Current Favorites

Today I'm going to give you a run through of all the things I've been loving lately...

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation has been my latest every day foundation... It's a really nice consistency, lasts well and doesn't seem to oxidise on the skin during the day. I press it into my skin with a damp RT Miracle Complexion Sponge, and it looks great. I like that it doesn't cover up my freckles but it helps to even out my blotchy face. To the best of my knowledge, it's currently on offer in Boots for €9.99.

I've been all about my Rose Gold Mini Wallet that I bought for Amsterdam last month. It's really dinky, but it holds all my cards, as well as having a coin pouch inside. I originally bought it because it was small and that seemed ideal for travel, to save space in my bag, and the plan was to go back to my large Parfois purse when I got home but I'm still obsessed with it! I'm pretty sure it's still in store for €3.

Beauty Kitchen Chill Me Wonder Balm has been a favorite for months now, and I use it to keep my stretched lobes moisturised and healthy. I have used it to stretch, to heal and to maintain and I'm absolutely in love with it. It contains shea butter, cocoa butter, rosemary oil, olive oil, lavender oil and geranium oil, to name but a few! It smells incredible and my ears feel so lovely because of it. You can get it HERE

Can we all take a minute to appreciate how great Penneys PS False Nails are?! I've been obsessed with them lately. They're great quality, last incredibly and they are cheap as chips! I tend to just buy a nude color and paint them to suit, which helps them look a bit more real in my opinion. There's a tonne of options, shapes and finishes and they are all €1.50

Finally, I'm going to give epic snaps to my beloved Hema Longer Lasting Lipstick in 05 and my Penneys PS Lipliner. This is literally my new favorite lip combo, they go perfectly together. The Hema lipstick set me back €3.50 in Amsterdam, and the lip liner was €1.50 in Penneys. Together, they last really well through eating and drinking and they look great with pale skin.

So there you have it, my most recent favorites. Anyone who follows me on Twitter will probably have seen me wax lyrical about these products in some form or other in the past while. 

What are your recent favorites? 

Amy 

xx

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PS... The Perfect Pout from Penneys?

On a recent trip to Penneys I was browsing the beauty section, and I stumbled across their own brand lipsticks and liners. At first, I was going to go for the nude shades, since nude lips are all the range thanks to Kylie Jenner. But then I saw the red, and I couldn't be swayed. After all, I am Red Lips, Red Hair, aren't I?

I picked up the red PS Lip Liner Pencil, which sadly doesn't seem to have a shade name or number, and the PS Lipstick in Reddy Or Not. The liner was €1.50, and the lipstick was €1.30. I went into this blind, no swatching or anything. After all, for a total of €2.80, it's a safe bet to hedge.

As you can see in the swatches, the liner is a lovely, smooth, true red. The lipstick was more sheer than I was expecting, with a pink finish.... I was dubious, to say the least. Still, I persevered, even if the lipstick sucked, I'd still have the liner!

I lined my lips with the lovely red liner and filled them in. So far, so good. It went on smoothly, with a matte finish but not chalky or dry. I've used liners that cost five times as much, and didn't feel nearly as nice. To finish the lip, I took Reddy Or Not over the liner, and oh my god it's love. This is the perfect red. It's got a lovely satin finish with the lipstick over the top, and it feels so incredibly comfortable on. It wears nicely too, something I wasn't sure about considering the price tag.

I am so impressed with this liner and lippy combo. It's cheap, it's great quality, has a lovely finish and wears well, what more could you want for under €3?!

PS Love This Make Up Brush Cleanser

Imagine my surprise when I found a bottle of brush cleanser amongst a stand of beauty sponges and false eyelashes in Penneys in The Marshes, Dundalk - 125ml for 2.50!!!

I wasn't leaving without it, that was for sure! So I bounded to the counter and then toted it home to Chris's house to get the testing underway!!! I armed myself with paper towel, cotton rounds, my dirty brushes and my camera and got to work.

Before

For this post I chose three of my most bothersome brushes under normal circumstances - my RT powder brush, my BCC bent liner brush and my Urban Decay Naked 3 double ended shadow brush (the flat shader end). As you can see in the picture above, there is black shadow, pigmented face powder and liner visible on the respective brushes. I spritzed a few sprays of the cleanser onto a folded piece of paper towel and started with the UD Shader running it lightly back and forth on the product - best to get straight in to the tough stuff. Colour me impressed!! As for the liner brush and powder brush? Absolutely shining, they are!!! Check out the "After" picture, below!

Because this cleanser is alcohol based, it cleans and sanitises your brushes between deep cleans (read how I deep cleanse my brushes HERE), which I do weekly/fortnightly depending on how heavy my use has been. The cleanser dries almost as soon as you've stopped rubbing the bristles through the solution and leaves them soft and lightly scented. I could not ask for better!

After 

For 2.50 in Penneys, this brush cleanser has far exceeded my expectations. I would not have been upset if it was poor quality, because it was so inexpensive, but it's wonderful. For spot cleaning my brushes, I will definitely be repurchasing!!!

Have you tried this brush cleanser?

Amy 

xx

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Review: Primark Workout Wear

Getting fit is a tough; challenging endeavour, without adding on the price tag of getting decent apparel to do your running/cycling/sweating in. 

As a Penneys girl through and through I decided to make the journey to Dublin earlier on Tuesday to get some work-out wear. 

Since I am the proud owner of one pair of Nike Dri Fit shorts and I've been running in Archery shirts, which is not what they're designed for, the list was simple; Sports Bras, Shirts, and Shorts. 

The Penneys range is quite varied, from short shorts to Capri pants to hoodies and crop tops in all the colours of the rainbow... They even sell light workout equipment like Pilates bands. How cool!  

However the opinion it left me with wasn't great. It was difficult to get Capri pants for my size, a UK 6-8. Everything was from 12-14 upwards. In fact there were more 18-20 sized items than anything else, and that's fine, but I want to get fit too, just as much as anyone else. Why were there almost no bottoms in my size but the whole section was heaving with the bigger sizes? I felt quite offended, as if my size doesn't warrant a need or a desire to get fit. I can't run for more than 2 minutes without feeling the need to heave. Surely that's more than enough valid reason to need something to run in? 

Eventually I found a pair of size 8 shorts among a rack of size 18 ones. 

I must admit that these shorts are very well made, with light reflective patches and a hidden pocket which is nice. They are deep grey and pink, which as a happy coincidence, will match my running shoes very well. 

They have an elasticated waistband and a drawstring which means I can tuck my phone into them without fear of it moving or falling out. Handy, when you have no decent pockets!

I picked up two sports bras, one grey with teal trim, one pink with black trim; €6 a piece. It wasn't hard to get them on my size thankfully. They seemed to be good quality and true to size but I guess the real test comes with a run. They fit ever so slightly bigger, so I would suggest sizing down, but either way, they're really good quality and they keep your basoomas in check.

 Very good, Penneys, well done you guys!

I also picked up some trainer liners and a loose-fitting, light tank top. 

What do you think of Penneys workout gear? 

Would you invest in higher end stuff or are you tempted to save a few Euro? 

Amy

xoxo

Summer Basics Haul!

With a much needed day off yesterday, I met some good friends for tea and a long overdue catch up. I had ducked into Penney's earlier in the morning, but when a total creep came up to me at the GPO and asked me what I was doing there, I ran for it, straight to Penney's to await Darragh.

While I was hiding out and waiting, I saw some Basic Cami Dresses, that are absolutely perfect for Summer, for €3.50, so I decided to pick up one in Teal and one in Black. Can't go wrong with a blue tone with my skin and hair color, and well black? I have one of everything in black! It's necessary.

Just a small haul!

I also picked up a royal blue High Waited Pencil Skirt, which was reduced from €7 to €1. I can pair it with a floaty black blouse, a waist belt and a blazer for interviews. Find a similar one HERE for €7.45

Then when I got home from Dublin, I was dragged off to Tesco. After searching Penney's high and low for over-the-knee socks but coming up empty handed, I decided to have a look in the clothes section of Tesco where lo and behold! I got 3 pairs, one grey knitted pair and two plain black pairs. The grey pair were €3.35 and the black ones were €5. I could not live without over-the-knee socks for those chilly days. Who wants to be wearing tights in the summer? Not me.

F&F for Tesco Sunglasses - €6

I spent most of my walks around Dublin today trying to find a perfect pair of sunglasses for my stupid face, and once again, F&F for Tesco came up trumps! I chose a matte nude pair, something akin to Ray Bans, but without the price tag - €6! Sold!! Again, a similar pair can be found in Forever 21 for €5.90

Julia Rothman "Typewriters" Eco Journal - €9

Finally I got a new blogging notebook. This was the most expensive purchase by far, a Julia Rothman Typewriter Eco-Journal, at €9 but it's just so CUTE! You can get it from Chronicle Books for $10.95

What do you think of my summer basics haul? 

Drop me a line down in the comments and lets talk summer fashions! 

Amy, 

xo

Liquid & Pen Liner Collection Overview

When it comes to liquid liner, I'm not particularly obsessed; Definitely not as much as I am with lipstick. I own five different eyeliners (not counting pencil liners) and today I want to talk about why I like them so much.

