Beauty - Review of Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge

I was one of those people who always used my hands to apply liquid foundation to my face, however since I started blogging and reading numerous beauty bloggers, using a makeup sponge was always advised to give an airbrushed, natural finish. So a few months back, I made the switch to an inexpensive Primark own brand make up sponge.

The Primark one was great. For just €1.50 it allowed my makeup to go on smoothly and did indeed give me an airbrushed effect. I immediately fell in love.

I recently moved to Cumbria for university and as everyone knows, there's no Primark here (I know, I'm barely coping without it!). I forgot my trusty Primark one at home in Ireland while packing (obviously didn't love it enough as I thought I did!). Next best thing was wander into Superdrug and there was a two pack of these Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponges for the bargain price of £9.99 (for one it was £6.99), so I said I'd try them out. It was surely fate!

I heard so many good things about these Real Techniques sponges that I was almost put off using them; I suspected them to be much too hyped up. I know their brushes are meant to be the holy grail of applying makeup but I haven't tried them out either!

First impressions - so unbelievably soft! Just putting that out there!

These eye catching orange-coloured sponges are developed in a more innovative way than other beauty sponges as you can see from the picture above.  The flat edge at the top is used for basically patting on product, such as concealer on blemishes. The middle bit is the widest part of the product and allows for more speedier product distribution around the entire face and neck. Then the pointier bit at the bottom allows for more precise application of makeup, so you can use it for contouring (if you use liquid products to contour).

You can use this product both when it's damp and when it's completely dry, I personally prefer to use it dry as I prefer my makeup to be a bit more matte, but when it's damp (not wet!), it allows for a much more glowing-from-within look. You can use this product to apply not only foundation or concealer but you can also use it to apply every other product in the makeup process - moisturiser, primer, blush, highlighter, bronzer and even powder, but obviously what you use with it depends whether your sponge is damp or completely dry.

This product is so soft that it doesn't hurt at all through the make up application process and it can also be used to apply makeup to the neck and doesn't hurt one bit, which was actually something I disliked about the Primark sponges, they were quite sore when applying makeup to my neck.

I think it's safe to say that it's worth every penny!

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Beauty - Beauty Buys I Regret/Empties

The idea for this blogpost (which I wrote up while I was still at home in Ireland BTW hence why all the prices for the products are in euros rather than pounds), was originally meant to be on empties (a beauty bloggers way of saying empty products you have finished) but as I've reviewed nearly all of the products that I have finished, it ended up being a list of beauty products I regret buying (with the exception of the Garnier make up remover, which is my only finished product).

Before I start, I should mention that I personally did not like these products. That does not mean that you, or anyone else will not like them either, it's my own personal opinion. I don't mean to be all negative either (I'm all about the positive vibes, people) but I am going to give my honest opinion on these products, as every blogger should about products.

Garnier Simply Essentials Soothing 2-in-1 Make Up Remover
OK so first up on my list is this Garnier make-up remover. I must be honest, I actually bought this product by mistake, I thought it was toner, because it's in a plastic bottle similar to many other toners, and I was in a bit of a rush in Boots at the time. Nowadays I can't live without my Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water (see review of that product HERE) but at the time I purchased this I had never used liquid cleansing products before; it was always make up wipes to remove my makeup at the end of the day or night. As I had bought it, I decided anyways I may as well use it. As you can see from the photo, this product contains mostly clear liquid with this blue liquid sitting on the top. The blue liquid is a make-up removing oil and the clear liquid is a cleansing water. To prevent the mixture feeling greasy on your face, you must shake the bottle fairly well to combine the two things, soak a cotton wool pad and apply it to your face. It didn't sting my sensitive skin at all (yay!) and didn't sting around the eye area also (another big yay!).
Even though I shook the bottle until I was near blue in the face, I still thought this make up remover felt greasy on my face. When it dries on your face, it does feel rather refreshing but I still felt the residue of greasiness on my face and felt like the oil was clogging my pores! I persevered with it though, and managed to use it up and despite my concerns, it didn't cause any breakouts, so this is one of my emptied products, not a beauty buy I regret (despite the fact that all the shaking to do to mix the two liquids is a bit annoying). I bought  Garnier Micellar Water shortly after I finished this product, and it was the start of a beautiful relationship, so I didn't repurchase this product. But I think it's a decent enough product, not quite as good as the Garnier Micellar Water (will any product ever be as good as that Micellar water?), but still a good enough buy. I got it in Boots for €3.95.

