uses, of course you can just wash as you go, I just have a few to procrastinate with 🙂

Brush cleaning mats have become the norm in the makeup world. Sigma and Real Techniques have their own versions of them. They’re basically just a gripped rubber surface and so people have found cheaper alternatives be it in the household department (rubber gloves work great too), in Penneys, Dealz, or for me I found mine in the body care aisle of Boots.

This is the Massage Glove from Soap & Glory. I first saw Anna from ViviannaDoesMakeup using this. It’s rubber, it has grips and you can slip your hand into it for added pressure on your brushes. Even better news a lovely reader told me she saw these being sold off in her local Boots for nearly half the RRP, score!

In the past, I’ve used the Massage Glove in conjunction with baby shampoo and this works well, but for more stubborn makeup brushes like tightly packed kabuki ones, it can be a labour of love trying to get the bristles really clean.

There are specifically formulated brush cleansers too which are great but can be hard to come by. I saw alot of people using naturally derived soaps, and the Moogoo Fresh Milk Cleansing Bar has been spoken about very highly to get the job done well, so I had to give it a go. It contains Olive Oil (which is another great deep brush cleanser in it’s own right) and Cocoa Butter.

Both of these, with some added hot water of course do the job really well!

I take the massage glove on my hand. Another reason why I like the glove is that it protects your hand from the soap and water. I am not a fan of crinkly fingers 🙂

Wet my makeup brush with warm/hot water.

Swirl it in the bar of soap a few times.

I am firm enough to get into the base of the bristles, but I am conscious of the ferrule and the handle as if they can get damaged from water getting in, the bristles or even the actual brush head can become loose.

I massage the soaped up brush with the glove to lather it up and really get it clean.

And then rinse.

For brushes you use with liquid products, you might have to repeat the steps a couple times until the water runs clear.

It works really well on makeup sponges too. Here’s my well loved Beauty Blender.

And my Real techniques Sponge before and after.

It even works on the flat tightly packed brushes too.

When it comes to eyeshadow brushes, if I have only used them for powder products, I usually grab a few that are of similar length and clean them together.

When I am finished soaping up 🙂 I lay a towel on the floor under a radiator and place all of my makeup brushes down along it.

The towel helps absorb excess moisture and then if the radiator is on the residual heat helps the drying process too. If I need some of the brushes in a hurry I’ll put a few of them alot the top of the rad too, not ideal, but needs must 🙂

Of course if you lived in a hotter drier climate you could just use your window sill, or you can just air dry them or even put them in the hot press, whatever works for you!

And there you have it, my makeup brushes are now hygienically clean but also any product staining is also gone too, which is not always achieved with other methods.

Be sure to let me know if you found this helpful and if you have any brush cleaning tips or tricks 🙂

xxx

May 11, 2016/4 Comments/by Gem

Makeup, Youtube Video

Spring Makeup Get Ready With Me

So many of you told me you love watching Get Ready With Me style videos. I love watching them too (not my own though if I’m being honest ha) So here’s a Spring Makeup one, where I am basically applying a face of makeup that I would wear for a Spring day/early evening. Myself and himself were off for some Friday eats this day so I thought it would be a appropriate because I was actually doing my makeup to go somewhere, not just for the sake of filming 🙂

This is more of a talk through style video, which I still haven’t completely mastered, words still elude me 🙂 But I thought I would give it a whirl and sure don’t they say practice makes perfect, right?

I used a mixture of more affordable and more high end makeup which is a true representation of my normal makeup routine. I like to mix it up 🙂

So the products I used (including skincare) are:

La Roche Posay Serozince- Full review here

Vichy Normaderm Beautifying Anti Blemish Care Moisturiser- Full review here

thisworks Light Time Open Eyes Eye Cream

Essence Prettifying Lip Oil

Maybelline Baby Skin Primer

Image Skincare I Conceal Flawless Foundation

Soap & Glory Archery Brow Pencil

HD Brows Kit

Billion Dollar Brows Brow Gel

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Essence 2 in 1 Shadow & Liner Pencil in 06 She’s Got The Mauve

Lorac Pro Palette

By Terry Ombre Blackstar in Bronze Moon

Rimmel Exaggerate Eyeliner in Rich Brown

YSL Volume Effect Faux Cils Waterproof Mascara- Full review here

Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer- Full review here

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

Mac Full Coverage Foundation (as concealer)

Nars Laguna Bronzer

Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder in medium- Full review here

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette (all three 🙂 )

Ben Nye Cameo Powder- Full review here

theBalm MaryLou-Manizer- Full review here

Rimmel Exaggerate in Addiction

L’Oreal Infallible Fixing Mist- Full Review here

So there you have it all the products I used in my Spring Makeup Get Ready With Me. I would love to know what you think and be sure to tell me your favourite types of beauty videos to watch.

Thanks for watching (and reading :))

Gemma

xxx

April 27, 2016/by Gem