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Kevyn Aucoin

I have spoken before in passing about my beloved Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder in Medium, but I really think it deserves it own blog post!

I have not been blessed with anything angular on my face (or anywhere for that matter). I know contouring is not a necessity in everyday life, it is a complete choice, and for me it’s a choice I make everyday. I have tried many different products for the “chiselling” process and to date the Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder has been the best one I have personally used. Now, I will say I only use this in the cheek bone department, I tend to use bronzer around the perimeter of my face, this is just what I feel comfortable doing. If I am dolling up for a night out, then I may put some under the double chin region to help it look less…well double chin like but that would only be if I’m really packing on the face!

The Sculpting Powder really is a luxury item, this set me back just under 42.00 euro from Mise Beauty, madness I know as it’s nearly the size of an eyeshadow, 3.10grams to be exact.

Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder

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However, I have had this for maybe 6 months, have used it everyday and there is just barely a dint in it.

This powder, unlike alot of bronzers on the market has no red tones to it at all, it has a grey undertone. This makes it perfect for contouring, particularly I think for pale gals like myself. The purpose of contouring is to create a shadow like appearance wherever you add it to the face tricking the eye and making your features appear slimmer or more angular, as highlighting is used to enhance features you want to draw more attention too.

This little box is magic, it contains the softest and most pigmented powder ever, you need such a light hand with it. It blends so beautifully and can be built upon depending on how much cheek bone you are going for 🙂

Kevyn Aucoin Scultpting Powder Swatch

I tend to use a a dense small brush with it. It is not for warming up the face, use your bronzer for that. I have been enjoying using the Nima Brush called “Blaithin” from their Artistic Collection to apply it of late, as it is tapered at the end, dense but still soft enough to blend the product in. And less face it, it’s pretty too 🙂

I do the well known “fishy face” in the mirror to myself and that shows me where my “cheekbones” are, then I add a little of the product directly under the bone concentrating most of at my ear and bringing the brush out, not too far though, I stop just around where my nostril is. Then I blend, the cardinal rule of makeup. The Sculpting Powder doesn’t disappear from blending it just gets more faint and natural looking. Add as much as you want, I usually just add a little for day to day.

Gem Chatterbox Contouring

Gem Contouring

 

And I can safely say that it lasts the whole day, it’s not something I would every bring with me in my handbag unless I was going to redo my whole makeup.

Before Contouring

Before Contouring

After Light Contouring

After Light Contouring

It’s an investment I know, but I think after buying it and using it for a long time, it was worth it.

What do use for contouring, be sure to let me know, there could be lots of hidden gems out there 🙂

Thanks,

Gemma

xxx

 

 

 

Gem's August Faves

Yep, it’s August Favourites time, holy moly, it’s nearly Christmas!! A bit premature I know but I loves Christmas so any excuse to talk about it and I will 🙂

Ok, back to the topic in hand sorry for getting distracted…it happens very easily. Anita did her August faves here, be sure to check them out.

 

I have a couple of new skincare faves in the month of August. Pixi’s Glow Tonic is one of them.

Pixi Glow Tonic

 

This toner contains ingredients like witch hazel, aloe vera, ginseng and glycolic acid to gently exfoliate the skin and remove dead skin cells. It is also meant to help with toning and firming. I think this has really helped with the texture of my skin, without completely drying it out. I am super oily so I would spend my days over exfoliating thinking this would help, it doesn’t. It just ends up dehydrating my skin and making it harder to manage. I feel this toner is gentle enough to use everyday and clears pores without completely stripping the natural oils away. I am really enjoying using it. I picked this up from Mise Beauty for 20 Euro.

Another skin fave, which is on a completely different price spectrum. I admit, I did not purchase this, it was in a goody bag I received. You can find it in Space NK or Feel Unique stock it too. It’s in and around 165 Euro to buy, holy crap! I can’t say I would pay this money for it to be honest, but I have been enjoying using it.

