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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Beauty - Beauty Buys I Regret/Empties

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

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

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

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

Essence XXXL Longlasting Lipgloss

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


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

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara

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

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

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Fashion - Five Wardrobe Staples Every Girl Should Have

Welcome back to my blog!

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




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

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



2. Good pair of skinny jeans

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


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

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

Blogpost which features the outfit there is HERE.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Fashion & Beauty - It's my birthdaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!

I'm only starting to get back into blogging after what can only be described as an extremely hectic two weeks! I'm starting university in England tomorrow (eeep!), having moved over from Ireland on Wednesday to get settled into my new surroundings. I'll have a blogpost up in the future talking a little bit about the city that I'm currently living in for uni (Carlisle in the north west of England). Although I'm about to become a full time student again, I have decided to keep blogging as I really like to write so much and as creepy as it may sound, I have made tons of online friendships from all over the world because of it. However, I will say that instead of blogging once/twice/maybe three times a week, I'll blog when I can and when I have time, as the priority will obviously be university and everything that goes with it, but  I wouldn't want to publish anything on my blog that wasn't of good standard and great material.

 My blog will still be beauty, fashion and lifestyle on a budget, but it will be obviously much more student orientated. Even though I bought some makeup from British brands the other day, I'll try to keep things as relevant as possible for all my lovely Irish readers!

Anyways, this blogpost is all about my birthday celebrations. My 23rd birthday wasn't until yesterday (19th September), but as I won't be returning to see my friends and family in Ireland again until Christmas break, I wanted to spend as much time as possible with them and wanted to celebrate my birthday with them, so with that in mind, I decided to have last weekend (the 12th September), as a birthday celebration and also as a kind of going away celebration as well. Celebrating my birthday a week early? Yes please!

The dress I'm wearing is from AX Paris. They have a website, and although the stuff on it is fabulous, they are more than bit expensive on there, even items on sale. This dress costs €52.50 online and if you wish you can still buy it at http://www.axparis.com/products/Lace-Detailed-Top-Midi-Dress.html. A boutique in my hometown in Ireland however was selling it on sale for just €12, reduced from the price they were selling it at which was €42. Can't go wrong with that can you?!

The metallic heels I'm wearing are from Penneys (Primark), I have mentioned them in previous posts, I got them on a reduced sale of €12 reduced from €16. They are so nice and easy to walk in that they are actually the only pair of high heels I own that made the cut into the suitcase to England!

Regarding makeup, I'm not sure can you see it clearly enough in the photo of me above, I didn't actually manage to take a selfie that night before I went out (what is becoming of me?!), but most of the products I've used before on nights out. The foundation I used was my holy grail night time foundation, MaxFactor Skin Luminiser in the shade '40 Light Ivory' (€15.99), concealer I used under my eyes and on blemishes was Rimmel Wake Me Up (€6.99, review of that product is HERE), powder I used was Primark Loose Powder (€2, review of this product is to come), blush I used was Catrice Defining Blush in Sunrose Avenue (€4.49, review of that product is HERE). In terms of eye makeup, I created a subtle smoky eye using the W7 In the Nude eyeshadow palette (I'll have a blogpost on this palette up shortly) before adding some drama with my all time favourite false eyelashes, Primark Sultry (€1.50), before lining with Essence Liquid Ink liquid eyeliner. I lined my lips with Primark lipliner in a berry shade before applying Primark Matte Long Last Lipstick in the shade 'Ladies Day' (€2). This lipstick is super matte and drying so do please use some lipbalm like the Nivea Essentials lipbalm (€2.09, review of that product is HERE), before applying, though this lipstick will stay on all night.

The tan I wore wearing is the amazing Cocoa Brown Day & Night tan (review of that product is HERE).

If you're a regular reader of my blog you'll know that over the past month I have not been biting my nails and using Sally Hansen Nail Growth miracle treatment to speed up the growth process (I wrote about my thoughts after using the product for five days HERE) and actually hope to have a second blogpost after using it for month up shortly. They have finally become long enough to apply nail polish to. I chose New York Color Gel Gloss in the shade '800 Greenwich Shopper', which is a matte black colour which wouldn't distract from the dress or the makeup. I find it an OK product, you need to apply two coats to the nail because anything else just looks transparent. It cost €2.20.

For the actual day of my birthday, I spent much of the day exploring around my new city surroundings. Even though I've spent so much on clothes and other bits the last few days since moving over, I had to buy a few presents for myself - sure if you can't treat yourself on your birthday when can you?! I picked out a brown skirt, a brick red crop top and black heeled boots in New Look. I thought the colours together looked so autumnal and really bang on trend.  I reckon I'll do a blogpost soon enough on the clothes that I bought.

Later in the evening I strolled into the city centre to have a few cheeky birthday drinks. I randomly passed the Irish pub on the way home and had to pop in for one - sure why not. All and all I had a really great birthday - here's to being 23, yeaaah!

Thanks so much also to those who wished me a happy birthday on my Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat or through good auld calls and texts - it was very much appreciated!

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