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Makeup Favourites At The Moment

I didn’t do monthly favourites last month. I went on holidays. Have I mentioned that already? 🙂 And just didn’t get around to it. So I thought I would have a look at my stash and talk about five of my makeup favourites of the moment. You know I like to do these things in fives for some reason. I have no idea why.

Five makeup favourites that have been on my face consistently for the past few weeks. All of these were on holiday with me. Although I will say I did buy two of them while I was there. But once I did, I didn’t stop wearing them.

First up is something I haven’t really shut up about and have a collective post on the range here.

In particular, this eyeshadow called Zinc About You’, from the Essence Melted Chrome range has been making it onto my eyelids a lot.

It’s just a cool taupe pinky colour to wear on it’s own patted on the lid. You can check it out in that capacity here. See told you I haven’t shut up about it, I have a ridiculous amount of content on these. But it also works within a full on makeup look. I wore it out for dinner more dramatically with a smidgen of glitter added over top and got so many compliments. And it’s only €3.80. Bloody score!

Second of my current makeup favourites is something I got in a giant press pack from theBalm, seriously it was epic. This was one of the things that stayed in my possession from all the loot. It’s their Balm Beach Long Wearing Blush.

It’s just a really un offensive, goes with anything kind of blush.

It has a bit of pink to it and a hint of peach, so I just feel like it works well for warming up my skin tone. It’s a blush you can build up or just add a wash of colour to the cheeks with, which is what I personally like. Just a really good staple.

Third up is a product I’ve bought time and time again through the years. I have a review of it here that I did years ago. Sorry about the brows 🙂

They’ve changed the name since then and it’s now called the Catrice Glam & Doll. I generally always use a waterproof mascara, just because they hold a curl better.

I just bloody love this mascara. It lengthens my lashes, gives them volume and keeps the curl after I use an eyelash curlers. I bought a fresh tube to bring on holidays with me just because I know it works for me, and I am so glad to be using it again. It’s also less then a fiver and so readily available too.

My last two makeup favourites of the moment are holiday purchases from Kiko.

One was something specific that I went in for, although they didn’t have the exact colour. My lovely OG blogger friend Dee said to me the last time I went to Kiko to get their Water Eyeshadow in 200. Not only is it a lovely eyeshadow, it makes such a gorgeous highlight. I forgot that time, so I was made sure not to this time round.

They didn’t have the shade unfortunately, but I did find a great alternative in 208 Light Gold.

These are specifically formulated to work wet or dry. I think as a shadow it’s better to wet your brush, as a highlighter it works perfectly as is. It’s a lovely light gold shade. And I think €8.95 for a dual use product is pretty decent.

My other makeup favourite from Kiko was a last minute decision. And a bit random, but it totes worked out 🙂

This is the Kiko Pencil Lip Gloss in 06 Pink Glitter.

It was €3.95, it’s pink, it’s sparkly and I bloody love it. I’ve never owned a gloss in pencil form. It’s not the easiest thing to sharpen because the product is quite soft, that’s definitely a downer. But, I love the colour, love the sparkle and love that you can draw your lip line and fill in with your lipgloss. It’s kind of ingenious, right?

And for now, I’ll stop rambling because this post is 700 words long 🙂

xxx

CONTAINS PR SAMPLES**

October 15, 2018/by Gem

Makeup

Disappointing Makeup Products

I have been in a bit of a creative rut this week. I asked on Instagram stories what kind of content you like. Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to message me and fill my head with awesome ideas. I appreciate it so much. A big shout out to my lovely friend Sinéad aka The Beautiful Truth for giving me the Disappointing Makeup Products idea.

I generally talk about products I really disliked on social media. When I review products I try to be as logical as possible. I like to give the pros and the cons. I rarely dedicate a post to things I have and just generally don’t get on with. But it’s fun to change things up 🙂 Now this won’t be scathing. Everything is up for interpretation and just because I dislike something doesn’t mean everyone does. This is just my opinion.

First up of my six disappointing makeup products, is the Kiko Smart Cult Eyeshadow Palette in Matte Revolution. I did a post swatching this when I first got it here.

I bought this in Brussels after seen it plastered all over social media. The colours looked so cool and generally I am a big fan of Kiko.

This just doesn’t do it for me though. On first swatch some of the colours are grand, but trying to blend them on the eyes is way too much of a chore. They blend away to nothing. Yes, I can make it work if I need to, but this palette has just ended up lying in a drawer not being used. It wasn’t expensive, but still, it was definitely a waste of my money.

My second choice is controversial. So many people would declare this their holy grail. This is the Clinique Beyond Perfecting Foundation + Concealer.

