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So as all of us beauty lovers know, Bioderma recently made their way onto Irish shores. Bioderma were really the pioneers of micellar water, and also do lots of other lovely skincare products.

For Christmas, they’ve released a pouch containing 4 products.

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I happened to see this while I was scrolling through twitter (I’m @beautynookie over there, shameless plug :). Then I saw the lovely Jen from Matte To Metallic chatting about getting one over on Snapchat. She had gotten it in McCabes Pharmacy in the Pavillion in Swords, so I high tailed it over to the Northside and grabbed me one too 🙂

bioderma christmas pouch

If you have been wanting to try the Bioderma range (or you know someone who has), this is really a great buy.

In the Christmas Pouch you get:

A 15m of their Atoderm Crème.

bioderma atoderm creme

This is a fragrance free and paraben free moisturiser for dry to very dry skin.

You get a 100ml of the Bioderma Atoderm Gentle Shower Gel.

bioderma shower gel

This is a soap free gel for sensitive skin. So really great for any of us.

 

There’s also a full 40ml of the Anti Redness BB Cream.

bioderma anti redness bb cream

This on it’s own costs €16. It’s made for Sensitive Skin that’s prone to Rosacea. I’ve yet to use this yet, so I hope it works on my oily skin and the anti redness would be great for any blemishes. It also contains SPF 30 which is brilliant.

This is in the shade Light. When you first apply it, it looks really dark on the skin, but it blends in really well.

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The last product in the pouch is of course the Bioderma cult classic.

bioderma micellar water

You get a 100ml of their Micellar Water. This is hypo allergenic, so great for sensitive skin. I love using Micellar Water on cotton pads to remove the bulk of my makeup before full on cleansing. This means you are doing a double cleanse and are sure to be squeaky clean 🙂  Cannot wait to give this a go. Everyone has such good things to say about it.

 

I am going to sunny Lanzarote for Christmas this year, so I bought this to bring with me.

The Bioderma Christmas Pouch will cost you €17.50, and is a great way to try some of the products without committing fully.

Have you tried any Bioderma? Let me know what you would recommend?

xxx

 

Inglot Gel Brow Liner

You know, the first ever blog post I wrote was about the Inglot AMC Gel Liner in black 77, still a staple in my makeup today, but the blogpost here I suppose was a little bit more rough around the edges 🙂

I am here today talking about my newest Inglot purchase. Their new AMC Brow Gel Liner.

Inglot Gel Brow Liner Review

I picked up the shade number 17 and I think it’s a pretty good match for my medium/dark brows. They come in an array of colours and the girls will gladly match you up to the one that suits your colouring the best.

The pot itself is absolutely tiny (2 grams to be exact), but I had it on good authority from Sinead of The Beautiful Truth that a little product goes a long way and she wasn’t kidding.

This stuff is ridiculously pigmented. I bought the Anastasia Dipbrow when it was first released here, so I have used a gel for my brows before. I still have the Anastasia one, but it has dried up so is more difficult to use. I think I like the Inglot version of it better anyhow.

Here’s my brows with no product.

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I start off by combing my brows with a spooley to get any foundation off them.

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It goes on super easy, so much so you have to be very aware of how much is on your brush, be sure to take the access off in the lid before you apply.

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I use the Inglot 31T angled brush. I apply it to the tail of my brows first as that’s where I want the most product I use the brush in flicking motions on the brow to try to (kinda) mimic hairs rather than just putting down a complete block of colour.

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Then, whatever is left on the brush I apply it to the front of my brow again flicking it into the hairs and trying to just fill in the gaps and make my brows look more groomed. I have a good amount of brow, they just don’t grow how I want them too. And sometimes I get a bit too over zealous with the tweezers aswell…it’s a problem :p

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Then I comb through again with a spooley to take away any excess gel.

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The Inglot AMC Brow Gel Liner stays put once it’s applied. My brows get pretty oily throughout the day so, usually if I use something like a pencil I’ll set it with a powder aswell just to lock in the colour for as long as I can. I find the Inglot gel liner lasts really on me. I do use a brow gel on top, but that’s more to keep the brows I already have in place rather then to help set the product. This one here is the Essence Make Me Brow which I love and have a review of here.

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Here’s one brow finished. You can see the difference right? 🙂

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Then two brows completed.

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I really like the Inglot Brow Gel Liner. It’s pigmented, it goes on smoothly, it’s easy to use and it lasts. You can use it sparingly for more natural brows, or go full on with it for more bushy caterpillars, whatever your preference 🙂

It will set you back €16 and it will honestly last you an age!

xxx

 

 

 

 

I have been talking alot about affordable makeup of late and I am LOVING it! It’s so great budget friendly brands are stepping up to the plate and bringing out products that we we are excited to use and talk about all the time!

This blogpost is going to be all about two of the three palettes Essence brought out not too long ago.

Essence All About Greys and All About Nudes Eyeshadow Palette (2)

The first one is the Essence ‘All About Greys’ palette.

Essence All About GreysI picked this up the same day I got the Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette. It obviously doesn’t have as many shade choices but I just thought the colouring was similar so it could be a cheaper alternative.

So as you can see, there is eight shades in total. They are all cool toned and they all lend themselves to a dark and grey smoky eye just like the Naked Smoky.

They are all shimmery shades, except for the white on the top far left and the black on the top far right, so I do think if you are doing a look with this palette you do need some sort of matte transitional shade to help you along your way, even if you just use your bronzer. The shadows themselves are pigmented, they are soft to the touch, and they do blend, although it will take you a while to do it. Here they are swatched below:

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Top Line

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Bottom Line

 

So what about the Essence ‘All About Nudes’ version of the palette?

Essence All About Nudes

These shades are much warmer, and I think personally it’s generally a more wearable palette.

There’s more mattes within the eight shadows in this one, so you’re less likely to need another palette to help you along if you are creating a look with it.

Here they are swatched below:

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Top Line

beauty blog reviewOverall, I think these palettes are pretty awesome for their €4.99 price tag. I will say if your lids are in any way oily, you’ll need a primer no doubt about it. I think the shadows do need to be worked with more than maybe some other ones on the market. Some of the shades (particularly the shimmers) actually go on so much nicer and vibrant with your finger or a damp brush, but I think this tip helps with alot of shadows we may own so I don’t hold that against Essence too much. There is fall out, so be weary of that too when applying.

I mix and match these palettes with others I have in my collection, but they do get used and I do reach for them.

There is another palette in this ‘All About’ range that is more bronzed and that looks really nice too, if you prefer a more bronzey look. After playing with these two, I would be more than happy to fork out a fiver for that one too!

As always thanks for reading and I hoped this helped if you were undecided 🙂

xxx

 

 

Face Powder

The warmer weather is kinda…sorta coming our way. It’s about bloody time! So we all need to keep the shine at bay a little bit more throughout the day. For oilier skinned girls like me it means packing even more on, but don’t fret it means you’ll have less wrinkles as you get older apparently if you have oily skin 😛

I am going to list in this post my most used setting powders. I personally think it’s good to have a range of powders in your stash. Your skin likes to keep you on your toes and some days are different than others, so you might want more coverage perhaps if you are going to be out all day or it’s that time of the month and you’re looking more flushed than normal. Or maybe you’re having a good skin day and you just want a light powder, or if your going out on the town you might want a different coloured one (to match the tan) or one with some luminosity. I think I cover all the bases here without breaking the bank.

First up is my very well loved (and battered) Stay Matte Pressed Powder by Rimmel.

Rimmel Stay Matte PowderRimmel Matte Powder

I have about 4 of these floating around including one in my handbag. This is a great everyday setting powder. It’s light in texture so does not give any real coverage, but mattifies the skin without looking cakey and lasts really well.Rimmel

This has a number and colour (005, silky beige), but I feel like it’s pretty transparent on my pale skin anyways. The best thing about this powder? Not only is it great, but it’s a steal at 5.99 from Boots

Next up is a bit more pricey, but it’s good at its job, I promise:

Mac Studio Fix PowderMac pressed powder

This is Mac’s Studio Fix. This is actually a pressed powder foundation, which means it gives extra coverage on the days when you need it! My one here is NC20

Mac studio fix nc20

This matches by natural skin tone, but I usually have a darker one knocking about too for when I’m a bit more (fake) tanned as this is a great powder to bring on a night out for touch ups. I love this powder it’s nice and smooth and smooths over pores and fine lines rather than settling into them like some others can do. You can get this in any Mac store. They sell it in Brown Thomas and on their website for 31.50.

I have two choices next:

Ben Nye Cameo PowderBen Nye Banana Powder

These are two Ben Nye Luxury Powders. Ben Nye is a brand of makeup designed to be used in theatre and film. I love these powders, and these 42gram pots will last me a lifetime.

Ben NyeBen Nye

The Ben Nye Powders are really finely milled. The Cameo Powder has a slight pink tint to it which is good for my pink toned complexion on a normal day to day basis. The banana powder is yellow toned so is a great all over powder for someone who has a more sallow complexion. If I am going all out with my makeup and am heavy contouring I like to use Cameo under my eyes and anywhere on the face I want to lighten and then I’ll use the Banana Powder wherever I am creating shadow and darkening. These powders are a lovely texture, do not cake on the skin and do not clog pores and they definitely set your makeup as well as adding a hint of colour, just use a light hand 🙂 The only irish website I can find these on is Sunaura for 21 euro which I think is a bit steep as I got my Banana one last year at Imats for 10 pound. They are fab products though.

So yes you want powder to mattify and set your makeup, but this doesn’t always mean you need to use a matte powder. I have two options here that you can pick in Boots, that cover this:

Bourjois Illuminating Powder

This is the Bourjois Java Rice Loose Powder, how pretty is this old school packaging? This powder smells amazing too by the way, added bonus 🙂 For me and my skin this is not an everyday powder, but if I am looking for a bit of a glow I dip into this pot.

Bourjois illuminating powder beautynook

This powder has light reflecting particles in it, it just borders on glitter so use with caution. Brushed lightly over the skin this gives a lovely glow without having to use cream products to achieve it. I like to use this in the inner corners of my eyes too for a subtle highlight during the day. You can buy this from Boots for 13.99 This is a more pinky powder. If you are looking for something that is perhaps a bit more warmer in tone and has a more gold sheen to it Sleek Makeup have a powder for you:

Sleek Luminous Pressed PowderThis also has Spf 15 so it may have some flashback if you are thinking about it for a night out. This is Sleek’s Luminous Pressed Powder.Sleek Makeup

I have the shade 01 which I believe is the lightest shade. It doesn’t give any coverage really in my opinion, but it does set your makeup and has a subtle gold shimmer running through it, to liven up your face and give it some luminosity. I love using this powder when I am finished my makeup and have used a setting powder (because I am super oily) and this is a light powder, just lightly all over my face, to give an extra glow. You can get this in Boots too, or on Cloud10beauty, or the Sleek website itself and it’ll set you back 8.99, not too bad at all 🙂

So there you have it, a few powdery options for you if you are looking to switch it up or just add to your collection for different makeup tasks. A girl likes to have options!

Thanks for reading,

Gemma

xxx