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Makeup Favourites of the momentI 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.

Makeup favourites

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.

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

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irish beauty blogger
beauty blogger

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!affordable everyday makeup tutorial

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.

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

top irish beauty blog
top irish beauty blogger

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 🙂

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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.irish beauty youtuber

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.top irish blog

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

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top beauty blogger ireland
affordable makeup products

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.

 

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beauty blog

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?

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

xxx

******CONTAINS PR SAMPLES********

 

disappointing makeup productsI 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.disappointing makeup products

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.irish beauty blog

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.irish beauty blogger

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.

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

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.

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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.beauty blog

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.top irish beauty blog

I have the shade Halo.

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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.

top beauty blog ireland
top beauty blogger ireland

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.

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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 🙂top irish beauty site

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 Talkirish makeup blog

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.top beauty blogtop beauty blogger

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

top irish beauty bloggerIt’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 🙂

brussels vlogSo 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?

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

irish beauty blogger

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!beauty blog ireland

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

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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.

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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

kiko cosmetics haulThis 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.

Kiki Cosmetics haul

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.kiki cosmetics ireland

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

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.kiko irelandirish beauty blog

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 🙂irish beauty blogger

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

I got 36 which is Golden Mauve.

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top irish beauty blog
top beauty blogger ireland

And also 38 Golden Taupe.

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beauty beauty blog ireland
beauty blog

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.top beauty blog

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

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.

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top irish beauty site
dublin beauty blog

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.beauty blog

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.

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irish beauty vlogger

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.beauty vlogger

These are currently 50% off here.

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

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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 🙂irish beauty blog beautynook

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