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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
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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

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October Favourites

A fresh month means a fresh start…..and monthly favourites 🙂 In this post and video we are delving into my October Favourites.

October Favourites

October Favourites for this year consist of all beauty products with one fashion fave! It’s been a bit of a pain in the arse of a month, I won’t lie. So I am very happy to see the end of it. Also, Halloween isn’t my favourite time of the year. Banger scare the bejesus outta me. I spent Halloween night cleaning up dog pee. Poor Rosie doesn’t like them either. I’m sure she is happy to see November come too 🙂

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As always I’ll list all the products I mention and link what I can.

  • Missguided Babe Powder EDP. I found is cheapest from Cara Pharmacy here.
  • The perfume I am comparing it too is the Dior Poison Elixir. This is a really old perfume, actually I didn’t realise how old it it! I don’t actually use this bottle, I just kept it cos’ it’s fancy 🙂 I can’t seem to find it for sale online anymore. Brown Thomas have an eau de toilette version here.
  • I speak about the L’Occitane Shower Oil next. I have this link in my haul video here.
  • Barry M Liquid Chrome Highlighter Drops. I did a whole blogpost with swatches on these here.
  • Elf Mineral Primer. You can get your hands on this in Penneys. It seems to be the cheapest online in the EU from Superdrug here.
  • The Too Faced Hangover 3 in 1 Replenishing Primer And Setting Spray. Yes that is a mouthful 🙂 You can buy it from the Debenhams website here.
  • And then my last October favourite for this year is some very loud ankle boots from Penneys. I make no apologies, I love them 🙂
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top irish beauty blogger
beauty blogger ireland
top irish beauty blog
And there you have all my October favourites in a nutshell. Be sure to let me know what has been floating your boat. It definitely doesn’t have to be beauty or fashion related, I dabble in other subjects too. Be sure to click on the video above to hear me to more about everything. Or go directly to my YouTube channel here.

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Thank you, as always.
Gemma xxx
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Yep, we can all panic. It’s September favourites time. How did that even happen?

 top irish beauty bloggerI am in disbelief that it’s October! The C word is just creeping up on us…..fast!

 My September favourites are much like any other month. They are a mixed bag of things that I feel I have been reaching for alot over the past four weeks. This month definitely had a bit of a skincare theme. It’s probably the change in the seasons that has me more conscious, unconsciously 🙂

September Favourites 2017

Of course there is some makeup in there too, that can’t not happen. Makeup stages are my thing. I will wear something religiously for weeks and then completely forget about it. Yes, I am fickle. It doesn’t mean I don’t still love something. It just means my obsession changes focus because I have a short attention span 🙂

September Favourites 2017

My September favourites include:
  • The Bioderma Micellar Water limited edition pump bottle €16 from Cloud10beauty here.
  • A couple of products from Shiseido’s new Waso range . I can only find the full range online from Harvey Nichols here. It is a more affordable range from the brand. You can see the synopsis and ingredients of all the products on the Shiseido website here.
  • Pure Potions Skin Salvation Bath And Body Oil. This range is available in store from Holland and Barrett. I found the oil directly on the brands website here too.
  • Mac Syrup Lipstick. I did a post on this a little while ago here.
  • Stila Magnificent Metal in Rose Gold Retro. I used this in my go to rose gold makeup look here.
  • The Elf Shimmer Highlighting Powder. You can see this swatched here.
  • And the finally my gold mini Casio watch. John bought me this years ago from Asos. They don’t have it anymore. I found it for the cheapest price in Ireland here from Argos if you want to check it out.
  • September Favourites 2017
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    beauty blog ireland
And that’s September summed in product from 🙂 Hope you had a lovely month. You can watch the video where I waffle about the products by clicking above, or click here to watch it directly on YouTube.

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Thanks, as always.

Gemma xxx

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Clarins Double Serum

Let me start by saying, I’ve never used the Clarins Double Serum up until this year. It was created in 1985 and has be reformulated a fair few times over the years. I believe it has won many awards too and many people think of it as their holy grail. I am no skincare guru, but I know people like the awesome Caroline Hirons haven’t been too complimentary about the previous formulas. They contained mineral oil.

Fast forward to 2017 and another reformulation of the Clarins Double Serum. They took heed, and it now doesn’t contain mineral oil.

So a quick synopsis of what it is as of today. The 2017 Clarins Double Serum is as the name would suggest, two serums in separate chambers within one bottle. This means that they only come into contact when you are applying them to your skin. Clarins say this helps the effectiveness and means they can have more good ingredients, technically within one bottle. It contains 20 plant extracts with one extra ingredient, turmeric. Turmeric is noted for it’s anti ageing properties. It’s meant to work for all skin types, including sensitive skin. And according to Clarins, meant to ‘address all signs of ageing’.

Obviously, I can only tell you my experience with it. I have been using it religiously for over a month now. I went to the launch and very generously received a sample. First off after doing my research, I have realised I am using way too much of it! And this stuff ain’t cheap! You only need one pump, and pat it into cleansed skin. I have been using two, the shame! Although saying that, you can twist the nozzle for a small application or a larger one.

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As you know if you’ve been around these parts before, I have oily skin. But I am also getting older (boohoo). I still get oily, but the dehydration in my skin is becoming more apparent. This has been a great go between for both of these instances. I’ve been using it most mornings on it’s own with just eye cream, and then in the night. Sometimes on it’s own, or with an oil over top for added hydration. It soaks into the skin super fast and doesn’t leave behind any residue. This is great for makeup application particularly. I personally love the fragrance, It’s quite clean and fresh. But if fragranced skincare isn’t your thing, I suggest giving it a sniff before purchase.

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What I have found since using Double Serum is that my skin looks brighter and more alive. Even the mammy has commented on it, which isn’t a usual occurrence 🙂 It feels more supple too which is brilliant!

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Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t expect miracles from skincare, or from any beauty products really. Most hype is just hype a lot of the time. But, I can hand on heart say I’ve noticed a difference in my skin since using it. Anti-ageing? I guess only time will tell, and I think you have to continuously use products to reap those benefits. Skin plumping and tightening are generally (in my humble opinion), temporary.

Overall though, I am bloody loving this facet of the Clarins Double Serum. It is pricey at around €90 a pop for 50ml. But, if you don’t over use it, like me, you should get a good amount of time out of a bottle. You can buy it from Brown Thomas here.

Have you tried Double Serum?

xxx

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When is comes to my day time skin care routine. I keep things fairly simple.

Day Time Skin Care Routine

I am not a morning person at all, so I usually do my showering and deep clean my face the night before, if I am up and out early in the day. I have oily skin, with places of dehydration. I am prone to breakouts and blessed with lovely (not so lovely) large pores, that like to get blocked. As a result, I don’t like to layer too many products onto my skin. Because of this, my day time skin care routine is pretty simple.

Day Time Skin Care Routine

I start out with cleansing my skin. For me, micellar water works well. I know not everyone gets along with them. Right now, I am using the Garnier Pure Active that is for oily skin prone to imperfections.

garnier micellar water

I just apply some to a cotton pad and swipe all over my skin to refresh everything and get rid of any oil build up. It is available on the Boots website here.

penneys

These large oval cotton pads from Penneys are my favourite. They are quite thin, so the product soaks both sides, but they don’t break up or become ‘fluffy’ :). I always just pick these up when I’m on the queue in Penneys. I love that they leave them beside the till 🙂

For eye cream, I have been using the La Roche Posay Toleriane Ultra for probably more than a year now.

la roche posay

Although I have oily skin, I tend to get some dryness under my eyes. This does a brilliant job of keeping the under eye nourished without being to heavy. I have a full review of it here, if you want to know more about it.

I don’t tend to use a toner generally during the day, but if I do it’s usually either the La Roche Posay Serozinc which I have a full review of here.

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Or I do love the Pixi Glow Tonic, which again I have spoken about in more detail here. I think I need this is my life again very soon.

For moisturiser, I tend to go with something light weight that won’t disrupt my makeup. I have a couple of holy grail moisturisers that I always recommend to people with more oilier skin. The La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo, I have a full review of it here. Or the Vichy Normaderm Anti Blemish Care which I’ve reviewed in the past here. At the moment I am switching between the Dermalogica Active Moist.

dermalogica ireland

And the Garnier Pure Active Sensitive Anti Blemish Soothing Moisturiser.

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I have to say both of them are working really nicely for my skin. They do a good job of hydrating, but sinking in quickly with no residue.

I always use some sort of lip balm in the morning too and let it do it’s thing while I do my makeup. At the minute I have three in my everyday skincare drawer.

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream. I always have a tube of this on the go. I have a full blogpost on it here.

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Then I have a Nivea Lip Butter.

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I use this going to bed too. I love the scent 🙂

And then if I want to use a lip balm that doubles up as a lip product to leave the house in, I will reach for the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector.

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I just have a mini of 01 here, which has a peachy tint to it. I love how this feels and looks on the lips.

 

And there you have my current day time skin care routine. I like to think it’s pretty simple, but effective. At the moment, there is no SPF included. I haven’t found one that doesn’t interfere with my makeup as of yet. I usually use a foundation with SPF in it or mix one in with the foundation I’m using.

 

Have you any skin care products you couldn’t live without?

xxx

 

 

 

 

When I went shopping on Beauty Bay, I bought my first ever Milani products. I spoke about the one of them here, and now I am going to give my first impressions and a demo of the Milani Conceal & Perfect Foundation.

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I do disclaim it in the video, but the shade I have, 01 Creamy Vanilla is definitely not the right colour match for me which is a bit annoying, as it’s the lightest shade. I did throw on some tan in hopes that it doesn’t look too odd on my skin.

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The Milani Conceal & Perfect Foundation claims to be:

  • Medium to full coverage.

  • Lightweight, oil-free formula.

  • Long wearing, water resistant and sweat proof.

That is a hefty amount of claims! I thought my oily skin would give a good indication if any of this rings true.

I mention this in the video too, but I really like the packaging. It’s a 30ml glass bottle and it has a pump too which is always appreciated.

Milani Conceal & Perfect FoundationMilani Conceal & Perfect Foundation

Not really a pro or a con because it depends on what you like personally, but it smells nicely. Kind of clean but does dissipate when the product is applied.

The texture is thick and it gives a good medium coverage to the skin.

Milani Conceal & Perfect Foundation review
Milani cosmetics ireland

You can see more in the video here, but I wore the foundation for about seven hours and then checked back in. I actually really liked how it performed. Here is my skin before, after and then seven hours later.

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I would say I have a particularly oily t zone, so the shine doesn’t bother me majorly after seven hours wear. Overall, my first impressions are good. I like the finish, the coverage and how it wears. If they did a lighter colour, I would definitely stock up on another bottle!

You can find the Milani Conceal & Perfect Foundation on Beauty Bay here. It costs €13.50.

xxx