paradise Archives - Irish Beauty Blog Beautynook

L’Oréal Paradise Waterproof Mascara & Primer

My 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!

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.

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.

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.

The 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.

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.

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.

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

*PR SAMPLE***

June 20, 2018/by Gem

Bargain Buying, Makeup, Skincare

Affordable Beauty Favourites Currently

I’m back with some affordable beauty favourites.

I have here six products that are currently in heavy rotation in both my makeup and skincare routines. And they all fall under the affordable beauty umbrella. My last version of this post is here if you fancy seeing what made the cut.

All the makeup products are reasonably new to me. The skincare, I’ve been using for quite a while.

First up we have the new product to me in the bunch the Elf Shimmer Highlighting Powder in Pearl Glow.

Elf can definitely be a hit or miss brand for me. Well let’s face it, most brands can be hit or miss. But I’ve owned Elf products in the past that I’ve adored and some that made their was straight to the bin. This highlighter falls into the adore category. I’ve been wearing it everyday since I got it. It’s a really soft blendable powder with a pearly gold shimmer.

Really nice for pale gals like myself 🙂 Elf is now available in Superdrug, certain Penneys stores and an abundance of pharmacies here in Ireland. You can also buy from their UK website here.

My second current affordable beauty favourite is the L’Oréal Paradise Extatic Mascara. This is a weird one for me because if I didn’t have my lashes lifted, this mascara wouldn’t have really gotten a look in from me.

Generally my straight lashes need a waterproof formula. But as they are currently chemically curled, this has been my jam! The brush is huge and it does clump a little. But, it also gives really nice length and volume. If you have semi decent lashes naturally, this is a really nice mascara.

You can find it on the Boots website here.

Thirdly, we have the Catrice Ultimate Matt Lipstick in From Rose With Love. Visually these lippies are so cool. The bullet is completely matte!

They have a really nice smooth long lasting formula as well though. I am not just digging them for the bullet 🙂 This colour is just me in a lipstick. I am a mauve whore and this feeds my habit completely. I have been gravitating towards this so much since I got it.

Number four is a makeup brush. I picked up what I could find of the new Primark/Penneys PS Pro makeup brush range. This particular one came in a pack of two that cost €4.

It’s called the 236. It’s a dome shaped blending brush. It is small but soft and fluffy. I love it for applying colour softly in the crease. I am super impressed with these brushes so far.

My last faves come as a combo for me. The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% and the Advanced Retinoid 2%.

I feel like I can’t review them singularly because I alternate between the two.

At 32 now, I am doing some major ageing prevention in skincare form at least. Retinol is the way to go if you are looking to do this. I use this every second night in my skincare routine and my skin has been really enjoying it. Also, it’s only €9.80 from the Deciem website here.

When I don’t use the retinol, I use The Ordinary Hyaluronic 2% + B5.

Hyaluronic Acid can apparently attract 1000 times its weight in water. It’s great for hydration and helping in plumping the skin.

What I love about this is that it doesn’t feel heavy, but still feels like it’s moisturising the skin. I generally use it conjunction with an night moisturiser or a face oil. This is again available from their website here.

And… I’ll stop waffling.

xxx

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

September 20, 2017/by Gem

Makeup Tutorial, Youtube Video

Rose Gold Sparkle Eye Makeup Look

It’s been a minute since I did a makeup look on my YouTube channel. I always call them looks rather than tutorials. I feel like the word tutorial is more professional, and I am definitely not that. In makeup or video form 🙂 I created this rose gold sparkle eye makeup look a couple of weeks ago and snapped an Instagram of it.

I was super happy with how it turned out and I got some good interaction on social media from it. So, I thought I would recreate it in video form. To show you what I used, how I did it. And, just how simple it was.

The main components of this rose gold sparkle makeup look is my beloved Urban Decay Naked Heat Palette. I am so sorry, I have literally not shut up about this palette, I know. But I have just been enjoying using it so bloody much. And, I have to stay true to what I used on the day, right? I have a review of it here, so I won’t bore you with the details.

The glitter came in the form of the Stila Magnificent Metals Eyeshadow in Rose Gold Retro. I have a post on this here too. I find although this is a cream eyeshadow, I do get fall out. So I used the NYX Glitter Primer underneath. I picked this up in Boots here. Of course any sort of adhesive base would do the job.

These along with the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Eye Pencil in Torch were the main products I used to create the eye look. I got this from Debenhams, but it’s actually cheaper from Feel Unique here.

I also mentioned my lip combo in my Insta post, so I recreated that too. It’s a very ‘me’ combo. Rimmel Eastend Snob lip liner all over the lips, with Mac Syrup lippie over top. Mauve and neutral. My go too lip colour for the past few months.

I totally got bored taking photos of myself 🙂

Obviously you can see create the rose gold glitter makeup look over on my YouTube channel here. Or you can just click on the video above to watch also.

Be sure to let me know what you think!

Thanks for tuning in, as always.

Gemma

xxx

September 8, 2017/by Gem

Haul, Makeup, Youtube Video

Superdrug Haul!

I went beauty shopping! Very unlike me I know 🙂 To celebrate Superdrug opening it’s doors in Liffey Valley shopping centre here in Dublin, the lovely PR gave me a voucher to spend. So, I thought I would do a little Superdrug haul here in video form. I do love a good haul 🙂

I spent the voucher and some of my own dosh too, and I’ve also included a couple of Superdrug own brand B makeup goodies. These were with the press release.

Now this was not my first time in this particular store, I’ve been in there a few times already and bought some bits and bobs. It’s so clean and new and I actually prefer how the makeup stands are laid out. Boots tends to have aisles. It’s nice having everything all in one line, so you can mosey your way down easily. May I add, the girls working there are lovely and super helpful too!

My Superdrug haul consists of, of course some makeup goodies, but I also got some practical boring stuff too. I love that Superdrug and Boots tend to have different specials on so you can compare and contrast to get the best deals on what you’re looking for.

I got some ‘self care’ products 🙂