Friday 28 February 2014

Fiver Friday

And here we are again, the end of another week! Woohoo! And I'm back with another inexpensive product that you should all go out and buy... Today its MUA's Undress Your Skin Highlighter.  If you're not aware of the brand, they are an English company, that sell some amazing make up products for next to nothing! I've tried a lot of products from the company, and the only thing I haven't liked was a concealer, mainly because the shade was wrong, but everything else I've loved, including this little beauty. Its a champagne coloured highlighter that MUA say 'transforms your complexion with luminous shimmer', which I would agree with completely.
 I mostly just use it on the high points of my face, and it gives me a gorgeous natural highlight, without looking like a discoball. The presentation of this is lovely aswell, its actually very similar to the MAC Extra Dimension Skinfinish to look at!



My only little bugbear is the plastic packaging. While I'm not usually fussed on packaging, I believe you get what you pay for, this white plastic casing isn't very good or sturdy. Mine actually broke after a couple of weeks, and while the highlighter itself is still in one piece, I'd be afraid to bring the product anywhere with me for fear it would end up all over the bottom of my handbag.

The price you ask? 3.66 euro! Its available in Superdrug for all you ladies in the capital, but if you're like me living in the sticks, you can order it online HERE. However I've just checked and its out of stock. (Now do you see how good it is?) But if you really want it keep an eye on the site because it generally doesn't be out of stock for too long. MUA also do offers and discounts fairly frequently, so who knows, you may end up picking up another couple of bits too!

Thanks for reading guys,
Alisha xxx


Pictures taken from MUA and Brown Thomas Websites respectively.

Wednesday 26 February 2014

How much is your face worth?

Sometimes the urge takes me to just sit down and empty everything out of my make up bag so I can see what I'm using frequently and what can be put back in my drawer until such a time I'm going to use them. This week in particular I emptied everything out and then thought to myself about the cost of all the make up I have. Like most other make up junkies, I have gathered quite a lot, and although some of it has been given to me as presents and what not, I would imagine it all still adds up to a fairly large amount. So today I thought I'd do something a bit different and discover how much the make up I actually use on a daily basis adds up to, therefore telling me 'how much my face is worth', well for today at least!
I could be cheating a bit by not putting in my moisturisers etc, but that's for another day!
Let's get cracking!
First up is the face products:
Primer: Benefit The Porefessional: 34.00
Foundation: Rimmel Match Perfection Cream Compact Foundation: 9.45 (A present)
Concealer: Catrice Camouflage Concealer: 3.49
Blush: Sleek Rose Gold: 5.49
 Total: 52.43 (ouch)

Eyes:  
Base:Maybelline Colour Tattoo On and On Bronze: 10.49
Eyeshadow: MUA Undressed Palette: 4.87
Mascara : Mac Opulash: 18.00 (This was part of a giftset at Christmas) 
Total: 33.36

Lips: Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub: £5.50 (so around 6.69 euro)
Lip Gloss: Catrice Infinite Shine Lip Gloss: (Not sure of exact price, around 4 euro)
Lip Balm: Lush Honey Trap: £5.75 (part of Christmas gift set,) around 6.98 euro
Total: 17.67

Total altogether: 103.46

Wow. I honestly didn't think it would come to that, and OK its not as high as it could be in comparison to others say that use more high end products, its still a lot of money to be putting on your face, that instead say you could be putting towards a holiday or a new car or something like that. But that's the joys of make up I guess! And what harm, sure we could be doing worse! ;)


What about you?
Have you tried this before? How did yours compare to mine?
Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx


Monday 24 February 2014

Time for Change

Hey Ladies, I hope you're all keeping well and had a great weekend. This post is something a little bit different for me, but there is so many different thoughts floating around my head at the minute that I had try to put them down somewhere. So why not on my tiny tiny Internet place?
For the last while now, I've noticed a change in myself. I'm not the happy go lucky person I used to be, and on occasion my boyfriend has also said it to me. This in itself would be worrying if I hadn't lost one of the most important people in my life last August, my amazing grandfather. I saw him and my grandmother every day because they only lived around the corner, and I'm so grateful because thanks to being so near to them, I have some fantastic memories that noone can ever take from me. Death has hit my family hard having lost 2 brothers, and 2 cousins on the same side, and I was a lot younger at the time, so it has taken until now for me to fully understand the devastation loosing someone special can have on a person. Dealing with his loss is difficult enough, but without going into too much detail on here, my circumstances in life with regard to work have changed. I'm not working at the minute, and the job I was previously in was part time, its still hard to adjust from getting up to go to work to getting up and not knowing what I'm going to do with my day. At the start it was like a holiday, but now its been a few weeks its changed. I've started to get very fed up and at times I've ended up in tears feeling very low and down in the dumps. Its hard, so many of my friends have fantastic jobs, my brother is studying for a great career in Physiotherapy, and at times I find myself looking at them and thinking 'what's wrong with me', or 'why can't I be like that'. And before you say it, no I'm not jealous, my brother has come through a lot and worked his backside off to get to where he is, and I'm so proud of him for it, and likewise my friends are the same, so I suppose sometimes I just feel a little left behind or lost. Which I think is my problem right there. Comparing myself to everyone else. I am me, and only me can be me! I need to stop comparing myself to each and every other person out there and realise I can't and won't ever be like them, because I'm Alisha, and I've to lead the path that's right for me. I've realised its time to change my 'Negative Nelly' attitude. Instead of looking at the things I don't have, its time to look at what I do have. I've a fantastic family, who I love to pieces, I've a loving and supportive boyfriend, great friends, and a roof over my head. There's so many people out there who would only love to be right now, and here I am complaining about things I don't need to. Instead I'm going to have a more positive attitude to life. If I'm not happy, its only me who can change it. And it starts today! I've signed up for a Distance Learning course, I've this little space on the interweb which I'm going to put my heart and soul into while I have the time, and I'm going to figure out who I really am, and what I want from my life. (That sounds awful corny doesn't it)
But to end, a positive quote!

Thanks for reading everybody,
Alisha xxx


Nails of the Week

After having my nails a dull and rather boring grey colour for a night out last week, I decided I wanted to go for something bright and a bit more cheery seen as its Spring, (seeing today's weather though we could all be forgiven for thinking otherwise). I went for a look in my nail polish drawer to see what stood out and I fancied something with a bit of glitter. And then I found a white Rimmel polish at the back of the drawer that hadn't even been opened, so I decided to give both a go together and see how they fared out.

 The white polish I used was one of Rimmel's Lasting Finish Polishes in London Cloud. I know white nail polish isn't the most opaque of colours, but it took me 3  coats to get something that looked half decent. The effort! The glitter polish is the same formula but its in the shade Disco Ball. I don't think this is actually meant as a top coat, but it would take a lot of work  and a few coats to get it up to a decent coverage. I decided just to go with one coat, which resulted in fairly sparce glitter on the nail, which I was OK with. However it took me an age to get the lid off the glitter polish, and resulted in big nail marks in the polish on my nails  on my left hand... Some day I will get to do my nails without ruining them in 5 minutes! I was pleased with how they turned out, but 3 coats is a hell of a lot of work, and ain't nobody got time for that! I was also less than impressed when they had chipped by the afternoon the following day!! :( Next time I shall remember to use a top coat!
 

What are you all sporting on your nails at the moment?
Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

Friday 21 February 2014

Fiver Friday

Every so often a product comes along that really makes me wonder how I lived without it before, because it makes life so much easier! I'm a nail polish fiend, in fact I don't even know how many I have, and truth be told I'm afraid to count. For ages I'd been looking for a good nail polish remover, that didn't break the bank but actually did the job it was supposed to.
Well finally I found it. And before you say it, yes I know how familiar it is to another well known product! ;)
Its Primarks (Penneys to us Irish Ladies), instant nail polish remover. The idea is the same as the one that's known and loved by many beauty bloggers across the globe, but this works just as well! The idea is simple. The pot contains a sponge soaked in nail polish remover with a hole in the middle. You put your finger into the pot, twist it around a couple of times, take out your finger and even the toughest nail polish is gone completely! Its so simple! But its only 2 EURO! Yes you read that right, I can't believe how well it works for something so inexpensive.
 I have tried one of these before from a discount shop, and there was barely any remover on the sponge, and it just scraped my nails and it was crap. But you can tell once you put your finger in that there is plenty of product in there.
For a price like this, you can even pick up a nail polish or two to go with it! :)

Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

Wednesday 19 February 2014

How I Conceal and Correct

It would be great if we could all wake up each morning looking absolutely perfect, but for most of us this is not the case. I don't know about everyone else, but in the last couple of years the pores on my nose seem to have got significantly larger, and there seems to be a lot more redness on and around my nose than there used to be. So much so that no matter what primer or foundation I use it still seems to shine through. I'm used to light to medium coverage bases, and my skin is generally quite clear, so I'm not willing to switch to a fuller coverage base just to cover up a bit of redness in one particular area. If it was all over my face, or I had a lot of blemishes, then it may be something I'd consider. For now, I've figured out what works for me at the moment, so until it stops to work I'm going to stick to it like glue.
The two main area's I always conceal and correct no matter what are my nose and under my eyes.





Nose: I've mentioned the problem I have with my nose already so I won't dwell on it again, but I'll just explain what I do to fix it. If you're familiar with the Colour Wheel, you'll know that red is a primary colour, and green is its complementary colour because its across from it on the wheel. So if you put green on top of red, it will cancel it out altogether. So if you have problems with redness on your skin, if you use a green tone concealer on these red areas, they will eliminate the redness. The one I currently use is the green shade from the Catrice 'All Round Concealer' palette. This palette is so handy as it contains a green, pink (to counteract dark circles,) and 3 beige shades to suit differing skin tones. Its really inexpensive aswell which is always a bonus! I apply the concealer to my nose with my finger, and then blend it in with my Real Techniques Flat Foundation brush as its a middling size so it blends in the product quite nicely. The product itself is also really creamy so its easy to work with. And voila, redness is gone!



                                                    Maybelline's The Eraser (mine is disgusting and empty)
Under Eyes: The reason I conceal my under area is for the same reason as most others, dark circles! For most people, the area under there eyes will be of a purple/blue hue. If you look to the Colour Wheel to see the complimentary colour this, you'll see its yellow. Henceforth, a good colour to disguise the bags under the eyes is yellow. The area under the eye can be more difficult to find a concealer for because if you choose something to thick, it'll end up cakey and sitting in the lines around the eye. A more liquid concealer is perfect for this job as it blends in easier. I know a lot of people use Mac's Pro Long Wear Concealer for under the eyes, and I am hoping to pick it up when I go away, but for now I'm using two others. (At least I was until it one of those ran out).Those two are the Maybelline The Eraser, and Wet n Wilds Cover All Concealer.  Unfortunately I've ran out of the Maybelline one, and its 11 euro here, and something like 8.99 dollars, so naturally enough I'm going to stock up when I get over there instead of buying it here. ;) In fairness though it is a pretty good product. It comes with a little sponge applicator on the top, which some people don't like but I wasn't bothered about either way. Its a nice light liquid product, so it blends like a dream, it counteracts the darkness under my eyes, and brightens the area up all at the same time.


Until I get to New York though I'm going to use the Wet n Wild Cover All Concealer, which I picked up partly out of curiosity, it was only 2.99 or so, so it wasn't going to break the bank if it wasn't good. However though I was really impressed. Its another liquid product, but its a little bit thicker in consistency than the Maybelline one, but not so thick that it cakes and creases. In fact it blends really easily, and it actually offers more coverage than The Eraser. After using my concealer of choice I then set it with a powder, the one I'm currently using is the Rimmel Stay Matte.



Lastly, for the odd time I do get a whopper of a spot, I don't tend to wear a lot of make up as it just makes it more noticeable in my opinion. If I'm going somewhere though and can't go Au natural, the concealer of choice is Catrice's Camouflage Cream which is comparable from what I hear to the  Bobbi Brown corrector, accept this stuff is only just over 5 euro if my memory serves me correct. Its amazing, like its industrial strength stuff! It covers anything, and I mean anything! I've previously had scars on my hands from being pure clumsy but after dabbing a bit of this on it you wouldn't know they were even there! It is a very thick concealer though, so it wouldn't be suitable for the likes of under your eyes, but I find it works a dream for spot concealing, and just literally applying the tiniest amount on the pesky buggers!

Sorry this post was so long winded everyone, I didn't realise I used that many concealers on my mug!
Do you use as many as this? If so, which ones?

Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx


Tuesday 18 February 2014

Catrice Creme Fresh S/S 2014

Catrice is one of my absolute favourite make up brands of all time, and it's not hard to understand why. Great quality products at great prices! At any given stage there is a few Catrice bits in my every day make up bag.
Another thing Catrice are great at is releasing frequent limited edition collections, with there being a new one every couple of months or so.
This newest Spring collection is one that actually has me quite excited I must admit!
Beautiful washes of pastel with a hint of 60's style to it.

There is something for everyone in this collection. It is made up of:
  • Creamy Powder Eyeshadow's
  • Graduation Blush
  • Lip Balms
  • Ultimate Nail Lacquer
  • Hair, Lash and Brow Colour!
I have to say the Hair Lash and Brow Colour is probably the most interesting thing, its just something that Catrice haven't done before. However I think it will appeal to a lot of people as hair chalks and adding bright colours to the hair is something that has become very popular over the last few months or so.

I'm a bit of a blush hoarder so I think I may have to pick that up, and possibly one or two of the nail polishes.
This collection will be available from January to March 2014 in pharmacies and Penneys.

Anythin here that you all would like to try? 
Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

Monday 17 February 2014

Make Up shopping in Penneys!

I have been known on an occasion or two to drop a fair few euro in Penney's on any given day. Since Christmas though I'm very proud of myself as I've been very restrained! I'm trying very hard to save my money for New York as I want to be able to buy a few bits knowing how hard I saved for it.
On a trip in to Penney's recently I wandered over to the make up section which is my usual haunt and I  was super excited to see a new line of make up from Penney's themselves! The brand is called 'PS Love' and comes in super cute black and gold packaging. It looks a lot more expensive than it actually is! They had a fair few bits ranging from nail polish to eye liner to lipgloss, there's so much selection! I also saw on a video somewhere on YouTube that there is also 2 eyeshadow palettes available in England, but I didn't see them in the store when I was in. They were something crazy like 2.50 in pounds, and they looked so pretty! I really want to try them so I shall be keeping my eyes peeled!



In the end I decided to try a lipstick from the PS Love range, and a couple of bits from the standard make up that Penney's seem to have all the time.
The packaging is rather impressive, and its easy to see what the shade is because the packaging contains the colour on the bottom! There's no fancy names or anything, but I don't really mind that.
I picked up a light pink shade, which looks really natural with one coat, but it can be built up to a more pastel kind of look. I tried it last night, and after applying a heavy dose of lipbalm to my poor chapped lips, its actually really comfortable on! Obviously it doesn't last too long, but at 2 euro, would you really complain about that?

