Beauty - Real Techniques Core Collection Review

Hey everyone, and welcome back to Shelly Says So!

Just after finishing my semester one exams a few weeks ago, I decided to treat myself in Superdrug (not that I need much of an excuse to treat myself in Superdrug!) to these Real Techniques make up brushes. I follow a lot of bloggers online, and as a result I have heard so many good things about these brushes from other bloggers, so I decided to give them a go. They cost £20.99 in my local Superdrug, but they'll set you back €29.99 if you live in Ireland.

I bought the Core Collection, which consists of four brushes. From left to right, you have the contour brush, the pointed foundation brush, the detailer brush and the buffing brush. They come in a plastic outer packaging, attatched to a case which can be also used as a stand, which is very handy indeed.

First impressions: they look beautiful.
The gold colour is very pretty and they are super soft to the touch too. But less about the aesthetics and more about the function!

The contour brush, as you may have guessed, is said to be ideal for applying contour on your face. I think the slight precision point at the top of the brush allows the process to go more smoothly and it being super soft and lightweight means it's not an ordeal applying contour.

















The pointed foundation brush is supposed to work best with liquid foundations, which is the usual foundation I wear. I had been using Primark's foundation brush (which I'll review very shortly!), but since I had this, I wanted to try it out. As it's quite a small brush, I found it made the foundation application much more lengthy! Which is fine if you have plenty of time to spare in the mornings but alas, I never do (who even does?).  I wondered whether I was simply using it wrong, so I watched a video on www.realtechniques.com about how to use it. I wasn't, but it did take long and it said it is good for light application of foundation.





This again is completely fine if you're after a natural look but I just personally
prefer a medium layer of foundation. With all of this swiping around it also left so much more tell-tale brush strokes which immediately turned me off. I will say that it does work well to get into precision areas such as side of your nose. I started using it also to apply concealer, which it does work well with.








The detailer brush is the smallest and skinniest of the brushes in this set, and as you can guess, it is used mainly for precision applications in small areas. It can be used for applying concealer or lipstick for "long lasting shape and definition". However, I began using it in eye makeup to define my eye crease, and I couldn't believe how amazing it was! Definitely my favourite of all these brushes. The quality of this small brush even inspired me to purchase the other Real Techniques set made especially for eye makeup.



The buffing brush apparently works ideally with powder and mineral foundations. Since I have neither to test that theory out on, I decided to rebel slightly and use it for I for applying liquid foundation, and found that I really liked it. It's obviously a lot bigger than the pointed foundation brush so less time consuming. However I tend to go over the application with Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge (review of that product is HERE) to ensure the makeup application turned out flawless. I also used it for applying bronzer and blush, and find it works well then too.


So the question you've all been waiting to be answered: Are these brushes worth the price tag? Although reasonable by other beauty brush standards such as Mac, these are quite expensive. Although my opinion is bound to be controversial, I need to be honest about my review as I don't want my readers to be rushing out buying these, especialy with limited funds. I think that besides from the detailer brush which was ah-mazing, these guys are simply not worth twenty-odd bucks. Fifteen perhaps, but not twenty.

Fashion - Thrift Shops & My Tips for Shopping in them

Hi guys!

Even before I started my blog, I was always on the hunt for a bargain when it comes to shopping. One of the best places to find a bargain when it comes to clothes, shoes and books is thrift (or charity) shops. I know people may have negative opinions about shopping in thrift shops, but there's really nothing to be negative about when it comes to them. I've actually got some of the nicest dresses, skirts and tops from them over the years for very inexpensive prices, so I'd really encourage you to check out your local ones. Not only are you getting a bargain but you're supporting the charity too - guilt free shopping, yay!

I understand though that there's people that just don't know where to begin when it comes to shopping in them, and that's where Shelly Says So comes in with my advice on shopping in them. Some of these tips can also be applied to shopping in general. You're welcome! xo.

Tip No.1: Be patient!
As a rule, charity shops are as organised as can be but they're quite a different experience from shopping in Penneys (Primark for all my lovely British friends!) or New Look. In Penneys you walk in and you see a pretty dress. That pretty dress is all in different sizes, all on the same rail. However, it's quite a different story in  charity shops (with the exception being the British Heart Foundation here in Carlisle, everything is so organised). You see a pretty dress, but it's not in your size and on the same rail there could be up to thirty different dresses. It leads to expected frustration, so you must be patient. Rummage through rails like your life depends on it because you never know, the dress of your dreams could be stuck behind a load of other boring dresses....

Tip No.2: Know when something is a bargain or just shite! 
From personal experience even from shopping in the likes of Penneys, I know how easy it is to get swept up in the moment just because a product is a low price. Charity shop clothes are of good quality, there is no way anything would be allowed through their doors and put on a rail if they had holes in them where there wasn't supposed to be holes or were in need of rescue. But I've lost count of how many times I've fallen in love with what a dress looks like and the low price of it and abandon everything else that's important when it comes to selecting an item of clothing. Yes, it looked nice on the rail and was as cheap as chips, but when I came home and tried it on, wanting to wear it for a night out, I found that it just wasn't the right fit and was drawing attention to the parts of my body I'm insecure about. Therefore it was a mishap on my behalf and felt like money down the drain (a fiver doesn't seem like too much but when you're a student, a fiver is loads to spend and could have been used for other things (like alcomohol haha), and the dress never did get it's night out on the town.

Tip No.3: Think practical!
This kind of ties in with my second tip above, and it's a mishap I'm equally guilty of making when it comes to thrift shopping, as well as regular shopping. Again, I fall in love with a skirt, dying to wear it out, and then realise it doesn't go with anything else in my wardrobe whatsoever. I know fashion is all about experimentation, but fashion is also like a relationship; if it's a strange fabric/material/colour it could be difficult for it to get on and work well with the rest of your clothes. Same thing applies if you have a million of the same type of clothing at home. If you already have a LBD at home that you barely wear as it is don't bring another one home with you - no matter how cheap it is - to hog further valuable space in your wardrobe.

Tip No.4: Try to not get disheartened. 
It's happened to me many times. I walk in one week to a charity shop and I come out with a bagful of bargains, the next week I go into the same one and I'm lucky if I find a book in it I want to read. It's often a matter of luck and being there at the right day and at the right time. Anyways, shopping should be fun, and shopping in charity shops is even more fun, if you let it be that way. This may be a sign I'm getting old, but I enjoy nothing more than spending an afternoon browsing through the rails, even better if I have a friend with me and we can laugh at some of the items for sale in the shop (High School musical calendar from 2005, anyone?). It's such a good feeling when you finally get a good bargain that you weren't expecting that it's well worth it.

Tip No.5: Wash the clothes!
Like I've mentioned already, charity shop clothing is at a very high standard. You'll never walk in and see clothes with vomit or any other bodily fluid on them, but they do have quite a strange smell that obviously transfers to the clothes, so I always wash the clothes after I purchase them, just to make sure all smells are off them and they smell fresh and fancy for your nights or days out.

So here are a few of my charity shop bargains!!

Flowery Dress: NCBI (National Council for the Blind Ireland), Ballina, Co. Mayo, Ireland. Cost €5.

Polka dot Dress (by AX Paris)
: Oxfam Dublin, €5.

 

Polka dot dress (by AX Paris):
 Oxfam in Dublin, €5.

Shorts: 50c (NCBI, Ballina, Co. Mayo, Ireland).

Beauty - W7 In the Nude Review and Look

Hi everyone, and welcome back to my blog! :) Happy Friday!

So I was looking through my blog posts Wednesday night and realised it has been a while since I did a makeup tutorial for you guys. Most of my blog posts centre around what I wore but not really much emphasis on the makeup side of things. I really enjoy doing these tutorials, so I decided to do one for you yesterday early in the morning, as usually when I finish university it's dark. Gotta take advantage of that good lighting, yo!

Today's tutorial features a makeup palette I actually have with a while. It is by the British brand W7 and is called 'In the Nude'. If you're wondering whether it's something like you've seen before, you'd be right! W7 have a range of eyeshadow palettes all supposed to be affordable dupes (inexpensive versions) of Urban Decay Naked palettes. This guy is supposed to the dupe for the Naked 3, but they have ones for the Naked 1 and 2, as well as Naked Basics. I've never used any W7 products previous to this but I had heard good things about them.

As you can see below, the packaging is more or less the same and the eyeshadow shades look nearly identical, if not the same.

There is a huge difference in the price however. While the Urban Decay palettes would set you back at least €50 (around thirty pounds), I picked up this In The Nude palette in the summer back home in Ireland for €8.49 (about six pounds). They are widely avaliable here in the UK, somewhat more difficult to source in Ireland though they are avaliable to buy online on Amazon and Ebay. The quality of the W7 palette, contrary to what you may believe, is actually quite reasonable. No, they won't last all day without a primer, but hey, what eyeshadow will?

Before I begin with the tutorial, I'd just like to say that I am by no means a professional. I am currently studying to become an occupational therapist, not a makeup artist. I'm just a normal everyday girl who enjoys playing around with makeup and having fun with the whole process.










 Credit: anzellelew.blogspot.com.


Firstly, this is what I looked like with no makeup on. My skin is relatively good at the moment; I still am prone to redness and horrible dryness but for the most part, I'm happy with it!

1. First step in this tutorial was to prime my skin. My skin is really dry so I used Simple Kind to Skin Light hydrating moisturiser (£4.19/€5, review of that product is HERE). I recently re-bought this product and was a bit disappointed; it has changed the smell ever so slightly and it is slightly odd, really like suncream! Then I used Rimmel Fix and Perfect Primer (£6.99/€8.99, review of that product is HERE). Last week I popped on primer without moisturiser and it left a horrible stinging sensation on my face as my skin was so dry, so I'd really recommend using the moisturiser first. I then applied some Maybelliene Baby Lips (£2.99/€3.99), to my lips to moisturise them, but I use coconut oil a lot to moisturise them too.









2. When that was absorbed into my skin, I applied a thin layer of Rimmel match perfection foundation (£7.99/€9.99, review HERE). If your skin is in relatively good shape, there's no need to apply heaps of foundation, trust me! The brush I used to apply this was Primark's own brand foundation brush, I will be doing a review of these soon. I prefer to wait till all eye makeup is done before setting my makeup so I skipped powder for now.

3. Concealer next. I used two concealers. Rimmel Wake Me Up (£5.49/€6.99, review of that product is HERE) on any redness, and Collection Lasting Perfection (£3.99/€4.75), to highlight the areas under my eyes. Both applied with a Primark beauty concealer brush.

 3. Eyebrows was the next step. I filled in my eyebrows using my trusty Primark eyebrow kit (review of that is HERE). As you can tell by the packaging, I use it a lot! The brush I used was a double sided eyeshadow brush with a sponge tip, I just don't like these brushes in applying eyeshadow but they work for eyebrows!

4. Now for the star event: the eyeshadows. I applied latte, a nude, neutral colour just under my eyebrows to highlight them, using latte, the first shade on the left of the palette.

Next I applied copper pot, a deeper, vintage pink, all over my eyelid using a fluffy eyeshadow brush, these wooden ones were bought off Ebay. Using this same brush, I applied second colour from left, Angel, a sparkly pink, to my inner eyelid.

Then I applied Alice, a matte pink into my crease using one end of an eyeshadow brush from Primark. How much time and product you use here will really depend on how you defined you wish for your crease to be. I also applied some of Alice on my lower lashline.

I blended Alice out using Marilyn, a pink, yet slightly nude, using another one of my Ebay brushes. It's quite similar to Alice, only difference is it is slightly darker.

I applied Fashionista (a black eyeshadow with red sparkles, just shows up black though), about half way up into my crease, using my Real Techniques 'Detailer Brush' from their core collection set, slightly winging this out to form a shadow eyeliner.

Brushes used in the eye makeup (from left to right):
Slanted fluffy eyeshadow brush and fluffy eyeshadow brush, both from a set on Ebay.
Real Techniques 'Detailer Brush', as part of the 'Core Collection' set.
Double ended eyeshadow brush, Primark.









5. Now to add some extra drama at night time, if you wish you can add some false eyelashes. I decided to use the Revlon Intensifeye volumising eyelashes. I bought these in a multi-pack of four at where I work, Home Bargains, for £1.99. They didn't come with eyelash glue however so I had to use a Primark eyelash glue I found at the bottom of my makeup bag - desperate times cause for desperate measures! I applied these using my Revlon tweezers (bought in Superdrug a few months back, for about a fiver). Don't fear if you've no idea how to apply false eyelashes, I will be writing up a blogpost about application plus which eyelashes I have tried out. I then applied some Essence I <3 Extreme Crazy Volume Mascara (£2.80/€3.49, you can buy Essence in Wilko in the UK btw), to help blend my real eyelashes in with my falsies.























6. Now to finish off the rest of my face! I set my face using Rimmel Stay Matte powder (£3.99/€5.99) and then applied Primark loose powder (£1.50/€2) over areas where I'm prone to oily skin. Both were applied using my fluffy Primark blusher brush.

7. Blusher was next. Make Up Gallery  Blush in Soft Blush 1 (£1/€1.79, see review of this product HERE), again using a Primark makeup brush, but this was from a previous range.

 8. Highlighter used was Makeup Revolution Vivid Baked Highlighter in 'Peach Lights' (£3), using an Ebay contour brush. I only bought this recently and I adore it! So pretty and sparkly, though you'd never think it with my crappy phone camera....

9. Last but not least, lips. I applied Catrice Lasting lipgloss (I think it's called that, the label has disappeared...). It's a pinkish nude which wouldn't distract from the strong eye make up look. I bought this back home in Ireland when I was back for Christmas for about five euro. Catrice is unfortunately not available in the UK (but it really needs to be!). It's available to buy on Ebay, but it's way more expensive on there (sob!).

And there you have it, the finished look! Hope you enjoyed this blogpost tutorial. Any questions, fire away!xxx

Coconut Oil: Benefits for Hair and Beauty

Hi everyone!

These days people are more aware of what products they are putting on their bodies. A lot of cosmetics have been linked to breast cancer among others, so many people are switching to organic, natural products. As a result, coconut oil has come to the fore front and has become the holy grail in this natural lifestyle, though it is not a new phenomenon at all, having been used in the US well before World War II.


There are literally hundreds apon hundreds of uses for coconut oil, to everything from cooking to adding in yoghurt and smoothies to putting on your dog! I personally prefer not to use it in food as I'm not sure would the taste be that great and also it is high in saturated fat, increasing your risk of heart disease, so this blogpost will just focus on its hair and beauty uses. As you might also expect, there are hundreds of hair and beauty uses too for this little gem! I'm obviously not going to talk about all of them as I don't want to bore you to death, and I didn't want to talk about things I haven't personally tried out myself.  I felt it wouldn't have been right to you guys, my readers, if I just paraphrased people's other work off the internet, saying it did this that and the other, you to try it out and it doing the opposite of what I was claiming it to do! My aim in writing this blog has and always will be about being really honest in what I did, so you'll know for sure about the product you're buying, the good and the bad bits. I got this big jar containing 500ml of coconut oil in my place of work, Home Bargains for £3.99 (about five euro), but I've seen it in Tesco and Holland and Barrett too.


Body Oil
My main reason for trying out this product was because of its moisturising properties I have heard so much about. I have mild to moderate eczema (a skin condition meaning my skin becomes itchy, red, dry and cracked, which fluctuates, hence why I have referred to it as mild to moderate, due to a number of factors, such as stress, detergents), plus sensitive skin, and contrary to what you might imagine, I have a difficult time finding moisturising products that suit! Many which tie the both together and soothe my skin are either ridiculously expensive or smell horrible! Simple is a good brand I have been using for years, but sometimes I want something that's slightly scented (being the girl I am).  Coconut oil is a natural product, inexpensive (see above) and smells like a beach holiday, meaning I'm always happy to slather it on everywhere after a shower or bath, and it doesn't irritate my eczema one bit! When I posted a photo of this on my Instagram HERE, I had a comment from one of my followers saying it helped calm down her psoriasis a lot, so if any of my readers have that, coconut oil is worth trying out!

Makeup Remover
Even the most waterproof mascara doesn't stand a chance against this guy! Apply some directly to your face to act as an oil cleanser or let it sit with a cotton pad, and voila! Your makeup will melt away. As it's a natural product, it suits even the most sensitive of skins. Garnier micellar water, you  have some stiff competition!

Lip Balm
In this winter weather, chapped lips are a common problem, which ain't great when you wear as many lipsticks as I do. I always used to use Vaseline as a lip balm, but I haven't used it in a while as I have read many articles claiming it to be linked to cancer. Coconut oil is a much more natural alternative, especially as it is semi-solid in room temperature. It makes lips super super soft - perfect coming up to Valentines' Day!

Under Eye cream
The skin under your eyes is delicate and thin, making it prone to fine lines, puffiness and wrinkles. Eye creams can be expensive (many retailing at £20 plus!), so save your pennies and invest in some coconut oil instead for a fraction of the cost. It's light enough for even the most delicate of under eye skin. Just rub a tiny amount between your fingers to warm it up before gently patting it underneath your eyes.

Frizz Tamer
I have naturally very curly hair so means whenever I try to straighten it in an attempt to look polished it ends up looking frizzy, ugh. The fact that my hair is dyed bleach blonde at the ends doesn't really do anything for the cause, to be fair! I've tried a lot of smoothing serums, from Tony and Guy to L'Oreál in the past, but this works just as well (and again, is a lot cheaper). Rub a pea-sized amount of coconut oil (any more and it will make your hair appear greasy), between your fingers to warm it up, then apply it to the bottom couple of inches of hair for all day frizz protection. If you're blessed with thicker, coarser hair, apply the oil in the same way but from mid-shaft to end for frizz control. The bonus with this is that it also leaves hair extra shiny and soft, plus smelling fabulous!

Shaving Cream
Whoever said shaving cream has to lather? Use this oil as a base to get a closer shave and a positive of this is that it results in smooth legs instead of legs that are dried out. Believe it or not, this actually works! It's less messy than using shaving foam, too. I didn't use it to shave my underarms as I feared it may be a little harsh on that sensitive area, but following shaving I did put a little under my arms to soothe it. I then lathered loads over my legs following shaving to lock in the moisture.

Dandruff Treatment
Dandruff and dry scalp often go hand in hand. Moisture is needed at the roots, which comes in the shape of this baby! Apply each night lightly to the roots, and massage in, which will also stimulate hair growth (bonus).
 

Leave in hair conditioner
Following shampooing, apply a tiny amount throughout your hair (breathe in that fabulous smell!). Then wrap your hair in a towel and allow it to dry naturally. I can really see the difference in my hair after using this. It smells better, feels better and created beautiful natural curls on myself. Love it!

Hand cream
Like many products mentioned, hand cream is another product that can be expensive. This multi-tasker helps here too! Apply some coconut oil to your hands and let it absorb (you can pop on some gloves to speed up the absorption process, but you don't have to). Result: silky soft hands. Yay!

Cuticles
I am in the process of growing my nails (so very determined to stop biting them for good now, but with placement just around the corner, we'll see how long that lasts!).  I had many torn cuticles caused by biting my nails and they were rather unsightly. I applied some coconut oil and it has greatly reduced their appearance. My nails look in better shape (well as good as a shape as can be expected!).

Some need to knows:

• As it's an oil,  it does take it's time to dry, and so therefore can be slightly messy to work with. So wait a while before dressing yourself or covering a certain part of your body. When I applied it I wore shorts and a light vest top.
• Coconut oil has a shelf life of 2 years, so don't worry about having to use it up really quickly. Just as well, I would struggle to use that big jar up in a short length of time!
• You can store coconut oil in the fridge or at room temperature, the choice is completely up to you. It may be slightly more soothing on skin to have it slightly chilled; either way it melts in your hand straight away so it doesn't make too much of a difference.

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.