Revolution Vivid Baked Highlighter

Today, I'm gonna just wax lyrical for a bit about the Revolution Baked Vivid Highlighter in the shade Peach Lights. It's a very shimmery, beautiful highlight with a neutral pigmentation to it, not too pink, not too golden, which is perfect for my fellow Pale Princesses out there!

I picked this up a fortnight or so ago in my local pharmacy, for €3.95. Yep, you see where that decimal point is? It's in the right place, friend!

I admit that at first I was a bit deflated by it because I thought it wasn't that great. That's until I got the top layer off the product. Basically I swirled a "fluffy" brush over it for a couple of minutes, til I wore the baked top off it. Until I did this, there was no product on the bristles of my brush, there was no highlight on my cheekbones,and  a bad time was had.

Now that I've got this issue resolved, let me just sing from the mountain tops how unbelievably incredible this highlight is! It's so shimmery, when you apply it you suddenly become a sculpted, gloriously lit supermodel. How can one little pan of iridescent powder be so magical? I apply it with a tapered Blank Canvas F15 brush, and honestly, it's my favorite part of my makeup routine!

With change from a fiver, I have to tell you, even though you have to work to get the product to show it's full potential, it's so worth it! I am completely in love, it's such a bargain and it makes you look radiant, sculpted and incredible.

You can find Revolution HERE and I apologize in advance for your bank account hating the two of us... 

Amy 

xx

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First Impressions of Naked On The Run

I can avoid most temptations, but the Urban Decay counter is not one of them. I'm weak, I'm so weak!! 

The Naked On The Run is the latest in the Naked range, boasting a large palette with everything you need to get ready on the go, besides foundation and powder. What more could you want? 

How beautiful is that casing???

This palette contains - 

5 all new eye shadows, 1 blush, 1 light bronzer, and one highlight shade, as well as liner, mascara and lipgloss. Oh, and a ginormous mirror!!

Shadow Swatches. 

The shadows, as pictured above, starting from the bottom, are:

Dive- a light gold/champagne shimmer with a rosy undertone

Fix- a very light brown toned matte

Resist- a mid toned neutral brown shimmer with gold micro shimmer

Dare- A deep brown matte 

Stun- a bronze brown with bronze micro shimmers

As always, each shadow is buttery soft, blendable, pigmented and long lasting. If I was to be reincarnated as a palette, I wouldn't care once I was Urban Decay! The beautiful neutral tones in the On The Run palette make it perfect for any season, because shimmery neutrals never go out of style! 

Inside the palette...

There is also a large pan house light bronzer and blush, as well as another pan with a cream highlight shade. Just like the shadows, each of these offerings are buttery soft. The bronzer is matte, however the blush has a satin sheen, which when applied to the skin, gives the face a beautiful healthy glow. The highlight shade really draws the light and yet never looks overpowering. Win!!

I haven't added a photo of the mascara wand or applied to my lashes, because really, the wand is the standard bristly kind, not like the plastic spiky ones that are in nowadays. It also doesn't offer much by way of volume, but rather darkening and lengthening the lashes, for a very natural finish. I do really like it though, because it's lengthening and not volumising, it doesn't clump!! Woohoo!

Stag Eyeliner  (Stag) and Naked Lipgloss (Sesso) swatches

I've never owned an eyeliner like Stag, ever. It's a deep black-brown shade, which I find really makes the blue in my eyes stand out, and is less harsh than black. I think I'll have to pick up more liners from the 24/7 Glide On range. They're wonderful. 

Finally, to finish your look, you'll be needing a lip colour. This is where the Naked lipgloss in Sesso comes in. a neutral pink with nude undertones and a moisturising glossy finish. I've never been a fan of nude eyes with a nude lip, but this has me well on the way to conversion. 

I would have no issue travelling for a week away with this palette, and just bring some extra lip colours, to change up each look. It's got everything you need to pack a very light makeup kit. If, like me, you tote a duffle around in preference to a suitcase, this is the palette for you!! 