Perricone MD Cold Plasma

This is the Perricone MD Cold Plasma. It’s suitable for all skin types. I think it’s more marketed towards being an anti ageing, and I do feel like it plumps your skin up (although I’m pretty plump already 🙂 ). It also helps with enlarged pores though which is something I suffer from and I feel like it’s doing something slowly but surely for me, without filling in the pores and giving me more blackheads and whiteheads which can happen to me with rich moisturisers.  It has a funny nearly jelly like consistency and gets a layer on the top of the cream which is odd, and the smell is not very pleasant.

Perricone

They’re are rave reviews about the Cold Plasma online, so I am going to keep using it and see if I can look ten years younger by the end of the pot. You’d want to for that dosh!

 

I know it’s a bit ridic for me to be claiming love for a fragrance when I have it only less than a week, but I think with a perfume when you know you know… I also bought it at the beginning of September so I’m technically cheating but I’m a tad obsessed.

Jo Malone Wood Sage and Sea Salt

 

This is the newest Jo Malone Cologne in Wood Sage and Sea Salt. I know it doesn’t sound very inviting, but bare with me and give it a sniff the next time you are in Brown Thomas . I won’t dare try to describe it, but I’ll just say if you like musky but still sweet fragrances you will love this. It’s the perfect Winter scent and it makes me happy just sniffing it. I think it will become a regular in my perfume line up 🙂

 

I have a makeup fave next.

Sleek eau la la liners

These are the Eau la la Liners by Sleek Makeup. We speak a stupid amount about Sleek on Chatterbox I know, but it’s a bloody good affordable brand, we need to shout it from the rooftops! These liners can be used as eye or lip liners and come in an abundance of shades. I always think “drugstore brands” lack in the lip liner department and just do the basic colours, but Sleek have you covered! They are creamy, pigmented, soft and long lasting, what more can I say to sell you on them, oh yeh they’re 5.99 Euro and you can get them online, from Mise Beauty and Boots Liffey Valley and Blanchardstown. I want them all!

My next fave is not a new thing to me at all, in fact I have been using them for years, but I thought I lost it at the start of the month and I was traumatised.

Tweezerman

Turns out it was only hiding from me! This is my newest Tweezerman Tweezers. I have had a few over the years. They are hands down the best tweezers I have ever used and it took “losing” it to realise how brilliant and nimble it is. I have stubborn coarse eyebrow hair and this thing just gets them out in record time with the least amount of pain. I never want to be without again.

I came across these Invisibobbles at the Ultimate Girls Day Out event in the RDS mid August. The Essential Salon Supplies booth had them. They intrigued me so I had to grab some and check them out.

Invisibobble

Let’s begin with, I know they’re not invisible 🙂 But these weird phone wire looking plastic bobbles, grip and hold your hair in place without pulling or loosening on your hair. They don’t give you a headache from being too tight and they are comfortable to wear in bed which is what I use them for primarily. Sometimes I pop my hair in a bun with one when it’s damp, and the next morning I’m left with a kink in my hair which I’m quite fond of.

Ok last favourite from me this month, the Elf Daily Brush Cleanser.

Elf Daily Brush Cleanser

I literally have this for god knows how long tucked away in a drawer collecting dust. I just forgot about it. It’s so important to clean your makeup brushes. Like everyone I don’t always remember to deep clean them and then I run out of clean ones and  I have to clean them all together. It’s a boring job that I don’t think anyone enjoys. Something like the Elf Cleanser is great to have because it is anti bacterial so after you use a brush you can spray it and wipe it clean in a tissue so it’s clean and germ free for your next application. The brush dries much quicker so you don’t have to wait around like you do when you deep clean them. It’s great for that in between stage before your big clean is due, and Elf is so affordable AND this stuff smells great too which is an added bonus 🙂

So there you go, some of my loves from the month of July. I know I cheated a little with the perfume, don’t judge me too much.

As always thanks for reading and have a fantastical September.

Gemma

xxx

 

 

This week I went on a little mid week break to Belfast.I really enjoyed getting away from it all for a minute, and it was long overdue. Of course shopping ensued.

I thought I haul some of the bits and pieces I bought before the trip and during to get your shopping juices flowing for the weekend. Also, don’t know about you but I am a nosey sod and love looking in other people’s shopping baskets 🙂

I bought a couple of bits in the Boohoo  sale before I left.

