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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W7 Absolute Lashes

Absolute Lashes, my newest mascara purchase from W7. I'm a bit obsessed with this budget brand, and this mascara has WOWED me like nothing has ever wowed me before!!

The tube is exactly the same as the Benefit They're Real tube, even down to the font on the outside. The wand is the same plastic spiky offering, with a round spiky tip on the end to reach those difficult to coat outer-end lashes. It separates, lifts and coats each individual lash, spreading them and making them look amazing.

The formula is lovely, it holds a curl really well, but unlike Benefit, it's easy to remove at the end of the day. There's no scrubbing, rubbing or fruitless hunting for oil-based eye-makeup remover!

If you're a fan of Benefit's They're Real, this mascara might be up your street, because compared to the Benefit offering, this is cheap as chips!! I cannot justify 23.40 for Benefit, when Absolute Lashes 7.99 and it's exactly the same, if not better, in my opinion.

As I've said before about W7, you could put this on, claim it to be the high-end sister product, and nobody is going to know. Again, I wouldn't do that, because the whole world and her mammy needs to know how lovely W7 is.

Pick this up in The Cosmetic Outlet for 7.99!! 

What do you make of this mascara??

Drop me a comment and let me know!

Amy

xxx

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Review - Kate Moss for Rimmel - Scandaleyes Rockin' Curves Mascara - 004 Jet Black

In our very generous goodie-bags at the #LLAMmeetup this past weekend, we were each gifted two beautiful mascaras, both from the Kate Moss for Rimmel Scandaleyes line. Mine came in 004 Jet Black and 004 Sapphire, and I was chuffed to bits by them!

I must admit to being dubious about this mascara on the whole because I had read some reviews of them and they hadn't been very forgiving. However, I went in with an open mind on Sunday morning, with my first use of the black mascara. I also checked out the Rimmel website and was very taken with the aesthetic of this line... Check it out! 

This may be the only time you want a broken heart!! 

Initially, the "Broken Heart" brush wand applicator had me a bit on the back foot. I was wondering what the deep curves were for, the very same ones that had been dubbed "wasteful of product" by many other bloggers across Ireland and the UK. I figured it out in two minutes and am totally in love.

The "Broken Heart" wand, tapered and undulating

The curves are there to aid the application of the wonderful product to each half of your lashes. With the narrow curve of the wand facing you, and the curve nearest the wand shaft curving outwards (away) from you, apply the mascara to the roots of your inner upper lashes and comb through. Then, flip the wand and use the wider side to do the same thing to your upper outer lashes.

Holding it flat like this helps with the second coat

You can then hold the wand so that you have a flat surface (on the side) and comb through again for an even application and a lifting effect. This is particularly good as I found that after I had done my inner and outer lashes on both eyes and went back to use the flat side for a second coat, that the mascara from the first application had dried slightly and this made the lifting effect more... effective? It helped! I liked it!!

I'm absolutely besotted by this mascara, and I think it may well be up there with my beloved Maybelline The Rocket Volume!! High praise, or what?! The only fault of this mascara is that it is in no way waterproof, but I suspect that you can get a waterproof version, should you so wish!!

You can pick this beauty up in Boots for €8.99

Do you think you'd be tempted by this divider of opinions? 

Drop me a comment, I'd love to know your thoughts!

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Amy 

xx

Catrice Glamour Doll Mascara

I have finally parted ways with my Maybelline The Rocket Volum' mascara.

It was heartbreaking to the point where I had to give it to my mother and have her dispose of it. I knew the time was coming, and so to prepare myself, I decided to treat myself to a Catrice mascara, because there is NO WAY on Earth that I am opening my Covergirl mascara from Kayleigh until at least Christmas.

I hadn't heard much about Glamour Doll mascara, to be honest, and what I had heard, well... Wasn't good. But something in me was drawn to it, and so I decided to go for it. The logic there was, "If its awful, I'll open my Covergirl, and that's that!". When I got it home, I was beyond expectant, and since I wore no make up at all today (until I got back to the house) I knew I could road test it straight away!

First up, I'm diggin' the applicator.

I really like rubbery/plastic wands with those little nubby bristles. I'm also enjoying the tapered shape of the wand. It looks like that Lancome Hypnose Doll Eyes, but also like the Maybelline The Rocket too... The tube is also nice too, with undulating curves, and neat silver wording. Very appealing, and very slick looking for under €5.00.

Next up, first impressions. Please remember this part of the post was written one week ago today.

Upon first application, I have tentatively decided I like it. First applied around 1pm, and now at almost 11pm (at time of writing), it's still pretty perfect. My lashes still hold a lovely curl and are dark as well as evenly coated and separated. It doesn't irritate my eyes either, which is a huge selling point I would happily point out to my fellow lens wearers. The formula is nice, not too wet, not too thick, and very, very black.

Removal was easy enough, it comes off with ease using a facial wipe and it left no clumpy "after the fact" lashes in its wake.

So far, so good! I will be happily using this for the next while, that's for sure! I'm really glad that I decided to pick this up, as for €4.49 in Penneys, it was a worthwhile purchase. I have no doubt if I were to decide to watch the pennies, that I would repurchase this lovely budget beauty in a heartbeat.

What do you think of Glamour Doll Mascara? Have you tried it in its Waterproof version? Tell me what you thought of that, please! 

Amy
xxx

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! 

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 23: Whats My Face Worth?

Most of you have learned over the course of this challenge that I'm not a big fan of putting on a full face of make-up everyday. The way I see it, how will people notice a difference if you go out everyday, moseying about your business in full drag?! I fully believe its better to look like your normal self on a day to day basis, and then hike up the Glam Levels when you're going out!

On a normal day I just do my brows, eyeliner, mascara, and lips. Sometimes I will use concealer, powder and maybe a wee bit of blush but its quite rare I would add those extra steps!

Yesterday, I went around the shops to take precise note of all the prices of the products I use, so I could be as accurate as possible!

I'll start from the bottom, this time around, with lips!

I'm sure you are all fully sick of me going on about these products at this point, but they are everyday essentials for me!

My Essence Lip-liner is in the shade "Femme Fatale" and my Natural Collection lipstick is Crimson. I love the combo of these two lip products together, and I have to admit that by some happy coincidence, they match perfectly!!

Essence Lipliner is €1.29 in any Penneys/Primark and local pharmacies nationwide!

Natural Collection lipstick is €3.09 in every Boots in the country!!

Next up, we'll tackle the eyes!

I am a huge convert to the Maybelline The Rocket Volum' Express Mascara!! It's just my holy grail mascara at this point! I wouldn't ever be unfaithful to it... God, I sound like a crazy person!

The wand is magical, and the formula doesn't burn my eyes, even when I have lenses in!

The picture of my eye really doesn't do it the justice it deserves, really, which is a shame...


You can find this amazing mascara at any Maybelline stand, in any decent chemists, and in Boots for €11.99

Eyeliner is the one thing I've yet to nail my colours to the mast about! for pencil eyeliner, I'm pretty much a Bourjois Kohl pencil girl, but for liquid, I vary between Loréal Superliner and the Essence Eyeliner Pen.

Bourjois Kohn Pencil is €8.19
Loréal Superliner is €15.29
Essence is €3.49

Finally, my brows.

Now while I stand by my "I hate Rimmel" opinion, I must admit defeat in regards to their eyebrow pencil in 002 Hazel, because its the only pencil I've found that doesn't make my poor ginger brows look like they're brown! €4.99-ish (I forgot to look for this when I was in Boots!)

For my everyday face, that's a grand total of €48.33... Wow. I'm actually stunned!!!

I shudder to think what my full face would be for a night out!!

What is your face worth? Are you shocked by how much my face is worth?? Drop me a line in the comments below!!

xoxoxo
Amy

Colours of The Rainbow TAG!! Blog Edition

It's no secret that I love watching make-up guru's on YouTube. I love watching tutorials I know I'll never use, hauls of things I know I can't get here at home, and vlogs of lives that are far removed from my own!

Lately there's been a tag going around, and I wanna participate, but I wanna do so in blog form, because I'm far too much of a chicken to video myself and edit. I don't know the first thing about it. Maybe someday, in the future though, who knows?!

Not a crock of gold to be seen...What a sham!!

So anyway, this tag is called "Colors of The Rainbow" wherein you choose a product to correlate with each of the colors in the rainbow. As a kid I learned the colors as Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange and Red. I was never taught the "Roy G Biv" thing that all the American vloggers like Grav3yardGirl and BeautyBaby44 use!

Violet

Lets open with something I hate! I seem to always love the things I buy, but I despise this and I only used it once! Its a Rimmel London Quad palette in "01 State of Grace". I have no words, because this palette actually puts me in bad humor. Its so prone to fallout, you wouldn't believe!! Stay well away from this, I'm doing you a favor, I promise you!!

Indigo

I picked Maybelline The Rocket Volum' Express as my Indigo product. This mascara has been the model of what I want a mascara to do. I'm not out for super long lashes, I'm out for a bit of lift, curl and volume. This gives me everything I want and more besides!! I already spoke about it in a June BBC post, but I will keep going on about it! It's true love Maybelline, let's go steady!! ;) I think this set me back €8.99, but I'm not sure! Less than a tenner, anyhow!


Blue

 I swore I was keeping this a secret. I wasn't going to tell anyone about this. But guilt forced me into it. This is L'Oreal Derma Genesis Pore-Minimizing Serum. I've been using this for about 3 days now and I'm obsessed! I use it over my nose and T-zone twice a day followed by my moisturiser. I found it on a clearance shelf in Tesco for a fiver last week... a FIVER!!

Green

This is my Boots Tea Tree and Witch Hazel Spot Wand. The clear gel is for daytime use, and the thicker, more creamy looking gel is for night time. I love this stuff to bits and back again. Many spots have been stopped in their tracks by this product! Not bad for green goo, eh?! This beauty set me back €4.50 about 6 months ago and I haven't even made a small dent in it. There's value for money, if ever there was any!!

Yellow

Carmex. This yellow tube of lip healing goodness needs absolutely no introduction. It's been the saving grace of plenty in its time. I use this before bed to keep my lips hydrated overnight. In fact, many nights have been rudely interrupted when I wake to find my very beaten up tube, having forgot to apply it before I turned in for the night. I couldn't go anywhere without this, it's a staple in my life at this point! 

Orange

Before I discovered Maybelline, as shown above, I used to swear by this mascara. It's Essence Maximum Definition Volume Mascara. Now, while its half the price of Maybelline, it's still every bit as good. The wand is thin and tapered at one end, reminiscent of the Lancome Doll Eyes mascara wand, only made of rubber with short rubber bristles similar to the Maybelline wands. It's a great mascara for those on a budget, and definitely one I would return to using is The Rocket is ever discontinued! €3.49 in any good pharmacy or Penneys nationwide

Red

One day, I will stop plugging these products, (spot the LoTR fan!!) but is not this day!! Natural Collection lipstick in Crimson retails for about €3.09 in Boots, and has the most wonderful, creamy consistency!! I would easily shell out double that for something of its quality anywhere else! In fact, I find myself reaching for this over my Revlon Ultimate Suede or my Essence Stay Matte Lip Cream. Crazy, huh? I always use my Essence Lipliner in Femme Fatale, as it seems to match all my red lipsticks in some amazing stroke of fate! It retails for €1.29 and you can find it in Penneys nationwide!

Time for tagging. I'm only gonna tag 5 people, because that seems like a reasonable number. Lets hope this takes off!!

Audrey over at The Nail Affair
Lauren over at Makeup By Lauren Marie
Kayliegh over at Kayliegh Land
Suzy over at Glamour & Go
Dani over at The Glamour Nazi

I hope you enjoyed this and sure, we'll see where this goes!!

Big Smiles,
Amy
xoxo

June BBC Day 14: Favorite Mascara

Wooooo!! This challenge has been going for two weeks now! It's been so fun, I really don't want it to end!

Anyways, today we're gonna be looking at my favourite mascara. I used to be a stoic lover of the Falsies by Maybelline, undeterred and steadfast in the face of lesser brands, but now I've turned away from it in favour of their new "The Rocket Volume" mascara. 

From day one, I have loved this. The wand is huge, with closely packed rubber bristles that evenly lift and coat your lashes. I have a feeling, should the choice ever have to be made, I'd choose this over Benefit! The tube I own is the original formula, rather than the waterproof one, not for any reason other than my hand reached for the original tube first.

What's your favourite mascara? Why do you love it? Would you try this mascara based off what I've written?

Amy

Xoxo

May Favourites

Hello there!! *wave* Its that time of the month again, its time for my May Favourites. During the month of May I trialed a few new products and rediscovered old loves. It's been a busy month in many respects for me, but I managed to stay on top of everything, and road-test a few products along the way!

May 2013 Favourites

Oh God, I've Become A Girly-Girl!!

Girls, we all love our beauty products and make up. Its just the way we are, and guys wont ever understand why we need 3 different mascaras, or 100 bottles of nail polish, but we do. Or at least, that's what we tell ourselves! 

We all have our favourites though, so here's mine. My favourites, for my face!

Skin Wisdom Youth Protect Facial Wipes.

Skin Wisdom Youth Protect

These bad boys are amazing! I stumbled across these when I finished my Simple Kind-To-Skin wipes. They have a "Recommended Age Group" on the side of the nice, shiny pink foil packet, saying you should use these between the ages of 20-35. I suppose, those are the years between which you'd wanna be protecting that youth of yours, missus! They smell lovely and they do a great job of stripping off makeup, mascara, everything! I will say that you need a good moisturiser for after them, because they can leave your skin a bit tight. Maybe that's the Youth Protect bit?!

They claim to cleanse, tone and moisturise in one easy step, and are enriched with rhodiola rosea and amino acids, as well as cranberry and white tea.

They also claim to be suitable for all skin types, but I would say if you have dry skin, either avoid them entirely, or use a damn good moisturiser after them!

At €1.69 (I think!), in Tesco, I'd recommend them, even just to see if they do anything for your skin, but personally, I love them and have already repurchased them, in case they ever disappear from the shelves!