Naturoil Argan Oil Hair Mask.
I've already done a haircare blogpost (see HERE), in which I mentioned Argan Oil. This oil from Morocco is famed for it's moistening properties and it's extract is added in everything from shampoos to hair masks. Shortly after trying out the oil I decided to try out the mask to see how that was. It is in a fairly basic brown plastic packaging and contains 220ml of this white product.
It smelled beautiful, so I was excited to use it. I applied it to my damp hair after shampooing and rinsing. However, as I was applying it, it felt like I was rubbing lard through it. Yuk! My hair felt immediately greasy after applying, and my hair is not greasy usually, definitely more dry and damaged, not greasy. I wrapped my hair up in a warm towel to see would it help but no - still greasy! I woke up the next morning and had to wash it again before I left  my house - it was like I had dipped my head in the deep fat fryer! It only cost €2 in the 2 Euro Shop (duh!) so I didn't feel too bad about it being such a bad product, but I think it goes without saying that I will definitely not be repurchasing! In terms of beauty buys I regret this is probably my number one regret, but like I said I won't be crying too much about it 'cause it was only cheap.

Essence XXXL Longlasting Lipgloss

I was on the hunt for a longlasting lipgloss when I came across this Essence one. It's marketed as lipgloss on the packaging as you can see. However, I applied it to my lips and it felt more like a balm, so I looked at the side of the product in which it said it was lipcream (false advertising much?). Aside from the fact it has a smell good enough to eat (like cotton candy!), I really don't have too much good to say about this product. It applies very strangely to the lips, and makes them look dry and cakey, and I really didn't like the feel of it on my lips. Like the Argan oil hair mask, it only set me back €2.29 so I really won't be complaining too much about it but I definitely won't be repurchasing!


Catrice Prime and Fine Eyeshadow Base
As a beauty blogger, I hear so much about primers not only when it comes to applying foundation but also when applying your eyeshadows to make both make up products go the distance, so I had to pick one out, if only to try it out. I picked up this Catrice one as it was inexpensive enough retailing at just €4.49, which is a steal compared to some of the more high end brands. As you can see from the photo, this product comes in a square-shaped, plastic bottle. The formula as you can see is neutral looking, has no particular colour to it. It smells quite neutral too, with no real smell to it. I applied it to my eyelid up to my browbone and applied it on the lower lashline. A really teeny tiny bit of this product got into my eye while I was applying it to my lower lashline and oh my - it stung the absolute bejaysus out of me! It just caused my eye to become so watery. When I tried it out another day, I felt it made the lower lashline area look dry and cakey. I didn't feel like it intensfied any eyeshadow colour at all. I'm not even sure did it improve the lasting power of my eyeshadows - my Catrice eyeshadows stayed put anyways day and night anyways. It pains me to say this as most of Catrice products I adore so much and Catrice is constantly a brand I keep repurchasing, from their foundation to their eyeliners to their lipglosses, but I just really didn't like this product whatsoever and I'd even go as far as to say it's basically a waste of four euro. Having said that, I do use it sometimes when I want don't want to use my concealer as an eyeshadow base, but most of the time I use a concealer as an eyeshadow primer and that does the job just as well.

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara

I think I was the last female on the planet to try out this product - I think every girl must have tried out this mascara. I also think it's one of those products that you will rant about or rave about. For example, my sister loves this product and repurchases it every three months (like everyone should with a mascara!) and it's currently out of stock on Boots.ie website. I think a little differently about it though...

I'll explain why. In terms of mascaras, this is a basic product. However, it's just that: basic. Everything from the packaging (which wouldn't look out of place in a Spice Girls music video circa 1997) to the plastic wand screams basic bitch. The wand isn't anything amazing, average size really. The real problem I have with this mascara is when you're applying it, and it's not with the brush (which is probably the only thing that saves this product in that it's easy to hold). Try as you might to not have too much product on the wand, when you apply it to your eyelashes you're left with what can only be described as a clumpy mess. I try not to judge others when it comes to beauty blunders, because we have all had them at one time or another (hell, I have them pretty much every time I wear makeup!), but I really really really don't like to see clumpy looking eyelashes on another woman. You know, when eyelashes look stuck together? Yuk, so not a good look. This mascara is unbelievable for creating that horrible clumpy look however, so if you wish to get that horrific look, then by all means, purchase this product! I'd advise you to not part with your €7.49 for this crappy product and invest in one of those Penneys brand mascaras for €2. You're better off, trust me.

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Thanks for reading everyone! x

Fashion - Five Wardrobe Staples Every Girl Should Have

Welcome back to my blog!

I'm all for trying out new trends, but I believe there's five items that every girl should have in her wardrobe, no matter what her individual style is.




1. Leather Jacket 
This is my go-to item in my wardrobe and probably my most worn item of clothing. At the moment, I have a black jacket with gold buttons I'm wearing in the photo there that I've worn in a previous blog post (see HERE), and just can't get enough of it. I got it in Penneys (Primark) for only about €20 too, so don't for a second think you have to spend a small fortune to get a decent one.

The best thing about a leather jacket is that I can wear it with skinny jeans and a plain white tee and ballet pumps for running errands in town during the daytime and then wear it to toughen up a dress to party at the night-time. There's loads of different styles available, with studs and what not, but I find the more basic the better, and the more likely they are to go with whatever you're wearing. A black one will go with pretty much every colour as well.



2. Good pair of skinny jeans

I realise I'm a budget blogger, but I'm also an honest blogger, so although I love Penneys (Primark) for their makeup, and shoes (oh my God, the shoes!) and their jewellery and most of my wardrobe is from there, I really must say that I dislike their skinny jeans with a fiery passion - I've found over the years that after about three washes they stretch quite a bit and are pretty much finished for and good to bin. Good thing that they're range around the ten euro mark or I'd be fierce angry!


My theory is that if you're going to wear an item of clothing a lot it's fairly acceptable to spend a reasonable enough amount of money on them - I feel it's more of an investment than anything else. I invested in those pair of jeans I'm wearing on the right and even though they were €70 at the time, they have lasted me nearly five years, I practically wore them to death at college,  and when you think of the amount of Penneys jeans I would have gone through in five years you'll know that it worked out a lot cheaper for me in the long run!

Much like the leather jacket, the skinny jean is a very versatile item to have in the wardrobe. They went quite well with and balanced out the crazy print top I'm wearing in the photograph there, but they also work well with just a plain white T-shirt and a leather jacket.

Blogpost which features the outfit there is HERE.

3. Dress that you can dress up or down
I wouldn't describe myself to be the girliest of girls, but I do like wearing dresses during the day and for night. I particularly like dresses that can be worn at both times! The flowery dress that's I'm wearing above is a good example of such a dress. Usually for day time I wear it with black tights or leggings with ankle boots or black ballet pumps and a black leather jacket, and for night-time I ditch the tights and ballet pumps/boots and apply tan and stick on a pair of heels. Going from casual day time to dressy night time has never been so easy!

4. High heels that you can walk in.
High heels have always been a wardrobe staple among women for many reasons. The obvious one being is that they look so pretty. The styles in Penneys as well as other high street stores at the moment (leaving out designer shoes because to be honest they're in a league of their own - too fecking pretty), and I say this as someone who wouldn't even consider herself to be that crazy about heels.

Other reasons behind why they are staples - can make you look taller and legs look longer, works your calf muscles (who doesn't want leaner legs?), self confidence (encourages you to walk tall) and can help you go from a day in the office outfit to a night out outfit without much else change to your outfit (great when you're rushing!).

You would imagine that this would go without saying, but an important point I must add is that you should practice walking in them and make sure you're able to walk in them. I've lost count of how many girls I see constantly walking up the street on nights out like something that resembles a new born calf. I can't lie - I've often been like it myself - but these days I try to stay away from ridiculously high heels that I know I can't walk in (and to be honest, I look odd in anyways given how tall I am anyway).

I find it's easier to walk in high heels if I have a strap on them. The metallic heels below are one of my most worn pair of shoes because of that very reason, I got them in Penneys (where else?) a few months back for the barganious price of €7 reduced from €16. I also find they glitz and glam up any outfit I wear them with.

I bought the pale pink wedges also pictured below because sometimes I like wearing something with height in the day time with a pair of jeans or a skirt, and these beauties fit the bill. As well as looking so pretty, they are also so comfortable to wear, I've often worn them all day and my feet don't feel sore after. They cost €16 in Penneys.

5. Statement Jewellery
I've mentioned throughout this post that you sometimes need an item that takes you from office style to nightclub style within minutes, and statement jewellery is possibly the easiest way to do so. Be with rings, bracelets or necklace, it jazzes up a plain dress/shirt within minutes and makes it more eye-catching. I will offer some words of advice though: resist the urge to go overboard. Go with statement ring or necklace or bracelet, not all three together. Also, try not to go too bling bling when it comes to picking out this kind of jewellery keep it fairly simple. There is a fine line between classy and trashy and it's ever so fine when it comes to this kind of jewellery. I found this image on Pinterest and immediately fell in love with the whole outfit. The skirt is the statement outfit piece, and the white shirt balances it out, and you can also see the statement necklace jazzing up the top half a little to make it less drab and dreary to fun and quirky. As to where other statement necklaces can be bought, Penneys have a humongous selection, ranging in price from €3-8 so depending on your budget you can find something that suits you, you don't need to go super expensive.

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Beauty - Essence Disney Cinderella Range Review

To coincide with the Disney movie that was released a few weeks back, the German make-up brand Essence released a Cinderella beauty range - that consists of a highlighter powder, eyeshadow palette, lipgloss, blush and some nail art. I'm only focusing on the make-up products as if anyone has seen my nails knows they are too short to apply any nail art to them as I have a horrible habit of biting them!

I've already mentioned in the blog that I don't really rate Essence make-up products too highly - I think they're generally of bad quality and not even worth the little price you pay for them. I use the word generally because from my previous blog posts people picked up that I don't like them at all - there are some of their products I really love such as their Liquid Ink Liquid Eyeliner, but the majority aren't great. Will this Cinderella range exceed my poor expectations? Let's find out!


Essence Cinderella Highlighter Powder in '01 The Glass Slipper' - €4.09.

Deciding what product to and try out first in this limited edition range was a no-brainer - the beautiful rose-embossed packaging of this highlighter powder drew me in like a bee to honey! It looks a pale pink in the packaging and is quite matte so no sparkly bits, despite the fact that it is Cinderella product! I think it's really beautiful on and not too in-your-face yet not too subtle, so it's a really great find. More than just a pretty packaging.

My rating: 5/5.













Essence Cinderella Eyeshadow Palette in '01 It's More Than I Ever Hoped For' - €4.79

As you can see, this eyeshadow palette is not quite as fancily packaged as the highlighter powder - quite basically packaged as you can see from the picture.. Six different eyeshadows make up this palette - four that are on the bright side and two that are on the darker side. It contains a double ended sponge applicator. The back of the palette contains instructions on how to create a smokey eye - apparently you have to apply the four brighter shades on the lid and up to the eyebrow socket and the darker shades go on the outer V of the eye, so I did as it said. I didn't use the sponge applicator - I really don't know why these are included in eyeshadow palettes, they really don't assist with much and make the eyeshadows very difficult to blend. I didn't apply eyeshadow primer to really test the staying power of these eyeshadows. First impressions are that the four bright colours are really not pigmented well, barely show up whatsoever in fact. The swatches on my (very pale!) arm even directed in sunlight showed that.

The darker shadows are more pigmented by far, but not by much. Like another Essence palette I used, this eyeshadow lasted for the whole day but it did start to fade quite quickly I noticed throughout the day.

My rating: 3/5.







Essence Cinderella Blusher in '01 So This Is Love' - €4.09

This is again, not as impressively packaged as the highlighter powder but cutely packaged all the same as you can see. The blush is a mid-tone pink with coral tones. It looks bright pink in the packaging, so I was a bit wary of using it. I applied only a tiny bit on my brush. Once on however, surprisingly it looks quite natural, and gives a lovely flushed appearance. It lasts all day too. A really nice blusher if you are going for quite a natural look, but try and only use a light hand to make it natural.

My rating: 4/5.











Essence Cinderella Lipgloss in '01 Sing, Sweet Nightingale' - €2.49.

This is quite basically packaged as you can see. The colour in the tube looks quite glittery and glossy it reminded me of a lipgloss I used to get free with teenage magazines back in the day, so I wondered about the quality of it. It's quite sweetly fragranced, almost to the point where it's sickeningly sweet. It does apply quite smoothly to the lips but the small brush doesn't deliver much product to the lips, and for me I found it needed three atte
mpts before it coated my lips fully. Once applied, it appears much like a regular clear lip gloss would, with absolutely NO HINT of this sparkle that you can see in the tube, and also felt slightly sticky on my lips too. It also causes your hair to stick to your lips

in the wind! It's staying power is quite good however, and once applied it will stay good for two/three hours.

My rating: 2/5.











Stockists: I bought all of these items in Penneys (Primark) in Ireland, and in my local Penneys they are still available, but as this was a limited edition range they may not be available anywhere anymore except for Ebay.

Beauty - Tester Tuesday: Boots Seventeen Skin Wow! 3 Way Highlighter

So I've seen a lot of bloggers do this thing called 'Tester Tuesdays' where they test and try out a new product and wanted to try it out for myself!

First up on my 'Tester Tuesday' is this relatively new highlighter, that is part of Boots own make-up brand, Seventeen.

After reading great reviews of this online, I was curious to try it out for myself. It costs €7.59.

This highlighter comes in a plastic long tube as you can see with a pump that you press down on and out pumps the product!

It claims to be the "ultimate skin pick me up".

First impressions - pretty basic packaging. There is a smell to it but it's not an overpowering smell.

Like I said, it's a three way highlighter so the three ways you can wear it is as a primer under foundation, mixed with foundation or applied directly onto the cheekbones.

I tried it out all three ways.

Firstly, I tried it out as a primer, and found that it stung my sensitive skin so much I quickly had to remove it.

Secondly, I mixed it with my regular foundation (Rimmel 25 Hour foundation), and found that while it didn't sting my skin then, it did appear to make my skin look off-colour, almost grey and sickly looking.

Thirdly, I tried it as a highlighter to my cheekbones after applying the rest of my face make-up, and found it gave me little of a glow. The consistency was far too runny, ruining my foundation. It was too silver toned, and when I tried to blend it into my skin, it just lost all it's effect.

I was really disappointed with it, as I haven't used much of it, and can't really use any more of it - unless I'm going for a really sick and almost dying look at Halloween maybe.

I think this highlighter is best suited to a tanned complexion, so you should definitely stay clear if your skin is as Casper the ghost-pale like myself. Which begs me to ask the question - why did a British company like Boots create such a product?!

My rating: 1/10.

Beauty - Natural Eyes with a Bright Lip: Collaboration No.1

So to make my blog a bit more exciting and to support other bloggers, I've decided to start doing collaborations with other bloggers on Instagram. There will be one each week for the next few weeks. If you haven't followed me on Instagram HERE  what are you waiting for?! This is my first collaboration with a lovely beauty blogger called @tangram_. Her Instagram is HERE , you definitely should follow her, she's beautiful on the inside as well as the outside and so talented too!

For our collaboration we decided on a really summery day time look  - consisting of natural, low key-eyes (with some glitter - sure why not!) and a super eye-catching bright lip - inspired by the beautiful YouTuber Kathleen Lights. If you don't know who she is, you should definitely check her out! I follow her on Instagram and am subscribed to her videos on YouTube, what I really like most about her is she uses mostly affordable products and her videos are super simple to follow too, and I am already planning on having another make-up look inspired by her uo soon on my blog! A link to her channel is HERE and her Instagram is HERE.

Anyways this look is so nice - neutral, simple eyes teamed with a bright pink lip. It's definitely too subtle for me to wear to a night-time event. Just to say, this look is not for the beach, it's not that natural! It's if you were going to - let's say - a  summer day-time event.

Most of the products I've used, I've used before in other blog posts. The amount of make-up I have at the moment is far too much, and many of the products I have bought have never been opened, so I need to use them before I buy more things.

So first off, I washed my face using Boots Tea Tree and Witch Hazel foaming wash, (€4.79). My skin is super duper dry at the moment, so I moisturised my face using my Simple Kind to Skin Hydrating Light moisturiser (€5) in three thin layers. I've done a review on these two products HERE as part of my skincare routine.

I used the green in my concealer palette (€5 from aliexpress.com) to hide the redness around my nose and on my cheeks. As this is a very natural look, I used Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hour foundation (€9.99) using my Penneys beauty blender (€1.50). I've done a review on this foundation HERE, and while it isn't a make-up product that lasts all day for someone like me who has combination skin, it is very good for a day time look for a few hours. I used Kubiss concealer in No.2 Medium (€2, local chemist) where needed and set that and the foundation with Catrice All Matt Plus shine-control powder in 010 Transparent (€3.49, Penneys).

I created a very subtle smoky eye using the three shades on the left of the Catrice Absolute Nude eyeshadow palette (review of this product is HERE), €5.49. I applied the lightest colour on my browbone and inner corner of my eyes, the medium shade on my eyelid and the darkest eyeshadow shade on the outer edge and blended them together. To brighten up the look even more, I patted some of Catrice Liquid Metal Eyeshadow in the shade Under Treasure (€4.49), from my inner eye to nearly half way over the eye.

As this is a summery day time look, I skipped false eyelashes and went straight for mascara. The one I decided to use was NYC Big Bold Volume by the Lash Mascara (€3.49). My natural eyelashes are tiny and short, so that's why it hasn't come up as impressive as I would have liked.

For eyebrows, I filled them in using Penneys PS Beauty browkit (€2); I've reviewed this product (along with a  few other Penneys own brand make-up products) HERE.

As for the rest of my face, it's very natural again, and as it's a summery look, I used a little of Catrice Sun Glow Shimmering Bronzing Powder (€4.49) and a teeny tiny bit of Catrice Defining Blush in Sunrose Avenue (€4.49 - review HERE). I highlighted my skin using Catrice Prime and Fine highlighting powder. (€4).

The lips are really the standout star attraction of this look. I love how everything else is very natural and the lips are just BAM! You could choose any lip colour you want, even a nude lip would look really nice with this look. In the inspired look she's wearing lipstick but I think a lipgloss is more fun for summer, so I wore the unbelievable New York Color Expert Last Lip Lacquer in Fidi Fuchsia. I love everything about this product - the beautiful shade, the way it doesn't taste yukky on my lips, and the fact it stays on for yonks! Oh and it only set me back €3.70 too!

My hummingbird top is from Penneys - from a few years ago though - in case anyone's wondering.

Fashion & Beauty - Clashing Prints Outfit of The Day

Clashing prints are a very big trend at the moment. I find they are more wearable however if both prints are in the same colour palette, such as black and white like I have done here.

The black and white dress is AX Paris, but like the navy version of this polka-dot dress that I wore in this blog post HERE, and like the navy version, I also got it in a charity shop in Dublin for €5!

The coat belonged to my sister, she didn't like the print on it anymore, so she gave it to me! It is by Jane Norman, and was quite expensive at the time. It is five years old and still excellent quality.

The brown ankle boots are Penneys, I've mentioned them in previous blog posts. I bought them just before Christmas for €15.

The tights are basic black ones from Penneys, they cost €3.

The black hat is from Chinese wholesale website aliexpress.com, I've also mentioned it in previous blog posts. It cost €6.

Make-up wise, it's very similar to what I have done before. The foundation I used was Rimmel London Lasting Finish 25 Hour foundation, and I've reviewed it on the blog before, see HERE. I applied that using my Penneys beauty blender (€1.50). It gives a very natural result.
The liquid eyeliner I used was Essence Liquid Ink Eyeliner (€2.89, Penneys).
The red lipstick is Seventeen Stay Pout lipstick. (€5.69, Boots).
The rest of the make-up routine I have already mentioned before in many other of my blog post.

For hair, I washed and conditioned it before applying V05 Heat Defence Spray (€5, Boots) and blowdried it straight, then straightened it again using my GHD straightener.

P.S. Apologies for my Michael Buble calendar photobombing in the background ;-)