lasting Archives - Irish Beauty Blog Beautynook

Brow Routine Updated

I sound dramatic when I say I get a lot of questions about my brow routine. But, it’s actually probably my most asked beauty question.

My eyebrows have come such a long way in the past couple of years. I was definitely one of the ‘tadpole’ brow crew. We started in our teens and we just continued on plucking and plucking and never looking back 🙂 With the help of YouTube videos and the awesome brow gals at Benefit though, I finally gotten a handle on filling them in.

Unfortunately my natural eyebrows are left in a bit of a wreck from over plucking. I did get a stem cell treatment done last year that definitely helped them fill out a bit, but as you can see, a decent brow routine is completely necessary for me.

As I say in the video, I am no expert and my brows are not perfect, nor are they twins. But I’ve come to terms with that and just do them to the best of my ability. I’ve gotten better over the years, so maybe this time next year I’ll be even more accomplished 🙂

My brow routine is probably the longest part of my makeup application and I’m completely ok with that. I think they’re the most important part for me, and I kind of build everything else around them. I do use and excessive amount of products I know.

However, I get super oily in that area of my face throughout the day, so pencil alone just doesn’t cut it for me! And I use two brow gels to add texture, and to set everything too.

I’m not listing products here, because I feel this video is more about how rather than what I use. But if you want to know about anything specific, just ask 🙂

Let me know what you think and as always thanks for clicking.

Gemma

xxx

**PR SAMPLES INCLUDED*

July 18, 2018/by Gem

Haul, Makeup

Kiko Cosmetics Makeup Haul

This is definitely a bit repetitive. My last blogpost here was a makeup haul from Brown Thomas. Forgive me. I had a voucher for BT. And we are just back from a couple of days away in Brussels where we had the best time. Belgium also have Kiko Cosmetics though, so I couldn’t resist picking up a few bits in store.

Kiko have a pretty decent sale on at the minute online and in store. A lot of their stock have 30% off. Also, they are selling off a lot of their limited edition collections aswell.

The first thing I got was the Smart Cult Eyeshadow Palette in Matte Revolution.

I would have picked up the Shocking Sparkle Shades one also, only they didn’t have it in stock in store. These are pretty new palettes, but they are currently 30% off here.

I had actually shared a pic of these on my social media a couple of weeks ago eyeing them up so I was delighted to get at least one and with the 30% off it only set me back €11.85, which I thought was pretty damn decent.

Like any brand, Kiko Cosmetics for me, can be great and not so great. I’ve picked up some things over the years and they’ve ended up in the bin. I think that happens with most brands though, not everything is going to suit. Not everything is going to be good. One thing they do very well though is cream eyeshadow sticks.

I already have a fair few of these. They come in an abundance of colours. I was restrained, mostly because I’m poor, and just picked up two shades 🙂

They are €6.95 a pop in store or online here.

I got 36 which is Golden Mauve.

And also 38 Golden Taupe.

Both of these are actually quite cool toned. That wasn’t on purpose but I am definitely venturing into the more cool toned shadow world again at the moment.

Another pencil buy was their Ever Lasting Colour Precision Lip Liner in 402.

I’ve never tried these before, they were on sale, (again 30% off here), and I thought 402 looked like a good everyday lip colour.

These are retractable and have a sharpener built in which is always super handy too.

My last two Kiko Cosmetics purchases were of the shimmery variety. I definitely do not need another highlighter but sure look, do I really NEED any of this?

I swatched their Glow Fusion Highlighters and decided on 02 rather than getting the lightest shade 01.

It’s a little more golden (it is called Heavenly Golden after all), and all three shades are currently 30% off in store and online here.

The packaging is also very swish, so I thought it was well worth €6.95 just for the magnetic closure 🙂

My very last buy was a Metal Eyeshadow from their Arctic Holiday Collection.

These are currently 50% off here.

I bought this completely based off swatching it just before I got to the till.

I liked the reflective shimmer in it and it was €5.45 and limited edition, so need I say more really? Looking at it now, it’s super similar to the highlighter it just has a bit more chunkier shimmer running through it, but sure look 🙂

And that is my Kiko Cosmetics haul done. Now I’m excited to get stuck in and play with these bad boys! Anything tickle your fancy?

xxx

January 29, 2018/1 Comment/by Gem

Makeup

Rimmel Lasting Finish Breathable Foundation

One of my favourite, more affordable foundations for a long time, before I believe it was discontinued. (Damn them!), was the Rimmel Lasting Finish Nude. It was the one with the white top not the red one. I liked it the best because it wasn’t as thick, but it still gave decent coverage and lasted well on my oily skin. Their newest member of the range is the Rimmel Lasting Finish Breathable Foundation.

First up, I got this pretty early on, I hadn’t seen much media hype about it. It took me a long time to figure out how to open the bottle. Yes, it took me longer than necessary to realise you have to twist the cap, not pull it. It has a doe foot applicator, not a pump like it’s predecessors. Not my favourite choice of application, but each to their own. You can dispense it onto your hand or a palette and use it that way if you prefer.

According to Rimmel, the Rimmel Lasting Finish Breathable Foundation: ‘Perfects your skin with light to medium buildable coverage. It is enriched with breathable skin technology and moisturises for up to 25h. Up to SPF 20.’

If you’re familiar with Rimmel foundations, you will be familiar with the scent. The flowery aroma is something to be weary of, it can be quite overwhelming at first, although it does die down as the product settles.

For me, this foundation definitely has a light but buildable coverage. It dries down more matte in finish than I expected it to. I’ve read other reviews and they said it gave a satin finish on their skin. Obviously all of this beauty talk is subjective. On me, it definitely has more of a semi-matte finish. I have the shade 101 Classic Ivory which matches my skin tone pretty well. It’s a little more warmer than my bare skin. I prefer this, as it makes me look less pink 🙂

Rimmel Lasting Finish Breathable Foundation_2946

Rimmel Lasting Finish Breathable Foundation_2949

It covers redness and slight imperfections, not so great with deep pores or wrinkles. The wear time on me is pretty good, although if you have more dry skin it’ll be even better. Overall, I rate is as a grand foundation. I don’t really get the breathable aspect of it though? It’s not super heavy on the skin, but you definitely know it’s there. Also, if you have a drier skin type, and are looking for a more radiant finish, this definitely won’t work either. I’ll for sure get wear out of it as a day time foundation. But, I’m not head over heels in love with it.

You can find the Rimmel Lasting Finish Breathable Foundation available in store from Boots and online here now. And I found it for the cheapest price online from a reputable retailer from Feel Unique here.

Have you tried it?

xxx

November 29, 2017/by Gem

Makeup

Tarte Shape Tape Concealer

My makeup prayers were answered a couple of weeks ago when a very generous blogging friend posted me some makeup. I was having a miserable few weeks, so she literally couldn’t have picked a better time so be so lovely. And then to top off her generosity, this was in the envelope! The Tarte Shape Tape Concealer!!

I have wanted to try the Tarte Shape Tape for so long. It seems to be the go to concealer for every makeup lover across the globe at the minute. The shade I have is Fair, which works really well for me. It’s really light, so for my skin tone (NC20 in Mac), it works really well under my eyes.

I’ll start with what I don’t like about it, because it won’t take long 🙂 First off Tarte is hard to get hold of here in Ireland, that’s a con for sure. You can buy it but we are overcharged and that just pisses me off! You only get 10mls of product in the tube, which isn’t alot at all! And then finally the applicator is ginormous.

Now to be fair this doesn’t bother me too much. I don’t really sculpt with concealer, I just blob it on so I don’t need major control over the applicator. I know some people have issues with it creasing on them under the eyes. Personally, I have not found this to be an issue for me as of yet. I generally just apply one layer of it, buff it in and set with powder.

Now onto what I love about Tarte Shape Tape. The formula is super pigmented. A little goes a really long way with it. And best of all it blends like a dream. It takes no effort at all to blend it in with a brush or sponge and conceals so bloody well. I can really understand the hype. I don’t find it overly drying on the skin although it does set quite quickly. You can’t feel it laying on the skin either, which can be the case sometimes for more hard hitting concealers.

It reminds me alot of one of my very favourites the Clarins Instant Concealer. I reviewed this yonks ago now here. You need less Shape Tape to cover up any darkness though, and I find it more brightening too. It also comes in so many more colour choices. It works well as an all over concealer too, not just for under the eyes which is great. I don’t suffer with a huge amount of darkness, but I do have some discolouration and it really evens that out and makes me look more awake.

The downside of liking the Tarte Shape Tape? To get another one I will have to bribe friends who are going stateside to pick me one up, or fork out £28 (plus shipping) from QVC here. Although it does come with a sponge!

