Karmisa Jewellery Offer

Just a reminder to you all that you have one week left to avail of 25% off Karmisa jewellery.

Just enter the code “karmisasarah” at checkout for 25% off your final bill and remember they offer free shipping worldwide so you have no excuses!

Click the link to get shopping www.karmisa.com

Love Sarah xoxo

Fuschia Cosmetic Review

I recently received a box from Fuchsia Cosmetics to try out some of their goods. I hadn’t really heard of them too much other than seeing a stand in the salon I go to. They started out in 2005 opening their first store in Scotch Hall Drogheda and recently opening one up in The Pavilion in Swords. They have won awards in the past including the Image Beauty Award in 2010.

I’ve heard some mixed reviews about their stuff so was eager to test everything out to see for myself just how good they are.

In the box I received:

• Eggplant lip liner

• Vamp Lipstick

• 5 Colour build your own palette

• Dazzle dust

• Brow Duo

• Sample Highlighter

• Sample Primer

• 2 Mini Lip Lacquers

I’ve tried out everything I received, some stuff I loved and some not so much so I have decided to divide them into 3 sections of what I loved, liked and loathed.

Vamp on my lips & the 5 piece shadow palette on my eyes

Loved:

Face Canvas Face Primer

The primer I received was a teeny sample size. The primer is silicone based and reminds me a lot of the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer. I really wasn’t expecting a whole lot from this as the quality didn’t look great but I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that it kept my makeup in place all day and even kept me matte. I tried this out on 3 different foundations and on all 3 occasions gave me much better results than my usual primers. A full size bottle contains 25mls and will set you back €22. It seems a bit pricey but it gave great results for me so maybe it’s worth it.

Eye Dust Pigments

I got mine it the Full Moon, it’s a champagne sparkly loose pigment. I haven’t used it as a shadow but more of a highlighter on my brow bone, the tops of my cheeks and on my cupids bow. I don’t really love loose pigments like this but I do like it for highlighting. It cost’s €12.95 which is pricey for what I would be using it for, the colours come in 19 colours so if you do like lose pigments then you might be able to get one you like.

Liked:

Build your own palette

This palette is a build your own, you can choose from 60 pressed shadows to put into your palette. The colours I received where:

#UP17 Holly – a frosted cream colour

#108 Jane – Looks like a it has some shimmer but goes on like a matte in a plum colour

#18 Lucy – a matte chocolate brown

#17 Lara – another matte colour in a lighter shade of brown

Cream – This one has no name but it’s just a plain cream colour.

The palette itself is nice and compact, it’s magnetised so when you’re finished with the colours you can slot others into them. The lid is also magnetised, I had mine thrown in my back and with all the mess that’s in there, it didn’t open once or smash. It would be a great present idea, especially for younger girls. 

What I didn’t like about them though is that they were a bit chalky, when my brush tipped onto them you could see product flying everywhere. It was also a bit hard to blend seamlessly, I had to put a bit of extra work into them. The price works out as €8.00 each which I wouldn’t pay for even a single one of these shadows, you can get better quality in the likes of Boots and Penneys for a cheaper price. Even at €40.00 for a palette of 5 is pretty pricey when you think about it, I personally wouldn’t buy one of these as you can get some better palettes from the likes of Urban Decay and Two Faced for similar prices.

Classic Matte Lipstick 

In the box I got was this lovely matte lipstick in the colour Vamp, it’s a purple, plum colour which is an absolute favourite of mine. I tested this out drinking coffee and it didn’t wear off, I then had some breakfast and it didn’t fully wear off, just a little between the lips. It’s not as long lasting as other lipsticks I have that claim the same thing as it only lasted about 4 hours. The only problem I have with it is that it says it’s non-drying but I found my lips did dry out when wearing it. You also get better results when you don’t put too much on, if you pile it on it will come off a lot easier and will go all over your teeth and it’s a lot easier to smudge and ruin your makeup. This lipstick will set you back €13.50 which isn’t a terrible price but I have better Rimmel ones that are much cheaper.

