Empties

My name is Amy and I never finish products. They usually go off before I can and I wind up throwing them out. Or at least that's my excuse. Occasionally though I do finish one or two things! So here's the recent empties I'm about to sling. 


Cocoa Brown Tough Stuff. 

Can we take a moment to appreciate how I managed to accumulate not one, but two tubes?? I thought I lost my first one and then lo and behold it turned up without so much as by your leave. I've squeezed these two poor tubes to death, trying to draw the last few drops out but they're dead now. 

Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub

Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub

I admit that this has been beyond its best before for a month or so, but sugar doesn't really go off so I finished it off. It's been a good run, I get a year from each little pot so I can't say it didn't do the job!

Garnier Pure Skin Toner

I adore this stuff and will be repurchasing for definite. The active ingredients in this toner calm down any spots threatening to break the surface and it helps eradicate any which have shown themselves. It smells very strongly but the scent is slightly medical which I like a lot so it's not a problem really. 

Loreal TXT Hairspray

Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3in1 Foundation

Hello, holy grail hairspray! Flexible hold, but still in a good degree of control. I love the hold, I love the scent, I loved the price. Yes, very good, on we go!!! 

Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation

Holy grail status again, let me tell you. This is my ultimate foundation. It's pale enough for me, with a pink undertone so it doesn't make me look funny. It lasts all day, it's lightweight but with medium to full coverage and I've had this bottle for over a year.  This is literally my beauty addiction. If I don't have this foundation, I am a very sad little lady. Shout-out to my friend Kayleigh over in the USA for being my supplier! 

Natural Collection Pressed Powder in Cool

Another seriously well loved product. It takes care of shine, adds a slight hit of coverage, doesn't look caket and lasts for ages. I've already repurchased it, and will continue to because for 3.09, I cannot fault it on any grounds. 

What are your recent empties, my lovelies??

Drop me a line; let me know, and be sure to enter my giveaway HERE where you stand to win a 1 YEar Supply of Water Wipes. 

Amy 

xxx

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Holy Grail Products

Watch any beauty guru on YouTube and you will inevitably hear the phrase "Holy Grail". Yes, it is a Monty Python movie, but today that's not what we're going to talk about. Holy grail products, are, for the uninitiated, the products you would invariably die without. That one shampoo you keep repurchaing? Holy Grail. That lipstick you bought 3 back up tubes of? Holy. Grail.

So today I'm going to take you through my HG products.

First, we have powder. My HG in this department would have to be the Catrice Prime and Fine Translucent Loose Powder. This stuff is the miracle product your mother always told you existed. It's THAT good. I have back ups of this stuff, and I repurchase it to death. It sets your foundation without any extra tint and leaves you velvety smooth and matte. Catrice, please don't ever stop making this stuff, or I'll be all over you like a flannel. 

For €5.49, you too can use my fantastic miracle powder... Just leave some for me, kay?



Secondly, I want to talk about Chocolate Whip. This stuff is the amazing lotion brought to you by the good ladies of Cocoa Brown. I will be waxing lyrical about them further on down this post but can I just take a minute to talk about the absolutely glorious, wonderous gem that is Chocolate Whip? An OIL FREE body moisturiser, which (if you're a tanner) prolongs the life of your tan, helps it fade evenly and smells incredible. Oh my god this stuff was really needed in my life and I wont be straying from it any time soon. Cocoa Brown, will you marry me?

Next up, I'm going to bleat on tirelessly about my new favorite eyebrow powder. Step on up to the plate 17 Brows That!! This powder literally makes my brows look perfect. The compact comes with a brow pencil, a wax, a powder, a highlight and a tiny brush. I will admit the brush is kind of useless but the powder was MADE to go with my Real Techniques Brow Brush. This stuff is pretty new to the market but mother of god, it's perfection in a slick black case.

Cocoa Brown, what can I say, you just make my life complete. 1 Hour Tan hit the market about 1 year ago and I remember it took the blogging world by storm, yet I dismissed it straight off because "it's just tan". It's much more than "just tan" let me tell you. It's "bronze goddess" in a can. 

It's a golden, cocoa shade that makes even the palest (that's me), most ginger (hi, me again!) Irish chick look like she grew up on a beach in Zanzibar. I literally have nothing bad to say about it, or the company (all the girls are fantastic, very chatty on their Twitter, and always there to help). You need this tan in your life. Go now, and never look back!

Finally, I have a product combo for you. I have been blessed with relatively well behaved skin all my life, but to keep it in line, I am hopelessly addicted to Garnier Pure Active Foaming Facial Wash, coupled with my mini Body Shop Facial Brush. It's been keeping my skin soft and clear for 6 months now and I could not be happier with the results. The facial brush is gentle enough not to inspire break outs but tough enough to help the foaming wash take down any spots or blackheads before they peek out to say hi. A must for any girl looking to keep her face free of any nasties.

Those are my Holy Grail products of the moment, a select few of the myriad of bottles, cans and tubes of things I would easily fall apart without. What are your holy grail products? 

Amy 
xx

June BBC Day 16: Skincare Routine

I've always been about minding my skin. I've never suffered from acne, and most of the time, my skin is pretty well behaved aside from one or two small spots here and there! I don't believe, and have never believe in wearing a full face of make-up everyday. It's expensive and tough on your skin. I fully advocate going without. And I have to say, I've never bothered much with make-up and I still get told I'm attractive, beautiful (and if you're from the sticks, you'll know what it means to be called "a fine lookin' young-wan" by your elders). Going Au Natural has never stopped me meeting people, never stopped me getting male attention. While I fully understand why girls go out everyday with their face all made up, that's just not for me. I stick with my skincare routine, and that's enough for me!


When I'm in the shower I use Loréal Men Expert Pure and Matte facial scrub. It's designed to fight impurities and mattify the surface of your skin. I use two small blobs every time I get into the shower, the first to get rid of the oil on my skin, the second to get down into the pores. It never fails me!

After I finish with that, I gently run my Body Shop Facial Brush over to help increase blood-flow slightly. The bristles are soft and it just makes my skin lovely and tingly before I hop out of the shower.

After that, I run a Skin Wisdom Youth Protect wipe over my face to remove any residue that might be on my face, because the water isn't always great here at home! Then I take a little of my Elemis Softly Softly moisturiser and rub it til its all sunk in...

For my body, I've recently started using exfoliating gloves in the shower with my shower-gel, and then moisturizing with either Lush's Charity Pot, or if I need to look glowy for something, I will use my Garnier Summer Body Gradual Tanning Lotion. It's brilliant and not streaky at all. It also smells like apricots, but when you get into the shower it takes on that horrible burnt biscuit scent that we all loathe. Oh well, you can't win every round!

If I'm feeling like a treat, I'll pop this mask from the Boots Essentials range on for 3-5 minutes while I'm slathering myself in some lotion or another from the shoulders down! It's enriched with cucumber and I personally find it extremely softening and deep cleansing! It's somewhere in the €2.50/€3.00 price range, so its easy on the pocket. Also its good for using solely around the nose area if that's what you would rather. It comes in a bigger version too, so if you fall as hopelessly in love with it as I have, then you will be dying to repurchase the bigger tube, which is only a euro or so more expensive!

After I use the cucumber mask, and I've rinsed it off with barely warm water, I like to run a cotton ball with a little toner on it. Now, I'm not terribly fancy with my toner, and only that I already had the toner I have now, I'd have invested in the toner from the Boot Essentials like too. I use the Tesco Cucumber Toner to remove any leftovers from the Clay Mask, and then top it off with the Elemis moisturiser. I only use the mask 2 or 3 times a week, so this extra couple of steps just slot in pretty seamlessly to my normal regime.

So that's my very lengthy explanation of my skincare routine! Sorry if its a bit waffley or possibly a bit preachy, I got a bit caught up!

What is your skincare routine like? Do you get as involved in yours as I do in mine? What's your favorite product? Can you recommend any other masks for me to try? I would love to read your comments and suggestions down below!

Amy
xoxo

March Favorites

Now that the month of April is upon us, I think it's time to have a go at a monthly favourites type post!

I'm going to review products that I've loved consistently over the month of March and maybe, if I do okay at it, I'll make it a recurrence.

 Garnier Summer Body Gradual Tanning Lotion.

Garnier Summer Body

This lotion is AMAZING! The consistency is not greasy, nor is it sticky. It leaves your skin like velvet and after about 3 days I noticed a distinct difference. The tan is not orange at all, no trace of the "Oompa Loompa" even on my glow in the dark skin!