E.L.F Liquid Liner:

My lovely (and super generous) friend from Florida, Kayleigh (who you can find here), sent this as part of our swap. I don't think I have ever loved an eyeliner as much as this. That would be because it has a very very fine brush applicator, which make my limited eyeliner skills look brilliant!

My only problem with this liner, would be the wear time. I have a tendency to use this liner just as a guide-liner for my Loreal Super Liner. If the wear time were improved, I'd have no problem going to the nearest rooftop and shouting "Holy Grail, huzzah!!"

According to eyeslipsface.co.uk this eyeliner retails for €1.73. 

17 Liquid Liner

This liner came as part of a Christmas gift from my cousin Maria last year.

This has a really nice brush, though its not as thin as the E.L.F brush. The wear time, however, really makes up for the brush. It will NOT budge unless you take oil-based eye makeup remover to it.

I swiped this on my arm to figure out how to describe the formulas, and all I can say is, after 3 days of scrubbing its finally faded. That says it all!

I couldn't find a price for this liner, and it was part of a discontinued kit, so I can't even give you the price of that, sorry! Boots do carry a wide array of 17 liners though, so check them out.

Loreal Super Liner Blackbuster

This has to be the most disappointing of the five liners. I had such high hopes for it, but it just didn't meet them. This liner would be better suited to someone who just wants a faint, deep grey liner, rather than a bold black line. The felt tip on this has so much potential too, though maybe my dislike of that could be attributed to my ham-fists... I would be keen to retry this is the formula ever changed.

Loreal Super Liner Blackbuster retails for €10.75 in Boots.

Loreal Super Liner - Black Crystals

This liner is amazing, and completely in a different league to its Blackbuster counterpart. I did not realize at the time of purchase that it was Black Crystals, rather, I just thought the sparkles on the packaging were for decoration. The "crystal" element is a very very fine silver glitter, which is only really noticeable if you go for a thick winged liner. I wear this liner almost every day, and I think that the glitter is a nice touch to add to a simple look.

Loreal Super Liner - Black Crystals retails for €15.29 in Boots.

Essence Eyeliner Pen

This one is a pure, unmitigated bargain! I purchased this when I was just getting used to applying liner, because I felt the felt-tip was the easiest to work with. It has a very fine, almost oriental-brush like tip, ideal for the unsure liner user. Its only downfall is that two coats are needed to make it truly opaque, but hey, you get what you pay for!

Essence Eyeliner Pen is available from Penneys and Pharmacies nationwide and will set you back €3.59. 

Overall, I am happy with my liner collection, though it may be paltry by many beauty bloggers standards. The only one of this collection that I would not recommend is the Super Liner Blackbuster.

What do you think of my collection? Are there any liners you feel I am missing?
Please let me know in the comments if there are, and don't forget to tell me why they rock! I may well pick them up...

xo
Amy

A Cheeky Haul!!

When you're week was as bad as mine, and someone asks you are you on for shopping, you jump at the chance to go and have retail therapy!

That's what happened to me, on Thursday evening when the lovely Kayliegh, of Kayliegh Land texted me and asked me was I on for shopping on Friday afternoon. I may as well be honest here, I had failed my practical driving test just hours before this, so I leapt at the chance to get out of my disappointed funk. Shopping always makes me feel better. Sure, who doesn't feel better after an afternoon of serious shopping and money spending?!

Overview...

Holy Grail High-Waisted Jeans

Every woman needs a pair of jeans that fit her like a glove. Soft, comfortable, and able to look well both dressed up or worn casually; Every one of us girls know how hard it is to find them. So when you find a pair of those jeans, you hang onto them until they fall apart.

Size 8 Long High Waist Skinny €13

Today when my mum and I went shopping, I took the notion that I wanted a new pair of jeans that I could style as many different ways as possible. Now, let me just say I own a pair of jeans that I wear exclusively with heels because they are a wide flare from Forever 21. To turn them up would be one hell of a sacrilegious job. Those are my "going out" slash "funeral" jeans because I look silly in my interview suit trousers, going anywhere but an interview!

This Week In Manicures; Vol. 1

So I actually haven't really done much this week, aside from threaten to write this blog-post, but until today, there had been pretty much no fear of that happening when I was in bed wallowing in the fact my back was in bits!!
 
But now, my back is feeling less "Argh!!" and more "Meh!", so here I am, with a micro-haul, a super interesting (not really) post about my nails, and some random things I'm loving at the moment...
 
Without Further Ado...
 

A Haul??

Yesterday I posted about finding great bargains in charity shops. Well little did I know I would find some amazing things when I was out today! every so often I do this thing where I go to Penneys (Primark for the Brits) and see what I can find for under 10 euro. Today I was feeling adventurous so I decided to just buy a few bits on sale and not worry about the price.

So without further ado....