Products I've been loving lately

Hi everyone 

I've not blogged in ages I've not been in the right headspace at all to think about a post but today I thought I'd write about some products I've been using and loving over the past few months 

Here in Ireland we have had a pure shit summer but it's been a little warmer then we are used to.I haven't been on holiday at all yet this year but I have seen a few people who I follow on snapchat who have been away and have brought this with them 

Sure Maximum Protection deodorant 

I won't go into much with this its just a normal deodorant stick only you apply it at night before bed after a shower and it's supposed to protect you for 48hr I don't know why you wouldn't wash in 48hr but I think it's good for when you're working out or just general rushing around. In my opinion it's quite pricey for a deodorant at €7.99/£5.80 but sometimes Boots.ie have a sale so when they do I normally stock up, no one wants to be a sweaty Betty 

Cocoa Brown 1 hour tan in Dark 

Everyone and their mothers have this tan somewhere in their house it's a must have, if you've never heard of Cocoa Brown Tan or you are deciding whether or not to try it Go and buy it now it's the best tan out there! 

The beautiful Marissa carter is the creator  of cocoa brown and she has come up with a tinted tan in a super easy to apply mouse that develops in 1 hour with none of that horrible biscuity smell you get with most tans, I even use it as an instant tan or apply it at night and wash it off in the morning. Cocoa brown has taken over my favourite tans (sally Hansen,fake bake and St Moritz) it also doesn't cause breakouts when you use it on your face which I find a lot of tans do 

It has recently launched in the U.S. And I'm sure will be world wide soon 

It retails at less than €10/£7.26 in most chemists 

Loréal Elvive Smooth and Polish Serum 

This serum is so lightweight you can use it on wet or dry hair I found it fantastic to use on the ends of my extensions 

I use it on the very top of my hair to get rid of those annoying little hairs or pubicles as Karen from @lovelygirlybits calls them and it doesn't make my hair overly greasy after I use it either 

Febreze Sleep Serenity in Lavender Mist 

I am obsessed with Febreze its one of my little addictions I have to have at least two bottles in the house and one unused under the sink! I don't know if it's down to my anxiety or what but I just love the smells especially the fresh cotton one 

I use this lavender scented one over my bed and all around the room before I go to bed it's just so relaxing 

There are other scents in the Sleep Serenity collection but Lavender is my favourite 

Nip and Fab Glycolic Fix Pads 

I first heard of nip and fab a few years ago when a magazine gave away one of their tans free and I wasn't a fan at all, i think I still have that tan in a makeup storage box somewhere but these pads are my (swore I would never say it) Holy Grail skincare product! If you have bad skin or clogged pores these pads are fantastic they have a rough side and a smooth side and honestly since I started using them my skin has cleared up so much 

The kardashians are huge fans of nip and fab, if it's good enough for them I'm gonna try it 

New Cid cosmetics i flutter mascara 

I got this mascara a few weeks ago free with UK cosmopolitan magazine and didn't think too much about it, I put it in my makeup drawer and that was that! 

I used it by accident one morning and I haven't stopped using it since it is unreal 

If you think benefits they're real mascara is great you need to try this it knocks benefit off that pedestal in my opinion the only place I have found it on is feelunique.com for their sale price of €23.98 it's normally €26.64 

Mac Studio Fix Concealer in NC15 

This was one of my first Mac purchases and I love it it gives such good coverage especially for under eye circles and is fantastic for brightening 

NYX lip liner in Mauve 

Kylie Jenner's lips have been on everyone's want list since she started posting those pictures on her Instagram 

(Pic taken from google images) 

NYX lip liner in Mauve is the perfect shade to fake Kylie's gorgeous lips (just to add how stunning is this girl and only just gone 18....at 18 I was going through my awkward bleach blonde thick black kohl liner and foundation lips phase) 

Blank Canvas Cosmetics Contour Palette 

I literally use this palette every day I think the only colour I don't use is the peachy pink shade it's fantastic on really light skinned tones and medium tones as they're so easy to blend 

 Urban Decay Naked 3 palette 

As everyone has been buying the Naked Smoky palette it got me thinking about the naked palettes I have kind of forgotten about and I've been using this since my favourites are Limit, Nooner and Mugshot for an everyday wearable smoky eye and Dust, buzz and Liar for a more shimmery eye 

I dropped this palette at a clients house last year and the two shadows on the end fell out :( 

(Picture from Google images) 

The Balm- Mary-Lou Manizer - highlight 

I have been wanting Mary-Lou for so long I used it on my sister for one of my makeup assignments and I just fell in love with it! My sister (Behindgreeneyes) kindly bought me one for my birthday and i love it! It gives a gorgeous build able highlight and is great as a shimmer base for eyeshadow 

Johnsons Baby Cotton Pads 

I love these pads because they are huge and square, one pad with some micellar water on it takes off all my makeup 

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow Pomade in Medium Brown 

My sister gave me this as a present and I use it every day I hate having no eyebrows I over plucked them when I was younger and I am naturally blonde so when I do go makeup less you can't see my brows they are that shocking with out some sort of filling in that one night I stayed over in my sisters house, she burst out laughing when I took my makeup off and my 10 year old nephew asked me "what happened your face, where are your eyebrows" so I tend to leave them on now if I stay over 

I do find I go very heavy handed with this so I will probably buy Ash brown as the medium is very dark 

Garner Micellar Cleansing Water 

I've seen mixed reviews about this, I like it I bought the big bottle on offer in boots and it takes off my makeup straight away I always use a nip and fab glycolic fix pad after though just to make sure everything is gone 

It's great for spot cleaning bushes aswell, just pour some onto the brush and fab onto a cotton pad 

Lorèal Infallible 24hr Foundation

(Picture taken from Google images)

I have just run out of this foundation but it's becoming one of my go to's definitely! I love the loreal true match foundation also but this will definitely be getting a repurchase, I will also be purchasing the Infallible Matte foundation as I've seen so many people saying it is a dupe for Estée Lauder Double Wear just way more purse friendly (there is a three for two sale now in boots.ie) 

Herbal Essence Naked shampoo and conditioner for Volume 

The naked collection is a new addition to herbal essence it offers no parabens, no silicone and no colorant which is fantastic for your hair! If you are a fan of hair extensions micro beads or keratin bonds this range should be your go to because as you will know silicone in shampoo can strip the glue from your hair extensions and make them tacky (causing mattes, and hair loss) the smell alone got me to buy these it is gorgeous and it leaves your hair smelling gorgeous for days after

I have been using the volume shampoo and conditioner by reverse shampooing which means using conditioner first and then shampooing once or twice afterwards.

It leaves your hair silky smooth after drying and the volume is definitely noticeable

I promise I won't leave it as long to post next time my next post will probably be a pictorial makeup look if there is one specific one you would like to see leave me a comment 

Xox 

 

 

Beauty on a budget

Hi I didn't realise how long it was since my last post I had completely lost inspiration so I do apologise and I hope to start blogging more 

On to today's post 

Beauty On A Budget 

If you have read my last posts or been on my previous blog itsonlymexox.wordpress.com you will know I love a good bargain! In the last year I've been doing a lot of shopping online, where I live I only have 1 chemist(pharmacy) and another half hour away there's a handful more.I would normally just get cheaper drug store makeup anyway, my nearest mac counter is a good 2 and a half hours away from me and as I don't have my own transport it's difficult to get there! 

Here are a few of my favourites over the last few weeks: 

Catrice Nude Sensation eyeshadow 

Trend collection c03 Soft Coral 

This is one of my all time favourite eyeshadows and I don't think you can but it anymore so when it runs out I will need to find something else :( it's so smooth and it blends really easily it's a gorgeous soft pink colour perfect for every day wear 

I bought this at the time for €1.99 

Urban Decay Naked Basics 

Top to bottom:

Crave, faint, naked 2, w.o.s, foxy, Venus 

Now I have to say this is a fake! I don't know why people get so annoyed over fakes, personally I think it's the exact same as buying the w7 versions of Naked2 or Naked3 or any chemist or pharmacy brand of eyeshadow! I use this a lot and I've never had any issues, I bought this on buyincoins.com for €2.45 

Note: I will only buy off websites that accept PayPal I would reccomend that you do the same 

W7 The Cheek of It! Blush

Baby Pink 

I love this blush it's a gorgeous pink that blends easy enough although I do have to say you can't go heavy handed with it or you will look daft 

I bought this in cara pharmacy for €3.50 

Natural Collection cover up cream 

This is one of my go to concealers, it's so handy because it has one of those lipgloss brushes so it's easy to get around your eyes and under your eyebrows! It's quite liquidy so you only need very little you can build up coverage though. I got this in Fair in Boots chemist for €2.49 

NYC All Day Long Smooth Skin 14 hr Foundation in 737 Classic Ivory

This foundation has had mixed reviews since it came out, some people hate it some love it! I am hit and miss with it but I've been using it lately because I ran out of my favourite Rimmel Lasting foundation and I had this in my makeup drawer 

It drys really quickly so you need to be quick when your applying it, I always apply moisturiser and primer before this foundation and it stays on, I'm very pale and I find it hard to get a foundation that matches my skin perfectly and this definitely matches it 

I don't remember how much this foundation is exactly but I know it was definitely under €5 

Fairy Girl Eyebrow pencil in dark brown 

I bought this on a whim from buyincoins.com for €0.70 I needed a new pencil and I liked the look of this one it's got a slant on the top so it makes it easier to fill in your brows 

Brush set in pink and white 

This is another purchase from buyincoins.com it's fine for back up brushes, you get two smaller eyeshadow brushes, one flat eyeshadow brush, a lip liner brush, a blush brush and an eye liner brush all in a little pink wrap case for €3 cheap as chips and they don't shed 

Fluffy Brush in 217 

This looks similar to the MAC fluffy brushes so I picked it up with the other brushes from 

Buyincoins.com for €1.20 

It's great for blending shadows and for contouring down the sides of your nose 

W7 Lip Lights in Pink Glitter 

I got this in a set for Christmas with a light up mascara, It has led lights in the lid and a little mirror in the side so great of you're out and it's dark and it's actually a gorgeous colour, really shimmery I think it's about 

€1.50 on it's own to buy 

Wet and Wild Candy Crayon 

I am very bad with throwing makeup away I've literally had this hilighter for years and it's almost gone, it's such a nice bright colour I use it under my brows, down my nose, the corners of my eyes and on too of my cheek bones I love it, I'm not sure if you can still buy it but I think it cost me about €2 at the time I bought it! 

You don't have to spend a fortune on makeup the cheaper makeup is sometimes better than the dearer stuff! 

All the makeup on this post is less than €5 

Xox

Smoky eye/cut crease pictorial

This post is picture heavy 

Hi lovelies I haven't done a pictorial in absolute ages I used to do them on my other blog but it's been at least a year and a half since I did one! 

I decided to do one today as I've been looking at some other ones

I have recorded videos on how to contour and how to apply strip eyelashes I've never done a video before so if you would like to see them let me know 

On to the makeup 

Face

As my base I used Rimmel match perfect in True Ivory 

Blush is W7 in baby pink

And brows is my little brow palette from Tmart 

I used a matte lipstick from MUA called candy crush and a clear gloss from Essence over it 

Mascara I used No7 lash impact

Products for this look 

I love NYCs eye palettes they're so handy, I bought this one for brown eyes even though mine are blue/grey/green depending on my mood 

I just loved the colours 

I use the hi lighter and the concealer a lot as you can see 

You do not need to use these colours or this palette you can use whatever colours you like using the same guide 

Start by : 

Using concealer on your lids for a clean base 

Take a flat shadow brush and your darkest colour (whichever one you decide to use) and draw across your lid following your crease

You so not need to be careful or clean with this just yet, as you will be cleaning it up later! 

Extend your shadow out slightly and under your eye just to the middle, in a < shape 

Take a fluffy eyeshadow brush and blend that line on the top lid, I like to dip my brush in the same colour and blend it that way, you can go as high as you like with this depending on your own preference 

Taking your flat brush and the lighter colour pat that colour onto your eyelid under where you put your dark colour

You can put as much or as little on as you like, just don't go up further than the line you made with the dark 

On to liner, you can use gel, liquid, pen liner, etc, starting from your inner corner making a slightly thick line to the outer corner, I love the flick I wear it almost every day so you can extend as far as you want 

Taking a small angled brush and the darker colour you used for your crease line your under eye going as close to the lash line as possible 

Next step: 

Curling your own lashes

You can keep this look simple and just use mascara you can apply that now and your done 

Or you can use lashes and in that case apply one coat of mascara and let it dry, while your waiting for it to dry get your lashes ready 

I use long and full lashes from Tmart they are €1.40 for a pack of 10 there are so many different kinds on that site I love the thick ones for nighttime but I'm going more for the thinner ones lately 

I won't go into how to apply lashes I might do a post later about this 

Once that's done take your hi lighter (if you are using the same kind of palette) or a really light colour (white even) and apply it to your inner corners of your eye and just under your brows 

And that's the look done, as I have said you don't need to use these colours this look is gorgeous with black and silver or brown and gold, pink and purple etc 

I hope you have enjoyed this post, I would love to hear if you've tried this or you would like to? 

Hopefully it's helped you to create a cut crease :) 

Xox

Urban Decay Naked 3

Everyone in the beauty world went mad when Naked 3 was launched! 

I don't have an outlet that sells anything like that around me so I decided to look for it online 

I previously purchased the Naked Basics and the Naked 2 off Tmart.com last year 

Personally I don't like the price of Urban Decay I know some say it's a great price but I don't like the thoughts of spending €40 or more on 12 eyeshadow that I might not like or use! 

Now I have to include in this post my Urban Decay Palette is a fake, it didn't come in a box like the two other palettes but I love it all the same! Tmart have some of the best fakes ever you wouldn't even know they were not the real thing, the pigmentation is amazing, they never hurt my eyes or anyone else's I have ever used them on and they stay and look great 

I always get obsessed with one or two colours in a palette, I use them until they are gone and then I'm basically leaving the palette in a drawer somewhere until I come across a new one that's one of the reasons I wouldn't pay the €40 for the real thing for me there's no point! 

I spent €7 on this with free post 

It did take around 4/5 weeks to come as it's from china but I think it's worth the wait

Now on to the colours 

The pigment on the matte shades aren't really great on camera, they aren't as bright as the shimmer ones but to be honest I don't use a lot of matte shadow anyway 

From left to right (or top to bottom ;) ) 

Strange - very pale cream colour 

Dust - one of my faves a gorgeous light shimmery pink

Burnout - another fave a darker shimmer pink 

Limit - a very light taupe colour

Buzz - the darkest pink in the box 

Trick - a lovely gold 

Nooner - a darker taupe

Liar - another fave, a pinkish brown

Factory - a shimmer brown

Mugshot - darker shimmer brown

Dark side- very dark brown I didn't find as much shimmer with this one but very bad fallout

Black heart- I love this colour it's almost a purple black really pretty on but again some fallout 

I received this palette last week and I absolutely love it, it has a lot of pink shadows which I love I think pink shadow suits everyone, but some people are afraid to try it 

I also bought the Urban Decay naked flushed palette which is basically a contour palette, I will review this in my next post :) 

I would recommend buying this from tmart.com first even if you want the real thing it's great to try it out and even have it as a back up, let's face it all the naked palettes look gorgeous on anyone's dresser/makeup table :) 

Have you tried naked 3 yet? 

Xox

My new blog

Hi everyone! I have just set this new blog up as I have missed blogging so much. My previous blog was itsonlymexox.wordpress.com and I lost my password and email address so I've basically lost all my posts, it's quite sickening.

Hopefully I will get on well with this one!

I can't wait to get stuck in, as you can see I don't have anything on it right now so it's a great excuse to think of new posts :)

Xox

Kisses