Weekend Shopping Haul

Over the weekend I decided to treat myself to a few goodies. I had a list of things I wanted but ended up getting nothing on my list and instead I bought a lot of stuff which I had no intentions of buying, does this ever happen to you ? 

First up is Artdecos Dita Von Teese collection. I came across it in Debenhams and it was all half price so I couldn't resist picking up a few bits. I've already done a review raving about one of their blushes so when I saw that they were half price (€5.50) I picked up two more of them. 

Both of the blushes I picked up were matte, one was a nice pale pink (shade 20) and the other a darker pink (shade 31). The textures of the blushes are so smooth and finely milled that they nearly feel creamy to touch. 

The final thing from the collection I picked up is the candlelight powder which was reduced to €15.00. Similar to the blushes the powder is also very finely milled. It has light reflecting particles in it so it gives a lovely glow to the skin. I will do a proper review as soon as I've given it a good testing. 

I also went to penneys and picked up a few of their frilly socks. These are so adorable and really cheap! A three pack of ankle socks was €3.50 and a normal sized two pack was €3.00. 

I also picked up this lovely dream catcher necklace in Claire's accessories. This was only €5.99 and it also comes in gold. 

These are the only two products I had on my list, something new from lush and something new from the body shop. From lush I decided to pick up their dry shampoo No Drought. I'm a huge fan of dry shampoo but I find that the aerosols irritate my scalp so I decided to give this one a go. It was €4.95 and as with all lush products this too is made from all natural ingredients. 

From the body shop I picked up a sample size of their peppermint smoothing pumice foot scrub. It was €2.00 so I figured I would give it a try. The smell is so fresh and as you would assume it also smells like pepper mint :) 

Finally I went to the Yankee candle store and decided to pick up this adorable glass bucket type holder for sample sized candles. I think this size of candle is great for trying a few scents before you decide on which big jar to buy. The sample sizes are €2.50 and the glass holder was €2.95. 

Have you made any new purchases recently ? 

YSL touche éclat - silk for your face

YSL touche éclat had been on my wish list since I seen it raved about by many beauty gurus on YouTube. I eventually gave in and bought it when I saw it for 26€ (which was a bargain as it normally retails for 35€) on my flight back from Paris. 

The product itself is a Yves Saint Laurent classic with yellow gold packaging. The product looks and feels fabulous...it is YSL after all :) 

Touche éclat is said to be a complexion highlighter but I have seen people use it as a brightening concealer. I got shade 1 (luminous radiance) which is a pink shade, great for under eye circles. 

Touche éclat really does have something different. It's a highlighter but has some coverage to it which really gives the skin a radiant, luminous and flawless complexion which does last for at least eight hours as it claims. 

Application

The product is a click pen applicator. A few clicks and the product comes out. You then sweep the brush where you want to apply it. I generally apply it in a triangle shape under my eyes to brighten them, a dab on my upper lip to enhance my lip size and sometimes I apply it along the bridge of my nose. 

This product is a little expensive, as I said, I was lucky enough to get it on my flight for a reduced price. However I will say, this product really is a luxury make up product! The texture of it felt silk like, it was lovely and creamy and blended like a dream! 

Though I think what I like most about this product, is that there's no crazy sparkle to it like a lot of highlighters I've used. Rather, the light reflecting particles in it are so fine that it gives a very subtle highlight making the skin look naturally flawless. 

This was my first YSL product and most definitely not my last! Let me know in the comments what your favourite YSL product is :) 

So many blushes...so little time

What's the one make up product I can't live without....BLUSH! I know a lot of people would disagree, but for me, someone who's as white as a ghost, needs blush to make their face come alive. In this post I will share with you some of my favourite blushes. 

Starting with everyday blushes, FRAT BOY by the balm. This blush is by far the most pigmented blush I've ever used! When I first got this I plonked my brush straight into the product and swirled it onto my face, a mistake I'll never make again!

The colour itself appears as light pink in the package but it comes out red/coral on me. It does have shimmer in it so I tend to wear it on days when I want my cheeks to have a nice glow. My tip with this product is that a little REALLY does go a long way (so be careful when applying it). 

Sticking with everyday blushes, the DREAM TOUCH BLUSH by maybelline. On account of my dry skin I tend to go for cream and liquid products when I can, so I was very excited when I first picked up this cream blush. The first few times I tried it I was a bit disappointed. I didn't really like the colour and I found it a bit difficult to apply. But as you know the blush is in my favourites and there's two reasons for this: firstly I've learned to apply it properly (finger application works best and it must be blended quickly) and secondly the colour has grown on me as a subtle everyday blush (subtle but still pigmented). 

First swatch (coral);Maybelline Dream touch blush. Second swatch (pink); benefits Posie Tint. 

Moving onto evening blushes, POSIE TINT by benefit. Where to start with this blush....I absolutely adore it! The colour is a sweet bubblegum colour. It really looks stunning on fair skin. I use this blush/stain mainly when I'm going out to a party and want my blush to last all night (and boy will it last). Honesty, this product will not budge, for this post I swatched the product on my hand and it still won't come off (now there's staying power for you). 