For me, this foundation is too thick. I don’t like the doe-foot applicator, and I just find it hard to blend.

I don’t mind a thicker foundation, but I would put this in the same category as Esteè Lauder Double Wear. Although I do say in my review it isn’t as thick, but it nearly is 🙂 It’s just too much for me. At least Double Wear stands the test of time on my oily skin, this only does an ok job. I find it grand, but I haven’t reached for it much at all since buying it.

Third up, is the LA Girl Pro Primer Eyeshadow Primer.

This just doesn’t keep my eyeshadow in check. I have relatively oily lids so I am generally a good judge of eyeshadow primer. This is in the shade Nude. I think it’s more yellow toned, so unless I am covering it completely on the lids, the tone will poke through a bit.

It just doesn’t cut the mustard. I like that it’s in stick form, it’s easy to use and super affordable, but not for me 🙁

The Zoeva Strobe Gel was completely bought on a whim because the jelly like texture intrigued me.

I have the shade Halo.

If you like a more subtle highlight, this might work for you. For me, it just looks like nothing on my skin, especially when applied with a brush. Applying it with your fingers is tricky though, as the formula just doesn’t allow itself to be picked up with your fingertips too well. I tried to incorporate it into my makeup and to make it work, but I just end up reaching for something else. It’s a cool concept, but gets a thumbs down from me.

My next two disappointing makeup products will again, be controversial.

I only have a travel size of the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara. I got it within a PR pack.

Waterproof mascara is more my jam, most of the time. But I do try lots of non waterproof formulas and do review the ones that meet my extremely high mascara standards 🙂

So many people adore this mascara. I don’t! I deem it grand. It coats the lashes, helps a little with volume and on me, flakes like a bitch. If a mascara flakes after a long ass, productive day, I can live with that. But this does it a couple of hours into wear on me. For that reason, it’s made the list 🙂

Ok, my last disappointing makeup product is the Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in Pillow Talk.

Now hear me out because this is definitely a more personal disappointment. I am just not wowed by it. The texture is a bit drying, especially for the price. It’s also super super similar to my lip colour, so it tends to look more brown on me than pink.

I have the lipstick too . (I have a blogpost about it here). You can see both of them swatched in that. I reach for the lipstick way more, although I am not a huge fan of the fragrance, but I can get over that. I have the lip liner literally years, and it’s still very much in tact as you can see. Give me Rimmel’s Eastend Snob liner over it any day!

Do any of my disappointing makeup choices shock you? Are some of your holy grails in here? This is what I love about makeup, one person’s trash can be another person’s treasure 🙂

xxx

April 5, 2018/1 Comment/by Gem

Bargain Buying, Makeup

Kiko Smart Cult Eyeshadow Palette – Matte Revolution

I hauled the Kiko Smart Cult Eyeshadow Palette in Matte Revolution here a while back. I picked up a few bits in one of their Brussels stores. (You can see a sneak peek of the store in our vlog of the city here too).

As I said in the haul, I had seen the Kiko Smart Cult Eyeshadow Palette on social media before I went, and they were on my wish list.

There is two to choose from. The Matte Revolution one that I have here and a Shocking Sparkle Shades too. I wanted both, but they only had the matte one in stock.

At first sight, this palette really is gorgeous. Obviously with a name like Matte Revolution, of course all of the shades are matte.

It comes in a sleek black palette, with a large mirror on the lid which is always appreciated.

There is 12 colours within the palette ranging from a nude skin colour to a matte black. There’s more wearable cool toned mauve shades, with a couple of more warm browns with some fun colours thrown in for good measure. The shade choices are inspired by Autumn, which I think makes complete sense.

On first swatch, I was impressed with the Kiko Smart Cult Eyeshadow Palette matte palette. The shades seemed soft to the touch and had decent pay off.

However, upon using this palette on the eyes, I have to admit, I am not overly impressed with the performance. Now, I know generally, for more affordable makeup brands, matte shades seem to be where they let themselves down. If you pack on one of the colours in a block form, so on the lash line or onto the lid, they’ll perform ok. However, if you try to blend them out, it just becomes a bit of a mess. The pigment disappears and you are left with just a muddy look on the eyelid. There’s also a decent amount of fallout.

Overall, I can’t say I could recommend the Kiko Smart Cult Eyeshadow Palette in Matte Revolution even for the price point and even with it having 30% off! I will get use out of it maybe over cream shadows or as coloured liner wet on the lash line, but as a palette it disappoints. I’m gutted as I love everything else I got in the haul, this is just a bit of a lukewarm purchase for me. You can pick it up here from the Kiko website.

xxx

February 5, 2018/by Gem

Lifestyle, Youtube Video

Vlog: Brussels & Bruges

It’s been a while since I uploaded a vlog! We live at home at the minute ie: with the parentals, so it’s not really something I’m too comfortable with doing here. We’ve been trying to do it when we’ve something on or we’re away though.

