Regular readers will know that I'm a nude lip lover through and through. Sometimes pinky nude, sometimes browny nude but nude all the same. Very, very occasionally I will wear something red around the festive season but that's a rarity in all honesty. Autumnal berry lips is something I can on board with but only if the products are berry toned rather than deep red-toned, which just doesn't suit me. I have found the perfect combo....
Chanel Coco Mademoiselle is one of my favourite fragrances - crisp, sparkling and unashamedly feminine, I just love it! Naturally, when I saw a new take on this classic, I had to try it. Enter Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Crush Absolu...
Clarins is one of those classic, dependable, longstanding brands that I've been using products from for over 25 years. Beauty Flash Balm is a staple in my makeup collection. I loved their Instant Concealer and their base products in general, so when I saw that they released a new concealer I knew I had to try it.
Fenty took the beauty world by storm when it launched in 2017 and it has gone from strength to strength since then, also expanding into skin and haircare. I'm a huge fan of the brand in general with the body milks and butters among my favourite body moisturisers I have ever tried. I love the makeup too - the shade range, the textures, packaging - everything! Today I want to tell you why I love the lip liners so much and why I think everyone should own one.
Over the years I've gone through phases of using a separate moisturiser at night, mainly not being consistent because I hadn't found one to wow me enough to keep repurchasing. They had kind of gone off my radar, instead focusing on serums as part of my night-time routine. That all changed when the beauty therapist I go to for massages and the occasional facial, suggested that I try Ultraceuticals Ultra DNA Complex Recovery Night Cream. I've been with her for over three years and she knows my skin pretty well at this stage so I trust what she recommends. I've been using it since May, am approaching the end of the jar so will I repurchase?
The older I've gotten, the less I want to wear full on foundation. I don't particularly like the feeling of foundation on my skin but I do want some coverage and something to even out my skin tone. I'm drawn towards products that give me a 'my skin but better' look that are easy to apply and lightweight. I've been trying some new products over the past few months and have also repurchased an old love. Let me share them with you...
So we're officially in Autumn and whilst I appreciate the beautiful colours that nature bestows upon us at this time of year, I have to admit that I still miss summer! Before we get into the last quarter of the year, let me share with you some beauty products that I've been loving this month!
Who remembers Charlotte Tilbury's previous loose setting powder? I think it was called Genius Magic Powder and I remember that it absolutely stank and yet nobody seemed to mention the damp, musty smell it had! I don't actually remember it being discontinued and only thought about it when the new Airbrush Flawless Loose Powder was announced. Despite the horrible smell, it performed well as a setting powder so I was curious to see how the new powder would perform and despite not actually needing a new setting powder, I went ahead and bought it anyway! Let me share my thoughts with you...
When it comes to fragrance, I love a very diverse range of scents. I don't have a signature scent despite think that having one is really chic. I love so many fragrance types - sweet, floral,woody, aquatic, musky, powdery, vanilla, citrus, oud and more. I also love fragrances that lean masculine in their notes but until now I've never really considered that both my husband and I could wear (and love) the same fragrance. I thought that Escentric Molecules Molecule 01 might be a good choice for both of us but fortunately it doesn't smell as good on him so I don't need to prise the bottle from his hands. One that I do think smells good on both of us is Byredo Bal D'Afrique...
For some people, using a body moisturiser daily is too much faff and optional. For me, on the other hand, I have used one daily since I was a teenager because my skin is so dry. I quite often use supermarket brand body lotions but I also love a nice scented body lotion that doesn't break the bank and also really nourishes my skin. They're a nice treat for if I'm feeling under the weather or just want to spoil myself. I have found over the years that highly perfumed body products can often be drying due to the high alcohol content. I have found some great body moisturisers that not only smell great but more importantly, really nourish the skin and I want to share them with you today.
I first used Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant in 2003. It really was the must have product back in the day with promises of clear, smooth and soft skin - who doesn't want that? There aren't many skincare products that I am still using 23 years later but this product works regardless of age. Let me tell you why it still has a place in my regime...
The one skincare category that I believe is worth the splurge is serums. I'm happy to use budget cleansers and moisturisers because serums are the products that do the most work and although there are great budget serums on the market (particularly in recent years), as I am getting older, I find that I need products that will actually live up their claims and it just so happens that the ones I love most are quite pricey. In order to justify a repurchase, I need to have seen a visible difference in my skin while using the product and one such product is Oskia Midnight Elixir. I have repurchased this three times!
If you haven't gathered by now, I'm always on a quest to find the best glow giving products - hair, face and body - I basically want to shine bright like a diamond from head to toe (but without looking sweaty!). The Naturium Glow Getter range has been on my radar for quite a while so I decided to dive in and buy all but one product from the range (I skipped the body oil but will probably purchase at some point). It's fair to say that I am suitably impressed and enamoured by this range.
It is scary how quickly this year is flying by! Are you team 'Autumn can't come quick enough' or team 'I don't want summer to end'? I have to say that I love summer and would love another mini heatwave before we go into the colder months! Today I want to share the beauty products that I have loved and reached for the most over the past month.
I really do love fragrance and have done for as long as I can remember. I like so many different types of scent - fresh/fruity/masculine/citrus/aquatic/floral/oud/musky/powdery/vanilla and more. I choose what fragrance I wear on any particular day based on the season, the weather, my mood, what I'm doing that day, what clothes I'm wearing, how I'm feeling - a combination of these things. I have never had a signature scent but if I could only wear one fragrance for the rest of my days, I think it would be Parfums De Marly Delina. I absolutely adore this fragrance and have repurchased every time I've finished a bottle since I first received it for my birthday three years ago and it has been my most worn fragrance in those three years and my most complimented fragrance of all time (I have both men and women comment on it and ask my the name of it in shops, restaurants, cafes, hair salon and even my dentist!). Because I loved it so much, I wanted to try another scent from the brand so I tried Valaya and love that too (two very different fragrances). More recently, I have purchased the Exclusif versions of these fragrances and want to share my thoughts on them today.
My days of using lots of concealer are long gone! I've always had dry skin so even back in the day when people raved about the Collection concealer and did big upside down V shapes with concealer on their under eyes, my skin couldn't play along with the trends. I've always had to use something hydrating and even more so as the years have gone on. It really is true that less is more the older you get but that being said, I really do need some coverage as I have dark circles and some areas of redness on my face. I don't typically go for full coverage because I'm not seeking perfection ( whatever that is!), instead I favour medium coverage with a natural finish. I have four great concealers that fit that bill to share with you today.
It's a while since a new Jo Malone fragrance release interested me enough to buy a bottle but I knew I had to buy the new Sea Salt & Bergamot because I love Wood Sage & Sea Salt so much. I often like to pair it with Lime, Basil & Mandarin, which is citrusy, as is bergamot, so I guessed that I would like the new fragrance. But is it worth the hype?
I usually use Kérastase products on my hair (Olaplex and K18 sometimes feature too), but a couple of months ago when I was going on holiday, I bought a travel size Illuminating hair mask from Alfaparf and it won me over from first use so I went on to buy a full size when I got home. If you're looking for a glass-like shine on your hair, this will be right up your street!
If you've read my blog for any amount of time, you'd know that I'm all about glowing skin. You'll also know that I love to use a primer - a primer that hydrates and adds some glow is my go-to because I have dry skin. I have five to share with you today that I love, and they also double as a great base product for minimal makeup days.
Over the past year my skin has gone through periods of being calm and clear but also periods of being very problematic - reactive in terms of redness but also in terms of breakouts that are slow to heal. It's been tricky to adjust because for years, I never really had a spot and I had come to learn which ingredients suited me and which ones too avoid. I do know that using my CurrentBody LED Series 2 Mask* consistently is key to keeping my skin calm, clear, plump and glowing and if I take a week off, I will see the difference in my skin so I try to use it five times a week. I have a 10% discount code for the mask and other CurrentBody products if you're interested - enter LYMINCB at the checkout. In conjunction with the mask, I have a good routine going to keep my skin hydrated, glowing and plump - that is ALWAYS my goal for my skin. I switch products up seasonally, but these are the products that I have been using in my morning routine over the past few months.
I'm a fragrance addict - there's never a day that goes by that I'm not wearing perfume, even if it's a duvet day. I just love how fragrance can lift the mood or bring comfort and of course, bring back memories. My entry into daily fragrance back in the day came in the form of body mists and I'm still partial to them, particularly in summer when I favour a lighter scent. I want to share my favourites with you today.
Looooong time, no blog! My absence was caused by a mixture of fainting, fractured bones (all that goes with that) and just enjoying the good weather we've been lucky to have! Although we're halfway through summer, I want to share with you the products I have been reaching for consistently over the last few months. I have a mix of skincare, fragrance, nakeup and more....
I've been feeling a bit 'meh' lately. My skin hasn't been behaving as it should, my hair loss has been bothering me and overall I just felt like I needed a bit of a reset, so I purchased some old reliable products and some new ones in hope of feeling a bit more like myself, which I want to share with you today.
There are some products that I really recommend you don't buy, unless....
It's so nice to be at the end of March and fully immersed in spring - my favourite season! I love everything to look and feel fresh and light in spring and that is reflected in today's favourites!
Phlur is a brand that exploded onto the fragrance world in the last few years despite it being founded over a decade ago, this is thanks to Chriselle Lim (U.S. Influencer and Content Creator) becoming Creative Director. Their tagline is that they create 'modern fragrance for every desire, mood and moment' and I must be very moody because I love (and own) a wide variety of fragrances, which change with the season, how I'm feeling and how I want to feel! They have a number of fragrances in their lineup with eau de parfums, body oils and hand creams among the range (hoping for candles soon!). I already own a full size of Missing Person and to buy some more so I thought that the Discovery Set was a good place to start to help me decide.
Happy St. Patrick's Day! I'm a very proud Irish woman so I'd love to share some of my favourite homegrown beauty brands with you today. In the last decade especially, we have seen huge growth in Irish beauty brands and I love it! The quality of everything I mention in this post is excellent, on a par with so many other (possibly better known outside of Ireland) brands and I'd love for you to consider these when making your next beauty purchase!
I think we've established at this stage that I have dry skin! Because of that, I tend to favour cream complexion products over powder ones. They look fresher and more youthful on my skin and because my skin is dry, I don't need to worry about them disappearing. Today, I'm sharing my top ten favourites - obviously, nobody needs ten blushes (especially when they're all similar colours!) but I just have a weak spot for them! I love how they instantly boost my complexion! My BEAUTYLYMIN code will save you 21% on any of these that are sold on Look Fantastic (not sponsored, I just like to share discounts!)
I've been a fan of the Valentino Beauty Born In Roma line for years so I was delighted when I was kindly gifted the latest addition recently. Born In Roma Purple Melancholia* is housed in the signature studded bottle and one of the things I really like about the line is how you can see the colour of the fragrance through the bottle; from the original pink, through green, yellow, coral and now purple. They all have scents for him and her (Uomo and Donna) and the ones aimed at women all have a vanilla base note but the top and middle notes are what differentiates them.
When it comes to mascara, I think that most people choose high street brands because they have to be changed so often, and L'Oreal is a widely lauded brand due to quality and value. The latest addition to the line is their Extensionist mascara* and they have added a new brow product too, which I was kindly gifted (without any obligation to review) and want to share my thoughts on today.
Here we are at the end of another month! I'd like to say that this year is flying by already but I actually find that it's dragging and I think it's because of the awful weather! I could probably count on one hand the number of days that we've had without rain this year here in Ireland! Anyway enough weather yap, let's get into the beauty products that I have been loving over the past month (and I would love to hear what you've been loving too!)...
If you have been around here for any amount of time, you will know that I have dry skin. For years, I never used powder to set my base as they all just aged me and looked so cakey. Instead, I relied on setting sprays. That being said, I love the polished that a powder gives the skin and powders have come a long way - particularly in the last decade. There are still lots that I avoid but I want to share three great options with you today.
I don't know what it's like where you are but here in Ireland, it feels like we're on Day 999 of winter! I know that all seasons have something to offer but this winter has been particularly cold, damp, dull and very rainy. Roll on spring! In the meantime I want to share with you the products that I have been depending on to keep my skin hydrated, nourished, comfortable and happy over the past few months.
It's no secret on the blog that I have dry skin! I also find that it can be dehydrated at times, particularly in winter when the central heating and open fire seem to drain all hydration from my skin. I work hard on my skincare routine to keep my skin nourished and looking plump and I think that's key to any makeup looking good. That said, there are some products that I rely on when my makeup needs a little extra help in looking good and I want to share those with you today...
I must own between 80-100 makeup brushes, which is completely ridiculous and unnecessary! As with most things, I tend to only use my favourites and realistically, they're all that I need - yes, multiples are handy so I don't have to wash every time I use them but they're not actually necessary. I was away on three separate occasions in December and only packed my favourite brushes each time. Let me share my most used brushes with you...
There's no doubting that Kérastase is my absolute favourite haircare brand. I dabble in others but Kérastase has been a staple in my routine for over 25 years at this stage! I think I've used products from pretty much all of the ranges apart from Curl Manifesto and the range for men. I find that everything I've tried from the brand has really improved my hair in terms of strength, elasticity, growth, bounce and shine. Also, a little goes a long way with everything so whilst they are more expensive than supermarket brands, the value is there long term, plus my BEAUTYLYMIN code will save you 21% on the products on Look Fantastic (not sponsored, I just always love to share discounts!). If you're wondering which range would suit your hair best, keep reading...
Is it too late to wish you all a Happy New Year?! Yes, probably but I'm doing it anyway! Things have been quiet around these parts for a while because we had a busy December, a lovely Christmas and then the dreaded flu hit earlier this month plus gloomy days that don't make it easy to take photos, which both delayed my return to the blog. It may seem a little late to share 2025 favourites but I wanted to because I used some great products last year that I either already have, or will, repurchase this year. So, let's get into it! I have a mixture of skincare, makeup, bodycare, fragrance and tools and will include any discount codes that I can find in case you want to buy!