 

Lip Liner

I got mine in the colour Eggplant; it’s a plum colour and goes well with the Vamp Lipstick. I didn’t love it as it was a bit too creamy for me. When putting it around your lips you would have to blend it in with your finger as it was very easy to get smudged outside of your lip liner. It costs €12.50 which just seem ridiculous for a pencil, especially one not from a big branded company. 

Lip Lacquers

These where lovely apart from the smell of them. They have a really strong waxy smell which makes them seem really cheap. They are highly pigmented and feel like butter on your lips. I really liked “love affair” it’s a mauve/pink and the very wearable, the other colour was “party girl” which is a bright hot pink, better suited for nights out. They cost €16.50 which I think you can get ones that are just as good but cheaper in the stores.

 

Loathed:

Highlighter

This was a sample size of the Candle Glow Highlighter. It went on pretty sheer and didn’t really highlight as much as I would have liked. It wouldn’t be as good as the MeMe Beat the Blues highlighter or the Benefit High Beam that I have. It costs €25.00 and I would be disappointed if I bought this for that price when there are much better quality versions out there.

Brow Duo 

This is a brow powder and wax duo, I received mine in Brown/Taupe. I really didn’t like this, like the eye shadows the power was a bit chalky and didn’t fill in my brows as much as my Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow duo does. I didn’t love the wax either it didn’t keep my any stray hairs down and made them a bit greasy. You also get a small brush with it that had really coarse bristles that I didn’t even attempt to put near my brows. You can get much better brow duos from Benefit and Sleek. Again I would be disappointed if I bought this, its €15.50 and really not worth it at all.

 

While I did like some of the products I really don’t think I’d be running out to buy them in the future. If the products where havlf the price I wouldn’t mind buying them but for what they are I don’t think I would buy anything from them at full price. The only exception might be the face primer.

As a blogger when you receive goods to test out from a company you feel that there is an obligation to love the product and rave about it and being relatively new to blogging I feel like if I don’t give a good review to a company it might have a negative effect in growing my blog to where I would like it to be, I would prefer to be truthful though to my readers and give an honest review to you all. I hope I’ve been as honest as I can.

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

Soap & Glory Cheekmate - Cheek and Lip Stain

I don’t have too much of the makeup products from the Soap and Glory range but I could open up my own shop with the amount of skin care I have from them. I had bought the Cheekmate cheek and lip stain months ago when my friend asked me to try it out for her but I misplaced it even before I had a chance to open it and found it a week or two ago, but I figured better late than never.

I’m a bit sceptical when it comes to these kinds of stains, none of them have ever looked good on me, and they’re usually sticky and ruin the foundation when you put it on your face. Even though it looks like it’s going to be a sticky mess the formula is actually very creamy. I put a drop on my finger, dab it onto my cheeks and then blend it in with my small stippling brush. I get quite scared with these types of stains, sometimes they don’t blend or you look like you’re having a hot flash but luckily this actually blended out well and gave subtle rouge to the cheeks. I didn’t put too much on; it was nice just with a small amount and made it look very natural. I usually go for pinks so having red on the cheeks was very different for me and I liked it a lot, it’s always nice to have a change from your everyday colours.

 

You can also use this on your lips but I didn't love it. It's a bit sticky when it's dried on the lips and doesn't really put much of a colour on, just makes you look like you've been sucking on a red lolly for too long.

I've been trying to think of what it reminds me of as I write this post and it's just come to me, it’s like the fake blood you get in the costume shop at Halloween but just not as sticky on your skin. There's no taste or smell on it either which I’m actually a little disappointed about, I think I would have liked it better if it had a berry taste to it, it would probably make me use it even more.

 

It costs €10.00, it’s probably one of the better cheek stains I’ve tried before but I don’t think it will be a repurchase. It’s nice but it’s not a Holy Grail product, more like one of those last resort type products when I have nothing else to hand. As usual these opinions are my own, you might find it amazing but I just don’t think its €10.00 amazing.