It also photographs lovely, gives the cheeks a healthy soft pink glow. Because it's a stain you have to blend the product very quickly upon application. This product also can be used as a lip tint (two products for the price of one). Posie tint is a bit expensive but it lasts for a very long time and after two years my bottle still hasn't dried out. 

The next blush is shade 30 by ArtDeco. This blush is a lovely deep pink with enormous amounts of shimmer. I tend to wear this in the evening but I have worn it a few times during the day. It's a very fine powder blush and it's very easy to apply. It's very pigmented and similar to frat boy, a little goes a long way. 

I've saved the best till last... Macs mineralize skinfinish in STEREO ROSE. This is by far one of the most unique blushes I own. It's a coral pink with gorgeous champagne gold shimmer running through it. I wore this blush a lot over Christmas, it photographed beautifully, the camera picked up the delightful mixture of coral pink and gold shimmer. I think this is probably my favourite out of all the blushes I own, it just makes me feel and look a million dollars when I wear it. 

I think this was a limited edition but if I'm not wrong, mac may be bringing it out again in another collection ( trust me you'll wanna get your hands on this one). 

A glimpse at Soap and Glory make up products

I've always been a huge soap and glory fan but more for their shower and body products rather than their beauty products. However, over Christmas (thanks to my family) I received some soap and glory sets which included some of their make up products. Needless to say I was very keen to give them a try.

The first product was Soap and Glorys Thick and Fast mascara. Since I've got it I've been using it religiously for everyday make up. The brush is much thicker than any other mascara I've used and this seems to help the mascara to coat the lashes very well. I personally only apply one coat of mascara for day time and this seems to be enough to really lift the lashes whilst giving them a good coat of mascara making them look fuller. I've never had any fallout under my eyes from the mascara and it generally doesn't clump upon application. Unfortunately the mascara isn't waterproof (which is a pain if, like me, you live in Ireland, a country that never seems to stop raining) so I tend not to wear it if I'm going anywhere too important incase it runs. But like I said, day to day I really like it :)

The second soap and glory product I got was their sexy mother pucker lipgloss. I have two shades, 'candy gloss' and 'punch bowl'. I also received an XL extreme plump lipgloss in the shade 'pink out loud'. First of all I love the word play by soap and glory, they're product names really make me laugh. All the lip-glosses contain plumping microspheres, which they claim actually enlarge or plump up the size of your lips. Upon application the lipgloss makes your mouth tingle and sting a little. I found this really strange at first but I do however feel that the lip-glosses do in fact enhance your natural lips and give them a look of plumpness. The shades I have are all shades of pink, candy gloss is a very subtle lipgloss for daytime whereas punch bowl and pink out loud can be worn for daytime or night time. 

I was so impressed with the mascara and lip-glosses that I went out and bought another make up product from soap and glory, the 'archery brow tint and precision shaping pencil' in the shade brownie points. One end of the product has a felt tip marker that allows you to fill in any sparse areas on your brows. I really like that it's a felt tip as it allows me to be very precise allowing the brows to appear more natural. On the other end there is a twist up wax type pencil that allows you to thicken your brows after you've filled in the sparse areas. 

As you can see I've only tried a handful of soap and Glorys make up range but if these products are anything to go by I'll definitely be purchasing more. If you have any recommendations of soap and glory products I should try please let me know in the comments :)  

Review of bourjois radiance reveal healthy mix foundation

Bourjois Radience Reveal Healthy Mix Foundation

I (like most beauty fanatics) have been searching constantly for the perfect foundation. I dare say I may have been lucky enough to find it.
I have dry skin and tend to get dry flaky patches around the edge of my nose and sometimes on my forehead (attractive, I know) so when looking for the perfect foundation my skin needs a foundation that's moisturising and doesn't cling to my dry patches.
Getting to the actual subject of this blog post....the bourjois radiance reveal healthy mix foundation. I had read good things about this for a while now and I had high hopes for this foundation.

When i first put the foundation on I noticed it had a slightly fresh scent to it (I normally don't like scented foundations but this was quite a refreshing fruity scent). I applied the foundation with my fingers, it went on really smoothly and it blended superbly. The foundation felt very light on the skin and did feel quite moisturising. The foundation gave my skin a radiant glow (something my thirsty skin has always longed for) whilst still providing good coverage.

I've worn this foundation many times now and I can most definitely say that the staying power is also fantastic. I even wore this foundation during a dance class and it was still looking as good as ever after it. The foundation itself claims that it lasts for 16 hours....I'm not sure about that but it is a very long lasting foundation that lasted me all day (8 hours approximately).

The best thing about this foundation (could it really get any better?) is the price. Given that this foundation is moisturising, superbly blendable, long lasting, provides good coverage and makes the skin luminous and glowing it comes as shock that the price is very affordable. Retail price is approximately €13.99/£9.99.

Unfortunately the only bad thing I have to say about this foundation is that the shade range is quite limited. If you have very pale or very dark skin you may find it difficult to find your perfect match. I am very pale and got shade 52 (the lighter shade 51 was impossible to find) which is too dark and slightly too yellow for my skin tone.

If, however you are lucky enough to find your shade in this foundation and have dry, thirsty skin like mine, which longs for a moisturised and radiant complexion, this foundation is for you :)

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