Latest In Beauty - Get The Gloss Beauty Insider Kit

Thursday felt like a proper beauty box kind of day. Firstly I ordered the Givenchy – The British Beauty Blogger Edit Box and picked up my Get the Gloss Beauty Insider Kit from Parcel Motel.

I had ordered my first box from them a few months ago (The British Beauty Blogger Dream Box 2) and was really impressed with it, the box was literally bursting. The best thing about Latest In Beauty is that unlike most beauty box companies they aren’t a subscription service. Boxes usually cost around £16-£19 and come with some amazing well known products.

The Get The Gloss – Beauty Insiders Kit comes with 9 products for £19.95.

Eyeko Skinny Liquid Liner - £12

I’ve never bought anything from Eyeko before, I’ve always been tempted but never managed to get myself to a counter to buy one. I’m not the best when it comes to liner but I do always seem to do a bit better with pens like this so fingers crossed I don’t look like a panda afterwards.

Glamglow Supermud £15 for 10g or £45 for 30g

I bought the full size Supermud back in September and have been loving it ever since. I have such porous skin so popping it on my face every now and then keeps everything in check. It’ll be handy having a travel sized version.

Laura Mercier foundation Primer - £17.40 for 30ml or £29 for 50ml

This is probably the main reason I bought the box. I’ve been wanting to try this primer for ages after hearing so much good things about it. The size you get is 30ml which is a fairly decent sized tube.

Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate - £20 for 10ml or £60 for 30ml

If I’m honest I hadn’t a clue what this is when I first got it, I have found that it is a facial serum and from the sounds of it it’s a really good one. I’ve just started a new facial serum so when that’s empty I’ll be giving this one a go.

Therapie Roques Oneil Cherish Skin Repair Serum - £6.00 for 30ml or £44 for 200ml

From what I’ve read this is more of an oil based serum for any part of the body that needs rejuvenation. Seemingly good for stretch marks too. I don’t think I have anything like this in my collection so I’m sure I’ll get use out of it.

Daniel Sandler Concealer Brush - £12.25

I love his Watercolour Blushes and you can never have too many brush. I’d usually put on my concealer with my Beauty Blender but I think this will be better for targeting specific areas.

2 Essie Nail Laquer - £6.00 for 2 (5ml) or £16 for 2 (13.5ml)

In the box you receive Sheerling Darling (wine) and Parka Perfect (grey), both are from the 2013 winter collection. I’ll definitely get a use out of these guys, I really love these kind of colours.

Balance Me Radiance Face Oil - £15 for 10ml

I love facial oils, even though I have oily skin I apply it in the morning and at night. It doesn’t make me any oilier during the day but it does keep my skin more hydrated. I’ve 2 oils on the go at the moment so this will have to take a back seat until they’re used up.

James Read Sleep Mask Tan – 25ml for £12.50 or 50ml for £25

I’m really intrigued by this product, it’s an overnight mask that moisturises the skin through the night and also develops a tan. I’m still embracing my winter paleness but I can see myself using this in the summer.

The total of the box comes to £116.15, I’m bowled over by that figure especially as I spent £19.95 on it.

Latest in Beauty don’t deliver direct to the Republic so I get it delivered through Parcel Motel.

The box is still on sale and only takes a few days for it to get delivered. I highly recommend it, with added postage and the exchange it worked out at €32 which is still a bargain as the box is worth €155.

Have you received boxes from Latest In Beauty before?? Would you buy one of these boxes?? Let me know.

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

Tanya Burr Individual Lashes

I’m a big fan of Tanya Burr and when she came out last year with her lip gloss and nail varnish I was all over them like a rash. I love seeing other bloggers branch with new ventures like this but all the while still staying true to themselves and not selling out.

After a successful launch of her lip gloss and nail varnishes Tanya launched her own range of lashes. I don’t always wear lashes but when I do I love really fluttery ones that look natural while at the same time giving you volume and depth. I ordered some of her individual lashes and gave them a go the other week. I ordered mine off Feel Unique, I accidently ordered 2 packs, which where €6.32 each.

In the pack they come with clear glue and 3 different sized lashes – long, medium and short.

I usually use Duo glue to apply any of my lashes, it’s a handy one to have in your collection but it smells like rotten fish, it’s revolting. Luckily the glue in the pack has no obnoxious smell and actually works really well. It is clear liquid glue and I used the little stick to pop a little onto the back of my hand. I have sensitive eyes so I was a little apprehensive to put anything new near my eyes but they didn’t sting or agitate them in anyway. I used all 3 sizes which gave me the look I wanted.

I prefer to use individual lashes then the strips, I always find that after a few hours into my nights out that the strips will start to come away and with individual lashes you can build them up to get perfect look for you want, also if one pops off your look won’t look completely ruined.

So here’s the 411:

- They’re long lasting

-Reusable

-The glue is fast drying
-They’re suitable for sensitive eyes
-They aren’t badly priced

So with all that said will I buy them again?? If I’m honest I probably won’t. I’m used to my Ardell Individual lashes and they have a slightly better quality, they look that little bit more natural than the Tanya Burr lashes, hers are slightly plastic looking.

I do like them and I will use the ones I have but Ardell have stolen my heart. I will however be buying more of her Lip Glosses and Nail Varnishes, in fact I already have and I can’t fault her on them one bit.

Have you tried her strip lashes? Do you think they sound like the same quality?? Let me know what you think!

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

NeoStrata Foaming Glycolic Wash

As a blogger you get sent a lot of beauty goodies or pick them up at events (which I’m so grateful for), but a lot of the time I know they won’t suit me or fit in to my current routine so most of the things I get go into my blogger drawer which contains samples and full sized products I have yet to test out. A month or so back I reorganised the contents and came across the NeoStrata Foaming Glycolic Wash, it was in there for months and I’m raging that I didn’t try it sooner because this stuff is amazing.

It’s a foaming cleanser that strips your makeup off, exfoliates your skin, as well as unclogging your pores.

From the first time of using the facial wash I could instantly notice my pores had shrunk, which I had only ever seen from using facial masks. Pores are a big thing for me so anything that can shrink them into oblivion I’m all for. I only properly noticed that they were no longer there when I had forgotten to put my Benefit Porefessional on my face one morning. I usually can’t leave the house without it or my nose would be a holy mess, to my surprise my skin looked as perfect as it does when I usually have the primer on.

The product comes out like a foam which I rub between my hands and massage into my skin.

Another benefit of the foam was that it made my skin super smooth due to the glycolic acid in it, I now only exfoliate my skin once a week rather than every few days.

Don't hate the bunny onesie, this is me in all my night time glory and yes it does make me look like a giant baby :)

I am still a bit worried if I should be using it on a daily basis though as It does contain glycolic acid and lactobionic acid, it could just be the sound of acid making me wary of it but so far my skin is agreeing to it. However if you have any kind of cut or broken skin I would steer clear of it until it is healed. It feels like the gates of hell are opening on your face as the foam goes into your skin, the pain does go away very quickly though but for that second or two you will scream like a baby. Also if your face is in anyway sensitive I wouldn’t use it and it isn’t a cleanser that you can put near your eyes as well as the rest of your face so you’ll need to cleanse those areas separately.

Before on the left and After on the right. I use the Ziaja Sensitive Skin Micellar Water to remove my eye makeup. 

It is a little pricey but I definitely think it’s worth it, especially if you suffer from very large pores. It costs €24.95 and you can purchase NeoStrata in most pharmacies or on dolledup.ie

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

London Beauty Haul - Primark & Kiko

Last weekend I went off to London for a girl’s weekend, I thought I would have bought a lot more but the exchange rate killed me. I won’t show everything I got but here are a few of the makeup pieces I bought.

Firstly I went to Kiko, twice actually, the one in Westfield and the one in Regents Street. I’d never been to any Kiko so I might have gone slightly over board and there was a sale on but I think I could have done a lot more damage if I had more money.

In the Westfield store I picked up a few shadows, they didn’t have a great selection but when I went to Regent Street they had loads on offer, annoyingly they had things on sale in Regent Street that I paid full price for in Westfield. I can’t understand why stores do that!

The Clic shadows where £2.80 each, so I picked up 9 of them, I also got the palette to pop them in which was £4.50. The qualities of these shadows are amazing for the price, so pigmented and not chalky at all. I also picked up two of their Water Eye shadows which are just like the NARs Dual Infinity shadows which where £4.40 and can be used wet or dry.

I also got 3 of the Colour-Up Long Lasting Shadow Sticks which where £3.00 each and I’m loving them at the moment, they literally last all day and they are highly pigmented.

I thought I would go mental in Selfridges but the lack of pounds really put a stop to that. Luckily Primark was there to save me! They have so many new products that you can’t get here in Ireland; I really hope they come to our shores ASAP.

I picked up 3 lip pencils a nude, pink and a red, they’re not too creamy but they give great colour and make the lippies last for a good while, they’re a bargain at £1.00 each. I also got 2 of their Liquid Lipsticks (£2.00 each), one swipe and you have an amazing amount of colour, they are definitely one for a summers day with no wind though as your hair will be stuck to your lips like glue. They have powder blushes in loads of different colours but I chose to get the Blush Stick, I haven’t tried this one out yet but when I swatched it on my wrist it does give a nice peachy colour. The winner of the bunch has to be the Deep Colour Ultra Shine Lipsticks, I wish I picked up more but I got the nude shade and I am in love with this, it hasn’t been off my lips at all, out of everything I bought I really hope these come to our Penneys and they were only £1.50.

I had seen so much I wanted to buy but I had to restrain myself, luckily I’m back in London in July just in time for IMATs so I might start saving for that now so I won’t leave anything behind.

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

Urban Decay Perversion and Subversion Mascara Review

I have a bit of an addiction when it comes to mascaras and when a new one comes out I love to get my hands on it. I bought the new Perversion mascara from Urban Decay when it first came out back in September so I’ve had a good few months of testing this sucker out to see if it’s any good.

I bought mine in Sephora and it came with a mini Subversion mascara primer which came out at the same time as the Perversion mascara.

The Perversion mascara claims to give volume and extreme blackness as well as being super creamy. I would say it is very creamy, in fact it is still just as wet as when I bought it; it hasn’t dried up even a little which others would after a few months.

It is one of the blackest mascaras that I have tried before but in terms of volume I would say it’s average. I have a love for volume mascaras and there are a few budget friendly ones in my collection that can do the job just as good.

What saves it from being average mascara is combining it with the Subversion primer. The primer is white and strengthens your lashes. I haven’t noticed too much of a difference in terms of the quality of my lashes from before I started using it but it definitely helps extending the volume of the mascara and it holds the volume in place all day. I’ve tried the primer with other mascaras and it works the same with other brands too.

Even though it is a long wearing mascara it is really easy to come off, it also doesn’t smudge so it is bottom lash friendly too.

The more layers you pop on the longer your lashes will look. Even though it’s a thick brush it doesn’t clump your lashes and is very good at separating them.

The Perversion mascara probably won’t be a rebuy but I would consider buying the Subversion primer again.

You can get them at any Urban Decay counter, the Perversion mascara will set you back €21 and the Subversion primer is €18.

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

Primark/Penneys - PS Love This Make-up Brush Cleanser

Last week I started to see the new PS Love This Makeup Brush Cleaner from Penneys pop up on my Instagram and Facebook. With all the buzz from it and good things I was hearing about it I knew I needed to try it out.

The first few times I went into Penneys they were all sold out but luckily I found some in the Mary’s Street branch in Dublin, I obviously wasn’t the only one to be drawn in by all the buzz. At only €2.50 per bottle it’s hard not to see why they wouldn’t be snapped up.

The bottles have a spray applicator and come in a cute little black bottle with 125ml of product in each bottle. It is an alcohol based cleaner, suitable for synthetic and natural bristled brushes. The spray isn’t perfumed and smells a little bit like windowlene, so if you have a sensitive nose it might be a little irritating.

I filmed a little video of myself cleaning the brushes with a mix of natural and synthetic brushes to see how it worked on them. I obviously wasn’t using very dark colours the last week so as some of them weren’t that dirty.

The directions on the back of the bottle tell you to spray the brush and wipe it into a paper towel. I tried spraying directly onto the brush first but found later that spraying the paper towel helped clean the makeup off the brush a bit better.

The spray did help get the dirt off the brushes but I think I would still have to do a deep clean after 2 weeks. I think this cleaner would be good for when you’re in between deep cleans.

The brushes dry extremely fast, you would be able to use them again within minutes. If you’re an MUA starting out or have a load of brushes like me this would be really good to have in your collection.

This is a good one to have in your bag but I won’t be retiring my Beauty Blender Solid or baby shampoo any time soon.

Keep an eye out for them in any good Penneys/Primark as I’m sure they’ll be off the shelves soon.

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

"If you go Into The Woods today your sure of a big surprise" - Into The Woods Review

I’m going to start off by saying I don’t like musicals; they’re always too chirpy and tend to wreck my head by the time I get half way through them. Saying all that I was pretty excited to see Into The Woods and had an idea it was going to be good with such an array of names in the cast. The cast is pretty impressive with Meryl Streep, Anna Kendrick, James Cordon, Emily Blunt, Chris Pine, and Johnny Depp topping the billing.

If you grew up like me loving Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood and the rest of the gang then you will love Into the Woods. A mixture of the Brothers Grimm stories, this Disney musical is the business and one for all the family.

I had no idea this was a Broadway musical first but as I said I’m not big into musicals so I’m sure that’s why it passed me by.  Like any Disney movie there has to be a few catchy songs thrown in the mix and Into The Woods doesn’t disappoint although noting as catchy as Let It Go, but I was singing the main song all the way home.

The main storyline involves a baker and his wife who long for a child discover a curse had been put on them by the local witch, to lift the curse need to go into the woods to get a number of items before the next blue moon. To get these items they come across Red Riding Hood, Jack and his beanstalk, Cinderella and Rapunzel who all have their own sub plots throughout the movie.

The singing wasn’t annoying at all which I was so happy about and probably made the comedic value of the movie even better. By far my favourite scenes where any of the ones involving Chris Pine (Prince Charming), not just because of his obvious good looks but because the comedic value of his character, he’s also a surprisingly good singer.

Chris Pine as Prince Charming

The only thumbs down I will give the movie involve the Wolf character played by Johnny Depp. I’m one of these people who listen intently to lyrics and I was a bit off putted by some of the content as they came across a bit sexual, “Look at that flesh, Pink and plump. Hello, little girl...Tender and fresh” a few people sitting around me seemed to notice the same content as well. It would go over a child’s head but as an adult it was just a bit cringe worthy.

Johhny Depp as The Wolf

If you like musicals and movies like Sweeny Todd then you will love this, it’s the perfect movie for the family definitely getting the thumbs up from me. Into The Woods is released today (9th January) across Ireland and the UK.

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

2014 Beauty Awards

Welcome to my 2014 Beauty Awards.

This is the Beauty Blunder Awards of my absolute favourite products I’ve loved this year. There has been some amazing new launches this year which has made it very hard to whittle the list down, I’ve also included a lot of cult classics in the mix.

So without further ado here are the winners – Drumroll Please!!

Best Overall Brand – Makeup Revolution

I don’t think I have been addicted to a brand like Makeup Revolution in a long time if ever. It ticks so many boxes for me – they constantly introduce new lines of products, the range of products they have on offer is amazing and the price above everything else is incomparable. I’m sure they’ll be my favourite throughout 2015 also.

 

Best Lipstick – Wet N Wild Megalast

I have a bit of an addiction when it comes to these lipsticks, I’ve lost count of how many I have of them. I love their staying power and have compared them to the matte Mac lipsticks in the past and because they’re so cheap I love to bring them on a night out so if I do end up losing one then it wouldn’t be as tragic as losing one of my more expensive lipsticks. If you haven’t tried them yet I would urge you to go out and get some!

Best Nail Polish – Wet N Wild Megalast

Apart from their Megalast lipsticks the Wet N Wild Megalast varnishes have been my favourite new find this year from Wet N Wild. The formula, brush, staying power, colour range, brush and price tick all the boxes when it comes to nail varnishes. I love to do my nails but when it comes to taking it off I’m very lazy so having a nail varnish that last for pretty much the whole week is way up my lazy street.

Best Shadow Palette – Maybelline The Nudes

It annoys me a little that I’m picking a palette that can only be bought in the US. If the rumours are true it will be released to the UK & Ireland in 2015 and fingers cross it does because you won’t be disappointed when you guys try it! There are 12 shades in the palette of matte and shimmers. The pigmentation you can get with or without primer is pretty impressive for such a budget palette. You can get so many looks from this palette, well worth the buy if it comes to our shores.

Best Mascara – Bourjois Une Seconde Volume Mascara

I feel like I’ve gone on and on about this mascara since its release. I’ve compared it to the Benefit They’re Real Mascara as it is super black and lasts for hours but unlike the Benefit mascara it is a lot easier to remove and is a fraction of the price. It has a big brush, with little tiny balls attached to make sure each and every strand is reached, even the little tiny hairs that some brushes don’t get. If you’re in the market for a new mascara this one is worth every penny.

Best Primer – Benefit The Porefessional

My face is like an oil slick some time so every little helps when it comes to sticking foundation to my face, I’ve also very large pores which can be as visible as the craters on the moon. At the moment the only thing that seems to be doing the job is The Porefessional, my makeup sticks and my pores are concealed (and the little lines too). I’ve yet to actually buy a full tube of this primer, samples and deluxe samples keep coming across my path and they last that long that I’ve never had the need to buy one, but when I do buy one at least I know it does the job.

Best Liner – Urban Decay 24/7

I have gels, liquids, pens and everything in between but when it comes to liners I always go for a Kohl pencil and there’s no better than the Urban Decay 24/7 pencils. Perversion or Smoke are my favourite ones. I also love kohl’s because I’m shit at doing winged liner so liquids and gels aren’t always an option when I’m running out the door in the morning.

Best foundation – Revlon Colourstay

I always go for matte foundations and I find this the best one. I stocked up on a few of the Colourstays when I was in the states as they were only $9.99 but €17.99 here so I’ve a good few to get through. It has a buildable coverage so depending what way I want my foundation that day it caters to my mood. It has been the most consistent foundation as well, working well with my skin and working well with any type of brush I use, the colours are also perfect matches for my skin.

Best Skincare - Glamglow Supermud

I don’t really have a favourite bit of skincare like moisturiser or cleanser but I do love face masks. This year I finally got my hands on the Glamglow Super Mud and I’m super happy I did. As a girl with craters for pores this stuff has really helped reduce them. It pulls all the gunk out and closes up the pores. It is pricey but I’ve gotten so many masks out of it and I’m not even half way through my tub yet so the more I get out of it the cheaper it becomes.

Best Bronzer - Matte Bronze Powder

I didn’t like my MAC bronzer at the start but the more it gets closer to the pan the better it looks on the skin. It’s not to brown or too red it’s just that perfect middle bronze colour.

Best Highlighter - Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector

I love a good highlight and my favourite is the Becca Shimmering skin Perfector in Opal. It’s a gorgeous champagne highlight that just makes the cheeks pop. This one isn’t an everyday highlight, I keep this one for nights out as it’s a bit more expensive than my everyday highlights.

Best Brow Products - Anastasia Beverly Hills

Give me anything Anastasia Beverly Hills and I will love it. I have a few of their products and I love them all. The Brow Wiz is my favourite though, it fills in the brows giving light hair like strokes to give a natural look and if you want you can go a bit heavier to give a more sculpted look. I use Soft brown for the front of my brows and use Dark Brown on the ends.

Best Concealer - Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

I love my MAC Pro Longwear concealer but after finally getting my hands on the Collection Lasting perfection concealer this year it has really been my go to concealer in the mornings. Apart from being super cheap it gives a full coverage that lasts all through the day.

Best Beauty Tool - Beauty Blender Original 

This has been the best beauty buy of the year. I love the beauty blender, it makes applying foundation and concealer so easy. It gives an airbrushed finish that I never could have achieved with a normal foundation brush. Definitely worth the money!

Best Powder - MAC Studio Fix

Not only does this act as a powder but it is also heavy enough to be a foundation. I have tried it on its own as a foundation but it didn't work for me, while my skin is clear it just made my pores incredibly visible. As a powder though it is perfect, I only need to apply it in the morning and i'm done for the day and with my oily skin that is a success.

Best Fragrance - Victoria's Secret Bombshell

I love the VS perfumes but think they are so expensive so I always go for their sprays. They're just as fragrant but a fraction of the cost. Bombshell is my absolute favourite, it reminds me a little of the Abercrombie and Fitch aftershave but more girly. It's one of those fragrances that gives you live when you spray it on.



So that is my long list of beauty favourites from the year of 2014. I can't wait to see what 2015 has in store for me, i've already found a few favourites so I can imagine it will be a bigger list next year!!

Thanks for reading.

Let me know what your favourites have been.

Love Sarah xoxo