P.S Love Lip Gloss - Penneys/Primark

Penneys have just blown my mind in the last few months with the release of some amazing hair and beauty products all under their P.S Love range. Years ago I looked down on Penneys beauty products; you’d be afraid of what you’d be putting on your skin and if you might break out with a hive or rash. Luckily in the last few years they have come out with some pretty impressive products and at super cheap rates.

I picked this gloss up a few weeks ago and have worn it a few times and have been really impressed by it. What’s more impressive is the price, hold on to your knickers for this one, this little amazing gloss will set you back .90cent.

I usually hate glosses, I think it’s because I always end up wearing them on a windy day with my hair down and long hair, wind and gloss just doesn’t mix at all!!

The quality of the gloss is really good, I’ve tried many others in the past that have cost a lot more and I’d probably go for this one over them in an instant. Firstly it’s not a sticky texture; it feels creamier on the lips. It’s really pigmented and leaves a slight stain on your lips so if you’re eating or drinking you still have colour on your lips.

I can’t remember if there are other colours but the next time I’m perusing the makeup section in Penneys I’ll pick more up.

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

Oscars Red Carpet 2015

Good Morning Boys and Girls!!

The Oscars have to be my favourite red carpet event of the year. Unlike the Emmy’s or SAG awards the Oscars always have a bit more of an elegant vibe when it comes to the fashion. I expect the highest of fashion and the most amazing looking gowns that even Cinderella herself would die for!

Looking through last nights red carpet looks it doesn’t look like there where too much catastrophes but I still found some that didn’t float my red carpet boat.

Let’s start with my favourites of the night:

Emma Stone looks stunning in this Elie Saab gown, it goes perfectly with her skin tone. This girl can do no wrong on the red carpet I’ve loved all her looks from this red carpet season.

I haven’t loved Kiera Knightly’s looks too much this red carpet season, she’s still trying to keep her style while pregnant but I think last night’s look was perfect on her. The Valentino gown wouldn’t suit everyone but she styled her bump perfectly. 

Can Tom Forde do any wrong?? This gown is just perfection, it’s so simple and Reese looks stunning in it, it shapes her curves perfectly. Sometimes the simplest dresses are my favourites.

Meryl Streep can literally do no wrong for me. She’s just so glamorous for her age and really knows how to dress for it. I hate seeing women on the red carpet trying to dress like some of girls that are half their age (Yeah I’m looking at you Madonna). Mrs. Streep is wearing a custom designed Lanvin dress and blazer.

Another amazing Elie Saab gown, this time on the stunning Jennifer Lopez. When I think of the Oscar’s I think of gowns like this one. She left her makeup and styling to a minimum making it all about the dress. This is just perfection for me, I’m sure it helps when you look like Jlo but I would love a gown like this.

I can’t believe I’m saying this but Rita Ora actually looks amazing, she got the Oscar memo and she stuck to it. This navy Marchesa dress with gold accents on it is probably the best I have ever seen her. Unfortunately that didn’t last till the after party where she wore the below dress.  

Ok so onto the dresses that I didn't like. There aren't many dresses but these are the ones that caught my attention.

I like this Atelier Versace dress but it’s just not blowing me away. ScarJo has looked so much better in the past that I expect much more of her. That necklace doesn’t help matters either. 

I know she got a major snub for an Oscar nomination but if that was the case with me I’d want to be centre of attention on the red carpet. The dress is nice but it looks like something she already had in the wardrobe and just through it on. It’s a lovely Versace dress but it doesn’t scream Oscars for me.

Where to start with this Louis Vuitton number on Nicole Kidman? It’s shocking looking, just shocking. Yellowish sequences, like I just can’t even fathom why anyone would think this looks good.

Finally we have Lady Gaga doing the dishes. In a custom Azzedine Alaïa, I’m not sure if the gloves came with it or not but they look like something you’d clean the dishes with or gut some fish. The dress itself though is nice but the gloves are just ruining the whole outfit!

What do you guys think of my picks?

Let me know what you think!

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

Max Factor Creme Puff Blush Review

The Max Factor Crème Puff Blushes have been out a few weeks now. They are baked multi-tonal blushes that are different to anything I’ve tried before. I’ve seen them compared to the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes by other beauty bloggers, I don’t have any of them in my collection but they definitely look similar to them.

What makes these different to your average blush is that they are multi-functional, you can use them to contour and as a highlighter – I even used one as a bronzer at one stage. It’s a buildable formula and really pigmented so for me a little goes a long way.

I have 3 colours from the collection, 05 Lovely Pink, 10 Nude Mauve and 30 Gorgeous Berries. All colours are very wearable and would suit many skin tones. I’m extremely pale so some of the colours come off more pigmented on my skin tone. They’re really blendable and with spring coming up they really brighten up the skin and give a great glow.

I’ve mostly been using the Nude Mauve colour; I use it as part of my contouring and really creates structure to the face. I pop it on my cheek bones and a little on my temples and it makes such a difference to my face.

When I’ve used the Gorgeous Berries colour I found it really pigmented, just one tap of my brush onto the blush and it gives a huge amount of colour, luckily they are super blendable and it doesn’t leave me looking like Noddy.

The Lovely Pink colour is a very pale pink; it gives a small amount of colour but leaves a lovely highlight to the cheek bones.

There are 6 colours in the range, Alluring Rose, Gorgeous Berries, Lavish Mauve, Lovely Pink, Nude Mauve and Seductive Pink.  The new Max Factor Crème Puff Blush retail for €11.49 and I think they are on offer at the moment in Boots for 3 for 2.

Thanks for Reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

I Choo Choo Choose You - Valentines Day Makeup

 With Valentine’s Day tomorrow I thought I’d put together a little post for you guys. Valentine’s Day is probably one of my favourite days of the year, even though my boyfriend and I don’t do anything over the top. We’ve been 9 years together so we’re over the need to have big over the top presents, instead we opt for a more low key option and this year I’ll be cooking his favourite meal and watching Sopranos.

Even though we’ll be having a laid back evening I’ll still want to look good, so this is the look I’ll be going for. I like to think of it as soft glamour. I’ve gone for a smoky eye and red lip but have cut out the heavy contouring that I would usually do for a special occasion, I’ve also used a very sheer foundation.

For the foundation I used Rimmel BB Matte cream in light and just applied it with my hands.

While I wasn’t properly contouring I still wanted my skin to look bright and glowing so I used the MaybellineInstant Anti-Age Eraser. I applied it under my eyes, the centre of my nose, chin and forehead and blended it into my skin with a beauty blender.

For the eyes I used my new Jaclyn Hill Favourites palette – I used matte brown shades on the crease, metallic light gold and copper on the lid. You could really use any type of shadows, I’ve been loving the new YSL palette and Wet N Wild have some great smoky eye palettes too.

I'm absolutely cack when it comes to my wing, it turned out just about ok for the pictures, I had to clean it up with concealer but it worked out ok in the end. I started to use the Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama gel liner but it wasn’t working for me so I switched over to the Stilla Stay All Day Liquid Liner which I have been loving recently. After that I applied some Ardell lashes, I don’t have the packaging of them anymore so I’m not sure which type they are but they wing out more at the end which I love in a lash. For mascara I used the Maxfactor Masterpiece Glamour Extensions mascara (not out till March) and the for Kohl liner I used my Buxom Hold the Line Liner.

To powder I used the Rimmel Lasting Finish Powder. I put a light amount of the Soap and Glory Solar Powder Bronzer and on the cheeks I used my new favourite blush the Maxfactor Crème Puff Blush in Nude Mauve. As it’s a special occasion it’s only right to use my special occasion highlighter, the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector pressedpowder in Opal.

For lips I lined them with the red lip liner from Penneys (only €1.50), and popped over my favourite red the Kate Moss matte in 107. I popped some of the highlighter on my cupids bow and in the centre of my lips I used the Smashbox Be Legendary gloss in Pout. Probably not the best option if you think you’ll be smooching your fella all night so maybe go for a nude or a long lasting matte red.

It’s a simple look and even though its glam it’s not too over the top and if I believe what my Boyfriend says than guys don’t like a face full of make up so I think this is just perfect.

Thanks for reading, let me know what you think in the comments.

Love Sarah xoxo

Herbal Essences Dry Shampoo

I’m always wary of new dry shampoos that come out onto the market; I had such a disaster with the Garnier Ultimate Blends ones that came out last year that I haven’t strayed too far from my old reliable Batiste. I thought I’d give these new Herbal Essences and see if they come up to my high dry shampoo standards.

There are 3 bottles in the new range – Ignite My Colour, Uplifting Volume and Clearly Naked. Each bottle has its own unique scent so you don’t just get fresh looking hair, it also smells fresh too – Ignite My Colour leaves you smelling like you’ve just stepped out of a salon.

Ignite My Colour is suitable for all kinds of coloured hair as it doesn’t leave your hair looking chalky like some other dry shampoos. I had seen it being used on Kathleen who has gorgeous dark locks and it sprayed on clear, not a hint of chalkiness at all.

Uplifting Volume definitely does was it says on the can. I would use one of the other two dry shampoos first though, I found that using one of the other bottles to take the initial greasy look out of my hair and spritzing the Uplifting Volume into my hair gave it that boost that you need, especially in the morning when your hair is flat as a pancake from your pillow. Think of this one as backcomb in a bottle.

I was drawn immediately to Clearly Naked and it’s my favourite out of the bunch. This one did make my hair go white when I sprayed it in but it disappeared once I combed it out, as I’ve blonde hair I can’t be too sure if it leaves any white residue in darker hair.

This picture was taken on Sunday; I hadn’t washed my hair since the Thursday so my hair was pretty rank and stuck to my head by that stage. I sprayed my hair with Clearly Naked, a little at a time, usually with my Batiste I’ll spray nonstop but with these dry shampoos it’s best to go slow and spray then massage in to your head and then spray a bit more. Once I’m done spraying I leave it in my hair for a minute or two just so any oils get soaked into the spray before I brush it out. My hair was still looking a bit flat so I popped a bit of the Uplifting Volume into it and it gave me my just the right amount of boost I needed.

I really liked these dry shampoos; they’re definitely up there with my favourite dry shampoo Batiste. The bottles come in two sizes and cost €1.99 to €3.99 (RRP) and can be found in all good stores and pharmacies.

*I attended the P&G Beauty Showcase a few weeks ago and was kindly gifted the new Herbal Essences Dry Shampoo range. If you’re a regular to my blog you’ll know that if I don’t like a product I will say it so if I really didn’t like these dry shampoos you’d know all about it!

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dupes??

Since I first tried Anastasia Beverly Hills brow products I instantly fell in love with them, whether it’s their Brow Powder, Brow Wiz or Dip Brow Pomade, using one of them at a time or sometimes all 3 at once I just love them. They are my Holy Grail brow products but Holy Grail as they are, they are also super expensive so I am always on the lookout for something just as good quality and an acceptable price tag.

If you’re an avid reader of Beauty Blunders, you might have also noticed that another brand I love is Makeup Revolution, so when I had seen that they released a new brow pen and brow cream I knew I had to try them and see if they compared in any way to the Brow Wiz and the Dip Brow Pomade.

I’ll start off with the Ultra Aqua brow tint; I had really high hopes for this cream. All the pictures I had seen showed really defined brows so I figured it would be just like the Dipbrow Pomade. While the product is really pigmented it just didn’t have the same effect as the Dipbrow and I would still have to put a pencil through my brows to fill the rest in. I can’t fault the price though £3.00/€3.79 so I can’t be too disappointed with it not coming up to scratch against the Dipbrow.

(Left) Ultra Brow Arch & Shape - More Defined
(Right) Ultra Aqua Brow tint - Less defined

The next brow product I tried was the Dual Ultra Brow Arch and Shape. So this wasn’t an exact match to the ABH Brow Wiz but I did find myself picking it up more than my Brow Wiz. It has a pencil top like the Brow Wizz but it’s waxier which is great for keeping any stray hairs in place, at the other end there is a felt marker tip that gives a faint tint. I don’t really use the felt tip end, I mostly use the pencil end and when I do I always go a bit heavier then needed and comb it out with a spoolie as it removes and excess leaving the perfect amount. While this isn’t exactly like the Brow Wizz it does look more like the Soap and Glory Brow Archery pencil which I also have, but I would say this is so much better and cheaper too at £3.50/€4.42. I think this one will be a repurchase for me; it’s probably one of the best budget pencils I’ve ever used.