Boohoo shoes

Coral and black heel

These coral and black beauties were only 12 Euro in the sale! Couldn’t resist, these will come in so handy with jeans and dresses alike.

Rose gold heels

Boohoo metallic heels

These heels were again 12 Euro in the sale. Little bit more “out there” than the black and coral ones I know, but I fell in love with the copper metallic colour of them. I think these will be great for Autumn.

Bohoo multicolour earrings

I got a cute pair of earrings from Boohoo as well. They are multi coloured and sparkley…what more can I say 😛

Bohoo braceletes

And lastly I got some gold little bracelets. I love to layer bracelets so I will add these to some others I have lying around to give a plain outfit a bit of interest.

I also bought something from Dunnes Stores online before I left and picked them up from the store the day before we left.

Dunnes Stores Studded Court Heel

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These Valentino rip offs are so pretty I promise you. They are 40 Euro which is a bit steep for Dunnes I know, but in the flesh these are well made. Get them quick before they’re all gone!

En route to Belfast, we made a pitstop to Dundalk, so I could go to Mise Beauty I’ve bought from them online in the past but have never saw the shop in the flesh as I live in Dublin, so to go there was a real treat. I picked up a couple of bits and pieces but will definitely be going back in the future.

Pixi Glow TonicI had to pick up the Pixi Glow Tonic . I’ve heard so many things about this in the blogosphere so “needed” to see what all the fuss was about. This is an exfoliating cleanser with glycolic acid, Aloe Vera and Ginseng in it to remove dead skin cells, soothe and nourish the skin. Can’t argue with that!

zpalette

I grabbed some Zpalettes while I was there. I love nothing more than depotting my shadows and blushes into these beauties. I’ve also  made some cheeky purchases from Makeupgeek that will need new homes, so these will come in very handy. You do not come across Zpalettes very often on shop shelves in Ireland so I admit I was very excited seeing this being stocked in Mise Beauty.

Sleek Matte Me

Sleek Party Pink

My last buy from the makeup lovers dream Mise Beauty was a Sleek Matte Lip Cream in “Party Pink”. I love these lip creams. They are matte but not too drying on the lips and last all day. This colour is a gorge red, coraly shade. I think I will get alot of use out of this in the coming Autumnal months.

I reckon I was quite reserved in Mise considering the brands they have an offer there, don’t you? 🙂

I bought a couple of bits while roaming around Belfast’s city centre. I first hit Spacenk I couldn’t resist having a look.

Nars Dual Intensity Eyeshadow

I got one of the Nars Dual Intensity Eyeshadows. These are exclusive to Spacenk and are stupid money I must admit (21 pound!!!) These shadows are designed specifically to use wet and dry. I picked up the shade “Phoebe” which is a beautiful metallic purple colour.

Nars

Nars Phoebe

 

Nars Phoebe Swatched Dry

Nars Phoebe Swatched Dry

Nars Phoebe Swatched Wet

Nars Phoebe Swatched Wet

Lastly I have a couple of random buys.

Herbel Essence Dry Shampoo

I needed some dry shampoo whilst there so picked up this one that I hadn’t seen before. This is Herbal Essences offering to the dry shampoo world. It smells exactly like old school Herbal Essence which I love! And after using it a couple of times I can say it’s not bad at its job at all. The smell does it for me though I’d buy it again for that alone 🙂

Rimmel Lip Balm

I got one of Rimmel’s version of the Maybelline Baby  Lips. I actually really like this and it was cheaper than the Baby Lips. Maybelline is stupidly overpriced in Europe compared to the States. This one gives you a lovely purple tinge to your lips while hydrating them. This will be kept in the handbag forever more.

Finally, is something that is maybe a late 20’s crisis purchase.

Snap back

I bought a snap back! I have visions of being really cool and trendy and wearing this backwards and I want to so much. I am digging the 90’s revival….let’s just see if I have the bottle 🙂

I am back in Dublin now and have to go back to work on Monday and am sooooo not looking forward to it 🙁 Belfast is a lovely town steeped in culture, we had a lovely time there.

Hope you enjoyed my random purchases, if you like looking in my shopping bags be sure to let me know and I can do more of this.

Thanks,

Gemma

xxx