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I’m a going through a bit of a budget beauty phase at the minute. Here is another one to throw into the mix. I created this really simple, but I think effective, gold glitter eyeshadow look using all Penneys/Primark products.

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Now I did cheat ever so slightly, just because I didn’t have everything I needed, like eyeshadow primer for example from Penneys. But all the products after that are Penneys own brand, PS Beauty, or products that are readily available in store. I’m talking like I used a bucket of products, I didn’t. You’ll see in the video 🙂 I have reviews already of the powder eyeshadows from Penneys here and the glitter and cream shadows here and here. That’s all the main bases covered I think in this gold glitter eyeshadow look.

gold glitter eyeshadow tutorial

There is chat about my eyebrows too in this video, which I’ve recently gotten micro bladed. I have put all my brow updated into highlights on my Instagram, just so I can refer to it if there’s any questions. I go through the process and the pricing and all that good stuff over there.

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The gold glitter eyeshadow look itself I think is reasonably easy and I didn’t go in too heavy. I wanted it to be wearable, but still a bit sparkly.

The star of the show is the €1 Penneys eyeshadow called Gold Digger.

gold glitter eyeshadow look penneys

I’ve also come to the realisation in the past few weeks, that doing your eyeshadow before your base is brilliant. You can clean up any fall out and correct your work and you base won’t have glitter eyeshadow in it 🙂

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I am super happy with how this turned out, the spot under my eye is really annoying, but I have to get over that 🙂

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I kept the skin super simple, and added a matte pinky nude lip and a good splodge of highlighter to finish things off. Let me know what you think. Do you rate any of the Penneys makeup?

xxx

I don’t know how new the Mac Extended Play Perm Me Up Lash Mascara is. But, I hadn’t heard a dickie bird about it online. I just pottered into Mac in Brown Thomas for a visual makeup refresh. As I do. I like to keep updated on the new releases if I can. And there it was in all of it’s mascara glory!

Mac Extended Play Perm Me Up Lash Mascara review

It’s not really a spoiler if I say I bought the Mac Extended Play Perm Me Up Lash Mascara there and then really is it? Considering this is a review and I am holding it in all of the pictures 🙂 I am such a fan of the normal Extended Play mascara. Specifically for my bottom lashes, which I explain here.

Mac Extended Play Perm Me Up Lash Mascara

The original has a dinkier brush, but the formula is the same. It doesn’t budge or flake, and its super separating. It’s also not too much of a bitch to get off! For some, it works on their top lashes top, but not on my boring straight ones.

However the new one does.

Mac Extended Play Perm Me Up Lash Mascara

The spoolie is bigger, fluffier and curved. It works really well coating and elongating the lashes. It gives a fair amount of volume too. But the big thing for me? It holds a curl. All day long.

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I do curl my lashes just because on their own they’re straight, so they need a little help. I’ve gotten lash lifts sporadically over the past couple of years. There’s more talk about that here. However, my last one didn’t end well. Nothing to do with the treatment itself, just my lashes went a bit haywire at the end. They took a while to go back to normal. So, I am back on the eyelash curler and mascara bandwagon.

I did a super short video of the Mac Extended Play Perm Me Up Lash Mascara in action which you can see at the top of this post and here. And here are some stills as well.

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Here it is on both top and bottom lashes too, just to be thorough 🙂

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Unfortunately for me personally, the brush doesn’t work as good as the original on my bottom lashes. The formula does, but I just can’t get the definition  with the bigger fluffier brush. Kind of gutted. I thought I was on to a money saving winner. However I think I’m still destined to keep buying the original too. It’s good to note, that the OG is 5.7 grams. Whereas the new one comes with 8 grams of product for a pretty identical price point.

Overall though, I am a big fan of the new Mac Extended Play Perm Me Up Lash Mascara.  I am delighted I picked it up. Are you an Extended Play fan?

xxx

irish beauty blog beautynookI 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 :)******

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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.

lash lift Vanity Rooms
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lvl lash lift vanity rooms

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.irish beauty blog

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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.

lash lift elysian brows
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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 🙂irish beauty blog beautynook

 

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

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’.

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 🙂

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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.

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

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

Glam Purple Makeup Tutorial

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 🙂

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

Gemma.

xxx

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L'Oréal Paradise Waterproof MascaraMy 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!

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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.L'Oréal Paradise 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.irish beauty sitetop irish beauty site

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.

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top irish beauty bloggerThe 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.

L'Oréal Paradise Waterproof Mascaratop beauty blog

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.beauty blogirish beauty youtuber

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.

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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

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top irish blogThe Clarins Summer Collection for this year has been something I’ve been waiting with baited breath for. That sounds a bit dramatic I know, but there was one product in particular that I struck up a fancy with.

clarins summer collection

The theme is Sun kissed, hot Florida vibes. The packaging is adorned with flamingoes and palm trees to get us into the Summer mood 🙂

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I have a cross section of all the products, except for two.top irish beauty blog

There is a limited edition bronzing version of their SOS Primer.clarins summer collection 2018

There is two shades to help warm up all complexions. They retail for €31.00.

There’s also limited edition shades of their Lip Comfort Oils.  This one is in Blackberry.irish beauty blog

These retail for €21.00.

The 4 Colour All In One Pen is back again! I have a post on the one from last Summer here.top beauty blog ireland

This time around, the packaging much brighter to keep within the Miami vibes, as are the pencils themselves.top beauty blogger irelandclarins ireland

It comes with three eyeliners. A matte black, plum and bright turquoise green. As well as a bright pink lip liner too. I’ve definitely been getting the most use out of the green and pink, they go really well together. The pen retails for €36.00.top beauty blogtop beauty blogger

Next up in the Clarins Summer Collection run through is limited edition emerald green Supra Mascara.top irish beauty bloggerbeauty blog ireland

I have to be honest opening this I was in awe, but trying to utilise it was another kettle of fish. For me personally it doesn’t add much colour to the lashes if any. beauty blogger irelandI’ll keep trying with it though as I know people think highly of the Supra Mascara formula. This retails for €26.00.

The last product is my very favourite from the Clarins Summer Collection.clarins summer 2018

This is the limited edition Blush & Bronze Compact for 2018.irish beauty sitetop irish beauty site

I have to be honest it was the cool flamingo and palm tree motif and packaging that made me lust after this initially. But, it’s actually a really nice natural bronzer to boot.clarins bronzerdublin beauty blog

It has three matte shades within going from a matte bronze to a deeper tone. I tend to just swirl them altogether and apply them to the high points of my face and neck. Clarins say it contains skincare so can help protect the skin from pollutants too. This compact retails for €47.00.

 

All products are available from Clarins stockists now. Any of them tickle your Summer fancy?

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