Soap And Glory Solar Powder Bronzer

You know you have a serious addiction to make up when you go through your stash and you find things that you didn't even know you owned. I'm seriously hoping that I'm not the only one that this happens to, on a more frequent basis than I would actually like to admit. Anyway, recently in a bid to save my euros I decided instead of raiding Boots in the 3 for 2 like plenty did, (if you're one of these people I'm very jealous and please tell me what you bought so I can live vicariously through you), I instead raided my own excessively large make up collection to see what I had that I could add in to my daily make up routine, and I found this. WHEN did I even buy it? I can't remember exactly, but I have a feeling it came as part of a set that I more than likely picked up in the post Christmas sales. I'm ashamed to admit it wasn't even swatched when I resurrected it, how bad is that!
I haven't used bronzer in my make up routine in years, partly because of bad memories from teenage disco's of Rimmels Sunshimmer Bronzer being used for absolutely everything. I remember even applying it to my elbows! Why I don't know... But since then I've given up the bronzer because I really believed nothing would work for me, instead I'd just look like I'd been Tango'd.

That was until I tried this! The product itself comes in typical Soap And Glory packaging, totally cute and girly. The bronzer is contained inside  a black cardboard case, but don't let that put you off, because it is seriously sturdy. Its made up of two different shades, a matte darker colour, and a more shimmery lighter shade, both of which are perfect for my pale Irish red haired complexion.There is a slight over spray on the embossed S&G in the product itself, but after one quick swipe its gone, so no need to worry about your face looking like a glitterball!

At first I wasn't too sure where exactly to apply bronzer, what with being a bronzer virgin, so I just went with what I've seen people do in video's on YouTube and applied it to the higher point of my cheekbones, my temples and the jawbone, and I was super impressed I didn't look like one of Willy Wonka's helpers! It just looked so natural, and it looked like I'd just come back from a weeks sun holiday... (I wish). Then I applied a little coral blush to the apples of my cheeks just to feel extra Summery!!
The only thing I haven't tried to do with it yet is the dreaded contouring, but I think that shall be left for a day until I don't have to go anywhere, and can stay on front of the mirror for the day to perfect my Kim Kardashian like features.... :D Oh I wish!!
Overall I have to say I'm very impressed with the Soap And Glory powder products that I've tried. I've also tried the 'Love at First Blush, which is gorgeous too, and I've heard rave reviews about their highlighter and finishing powder aswell. It retails at 14.00 euro, which isn't too bad. Its the more expensive side of the drug store, but still reasonable enough that you won't feel too guilty about sneaking it into your basket! ;)

Have you tried this or any of the other powders?
Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

March Favourites:

Its hard to believe another month has just flown by in the blink of an eye! Madness isn't it! Anyway, all that 'OMG, where is time going' stuff, March was a really good month for me, product wise. I discovered some absolute gems this month that I have absolutely and genuinely loved. You may think I'm exaggerating, but you know its true love when you use a product every single day since you got it! Beauty Addicts are you with me???

The first thing I've been absolutely loving is a BB Cream from Lidl. Yes you read that right, Lidl. Its part of their Orisis range that they brought out recently, but it disappears fairly fast off the shelves. (Its back in store for Mother's Day now if you're interested.) But anyway, this stuff is AMAZING. Its light and it feels really cool and refreshing on my skin and gives a decent amount of coverage. It makes me go from looking like I've just gotten out of bed to bright eyed and bushy tailed in seconds! It comes in 2 colours, light and medium. I'm as pale as Casper, and can sometimes find colour matching difficult, but the light shade is perfect for me. And the best bit? Its only 2.99! I'm genuinely so impressed with this, its been my go to base for more or less every day this month.

Next up is a skincare product. Skincare isn't something that I would have been too bothered about before, but in the last couple of months I've been trying harder, as I'm slowly but surely heading for the wrong side of 25. And they say prevention is better than cure! Its Tesco's Pro Formula Hot Cloth Cleanser. This stuff is the best cleanser I've used so far. Hot Cloth cleansers are all the rage in the beauty world lately, so I decided to give one a go. And I'm glad I did! It literally takes every scrap of make up off my face. I even used a micellar solution after it incase there was some make up left on my face, but there was zero!! It was a bargain price of 6.50 and it even came with a little muslin cloth aswell. I find this very rough for my face though so I'll be buying a couple of softer cloths to use with it instead. But its well worth it and I shall definitely repurchase this!

Spring finally seemed to appear in March, and I got so excited I gave my make up bag a good shake up for the sun. This Sleek Blush Trio in Lace has been on my face more or less all month. With 3 differing shades of coral in the palette its perfect for sunny days and evenings. It just makes me feel happy and excited for Summer, and if I were to go on a sun holiday this is something I would definitely pack. These are also great value at around 10 euro for 3 blush shades! Can't go wrong with that! :)

I eventually gave in and picked up the Wet N Wild Megalast Lipstick in Just Peachy. I had been eyeing it up for ages, and although at 2.99 it wasn't going to break the bank, I just wasn't sure the shade was going to suit me. However, I bought it and I'm so glad I did. Its such a beautiful shade of peach, and it doesn't wash me out like I thought it would. Its rare that I wear the same lipstick every day for more or less a month, but for March this is all I've worn.

Because the weather has been so good, I've gone back to my trusty Roger And Gallet Fleur De Figeur as my scent for March. This has gotten me so many compliments over the last few weeks. Its one of those scents that is beautifully sweet and fruity, but not in an immature or teenage way. Its slowly but surely making its way to the bottom of the bottle though, so a repurchase will definitely be on the cards at some point. Its also available in a small bottle and a big bottle, and they're very inexpensive. The bigger size is 39.99 so its not expensive in comparison to other perfumes.

And lastly, I've been obsessed with statement jewelry. Anything big and colourful specifically. This one is a recent purchase from Penney's that I absolutely adore. I love mint green anyway, and teamed with the coral and the pearls its perfect to brighten up a plain outfit. And it was only 8 euro!

So that my dears is March's favourites!
Anything here that you've tried?

Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

Top Yankee Candle Scents

Its pretty much a blogger cliche to have an obsession with candles. I have to admit I love candles, and some of my favourite video's to watch on YouTube are Bath and Bodyworks hauls, even though we can't buy them here! I know, I'm a strange girl. Saying that, we can access Yankee Candles a lot easier this side of the pond, so incase you live under a rock and never tried said candles, I'm going to share with you today my personal favourite smells! There's a variety of size candles to choose from, there's small jars, medium and large. Now I still live at home, and I don't spend a lot of time in my room, so I wouldn't be able to burn jars for the length of time necessary. However, they also do little wax tarts which when placed in a burner, melt with the heat of the flame of a tealight, and throw the scent around the room or wherever you burn it like you wouldn't believe! So this is the method I use. They are also priced at only 1.50 euro, and if you're burning it in a small space you can cut them in half and get more value for money that way, which is always a good thing!
So here are my top picks!

First up is Fireside Treats. This smells so good I could almost eat it, if it wasn't a pile of wax. This smells exactly what 'Smores' would taste like, sweet like marshmallows but yet with the smokiness of the camp fire! Yummy! Its a sweet scent but not one that's overly sickly.

Vanilla Lime: If you love the scent of Soap and Glory's Sugar Crush then you'll love this just as much. I would even go as far to say as it smells like a Margarita or some other really fruity cocktail! It has the slight subtle scent of vanilla, which stops the lime scent from being too over powering. Its just such a nice fresh scent which I think would be perfect for burning in a kitchen, especially after you've been cooking to eliminate odours such as onions and the likes.

Pink Dragonfruit: I've never heard of a dragonfruit. In fact I don't even know if it is even a real fruit. But this is just a really beautiful fruity scent. Its super sweet though, so probably best to avoid if you don't like anything too sweet. I don't even know what kind of fruit to compare it to, but from the scent itself, it smells like the type of  really juicy fruit that you would sink your teeth into and end up with juice all over the place! So in other words, really juicy.

Salted Caramel:  Are you all noticing a pattern here with all the foodie scents? Hmm, me too. Anyway, if you haven't smelt this, then go do it like right now! This smells like homemade caramel, plain and simple, with a little tiny dash of salt thrown in there, just for taste. Its delicious! And everytime I smell it, it makes me wish I could bake, purely just so I could make caramel. Someday though! This is another one I think would be good for kitchens or a larger space, as I think its too sweet for smaller rooms.

Baby Powder: And to finish, a non food one! This is new born baby smell. It is divine! And every time I smell this it just makes me picture a tiny baby wrapped up in blankets that smells so clean and innocent. This is probably the most inoffensive scent of them all, as its really mild. So if you're the type of person who's very sensitive to stronger scents then maybe give this a try, as its not too in your face, and it doesn't throw too much of a scent.

So they are some of my favourite scents. I could go on and on forever as so many of them smell fantastic but I think you'd all get bored fairly quickly! The best advice I can give is just go to a Yankee Candle shop and sniff sniff sniff! The staff in my local store in Galway are so friendly and always on hand to help if you need it, and there is more than likely always offers of some sort on in store. If you're nowhere near a store then you can buy online also from HERE.

Have you any personal favourites? If so tell me, I always love to try new smells!

Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

Likes and Dislikes

I'm not the most confident person in the world, and for the last few days I've been really struggling with some issues that I just can't seem to shake off. Said issues are mainly my teeth. I HATE THEM. I know that sounds a bit over the top, but they are the one part of me that I'm terrible self conscious of. Years of grinding my teeth and acid erosion has taken its toll unfortunately, and that in itself I could cope with. But its the colour and appearance I can't take. I know teeth are naturally a yellow colour (my own dentist told me so), but my teeth are really discoloured, and there's also gaps in them that I've recently become so paranoid about. Anyway after all that, I decided to make it into a blog post, not a blog post about how much I hate things about myself, but about the things I like about myself, so maybe it'll counteract my ever growing paranoia about my teeth!


1: My hair: My hair is probably my favourite feature altogether. I've super curly hair, that so many people compliment me on on a regular basis. It takes little to no effort to style my hair, a bit of mousse in it after its washed and its good to go. Another positive thing about having such curly hair is that its very dry, so it doesn't tend to get greasy too quickly, so I could easily go 3/4 days before it needs to be washed. Yay! (This doesn't mean I don't wash myself more frequently though, obviously.)

2: My small feet: I'm petite at only 5'0, and because of this my feet are only a size 3/4. This makes it super easy for me to find nice shoes and trainers etc.... But it also means I can purchase shoes in the kiddies section! Yay!! :)

3: My eyebrows: This may seem like a strange one, but with eyebrows now becoming a staple part in so many peoples make up routine I'm lucky because I have very strong eyebrows that don't require much work. They are a little sparse in sections, but its not hugely noticeable, so I get away without having to do anything major with them, bar filling in with pencil.

 4: My waist:  I have a tiny waist, that I know many other girls would only love to have. I don't find buying clothes difficult to buy generally, but sometimes I can find dresses hard to buy because while I'm small on top, my hips and legs are slightly bigger... But hey, you can't have it all!

5: My Skin: Compared to other people, I am so so privileged with my skin. Bar the odd breakout once a month, my skin is usually quite good. It used to very sensitive when I was in my teens, but as I've gotten older it seems to have sorted itself out, and I usually can get away with using whatever I like on my skin.


So that's it for today ladies, a bit of a different post, but I thought it would be nice to sit down and think about what I like about myself for a change, instead of focusing on what I don't like.
What about you ladies? What are your likes/dislikes about yourselves?

Thanks for reading guys,
Alisha xxx

Rimmel Match Perfection Blush

Hey everyone, happy Friday! Today I'm back with a review of something in my collection that I absolutely LOVE, but I haven't seen too much talk about it in the blogosphere, so I thought I'd change that with my little opinion!

It is  the Rimmel Match Perfection Blush in 01 Light. It is part of the Match Perfection line  from Rimmel that is made up of a number of other products, including the well known Match Perfection Foundation, Concealer, and Powder.
First of all for me the packaging isn't great. Its the same as the Stay Matte powder, the product is encased in a plastic bottom, and its a plastic lid the screws on to protect the product from getting damaged. I've had no problems with it yet, but I would be afraid to pop it in my handbag as the last time I brought something similar to this packaging in my handbag, my bag got destroyed! But as it's a drugstore product, I won't dwell to much on the packaging, just something to be aware of! :)
The product itself is made up of 2 shades of blush although online it says 3, but I can only see 2, which can be used seperately or together. My preferred method of use is to grab my Real Techniques Blush Brush, swirl the colours together and then pop on to my cheeks. I find it gives a really nice natural flush of colour to the cheeks, which is what Rimmel say in their blurb for the product anyway. I was having a look on the Boot's site just to see the general consensus on the product, and some people seemed disappointed because they say it has very little colour pay-off, but if you look at the colours in the pan, they are very muted, understated colours, which is why I like it. It goes with any make up look. For the day time its perfect if you're just popping to the shop for a few bits and don't want to go ott with your face, for the night time its perfect if you're going out and are going for something a bit heavier, say a smokey eye and a red lip, because it instantly just adds a pop of colour to the cheeks, without distracting from the main elements of the look! The powder itself is nice, I find it easy to apply and blend, and no fall out, which can often happen with a blush after tapping your brush into it.
I had been intending to use this today and to take a picture to show you all what it looks like, but I had my make up done when I realised I'd used another blush! Sorry guys! :( I will add in a picture the next  time I use it though promise!
Overall I really love it, but if you're someone who likes noticeable colour on your cheeks, then I would probably give this a miss! But if  you are like me and sometimes like to look a bit more natural but don't want to skip out on the blush then do give it a try! Its only around the 6 or 7 euro mark so you can't go wrong.
Its available from all usual Rimmel stockists! :)

Thanks for reading everyone,
Alisha xxx

NYX Wishlist

Ok I have to apologise, but my trip away is getting closer and closer, and because of this, my shopping list is getting longer and longer. Oops! With Inglot, Mac and Sephora at my disposal in Times Square I am going to be up to my neck in high end make up. However, sad as it may seem, I'm more excited about drugstore make up, a lot of which we can't get here. I'm not going to do a wish list for every single brand I want to buy bits from, but I thought I'd do a post on NYX, mainly because its so hyped up here, and also for the fact its not readily accessible. So no matter what happens, I'm not coming home without NYX make up!! :)

First up is probably the most obvious one of all, the Butter Lip Glosses. Raved about by beauty bloggers across the globe for being non sticky, super pigmented, and smelling delicious, I will definitely be picking up a couple of shades of these to try out!

Next up is the HD Eyeshadow base. I've actually had this before and I loved it! Any time I used it my eyeshadow did not budge, but unfortunately I tried to buy it from the site I had bought it from previously and it wasn't there!! NOOOOO!! So I shall definitely be stocking up on this when I get to a stand! :)

I'm useless at contouring. Like absolutely useless. I'm just so pale I can never seem to get a right shade of bronzer that's not too orange on my Casper white face. So seen as the Powder Blush in Taupe is meant to be the perfect contour shade for paler ladies like myself, I'll be giving it a try. And maybe one or two other shades, just for the blog of course. ;)

I'm a blush fiend ok?? The newly released Baked Blushes just look so beautiful I have to give them a go? It would be rude not to... Wouldn't it?

And lastly, a base. I don't hear a lot about NYX base products for some reason, but this Invincible Fullest Coverage Foundation sounds really interesting. It claims to offer full coverage, but with a natural looking finish! I don't have hugely problematic skin, but I'd love to try this for days I get really bad breakouts, which to tend to happen once a month... :(

There is lots more I could add to this list, and being truthful, when I get to a stand I will probably buy loads more than this! But for now this is what I definitely have my eye on, and will go to hell and back to make sure I get them!

Have you tried any NYX?
Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

Shine On

Hey everybody,
I have very kindly been nominated for the Shine On Award by the very lovely Clare over at The Beauty Chest, so once you're finished reading this post, why not head on over to her blog and have a look see! :)

So there are a few little rules which I'm going to mention right now to get them out of the way coz then we can get on to the fun stuff!

• First of all, you must display this 'Shine On Award' logo within the blog post.

• You must acknowledge the person who nominated you and add a link to their blog (Hi Clare thank you!!!) :) 
• Leave 7 random facts about yourself. 
• Nominate 15 bloggers that you support and think deserve the award and link their blog in your post
• And finally... Contact said bloggers and let them know they've been nominated!! :)

So lets get on to the random and juicy facts shall we??

Fact 1: I love the colour green and all variations of it. So much so that its stretched to my wardrobe, if you had a peak in there you'd find mint green Converse, a turquoise green dress, and many other items full of greenness! 

Fact 2: When I was younger, maybe about 4 or 5, I had a pet rabbit, For some reason though I decided to take him out of his cage and I ended up pulling his ears (no idea why), which resulted in him hopping away never to be found again. :(

Fact 3: I'm super close to my family. We've been through a lot over the years, with me losing two brothers, and a third brother having to visit the UK for 3 months to have a bone marrow transplant. It was tough being away from my parents and him for so long, but I stayed with an aunt who is like my second mother now, and because of all this we're super close and I'm so glad for it. 

Fact 4: I hate my teeth. My mother thinks I'm crazy and says they're fine, but they have gaps in them and I think they're an awful colour. I've decided that if the time comes for me to get married the first thing to be sorted out before the wedding will be my teeth. 

Fact 5: My favourite snack is Salt and Vinegar rice cakes with peanut butter spread on top, with a banana sliced on top. I know it sounds manky, but trust me it's actually really tasty! There's just something about the sweetness and the saltiness that work really well together! Try it! ;)

Fact 6: I worry about things too much. I've been known to freak out at my boyfriend if he doesn't reply to a text on a night out because I think he's passed out in a ditch somewhere. Its ridiculous because I can lie awake at night for hours worrying about things that may or may not even happen! I'm trying to relax a bit and change my ways in baby steps though, so fingers crossed!

Fact 7: This time next month I'm heading to America for the first time. I'm so so excited about it as I'm going to New York! I'm looking forward to doing all the touristy things like the Statue Of Liberty and Ground Zero etc, but I'm also so excited about hitting the shops and going mad buying make up in Sephora and everywhere and anywhere else I find along the way! Eeek!!

So they are my random facts... I hope you found some of them interesting.. And if not, well sorry I'm so boring!! ;) hehehehe....

So onto my nominations:
 1 :Makeup by Candlelight
 2: Twofaced
 3: beautyangel
 4:BlushfulBeauty
 5:My Stepping Stone
 6: Dolly Dowsie
 7:The Blusher Diaries
 8: Make Up by Lauren Marie
 9: Girl With The Skew Earring
 10: Love-Joice


So I tried very hard to tag 15 blogs, but most of the ones I wanted to tag had been tagged already.. However I managed to get to 10, so I didn't do too badly!

Thanks for reading guys, and if you have been nominated link your post in the comments so I can read yours! I love little insights into peoples life! :)

Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx