Beauty - Review of Nivea Micellar Water and Extra Gentle Eye Make Up Remover

As far as make up removers go, I'd quite happily use Garnier Micellar water (review of that product is HERE), for the rest of my life. But, as a blogger, so it's really important for me to always be on the lookout for new things to try out. And a change is always good, right?

When I posted an offer relating to the Garnier micellar water on my Instagram (HERE, please do follow me), a fellow blogger commented that the Nivea version was a far better product. Intrigued, when I finished my Garnier one, I decided to skip into Superdrug and buy this Nivea one. At the time, Superdrug were having an offer on Nivea products - buy one, get one free - so I bought this Nivea micellar water for £4.09 and their Daily Essentials Gentle Eye makeup remover. But now, the Nivea micellar water will set you back £4.09 in Superdrug (it's slightly cheaper at £3.69 at Boots) and the eye makeup remover will cost you £3.59 in Superdrug (although it is £2.58 at a Lloyd's Pharmacy).

I'll talk a little about the micellar water first. First off, you get less product here than you do with the Garnier one; The Nivea micellar water is 200ml whereas the Garnier one is 400ml. I bought the one for Sensitive skin, and it can be used on both face and eyes. The label states that it contains dexpanthenol. Don't panic though, this is actually just an active ingredient that has moisturising properties. It also contans Grape Seed Oil, which also plays a role in keeping skin soft and supple.

I couldn't get any noticeable smell off the Garnier one, but there is a smell off the Nivea micellar water; almost alcohol like. I applied it to a cotton pad and used it to remove my makeup. So far, so good. I think I've mentioned before that my skin is dry, but it felt really super dry after using this. After using the Garnier micellar water, I didn't feel the need to moisturise my skin after, however I had to after using this guy. It stung a little around my eye area, but with a strong smell like that, I can't say I was completely surprised.

Probably the most irritating thing about this micellar water is the smell is such that it lingers on your hands after application, and it's quite strong too, so do wash your hands with some kind of handwash before touching food or the smell will obviously transfer. Although a sneaky tip I discovered last week: if your hands get stained from applying tan, a bit of this on a cotton pad should erase that mistake pretty easily!

Right, now onto the Extra Gentle Eye Make Up remover. The smell is quite strong in this guy too, but if you've ever used Nivea products before, you'll know the similar smell they all have. I applied to a cotton pad and used it to remove my eye makeup. However, it stung so so so bad! So much so that my eyes became red and flared. I was wearing contact lenses at the time, so even though its label states it is sutiable for contact lens wearers, I waited till they were out again before trying again on a seperate day. Again, no luck. Nothing but serious stinging. "Extra gentle", my arse! It really annoys me when brands claim a product to be for sensitive skin when they're so obviously not!

Rating: 1/10.

Book Review: Me and My Mate Jeffrey By Bressie

Hey everyone!

I had some time to kill at the airport before catching my flight back to England after the Christmas break nearly three weeks ago, and I wanted to buy something to read on the plane to distract myself from my fear of flying and also to keep me company on what would be a long journey back to my student house in Cumbria. I don't have any interest in celebrity gossip magazines (I could not care less about what Kimmy K is doing, celebrity culture doesn't interest me in the slightest!) and I decided I didn't want to make my post-Christmas blues even worse by reading the offers on the Ryanair magazine. Needless to say I didn't want to whip out my university books on ethics that were stuffed in my bag either! So I ended up buying a book.

This book, Me and My Mate Jeffrey, is by Niall Breslin or 'Bressie'. In Ireland, he would be somewhat of a household name. He was in a band and also gained admirable success as a solo musician, and is a coach on the Irish version of The Voice. He is also a mental health advocate. I have often heard him giving interviews speaking about his own personal experiences with mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression. Just earlier today, he gave a passionate speech to members of the Irish government about what needs to be done regarding mental illness in Ireland. Please do check out his speech HERE. 

In Ireland especially, mental health is still not adequetely addressed, and the negative attitudes that surround the issue are quite harsh, despite the fact that one in four people will suffer from a mental illness at any stage of their life. Any sign of a mental illness leads to an individual being labelled as "weak", "crazy", or a typical Irish phrase of "away with the fairies" (that is: crazy). Another issue is this whole mental issue thing will "go away". If someone were diagnosed with a serious physical illness like cancer, would anyone say to them, "it'll go away" and "you're just imagining it" or you "need to cheer up". I think not. Then why are people who are diagonosed with a serious mental illness being told them things? It's something that infuriates me so so much you would not believe. It's these kind of attitudes that only lead to bright, intelligent individuals such as Bressie suffering in silence, and for a population of just over four million, Ireland has the highest female suicides and the second highest male suicides in Europe. Pretty scary statistics when you think about it.

This book provides a more in-depth detailed look at Bressie's own personal experiences with anxiety and depression (Jeffrey is the name he gave to his illness) from his childhood experiences of living in war-torn Lebenon (his father was in the Irish army, whose role is peace-keeping), to his teenage days where he struggled to catch his breath, to his time playing rubgy for his university and his province (Leinster), to his music career in a band, solo and as a judge on the Voice. The book is extremely revealing, making sure you really get to know Bressie as a person throughout the book. It's no Oscar Wilde literary classic, but I think that only adds to its appeal; it is written in a way that makes it easy for all readers to understand, as well as adding some good old Irish humour along the way. He spoke with refreshing honesty of how his mental illness problems had affected his relationships, friendships, career. Honestly, I found myself really not being able to put it down; I read it on the flight to Liverpool and then on the train up to Carlisle, and started reading it again when I arrived in Carlisle, so I finished the 308-page book in just a few hours! Obviously though, given the issue, it's not an easy read and there were a few times while reading it on the train that I welled up.

I feel like in penning this book, Bressie has done more for mental health in Ireland than all the politicians put together, offering some hope to those who are in a dark place in their lives. He even offers some practical solutions on what worked well for his recovery, such as exercising and eating healthily. I had a lot of respect for him previous to reading this book, as like I said I have seen his interviews discussing his problems before, but I have even more respect for him now (if that's even possible). It's never easy to talk about what intense problems you may be facing, we all know that. As it's been a while since I did a book review, and as I felt that the book might help others, I decided to do a quick blog post about it.

Thanks for reading guys x

• For those of you who live in Ireland, this book is widely avaliable in all good bookshops.

• If you live in the UK and are interested in checking this book out, it is avaliable on Amazon.co.uk HERE.

Beauty - Review of L'Oréal True Match Foundation

Hey everyone, and welcome back to my blog!

Just before Christmas, I found myself running short of foundation having used up all of my Rimmel Match Perfection one. I've done a review on the Rimmel Match Perfection one  HERE and while I thought it was a natural enough looking foundation, it didn't quite last all day and all night and I suppose I was looking for something a bit more.

Everyone knows how difficult it is to find a foundation that will match your skin tone. It's definitely an ordeal to find one that matches my porcelain Irish skintone exactly, and in many ranges, the lightest shade (Ivory) won't even suffice! I absolutely hate seeing that tell-tale sign of foundation "tide" mark on the neck of a girl, indicating it doesn't completely match her skin tone, but this beauty blunder has happened way too many times to myself than I'd care to remember! Luckily, L'Oréal have come to our aid and following research into skintones of women from around the world, they have developed a foundation with 23 skin-true shades.

I had heard so many good things about this foundation I was a little apprehensive about it, but decided to pick it up anyways. Retailing at £9.99, it was a bit more expensive than the Rimmel ones I'd usually go for, but I figured I may as well take a chance on it.

After priming with Rimmel primer, I applied a thin layer of this foundation with my Real Techniques Miracle Complexion sponge (review of that product is HERE) and the first thing that struck me about it was how it did indeed match my skintone exactly - hurray! I knew I was onto a winner from that alone.

Surprisingly, there's more goodness from this little guy! It covers up imperfections so well, meaning less concealer is used. And it doesn't look any bit cakey whatsoever.  And it lasts from day to night (9am to midnight).

What more could you ask for?

I think I've found "The One".

My verdict: 10/10 (obviously!).

Beauty - Make Up Gallery Review

Hi everyone, and welcome back to my blog!

I was in Poundland a few weeks ago and spotted that they had a range of make up there - Make Up Gallery. Everything was just a pound each (obviously!) so I decided to pick a few things out (sure it was hardly going to put me in debt!), and in the end I picked out four things: pressed powder, blusher, liquid foundation and colour moisture lipstick. For my Irish readers, these are avaliable in Dealz for €1.49 each.

Long Lasting Foundation

This is a liquid foundation that claims to be "natural long lasting". It contains UVA filters which is basically a thin film on the skin which protects it from sun damage (although it's unlikely it'll fufil it's role in the UK until another few months!) and also contains the antioxidant Vitamin E, which plays a role in anti-aging.
I picked up this foundation in the lightest shade - Ivory 1. I tried it out the morning before I headed to work after priming, and then added eyeliner, mascara, all the other bits. It seemed OK at first and I was quite happy. Then I went to the bathroom to get some tissue and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. As  my bathroom had much better light, the foundation appeared super orange. Like Oompa Loompa orange! I couldn't go anywhere obviously looking like that, so had to scrub it all off (including my liquid eyeliner - girls, if you know the struggle you will know how pissed off I was about that!), and applied a more paler fit-to-skintone foundation. Therefore, I've no idea of how this foundation is for wear!

Pressed Powder
As the powder in this range is Translucent, I had no concerns about trying it out. Again, this product contains Vitamin E. It does have a rather strongly perfumed scent to it. Personally I didn't mind it but I know many others will. I was really impressed with this powder, though. I applied it all over, and it helped my makeup stay matte and oil-free all day long, working as well if not better than other high end brands I've tried in the past. Really good buy!

Blusher
This light pink blusher - 'Soft Blush 1' is in a teeny tiny container and like the other products, also contains Vitamin E. It doesn't have a strong scent like the powder. It's not very pigmented, but it does give a very subtle, in-from-the-cold effect, and lasts well.  Another good 'un!

Colour Moisture Lipstick
The lighting in Poundland at the time must have been off  - or else I'm going blind - but when I picked up this lipstick I thought it was black and was slightly excited as I have been meaning to try out a black lippy for quite some time. With a name like 'Black Cherry' you wouldn't blame me for thinking that! However, when I tried it out for a night out over Christmas, I found out that it's really more like a dark berry. I wanted to try it out for the night but I quickly found it doesn't have a great pigment at all - the first coat looks purple, the next application looked just slightly more pigmented. And as it was New Year's Eve, I really didn't want to be stuck in the bathroom re-applying it after every drink, so decided to stick with my Rimmel Lasting Finish lippy.

  

Beauty - Sally Hansen Nail Growth Miracle: Part 2

You may remember about two months back I did a blogpost explaining how I am trying to grow my nails after biting them for years. I bought Sally Hansen Nail Growth Miracle and decided to try it out. It promised to give 30% longer nails in just five days, and so my blogpost was all about my thoughts on the product after using it for five days (see HERE).

I was supposed to write up a blogpost exactly a month later, but with moving over for uni and everything else I lost track of time and to be honest forgot all about the follow-up review I was supposed to post, so you're getting it over two months later, soz!

I applied a thin coat to my nails once a day. As you can see, there was a huge difference in the growth in my nails. Absolutely amazing! They grew back better on the left side because the right side would be the nails I'd most frequently bite as that's the hand I write with and do most things with. (by the ways, the black is not dirt, it's actually some very stubborn nail polish that I put on for my going away celebrations back in Ireland and I had no nail polish remover until recently so...).

My friend asked me a while back if the whole experience of not biting my nails had been difficult for me the last month. And I won't lie - it's been one of the hardest things I've had to do! It was made more difficult by the fact that this Sally Hansen nail growth treatment is not like the stuff my mum used to get me years ago in an attempt to get me to stop biting; when you'd bite your nails you'd get this horrible taste so you'd be less inclined to bite them again - if you've ever tried it before you'll know exactly what I'm talking about! Ugh! This product had no taste to put you off biting whatsoever. It was all willpower. I had to actively stop myself from biting my nails and as somebody who bit her nails for 13 years, I am proud of myself.

I won't lie though - I have an odd nibble now and again when I feel stressed. The last few weeks have been the most... I won't say really stressful, because for the most part it's been amazing - I'm enjoying living here and have met some really super people so far... but it's definitely been challenging, because even though there are similarities to Ireland, I am living in a different country, getting used to a new course and university, starting a new job and getting used to a new accent (it's quite strange not hearing an Irish accent everywhere I go!) Anyways, I bought a second bottle of this Sally Hansen stuff for £9.99 in Boots recently and I'm making it my aim, starting this week to get back to where my nails were in the photo below, so fingers crossed I actually manage to stop for good this time!

Anyways, here are the photos for you to judge for yourself whether it helped (before I ruined it all...)

Hope you enjoyed this post! xx

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Beauty - Cocoa Brown Scrub and Tan Review

I've mentioned in few of my previous blog posts that I've been working on a review of a Cocoa Brown tan and scrub, but never got round to finishing it off  - until now!

Cocoa Brown is an Irish tan brand founded by the Irish entrapreneur Marissa Carter.

They have quite a good few products in the range, including the 1 Hour Tan that a certain Kylie Jenner has raved about on her Instagram and a moisturiser, but I've only tried out the Tough Stuff 3-in-1 Body Scrub and the Day & Night tan so far so that's what I'm focusing on in this blog post.

So before I apply any tan, I would advise to use a body scrub to get rid of any dead skin cells and dry skin patches to make the tan super smooth to apply. I've used many scrubs in the past, from the St Ives to the L'Oreál ones, but decided to pick this scrub as it was a cheap enough price retailing at just €4.99 in Penneys.

The packaging is really cute and girly pink. It's a light pink coloured scrub as you can see from the photo of it on my hand on the right. It smells absolutely fabulous! You can use it on dry skin to give your skin a deeper exfoliation or you can use it wet in the shower. I apply it to my wet skin because I find it more gentle on my sensitive skin then.

It lives up to it's name in that it is very tough - so for that reason I would say to you not to apply it to a sensitive part of your body or it will look red raw. Stick with tough areas of your body like elbows, knees, ankles, feet and hands. For me I find it makes tanning application much easier and I'm left without tell tale patchy orange bits.

I'd highly recommend to use a moisturiser after exfoliation as well as I find that exfoliation often makes my skin super duper dry.

This scrub has won a number of awards like 'Best Exfoliator' in U Magazine's Beauty Awards 2014 among many others so it's definitely worth snapping up.

 

So now onto the Day and Night tan. This tan set me back €7.99, and like the scrub, was also purchased in Penneys. This tan, like the scrub I've mentioned above, has also won plenty of awards - including scooping the 'Best Instant Tan' award at the U Magazine Beauty Awards 2014. It can be used two ways - an instant tan that develops immediately, or you can use it as a gradual tanner after showering the next day for a sunless glow that lasts up to 5 days. I've used it both ways, but I probably use it more as an instant tan that develops immediately, as I'm not keen on wearing tan every day. There's no horrible burnt biscuit smell off this tan like many other tans - there's a nice fresh, flower-like smell to it. Like I've mentioned, it applies instantly so you get an idea of where you've covered.


It doesn't sting or burn when applied even to my super sensitive skin and contains no parabens. Parabens are chemicals commonly put in cosmetics to prevent bacterial growth, but they were found in recent years to be xenoestrogens which are agents that mimic the hormone oestrogen in the body. The effect - oestrogen disruption - has been linked to breast cancer among other diseases so personally I just like using products that don't contain these harsh chemicals.


I love this tan also because it appears to adapt to my naturally pale skin. Although it says 'light by day, dark by night', it doesn't make me look orange or really dark and brown which would be very un-natural for my porcelain complexion and to be honest would look strange on me.


The only thing I honestly did dislike about this product is that it takes it's time to dry - I had to wait a good 4 hours after application before I could dress myself properly for a night out.
Another dislike is that - even though I know from experience other instant tans do this - if I rubbed ever so slightly on my clothes the tan came off onto it! Not ideal when you're wearing pale dresses and clothing like I often do!


But for the price, I think this tan is far better than more expensive brands such as L'Oreal that I've tried out in the past and the positives far outweigh the negatives in my opinion by far.


Expiry date is 12 months from purchase, and I've had this tan since my graduation in November, and it's done me since then really well!


                                                                        Stockists

Ireland:

• Penneys
•  Boots
•  Superdrug
•  Dunnes Stores
•  Cloud10beauty.com
•  Supervalu
•  Heatons 
• plus other pharmacies.

UK:

• Primark
• Superdrug
•  Tesco

Worldwide shipping is avaliable from:

• FeelUnique.com - browse HERE.

• Cloud10Beauty.com - browse HERE.

• Amazon.com - browse HERE.

Beauty - My Dipdye and Haircare Routine!

I've got a few compliments about my hair and a few requests to do a hair-care blog post so I figured to blend the both together!

So obviously, as you can see, my hair is dip-dyed at the moment. It may come as a surprise to tell you I did it myself! I was really bored of my natural black hair colour and needed a change, and as it was coming up to my birthday in September I decided to go for it. I have had bad experiences with dye at a hairdresser before (didn't last too long considering the amount of money I spent) and hadn't really the funds to get it done so I decided to do it myself. So I bought a box of L'Oréal  Wild Ombrés Préférence brush on dip-dye in Ombré No.1  from a local chemist for €7 and tried it out. There's three different kinds of this dip dye, each formulated differently for different coloured hair. I got No.1 because my natural hair (as you can see from my roots) is extremely black. No.2 would be for someone with light brown hair and No.3 is for someone with dark blonde hair. Because my hair was so dark, just two weeks after the initial application the dye turned slightly ashy coloured. By the time it came to my graduation in October the dye had well and truly caused my hair to go really ashy coloured. I re-done it again just before Christmas. It stayed good for about another 5 weeks, and looked really well. But I wanted a really platinum edge to the ends, and as my hair was already dark blonde at that stage, I said I'd give the No.3 a go.

If you're considering doing something like this to your own hair, I'd really recommend these DIY dye kits by L'Oréal. The kit comes with all the ingredients needed to dye your hair and also comes with a conditioning shampoo that makes your hair unbelievably soft and smooth after appplication. The brush that comes with it to essentially brush on the dye onto your hair is created by experts to make the job of DIY dip-dye a doddle. I will warn you though that this dye is really really strong so try not to go near your eye area or you will know about it! But like I've mentioned, it has taken me from September until April to get to that shade I have in the photos of me above, so please try to be patient if your hair is as naturally as dark as mine - you will get there eventually!

I haven't got my hair re-done in eight weeks. I bought a box of dye two weeks ago but haven't felt like it really needs to be re-done again at the moment, I kind of like the undone 'growing-out' feel to it.

Because the bleach really damages my hair, I'm conscious of keeping it in shape as best I can, so every 6 weeks, whether I dye it or not, it's to the hairdresser to get the split ends cut off. I have a severe addiction to using my GHD straightener which obviously ain't hair-friendly, but I've tried to limit myself to using it only on nights out and trying to embrace my natural curly hair a bit more. It's easier said than done though, as I like the sleek look that comes with straightened hair.



I'm more observant of caring for my hair way more now than I ever did when I had darker hair.

I make sure I use a conditioner frequently. I use a leave-in conditioner to save me the hassle.
Even though I obviously don't have long hair (wish I did!), I use Aussie Miracle Recharge Luscious Long lightweight conditioning spray (€4.49 in Boots) all through my hair. It smells so nice (like all Aussie haircare products do!), and as it's lightweight, won't make my hair super greasy. If I leave it to dry naturally, I'm left with these beautiful natural waves. I usually do end up straightening it the next morning though - the addition to the GHD is super super strong!



If I'm rushing and need to blowdry and straighten it straight away, I use a heat protectant. The one I've been using for the past three years is VO5 Heat Protect Styling Spray. It smells absolutely gorgeous and the price is right (€5 in Boots), so I've just kept re-buying it! It not only protects your hair against further styling damage up to 230 degrees but it also contains a heat activated complex which makes styling easier - your straightener will just glide through it - great when you're in a hurry!




If I'm going to straighten my hair before a night out, I like to use something that will give it some shine as with the ombré I find that my hair often lacks shine. YouTubers and hair-care experts on Instagram often rave about their love of Argan oil, so I had to try it out. Argan oil is a plant oil produced from the kernels of the Argan tree which is native to Morocco. I got a small 30ml Intensive Hydrating Treatment. It's a leave-in treatment, so you don't have to wash it out.  It smells so nice. Obviously, because it's an oil, within a few days, or if you use too much of it on the day/night of using, it will make most hair types look horrifically greasy so try to just use only one tiny pea size amount and just concentrate it on the ends of your hair. (Your scalp usually makes enough oil naturally). I find it works best for me when I apply it to damp hair, let it naturally dry about half-way, and then blow dry it. It does leave your hair with lots of shine and feeling super soft. You can get this Argan oil intensive hydrating treatment in pretty much every chemist nowadays or in Penneys - they're so widely available and they only cost €2-3 - bargain! Argan oil extract is also so widely available and comes in masks and shampoos and conditioners, most at reasonable prices too, so you can find something that suits you.

Regarding hair-masks, I have reviewed the one I use most frequently in a previous blog post (The Lovea Nature Mask), but I like to try out others an odd time. One other hair mask I have a strong love for is the Macadamia Oil Extract hair mask. This stuff smells absolutely gorgeous! It has been specially formulated to improve texture and manageability. It's enriched with keratin which is actually the very substance your hair (and nails!) is made up of. Macadamia nut oil is the oil from a nut that originated and is still found in rain forests in southeastern and northeastern Australia as well as other places like Hawaii. Macadamia nut oil is non greasy so it's easily absorbed into the hair shaft. The oil mimics the sebum, which is naturally produced oil on the scalp which protect it from damage. After shampooing, I towel dry my hair and apply a generous amount of this from root to tip, particularly concentrating on the ends of my hair. The instructions say leave in for 7-10 minutes but I leave it in for an hour to reap maximum benefits, then wash it out. It makes my hair feel super soft and the gorgeous smell stays in my hair until I wash it again. It cost €2.

I realise that some people do prefer a natural alternative, without any chemicals on both their hair and skin, so I will be doing a blogpost in a few weeks reviewing some natural haircare and skin care alternatives, using ingredients from your kitchen cupboard!

Beauty - Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

I've heard amazing things about this Garnier Micellar Cleansing water. It promises to act as a make-up remover, cleanser and toner (hydrates and soothes) all in one without the added effort of rinsing. I bought this one for sensitive skin thinking this was the only one avaliable, however I discovered three days later that there's actually one for sensitive and combination skin, which probably would have suited me better. However as I had bought this one, I decided to do a review on it.

Micellar is a fancy new technology that the experts behind the skincare products at Garnier have derived. The label on the back explains this as: "Like a magnet, the cleansing agents capture and lift away dirt from the skin easily without a need for rubbing".
Garnier also use naturally-derived ingredients wherever possible so it won't hurt sensitive skin.

I applied a few drops onto a make-up pad (make-up pads are 75c for a pack of 100 in Penneys), and applied it to my skin to remove my make-up. It doesn't have any smell and has no colour. It removed my foundation quickly and without rubbing like any regular make-up remover should. So far so good.

The eye area I was keen to find out about as I have found that many eye make-up removers sting that area, even the Garnier Express Eye Make-up Remover that I use frequently stings ever so slightly (I've reviewed this in my skincare blog post, see HERE).
To my surprise, this Garnier Micellar Cleansing water removed my waterproof liquid eyeliner and eyeshadow up in one easy sweep - again without rubbing. It didn't sting at all around the sensitive eye area or around my sensitive skin, which I was delighted with.

It doesn't feel greasy at all and the feeling after usage was similar to the feeling I experience after I remove make-up and use toner. My skin didn't even feel dry or tight like it usually does after just removing my make-up. It was amazing!

So is it worth the hype?

Absolutely! It comes in a large bottle (400ml), and claims to allow cleansing for 200 make-up pads. It cuts down on time spent removing make-up, cleansing and toning as well as products used (usually I have to use a make-up remover for skin/makeup wipes, an eye make-up remover and a toner), so does indeed save you money in the long run (instead of using 3 products for the job, you only use one!).

The only thing I don't like about this product is the massive size of it - it's not exactly handbag friendly and definitely won't get past security at the airport! But I suppose it lasts a long time, which does save you money the long run - this obviously ain't an item you would buy every month!

But I really like this, so definitely should be on your beauty shopping list. It's avaliable in most pharmacies, Penneys and Boots for €4.50. On Boots.ie it costs €4.19 (was €6.29), and you can buy it HERE.


My Rating: 4.5/5.

Beauty - Penneys Beauty Range Review

Over the past year, Penneys have introduced a beauty and makeup range called P.S. Love...Beauty. They are introducing new makeup products all the time to their range, and I have been trying them out bit by bit.
I will be doing another blogpost on this topic when I try out more and more of their range.

1. P.S. Love.... Eyebrow kit, €1.50.
This was actually the first thing I tried out in the Penneys Beauty range. I thought I had to buy a mega expensive kit like one of Benefit's kits to get my eyebrows on fleek (on point/whatever's on these days), but when I was getting my eyebrows done, the beautician recommended these Penneys beauty eyebrow kits - as if I needed another reason to go to Penneys! The packaging is not as fancy as the Benefit one (actually quite basic as you can see), but don't let that deter you!
As you can see, this small but powerful eyebrow kit contains an eyebrow wax and two eyebrow powders as well as a tweezers and a double sided brush for easy application. I don't use the wax and the eyebrow powder in the middle is a little too light for my naturally dark eyebrow colour, so I've always used the eyebrow powder on the right. I'm so impressed with this eyebrow kit. It is so easy to apply. This one is super buildable so makes the task even easier and if you mess up, a wipe with your finger is usually all it takes to get rid of the error.  It lasts all day and all night too, amazingly. The fact that it comes with a tweezers too is a great added bonus as well. Such a great find!




2. P.S. Love.... Liquid Foundation, €3.
Like I mentioned, there's new additions to this range all the time, and their latest product is foundation. To be honest, I hadn't high hopes about this - not because of the cheap price - but because I struggle to find a foundation that suits my sensitive skin and combination skintone. However, I was very impressed with this foundation. It has a beautiful smell. It glides on very smoothly, so you can apply it with your fingers or a foundation brush or a beauty blender - whatever you prefer. Once on, it gives a lovely matte appearance even without applying some powder. I tried it out for a night out to really determine it's staying power. To my surprise, it stayed on for the whole night and didn't make my skin look oily, dry or cakey, so I really couldn't recommend this enough. For that price, it's definitely worth giving a go. My shade is in Light, and it matches my complexion exactly.

3. P.S. Love.... Liquid Eyeliner, €1.50.
After the success of the eyebrow kit, I tried out the liquid eyeliner. It has a really thin brush for precise application. It smells very disinfectant like, almost like TCP Liquid. But when I tried to apply it, it stung my eyelid so had to remove it! I haven't used it since January, and even though the expiry date is six months from purchase, it has already started to go very gloopy. Definitely not impressed with this one! It does give a very subtle, precise line so if you don't have sensitive skin, give it a go, but for me personally it didn't work.









4. P.S. Love.... Volumising Ultra Black Mascara, €2.
Penneys have a number of mascaras in the range and I will be trying them out in due course. The first one I tried (randomly) was their volumising ultra black mascara. This comes in purple packaging like you can see. The brush is big to allow for easy application. My eyelashes are quite small and thin but even after one coat I noticed a massive difference - my eyelashes looked longer, thicker and fuller. I think it's definitely worth picking up.








5. P.S. Love.... Gel Eyeliner, €2.50.
After my misfortune with the liquid eyeliner from this range, I bought the gel eyeliner to see was that any better. it comes with a flat brush for easy application. You screw off the top and that is essentially the brush. I find it is quite watery and doesn't really have a strong pigment, and clumpy and difficult to apply. I think I only used this once - ever!

Beauty - My Skincare Routine

So I mentioned I was going to do a blog post on my skin care routine a few blog posts ago, and here it is! Bear in mind that this routine might not suit everyone's skin. I have the complete misfortune of having both really sensitive skin and unpredictable combination skin, which means my skin could be oily one day and dry the next day (or worse - dry on my cheeks and oily on my forehead), so it's really difficult to find a skincare routine that suits me. This seems to be working quite well at the moment though.

Although I have mentioned quite a few products here that I use frequently, personally I find that no amount of products could ever come close to the benefit my skin gets from exercising regularly (you don't need to go mad in the gym either - a quick 30 minute walk in the fresh air once a day does the job quite well. The exercise is also a great stress relief, which plays a big role in preventing breakouts), cutting down on the amount of alcohol I drink (I'm not saying you have to become a pioneer, I'm just advising to watch how much you drink), cutting out the takeaways and fatty foods except for once a week (life is far too short to be completely depriving yourself of the nice stuff) and drinking plenty of water during the day. It's not easy to stick to I know, but I find it does make a world of difference not only to your skin but your overall health. Often breakouts on the external of the body are mirroring a problem on the inside of the body (e.g. digestion problems, the difficult task in detoxifying alcohol).
It's also worth noting that breakouts are sometimes caused by dirt transferring off your pillowcase onto your face, so make sure you change yours every few days (I'm a bit paranoid about this and change mine every 2 days). Plus if you are putting on moisturiser make sure you wash your hands thoroughly with antibacterial soap wash. Sometimes it's these little things that make the world of difference with your skin, and if you're trying to banish breakouts, you will often see results much quicker using these simple methods rather than if you buy a lot of high end skincare products - that if you're a broke ass college student like I was - you don't have money for anyways. The products I've mentioned here range around the €5 mark anyways.

Regarding taking off my makeup after the day or a night out, the easiest thing for me to do is reach for the makeup wipes. I never ever ever ever ever go to sleep with my makeup on these days. Of course I did in the past, but now I realise it's just not worth it. It just blocks your pores and all the makeup is transferred to your pillowcase too (ugh!). I mentioned Penneys beauty items a good few times in my blog posts so it will come as no surprise when I say the face wipes I have been using for the last two years are their Gentle Facial Cleansing Wipes (in Penneys they are the wipes with the pink packaging). I tried them out because they come in a twin pack of 25 wipes per pack for €1.50. I thought they would be quite crap, but they're surprisingly really good! Like the name suggests, they are super gentle for the face and don't sting at all, like a lot of makeup wipes have done on my face in the past. I know Penneys have other options in wipes available, like with tea-tree oil for breakout prone skin, but I find these work best with myself.

After removing my makeup, I then like to use a toner. The toner I'm using at the moment is Garnier Simply Essentials Soothing Vitamin Enriched Toner. I had been using Simple's toner (which is brilliant, and great for someone with sensitive skin), but a few weeks ago, I ran out of my Simple one and had to use this one which belonged to my sister. I loved it so much that I bought one for myself. Before using toners, I thought they were a gimmick, but if you look at the makeup pad after using this on your face you will see the huge difference! This toner gets rid of any excess makeup, and any excess dirt on your face, so it makes it super clean. The soft feeling you get on your face after using it is really nice too. It's alcohol free, so it doesn't dry out my skin, so often I use this after removing makeup and find I don't even need to moisturise (I still do though!). Best of all, it doesn't sting my face, so it's perfect for someone with sensitive skin like myself. It costs €4.49 in Boots.

The cleanser I've mentioned in other blog posts I use  is Boots Tea Tree and Witch Hazel Foaming Face Wash. I've been using this for about three years now. There was a 3 for the price of 2 offer on in Boots on these products at the time (there often still is now) and I got this, the blemish stick and the night cream. The blemish stick didn't seem to do much for my skin and the night cream was hit and miss whenever my skin took the whim to be oily. But I found the wash to be quite good so  have continued to buy it every few weeks since then.
Tea tree oil, as many of you are aware of, is an antibacterial disinfectant and unlike other acne treatments, will not strip your skin of it's natural oils and cause further damage. Before I tried this, I was afraid of using tea tree oil as I had used it before and it caused a reaction with my sensitive skin. However, combined with soothing witch hazel in this wash, it works quite well. A bottle of this would last me about two months. I'd typically use this in the morning and then again in the evening before I put on makeup for nights out to completely wash my face. It's very light and kind to sensitive skin, so it doesn't sting whatsoever. This will get rid of light breakouts, but I have frequent reoccurring stubborn breakouts on my chin that this won't get rid of though.  It's €4.79 in Boots.

Another product I recently bought, and immediately fell in love with, has been the Clean & Clear Deep Action Cream wash. I got it because like I mentioned above, I'm very prone to stubborn reoccurring breakouts on my chin, and this range of products has got good reviews so I wanted to give it a try (the Boots one above just wasn't doing the job). It doesn't sting whatsoever, and after you wash it off, you get a very refreshing sensation on your face, which I really liked. It got rid of the breakouts I was experiencing within a few days of usage as well, so for that reason I couldn't recommend it enough, and is oil free too, another bonus. I'd only use this when trying to get rid of breakouts, it wouldn't be a wash I'd use every day. It costs €3.49 in Boots.

Regarding a moisturiser, I use a light moisturiser in the day time and if my skin is in good condition, usually under makeup as well, and then at night I obviously use a nightcream. The light moisturiser I have been using for the past five years is Simple Kind to Skin Hydrating Light moisturiser. I got it - plus other Simple products -  when I suffered from stress breakouts in my Leaving Cert (final) year at school. It was then my love for this Simple skincare range began, and has continued! I have so much love for the range I could probably rattle on about their products for a week! These products are so good if you have sensitive skin like mé féin - no artificial perfume, no colour or no harsh chemicals, so it really won't upset your skin. It contains vitamins - pro Vitamin B5 and Vitamin E - as well as glycerin and borage seed oil.
To explain some of these so you know exactly what's going onto your face: Pro Vitamin B5 acts as a skin moisturiser, helping to keep skin smooth, soft and healthy. It also acts as an anti-inflammatory by stimulating your skin's natural healing process. It is deeply hydrating and even helps to keep skin moist by absorbing moisture from the air.
As an anti-oxidant, Vitamin E helps to protect skin from damage from free-radicals (in really really simple terms these are by products caused by the oxygen we breathe). In small quantities they are OK but they can cause premature aging, hence where this baby comes in to counteract this.
Glycerin as a compound helps absorb water from the air and increases hydration within skin cells.
Borage seed oil contains high levels of essential fatty acids, which are part of the skin's natural moisturisation process helping to keep skin soft and supple.
But to get down to the basic stuff! It's super hygienic as it comes with a cap that contains just a small hole - there's no putting your fingers in a pot and worry that you're going to transfer dirt to your face or contaminate it. It's oil free, so no horrible oil residue is left. It is absorbed into the skin super quickly too, so you can get started on your makeup base just five minutes after application. It acts as the perfect under base - keeps any sort of makeup I have going for the whole day and the whole night. I use it as a daily moisturiser even when I have no makeup on after cleansing and my skin is super soft the whole day. Can literally not recommend this stuff enough! It costs €5 in Boots. When I was drafting this blogpost 2 weeks ago, it was out of stock on boots.ie - no wonder! It's the UK's No.1 beauty brand for a reason!


The night cream I use is Cien Anti-Wrinkle night cream. Cien is actually Lidl's own beauty brand. I know what you're thinking - surely she doesn't need anti-wrinkle cream at 22?! - but I firmly believe caring for your skin and body when you're young is one way to get into a good routine as you become older and good skin in your youth becomes good skin in your older age. The Q10 you can see on the label is short for the co-enzyme 10, and like Vitamin E that I've mentioned above, is a anti-oxidant. It helps fight off free radicals therefore counteracting premature aging. Overtime, the body starts to produce less and less of this co-enzyme 10 due to aging, stress and medications. Therefore, it stands to reason that it is in most - if not all - anti-wrinkle creams.
 This stuff smells absolutely gorgeous. It's quite heavy so a little goes a long way (I've had this a few months), and when I wake up in the morning my face feels so so soft. Obviously, as I've ranted about other products that have this - the only thing I dislike is that it comes in a pot so you have to put your fingers in it, therefore risking contamination of bacteria in the pot to your face. But for the price (around €3), I think it's worth trying out. Over the coming weeks I will be doing a full blog post on other Lidl own brand beauty products.



If I have a lot of eye-make up on after a night out or a day out, I use Garnier Express 2 in 1 Eye Makeup Remover. I bought this for my college graduation in October as I wanted something to gently remove the individual eyelashes and the strong smoky eye look at the end of the night. If you shake the bottle, you will see that it looks oily, but it doesn't feel very greasy, and the beauty is of it that you only have to use a little of it to have an effect, so the 125ml bottle would last you at least three months. You put a few drops on a cotton pad and put it to your eyelid while the makeup quickly dissolves, then gently wipe it off, so no rubbing is needed. I find though that if you use it around a sensitive part of your eye that it does sting quite a bit, but I put up with that personally because it's the only thing I find that will remove waterproof mascara from my eyelashes or a waterproof gel eyeliner from my eyelid super quickly. It also contains arginine, which helps care for your eyelashes by coating them in a protective layer so as not to damage them in the eye makeup removal process. It's ophthalmologically tested too, which means if it gets into your eye it won't blind ya! It's €4.29 in Penneys.



Regarding facemasks, I have been using two the past six months.

I bought the Neutrogena Visibly Clear 2-1 Wash & Mask about three months ago because the brand is quite reputable and supposed to be good quality. It was also a good price for €5.49 in Boots. You can use this as either a wash or a mask. It didn't a great job reducing or removing any breakouts I had as a wash, so I decided to try it as a mask. I applied it in a thin layer to my face. Within a minute, it started stinging so violently that it made my eyes water and my nose runny. I persevered and left it on for the five minutes recommended. The stinging only stopped when I washed it off with warm water. My skin did feel super smooth after it and even the next day after but I don't think it was worth it for the horrible stinging sensation I experienced on my face, so stopped using it and haven't used it since then. I definitely wouldn't advise it for someone with sensitive skin.





The face mask I use once a week nowadays is Montagne Jennesse Very Berry. You can buy this sachet in Dunnes or Tesco or Penneys. I bought it in Penneys for €1.35. The sachet comes perforated at the top, so there's no scouring the house for a scissors like I had to do with the hair mask I reviewed in the blog a few weeks ago.  I cleanse my face first with the Boots Foaming Wash before applying this. The formula is bright purple in colour as it contains pressed blueberries and crushed cranberries, which both contain antioxidants - the role of which I've mentioned above. I applied it in a thin layer (there's still loads always left after I apply), and leave it on for 10-15 minutes. It stings slightly for about a minute but then it calms down. Then you wash it off. It contains peach kernel oil which nourishes and aloe vera which soothes. I love this range of skincare masks as it's completely natural. The ingredients are all written in basic language as well, for example it says it contains aqua then has in brackets that it's purified water, so you know exactly what you're putting on your face. This company doesn't test on animals either - the packet actually says that they "don't bash bunnies or add bits of animals"! - so you can rest assured you're using an ethically produced product.

Lifestyle - Book Review: The Storyteller, Jodi Picoult

I'll admit that while I like beautifying myself and experimenting with hair, makeup and clothes, I wouldn't describe myself as being the most girly girl there is. There's many dimensions to me that make up my personality - reading books, listening to music, exercising, travelling - and I feel like these interests should be reflected in the blog. From here on out, I'd describe myself as being more of a 'lifestyle blogger who writes about topics of importance', rather than solely a 'bargain makeup, beauty and fashion blogger'. I also wanted to make my blog a bit more broad and more accessible to men. I will be doing book reviews, travel reviews, sharing some photographs of mine, and my opinion on current affair news both in Ireland and internationally.

To start off, I'll do a very brief book review on  the most recently book I've read. I don't have a price for it as I borrowed it from the local library.

It's called The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult. I've read lots of her books, and she's my favourite author by far, as she writes about controversial topics like rape and suicide but she writes about it in such an interesting way that that enables the reader to really get into the minds of the characters involved. It really gets you thinking what you would do in the situation, so it really isn't one of them mindless Fifty Shades of Shite books - you actually use your brain reading these books. As always with a Jodi Picoult book, I buy it planning to pace myself - I start reading the book in the evening time and say I'll only read for an hour or two. However, it gets me sucked in! This book was no different. I started reading it at 11pm and was up till 3am in the morning reading it from start to finish.

This book is about the Holocaust. I chose it because I have an interest in European history and was curious to know how this author would put her spin on it.

The story is told in sections by different characters. First up, we go into the mind of the character Sage  who sets the scene. She runs a bereavement support group in her local town. It's attended by different people, all connected by the same thing - the loss of a loved one. She herself attends the support group and harbors an immense guilt ever since she had a car accident while driving that killed her mother. She doesn't quite fit in with her family, so she spends most of her spare time away from the support group in her small café, where she works as a baker. She doesn't feel herself to be worthy of a fulfilled relationship, which is why she has for years been having an affair with a married man that has children.

While she is working in the café, she a man who has lived in the local community for over seventy years and is very well respected - Josef Weber - comes into the café with his small dog. He begins talking to Sage and at first, she responds because she feels sympathy on the lonely man, but the two soon become great friends. He confides in her that he needs support overcoming a difficult period in his past and Sage encourages him to join the bereavement support group. Over time, he begins to confess horrific things about his past to Sage that changes the way she thinks about him - that he is not the pillar of the local community. He explains to her that he was a Nazi who played a massive role in the massacre of millions in the concentration camps, and claims to have changed his name to Josef from Reiner Hartmann when he moved to the US after the war ended. As she is a Jew herself, she is understandably horrified, and gets in contact with Leo, head of an organisation who hunts out Nazis in the US, to see is it true. 'Josef' asks Sage to assist him in suicide, and she is considering it.

Sage is quite close to her grandmother, Minka. She has noticed Minka has a 'tattoo' on her arm but whenever she quizzes the old lady about it, she closes up and refuses to talk about it. With Leo's guidence, Minka opens up to Sage and admits that she was a Jew in a concentration camp - the same one Reiner was in. She mentions that Reiner was the soldier that murdered her best friend. She also says there was another, kind hearted soildier, who was the reason she ended up surviving the concentration camps.

Sage, consumed with inexpressible rage, agrees to assist Reiner to end his life. It is only after that he has died, that Sage finds out that all is not as it seems and what 'Reiner' admitted to her was quite possibly down to survivor's guilt. I won't spoil the story for you though!

The story is obviously quite dark and somber for the most part, and Minka's description of life in a Nazi concentration camp at times brought me to tears - it's really difficult for me to understand that evil did exist - and unfortunately does exist - in the world. Despite all that, there is some nice parts of the book - the closeness between Sage and her grandmother Minka is quite touching and through helping Minka speak about her horrific experiences, Sage finds a strength in herself that she never knew she had to change her life.

Overall, I would really recommend this book. I found it to be a very humane, warts-and-all insight into the past horrors of war - the passages described by Minka are all developed from real life stories of both concentration camp survivors and victims, so you really do get a first hand account of what really did happen. Like I mentioned, you really think 'what would I do in the situation' as the reader also is brought through Sage's mind as she battles with her moral dilemmas.