Keep an eye out in the next while for a look using this palette! 

Amy

xoxo

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Seventeen Define and Conquer Palette

Contouring has become one of those things that every girl wants to be the master of! When you look at Kim Kardashian, all you see are those amazing cheekbones and her slim lovely nose.

Oustide

She truly has conquering down to a fine art, and a lust worthy one at that! 

I picked this compact contour and highlight kit up in Boots and I'm very impressed. Seventeen has always been hit and miss for me, but this is a hit. 

Inside

The casing is a Nars-esque, very neat and tidy black compact with clear labelling and a big mirror in the lid (tastefully hidden behind the guide sheet in the photo). It clicks closed really nicely and it houses two large pans, one a matte, or very slightly sheen-y highlight, and a warm-toned contour. The contour powder is less pigmented and has more fallout than my Sleek compact, which makes it perfect for more subtle and natural looks, because you can really tap away the excess and blend it out to a lovely finish!

The powders themselves are so soft and silky, blending really well for a flawless look. The shades are spot-on for us paler girls, Now if you're alabaster or totally see-through I might be inclined to lean you away from this but for someone who has a freckle-ridden face, it's just fine! 

Inside the kit you will find a short 4-step contouring guide and a picture to help you along. This makes this kit absolutely perfect for anyone out there who may be a bit unsure of the steps involved in order to contour. 

Two very enthusiastic thumbs up from this blogger, thats for sure!!! And for €7.49, you cannot fault this in the slightest! I'm delighted with this purchase and by the looks of things will be re-purchasing in the future! 

Have you tried this palette? 

Let me know what you thought!

Amy 

xx

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That's What I'm Talkin' About... Catrice Cosmetics

Since I started blogging, I've been more open to trying new products. As a result, I've been buying a lot of new things, different brands, snapping up good deals and trying to figure out what works for me and what doesn't! 

A brand that has impressed me at every turn is Catrice Cosmetics. Catrice is a budget brand that comes from Cosnova, the company that produces both Catrice and Essence, another budget cosmetics range that far outdoes itself when you consider the price! 

Catrice is that tad-bit pricier than Essence, but it is that bit better in quality, so the price is nothing but reflective of that. My Catrice collection is modest, but I have been nothing but impressed with every product! I have not felt that I have wasted a single penny with any of my purchases. The best bit is because of the modest price tag, you can treat yourself, and there is no guilt! I don't think I've ever found a Catrice product over €6.00!!

The collection I have pictured is the product of a few months of small investments, and it is all made up of things from the permanent collection. I haven't included my lipsticks or lip-liners because I think they deserve their own post. 

Lets start with the Translucent Loose Powder. I adore this and will absolutely repurchase it again and again! The best bit is that it is un-tinted and so will be perfect over any foundation to set it. It leaves a matte, almost velvet finish. Another point in its favour is that it does not leave a white cast in flash photos (at least that's what I have found, though I apply it with a light hand). 

Next, my Eyebrow Stylist in the shade "Blonde But Brow-d"... That's true love right there. It's got a spoolie on one end and a lovely pencil on the other, which goes perfectly with my ginger brows - no mean feat, that's for sure!

A more recent addition is my highlight powder. This is in the shade "010: Fairy Dust" and it's a really subtle highlighter, definitely appropriate for daytime wear, with a warm undertone, perfect for summer! 

Next up are my Lip Cream Colours. These were chosen from a sale basket and are absolutely beautiful, sheer glosses that I am pretty sure can still be gotten off any Catrice stand. They also smell lovely and are housed in very sturdy square tubes with the usual doe-foot applicators. 

A new love of mine is the Glamour Doll Volume mascara! I admit that I didn't hear good things before I bought it, and many people would consider me to have gone against my better judgement, but it's proven me wrong, and I'm very happy with it! It holds the curl all day and doesn't flake or smudge. A worthy purchase, and definitely a contender for my beloved Maybelline The Rocket. 

My last item and my latest purchase is my Calligraph Eyeliner Pen. It has the finest nib and the blackest formula of all budget eyeliners that I have tried to this day. I am beyond impressed, especially with the fine, flexible nib on the pen and the ease with which you can create either a fine, subtle cat eye or a thick, bold flick! Definitely one to revisit, especially if you are new to winged liner!

What do you think of Catrice Cosmetics? Have you tried any of these? Is there anything you would like to recommend to me to try? Leave me a comment down below! 

Pick-Me-Up Treats

I was desperately sick yesterday and I decided that I was in need of a little pick me up! So I went to Dublin early, on my way to Drogheda and went looking for a suitable treat to fill the void! 

First stop, Boots. Buy One Get One Half Off on Real Techniques brushes? Sound! I picked up a Powder Brush and a Blush Brush! Super-soft taklon bristles that are cruelty free, coupled with the colour-coded handles? Ohhhhhyes!! 

Next up, I hit a Catrice stand...hard! I picked up a Calligraph Ultra-Slim Eyeliner Pen for €3.99, a Prime And Fine Highlighter (Yes, I am a highlighter obsessive now, lets move on!) for €4.99 and two Lip Colour Creams at €2.15 each! 

I nipped into Tesco for some bits for Chris's dad and I found a Sally Hansen Lip Inflation and nabbed that too for €8.99. Score!

I also nipped into A-Wear for some nice bling, because, "Hey look there's a sale!!", and nabbed a gorgeous black, leather like necklace with five gold skulls on it down from €10.00 to €3.00. 

I also picked up a lovely ring with tribal accents and some sparely gem detailing! The best bit about this ring is that the actual ring portion is stretchy. I am very impressed with the weighty quality for the  price! €3.00 - down from €10!!

All in all I feel much better today both physically, and in regards to my morale too! All systems are go for Eminem tomorrow!! 

So tell me what you think of my purchases! Would you be inclined towards any of them? The RT brushes were a no-brainer, don't you think? 

Amy

X

Look Beauty "Cheeky Trio" Review

When I went to Newry and couldn't lay hands on Sleek, I thought my trip to find a decent contour kit had been in vain. Yet, somehow, whatever deity there is up there in the sky smiled upon me and I found the Look Beauty Cheeky Trio kit.

At £8.00 this kit actually undercuts Sleeks offering, but that didn't really matter to me and it still doesn't, as I will find Sleek some time soon and it will be mine!!

Newry Haul (Beauty and Make-Up)

For those of you who follow me on  Twitter, let me apologise for the week of going on, and on and on some more about my trip to Newry. I was so excited for it! And, it didn't disappoint.

I suppose I should clarify straight of the bat, that I was hell bent on getting Sleek products, but despite trawling the city, couldn't find a single hint of a Sleek counter. I made up for it though. As you'll soon see...

The first place we went to ("We" being my long suffering boyfriend, and I) was to Superdrug. I was admittedly like a demon when I was told by a very apologetic sales lady that there was, in fact, no Sleek products to be found in this branch. Grr! But, while the sun shines, you make hay, as we say back home. I was still in Superdrug, I still had a wad of pounds in my wallet, sure, I was obliged to make the most of it!

On the first trip around Superdrug, I bee-lined for the MUA stand.

Blush! I was not leaving without my two blush products that I lusted over on the website! I picked up Bubble Gum and Marshmallow, two gorgeous blushes for £1.00 each!

 

Then I remembered needing bright blue liquid eyeliner, and I found that on the MUA stand, again, for a seriously steep (sarcasm doesn't go well over text) £1.00 price-tag. 

 

Last but not least, I spied a lipstick trio, of 3 gorgeous red shades, under the moniker of "Temptress". £1.50? I am Red-Lips-Red-Hair, so it would have been rude not to! I have yet to swatch them, but I will be doing some filmed reviews so keep an eye on my YouTube channel for those!
 

Right around the corner from the MUA stand, was the NYC stand, and while I am fully aware we can get NYC down south, in any Primark worth its salt, I couldn't let the prices go un-noticed. £2.49 for a beautifully scented, Appleliscious Glossy Lip-Balm? It had to be mine. It's also got a sheer, yet still pigmented payoff, so I was subsequently impressed, and SOLD! The shade I picked up was 356: Big Apple Red. 

Who failed to inform me that Accessorize had a line of really nicely pigmented eye shadow palettes?! I was thrilled to see these amazing, 32-Shade Palettes, and so I picked up the "Exposed" Palette. It was £6.95, and worth every penny, since the pigmentation is fabulous and the colours range from matte, to full on shimmer.

My last make-up purchase on the first trip to Superdrug was the Look Beauty Cheeky Trio. I was not leaving without a face contour kit of some description, so I picked this up, in the shade Candy-Floss (For Light Skin). It's very pigmented and soft, so I think it will be blendable and gorgeous on the cheeks. It comes with a peachy bronzer, a dusty rose-pink blush, and a champagne coloured, slightly shimmering highlight. The packaging, while plastic, does not feel even the slightest bit cheap. £8.00 for this very impressive, and compact trio. 

Finally, I knew from spending time on Superdrug's website, that they had a 4 for 3 offer on facemasks. Who was I to pass up such value?! I picked an Apricot Exfoliating Mask, a Dead Sea Purifying Clay Mask, a Purifying Cucumber Peek Off Mask, and a Fruit Sorbet Antioxidant Peel-Off Mask. I am dying to try each of these out, and I will review each one in detail. For £.99p each, but £3.00 in the offer, how could you go wrong?

After going from Superdrug, across the river to The Buttercrane, the first place I went was Sally's Salon Supplies. I did ask Chris, as we were walking over to the shopping centre to slap me if he saw me with nail polishes in my hands at any point, but I think he knew, when he saw my face after seeing China Glaze on sale in Sallys for £1.28 a bottle, that he knew better.

I picked up three crackle glazes, and one regular shade. The crackle glazes are Tarnished Gold, Crushed Candy, and Latticed Lilac. The plain shade is Elephant Walk. I adore all 4 polishes, even though I hardly even glanced at them before I paid for them. I have a problem.

Before we went home, I decided to get some last minute bits in Superdrug, so I went back over where the Maybelline Colour Tattoo's were on a 3 for 2 deal. I had noticed them when we were there the first time, but decided to leave them because I was trying to exercise rationality and have some sense. I think we can all agree I have none of those things, so when we went back over (Chris wanted to get some shaving stuff and the like) I nipped over, picked up 3 neutral shades and handed him the money, so we could pay together. 

The Maybelline 24hr Colour Tattoo's that I got were Timeless Black, Permanent Taupe, and Eternal Silver. Yum! 3 very "Me" shades, and very me prices!

All in all, I think I was very reserved in Superdrug, though I did go a bit blind in Sally's. I swear, I didn't see the shades, just the bargains.

This is only Part One of my Newry Haul, I also bought DVD's, a Book, Shoes, and clothes too, as well as a glorious handbag. Keep an eye out, It should be online tomorrow or the next day!

What do you think of my purchases? Do you think I went overboard? What is your favourite bargain in this haul?

Drop me a comment!!

Shopaholics of Ireland, Unite!!
Amy.
xoxo
 

Whats In My Make-Up Bag?

We all have our essentials, girls! Most of our contents will be similar, but I know some of my lovely readers are nosey, so this is for my nosey girls!

Enjoy!

The Bag Itself:

I got this make-up bag in Penney's, for €4.00. It're pretty sizeable, fitting all my bits and bobs perfectly.

While I'm home, I don't keep everything in it, but when I go to Dundalk or anywhere else, it's got all my stuff in it.

I do, however, keep all my brushes in another smaller make-up bag. I want them to be protected and safe from harm.

How motherly of me!

Facial Products:

BB Cream, Moisturiser and at the moment, a primer all get toted around. My BB Cream is Maybelline Dream Pure in Medium.

I'm trialling the Rimmel Fix and Perfect Pro Primer, right now, in a bid to shake my hatred for Rimmel face products.

I swear by my Skin Wisdom moisturiser for sensitive skin! It sinks in quickly, is non greasy and leaves my skin feeling like velvet!!

Foundation&Concealer:

Usually, I bring whatever foundation and concealer I'm loving at the time in my make-up bag. I'm a fickle creature, and so that changes frequently. I'm currently loving my Maybelline Super Stay 24hr Foundation and Concealer.

Other times, I will bring my Barbara Daly oil free foundation, or my 17 BB Cream.


Powder and Blush:

I adore my Natural Collection Pressed Powder and Blush. These two gems are super soft, pigmented and fragrance free. Although they come in 3 shades each, they seem to be able to adapt to everybodys skin tone. Both can be found in any Boots, and retail for €3.09 a pop. Bargain, much?!

I must admit though, to all my ebony-skinned ladies out there, they have yet to offer base products in your beautiful shades yet!

Eye-Liners:

I am beyond fickle in the search for a good eyeliner. I literally carry my top 3 at the time everywhere I go. At this moment, its a 3-way tie between my Loreal Superliner, my ELF Liquid liner and my Bourjois Kohl pencil.

Contour:

I use the biggest bronzer in the world to contour under my cheek bones. It's an Essence Sun Club for Blondes, and light skin.

With a light hand, and a small, tapered Eco Tools brush, I use it to contour just under my cheekbones, and lately, down my nose, ever-so lightly!

My highlighter is Physicians Formula Translucent Pearls. This works for all skin types as it just adds a sheen to your natural skin tone, or over your foundation.

Mascara:

Yet another mention for my The Rocket mascara!! I adore this offering from Maybelline, and I would be lost without it!

My lash curlers are just a bog standard Infinity set, from any good chemist!

If anyone has tried the waterproof version of this mascara, please let me know what you thought of it, in the comments.



Lip Care:

I go nowhere without my Lush Lip Scrub and my Carmex. Who knows when a dry, bitty lip is going to strike?!

The lip scrub leaves your lips feeling tingly, and then slathering the Carmex over the top adds to the tingle, healing your lips beautifully, leaving them ready for colour.




Lip Colour:

I wouldn't be Red Lips, Red Hair without a red lip, now would I? I generally opt for my Maybelline Super Stay 24hr Lip Color in Red Passion when I'm going to Dundalk, since Chris likes it because it doesn't transfer onto him when I kiss him.

I do, however bring another red-lip product in case I fancy a change (ELF Matte Lip Crayon is my second in command at the moment), and often, I'll bring something muted in case we have to go anywhere that a red lip wouldn't be appropriate.

Whats in your make-up bag?? You should do a post, and tweet me, so I can be nosey in turn!! :P

Love and stuff,
Amy
xx

June BBC Day 28: Favourite Cheek Product...

I'm not a big hoarder of blush, or bronzers, I don't compulsively purchase them like I do nail-polish or lipsticks. 

I own one bronzer, one blush and I'm ashamed to say I wouldn't even know where to buy a highlighter. Unless it's a pink stationary item, that is!! 

So, for all intents and purposes, my favourite cheek product is my Natural Collection blush in the shade "Peach Melba". I fully admit that I bought it for its name. I adore peaches and peach-flavoured or scented anything. However, I digress. 

The blush is on the left, with my pressed powder to give a better idea of size. Despite having this particular blush in my life for well over a year, I have yet to hit pan! 

This blush just gives a sweet hint of colour which would be my preference over a full on pop of a bright pink shade! For this reason, I classify it as buildable and extremely blendable. A steal, when its only €3.09 a pop in Boots!! 

What's your favourite cheek product? Do you favour bronzer over blush? Highlighter? What do you think of my choice? Have you ever tried it? 

Drop me a comment, 

Amy,

xo