Primark - P.S Liquid Foundation

A few weeks back I was in Penneys doing the usual of going in for one thing and coming out with 2 giant bags 20 minutes later. While I was there I spotted some Penneys own makeup brand foundations. At €3 a pop I figured why not try it out if it sucks at least it wasn’t going to do any damage.

There are 3 colours to choose from – light, medium and dark. I chose light and medium as there were no samples to test to check out the colours.

When I got home I discovered I was neither light nor medium. The light colour is extremely pale and pink toned and the medium is a deep tan yellow toned. Mixing them together I did manage to get the perfect shade, I’m usually a NW15 or NW20 with my MAC foundations.

What drew me to the foundation was that the formula was oil free and semi –matte. I live for matte foundations – although this summer I’m trying to dew it up a bit.

On application it blends really well, it’s a medium coverage but feels very light. The foundation dries into the skin matte.

The pictures below where taken after nearly 11 hours wear and without powdering all day. There is some wear around the nose and chin but that happens with the majority of my foundations.

Left - Not powdered and Right - Powdered, both after nearly 11hrs wear.

For €3 it is a good foundation it does what it says on the package but the odd shades are a disappointment as I could get one Rimmel foundation for nearly the same price as buying 2 of Penneys. I probably won’t ever wear the foundations separately, the light is too light and pink and the medium would be a bit too much like putting Nutella on my face.

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

Summer Skin Prep

I am in love with this weather right now, even though I’m stuck in an office all day it makes such a difference to look outside and see the sun and with the brighter evenings there’s still time to enjoy it long after work.

To get my skin away from that pasty Irishness I have an arsenal of goodies to get me glowing.

Along with the Micropedi Nano that I’ve been using I’ve been loving the Cocoa Palmer Foot Magic to keep my feet as smooth as anything. I apply this every night and pop my socks on over it to let it soak into my skin. It looks like Vaseline but melts into your skin, I massage it in for a few minutes and the peppermint oils are released it’s so relaxing.

The Soap and Glory Pulp Friction is probably my favourite in shower exfoliator to use; it’s not too harsh but still gets rid of any roughness. It foams slightly too so I use it doubles up as my shower gel. This and the Cocoa Brown Tough Stuff are my go to exfoliators, they’re great for everyday exfoliation and for getting rid of any fake tan.

When I’m not tanning I’ll keep my glow going with the Cocoa Brown Gentle Bronze. It keeps my skin moisturised and adds the hint of a sun kissed glow.

I found that when I tan and apply it to my face it always seeps into my pores and washes of very easily so when I tried out the James Read Sleep Mask Tan I was really happy that it didn’t do either. It’s a clear gel mask that’s really nourishing, I apply it with a face tan mitt and in the morning I’ll have a natural looking tanned face. It comes up very natural and will take a day or two to wash off, perfect for looking sun kissed rather than tangoed.

When I’m fully tanned and ready for a night out I’ll use the Karora CC Cream or the Victoria Secrets Rocking Body Perfecting cream to top it off. I use the Karora CC cream if I feel like I need an extra top up or if I feel like I need a bit of extra coverage on my chest, I’ve a couple scars on my chest from chicken pox I got a few months ago so It helps to clear it a little. I then use the Perfecting Cream on my legs; this stuff is amazing it’s like a tinted Porefessional for your legs. It gives a tint and shimmer to your legs as well as blurring any imperfections it’s amazing.

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

Getting Summer Ready With Micropedi

 Summer is well and truly here and I have been prepping my skin like mad. Over the winter months I really neglect my skin and by the time summer comes around I look like a scaly unkempt mess.

Following on from my pedicure post on Tuesday todays post is about the Micropedi Nano, a mini skin buffing exfoliator for your feet. I’ve been using this for a few weeks now and it has made such a difference to my feet.

For 90% of the year my feet are covered up all day, even at night so they never get to breathe which results in them becoming quite dry. I also run and wear the odd shoe that can hurt so I can get a few blisters too.

Before I started using the Mircropedi my feet where dry, flaky and altogether gross, but from the first go you can notice a difference. The first time I tried it my feet where instantly smoother, especially around my heel. I use it about 2-3 times a week now and my feet have never looked better.

This is such a great exfoliator for your feet; the head rotates 30 times per second ensuring smooth feet in no time making your feet sandal ready for the whole summer.

The Micropedi Nano is so handy, travel friendly and quick to use. It comes in 3 colours, vibrant pink, cobalt blue and zesty orange, at the moment is on offer for €29.99 (RRP €39.95). You can pick it up online at www.micropedi.ie, Boots and other well-known pharmacies.

 On Saturday’s post I’ll be talking about how I get the rest of my body summer ready. 

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

Edvard & Pink Moroccan Rose Oil Luxury Champagne Pedicure Review

Every now and then us girls just need to get away and forget about life’s worries and stresses. For me I love to head to a spa, whether it’s for a full day or just for one treatment, it really helps to clear my mind and get me back to square one.

Yesterday I headed to Edvard and Pink, a hide away situated on the top 3 floors of Dundrum Town Centre. For years I’ve been wanting to go there but never got around to it but after getting a tour of the salon a few months back during an event I knew I had to go back ASAP for a treatment.

I booked myself and my friend in for a girly morning choosing the Moroccan Rose Oil Luxury Champagne Pedicure, a 70 minute treatment that had us nearly in a coma by the end of it.

We arrived on to the 5^th floor salon and where brought to the awaiting bubbling foot spas. During the pedicure you are seated on one of the most relaxing massage chairs I’ve sat on, given plenty of magazines and a choice of tea, coffee or water. The area is so spacious and bright with floor to ceiling views of the Dublin Mountains.

The treatment starts off with your feet soaking in bubbling jets, and then the therapist attends to your tootsies. Your feet are prepped, filed and buffed to perfection. Once that is done your calves and feet are polished with a sugar scrub. Then the magical coma inducing massage happens, for a good 10 minutes your calves and feet are massaged and let me tell you it is absolutely glorious. When the massage is completed your nails are polished with a colour of your choice, I opted for Essie Plumberry. All treatments use the Aromatherapy Associates products that are so indulgent and the aromas from them are so soothing.

The treatment cost €75, a little pricy but I would definitely go back for another one, the staff in the salon are so lovely and the experience was so enjoyable. I also love that my friend and I had the treatment done at the same time. It really annoys us when we book into get our nails done or any other treatments and we are either separated or seen at different times, so being seen at the same time and sitting side by side got a bit thumbs up from us.

Edvard and Pink offer a range of treatments on 3 floors, the Beauty Salon on Level 4, the Spa and Mani-Pedi lounge on Level 5 and the Gents and Cosmetic Clinic on Level 6.

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

Top Ten Budget Friendly Beauty Under €10

Today’s post is all about my top ten beauty products under €10. This was actually a lot harder than I thought it would be and made me realise that a lot of my makeup in my collection costs over €10. The ten I did choose however are pieces that I use quite regularly. A lot of the times when I’m in a rush for work and need to throw something into my makeup bag these are usually the items that get thrown in.

Starting with the base we have the Rimmel Lasting Finish Primer. This is a creamy, slightly iridescent primer that really glues the foundation onto the skin. As I have oily/combination skin this is perfect for it. It leaves the skin silky smooth, as well as helping it stay matte for the rest of the day. This primer comes in at €8.85 and it goes perfectly with the Rimmel Lasting Finish 25hr Foundation.

This foundation is an oily girls dream. This has the quality of a higher end foundation and one that I regularly reach for. It’s a full coverage foundation that goes on evenly and last the whole day. Not only does it have great staying power it is also very mattifying, I very rarely have to powder my nose when I wear this foundation. Coming in at €8.99, it is definitely the best foundation under €10 that I have tried.

There were a few concealers to choose from such as the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer but I chose the Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer as I’m loving it at the moment. It gives me the coverage that I need without being too heavy it also has brightening properties to help give you that bright eyed and bushy tailed look. The Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer is €5.49.

I have such a love for Makeup Revolution; they sell amazing products at extremely affordable prices. I chose this blush for the price and the quality. The blushes are so pigmented, one tap is all you need and it gives you so much colour on your cheek. I have only one of these blushes in the shade Sugar but the next time I’m on the Makeup Rev. website I’ll be ordering a few more. They are £1.00 each which I think works out at around €1.40.

The Sleek Face Contour Kit is a firm favourite with a lot of beauty lovers. I have the kit in Light which is perfect for our Irish skin. The kit comes with a bronzer and a highlighter. I get so much use out of this palette. The bronzer is a perfect brown, not too orange or ashy it’s just perfect. With this bronzer I like to build the colour, it’s very pigmented so start I start off small and build it up to my desired colour. The highlighter is really good as well; again a little goes a long way. Sweep this on and you’ll be glowing all day. This is one that all girls should have in their collection, €8.49 each and available in 3 shades.

Another Makeup Revolution favourite is their Dual Ultra Brow Arch and Shape pens. They have two ends, one with a waxy crayon and the other a felt pen. I don’t usually use the felt end but the waxy crayon end is my go to. All I have to do is comb my brows through and then shape them with the crayon. As it’s a coloured wax it keeps any stray hair down as well as filling them in. It literally only takes a few seconds to fill my brows in with this pen, I love it and it’s price at £3.50 which is about €4.90.

When it comes to eye shadows there are many under €10 but a lot of the time they are singles and very rarely palettes. I love the Sleek Palettes which I was going to include on my list but when I went to price them they were over €10, I’m pretty sure the last time I bought them they were €9.99. I then spotted the Collection Eyes Uncovered palette for only €3.99. I had bought it a while back and never tried it but was pleasantly surprised when I did. There are 3 palettes to choose from; I got the Nude Grey palette which is perfect for a smoky eye. There are 2 mattes and 4 metallic, with a mix of bronze, silver and plums. I love this little palette and I’m going to have to get my hands on the other 2, they are really pigmented, easy to blend and last all day.

Going through my collection I found that I only have one eyeliner under €10 and that’s the Maybelline Master Kajal, everything else from gels to liquids where all over €10. You can’t really go wrong with this Kajal; it’s perfect for blending out for that smoked out effect.  I know there are cheaper pencils and other liners but I have none in my collection that I could find, this one is around €8.

Again with mascara I found it hard to find one that I liked and one that was under €10, luckily though the Seventeen Falsifeye HD mascara was there to save the day. I love this mascara for slapping on my eyes when I’m not really doing anything but I still want to look like I’ve made a little effort. The mascara, lifts, separates and holds all day to give you that wide eyed look. At €8.89 it is one of my go to mascaras especially on my “No Makeup” makeup kind of days.

Finally we have lipstick, this was really hard to choose but I really like the Maybelline Color Sensational lipsticks. There are so many to choose from whether you want vivid pinks or 90’s nudes’ there’s so many to choose from. They are really pigmented and not too drying. I’ve a good few in my collection and I’m really hoping they bring their Matte collection over here, I bought some in America last year and they are some of the best matte lipsticks I’ve ever tried. They come in just under €10 at €9.99 a pop.

Added all up this makeup bag comes to €69, I wouldn’t like to think what my usual makeup bag costs or even my whole collection, I think I’d need a good lie down if I did. If you’re on a budget or have a makeup emergency then these would be my top picks for you.

All prices are from Boots or Makeup Revolution websites.

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo