Thoughts: Social Media - The Great Illusion

Following on from my blogpost about women's rights being restricted in Ireland (if you want to check that out please do so HERE), I have decided to do a blogpost every so often about my opinion on an issue in the news. (I'll try not to rant, and be as objective as possible).

So this blogpost was inspired by a news article I came across during the week, in which an Australian model named Essena O'Neill made the decision to shut down all her social media sites, like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook etc. As it was ironically flooding pretty much every form of social media I use, I decided to check out the article and the reasons behind it. Basically, she explained she shut down her social media sites because she felt it was "fake" and "an illusion". She said that people saw her as this "blond, confident model" but behind the scenes she was a "lonely and depressed teenager".

Of course, the critics waded in, claiming she just did it for attention and maybe she has done, as it did propel her from a virtual unknown only really known in the land down under to all over the globe, but whatever her reasons for doing what she did, it did get me thinking about social media. Initially, Facebook was created as a means of communication between people, Twitter was created for a similar (albeit, shorter!) reason, and Instagram was created as a visual way of communication. In many ways, it has greatly improved the way we live. Just before I moved over, my Dad spoke about when he was in my situation when he was in his twenties, having moved from Ireland to England. The only form of communication he had with family members was a letter every few months. Telephones were not as common as they are now and mobile phones didn't come into existence until decades later. Needless to say, there was no such thing as Skype or even a computer, so he didn't see them at all until he actually travelled home occasionally to see them in the flesh. Compare it with my experience today; having moved over to England, I have Facebook to keep in contact with family members friends in Ireland as well as well as my new classmates, Skype to see my family and friends back home and Instagram allows me to communicate my visual experiences of my new life here as well as seeing a visual representation of my friends and families life back home, every one of these accessible through my mobile phone.

As a blogger, I find social media invaluable for reaching my target audience. I'm not so keen on Facebook, as it only allows a few to see your posts at any one time unless if you have plenty of money to fork out (which needless to say as a student, I don't have), but I'm very active on Twitter and Instagram and as well as promoting my blog on these forms of social media, it's great to interact with other bloggers, who are for the most part very supportive and encouraging.

There is however the flip side of the coin, which is in a nutshell is what led O'Neill to her social media exit. I'm not going to discuss cyber bullying here; I feel like that's an issue so big that a whole blog dedicated to it couldn't even do it justice. And I'm also not going to go into how it's a huge method of distraction and procrastination tool. I, for one, have not been under any illusions since I've started using social media, especially Facebook, that it's just that: an illusion. It's human nature to highlight your best bits and leave out the not-so-good bits, which is why you're more likely to see a university graduation snap rather than someone making the emotional decision to drop out of university (for whatever reason). You're more likely to post a snap of a "lovely" family photo rather than the photo where the young kids have been arguing. You're more likely to take a selfie with full make up and a pretty dress on rather than one with no makeup and your pyjamas on. You use an Instagram or a Snapchat filter because your skin isn't so good. We've all been there, myself included, I'll hold my hands up and admit to that. But we need to take a step back an odd time and realise that this is not necessarily "real" life at all. 

Some people have an addiction to social media, and feel they can't "function" without it. The addiction to likes, the addiction to having a huge number of Facebook "friends". Lonliness and isolation and the struggle with identity of self and where you fit in (especially as a teenager) means that social media is something that people cling to that they feel will provide them with some stability and a means of belonging. Everything from a new relationship to a new job is posted online. Growing up, it was something that tended to frustrate me. Why did people I did not percieve as being nice have more Facebook friends than me? Why did this girl get more likes than me on Instagram? These are insignificant matters now, and the days where I used to get frustrated if my selfie didn't get more likes on Facebook or Instagram are now thankfully gone and buried with the rest of my teenage years. Today I only add people as Facebook friends if I genuinely like them (I have to really like them if they tend to post a lot!) and ignore the other requests, and I won't take it personally if my selfie doesn't reach 200 likes on Facebook.

I have made no secret of the fact I find the way mental illness is addressed on social media is insufficient to say the very least. I remember some years ago watching a YouTube clip by the comedian Kevin Breel, in which he spoke in a similar way to O'Neill, in which he said that he thought that mental health was not being addressed on social media, because it's "not fun, it's not light" and as a result people just don't see the severity of it. People would rather speak about cancer it seems, and before you jump down my throat, I'm not pitting both against one another; they are both horrible diseases to be faced with, and I speak as someone whose family member has gone through cancer - but why are we more likely to talk about one than the other on social media? This in my eyes only creates a world where people who are suffering with a mental illness feel like they cannot admit their problems, which only threatens to make the problem ten times worse. I, for one have been trying to be more vocal with my own issues with mental illness on social media - however emotionally difficult it is - because I feel it might encourage someone else to feel that they are not alone, but I feel sometimes like I'm the only one that does it and I often feel discouraged when I get more views for other blogposts about fashion or makeup than writing about my experiences with an invisible illness of the mind. I believe that social media plays a prominent part in mental illness; not so much causing it but definitely not helping it. I mean, how many times have you innocently scrolled through your Facebook feed in a bad mood, only to see something that makes you feel more down, be it a photo of the guy you like with his new girlfriend, or a picture of someone younger than you graduating when you haven't really decided what you're doing with your life. I'd go as far as to say that it literally changes your mood in an instant. We start to compare our real life situations with other people's highlight reel. The issue of jealousy stemming from one's use with social media is something that has undergone several studies, but you don't need any expert to tell you this. Social media jealousy ends up fragmenting relationships and friendships, which is pretty much the opposite aim of why it was created in the first place!

Ironically, as people spend more and more time online and we tend to live in a fast paced, commerical world, it's easier to communicate with others through an online group or message than actually making the time to meet up with the person in "real" life, leading to feelings of loneiness and isolation.

 To read more about Essena's story see: http://fox6now.com/2015/11/04/social-media-is-an-illusion-insta-famous-australian-teen-shuts-down-social-media-accounts/

To check out the Kevin Breel YouTube clip I mentioned, see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3yqXeLJ0Kg

Hope you enjoyed this post!

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Beauty - Superdrug Haul featuring Collection, Make Up Academy, Make Up Revolution & Beauty UK

Hi everyone!

I popped into Superdrug a few weeks ago and got a few make up related things there. As I'm primarily a budget blogger, I decided to try out some of the budget brands that were there. Some of these brands I'll mention Irish readers may not know about, I'm not sure are they available in Ireland as well as in the UK.

Collection Lasting Perfection 16 Hour Ultimate Wear Foundation
I couldn't bring liquids on the plane over here so that unfortunately meant that my Rimmel Match Perfection foundation I'd usually wear for day time (see review of that product HERE), was left behind in my bedroom in Ireland (sob!). So obviously the most essential piece of makeup I needed to buy was a new foundation. (the other make up I bought that I'm going to discuss in this blogpost was purely me being distracted quite easily in Superdrug!). I decided to try out the brand Collection as I had never used it before and I'm always open to trying out new brands. Collection is a British produced brand but is available in Boots in Ireland as well as here in the UK (though for some reason I had never tried any of the brand out while in Ireland). This foundation claims to last for 16 hours, provide 'flawless coverage' and 'minimize imperfections'. The packaging says it contains SPF 20 which is always good to have (even in British rainy weather!) and claims to be oil free also. I tried this out the next day after I bought it. To test the lasting power of it, I tried it out with very little setting powder. My skin is usually not very oily, but after just a few hours of wearing this foundation I saw that it had become particulary oily. I have tried to use it with quite a bit of powder but I just don't like applying too much powder - I think it looks a bit cakey - but with this foundation I felt like I had to.
Another thing I really disliked about this product was the shading. Even though Ivory is the perfect shade for me throughout pretty much every make-up range, this foundation in Ivory looked more than a little orange on my face. I try not to buy the lightest shade in any foundation, because it tends to make me look drained and washed out more than I look at the minute, but with this one really had to because I was walking around uni looking like one of the Oompa Loompas from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! Even so whilst wearing the Porcelain shade, it still ended up slightly orange on my face, which means I can no longer use the two foundations I shelled out over £13 for altogether - ugh! I don't know is this related to stress or what I'm eating, but I did notice while I was wearing this that I kept breaking out in new blemishes every single day!
I am keen to try out the Collection Lasting Perfection concealer  though - it's nearly always out of stock here and it's meant to amazing, so when that comes back into stock I'll have to buy it and chat a bit about it! But as for this foundation - it's a definite no no for me!

Collection Fast Stroke Liquid Eyeliner

I couldn't find my usual liquid eyeliner - Essence Liquid Eyeliner - when I first moved to the UK due to the amount of bags and clothes I was trying to sort out, so I bought this one, which is also by the Collection brand I've mentioned above. This eyeliner is a bit of a strange one. It does have quite a sharp point to allow for better definition and precision which is great if you're desiring a really defined cat eye liner effect, but I just found that when I was applying it, it was a bit too sharp and slightly sore on my sensitive eyelid. I'd much prefer a brush tip like with the Essence one (which I eventually did find by the way!) that is softer which doesn't irritate the delicate eyelid skin as much. Once on though, the lasting time for this eyeliner is average really - it doesn't last too well with watering eyes and smudges before the day is out. It set me back £2.99.


Make Up Academy Mega Volume Mascara

Make Up Academy is a mega affordable brand here but unfortunately for my lovely Irish readers this budget makeup brand is only available in the UK (soz!). The makeup stand in Superdrug caught my eye as much of their products only cost about a pound each, which is enough to make even the most hard-pressed for cash student stop and have an auld look! Because of the cheap price, the packaging is understandably very basic - all plastic and looks like it would break quite easily. However, I picked up this mascara, at just £3 I figured I hadn't much to lose. This mascara has a good brush size, with tiny bristles which ensure that every lash is coated. It wears off within a few hours, which means it won't win any beauty awards anytime soon, but is still a good day time mascara for a very subtle makeup look. I would advise to layer a few coats of mascara if you're after a noticeable effect at all, i.e. apply a coat, wait for it to dry and then add another or another if you want, depending on how dramatic you want to go, but do note that you won't get the false lash effect with this guy.
 


Make Up Academy Translucent Pressed Powder.

This is literally the worst ever powder I have ever tried! I applied a small amount the first day I used it to see what it was like but combined with the Collection foundation above, it made my face look like a good place to fry an egg on! I applied a bit more the next day but it just made my face look super cakey and I hate the look of cakey powder on my face and even though with a lot applied it doesn't seem to fufil it's role of setting foundation all that well! I did only pay £1 for it so really wasn't expecting much but my Primark Loose powder was €2.50 (which isn't too much more expensive when you convert it into pounds - £1.43), and that to me was a far better product.




Makeup Revolution Focus and Fix Liquid Concealer

Makeup Revolution is another budget British makeup brand that I was interested in trying out. This concealer was affordable at £2 so I said I may as well give it a go. I thought this concealer was only just all right. It's nothing too amazing, quite average really. I found that I had to add a lot of product to get it to even have any effect in covering up my dark circles (and compared to other times in my life, my dark circles at the moment aren't even that bad). As for trying to conceal spots, I felt a foundation worked much better.  Having said that though, Make up Revolution is a brand that I really want to try out more over the coming months. Their eyeshadow palettes are dupes for the Urban Decay Naked palettes, and are only £4, which truth be told was what really attracted me to the brand!

Beauty UK Lipstick

This is a budget beauty brand but as you may have guessed by the name, is only avaliable in the UK. I got it in the shade 'Passion', which is this beautiful pink shade as you can see and applies very smoothly to the lips and has a peppermint smell. It does last if you don't eat or drink anything, so you would need to constantly reapply. By the end of the day it turns to a pink liptint which I actually found to be a lot more wearable so it doesn't vanish completely. It does normally retail at £3.20, but I got it for a reduced price of a pound.



Hope you enjoyed this post! xx

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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 - Review of Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Colour Deep Treatment

Hi everyone, and welcome back to my blog! I hope you had a great week, and hope you have a great weekend too. For those of you who live in Ireland, I hope you have a great bank holiday weekend! (I'm actually so jealous by the way - could do with having a good sleep in on Monday!).

I hope you also enjoyed my last blogpost - on some creative, last minute simple ideas for Halloween. I got some good feedback on the post and I'm happy you found it inspiring and hopefully you won't be lost for ideas come next weekend! If you haven't checked it out, you can HERE.

It's been a while since I did a blogpost on some hair care product, so that's what I'm going to talk about today! Aussie are obviously an Australian-produced haircare brand. They have an extensive range of deep conditioners, shampoos, conditioners, hairspray, heat defence products just to name a few, all using extracts of some native and wild Australian fruits.

I think it would be an understatement to say that I have a severe love for the brand. If you'll know their products, you'll know that they smell absolutely divine to say the least and they really do the job as well, but the only downside is that they are rather expensive, although I have used some of their full sized products before, and really like their leave in conditioners, shampoos and their conditioners. The Aussie product I constantly repurchase however is their Miracle Recharge Luscious Long Lightweight conditioning spray, and a review of that product plus an in-depth view of my hair care routine as well as how I did my dip-dye myself, is HERE.

Luckily for anyone like myself that's watching every penny they pay out, they have some of their full sized products in little 20ml sachets for a very reasonable pound or two so you can try it out and see do you like it enough to commit to buying it in a full sized container.

I brought over a small sachet of their 3 Minute Miracle Colour Deep Treatment in my suitcase from Ireland a few weeks ago. I paid €1.50 for this small sachet in a local pharmacy.

 

I only have my hair coloured on the ends where it's bleached with the ombre, but I don't know is it from the stress of readjusting to life in a different country, or what I'm eating or my eating pattern (which is sporadic at best), or just an unhealthy addiction to the hair straightener, but the top sections of my hair have been feeling so dry and damaged recently. There's been a lot of frizz so most mornings heading into uni I look like I have been electrocuted (which wasn't really a great look to be fair...).

So as I had put this in a drawer, I decided to use it.

This comes in a small sachet like I said and you can easily open it using your fingers without the need to cut the top off. It smells beautiful. It contains Australian wild peach, whose kernels were used by the Aborigines as a form of hair conditioning oil, and you can really get the smell of peach off it! This new formula contains aloe vera also.

So after I washed with my regular shampoo (which is Head and Shoulders Classic Clean -  nothing else seems to get rid of product build up and dandruff quite as good!), before applying this in handfuls all over my hair. The packet instructions said to only leave on 1-3 minutes, depending what condition your hair is in, but I wrapped my hair in a warm towel and left it in for a half an hour, then washed it out using lukewarm water (not too hot, not too cold). I then left my hair to airdry naturally (not my intention, but my sister and mum Skyped me then and it wasn't exactly polite to blast the hairdryer, but I'm sure my hair thanked them for their impromptu call!).

My hair wasn't still completely dry when the Skype ended, so I still needed to use the hairdryer to dry some of my hair. I couldn't get over how soft my hair felt! I straightened my hair then using my hair straightener and thought it was absolutely amazing, so soft and although it didn't take away the frizz completely, it certainty made a noticeable difference.

Would I repurchase this? Definitely!

Hope you enjoyed this post ! x 

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Some Scarily Creative (but simple!) Halloween Outfit and Makeup Ideas on a Budget!

Autumn is my favourite time of the year by far, and it's not just because it's my birthday! The changing fashions (love snuggling up in chunky jumpers), the changing colours of the leaves (a must for any photography buff!), and of course it's Halloween.

When I was a child I really used to love the tradition of dressing up and going around the neighbourhood trick-or-treating. Obviously, it's not that acceptable for a 23-year-old to go around trick-or-treating nowadays, but I still like to get dressed up for the occasion. As I've recently started back at college however, I've a limited budget to play around with, and I know that other students are in the same boat, so I decided to do a blogpost about some simple - but most importantly - cheap Halloween outfit and makeup ideas.

But as I'm quite a creative person, I am including Halloween outfits a bit more creative than your average witch or vampire, which to be honest can be made using a few holes in a black bin bag. Where's the fun in that?!

Some of these outfits can be worn by either men or women, you will clearly know when they are specifically for one gender or generic.

1. Regina George.
I hope there's not anyone reading this that hasn't watched Mean Girls (if you haven't, seriously shame on you gurl!), but you know the scene where Cady and Janice try a series of schemes to bring Regina George down, and one of them is to cut her top so she has boob circle cutouts. Instead of being humiliated like they expected her to be, Regina walks out of the changing room and before you know it, a tank top with boob cutouts becomes the new fashion statement. This one is so easy to do - a white tank top (they're so cheap in Penneys or New Look), and a brightly coloured bra (you probably already have that too!), will do the trick. You can wear it with a skirt or jeans, however you wish. So fetch!

 

2. Wednesday Adams.

This is another one for the girls that is just so easy to do! Most people have these black dresses with white collars, if you don't you probbaly have a black dress and can simply attatch a collar or wear a white shirt underneath. Add a pair of black tights and black boots and plait your hair in two plaits either side of your head, apply some pale makeup (for me anyways that's my normal foundation!), and some black eyeshadow and your'e done!

3. Ceiling Fan.

I love puns so this one had to be included in this post! Best of all, it's so simple to do. Literally all you need is a plain white T-shirt and a permanent black marker. Write "GO CEILING GO" over the T-shirt as seen in photo and add pom-poms if you have them handy. Congradulations, you are now a ceiling fan!

4.  PhotoShop

This one is another costume that is so easy to do yet is quite creative! Write "Ps" on a light blue placard and attatch holes to each top side of the card. Then put on a navy jumper and throw on the placard around your neck. Then paint some wire black and white and carry it around you for the night.

 5. Error 404 

Another really simple costume idea. Get a plain white T-shirt and write on it with permanent marker: "Error 404: Costume not found." Then you can just pair it with jeans or a skirt. Voila!

Makeup Ideas

1. Deer.
So if you're looking for a simple yet effective yet glam costume for Halloween, your safest bet is to go for some kind of animal look. Animal looks are by far the cheapest because you only really have to focus on doing some sort of makeup because more than likely you have what you need for the outfit in your wardrobe, or you can get it somewhere cheap. You also don't have to shell out loads on fancy makeup palettes either, because chances are you already have many of the items (there aren't too many) needed to recreate the animal make up looks already in your makeup bag!

So for the deer makeup, the photo below pretty much tells you what you need to do; it's fairly straightforward. Apply your primer/moisturiser and foundation to your face as normal. Now around the edges of your face (about half way down your forehead), and cheeks you'll need a darker shade than your regular foundation. You can use a darker foundation not in your shade (you know the days of when you were a teenybopper buying your first foundation and you bought it in the shade Sand Beige even though you're most definitely a Porcelain or Ivory!), or a dark contour powder, or a really dark matte bronzer; whatever you decide is completely up to you (and your finances!) and is down to what you already have in your makeup bag (there's no need to rush out and buy a foundation darker than your skintone if you're only going to use it once a year!). Next step is to get a brown liquid eyeliner and start at your eyebrows then go right down to the end of your nose, and colour in your nostrils. Then taking a white kohl pencil or white eyeliner, carefully apply some white spots to the area on your lower forehead and cheeks going up to your ears. Apply this white kohl eyeliner pencil to your eye waterline and slightly flick outwards like as shown in the photo below. Apply some black liquid eyeliner on your upper eyelid and on the inner waterline just above where you have applied the white kohl eyeliner. Add a pair of false eyelashes to your upper eyelid if desired (this step is totally optional - I know how tricky false eyelashes are to apply). Add a headband with ears or tie up your hair into a bun and add some twigs to the bun as this lady has done.

2. Cat/Leopard
This is probably the most simple Halloween outfit known to man! It's the one I have actually got away with wearing two years in a row! Kudos to those who go all out with fake blood and stuff at Halloween, but myself I prefer to keep things quite wearable and easy while still looking cool. I had a leopard print playsuit in the wardrobe at the time and a cat ears headband (which subsequently ended up getting broken that night!), so after checking out some videos on YouTube I added some leopard print spots, dramatic eyeliner and false eyelashes, before adding some eyeliner for whiskers. You can add red lipstick for an added dramatic effect. For a cat the look is pretty much the same make sure you just wear all black instead of leopard print. Such an easy outfit! This is my makeup from last year:

Some variations of this for your inspiration...

3. Pop Art:
This is one of these make up looks that looks super difficult to do but it's actually not and it really looks impressive when done! I haven't actually tried this out on myself yet but really have to soon! Like the leopard/cat above, you really only need to focus on doing the makeup look because any black top and pants will do for the rest of the outfit. Apply your moisturiser/primer/foundation/powder/blusher as normal, and apply some false eyelashes if you wish, although that last step is completely optional. Obviously you'll need a white eyeliner pencil (you don't need to go super expensive with this, but the better the quality the more likely it is to show up on your face easier, especially if you're as pale as myself), and create medium-shaped dots all around your face and right down to your neck chest and arms. Start by working on the POW! on the collarbone then. It doesn't have to be a work of art by any means, but take your time with it. You can use pink and yellow eyeliner pencils to do this. Apply some red lipstick to your lips to fit in with the comic effect, and apply some white eyeliner pencil to the middle of your lips. Using a black liquid eyeliner, carefully apply it around your nose, on your jawline, around your lips, on your collarbones, at your boobs, around where you have written the POW!. Also draw a fake tear under one of your eyes, and colour it in with a blue eyeliner pencil. The second photo there is a variation on this look, you can use red eyeliner pencil/lipliner instead and change around the lines created with the eyeliner if you so wish.

4. Doll.
This is one of them makeup looks that look really difficult to recreate but it's actually not the case. Firstly, apply moisturiser/primer as normal and then some foundation in a pale shade (for most of us fair skinned maidens, that will be in your normal shade). Using some bright pink eyeshadow (you don't have to go super expensive with this either, a lot of budget make-up brands do this shade), apply this to your upper eyelid up to your browbone and  right down to bridge of your nose. Apply some white eyeliner pencil on your bottom eyelids as seen in the photo.  Apply some false eyelashes on the upper eyelids and some on the lower lashline. There are many theatrical styles avaliable for Halloween and these are in pretty much every discount outlet. You may wish to apply false eyelashes before doing the foundation - I do it that way, I find it easier and there's less chance of you messing up your base - but that is completely up to you. After applying the false eyelashes apply black liquid eyeliner to hide the eyeliner band on the upper eyelid and over the section of where the white eyeliner meets the false eyelashes on the lower lashline. Then go a bit crazy with some pink blusher on your cheeks, fill in your eyebrows so they look thick and defined, and apply your (obviously bright pink!) lippy to your lips in a heart shape.

Pic credit: divinecaroline.com

I hope you enjoyed this blogpost, and hope you all have a great Halloween, whatever you're doing for it!

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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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Fashion: Celebrity Look Book - Selena Gomez

Hey everyone, and welcome back to my blog!!

So I've decided to have this new feature on my blog every so often and it's a celebrity lookbook. It's basically going to be me picking a celebrity who's style I admire and picking out a few looks of theirs that I'm obsessed with, whether it be casual what they wore to get their morning coffee or whether it's what they wore on the red carpet - really whatever's tickled my fancy. Sound good?

As always, I welcome suggestions to my blog so if there is any celebrity you would like to see me feature in a Celebrity Look Book, then please don't hesitate to comment below or on any of my social media sites (the links to which are placed below). Some celebrity look books I've planned to have in the future are Kylie Jenner, Lea Michele, Zendaya and Taylor Swift.

I'm going to start off this feature with Selena Gomez. For those of you who don't know who she is (cos there may be a few of you!), she's a 23-year-old American who found fame through Disney TV shows and Barney and has since then launched a successful singing career (although personally speaking I think she sounds tone deaf!), acting career (she voiced one of the characters in kids movie Hotel Transylvania and starred in Spring Breakers, a coming of age movie) and infamously dated Justin Bieber. Most importantly, her style has developed, and the fashion world has took notice. She regularly appears at fashion shows front rows across the world and is kitted out in clobber from the likes of Dolce & Gabbana and Prada on a regular basis (oh, the life). I'm personally a huge fan of her style, and it seems that there's many who feel the same way, as there's actually a website out there called called Selena Gomez's Closet, which is specially set up to - you've guessed it - hunt down the items of clothing Ms Gomez is seen wearing, along with more affordable options.

As much as I love Selena wearing her dresses, I love her off duty style too. The casual ripped jeans and black tank top are basic and are glammed up slightly by the beige pointy heels and the fitted cream jacket. Sunnies and straightened locks complete the cute and casual look to perfection.

Anyone who knows me at all knows I love a good crop top and a skirt combo, so obviously this outfit, which Selena wore this outfit to the premiere of her movie Spring Breakers at a film festival in March 2013, had to be included in this look book! She paired this fun, tropical floral print crop top with a vibrant orange pencil skirt. When you have a crop top baring this much flesh, you need to balance it out with a high waisted silhouette skirt to stay more classy than trashy. With her beautiful wavy locks perfectly in place (#hairgoals) and made up with just a subtle orange lippy, she looked effortlessly stylish and chic. Pointy neutral beige heels completed the premiere perfect ensemble.

Selena wore this eye-catching cut out black dress to the Billboard Music Awards in 2011. I felt like the dress flashed just the right amount of flesh and showed off her enviable figure to the max. The sweetheart neckline was just adorable on her and the thigh split added a hint of flirtiness to proceedings, as do the amazing red strappy heels with the bow detail on the peep toe. Her long brunette locks were straightened and the side parting looked glam and sophisticated without being overdone, and I loved her smoky eye makeup too, I thought it worked well with this look.

This is another one of Selena's outfits - which she wore to a movie premiere in 2014 - that as soon as I seen, I was obsessed with. That dress though.. absolutely fabulous. It compliments Selena's figure so well and the neckline flashes just the right amount of flesh to look more flirty than frumpy. Her amazing pins were highlighted to perfection as well. Her hair and makeup was simply made up to allow the dress to be the standout attraction.

This look, that Selena wore to a photocall promoting her movie Hotel Transylvania in 2012, is one of her more grown up looks. Black and white is a colour combination that is so effortlessly classic that it will never go out of style and is very difficult to get wrong. The statement piece is the leather trousers, which if I'm being honest, don't suit everyone, as they tend to highlight everything (including your not so good bits!), but they work on Selena's amazing figure (in fairness, the girl could wear a bin bag and still pull it off). She paired them with a simple top and a white blazer and topped the outfit off with a pair of pointy high heels. Selena's usual perfectly coiffed hair and awesome makeup completed the look.

This was another one of Selena's more casual looks that I really liked her wearing. She wore this outfit while out off on a lunch date with her now ex boyfriend Justin Bieber. This outfit looks like something picked off the bedroom floor, but for some reason I really dig it! I really like the cropped top teamed with the ripped crop jeans and the black Vans (need a pair of them in my life!) and the infinity scarf. It all serves as a very cute, date-appropriate outfit. And don't get me started on the bag. Oh. My. God. I love the colour, love the studded detailing, just love it... 

Selena wore this floaty, graphic animal print dress to the People's Choice Awards way back in 2011. In terms of style, I think this dress is quite daring because you not only have the print going on everywhere you also have the irregular hem going on, but of course Selena works it to perfection! When you're wearing a busy print such as this, especially all over, you really need to plan carefully what to combine with it. If you pair the wrong things, especially with leopard print, it's easy to cross from chic to trash quite quickly! Selena has no jewellery on her apart from a simple bracelet. I know she has the earrings, but for some reason they don't distract from the outfit and really go with it. The heels are nude, which means they won't distract from the outfit either. Of course, her hair looked wavy and flawless and so did her makeup. 

This look, which Selena wore to the Teen Choice awards in 2013, is one of her more fun, girly and young looks. The bodycon bright pink skater-hemmed dress looks so cute on her and flatters her slim figure to perfection. The nude strappy heels compliment the outfit without distracting from the dress. I also loved her hair at this event, she had blond highlights in at the time which added to the fun of the look. Her makeup was also on point too (simple smoky eye and tons of lashes). 

Selena wore this to the Vanity Fair Oscar party back in 2012 and I remember at the time being absolutely obsessed with this outfit on her.  This red dress is so show-stopping even though in terms of style it is quite basic. I just think it complements her skintone and hair so so well. Her hair and makeup kept simple made sure that the dress was the star attraction, apart from a slick of red lippy. Absolutely fabulous.

This outfit, which Selena wore to the premiere of her movie Hotel Transylvania back in 2012, is a good example of the idea that it you don't need too much going on to make a statement. The white knee-length dress is structured (which is a statement even in itself), but the unusual silver metal criss cross design at the neck is really what sends this outfit from drab to fab. I have way too much love for those studded heels, they are absolutely beautiful! Poker straight hair and Selena's usual effortlessly glam makeup completes the look.

Selena was a goddess in green at the 2013 Teen Choice Awards. I loved the colour of this jade green dress, I thought it flattered her olive skin tone so so well. It flattered her figure so well as well, from hugging her famous curves to showing off her amazing toned legs. I thought her makeup was absolutely fabulous as well, she defined her beautiful chocolate brown eyes with some amazing eye makeup and her straightened brunette hair looked so shiny and full of life. I also really liked the turquoise earrings she paired with this outfit, I thought they went really well with the overall look. She paired this outfit with classic nude stilettos that made sure that the dress was the focal point of the outfit.

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