I then picked up another lipstick and a lipstain from the normal range. The packaging of either of these isn't great, but again at 2 euro each I wouldn't be put out. The colour of the lipstick is a slightly metallic purple, and its a sheerer lipstick than the previous one, but it can be built up to your desired coverage.
The lipstain is a beautiful coral colour, and I can't wait to try this out, as tried a lipstain before from NYC which I loved!
In the picture above from left to right we have the PS Love lipstick, then the standard Penney's lipstick and the lipstain. The stain is a completely different colour to the packaging! So not impressed with that.. :(


Have you tried any of them?
Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

Saturday 15 February 2014

Dandelion Blush Review

If I had to pick my favourite make up product of all time it would be without a doubt blusher. I just love how a simple sweep of a certain colour over the apples of the cheeks can change a look completely and instantly make you look more alert and fresh faced. In fact I love blush so much that I have an insane amount of it in my make up collection. I am yet to hit pan or anywhere near it on any blush I own, in fact, I don't think I ever will I have that many of them.
So even with the insane amount I have, there's only one that I have been reaching for on a daily basis over the last few months, and it is Benefit's Dandelion Blush. I was in Dublin before Christmas and decided to treat myself to a 'Box O' Powder' from the quirky high end brand, and one of the girls with me was raving about Coralista, so I was originally going for that. However, after telling this to the make up artist, he gave me a disapproving look, and said 'not for you love, you're far too pale' and recommended Dandelion instead.
Me being one to do what I'm told, brought it back to good old Galway with me..... But what did I think? Let's find out!


As you can see from the picture, it comes in the same cute packaging like a lot of Benefit's products. Its in a light green box, with a picture of a cute little dandelion on the front. (Anyone else used to pick these and pretend they were fairies and blow all the seeds away in the wind?) It contains 7 grammes of product, which from what I'm aware is in line with most of the other Box O Powder products.

All the Benefit boxed products also come with a little brush like this one in the picture. I honestly can't tell you what it's like because I never use any other brush bar my trusty Real Techniques Blush brush! But still, its a nice touch. I was actually watching Katie Dee on Youtube, and she actually recommended using these little brushes for contouring. So that's an idea!
Benefit describe it as a 'brightening face powder that takes you're complexion from dull to radiant with buildable colour and just a hint of shimmer'.
Its a really natural but pretty pink colour, which does have a slight shimmer in it, but nothing too crazy, it just makes you look like you have a natural glow, which is always good!
A little does go a long way with this though, you really don't need too much of it to get effective colour payoff. If you did use too much of this I think you're cheeks would end up looking more on the sweaty side of things as opposed to glowy!
It was really hard to actually try and get a good picture of this on the cheeks, but I think you can see the slight pink colour, and the hint of shimmer in there too. Before I bought this I wouldn't wear highlighter on a daily basis, but this does the work of one anyway, so if you're someone who does like to use highlighter everyday, this is a time saver as it takes that extra step out of your routine and gives you an extra few minutes in the leaba, which I don't think anyone would refuse!
Over all I have to say I am really impressed with this little box of loveliness. I held off buying one of Benefit's blushes for so long, mainly because they are pricey, but I have a feeling this will last for ages so I don't have to worry about running out of it any time soon!
Dandelion is available from Benefit Counters priced at 34 euro.

What do you guys think of Benefit?
Have you tried any of the products?
Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

Friday 14 February 2014

Fiver Friday #2

With the day that's in it, I think today's Fiver Friday post is very appropriate for those of you who may be planning on puckering up to someone special. And even if you're not, well I think you just go and treat yourself! :)

Today I want to tell you about Essence's Longlasting lipsticks. Essence is a brand that I tend to look over a lot, and when I'm in my local Penney's I tend to look at the Catrice stand rather then the Essence stand. This may have something to do with lots of teenage girls having the stand surrounded, and then swatching all the lip products on themselves and putting them back and wandering off without buying anything. This gets on my nerves and I'm sure I'm not the only it happens to, or am I?



Anyway I did get a look at the stand one day and I got to pick up a couple to try, and I was really impressed.
I'm not going to go in to too much detail because I already have a post on these little beauties HERE, but these are some really good lipsticks! Easy to apply, creamy, and really pigmented, and they come in a great selection. The packaging is also quite nice, a slightly matte black finish, with the colour of the lipstick itself around the centre of the tube.
These lipsticks are an out and out bargain at only 2.85 each! So for just a little bit more than a fiver you'll have two new shiny lipsticks! If you decide to try them out, I'd recomend the colours 'Cotton Candy' and 'Wear Berries'.

Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

Wednesday 12 February 2014

If I were a rich girl.....

Hi, I'm Alisha, and I'm a cheapskate.... (If you've ever watched Extreme Cheapskates, don't worry, I'm not THAT bad). Don't get me wrong, I like to spend money, I like to spend it quite a lot actually, but I don't tend to spend a lot of money on more expensive things. I like cheap and cheerful, and I can't really justify spending high amounts of money for things that can be picked up for a lot less in less expensive places, and I'm afraid this goes for make up too. I just don't spend money on higher end more expensive make up products, when there's such amazing things to be found in the 'drugstore' these days. However, everybody is different, and I'm not judging anybody who does prefer  to splash their cash on high end make up, each to their own. This is just how I roll! Now that being said, I do own some high end make up, but I can count it on one hand!
The whole purpose of this post is to show you all what I would buy, if I by some stroke of luck win the lotto, or if I perhaps marry a rich man!!

Yves Saint Laurent is one of the most luxurious high end brands around. With its elegant packaging its not hard to see why. I mean just look at it! How pretty is this lipstick! However, no matter how pretty is, I just wouldn't pay 32.50 for it at this moment in time. I know it sounds tight, but I find it  hard to pay anything over 10 euro for a lipstick, especially when I've found such great ones for 3 and 4 euro! If I had the means though I would have all colours in the ROUGE VOLUPTE SHINE lipstick, even just to have them sitting pretty on my dressing table!


I love nail polish, at present there is a drawer next to my bed that won't close properly because there is copious bottles of polish sticking out of it, calling out to me to be used! However, there is no high end nail colours in there, so a Tom Ford polish wouldn't be out of place in there! However, at 32.50 for a single polish, I think it'll be sitting pretty in my Brown Thomas online basket for a while longer. :(



Just recently I've really gotten into my skincare, and have really loved trying different bits and pieces to see what suits my skin. I suppose I've finally realised that prevention is better than cure, and now is the time to start looking after my skin. Creme De La Mer is the cream of the crop when it comes to skincare (pardon the pun there), but at 1600 euro for a 500ml tub?? I'll stick with my No 7 moisturiser for now thank you very much! However if I was a lady who had lots to spend, well I'd be very happy to purchase this!


Jo Malone are probably most well known for their huge range of fragrances and candles. I hear very little of the bath and body range, but this Lime Basil and Mandarin Body Creme sounds so luxurious, and its no wonder at 62.50! If money was no object, I'd probably have the body wash and the matching perfume too! Feck it, I'd probably get the candle too just for the heck of it! :)




And lastly, this post wouldn't be complete without a designer handbag, and the one I'd run out straight away and buy for myself if I won the EuroMillions would be this Michael Kors Medium Sutton Tote in this gorgeous bright blue saffiano leather. It would just be the perfect bag to brighten up any plain outfit, and it would fit everything you'd need to carry around with you on a daily basis. However at 328 Dollars, I think I'll wait until someone picks up on a hint or two and maybe buys it for me?? Or else I'll keep an eye out when I go to America for some good sales! :)

What would you guys buy if you had an endless stream of money?

Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

Monday 10 February 2014

Make Up Monday!

Back to Monday again... Sigh... Wouldn't it be great if there was an extra day at the weekend to get ready for the week ahead? Ah well, a girl can dream I guess. I have to admit this week I was a bit lazy with regards to make up. I wasn't doing a lot so I didn't really bother with a heavy base, but yet I didn't want to leave the house sans make up altogether. That would just be crazy, and I really didn't want to scare all my neighbours. The saviour product I used this week though was Catrice's BB Allround Foundation Multi Benefit Make Up. Ok so quite a long winded name, but basically its Catrice's version of a BB cream! I picked this up on a whim after Laura Cunningham raved about it one morning on Ireland AM. Laura Cunningham really knows her stuff when it comes to beauty products, so I figured if its good enough for her its good enough for little old me! Its a 6 in 1 product which Catrice claim offers Balancing, Correcting, Protecting, Illuminating, Covering, and Moisturising properties.
That's a lot of claims for just one product!


Some of them I don't know would I agree with altogether, such as the balancing property and the moisturising one. I do find it does a very good job of correcting and covering, as it does even out the colour of my skin and does a good job of visibly reducing redness, a lot of which I have on and around my nose. I'm also very impressed with the protection offered in this product, as its Factor 30! Which in itself is amazing as a lot of face products I've seen seem to offer at the most a Factor 15. This product also contains light reflecting pigments which give a more radiant glow to the skin. (At times I use a bit too much and so end up looking shiny, so just beware of that and use a tiny amount.)
Coverage wise, obviously as its a BB cream its a rather light coverage, but that's what  I like about it. Some days I just don't want the hassle of priming my skin and then applying foundation and then powder. This is just so quick and easy, especially for day's your not doing much and are just hanging around the house, but yet want to feel somewhat put together.
Its so handy to use, literally just this, a tiny bit of blush, and mascara and I'm good to go!
There is only 3/4 shades in this, so that is probably the only downside of this, I'm using the lightest shade and it is very yellow, and my skin has more pink undertones, but with a lot of blending in I manage to make it work.
I have a feeling that Catrice are actually to discontinue this, but don't worry if they have because they always reintroduce something very similar within a few weeks, which is partly why I love Catrice, they're always reintroducing new products for me to try! It is very reasonably priced too at 6.99, which is great if you want to try the BB craze!
Catrice can be found at selected pharmacies and Penney's stores nationwide.

Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

Sunday 9 February 2014

Barry M Gelly Nail Polish

Today's post comes compliments of my lazy weekend, which was spent moving from couch to kettle and back again. The only thing I did that involved some slight effort on my part was turn on my laptop to watch some YouTube video's and catch up on some blogs on my Bloglovin feed, (there's a lot to catch up on, I currently have 540 new posts to get through)! Oh yes, and I painted my nails! I'm so laxy daisy with nail painting at the minute, that I feel like everytime I do it, it deserves a little blog post all of its own. Bit much? Maybe. Do I care? Not really!



The polish I went with this week is Barry M's Gelly Nail Paint in Greenberry. Barry M nail polishes are some of the best on the high street at the minute, the selection of colours is outstanding, the formula's are excellent, and there's a great selection of finishes to choose from. Just recently they introduced the Matte Nail Paints, there's the unusual Neon Nail Paints, and then a selection of top coats.
I used one of the most talked about formula's on the Internet in the last year or so, the 'Gelly Hi Shine Nail Polish'. It is exactly what the name suggests, a high shine polish which gives a gel like finish. Barry M maintain you achieve this in just one coat, but with this particular shade Greenberry, I didn't think it was opaque enough with one coat so I did two, and it gives such a nice glossy finish! I have to say though I did find it a little bit messy to apply  because it is quite a thick formula, and the brush itself is fairly average size, so if you have too much product on the brush it will tend to go everywhere! But if you take some of the excess polish off before you actually start your nails, it applies like a dream. It does take a while to dry (I learned the hard way), so unless your using a quick drying top coat like Seche Vite, make sure and give yourself enough time to let it dry fully, otherwise you will end up with a lot of smudges.. I
As for wear time, I did my nails around 2 or 3 o clock yesterday afternoon, and so far so good, still no chips! Which is fantastic for me because usually they will have chipped by bed time the same night I've done them! There is an amazing selection of shades available in this range, so if you're someone who is into Nail Polish, and don't really want to go to a Salon and pay for gel nails, then these may be worth a look! They're a great price too at only 5.99, and usually there's some sort of offer on in Boots, so you'll either get one for half price, or else for free depending on the offer, woohoo!


Hope you're all having a great weekend,
Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

Friday 7 February 2014

Fiver Friday!

Hello Friday you beautiful day you, welcome back! And welcome to all you lovely ladies! Hope you all have some great plans for the weekend? Me, not so much. Oh well!
The idea for this blog post hit me like a bold of lightning earlier in the week, I am hoping to make it into a mini series, but I'll see what the feedback is like from this post and take it from there!
Basically the idea is that every Friday I'll show you a product of some sort, be it skincare, haircare, makeup or bodycare, that you can pick up for the bargain price of 5 euro or thereabouts! 

I thought I'd start with what I would consider to possible be the best bargain of all time! That sounds like a big claim, but when you see what I'm talking about you'll see why! 

It is of course W7's 'In the Buff' palette! Yes, you have it right. It is quite an obvious dupe for Urban Decay's Naked 2 palette, even down to the tin effect packaging, but for a lot less than a Naked 2 would set you back! 
In the Buff also contains 12 different shades, with a mixture of shimmers and mattes, ranging from lighter champagne's to darker blacks, which makes this palette perfect for creating a smokey eye! 
Obviously it is fair to say that these shadow's would not be to the standard of the Urban Decay ones but if you use an eyeshadow primer of your choice underneath them, they will last for a decent amount of time! 
This palette is great if you would like to try the Naked 2, but can't afford the 36 euro price tag, or if you do want to invest in the Urban Decay offering, but perhaps might want to try out a cheaper alternative first to see how the colours would work on you, (they'll work on everyone, they're neutral after all).


Its available from Cara Pharmacies nationwide, (it tends to be sold out a lot), or online HERE
So what do you guy's think? Would you be willing to try this palette? 
Have you any bargainous products for me to try?
Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

Thursday 6 February 2014

Loved Up Lippies

Everyone loves a bright lipstick don't they? Well what better reason do you need to break them out but Valentines!
Today I thought I'd show you my favourite pink and red lipsticks that are perfect for the rosemantic weekend that's upon us!


Revlon Lip Butter in Candy Apple: Everyone has heard of these by now, and knows how fantastic a product they are. If you're the type of person who usually shys away from red lipsticks, this is the perfect way to slowly dip your toe in the water. With the colour of a lipstick, but the comfort and moisture of a lip balm, these can be built up to a really strong red colour, or can be worn more sheerly with just a wash of colour over the lips. If you're a pink girl rather than a red, Sorbet is a nice alternative. These are 11.20 in Boots and all usual Revlon stockists.


Rimmel Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipstick No 20: The formula of these lipsticks is without a doubt the most comfortable I've ever worn. Really smooth to apply and not at all drying when on the lips. This dark pink is the perfect shade, not too light that it leaves your lips too pale, but not too dark either. These is a matte formula of these lipsticks aswell, but I personally prefer this formula, but hey we're all different! At 6.99 they're really affordable and you can pick up a couple of them for less than the price of one MAC one!



Catrice Ultimate Colour Lipstick in Pinkadilly Circus: This shade from Catrice is a slightly more muted shade of pink  than the Rimmel offering, and so is a little easier to wear. Its a really pigmented lipstick that offers lots of shine at the same time. The lasting power isn't the greatest, but I'm not too bothered about that because I tend to top up my lipsticks a lot, purely out of habit I think at this stage. They are a bargain price at only 5.49 each, and again there is a great selection of colours and finishes to choose from. There are some of them that have a slightly frosty finish, so I tend to steer clear of those ones myself.


Wet N Wild Megalast Lip Colour in Red Velvet: I was so delighted that Wet N Wild finally arrived to Ireland, and needless to say it wasn't long before I hotfooted it to town to pick up a few bits, the lipsticks being one of the first things I wanted to try. Red Velvet is a beautiful coral red colour, so again if true red's ain't your thang, this is a great one to try. I even wore this on Monday, just because! The only thing I would advise with these is to make sure your lips are in tip top condition if you're planning on wearing any of the megalast lip colours. The formula is slightly drying after a few hours wear, and it does tug at the lips when applying. But just do it bit by bit and you'll be fine. Slow and steady wins the race and all that! ;) It really is worth giving it a go, it is only 2.99 after all!



Sleek Pout Polish in Powder Pink: This is a product I recently rediscovered in my collection.This is a great product for those who are slightly less adventurous when it comes to lipsticks etc but still want to wear lip products. The pout polishes are a conditioning lip balm that offer a slight hint of colour with lots of shine while providing your lips with lots of moisture and nourishment. It also contains an SPF of 15 which is always a bonus with lip products as a lot of us forget that our lips need to be treated with the same care as our skin. Powder Pink is a nice natural 'your lips but better' colour, (I hate that phrase by the way), it just adds a nice slight hint of pink and plenty of shine! It also smells like Vanilla! Again they're not expensive, coming in at a cheap and cheerful 5.49! They are available from Sleeks own website, or our very own Cloud10Beauty. I have heard some Sleek is available in Boots in Liffey Valley, but as I'm the other side of the country I can't say for sure!

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer in Big Bang: This is exactly as is says on the tin, a bang in your face red colour! Its the perfect shade of red to match a nice and simple eye look with just some black eyeliner  and lashings of mascara! The apocalips are one of my most loved products from 2013, a seriously pigmented lip colour that lasts for ages! Like seriously, no matter what you do these WILL NOT budge for hours! If this isn't your cup of tea, then try Stellar! It leans slightly more to the coral red side, but I really love it, its a real statement lip with little to no effort. (Although take your time applying, otherwise it can be a little messy,).I have just seen that these are on offer in Boots right now for 5.95, usually they cost 7.95, so you'll save 2 euro for yourself, which you could put towards buying yourself something else nice in Boots! ;)


So they are just some of the shades and products I have in my collection that I may or may not be rocking next weekend, depending on what plans my boyfriend has up his sleeve.. What about you lovely ladies? Any exciting plans?

Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx
















Tuesday 4 February 2014

Things I would tell my 16 year old self

Happy Tuesday everybody! I saw a post recently on Her.ie about the things they would tell their teenage selves if they could. It got me thinking, if I could go back ten years, and give myself some advice what would it be? After a bit of thinking I came up with what I think would have been really important advice for me at the time. So, lets get cracking shall we?

1: YOU ARE NOT FAT. I had to put this one in caps locks to really get the message across, because when I was 15, I was convinced at the time that I was a big blob of fat and that I was ten tonne Tess (sorry Tess) in comparison to all my friends. Looking back now, I know I was definitely not. I was fit and healthy due to playing volleyball and Gaelic football, so in hindsight I was probably fitter than a lot of the girls in my year were. As long as you're healthy it doesn't matter the size of your waist, we all come in different shapes and sizes and there ain't nothing wrong with that!

2:  Go easy on the black eyeliner. Less is definitely more when it comes to eyeliner, especially when its black, and especially when its being used on the waterline. I used to wear it really heavy every single day, so I wish someone only told me to go easy on it!

3: Don't waste time straightening your hair: I spent most nights trying to get my frizzy mop of hair to just sit straight, but alas it wasn't to be. I now understand that was because I actually didn't have frizzy hair, but instead I had a head of curls! So many people now comment that they'd love my hair, so really I would have just thrown my hair straightener away if I'd known!

4: Do NOT get a fringe: Another hair related one but seriously, fringes and curly hair do not go well together! It ended up wonky because it hadn't been cut right, and no matter what I did I  ended up with a cows lick and my mother saying 'I told you so'. Needless to say I let it grow out, and never let it make an appearance ever again!

5: Don't worry about what boy's think of you: When you're 15/16 years of age, boy's are the b all and all of your life. Do they like you, do they not, do they think you're cool and all the rest. Forget about them! Enjoy being a teenager, spend time with your friends, go out to disco's without the intention of getting 'the shift' and just enjoy yourself. Boy's will come and go but your friends will be there through thick and thin and that's all that counts.

6: Your parents aren't your enemies: Seriously, they're not! And ten or fifteen years down the road they will actually become you're friends and you'll feel horribly guilty for all the door banging and stomping up the stairs like an elephant you did. (Or maybe I'm the only one who did that). Treat your parents with a bit of respect, at the end of the day they only have your best interests at heart, and some day when your in the same position you'll realise it.

7: Don't put too much pressure on yourself about what you want to do: All you hear about at 16 is the CAO and what you  want to do in college and where you want to be in 10 years. I'm here now at 25 still trying to figure out what I want do and where I want to go. As my granny says 'If its for ya it won't pass ya'.

So there you have it ladies! Is there any words of advice you'd give your younger self?
Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

Monday 3 February 2014

Make Up Monday!

Hey lovely ladies! Hope your Monday isn't going too bad so far.. In a bid to make it a little less dull, I myself decided to sport a red lip, just because I can! I got some funny looks when I went up town to do a few bits, but who cares!
Besides that, there wasn't any particular make up I had been loving this week, mainly because I was really wearing the same bits as last week.
One thing I did really like though was a brush. And no before you ask, it isn't a Real Techniques brush, (we all know by now how good they are.)
Instead it is the EcoTools Large Powder Brush.  I had previously heard of EcoTools but had never tried any of their products, so when I saw this brush in TK Maxx for only 6.99 I decided to pick it up! I've been having really problems with shine and redness on my nose and although I do use powder I had only been using the little sponge that came with the one I'm using at the minute, (Rimmel Stay Matte if you're curious).
The brand itself are renowned for being leaders in  eco conscious beauty products, and are favourited by celebrities around the world. Their brushes are 100percent cruelty free, have recycled aluminium ferrules, and sleek bamboo handles. Not only this, but they are so so soft! It sounds a little strange but I just sat stroking it for a few minutes after taking it out of the packet, its that soft! Anyway weird girl part over, on to the actual brush itself. It has a large brush head which is packed full of hairs and it makes it so so easy to apply powder1 Its slightly tapered aswell which helps disperse the powder more evenly over the face. Like I said I had been using the little sponge that came with the powder to apply it, but since I started using this I've realised that the sponge actually just caked the powder on and it didn't look natural. This brush just mattifies the skin and gives a nice looking natural looking finish to your make up without looking too heavy or caked on.
I picked it up on a whim in TK Maxx, and really didn't think it was going to be that good, but I'm so impressed! It does say it was originally 16.99 so I definitely got a bargain! I've no doubt that I shall be picking up more from EcoTools in the future!

What have you all loved this week!
Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx


Sunday 2 February 2014

Valentine's Day Wishlist

Hey ladies, hope you all had a lovely weekend. January is finally over, although you wouldn't think it with the rotten weather that we've been having. Seriously, what is with all this rain?? Anyway, it now being February means that a lot of people are already thinking about Valentine's day and gift giving and all the rest. Me, not so much, because I told my other half not to get me anything because we're going to New York in April so I figured we could just save any money we would spend on presents for our holiday. Sensible me eh! However, it has definitely not stopped me eyeing up a few bits online.. So am.... Paul, if you are reading this.... Wink Wink.... ;)

I have really gotten into my statement jewelry in the last few weeks, and this neck piece from The Button And Bow Factory has really caught my eye! Its has such beautiful pastel shades in it that would really stand out in the Summer with a plain white tshirt and jeans and pumps... Ah... I don't know what else to say except I REALLY WANT IT!! Its 21 euro HERE and they also offer free shipping worldwide! Yay!


I know I'm seriously late to the party with this one, but I've been so close to buying it on so many occasions, even today I nearly did but the angel on my shoulder just holds me back! The colours are so pretty in it and this one is just way more appealing to me than either of the other Naked palettes. Unless someone buys this for me, or MUA bring out a dupe for it, I think I shall be picking it up in the US OF A. 

Our house has always been a Yankee Candle house, and there's always some fragrance burning in nearly every room! I've really gotten into burning the wax tarts in my bedroom lately, but I would love to try some of the large jars. I'm more into the fruity sweeter scents, but this Strawberry Buttercream one just sounds divine! Although it will probably make me hungry! 

 Pandora are renowned for their charms, and anyone that knows me knows how important a role my family play in my life. I am yet to have something to represent that on my Pandora so it would be nice to get a little charm like this to put on it! 

Ah good old LUSH! You really can't beat them for gift's for any occasion! This Lots Of Love gift set is made up of 5 of Lush's most well known products which are perfect for your loved one this Valentines. It contains Prince Charming Shower Gel, Sex Bomb Bath Bomb, Ro's Argan Body Conditioner, Neon Love Soap, and Tender is The Night massage bar. 

These are just a couple of things that caught my eye so far, I'm sure there's plenty more to come! However, just to be clear, although it has become quite a tradition to give gifts for Valentine's day, presents aren't the most important thing! Whether it be your mother, your granny, your best friend or your boyfriend, you don't need gifts to show them you love them! Who knows, maybe I'll just buy some of these myself... ;) 

Any of these catch your eyes? 
Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx