The Christmas Tag

It’s the 1^st tomorrow so that means Christmas is officially here. The lovely Elaine from Ruby Laine Makeup tagged me in the The Christmas Tag. Check my answers below J

1.       What is your favourite Christmas movie

I don’t think I have a proper Christmas movie that I can think of being my favourite but its not Christmas for me without seeing Bed Knobs and Broomsticks, Oliver, Sound of Music and Mary Poppins. If I don’t see any of those movies Christmas is pretty much ruined!

2.       Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or on Christmas morning?

It always has to be Christmas day, unless I get some pjs from my mom.

3.       Do you have a favourite Christmas memory?

I have loads but my dad brought be to see Santa in Clerys many moons ago. We walk into Santa’s grotto and he immediately turns around to my dad and says “Ah Ronnie how’s it going, how’s your dad”. To say I was amazed that Santa knew my dad and my granddad is an understatement.

4.       Favourite Christmas food?

A Christmas dinner for me isn’t complete without plenty of stuffing, gravy and croquets, I could skip the turkey and the rest of the dinner and just eat that for the whole day.

5.       Favourite Christmas gift?

Cheesy but probably anything my boyfriend has ever gotten me J

6.       Favourite Christmas Scent?

I hate mince pies but I love the smell of them when they’re heated up.

7.       Do you have any Christmas traditions?

I would always spend Christmas Eve evening in my Nans house and then we’d go to midnight mass. Nan passed away 2 years ago but mam and I still go to midnight mass together.

8.       What’s on top of your tree?

Usually whatever doesn’t topple it over but the last few years we’ve had a fancy looking angel.

9.        As a kid, what was the one extravagant gift you asked for but never got?

I was addicted to anything Egyptian when I was younger and asked for some lego Egyptian set but ended up getting something else I think it was an Egyptian board game but I don’t think I ever played with it properly.

10.   What’s the best part about Christmas for you?

Having the whole family in the house, especially now that I have my little nephews and another on the way it makes Christmas all that more special.

I’d like to nominate the following to The Christmas Tag:

Karen from Bright with Delight

Leanne from Blather and Beauty

Aisling form Total Makeup Addict 

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor Deep Conditioner Review

I was sent the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor Conditioner and I have to say I love it and trust me I wouldn’t tell you I loved a product if I didn’t. I had been using L’Oreal Elvive conditioner on my hair and have been meaning to change up my conditioner situation for a while as I don’t think it’s working out great for my hair. It doesn’t last as long as I would like it too and I think it’s because the conditioner isn’t being washed out properly so by the end of the day my hair looks greasy and like it needs a good wash again.

I tried the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor Conditioner out and instantly could tell it was going to be a good one. The smell is mentholly and really fresh yet relaxing, that would be from the Australian Balm Mint Extract, the Balm helps smooth out split ends and helps dry, damaged hair look manageable.

 

I usually put my conditioner for about 3 minutes anyway but when washing the conditioner out my hair just felt so silky and soft which it never did with the Elvive. My hair felt so clean and fresh when it was done.

Another big difference I noted was when I went to dry my hair, I have the biggest knots usually and I’m nearly tearing the head off myself trying to get them out but it was pretty much a smooth run when I went to comb it.

After drying my hair it felt super soft and silky and stayed clean for an extra day or two which never happened with my old routine.

It doesn’t say whether it’s a regular conditioner but I think I’ll use it on a regular basis as it works so well for me. The Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconsructor Conditioner retails for €6.69, this can vary store to store.

 

If you didn’t know already Aussie are the official female ambassadors of Movember. With only 2 days left in Movember you might think that it’s too late to do anything to help the cause but you can get involved in a few ways. Don’t worry this doesn’t mean you have to grow a handle bar moustache to help the boys, just pop down to Tesco and fill your basket with Aussie products and for each bottle Aussie will donate 15cent to Movember Ireland.

