Honest reviews, regular hauls and all things beauty.

Wednesday 31 May 2017

Empties & speedy reviews #35 featuring Jo Malone, Kat Von D, Benefit, Alpha H & more!




You all know the drill here - I show you what I've finished recently with a speedy review and tell you whether I would repurchase the products! I have a mixture of skincare, makeup and a few miscellaneous bits and pieces so let's get started!
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Monday 29 May 2017

Current haircare loves featuring Grow Gorgeous, Kerastase & more!


 Grow Gorgeous, Kérastase, Uniq one, Kérastase L'incroyable, Grow Gorgeous Scalp Detox, Grow Gorgeous Hair Density Shampoo, Review


This year I haven't been posting monthly favourites, choosing instead to post about products that I am currently loving intermittently rather than regularly. Today I am sharing current haircare loves and I will soon post about my current skincare loves because there have been some very consistent products in my routines in recent times. This is because my scalp and skin have been suffering hugely over the past few months, but particularly over the last 6 weeks due to a mixture of a very bad reaction to a new moisturiser but also my skin and hair have really suffered due to the huge amounts of medications I have been on. These products have helped me to get my scalp and hair looking and feeling soothed, healthy and shiny. I'll post about them in order of how I use them.
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Saturday 27 May 2017

Pur~lisse - when Asian and French skincare meet!




A few months ago, I hadn't heard of the brand Pur~lisse but then it began to pop up on some of my favourite blogs, which naturally made me curious about it. It is different from a lot of other skincare brands that I use because it combines Asian skincare secrets with French skincare technologies. The brand was created by Jennifer Yen, who as an actress and model, found that her skin was suffering negative effects of wearing heavy makeup that was required for her job. It is a cruelty-free brand and is deemed as suitable for sensitive skin so I was delighted when Pur~lisse got in touch with me to ask if I wanted to try some products. This post isn't sponsored and the opinion shared is entirely my own.
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Friday 19 May 2017

My MAC lipstick collection with swatches


MAC, lipstick, Frost, Creme Cup, Sunny Seoul, Peach Blossom, Plumful, Syrup, Alessandra, Brave, Rebel, Angel, Costa Chic, Fast Play, Ruby Woo, Mehr, Velvet Teddy, Please Me,  Swatches
L-R: Peach Blossom, Creme Cup, Sunny Seoul, Brave, Rebel, Angel, Costa Chic, Ruby Woo, Fast Play, Plumful, Syrup, Alessandra, Mehr, Please Me, Velvet Teddy.


I don't have the biggest MAC lipstick collection compared to a lot of bloggers but it is the brand that I have the most lipsticks from in my collection so I thought I would share it with you today. MAC lipsticks have crept up in price over the years and are currently priced at £16.50/€20/US$17 and an eye-watering $36 in Australia so whilst they are more affordable than YSL or Charlotte Tilbury, they still aren't exactly budget-friendly. I tend to buy them in Duty Free where there's a €3 saving. MAC lipsticks come in a range of finishes - matte, retro matte, satin, lustre, glaze, cremesheen, amplified, frost and liptensity - so there really is something for all tastes. I have tried all except the liptensity but that needs to change!
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Wednesday 17 May 2017

REVIEW: YSL Beauty Brow Wardrobe




I've never really been too adventurous with my brow products, mainly relying on pencils to fill them in and just hope for the best! I'm definitely not proficient in creating the "instagram brow" but nor would I really want to be. I like some subtle definition as I find that anything too angular or dark is ageing on me but achieving the balance isn't always easy. I've never used particularly high end brow products so you can imagine my delight when YSL sent me their new Couture Beauty Brow Wardrobe. I've never had a brow "wardrobe" before so I had great fun playing with the products and I'm ready to share my thoughts with you today!
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Monday 15 May 2017

The glow setting spray edit featuring Pixi, Glamglow & more!




Setting sprays have been a regular feature in my daily makeup for years (MAC Fix+ or Urban Decay All Nighter Spray) because I have dry skin and until recently, I hadn't found any setting powders that didn't accentuate my dry skin and make me look 10 years older (that's now changed, thanks to Hourglass). More recently, I have seen the release of setting sprays that also add some glow to the skin and I am hooked! Today I am sharing my thoughts on four glow setting sprays that are currently in my collection and hopefully it will help you choose one if you are looking into adding one to your collection!
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Saturday 13 May 2017

Summer fragrance wishlist featuring L'Occitane, Jo Malone & more!




Although I have a good number of perfumes, the change in season makes me want more and the sunny weather of the past week got me thinking about adding some new fragrances to my collection so I'm sharing my wishlist with you today and would love to hear your suggestions too!

I have been reading about L'Occitane Terre De Lumiére on blogs for the past few months and it sounds right up my street - both fresh and warm with notes of bergamot, lavender, almond and white musk amongst others. The bottle is also stunning and would look beautiful sitting on my dressing table. This is at the top of my wishlist!
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Thursday 11 May 2017

Brand Focus #4: Hourglass




Time for another brand focus post and this time I am focusing on Hourglass - a high end, cruelty-free brand. They are probably most known for their blushes (that's what initially got me hooked) but this is not a one-trick pony brand. Apart from the stunning, luxurious packaging, Hourglass has a lot to offer. Read on for my thoughts!
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Monday 8 May 2017

A Sephora haul & first impressions featuring Peter Thomas Roth, Herbivore Botanicals, Kat Von D & more!




There haven't been many new releases in recent times that have tempted me enough to buy them and I'm tying to be more mindful with my spending because I have quite a large makeup collection already but when I received an email about the Sephora Spring sale, I couldn't resist buying a few bits! I have used everything so can give you initial thoughts on them too - some are instant loves! I will also tell you how I ordered from Sephora to Ireland in case anything catches your eye.
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Saturday 6 May 2017

REVIEW & GIVEAWAY! SK-II Facial Treatment Essence


SK-II Facial Treatment Essence, Review, Giveaway, Prize


I have a very exciting post today because not only am I sharing my thoughts on a luxury skincare item, I also have a second bottle of it to give away to one of my lovely readers! The people at Mizspa kindly contacted me to ask if I would be interested in trying one of the luxury skincare products they sell - SK-II Facial Treatment Essence and also if I would like to run a giveaway here on my blog so, being the skincare lover that I am, I jumped at the chance!
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Thursday 4 May 2017

The makeup staples featuring Nars, Marc Jacobs, Clarins, Charlotte Tilbury & more




No matter how many new products I buy, there are still some products that are my default, go-to makeup staples. Products that I grab without having to think too much if I'm in a hurry because I know that I love them and can depend on them. At this stage, I feel that even my husband could choose these if I asked him to throw some makeup in a bag and bring it to me if I wasn't at home because they are my overall most-reached for products. Everybody has makeup staples and today I am sharing mine with you.
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Tuesday 2 May 2017

Serums currently on heavy rotation featuring Dr Botanicals, Omorovicza, Mizon & more!




Just as the weather has started to warm up, which means I will be reaching for lighter bases, my skin has been playing up. I had a bad reaction to a moisturiser, which made me break out very badly and then my already quite sensitive skin, became very inflamed which I put down to a combination of my meds and also not eating as well as I could have over the Easter period. To combat these effects, I have upped my skincare game and each morning and evening, I examine my face before I apply anything so that I can assess exactly what my skin needs. I want my skin to look clear and to feel comfortable (a bit of radiance and refined pores wouldn't be asking for too much either!) and the five serums I am sharing today are the ones that I have been reaching for most often over the past few weeks. I must add that Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair is my go-to evening serum, especially at times when I am trying to repair my skin, but I haven't included it in this post because I have spoken about it so, so many times on the blog already but you can take it as a given because it is my all time favourite skincare product. I am always happy to spend a little more on serums, moreso than moisturiser, because they are more effective in making a difference to my skin due to the fact that they can penetrate more deeply than moisturisers.
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