Posts

Essence are releasing another limited edition collection this time developed with four beauty bloggers/vloggers. The collection is aptly names Bloggers Beauty Secrets and contains 4 palettes (with a matching) nail polish made in collaboration with these lovely ladies.

 

I got my hands on one of the Blogger Beauty Secrets Palettes before their release in June. They’ll be only on stands until then until July.

This is the Essence Bloggers Beauty Secrets Shape & Shadows Eye Contouring Palette.

Blogger's Beauty Secrets Essence

irish makeup and beauty blog

This was made in collaboration with Mary from Strikeapose.co.uk According to Essence ‘Mary prefers a combination of trendy eye makeup styles and wow brows-so the shapes & shadows palette perfectly fits the bill. The eye contouring palette brings the contouring trend to the eyes and offers eyeshadow, eyebrow powder, highlighter as well as brow wax, which can be used as a basis for eyebrow powder or for keeping the desired shape in place. The Palette contains an applicator for applying powder or combing the brows. The nail polish in a trendy mud shade with a matte rubber finish compliments the look’.

A long description I know, but since I’ve yet to use the palette (until I swatch it right now for this post) I like to add in the brand’s description to just show you what they expect us to get from it 🙂

So in Gemma terms you get five eyeshadows in the palette, with obviously the matte ones doubling up as brow powders which is pretty cool! The shades in the pan look like really good everyday neutral shades. The eyeshadows are encased in a sturdy cardboard magnetic closing palette with a pretty decent mirror on the lid. All the palettes in the collection are like this.

makeup and beauty bloggerirish makeup and beauty blogger

Onto the swatching.

There is also a Prime & Fix Wax that Essence say you can use to set your brows and as an eyeshadow base which is a novel idea.

makeup and beauty blog ireland

You also get a mini dual ended eyebrow brush and spooley which is a really nice addition I think.

makeup and beauty blogger ireland

It’s pretty decent quality too and not too small, so you would actually get use out of it.

The complimenting nail polish for this palette looks a bit like this:

top irish beauty blog

03 all eyes on me

The other three palettes are:

Touch Up To Go One For All  & nail polish from dFashion.

essence bloggers beauty secret palette

touch up to go!

essence bloggers beauty secret palette

touch up to go!

top irish beauty blogger

02 hello beautiful!

 

Vintage Rose Eye Palette & nail polish from beautypalmira.

irish beauty blogger

vintage rose

irish beauty blog

vintage rose

beauty blogger ireland

01 be happy + smile

And finally The Glow Must Go On Bronzing & Highlighting Palette plus a corresponding nail polish.

essence bloggers beauty secret palettes

the glow must go on

beauty blog ireland

the glow must go on

blogger ireland

04 shine bright

The Essence Blogger Beauty Secrets Palettes are limited edition and will be available from next month. They will cost €6.29 and the nail polish will be €2.30.

xxx

 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes I forget that most people aren’t as obsessed with makeup and beauty products as much as me.I assume that everyone knows all the little tips and tricks that I’ve picked up along the way being a self confessed beauty addict.

This is not always the case, so I’ve set up a new little section to Beautynook called Beautynook Tips (unique name I know 🙂 I just want to keep it simple. Some of it may be common knowledge, some of it may not be, let’s just see where the wind takes us 🙂

So my first Beautynook Tip is going to be How To Keep Your Eyelashes Curled All Day.

I myself have pretty straight boring lashes, nothing to brag about or be proud of, so on a day to day basis I always put a little extra effort in to make them look a bit more full and curled.

Here are my lashes with no product on them:

Irish Beauty Blog

Beauty Blog

Irish beauty blog beautynook

Pretty bog standard right?

First up I like to give my lashes a really good curl.

Shu Uemura Eye Lash Curler

I have used so many different types of lash curlers over the years. Some cheap, some not so cheap and my favourite by far have to be the Shu Uemura ones.

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curle

Not the most affordable, they will set you back around 20 euro, but whatever way they are shaped they just do a really good job at getting into the base of the lashes and doing the job well. When curling your lashes try to get as close to the base as possible (without hurting yourself of course). When you have all your lashes in the curlers, tilt it upwards slightly to help with the curling. Give the curlers a good few squeezes while you have them clamped on your lashes and hold them in place for a good 20 seconds or so to get the full benefit.

If you find your lashes won’t take a curl particularly well, try heating you lash curlers gently with a hair dryer. Give them a blast for about 5-10 seconds, you don’t want to get them too hot, but if they are heated slightly that will help with the process.

So eyelashes curled…check.

Irish Beauty Blog

Beauty Blog Beautynook

beauty tips

You can see that makes a huge difference already right?

Personally for me, most of the time, I find normal mascaras don’t cut the mustard when it comes to holding the curl in place all day long. This is a personal preference but I tend to go for waterproof formulas. I think as a general rule they hold a curl better and they don’t transfer onto my oily skin. At the minute I am using the Maybelline The Rocket Volum’ Express Waterproof, and I really like it.

Maybelline the Rocket Volum' Express WaterproofI am not too particular about mascaras. If it does the job well, I will use any brand or price point. I am always on the look out for recommendations though so if you have one that you love be sure to let me know 🙂

When it comes to applying mascara I have found that applying from the base of your lashes, and wiggling the wand up to the tip is the best way to apply it. Use the bristles at the end of the wand to get into your outer lashes and fan them out for a more voluminous look. It applies product to every lash while helping to lift them into place before the mascara sets. I know waterproof mascara is more difficult to get off, but if you have trouble keeping a curl in your lashes, give it a go and I promise it will help. Just use an oil when cleaning and it will come off without too much trouble.

So mascara is added to the top lashes.

Mascara tips beautynook

beautynook curles lashes tips

beautynook beautyblog

Ok this step might be a bit over the top. I use a different mascara for my bottom lashes. I know I know how high maintenance of me 🙂

I use the Mac Extended Play Lash mascara on my bottom lashes exclusively for a couple of reasons.

Mac Extended Play Lash MascaraOne it doesn’t budge and my bottom lashes notoriously smudge. I don’t find it very beneficial for my top lashes it’s not volume enhancing enough for me.

Also the wand it small and dinky.Mac Extended Play Lash Spooley

You can get in to separate and coat all your little bottom lash hairs easier than with a big giant spooley like the one on the Maybelline mascara. I love having mascara on my bottom lashes I feel it opens your eyes and make you look more awake.

Bottom lashes done.

beauty nook beauty blog

irish makeup and beauty blog

 

 

So lashes are done, but we can do one more step to make our lashes look a little fuller. Tight lining your upper water line really helps darken up your lash line and make your lashes look more voluminous. It’s not hugely noticeable here but I promise it helps. I will be honest and say it doesn’t feel very pleasant when you do it, but after a while you get used to it 🙂 Of course use a waterproof formula eye kohl or gel as you want it to stay put for as long as possible.

tight lining upper waterline

upper tight lining

I tend to tight line my bottom water line too most days, I personally just feel I look a  bit better with it done, so I’ll show you the finished look below.

beautynook lashes

There you have it, my first installment of Beautynook Tips. It seems like a lot of steps but I reckon I can knock this out in about 5 minutes now and once the mascara is on, it doesn’t budge until you take it off. These are tried and tested products.

If you have any tips or tricks you want to share be sure to add them in the comments below. If you have anything else you would like me to cover, let me know too.

Thanks for reading as always and have a great day 🙂

xxx