You could also head on to Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or wherever you like to post pictures and put one up with your own Misstache. Just take a lock of hair and make whatever type of moustache you like, post the photo with #Misstache for #Movember and show the men that they’re not alone in this one. Head to www.movember.com to find out more ways you can get involved.

If you think I should try out any other Aussie products let me know and tag me in some of your #misstache photos too.

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

I gave up soda, could you?

How many of you out there drink soda on a daily basis and could probably drink litres of the stuff without even realising it. Up to a year ago I was completely addicted to soda and my drink of choice like many of you would be Diet Coke.

As far back as I can remember I’ve always loved diet coke although I was partial to a bit of TK Red Lemonade when I was in my Nans house. I would guzzle at least a bottle or two of the 500ml bottles during the day and a pint or two in the evening at my dinner, sure it has no calories in it why not drink more. If I was staying home all day I would nearly have a full 2ltr bottle and looking back on that is just shocking to think about.

It wasn’t till October of last year when I did the Pure Green Juice Detox. I did the 5 day detox which involved drinking 4 juices each day and no coffee or soda. I basically went cold turkey from coffee and soda; I had given up coffee a few months back during lent so it wasn’t too hard to give up on caffeine.  

The result of going completely cold turkey though meant outrageously bad headaches, not only was I suffering from caffeine withdrawals from both coffee and coke but Aspartame withdrawals. If you don’t know already Aspartame is the sweetener that Coke use instead of sugar and this stuff is in everything that you eat or drink, if it says diet on the packet you’re most likely going to have this sweetener in your ingredients.

After the detox I felt pretty amazing I must say and I decided that I wasn’t going to drink any coke or coffee from then till Christmas. As most people had seen me get through lent without coffee they knew I’d be fine but many scoffed when I said I was going to give up on coke. I managed up to a week before Christmas without any coke. I was on a night out and someone bought me a jack and coke but apart from that one JD and coke I can happily say I am a year coke free. The coffee ban didn’t last too long though; I really can’t live without coffee.

Firstly there are so many side effects to drinking diet drinks, you might think it’s good to not be drinking full fat drinks but you’re not kidding your body. When you drink drinks like coke with sweeteners in them they make your body think it’s getting sugar – I don’t know the scientificy way of explaining it but basically it can mess up how the sugar in your body is processed and can actually increase your chances of getting Type 2 Diabetes.

It can increase your risk of gaining wait also. I’m a bit 50/50 on this on though as I gained 2 stone this year but I joined back to Weight Watchers in October and I do notice a difference from the last time I went. I don’t have that need to have sweet things or chocolate. The last time around I would have “diet” everything like yogurts and special K bars which are filled with aspartame but this time if I feel the need for something sweet I’m drawn more to fruit or 70% chocolate. I’ve cut back completely on products that contain aspartame and as a result I think my taste buds have gone there’s a box of Celebrations floating around the office this week of which I’ve had 1 Galaxy chocolate and it tasted disgusting and so processed.

My overall health has benefited from cutting out coke. Nearly on a weekly basis I was getting migraines and headaches, I know only get maybe 1 every few months. As a result of cutting back on the constant flow of caffeine in my body my anxiety levels have dropped. I’ve replaced my intake of coke with water I don’t even have too much juices either unless it’s pressed vegetable juices. Coke is a diuretic which means it just goes straight through your body; you get absolutely no nutritional or hydrating benefits from coke. My skin used to be so dehydrated because I wasn’t getting enough fluids into my body as a result my skins looks better; I rarely get a spot or have flaky skin anymore.

 What I drink now:

      Water, water, water!

  Coffee

     Vegetable juices

       On a night out beer and mixers are juices like pineapple or cranberry

    My only vice is Red Bull and I haven’t had any in months

So what do you think, could you give up soda? Are you as addicted as I was?

After a year without soda I really think there is no need for them, at least not on a daily basis. It sickens me to think what damage I could have done internally to my body by drinking so much. I really hope by stopping now that in years to come I see more benefits and that any effects of coke or aspartame don’t affect me.

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

P.S if I got any facts wrong don’t kill me I’m only writing this from what I’ve learnt over time and what I’ve picked up along the way.

The Original Beauty Blender and Solid Review

I’ve found that regardless of the price makeup, having the right tools for the job can make a €10 foundation look like a €40 foundation and leave you looking flawless. I have a mountain of foundation and concealer brushes in my collection but they have all recently been made obsolete in the form of The Beauty Blender.

If you don’t know about The Beauty Blender already it’s similar to the Real Techniques blender. It’s an egg shaped sponge but a bit pointier on top. There are 3 types of Blender that you can get – the Original, Pure sponge and Pro Sponge. I picked up the Original.

There are a lot of blenders on the market but from reading around the beauty blogisphere the Beauty Blender trumps them all. Since I’ve started using the blender I haven’t touched any of my foundation or concealer brushes, the Beauty Blender does everything for me.

How it works:

When you get The Beauty Blender first you might be thinking “How is this little tiny sponge supposed to do anything to my face” but once you run it under water it nearly doubles in size.

I’ve only ever used it wet, I couldn’t imagine using it dry. Using it wet makes sure you don’t get too cakey looking and never puts on more makeup than you need.

Putting my foundation on the back of my hand I just dab the sponge into it and then in dabbing/tapping motions I pop it all over my face. The key rule here is to dab and not drag like a brush otherwise your face won’t look flawless.

The Beauty Blender has also cut my application time in half, it only takes a minute or two to put my foundation on and because the blender is damp I think it makes the application smoother regardless of which brand I use. I also find that I don’t need to use as much foundation on as it’s not getting sucked up into my brush.

I’m just back from a weekend away in Rome and I found the Beauty Blender to be super travel friendly, I just pop it into its little box and popped it into my bag and I was good to go, I didn’t have to think about what brushes would be best and because foundation brushes can be a bit bulky I didn’t have to worry about what size makeup bag to bring and when you’re on a Ryanair flight the less bulk in your bag the better.

I did have my own photos but they vanished on me

The Blender Cleanser Solid has also revolutionised how I clean brushes and the blender. To clean the sponge I just wet it and rub it into the Solid cleanser. It’s basically a bar of soap but works wonders for cleaning makeup off. You only need to rub the Blender into the solid for a little bit then to lather it I just squeeze it and massage the sponge with my hand and then rinse, I do this a few times till I see the water run clear. It’s not only great for cleaning you blender but cleaning you shadow brushes also. It makes the task of cleaning everything less of chore.The one problem I have is that the foundation does stain the sponge a little. 

You don’t have to go all the way to America to buy The Beauty Blender just check out their stockists for the UK and Ireland to see where you can buy it. It costs around €20 for the Blender and around €18 for the Solid, it might seem expensive to some but trust me when I say it will change the way you apply foundation forever.

Should I do a comparison of the Beauty Blender and the Real Techniques Blender?
Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

All About MEME – MEMEBox Special OMG3 #42 and Superbox #58 Lipstick Box

I had seen on Youtube a while back some beauty vloggers talking about Memebox, a Korean Beauty Box service, but it wasn’t until I had seen Leanne from Blather and Beauty do a few posts on it that I thought it would be something that I would be interested in.

Firstly unlike most beauty box companies you don’t have to sign up to Memebox on a rolling subscription, you can pick and choose from a different assortment of boxes so there isn’t any worry about making a commitment and then it not working out for you.

What I love about these boxes is that they contain beauty items that most of us have never heard of from Korea. Korean beauty products are becoming a lot more popular in the west as they are very good quality and also little quirky. The boxes are also pretty cheap compared to Glossybox or other subscription boxes, for one, you get full size items, I didn’t get any samples in my boxes and some of the products can be $20+.

 

In each box you get a card explaining the details of the product, the price and how to use it. You better keep these cards because if you’re not well up on your Korean you’ll be a little lost as all the products packaging is in Korean.

 

The First Box I received was the Superbox #58 Lipstick box. What drew me to this box was that I knew I was getting all lipsticks and as a lipstick junkie I knew this was going to be a good one.

I will say at first I was slightly disappointed in what I got. There were a few too many nude colours for my liking and also because I had never heard of the brands I felt I had nothing to get excited about, but I have actually grown to love everything in the box. After discovering that nudes do look good on me (click here to find out more) I did fall in love with all the colours and after reading up on the brands the excitement started to build.

The box contained 5 full sized lipsticks. In total the box contained $101worth of lipsticks, converted that’s €81 and seeing as I paid $33.99/€27.30 I am pretty pleased with what I got.

 

The second box I received was the Special #42 OMG3. I had heard how querky these boxes can be so I figured I’d try this one out. I received 5 full sized items, not all entirely odd but still I think I will get use out of at least 4 of the products.

I got a bar of soap in it which is a bit weird, I don’t know anyone who uses a bar of soap so this was definitely odd, it turns into a cleansing oil when you use it on the face so I might get use out of it, only time will tell. I then got a Donkey oil mist, which is a moisturising spray. It even says on the card that Cleopatra used donkey milk in her baths so if it was good enough for her than I can’t see why I won’t like it. It also has a lovely smell which is a bonus.

The Bee Venom and Honey cream was next, I’ve heard that Kate Middleton uses bee venom on her face so it can’t be that bad. This is a moisturiser, it takes a while to dry into your skin so if you have dry skin this would really suit you and even though I have oily skin it didn’t leave me greasy at all. I will probably use it more as a night cream as it is slightly too thick. After the lipstick box I’m sure I don’t need any more but they threw in the Tonymoly lip crayon which glows in the dark, I can’t wait to wear this one on a night out.

Finally they put in the Tosowoong Platinum Pore Tightening mask and as I’ve been on a mud mask buzz this was right up my alley. I’ve tried it a few times and after each go my pores have shrunk, it smells a bit funky but it works so it has a thumbs up from me. The box cost $35.99/€28.90 and has products worth $152/€122 honestly I’ve never come across a beauty box that gives so much.

 

Will I buy from Memebox again?? I think I will, they have some weird but wonderful products and the fact you get full sized items and the overall price is nearly triple of what you initially paid it really ticks all the boxes for me.

Find out more about Memebox HERE.

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

MAC Objects of Affection Pigments and Glitters - MAC Christmas 2014

Christmas is only a few weeks away so that means plenty of holiday collections from all our favourite brands. I took a quick walk through Brown Thomas last week and got a little side tracked in MAC and ended up buying 2 of the new Objects of Affection mini pigment kits.

The Objects of Affection kits are part of the 3 other collections for Christmas 2014; the two other collections for Christmas are The Heirloom Mix (single lipsticks, eyeshadows etc.) and the Keepsakes (palettes, brushes and bags). It was only released last weekend and I’ve a feeling this lot of these will sell out soon as there is something to suit everyone. 

There are 3 sets of colours to choose from in the Objects of Affection collection:

-Pink, Rose and Glitter

-Gold, Beige and Glitter

-Silver, Blue and Glitter

I chose the Pink and Gold pigments, I think they would suit me more than the blues from the other kit.

I’ve yet to fully test these out but just by swatching them I fell in love immediately. I used MAC Fix+ when swatching them, I think with pigments and especially the glitters you will need it, it will make them stick better to the lid and will also give an extra pop to the colours. When used with the gold glitter it made it look like liquid gold, it was just stunning.

As well as the colours being amazing the boxes are just gorgeous and can be used when for storing bits and pieces when you’re done with the pigments.

I can’t wait to fully test these out, they are perfect for Christmas and I’d say they will be on my eyes for at least one or two Christmas parties. I also think the price range is really good, these where only €35 each and you get 4 pigments and 1 glitter in each box and even though they are smaller than the single pigments they will last for a long time. A single MAC pigment will cost you €24.50-€25.00 so when you do the beauty math it works out as a bargain!

Have you tried any of the other pieces from the MAC Christmas Collections?  If you have let me know, a few of the Keepsake palettes have caught my eye and might have to come home with me!

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

Have I been Converted?? My New Nude Lip Love!

As you may know already I am a big fan of wines, burgundies, light reds, dark reds, basically all of the above. I love to have colour on my lips; they’re naturally a deep red anyway so it makes sense that I love a good red to enhance them. When it comes to nudes though I’ve never had the best of luck with them, they’ve never suited me and just made me look washed out so I’ve always tended to stay away from them. However this all changed recently when I was in the states. I had been to Sephora and bought one of their boxes with different samples of lipstick and as they had a few nudes in the box I thought I’d try them out and to my luck the colour suited me pretty perfectly!

In the box was Urban Decay and Buxom lippies, I wasn’t feeling the urban decay lipstick on its own but when paired with the Buxom Full On Lip Cream it really was a match made in heaven. What I didn’t know was that the gloss is plumping and while my lips don’t exactly need any plumping I did like the look it gave me. I then discovered that I had a Make Up For Ever Aqua Lip nude lip pencil in 3C, this made using the Urban Decay  Revolution lipstick in Nude on its own look that little bit better and because it’s a slightly more brownie nude it gives that Kylie Jenner type of lip. I’ve gotten so many compliments from people about this combination and I think I could actually be converted to loving nudes which I never thought I’d be able to say as a lover of a bit of red lippy.

I don’t think I will ever put my reds and pinks to the side but I like that I know can branch out and have a few more options now. There’s now a huge world of lipsticks out there for me to discover now which is possibly very dangerous for my bank account but sure YOLO!

Alexander Wang X H&M

This morning Alexander Wang launches his collection for H&M worldwide. In Dublin the collection can be bought exclusively at H&M on South King Street (just off Grafton Street) from 9am. I’m sure people have queued for hours to be some of the first people to get their hands on the Alexander Wang X H&M collection. Luckily for me I was invited to the launch of the collection last night and if last night is anything to go by there won’t be much left on the stands. The collection to me is sports chic and don’t expect any colour as pieces are mostly black or grey. As the collection is mainly one colour textures play a big part in the look. Scuba style fabric, leather and sporty type Lycra materials are prominent.

Some fabrics are breathable so if you do want to look fabulous in the gym while your sweating your arse off you can get some tanks and T’s as well as sports leggings, even boxing gloves are available all from €29.99.

If I’m honest I couldn’t see myself or the average Dubliner wearing the majority of this collection. However I did spot one or two pieces that I would have loved to take home with me but at the moment I just can’t justify spending the money.

(White top) This top was very popular and quickly flew off the shelves. It could be warn casual with leggings or dressed up with skinny jeans and heals but at €119 my brain won over my heart and I had to put it back. It’s also available in black.

The Wang Cropped Jumper was another popular item and I did buy this one. The cropped jumper available in grey or black was in a lot of people’s hands last night and I say this one will be a sell-out. It is made out of scuba material but not as stiff. At €49.99 this was a little more justifiable for myself and it was the only thing I bought out of the night.

I found a lot of the brighter colours more wearable and more eye catching. The designs in the black just seemed to get washed out and undefinable with everything being so dark. I also noticed a lot of the pieces looked much better online then in person which was a disappointment when I was walking around.

There is also a line for men which I had a look at, again everything was very similar to the women’s line but knowing typical Irish men I don’t think many will be buying it. The fabrics and designs just aren’t for the average meat and two veg kind of guy.

As we were leaving we received a gift bag containing a gorgeous coffee table book showing all the previous designer collections from over the years, I just need to get a coffee table now!

I’m sure it will be a sell-out but I can imagine the odd piece being left behind. You can see the full collection here.

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

Why So Winey?? - My Favourite wine lips and nails

Halloween maybe over but that’s no reason to give up the vampy look. If you’re a regular reader of my posts than you have you already know that I love dark reds and burgundy colours and it wasn’t till I was gathering all my favourite lipsticks and nail polishes that I realised that I have an awful lot of them and a lot of the same colour. My addiction has led to a constant battle to find the perfect shade of wine, I don’t think I’m even close to it which is most worrying.

Black Cherry

VaVa Violet

When it comes to autumn and winter I live for dark lips and nails, keep reading to find out some of my favourites.

I’ll start with the lips, a lot of these are super affordable and can be found in most drugstores apart from one or two.

Starting with 2 from the Revlon Super Lustrous collection we have Black Cherry and Va Va Violet. These are €10.69 each in Boots. The Black Cherry looks a bit brown from the photo but it is a proper wine colour in person, the Va Va Violet is more on the purple side of wine, this one is definitely vampier. They look like the exact same colour on screen but they are completely different.

Fusion

My posts wouldn’t be complete these days if it didn’t include Makeup Revolution and they do some amazing colours ranging from £1 - £3. This is from their matte lipstick collection in the colour Fusion. It looks like it will be super dark but it comes of more of a dark pink.

Vamp

Fuschia Makeup up next with their Classic Matte lipstick in Vamp, this is a red toned wine and is long wearing. You can get this for €13.50 at their stores in Swords and Drogheda.

I adore the Penneys PS Love Beauty range. I love this purple colour, they don’t have names on them but I think it’s still available in stores. This is an iridescent purple and costs €1.50.

The next two are from my American trip.

After Dark

The new Smashbox Be Legendary Long Wear Lip Lacquer in After Dark is becoming a regular on my lips these days. These are €24, I think I paid about the same amount in dollars so I got it for a tiny bit cheaper. It’s a brown hued purple, that lasts for ages and it’s glossy without being sticky.

Truffle

The final lip colour is from Bite Beauty. I wish I had got more of these colours as you can’t order them online anywhere other than Sephora which you can’t get delivered to Ireland so think I’ll just have to go back to the states because anything I have from Bite is just amazing. This is a Matte Crème Lip Crayon, when I think of vampy wines this is the colour I think of, it’s just perfect. The colour is in Truffle and cost $24.

Onto nails and I’m just going to blitz through these ones.

Revlon Perfumeries in Bordeaux, smells like a sweet berry - €8.99

Nails Inc. in Victoria, love this colour, it’s a proper dark blood wine colour - €16.75

Max Factor Gel Shine Lacquer in Sheen Merlot, new to my collection and I love it - €8.99

Tanya Burr in Riding Hood, this is a high gloss true red, not a wine but still a fave of mine - €6.49

Nails Inc. in The Vale, a dark plum colour - €16.75

Collection Lasting Gel Colour in Vixen Red, my favourite gel nail polish and most affordable - €3.99

Formula X in Ignite, this comes out darker than it looks and last for ages. I’ll be stocking up on these next time I’m in America - $10.50

Rimmel 60 Seconds x Rita Ora in Rita Rouge. Love these polishes and this colour is a lovely dark wine - €3.99

When I’m not in the wine mood but still want something wintery and dark I go for the following colours.

Wet N Wild Mega Rocks in Jam Session, it’s great on its own or on top of any colour to give it a sparkle – I think these are around €2.99

Barry M Gelly Hi Shine polishes in Chilli, a great autumnal terracotta colour- €5.99

Tanya Burr in Midnight Sparkles, a sparkly purple - €6.49

Catrice Ultimate Nail Lacquer in Genius in the bottle, I think this was in a special collection but I love the metallic colours - €3.99 I think.

NYC Expert Last polish in Money Never Sleeps, a gorgeous metallic dark green – again I can’t remember the price but definitely under €4.

The sad thing is that this is that I haven’t showed you all of my favourite colours there are still plenty of others in my collection and it’s still growing.

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo