Seventeen Stay Time Foundation

Love love love love love!! I'm actually surprised by how much I love this foundation!

A few months ago I bought Seventeen's Miracle Matte foundation and was so disappointed by it t hat I kinda swore off their foundation for good (everything about that foundation was  bad, it oxidized really obviously, was streaky and blotchy, just...ugh). However during my last little excursion to Boots I couldn't resist the lure of a bargain and picked up their Stay Time foundation for €4. It was strange, in one Boots it was €4, but the Boots around the corner were still selling it at full price......

Anyhow, I really wanted to LOVE this foundation, as I'm very fond of Seventeen as a brand, their eyeshadow's and Doll'd Up mascara are some of my absolute beauty staples! I can happily say that I'm incredibly happy with it, it knocked my, admittedly quite low, expectations outta the park.

Stay time promises to be a full coverage (yay) that will stay flawless on your skin for 25 hours. While I've yet to test the 25 hour part, I can vouch for the rest. I need a full coverage foundation, this comes out of the bottle quite thick but spreads really easily and evenly (I applied it with a Blank Canvas F20 foundation brush). My skin tone is immediately more even and any imperfections are really well hidden with this foundation, so much so I've little need for concealer. It does dry with a bit of a shine so a finishing powder is always necessary if you like a matte finish. It's definitely very long lasting, I applied it early yesterday morning and it still looked fresh when it was time to scrub it all off, it even survived a little early evening cat nap. One of my favourite things is that it doesn't oxidise at all so you don't start with a flawless base and end up 3 shades darker by the time you finish your make up.

I picked it up in Porcelain and I'm white as a ghost so it's really good for fellow palies! I'm so very impressed with this foundation, so much so I'll be popping back up to see if I can bag another bottle for €4! If not, I'd happily pay full price for it (which is coming up as €4.79 on the Boots website as it's just that good. But I've a horrible feeling they may be discontinuing it.... which would just be typical!

Mini Boots haul December 2nd

Today I indulged myself in a little bit of retail therapy, which I think is quite well deserved after a really hellish week last week. I had no intentions of buying anything. ... but Barry M had a special offer on, then there was a little sale basket when I got up to the till. Im only one woman, there's only so much I can resist.

My first little splurge was on a Barry M eyeshadow and nail polish, and because I spent over €9 I got a free special effects glitter polish worth €5.99 absolutely free!! The polish I bought is a lovely autumnal red, I love it. And the glitter goes on really thick and is really holographic on. The shadow is a lovely light bronze colour with a gorgeous shimmer.

So I went up to the till thinking I'd been really good only technically buying 2 things.... then the sale basket got me.... I got-

Seventeen Stay Time foundation €4
Seventeen Stay Pout (Date Night) €2
St Tropez Bronzing Mousse (500ml) €16.50

Whoops....... still though, I think I got some great bargains there!

Seventeen Poreless Flawless primer

I was really intrigued by this primer as I've never seen one in a cake form before. I bought it yesterday and used it for the first time this morning. Im really impressed with it!

It's a peachy/fleshy colour in the pan and has a really balmy texture. I used my fingers to apply, at first you had to really work your fingers into the product to get any out, but it soon heats up from the heat of your fingers and become really easy to use.

Once on the skin I found it really easy to blend. I loved the matte finish, my skin looked almost airbrushed. I also found that it really minimized pores and blemishes on my t-zone and problem area's. It also made my foundation really glide onto my skin really smoothly and evenly. 

Poreless Flawless Primer is currently on special in Boots for just under €8.

Shopping spree!

A gift voucher to the value of €75 came through my letter box this morning, and after a few moments of celebratory dancing I high tailed it to the nearest shopping centre to spend it. It's actually slightly upsetting how quickly I blew through it! But I somehow managed to save a tenner!

My first stop was to SuperDrug to see if they had the new Smoking eyes pallet. ..... but I was disappointed. Actually their MUA stand was very bare, but I managed to snag the last heaven and earth pallet.

Next, I popped into Hairspray to see if they had any of the €10 innovative fibre clip in hair extensions. I love these. They're not real hair, but they look like it, and you can straighten and curl them as if they were. I have 2 of these now, and when I clip both in my hair looks incredibly full ad luscious. I rarely wear clip in's so the price is phenomenal value. If anyone is looking for cheap extensions just for occasional wear I couldn't recommend these enough.

I made a quick stop in H&M where I just bought a cute skull jumper. I'm really fond of it, I love anything with a skull motif.

Then I hit Boots like a hurricane! They're still running their Buy one get one half price promo so it was really hard to reign myself in. I went nuts at the SEVENTEEN stand, picking up the Miracle Matte foundation and pressed powder, the new Flawless Poreless primer and rebuying Doll'd Up mascara, all for less than €22. Also, because I spent over €20 I got a fiver worth of points on my Boots card!

Lastly, a quick visit to Terrisales to pick up some individual lash extentions and glue.

I'm really happy with how I spent the gift card, and think I did quite well considering I have over a tenner left on it! I can't wait to play with all the make up, but I'm gonna try to be good and put it away until my new brushes arrive....... as if.

SBBC Day 20- 10 under €10!

This is like my dream topic, basically everything in my make up collection cost less than a tenner. Spending the last few years with very little disposable income has given me a great nose for a bargain! The only hard thing about this post will be whittling it down to 10! They're in no particular order here!

10- Cocoa Brown 1 hour tan- Buy it once, wear it once, love it forever. I'm never without a bottle.... or 4!

9- Rimmel Stay Matte foundation- I've been meaning to throw up a post about this for a while. I picked it up for just €5.95 (introductory offer) because the shade seemed pale enough for me. I've always found that even the palest Rimmel shades just don't match me, so was a bit skeptical, but I quite like the matte finish and the colour is a really good match! I'll get a review up asap!

8- NYC Liquid liner- If you read my blog you'll know I'm an avid devotee of this €2.59 eyeliner so I won't bore you with the details. Take my advice and buy it!

7- John Frieda 3 Day straight- I love this product. It makes my hair sleek, straight and manageable. I picked up my last bottle on special in Dunnes for €5.39.

6- Cocoa Brown Tough Stuff- This is a fantasic little exfoliator, I use it even when I'm not prepping for tanning. You can pick it up anywhere that sells Cocoa Brown for just €2.50. I can't wait for the tube to come out in October!

5- Seventeen Doll'd Up mascara- At under €8 this is one of my favourite ever mascara's. It beats the socks off some of the more expensive mascara's I've used hands down, and is actually one of the very few mascara's I repeat buy!

4- Cien Anti aging hand cream- I always have a tube of this around to keep my hands soft. It's also great for healing up damaged cuticles, which I suffer from desperately. I wouldn't even know about it if it wasn't for my mother so I'll have to thank her. Comes in at less than €2.

3- PRO:VOKE A touch of silver purple shampoo- When I was platinum blonde I wen't through so many bottles of this that I could have taken out shares in the company. Since I've changed colour I do use it less, but I still always have a bottle handy to combat any yellow tones in my hair. €4.91 in Boots.

2- Sleek iDivine Acid Pallet- I got this as a present from a very good friend and it's just so much fun to play around with! Most of the Sleek pallets come in under a tenner, and given the pigmentation they are well worth it! I'll definitely be picking up more when I have access to a card for online shopping! You can see some of the looks I played around with in the link.

1- Collection 2000 Pressed powder- Another repeat buy, it's so cheap and so handy. Less tha €4 and I find that it keeps my make up set for hours and gives me a lovely matte finish!

So that's it!! 10 under €10! Who says looking great has to be expensive?

SBBC Day 18- Desert Island beauty

I'm fully aware that half the products I'm bringing with me to this desert island are useless without modern technology, but the desert island I'm going to comes equipped with hair dryers, straighteners, tanning mitts and make remover. Got that? Okay lets go!!

 1- Sudocrem- There's been a tube of this knocking around my room since I got my first ever pimple, and there will always be a tube of it somewhere. Got a pimple? Put some Sudocrem on it. Get a little burn? Sudocrem that thang! Arm fall of? Sudocrem will fix it! Magic stuff!

2- Schwarzkopf Got to be Oilicious- I only bought this recently, but I really like it. I put it on my hair once it's dry and find it makes my hair really manageable and soft. Also gives it a nice shine.

3- NYC Liquid eyeliner- Are you starting to figure out that I really REALLY love this eyeliner?? It's just the bomb, I'm never without t!

4- Essence eyebrow pencil- This is almost a staple item for me, so cheap and effective, and much handier to carry around than an eyebrow kit.

5- Mascara- I have SEVENTEEN Back Lash mascara pictured there, but basically whatever mascara I'm favouring at the time I'm abandoned on this devil island.

6- Cocoa Brown- One would think that one wouldn't need fake tan when you're stranded on a desert island..... but one would be very, very wrong. I could live on said island for a thousand years and still wouldn't tan. Can't beat a bit of Cocoa Brown for a quick sun fix.

7- L'Oreal True Match- My favourite foundation, and probably the only one I'd trust for a night out. If it can last a boozey night in O'Rielly's, a desert island will be a breeze!

8- PRO:VOKE Touch of silver brightening shampoo- When my hair is blonde, which it will be again by tonight, this shampoo is my best friend. It really gets rid of any yellow tones and is a bargain at €4.19.

9- John Frieda 3 Days Straight- Ever since I got a bottle of this to try at a Slattery's Communications event I've been absolutely in love with it. It's just marvelous stuff! I'm all fingers and thumbs when it comes to straight blow dry's, but even so my hair is lovely and straight until it's next wash! I'm nearly through my second bottle now!

10- Eyelure Dyelash 45 day mascara- I was afflicted with exceptionally fair brows and lashes so unless I tint them they're snow white and I look like an alien! Don't get me wrong, some people can absolutely rock fair brows, but I just can't, my face needs the structure. I use this on both my brows and lashes and find it great, it's really easy to mix and the colour is really long lasting!

So there we have it, my 10 desert island items..... It was like Sophie's Choice :(

SBBC Day 7- A make up look

Believe it or not, the above would be a fairly standard day look for me. If I'm going for a bold lip, I tend to keep my eyes very simple, and vice versa. Some days, you just need lashings of pink lippy to make tings better.

The products I used for the above look are

Face-
L'Oreal True Match in Rose Ivoire applied with a flat foundation brush
Collection 2000 pressed powder
Benefit Boi-ing concealer under the eyes
Essence Guerilla Gardening cream to powder blush in Mission Flower

Eyes-
Essence Creamlylicious eyeshadow in Iced Chai Latte
NYC Liquid Eyeliner
SEVENTEEN Dolled up mascara
Essence brow designer eyebrow pencil

Lips-
Rimmel Apocalips in Apocalyptic

As it's a day look, it's fairly quick and easy, and very easy to adapt into a more dramatic night time look if the occasion calls!

SBBC Day 6- What I'm never without

A lot of my make up is little extra's that I'd buy for a night out, or to incorporate into a particular look, and I love trying out new products so my staple products do have a tendency to change from time to time. Except my foundation. I've been using basically the same foundation for about 4 years. L'Oreal True Match in Rose ivoire is ALWAYS in my make up bag. I do try new foundations from time to time,  but inevitably go back to my old reliable. It's never steered me wrong colour wise, and I love the coverage.

A few more recent additions to my Never leave the house without collection are my SEVENTEEN Dolled up mascara, my NYC Liquid eyeliner, Essence pressed powder in Translucent, a brow pencil to touch them up in an emergency and a trusty tin of vaseline. Once I'm out of the house I tend to be very relaxed about how my make up looks so my make up bag is very minimal, only the bare essentials!

SBBC Day 3- What do I bring travelling?

To be bvery honest, I don't get to travel nearly as much as I'd like to, so when I do go away, pretty much everything I own comes with me if I'm travelling within Ireland with no weight restriction. I think the best way to go about this post would be to tell you what I brought on holidays to Spain with me in July....... When we flew with Ryanair.

I don't do well in the heat at all, so I wanted a light foundation that would allow my skin to breath in the heat, but also gave me a nice coverage. I opted for the MaxFactor CC cream for the day time, and warmer nights, and used my usual L'Oreal True Match on nights that it was cool enough. The CC cream has a mild SPF so I was getting some extra protection. Didn't stop me freckling though! You can read my full review here.

I would never dream of leaving the house without my NYC Liquid liner, never mind go travelling without it (the horror). This is like my holy grail of eyeliners, I adore it. As you can probably tell I'm completely obsessed with cat flicks and don one pretty much every single day. This liner (that's about €3.59) is like a warrior. It's not waterproof, but it doesn't claim to be, even so it can withstand a fair amount of moisture. And it stays put until you decide to take it off. GO BUY THIS, NOW!! Thank me later.

I brought my SEVENTEEN Doll eyes mascara with me. It's not waterproof, but I wasn't wearing mascara during the day so that wasn't really important. As you can see from my review it really is one of the best mascara's I've ever used, and have bought it about 3 times over now. Swear by it!

Powder wise I just brought my Collection 2000 pressed powder as it's never steered me wrong. For my blush I brought my Collection 2000 Shimmer shades blush quad. I actually found that great as it gives a lovely sun kissed glow but my niece broke it shortly after my holidays so sadly it is no more :(

I also brought a bottle of WOW Brown with me to keep my tan topped up. Honestly, it never got used. The pool just stripped it away immediately (same with my hair colour) so it was pointless. But I arrived like a golden goddess.

I got my eyebrows done just before going on holidays so during the day I just left them be. At night I filled them in with an Essence eyebrow pencil.

I think it's horrendously obvious that we flew Ryanair.... I was terrified of my luggage being overweight so my make up was really skimmed down to what was ABSOLUTELY necessary. I brought nothing in the way of eye shadow, as I just didn't think i'd use it. The only lip product I brought was a trusty tin of vaseline. As  said I'm not great in the heat, so I was only really wearing make up at night, and you just can't beat a dramatic cat flick of an evening! 

Inglot glitter #59 glitter look

Last week I gleefully bought my first ever Inglot glitter pot on a trip to Blanchardstown shopping center. I've always been a bit skeptical about glitter as cleaning up the fallout, and plumping for the glue to keep it in place, just seemed like a lot of fuss.

The lovely GirlFriday, who's blog you can read  here encouraged me to buy the glitter but hold off on buying the Duo glue until I tried her little tip. Instead of glue, use a gel liner on your lid to keep the glitter in place! It works absolutely brilliantly!

To achieve this smokey eye glitter look I used Barry M Dazzle Dust in shade 98 to create a smokey eye. Then I used Seventeen Back Lash gel eyeliner to draw on a thick flick covering the entire eyelid. While the liner was still wet I used a flat eye shadow brush to dab on the glitter, patting it firmly in place as I went.

I was expecting there to be a huge amount of fallout as the glitter is so fine, and while there was some, not nearly as much as I thought there would be, and nothing that couldn't be brushed away with a powder brush.

I'll be wearing a toned down version of this,  with some killer lashes, for my birthday night out!