So I haven’t found any dupes for my favourite Anastasia Beverly Hills products yet but the search is still on. If you are in the market for a budget friendly brow product that lasts all day then I would really recommend the Makeup Revolution Brow Dual Ultra Arch and Shape.

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

January Favourites

I’m so glad January is over, it just felt like it would never end for me. Nothing ever really happens, the weather is always awful and this month I was just so unorganised and had serious writers block that I was barely hitting more than 1 post a week. Luckily I feel like I’ve gotten my blogging mojo back and hopefully you’ll be seeing a more posts up during the week.

The first few weeks of January where pretty slow, I did spend most of it reorganising my makeup which meant coming across a lot of stuff that I hadn’t tried in a while. If you’ve a big enough collection of makeup I’d really recommend it because I’ve started to use products again that I haven’t in a good while. I also got rid of a lot of old makeup that dried up and went out of date.

The last 2 weeks of January I started to get back into blogging and getting really motivated about it. A lot of new products are starting to come out which I get really excited about and I also went to a few product launches too so it’s all given me motivation and a lot of ideas for new posts.

Now that we're over January lets take a look at what i've been loving last month:

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade:

I had been on such a Brow Wiz buzz during December that I neglected most of my other brow products. When I was reorganising my makeup I decided to start using it again. I go through fazes of loving really sculpted brows and then going to a more natural look. At the moment I’m trying something in between and it’s working out so far.

Bunny Cotton Bud Holder:

Back in December I bought this little bunny in boots. You stuff its bum with cotton buds until there’s one popping out. I keep mine on top of my dresser. I’ve also found a new love for cotton buds, they’re so much better for cleaning my makeup and nail varnish off, I don’t think I’ll be buying cotton pads in a long time, they seem so rough compared to the buds. I’m not sure if they still sell it in Boots but they have a version in Tiger for €3.00.

Buxom Hold The Line Liner

I know it’s just a black pencil liner but it’s actually really good. I’ve been using the Urban Decay 24/7 Perversion pencil but after using the Buxom liner the urban decay liner has been put to the back of the drawer. It’s a long wearing waterproof liner that doesn’t smudge or budge throughout the day. It glides on like a gel and is super black and as a contact lens wearer it doesn’t transfer onto the lens which happens an awful lot with the UD liner.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipstick – Pure Hollywood

I bought 3 of these liquid lipsticks back at the start of January and as the other 2 colours are darker I’ve been wearing Pure Hollywood nonstop as it a gorgeous nude so it’s a bit more wearable during the day. I’m going to try and wear the other colours more but for now Pure Hollywood is my absolute favourite and I think I’ll have to be putting another order in for some more shades. I’ll have a review coming soon on them hence why I’m not giving a lot away.

Kiko Colour Up Long Lasting Eyeshadow

I bought a few of these when I was in London a few weeks ago and am loving the number 10 colour. It’s a pinkie champagne colour. I just wear it on its own for a simple work day makeup look. I glide it on and then buff it in and I’m good to go. I’ve been loving shadow sticks recently as they’re so easy to use and so handy, especially when you’re in a rush in the morning and need to get out the door to catch the bus!

Image Skincare Ormedic Balancing Lip Enhancement Complex

I got this in the December Chic Treat Club box and use it every night going to bed. It’s a really hydrating balm that plumps up your lips and smooths out your fine lines and contours of your lips. I haven’t really notice it plumping but my lips have been so smooth and this is probably the first winter in years where I haven’t had any horrible chapped lips. I think this is €23 so I don’t know yet if it will be a repurchase but I’ve been using it pretty much every night since I got it and there is still quite a lot of product in the tube so if it does last a bit longer it might justify spending that much on a lip balm.

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo