Fashion & Beauty - Spring time girly outfit

So as the sun was shining for two days in a row (very rare in Ireland!), I took the opportunity to do an outfit look in the sunshine - never know when we might see Mr Sun again!

The navy polka dot dress is AX Paris. I'm not sure what was the original cost as I actually bought it in a charity shop two years ago in Dublin for €5! The nude heels are Penneys and I bought them last year. I don't wear them that often as I find they make me look much taller, and as I am already 5ft 10 in height I don't need help in that department!

As for my hair, I washed it that morning and used a tiny bit of Argan oil hair treatment at the ends where it was dry before blowdrying it straight and then used my GHD. I personally prefer messy hair though, so I curled it randomly in big sections using my Remington curler wand. I will be doing a blog post soon on hair care.

Makeup wise, it's very similar to what I have done before. I cleansed my skin with Boots Tea Tree and Witch Hazel foaming wash before priming my skin with Nivea Daily Essentials Express Hydration primer. I used the green concealer in my palette to hide any redness on my skin. I applied Rimmel London Lasting Finish 25 Hour foundation (I've already done a review of this foundation on my blog) using my Penneys Beauty blender. I used to always apply foundation using my fingers, but since trying out this beauty blender two weeks ago for the purposes of the blog, I am hooked and will never return to using my fingers to apply foundation! The beauty blender gives a much more airbrushed, natural effect. I applied Kubiss light reflecting concealer under my eyes to hide dark circles, and set the foundation and concealer using my Kubiss powder. I contoured my cheekbones very slightly using Benefit Hoola bronzer and applied only a slight amount of Catrice defining blush to the apples of my cheeks. I used Catrice Calligraph Ultra Slim Eyeliner pen to draw an eye line and went back over the line with NYC Liquid Eyeliner. If you have problems like me with applying eyeliner, I would advise you to get an eyeliner felt tip pen, it leaves less of a mess on your face than if you mess up liquid eyeliner! This Catrice one has a very fine applicator for a precise slim eye line, and isn't too expensive, so worth checking out. I applied Benefit They're Real! mascara to my eyelashes and filled in my eyebrows using Penneys Beauty browkit. I highlighted my cheekbones and my eyebrow bone using my Catrice highlighting powder. I applied some Nivea Essential Care lipbalm to my lips and then applied MAC Russian Red lipstick to my lips for a very retro effect. I really like this lipstick, it has a blue-ish tone to it so if you're scared of wearing red lipstick as you think it looks too 'out there', I'd really recommend this one. It's matte, so quite drying, so the step I mentioned previously with the lipbalm is essential. But once on, it stays on all night and is smooch-proof too. As with all expensive products, I am looking for a less expensive alternative to this as well as alternatives to the Benefit bronzer and mascara.

I know I often wear fake tan but I felt like this look is much nicer with the pale Irish skin (red lipstick looks more striking with pale skin as well I feel). And I definitely like to embrace my porcelain skintone (even though it often irritates me from the viewpoint of finding a foundation to match!).

Product Details

Boots Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Foaming Wash, €4.79.

Nivea Daily Essentials Express Hydration Primer, €6.49.

Concealer palette, €10, Chinese wholesale website

Primark Beauty Blender, €1.50, Penneys.

Rimmel London Lasting Finish 25 Hour Nude Foundation in '100 Ivory', €9.99, Penneys.

Kubiss Light Reflecting Concealer in 'No.2 Medium', €2, local chemist.

Kubiss Powder in 'No.2 Candle', €2, local chemist.

Benefit Hoola, €34, Boots.

Catrice Defining Blush in '080 Sunrose Avenue', €4.49, Penneys.

Catrice Calligraph Ultra Slim Eyeliner Pen, €3.49, Penneys.

NYC Liquid Eyeliner, €2.40, Penneys.

Benefit They're Real! mascara, €26, Boots.

Primark Beauty Browkit, €1.50, Penneys.

Catrice Prime and Fine Highlighting powder, €4, Penneys.

Nivea Essential Care Lipbalm, €2.09, Penneys.

MAC Matte Lipstick in 'Russian Red', £15.50 (around €21), maccosmetics.co.uk.

Beauty - Ten Products Under €10

I've been using a lot of cheap beauty products recently on both the looks I've tried out for the blog and in daily life, but I am aware some of you may doubt the quality of these products because they are so cheap. To be honest, I would have thought the same before I tried and tested these products out! Granted, there are some that are not great, but many of them are great quality products that I will continue buying, and that is not just me being frugal - if a product is good quality but expensive I will buy it too. I've decided to do a quick review of ten products I have in my make-up bag that are under €10, from first impressions to staying power. I hope to do another ten products under €10 over the coming weeks, this is just to get started. These are in no particular ranking either.


1. Boots Seventeen Define and Conquer Kit, €7.59.

All the talk about Kim Kardashian's chiseled cheekbones created by contouring, as well as every beauty YouTuber I ever laid eyes on being on about it, led me to seeking out a contouring palette.
The price was obviously the first thing that appealed to me about this kit. The kit is made up of a dark bronzing powder on one side and a highlighter powder on the other, making the job of contouring easy. It comes with a mirror too, a nice added bonus. The kit even comes with instructions on where you should apply both powders. I first tried this out for a night out over the Christmas season. It looked fairly obvious where I had applied the contour when it was put on my face first. But within two hours, the contour had faded. I've hardly noticed it on the first blog post that I used it in. I used a flash on my camera on a photo I obviously didn't put up on the blog and couldn't even see where the contour was. The highlighting powder was virtually non existant on my face, even from the initial application. I think this contour kit is best for someone that just wants a slight, extremely subtle contour (and that's perfectly fine!), maybe a beginner, as it does seem to be targeted that way, especially with the handy instruction sheet. You definitely won't get Kim K's obvious contour with this one! I like the contour to look slightly more obvious, so for that reason, personally I didn't like this. I haven't used this kit since and contour my face using a matte bronzer and a highlighting powder. The matte bronzer I use at the moment is Benefit Hoola (looking for a cheaper alternative though) and the highlighter powder I use is Catrice Highlighting Powder.

2. Catrice Absolute Nude Eyeshadow Palette, €5.49 (Penneys).
I had read reviews about this eyeshadow palette online that raved it was a good quality affordable dupe for the Urban Decay Naked palettes. And as I'd rather pay a fiver than thirty euro, I said I'd give it a go!
This palette contains six different eyeshadow shades, ranging from a light shimmery champagne tone to a dark brown. The lighter shadows (on the left of the palette), are shimmery while the shadows on the right are more matte. The back of the palette contains the simplest of instructions that even a child could follow to create a perfect smoky eye. The palette comes with a double sided brush for easier application.
What I love about this palette is that the eyeshadows are super easy to apply and even easier to blend out. I've used them both for a day time look and a night time look, using both the shadows to the right and the left. It claims to be long lasting, and they really are! They last the whole day and night for me. Well worth a try.


3. Essence Quattro Eyeshadow in 09 'Denim 4.0', €3.49 ( Penneys).
I did a blog post using this very eyeshadow palette a few weeks ago. Like I mentioned in the post, I bought it a few months ago (don't panic about expiry dates, the expiry date is actually very long on this - 36 months! - I don't know if it is the same with other products in this brand, to be honest, this isn't a brand I use very much nowadays). As I also said in the post, I just thought blue smoky eyes were best left in the 90s or early 2000's but then I thought, maybe I just didn't know how to use it properly. So after watching a couple of YouTube videos (I'm not an expert by any means, nor have I said I was!), I took it out of it's hibernation and used it.
First impressions when I was using the silver eyeshadow was that it wasn't great quality - I felt like you had to use loads of product to get even a hint of colour on the eyelid, but as I used the bright blue eyeshadow, I felt it improved - much better quality. The dark navy shadow I placed on the outer V of my eye was also very strong pigmented. The glitter really dark navy eyeshadow scattered down my cheeks and all over my face when I applied it, which was why I was thankful I hadn't done my foundation then - it would have been ruined!
I find this eyeshadow palette is quite bland on it's own - for a night time look it needs to be helped along and jazzed up by the liquid and kohl eyeliners which I did do. Regarding staying power, it does last a few hours but it starts to fade quite quickly (you would need to re-do it if going for a day to night look).
It's worth trying out for the price as it doesn't break the bank but I wouldn't buy this product regulary. I  think this brand in general is quite cheap and ineffective makeup.

4. Nivea Essential Care Lipbalm, €2.09 (Penneys).

As this was a good and trusted brand, I obviously had high expectations for this cheap but cheerful lipbalm. And it did not disappoint! As my lips have been cracked and slightly dry (from the horrible Irish cold weather, not from any action :P), I have been using this before applying lipstick or lipgloss. It softens the lips within minutes so you will notice a difference if you apply this about 10 minutes before applying lipgloss. The smell and taste is super nice on your lips. A great buy for protecting your lips from this cold weather.

5. Catrice Defining Blush in 080 'Sunrose Avenue', €4.49 (Penneys).
The price was the first thing that attracted me to trying out this product. It's super small, so it will fit in even the smallest of handbags. It is super soft to apply. You only need a tiny bit of it to be nice on your skin, so be warned - I messed up this a few times initially by applying too much, so I looked like I had been running for miles - you want a look that makes you look subtly fresh faced. Therefore, this blusher will last a long time (doesn't reach it's expiry date until 12 months from purchase). It's dermatologically tested too, so it won't irritate sensitive skin peeps like myself, and there's no strong smell off it either. It's oil free too, so great for combination or oily skin. Give it a try!

6. Nivea Daily Essentials Express Hydration Primer, €6.49 (Penneys).
I recently decided to give a primer a go after hearing so much about the importance of primers in applying your makeup. I chose this Nivea one as it was affordable and from a reputable brand. It smells absolutely gorgeous, and as the name suggests, it does soak into your skin super quickly, leaving absolutely no oil residue. It did help my foundation stay put all night, but to be honest, I didn't find it that better than my Simple moisturiser I always use. I didn't like the fact that it came in a pot too, so you do need to stick your fingers in it - slightly unhygenic! Personally myself (and I know many people feel the same way), I would just prefer a moisturiser with a  cap on it just to prevent any dirt going into it and therefore transferring to your face.

7.  Catrice Kohl Kajal Eyeliner Pencil in 010 'Ultra Black', €2.29 (Penneys).
This has been a favourite of mine for the past year. After buying (and hating) Benefit Bad Gal kohl pencil (it is a huge pencil, making application difficult, and kept wiping off my waterline within minutes - not impressed!), and not really feeling any of Rimmel's, and being a bit too broke for all the others (blame college life!), I decided to give this one a try, the price being the main reason I picked it up - at just over €2 I figured I hadn't much to lose. It has a super easy, smooth application. It's easy to smudge, so it's perfect for adding some dramatics to a smoky eye look. I've used this both for day time looks and for night time looks over the past year, so I can definitely say that it's been well tried and tested (and even slept in the odd time!) and it honestly does last for hours. Give it a try!

8.  NYC Liquid Eyeliner, €2.40 (Penneys).

I never had much faith in the NYC brand, because past experience with their foundation was not so good - I couldn't find a shade to match my pale skin tone exactly, it left my skin super patchy and dry and also caused breakouts. However, when the Irish fashion and beauty blogger Suzanne Jackson (So Sue Me) reviewed her top 5 eyeliners on her blog and this was one of them, I had to give it a try - sure for €2.40 I had to! I'm really glad I did. I really really really love this eyeliner. It has a bigger brush than most liquid eyeliners do for nicer and smoother application, and doesn't sting my eyelid like many others have done, so it's great for somebody with sensitive skin. Best of all, it stays on all night - I have evidence of drunken selfies on my phone taken at 4am and the eyeliner is still looking as good then as it did when I applied it at 6pm (those selfies will not see the light of day on the internet though - a bit cringe!). A great buy, one of my favourite makeup products at the moment.

9. Kubiss London powder in No.2 'Candle', €2. (local chemist).
The price attracted me to this matte powder, I decided for that price it was worth a shot. First impressions - it smells old fashioned, reminds me of a perfume my granny used to wear or talcum powder, and it's quite strongly scented like this too, so if you're not into strong scents on a powder or just feel wary of them because of sensitive skin, stay well clear - although I have sensitive skin and this powder didn't affect my skin whatsoever. I find that this powder is really good for initial setting down of foundation, but for nights out or even a day time look, it does need to be re-applied, as it does lose it's magic after 2 hours or even less. But I didn't mind that (sometimes!). I also feel like you need to apply lots to your skin to get it to work, but then it makes your base look off colour.  This is a nice affordable powder if you don't mind the frequent added touch ups. Kubiss is a relatively unknown brand from the UK, I bought it in my local chemist in Mayo because they had an offer on on the brand there - three makeup products for €4 - so being the bargain-hunter I am, I just had to give it a go. I also spotted it in a chemist in Sligo too a few months back. I recently bought their light reflecting concealer and matte foundation that I will be reviewing on the next Ten Products Under €10. You can browse their products on their website - www.kubiss.co.uk.

10. Catrice Infinite Shine Lipgloss, €3.49 (Penneys).
The price again was the thing that attracted me to this product. I have alot of Catrice products, it probably sounds like I'm a rep for them at times, but  I really like their products, so was eager to try out their lipgloss. I first tried it out a few weeks ago. It smells and tastes absolutely gorgeous - like marshmallows - so that was a major plus for me as I hate lipsticks and lipglosses that taste so gross on my lips. It's non sticky, so it won't get stuck in your hair while you brave the windy weather (it has been tried and tested numerous times!). It doesn't have amazing lasting power so you will need to re-apply it a few times during the day and a night out - for a night out from 8pm-4am I'd typically have to reapply this about 4 times, which still isn't that bad. It keeps your lips super moisturised and soft as well. I often use it over a nude lipstick like I did in the blogpost with the smoky eye look to give it added shine. It's definitely worth trying out.


That's all for now lovelies,
until next time,

Michelle xoxox

Beauty & Fashion - Valentines' Night Look

Decided to do a blog post about some of the outfits combined with makeup looks I have worn the past year.

One of my favourite looks on myself over the past year has been my Valentines' night outfit - I love wearing red lipstick so much. Better still - besides from the dress - every product used costs €10 or less - bargain! :)

The dress - if anyone is wondering - is from Swamp. I remember seeing it when it was in store first, but when I saw the price tag - €65 - it became less appealing! Just by chance I happened to be in the shop when they were having their after Christmas sales and I snapped it up for €20! Best.Bargain.Ever! I love this dress as it has a very classic neckline  and it also has a nice knee-length to it. It also has a tie belt so you can adjust it around the waist, to draw attention to your waist. I had worn it out New Year's Eve but decided to wear it Valentines' Night as it seemed appropriate to wear red that weekend!

Like most girls, when I go on a night out I like to wear a little bit (I emphasise the little bit!) of fake tan. I use Cocoa Brown Tough Stuff Body Scrub in the shower to exfoliate tough areas of skin like the hands, feet, elbows and knees, to avoid that manky orange tell-tale sign. I love this exfoliator as it smells really nice and is super effective too. I did this the night before I was going out, and moisturised my skin using the Supreme Cream Body Butter by Dirty works - it contains shea butter and sweet almond oil and as well as making even the roughest of skin super soft, it smells pretty good too, as well as being  super affordable! I forget what was the price of this was when I bought it six months ago, and after all my research,  I have been only able to find it online from a retailer in the UK (www.mysupermarket.co.uk), that sells it for a very purse-friendly £4 (€5.55). I applied a light layer of Cocoa Brown Day & Night Tan Mousse then. I like this tan as it doesn't have the horrible biscuit-tin smell that most have. I haven't used it too much though, so I'm going to do a blog post in the future reviewing both Tough Stuff and Day & Night tan in full.

For the makeup look, I thought that the red lipstick would suit the look and kind of tie it in together. With that in mind, I decided to keep the rest of my makeup super simple and matte. So after cleansing my face with my Boots Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Foaming Face Wash to get rid of any dirt or oil that might have built up on my face throughout the day (I will be doing a blogpost about affordable skin care products soon), I primed my skin using my trusty Simple Kind to Skin Hydraing Light Moisturiser.  For my makeup base, I decided to mix two foundations together - apart from the godsend gem Max Factor Skin Luminizer foundation I have recently used - I really struggle to find a foundation that is light enough to match my Casper the ghost-esque skintone. I had been using Catrice All Matt Plus which is a great foundation for a while, but I made the mistake of buying it in a shade slightly too dark for my skin tone (Nude Beige) so when I bought Catrice Nude Illusion in a slightly lighter shade (Rose Vanilla) I stopped using All Matt Plus, but I have noticed that Nude Illusion tends to wipe off within a really short space of time and as I wanted my make up to be matte and stay put all night, I needed some input from All Matt Plus as well. I found these both together did the job pretty well! Of course, I was just using what I had handy at the time, but you can obviously just use a mattifying, long-lasting foundation in a shade that suits your skin tone. I set my foundation using Kubiss London powder. For blusher, I used Catrice Defining Blush. I filled in my eyebrows using Penneys PS Beauty Browkit. For eyes, I used Catrice Absolute Nude Eyeshadow Palette and the three shades on the left side to create a subtle smoky eye. I applied the second shade from the left all over my eye right up to my browbone. I then added the third shade from the left in the eye crease and created an outer V at the outer eye corner. I then blended these both together. I then used the champagne toned colour (the first on the left) on the inner corner of the eye to highlight and brighten the look up. For added drama, I added a pair of false eyelashes from Penneys. They were a bit long for my small eyes so I had to cut a little off at the ends. To hide the band, I applied some NYC Liquid Eyeliner over the top, and added lots of NYC Big Bold Volume By the Lash Mascara to blend the false eyelashes in with my real ones. I used Catrice Prime and Fine Highlighting powder over the cheeks, on my chin and on my browbone. For red lipstick, I used a favourite of mine - Catrice Ultimate Shine Lipstick in 130 'Ketch-me-up'.  It's super glossy, easy to apply, an affordable price and makes my teeth look really white, and I use it every week if I can (hence the mess of the label on my photo
below!). Plus how eye-catching is that pretty silver packaging? Definitely makes this lipstick easy to find in my makeup bag in between the black packaging of the Mac and Rimmel ones! The only thing I dislike about this lipstick is that it fades away within two hours so if you're going for a night out, make sure you stick it in your handbag so you can touch it up as the night goes on. so the colour stays super glossy like it does from first application.

Product Details

Cocoa Brown Tough Stuff 3-in-1 Body Scrub, €7.99, Penneys.

Cocoa Brown Day & Night Tan Mousse, €9.99, Penneys.

Boots Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Foaming Face Wash, €4.79, Boots.

Simple Kind to Skin Hydrating Light Moisturiser, €4.99, Boots.

Catrice All Matt Plus Shine Control Makeup in 'Nude Beige', €6.99, Penneys.

Catrice Nude Illusion Makeup in 'Rose Vanilla', €8.49, Penneys.

Kubiss London powder in No.2 'Candle', €2, local chemist.

PS Beauty Browkit, €1.50, Penneys.

NYC Liquid Eyeliner, €2.40, Penneys. 

Catrice Absolute Nude Eyeshadow Palette, €5.49, Penneys.

Catrice Prime and Fine Highlighting Powder, €4, Penneys.

Catrice Defining Blush in 080 'Sunrose Avenue', €4.49, Penneys.

NYC Big Bold Volume by the Lash Mascara, €3.49, Penneys.

PS Beauty False Eyelashes in 'Sultry', €1.50, Penneys.

Catrice Ultimate Shine Lipstick in 130 'Ketch-me-up', €5.49, Penneys.

Beauty - Dramatic Eyeliner and Pink Lips Makeup Inspired by Shaaanxo

Kind of a quirky look I went for today!

I had just bought the Rimmel London foundation Lasting Finish in 100 'Ivory' so wanted really to try that out (full review on this product is to come!)

Firstly, I used Nivea Daily Essentials Express Hydration Primer to prime my skin. I've been using this primer for a few weeks and to be honest I'm a little disappointed! It's not that much better than my ordinary Simple moisturiser I had been using in the past, but I like the smell of this and it's very gentle on my skin.

I used the green in my concealer palette to hide any redness caused by the horrible cold Irish weather around my nose and on my cheeks, and used the light pink concealer under my eyes to get rid of any dark circles.

I used the Rimmel London foundation then - first impressions were that it matched my skintone exactly and was a buildable coverage. I used the concealer in the palette to conceal any spots then. I set my foundation using the Kubiss London powder in No.2 'Candle'.

I used Boots Seventeen Define and Conquer Contour Kit primarily the contour - the highlighter side of this kit is a bit too light for my fair Irish skin - and applied that on my cheekbones, over my forehead, sides of my nose and chin. 

For blush I used the Catrice Defining Blush in 080 'Sunrose Avenue'.

For the eyes I was kind of trying to copy a makeup look I see on an New Zealand blogger Shaaanxo - I was obsessed with it! It involved using a gel eyeliner (I used Mac) and smudging it out along the outer corner. I'm not sure I really did it like her, but I made an attempt at it anyways! I used the Catrice Absolute Nude Eyeshadow Palette just to brighten the look up. I used Benefit They're Real! Mascara on my upper and lower eyelashes. I then used Mac's Pink Noveau as a lipstick. I then used Catrice Prime and Fine highlighting powder to add highlight to my face. I used Penneys PS Beauty Brow Kit to fill in my brows.

As my blog is aimed towards the budget conscious, I was aware that some of the products used don't exactly match the criteria. Benefit They're Real! Mascara being one of them. This was a product I wanted to try out for ages, and I wasn't disappointed with it - makes your eyelashes look like they're false (no messing around with glue and false eyelashes, yes to that!) and the top of the brush is super small to coat even the smallest of eyelashes. I am in the process of reviewing a product that's a little cheaper than this baby though.

The MAC lipsticks I wanted to try out for a long time. I ordered the classics like Russian Red, but I randomly picked Pink Noveau. I have tried it out a few times on myself and I absolutely adore the colour and the staying power - it will literally stay put the whole night. The horrendously bad lighting in the photo of me makes it look slightly darker on me than it actually is as you can see from the picture of it taken from the Mac website. I am in the process of looking for cheaper alternatives at the moment though, as the Mac products are expensive.

As for the MAC gel eyeliner, this was actually my first time using gel eyeliner. Most of the time, I use liquid eyeliner  but was wanting to choose a gel eyeliner as this look involved smudging it (you can't really smudge liquid eyeliner any bit to be honest - ends up everywhere!) and this one seemed to get quite good reviews online. I love it myself as it glides on super easy and lasts all day, but I'm currently in the process of looking for a cheaper gel eyeliner alternative and will update the blog when I do.










Product Details:


Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation in '100 Ivory'. €9.99, Penneys.
Concealer Palette. €10, Chinese wholesale website.
Boots Seventeen Define and Contour Contouring Kit. €7.59, Boots.
Nivea Daily Essentials Express Hydration Primer. €6.49, Penneys.
MAC Lipstick in 'Pink Noveau'. £15.50 (around €21), maccosmetics.co.uk
Benefit They're Real! Mascara. €26.00, Boots.
Catrice Prime and Fine Highlighting Powder, €4, Penneys.
Kubiss London Powder in No.2 'Candle'. €2, local chemist.
Catrice Absolute Nude Eyeshadow Palette, €5.49, Penneys.
PS Beauty Brow Kit, €1.50, Penneys.
Catrice Defining Blush in 080 'Sunrose Avenue'. €4.49, Penneys.
MAC Fluidline Gel Eyeliner, £15.50, (around €21), maccosmetics.co.uk