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

Lime Crime Velvetine Dupe

I love lipstick, I rarely go a day without putting one on but I hate have to reapply throughout the day, so if I can find a lip product that lasts for ages and helps me spend less time reapplying then I need to have it.

Most of the lip products I have are either lip stains or matte lipsticks, I hate glosses, they always wear off and I always seem to wear them on the windiest days ever which results in my hair always getting stuck in a big glossy mess.

The whole point of this post really is to prove that you don’t need to always go for the brand names. I’m an absolute sucker for thinking that just because it’s a big brand or that I’ve seen someone famous wear it or have been told this is the IT product ,that I must have it.  I’m going to tell you a little bit about each product I’ve tested and then about what I thought of them. I suppose we can call this a Dupe post as well as the two Velvet Lipsticks are very similar.

Makeup Revolution (Right) Lime Crime (Left)

Firstly we have Lime Crime; I had heard of Lime Crime Velvetines from watching some of my favourite YouTubers and had heard really good things about them. Unfortunately we can’t get them here in Ireland so when I was over in London for IMATS I picked up two of them in Suede-Berry and Black Velvet, I think they cost about £10 each if my brain remembers correctly. I’ll be talking about Black Velvet in a future Halloween post so keep your eyes peeled for that one (yes it is a black lipstick, the inner Goth made me buy it). Suede-Berry is a lovely coral red, that goes on like a liquid and dries into a matte texture, and it also smells a bit like Werthers Originals, one of my favourite old lady sweets! These can be ordered from https://www.love-makeup.co.uk/ and cost £13.50 from their site or you can go to the Lime Crime website where they will cost $20.00. http://limecrime.com/

Suede-Berry 

The Makeup Revolution Salvation Velvet Lacquer in Keep Trying for You came from my first order from the company. What made me buy this was that it reminded me of the Lime Crime Velvetine so I bought it to compare them. These lip lacquers are only £3.00 which is an amazing price. The colour is a bright red that has some orange tones in it, it’s not the typical red I would usually go for but it is quiet nice on my lips. While Lime Crime goes on like a liquid the lacquer went on slightly creamier a lot like the same formula as the Bourjois Velvet Rouge Edition lipsticks.

Keep Trying For You

I wore each product on separate days, I did this when I was in work as each day is pretty much the exact same and noted what my lips where like before I had my coffee, my breakfast and my lunch and noted what they looked like after. I applied the lipstick once in the morning; they wore off slightly after each meal around where the lips meet but when I wet the lips and run my finger around them the colour distributed enough that it made it even again. Neither of them are drying which is important in a matte product, they just felt like my normal lips. By the end of work and after more than 8 hours wear the product had worn of pretty much completely on both lips, leaving just a slight stain of colour.

After taking a good look at both products they are basically the same apart from one being more liquid than the other on application. The Makeup Revolution Salvation Velvet Lacquer is definitely a dupe for the Lime Crime Velvetines, You save £10.50 by buying the Salvation Velvet Lacquers and I will be getting so much more of them, especially as I’ve seen Makeup Revolution stands popping up in Irish Superdrug stores so it’s going to be easier than ever to get my hands on them!

In future I’m going to go for more budget friendly products but as I do like my Dupe posts I might just have to get the odd high-end/more expensive products to test out for you guys.

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

August Beauty Box -Glossybox & Chic Treat Club

Last month I decided to give up my Glossybox subscription, I just wasn’t happy with any of the products I was receiving, especially compared to what I had been receiving in my Chic Treat Club boxes. I obviously left it too late to cancel for the August box because I received one in the post this week.

As usual I wasn’t blown away by it, but it did have one or two things that I will use. It was Glossybox’s 3rd birthday this month and to celebrate they had six items in the box, with 4 full size items and 2 deluxe sized samples.

Kryolan Highlighter – Full Size 4.5g RRP £12.50

This was specially made for Glossybox. The packaging comes with the Glossybox logo on a black lid. The colour is cashmere and is a creamy pink highlight. I haven’t tried it yet, but swatching it on my hand it looks like a very subtle sheer highlight.

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer – Deluxe Sample Size 40ml £15.20. Full Size 250ml RRP £38.00

This is a “intensve, super-conditioning pre-shampoo treatment for all hair types and adds elasticity, manageability, bounce and shine”. From the reviews this is a Holy Grail product so I’m excited to try this one out, I don’t have too much body to my hair so anything to give it a boost is good in my books. 

Figs & Rouge Rose Berry Hand Cream – Deluxe Sample Size 20ml £1.39. Full Size 80ml £6.95.

I feel like hand creams are like staples in the beauty box world, there always seems to be one in the boxes I get and this time it’s no different. I think I’ve seen this brand in TK Maxx but I don’t think I’ve seen it anywhere else. I haven’t taken the seal off it yet because I’ve so many hand creams open already that I want to keep it.

Pep Cosmeceuticals, SkinPep Hydra Sun Defence SPF30 Day Cream - Full Size 7ml £5.99

I’m really happy to have gotten this in my box, I’m off to Florida next month so having a good SPF that I can wear under my foundation is something I’m really going to need. It’s specially made for wear under foundation and dosent cause any chalkiness.

All That Jazz, Cuticle Balm – Full Size 15ml £11.99

Another product I’m really happy with is this cuticle balm. I got mine in Chocolate Orange, I could sniff it all day it smells just like a Terry’s Chocolate Orange. You’re to apply this twice a day to your cuticles to soften them so I think I’ll be keeping this at my desk in work and do it every day.

I Love Cosmetics, Strawberries & Milkshake Shimmer and Shine Lipgloss – Full Size 15ml £1.29

For me this is the dud of the box, firstly it’s a gloss and I hate glosses, it’s also shimmery and glittery which does nothing for me. I can also find this in any Penneys which is annoying.

The grand total of the August Glossybox is £48.36/€60.73

This month’s Chic Treat Club came with 5 products in it, with some things I’ve tried and some I haven’t. It isn't the best box I've received from Chic Treat Club but the last 3 have been beyond amazing so i'll let them away with it this month as I will use pretty much everything in the box. This months box had 6 items, 4 full size and 2 sample size.

Kiss, Vita-Strength Base & Top Coat – Full Size 13ml €5.07

This isn’t actually included as one of the 3 that you could potentially get in the box. It’s a strengthening base and topcoat that is ideal for dry or brittle nails. The only time my nails are dry or brittle is when I’ve taken off gel nails so I’ll keep for that.

Kubiss London, Face Powder in Sun Bronze – Full Size 12g (3 for €6 in The Cosmetic Outlet)

I got my powder in Sun Bronze, one of 3 different colours available. As a face powder it is way way way to dark for me so I will probably use this as a bronzer or to contour. I don’t entirely love it as it’s a bit on the orange rather than brown side but hopefully it will look ok on the skin. They only give a price of 3 for €6 and I can’t find a price anywhere online for them.

Montagne Jeuness, Brazillian Mud Fabric Mask – Full Size €1.99

I love a good facemask, any excuse really for a pamper session and this one looks like a really nice one and mud ones are my favourite. This is a cloth/mud mask so I’m real interested in how this will work out.

Thalgo, Soft Hydration Emulsion (€7.80) and Marine Shower Gel (€4.50) – Deluxe Sample 30ml

I can’t say I’ve ever heard of the Thalgo brand but it’s always nice to be introduced to something new. The emulsion is very fragrant, it smells very masculine to me but when my mother smelt it she said it was feminine but it reminds me of an aftershave. The little bit I did rub on my arms left them soft so it does work even if the smell is a bit strong for me. The shower gel smells more floral than the emulsion. It’s always handy to have little products like this especially for travelling or the gym so I’m sure I’ll get some use out of them.

Beter, Large All Purpose Brush – Full Size €16.99

This is a new company to Ireland and will be launching next month nationwide. I love how Chic Treat give you these exclusive previews of products that haven’t been released yet. I’ve been looking around for a brush like this for a while so to get it in the box was a real treat, It’s made from syntethic hairs and is super soft. A few hairs did come off but once I wash it I hopefully won’t have that problem.

This months Chic Treat Total came to €38.35

The Glossybox wasn’t the worst box I’ve received from them but I’m still glad I've cancelled my subscription, it was getting a bit expensive to have 2 boxes and compared to Chic Treat Club which are a much smaller company compared to Glossybox I expected much more from them.

I'd definitely recommend Chic Treat Club as a subscription beauty box, you get to see some amazing items that are sold in Ireland and I’ve never been disappointed with a box. I might sound disappointed with this months but I think that is because the last four boxes I’ve received have just been out of this world that receiving a normal box would make it look like just an alright box.

Thanks for reading

Love Sarah xoxo

Barry M Aquarium Nail Collection

I absolutely love Barry M polishes, they always have amazing colours and collections. When I saw these two from the Aquarium Collection I fell instantly in love with them. One is a colour polish and one is a glitter polish and suit each other perfectly. The polish is in Arabian, an amazing 2 toned turquoise colour and the glitter polish in Mermaid, a clear polish with flecks of blue, gold and green.

You’ll need at least two coats of the Arabian so not to see any of the nail bed and I put a few coats of the Mermaid on to get a good amount of the glitter flecks onto the nail as I didn’t want it too sparse looking.

The colour probably goes better with a tan, I think I’m a bit pale but it still works. It didn’t take too long to dry but the Mermaid took a while as I put a lot of product on my nail.

I love these colours they’re probably more suited for the summer so I should only get another month or so out of it.

The collection is still available in boots and it comes in few more colours too. I love how they’re so cheap only €5.99 and the great thing about boots is that they’re currently in a 3 for 2 offer!

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

Crown Brush Blush Palette

I have a few things from Crown Brush UK, I love their brushes and their palettes. I don’t think I’ve bought anything online from them but I do love to pick up brushes and palettes when I see a stand at a beauty show because they’re always that little bit cheaper. When I was in IMATS I picked up a few things from the stand including their 10 colour blush palette which retails normally for £14.99/€18.81 but I think I got mine for around £10-12.

It comes with a range of pinks, peaches and bronze colours in matte and shimmer textures. What’s great about the palette is that it can be used to contour with the darker colours as well as adding some colour to your cheeks with the pinks and peaches.

I use this palette a lot and I’ve used every colour in it. You don’t get too much product from one swipe of your brush to cheek but I think that’s a good thing as you can build it up to the colour you want, I hate when some blushes can leave you looking like Noddy from one swipe of blush.

Palettes like these are great for travelling, they’re sleek enough to fit into any luggage whether you’re going on short or long haul journeys and you don’t need to bulk up your makeup bag with single blushes.

This is definitely worth the price as it works out at £1.49/€1.88 for each blush, there aren’t much companies selling single blushes for that price.

If you want to find out more info on Crown Brush UK just head over to www.crownbrush.ie or www.crownbrush.co.uk.

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

Rouge Louboutin

When I first heard that Christian Louboutin was going to bring out a nail polish the same colour as their signature soles I knew I needed to get my hands on it. The closest thing I’ve got to a pair of Louboutins was a pair of oversized fake sparkly ones that I ended up giving away and I know it’s likely that I won’t ever be able to afford a real pair.

When I first heard that the prices of the varnish would be €45 I was in a bit of shock but then figured this will be the closest I will ever get to owning something from Louboutin, luckily for me though I had a voucher for Brown Thomas so it only cost me €20.00 and I feel like I can justify that as it’s is still cheaper than the my YSL varnish.

As soon as I bought it I took it out of the tissue paper it was wrapped in and looking at it for the first time it honestly felt like Christmas for me, it is just so beautiful and huge! It’s designed to look like a heel of one of the Louboutin shoes and it must be from a shoe Lady GaGa would wear because this is super high and the point could literally kill someone. The bottle is glass in an ombre black and red effect and the handle is the pointed “heel”, which is a bit awkward when trying to get a grip on it for application.

It is super red and it is an exact match to the sole of the Louboutin shoes. It applies super easy and only needs one coat, I applied two coats on one or two nails but it didn’t make any more of a difference so I left it at one coat. It also doesn’t chip either, I’ve had it on my nails for nearly a week now and I have no chips what so ever. 

Is it worth €45 I’m not sure, but you do get a lot of product in the bottle, the packaging is so impressive and the formula is pretty amazing so I do think it is worth more than what you would usually pay for a bottle of varnish but I’m glad I didn’t pay €45 for it I would have felt so guilty if I did.

So what do you think, is it worth €45 for a bottle of varnish or not?

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

NeoStrata Bionic Face Cream

In last month’s Chic Treat Club Box it came with a Neostrata Bionic Face Cream. It looked like something I wouldn’t use, I was going to give it to my mam, but when my day cream ran out and I was in a hurry one morning I grabbed it and put it on.

It’s so silky on your skin when you put it on and very moisturising. My foundation looked amazing lasted all day and it made it even more matte than usual. The only thing I did different that day was the new addition of the Neostrata cream so I can only presume that it was the cream that made the difference, my foundation and skin have never looked better since I started using it.

The only thing is that looking at the website it says that you’re not supposed to use it with foundation, it says it’s a night cream and it’s for dry skin. I have used it once at night and it is good but not as moisturising as my current Nivea night cream and I have the oiliest skin ever and it probably made my skin even more matte in combination with my foundation.

The cream costs €42.62, which I probably wouldn’t buy if I saw it in the shops but I’m happy it came across my lap in the Chic Treat Club July Box.

I’m going to keep using it even though I’m doing everything it says I shouldn’t! I’ll be heading to the states in September so I’ll buy a new day cream there, but until then I’ll keep using the cream because it’s working for me better than any other cream has.

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

Revlon Colorstay Foundation Review

As a girl with oily/combination skin it can be very hard to find the perfect foundation that will stay on for hours and not leave me looking like one an oil slick.

For years I swore by MAC Pro Longwear, I still do use it but I’ve been finding my hand has been reaching for my Revlon Colourstay foundation more and more since I bought it. They sell it for both oily/combination skin and normal skin.

It is a heavier coverage than my MAC Pro Longwear but it still looks natural and keeps my skin matte for longer which is what I’m looking for.

When I first bought it I got it in Sand Beige which is now slightly too dark for me, if you buy MAC foundation it is equal to NW20. I seem to be getting paler each month and the next time I bought it I had to buy it in Buff which is the equivalent to MAC NW15, it matches my skin perfectly.

Full coverage yet still gives a natural look

The primer I wear does make a difference, I have a few that I go between some make me less matte then the others, the one that works best is the Bourjois Happy Light Matte Serum Primer. In the pictures I used Fuchsia Face Primer which I was testing out and I don’t think I had to powder my face once which for a  girl with oily skin is unheard of.

Applying the foundation is a bit difficult because you have to try get it out of the bottle and it can be a bit like banging the end of a ketchup bottle, sometimes it just won’t come out, which is the most annoying thing about the foundation. I heard you can buy a pump from Nars that fits it perfectly, I just haven’t managed to get my hands on one yet. Once I get it on to the back of my hand, I use my Sigma F80 flat top kabuki brush and just keep buffing it into my skin, for a few minutes. The result of all that buffing is a super smooth application, which gives you amazingly flawless skin.

The foundation says it lasts 24hrs on the bottle, seriously who wears their foundation for 24 hours their skin must be in bits, but it does last all day and on a good day I’ll only have to powder my face once or twice, which is a big thumbs up from me!

I have a few foundations in my makeup collection but this one seems to be the most reliable for it – it matches my skin colour, gives me a natural look even though it’s a heavier coverage, its long wearing and finally keeps me looking matte all day.

The foundation is available in Boots for €17.80, and you can purchase it in all good pharmacies.

If you know of any other matte looking foundations that work great for oily skin let me know, just leave a comment below.

Before - Right, Aftet -Left

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah