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I’m a going through a bit of a budget beauty phase at the minute. Here is another one to throw into the mix. I created this really simple, but I think effective, gold glitter eyeshadow look using all Penneys/Primark products.

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Now I did cheat ever so slightly, just because I didn’t have everything I needed, like eyeshadow primer for example from Penneys. But all the products after that are Penneys own brand, PS Beauty, or products that are readily available in store. I’m talking like I used a bucket of products, I didn’t. You’ll see in the video 🙂 I have reviews already of the powder eyeshadows from Penneys here and the glitter and cream shadows here and here. That’s all the main bases covered I think in this gold glitter eyeshadow look.

gold glitter eyeshadow tutorial

There is chat about my eyebrows too in this video, which I’ve recently gotten micro bladed. I have put all my brow updated into highlights on my Instagram, just so I can refer to it if there’s any questions. I go through the process and the pricing and all that good stuff over there.

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The gold glitter eyeshadow look itself I think is reasonably easy and I didn’t go in too heavy. I wanted it to be wearable, but still a bit sparkly.

The star of the show is the €1 Penneys eyeshadow called Gold Digger.

gold glitter eyeshadow look penneys

I’ve also come to the realisation in the past few weeks, that doing your eyeshadow before your base is brilliant. You can clean up any fall out and correct your work and you base won’t have glitter eyeshadow in it 🙂

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I am super happy with how this turned out, the spot under my eye is really annoying, but I have to get over that 🙂

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I kept the skin super simple, and added a matte pinky nude lip and a good splodge of highlighter to finish things off. Let me know what you think. Do you rate any of the Penneys makeup?

xxx

It’s been a while since I sat down and did one of these videos. I think this was the last one! My eyebrows have come a loooonggggg way since then 🙂 This time I asked on Instagram if any of you had any questions. Thank god you did! So if you want to get to know me a little better, click on the video above.

get to know me

Would ya look at me posing, pretending I’m reading the lovely questions. I definitely am not, I was just trying to get a thumbnail. Also something you might not know about SEO, it loves pictures, so here’s another one 🙂

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I don’t give my whole life away online. I don’t think there’s any real need and also, I’m not a hugely interesting person. But I think it’s important to get to know me a little. Instastories is where you see a lot of it, but it’s nice to shake it up every now and again.

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I was really digging this super easy makeup look too, so I wanted to show that off a bit as well. And for anyone wondering, cause I would be too! My awesome Ms Piggy jumper is from Zara. I got it while we were in Spain, but I know it was here in store too for a minute. Obsessed is not the word, although it isn’t the best quality.

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In this get to know me q&a. I speak about blogging, kids, beauty and a few things in between. So grab a cuppa and a biscuit and have a click. I’d love to know what you think too. Do you really care about the people you follow online? Or do you just want to hear about makeup and that’s it?

Please do let me know. And as always, thanks for stopping by. I really appreciate it.

Gemma

xxx

 

top blog irelandI am back again with another beauty shopping lust list!! I can’t help myself, when the new products come rolling out, there’s always a few that take my extra fancy 🙂

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Now unfortunately my ‘beauty budget’ doesn’t stretch really far, so I have to be selective on what I pick up. But I find curating a list of the new releases and explaining why I want them helps me to make a decision. And sure it might help you too! My last one was here if you fancy checking that out and I picked up a good few items from that.

First on my list is the new Urban Decay Born To Run Palette.irish beauty site

If you’ve been around these parts before you know I’m a huge UD fan. Not to say that everything they release I want, but this collection is very pretty. The palette and the eyeliners in particular are on my radar.urban decay ireland

I love the concept of the packaging. All of the photos are holiday snaps from various Urban Decay employees. It’s meant to be the perfect palette to take with you on your travels. You can create a nude look and have options of pops of colour too. It just looks really my speed.

Next up is completely because of the colour. Beauty Blender have just released a sapphire blue blender!irish beauty blog

I’ve been toying with getting an original Beauty Blender again for ages. I use to buy them all the time when they first came out. But, obviously they’re pricey and the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge is awesome and under half the price. I’d really like to compare them myself though.

My next beauty lust is a whole collection!

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This lusting is completely based on aesthetics. It’s the Lancôme X Proenza Schouler collaboration. I saw this and shared it on Instagram weeks ago now and just haven’t been able to get it out of my mind.

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This palette in particular looks right up my street!

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Would be a complete beauty treat, but I’ll defo be going in to BT for an oul swatch asap 🙂

If you know me, you know I’m a huge fan of the Pixi Glow Tonic, I did a post on it yonks ago here and I’m constantly replenishing it in my skincare stash. Well now they’ve only gone and released the Pixi Retinol Tonic.

Pixi Retinol Tonic

Retinol as we know, helps the production of new skin cells. It’s basically vitamin A in topical form. It can help with fine lines, discolouration and even acne scars depending on the dosage.

My last beauty lusting is from a brand that is a tad controversial at the moment. But I have been waiting for this to launch forever, so I had to add it in. It’s the Kat Von D Lash Liner.

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It’s such a cool, unique concept. A liquid liner for your waterline!! I know I’m a bit of a beauty geek, but this blows my mind and I think I just have to try it. I’ve read mixed reviews online, so I’m super curious to see if it actually lasts, or if it bleeds or makes loads of black gunk in the corners of your eyes 🙂

Oh, I’ll stop the beauty lusting there. Have you your eye on anything in-particular?

xxx

 

I sound dramatic when I say I get a lot of questions about my brow routine. But, it’s actually probably my most asked beauty question.

brow routine

My eyebrows have come such a long way in the past couple of years. I was definitely one of the ‘tadpole’ brow crew. We started in our teens and we just continued on plucking and plucking and never looking back 🙂 With the help of YouTube videos and the awesome brow gals at Benefit though, I finally gotten a handle on filling them in.

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Unfortunately my natural eyebrows are left in a bit of a wreck from over plucking. I did get a stem cell treatment done last year that definitely helped them fill out a bit, but as you can see, a decent brow routine is completely necessary for me.

As I say in the video, I am no expert and my brows are not perfect, nor are they twins. But I’ve come to terms with that and just do them to the best of my ability. I’ve gotten better over the years, so maybe this time next year I’ll be even more accomplished 🙂

My brow routine is probably the longest part of my makeup application and I’m completely ok with that. I think they’re the most important part for me, and I kind of build everything else around them. I do use and excessive amount of products I know.

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However, I get super oily in that area of my face throughout the day, so pencil alone just doesn’t cut it for me! And I use two brow gels to add texture, and to set everything too.

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I’m not listing products here, because I feel this video is more about how rather than what I use. But if you want to know about anything specific, just ask 🙂

Let me know what you think and as always thanks for clicking.

Gemma

xxx

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Catrice Lashes To Kill Pro MascaraOk ok, I know I’ve talked about the waterproof Catrice Lashes To Kill Pro Mascara here before and I bloody love it!

Catrice Lashes To Kill Pro Mascara

 

I recently got a Yumi Lash Lift in Elysian Brows. (Thanks for inviting me in guys). This means my natural lashes now have a perm essentially. My eyelash curlers is in a drawer for the next couple of months and I can venture out of my mascara comfort zone 🙂

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I had heard so many good things about the Catrice Lashes To Kill Mascara in Ultra Black. I am not the only one enjoying it, which always makes me feel better in my judgement. Do you ever love something that everyone else seems to hate? I’m always so worried when that happens…in blogging, in life….in general 🙂

Now I will say I don’t think this is a new mascara for Catrice, they’ve already had a mascara with the same namesake. However I’ve never tried that so I can’t really compare. From google searching, I can see the wand was slightly different though. The spoolie this time round is bristled as well as being large and in charge.

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It’s a volumising mascara, so the wand does deposit a lot of product onto the lashes to help build them up. It’s a wet formula too, which is something to note as things can get messy real quick if you’re not careful. There is a slight bend to the spoolie that can help while layering. You can avoid your lid, but you just have to pay attention.

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If I didn’t have a lash lift this formula would be too heavy for me. But if you already have a bit of curl and decent lashes in general, this mascara will give you so much extra length and volume.

It gives big lashes and it gives them quick.

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As a disclaimer I will say I don’t use this on my bottom lashes. I nearly always use the Mac Extended Play just because I know it works. The wand is small and it doesn’t budge. So I can’t give you any indication of how the formula performs on the lower lashes. On the top, it lasts well on me though. I have minimal flaking or transfer. I don’t suffer with major wateriness or the likes though either.

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Overall I am a big fan of the Catrice Lashes To Kill Pro Mascara reboot. If you like a lot of volume from a more wet formula, you might like it too. It’s around €4.50 and available in pharmacies and Penneys nationwide now. Have you tried it?

xxx

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catrice cosmetics irelandWhen it comes to mascara I am definitely no brand snob! Generally speaking (although of course there are some exceptions), more affordable brands are where it’s at! If you’ve been around these parts before, you know I tend to favour a waterproof formula. No hate on non waterproof, just for what my lashes need the waterproof variety seems to cut the mustard more. I have straight lashes, that need to be curled and given some help with length and volume. Yes, my lashes are super boring. Catrice Cosmetics, do some of my favourite formulas. Their Glam & Doll WP is always in my makeup drawer. I did a post on it so many years ago here if you fancy checking it out and cringing all at the same time 🙂 With their new Spring/Summer releases for this year came a new mascara formula. Say hello to the Catrice Lashes To Kill Pro Mascara.Catrice Lashes To Kill Pro Mascara

This comes in waterproof and non waterproof so you’re covered whatever your poison. I of course have been trialling the WP version so that’s the one I am going to show you in action. I gave my mam the standard formula one to road test though and she loves it. She’s already bought a back up!beauty blog ireland

The Catrice Lashes To Kill Pro Mascara comes with quite a large bristled spoolie. This applicator has quashed my logic that a plastic more narrow spoolie just works better for my lashes. I thought that for the longest time. The larger wand did take a bit of getting used to, but now I really like it and don’t poke myself in the eye….anymore 🙂irish beauty blogirish beauty blogger

The formula is on the money for me. It holds a curl (after I use a eyelash curlers, because I have too). It gives decent length and a decent amount of volume too. I like a mascara to clump a little, especially on the tips of my lashes, to give the illusion of more. The Catrice Lashes To Kill Pro Mascara does that for me without looking spidery. It has yet to flake or transfer on me either, although I don’t use it on my bottom lashes, the eye poking would be just too major.

Catrice Lashes To Kill Pro Mascara

For me, the formula works great and stays put, but as a result it is a bit of a pain to remove. More so than the Glam & Doll. I always double cleanse in the evening. I use an oil based cleanser first and then go in with a normal cleanser. There’s still mascara residue from it in the morning! If that’s something that would bother you, maybe opt for the normal formula!
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 Overall though, the Catrice Lashes To Kill Pro Mascara gets a huge thumbs up for me! It ticks all my lash boxes and I will 100% repurchase it myself once this tube runs dry. Both formulas are available now in Penneys and pharmacy stockists around the country. They will set you back a very reasonable €5.50.

xxx

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