John secretly likes it and it gives me practice with the camera and talking to the camera in front of him and strangers! I’m still not too great with it, but baby steps and all that 🙂

So if you didn’t know we went to Brussels for John’s birthday for a couple of days. He is majorly into his craft beer, so where else would you be heading with a hobby like that, right?

I am also majorly into chips, waffles and chocolate, who isn’t? 🙂 It’s definitely the place to explore that too.

We were broke after Christmas, so this was predominately a more budget friendly trip. The flights were super cheap in the Ryanair sales and we booked a really affordable AirBnB. I do a little tour of it in the vlog here if you want to see it up close. It was a gem of a find!

If you want to see Brussels and we went to Bruges for the day too from a touristy perspective, this vlog is for you.
We just wandered around, taking in the beautiful buildings. And also eating and drinking what the cities had to offer.

We weren’t sure what to expect, but we had the best time. The people were lovely and considering they already speak two languages within the one country, their English is bloody brilliant. Also, their infrastructure makes it really easy to get around too. We went for two days, we could have easily had one more to take in even more sights and maybe go to a museum or two as well.

The shopping is pretty great in Brussels and Bruges, if that would tickle your fancy more. I managed a quick trip to Kiko, which I was pretty delighted about. I did a haul here if you fancy checking it out.

All in all we had the best time. I didn’t vlog everything just because I’m damn awkward, but hopefully you get a taste of what the cities have to offer.

Let me know what you think.

xxx

January 31, 2018/by Gem

Makeup Tutorial, Youtube Video

Easy St Patrick’s Day Makeup Look

I wouldn’t be Irish and the occasion would not be marked if I didn’t at least attempt a St Patrick’s Day Makeup Look.

I am a big fan of green eyeshadow, so for me this is something I would wear anytime honestly. But we will call it St Patrick’s Day makeup because it fits the bill too 🙂 As always I am not a makeup artist, so this is just something really simple and easy to achieve, but hopefully fun at the same time too!

I did a St Patrick’s Day makeup look last year, when I first set up my YouTube channel here. This is full on green. I thought this year, I would make it a little more subtle, but still festive at the same time. Think of it like your own makeup, that you are comfortable with, just with a hint of Paddy thrown in 🙂

As always, you can watch the video by clicking on it above, or directly on my Youtube channel here.

I used a mixture of the Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics palette which I have all the details on here. I used some Makeup Geek shadows, which you can buy online here. And, of course some Mac shadows that you can buy from Brown Thomas online here. The Kiko cream eyeshadow stick is directly from Kiko here.

Of course I use and name an abundance of other products. If you have any questions about any of them, just let me know in the comments below. You know I love to talk makeup any time 🙂

As always, thanks for taking the time to click in. Have a brilliant St Patrick’s Day whatever you get up too. I think my own this year will be pretty low key, but I am very much looking forward to it. There is always such a lovely atmosphere 🙂

Gemma

xxx

March 12, 2017/by Gem

Monthly Favourites, Youtube Video

November Favourites

As I am writing this we are in Kinsale for a couple of days. I thought I would bring my camera with me and film my November favourites.

You can see I brought my ring light too and it gave me somewhat of a halo as it is reflecting off of the picture behind me. Apologies! but sure if the halo fits and all that 🙂

My November favourites consist mostly of makeup with a couple of random things thrown in for good measure.

If you follow me on social media, you know I have begun a bit of a gym journey. I am enjoying it. However the results are slow ( I do like my grub) 🙂 My earphones have become a necessity in my life. So, I had to include them.

My House Of Harlow Sunburst earrings have appeared in my favourites before. I just get so much wear out of them though. I’ve definitely got my monies worth! I thought it was ok to include them again since it was a couple of years since they made an appearance 🙂

I have used the Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics Palette probably everyday of November, so it was a no brainer that I would include in my November Favourites. I have a full review of it here if you want to see it in action.

The L’Oréal True Match Foundation has made its way onto my face on a daily basis over the course of November. I have a full review and all the deets on it here.

The Kiko Longlasting Eyeshadow Sticks are just awesome. I am a huge fan and they are so affordable. You can get them on the Kiko website here.

And then finally we have the Colourpop Créme Gel Pencil in ‘Get Paid’. You can get it from their website here.

And that’s my November Favourites done 🙂 Happy December….roll on Christmas!!!!!

Have you had any faves this month?

xxx

December 2, 2016/by Gem