Have you tried it before?

xxx

August 21, 2017/by Gem

Monthly Favourites, Youtube Video

May Favourites 2017

We made it halfway through 2017! How did that even happen!! The start of a new month means I have to look back and catalogue some of my most used products. Yes, it’s time for my May favourites 🙂

I decided to rock a red lip for this video! Thought I was only brilliant, until I started to edit the footage and realised it was smudged for most of it! Epic, lipstick fail. Just pretend you can’t see it, OK?

My May Favourites don’t consist of many things, but I think the choices are mighty 🙂

We have the Penneys PS Pure Glow Highlighter Powder Palette. I have a full review of this here, so I won’t ramble on about it too much.

I spoke about one of my favourite primers, Benefit Porefessional. The original YSL Touche Eclat. I’ve been using this in conjunction with Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. Very much a jump on price in both of these, but I love them equally. Then, I couldn’t not add in The Ordinary. I’ve harped on so much about this brand over the past few weeks.

My Asos earrings that I forgot to put in the picture above so here’s a very candid back lit one of me wearing them!

And then the last of my May favourites came in the shape of some rose gold Nike Cortez and fish net ankle socks. Not for everyone, but I am digging the trend.

As always you can watch me waffle on more about my May favourites by just clicking the video at the top of this post, or directly on my YouTube channel here.

Happy June! Hope you have the loveliest month. I have lots to look forward to, so I’m very excited for the next few weeks 🙂

Thanks for watching, I really appreciate it.

Gemma

xxx

June 2, 2017/by Gem

Makeup, Makeup Tutorial, Youtube Video

Simple Summer Makeup Using Affordable Products

I wanted to create a simple Summer makeup look and I made it a bit more interesting and used all affordable makeup products!

This is about as fresh and simple summer makeup like my oilier and dare I say more mature skin will get 😛 Obviously, there is the bb cream and lip balm option too. This is more the ‘put together’ simple makeup look. After I filmed this I went out and had some dinner and felt very much put together.

On a side note, how much difference does filling in my brows make??

My simple summer makeup does use alot of products, but sure that’s how I roll and they are all affordable and easy to get a hold of here in Ireland. I used alot of L’Oréal products, Not on purpose, it just what I seemed to gravitate towards at time of application 🙂

L’Oréal Infallible Mattifying Base. (Full review here).
L’Oréal Infallible 24HR Matte Foundation. (Full review here).
L’Oréal True Match Foundation. (Full review here).
Maybelline Brow Precise Micro Brow Pencil in ‘Soft Brown’. I picked this up the other day in Boots, It’s on their website here.
Freedom Brow Powder Duo. (I talk more about this here).
Soap & Glory Brow Archery 2 in 1 Pencil (Full review here).
Flormar Primer.
Note Mineral Eyeshadow in 301.
Soap & Glory Solar Powder. (Full review here).
Wet n Wild Eyeshadow Palette in ‘Walking On Eggshells’.
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in 1 Light. €5.79 from Boots here.
Catrice Glam & Doll Waterproof Mascara. (Full review here).
Maybelline Colour Show Eyeliner. (Full review here).
Rimmel Lasting Finish Concealer. (More info on it here).
L’Oréal Soleil De . (Full review here).
L’Oréal Infallible Blush Paint. (Full review here).
Nyx Contour Palette. (Full review here).
Bourjois Healthy Balance Powder. Available from Boots here.
Sleek Solstice Palette. (Full review here).
L’Oréal Color Riche Matte Addiction lipstick. (Full review here).
L’Oréal Infallible Fixing Mist. (Full review here).

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

Thanks so much for clicking 🙂

xxx

April 23, 2017/by Gem

Posts

I sound dramatic when I say I get a lot of questions about my brow routine. But, it’s actually probably my most asked beauty question.

Let me know what you think and as always thanks for clicking.

Gemma

xxx

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

And that is my Kiko Cosmetics haul done. Now I’m excited to get stuck in and play with these bad boys! Anything tickle your fancy?

xxx

Have you tried it?

xxx

The downside of liking the Tarte Shape Tape? To get another one I will have to bribe friends who are going stateside to pick me one up, or fork out £28 (plus shipping) from QVC here. Although it does come with a sponge!

We made it halfway through 2017! How did that even happen!! The start of a new month means I have to look back and catalogue some of my most used products. Yes, it’s time for my May favourites 🙂

I wanted to create a simple Summer makeup look and I made it a bit more interesting and used all affordable makeup products!

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

**PR SAMPLES INCLUDED*