August Favourites 2015

August is over and we are finally getting into my favourite time of year. I absolutely love autumn and winter – cosy nights, dark lips, Halloween and the countdown to the big C word.

This month’s favourites are a bit sparse, it’s a bit lacking beauty wise as I’m on a serious spending ban and I haven’t bought much in the way of beauty products so this month I have delved into my makeup drawer to see what I’ve been neglecting and found some beauts that I’ve been loving.

Starting off with the Marc Jacobs The Lolita shadow palette. This was a major splurge last year when I went to Sephora, at $59 I have no idea why I bought it other than loving the colours and the fact that you can only get Marc Jacobs makeup in Sephora in America. Now it is a gorge palette but I could have easily bought a cheaper one in Ireland or even just looked at my other palettes as the colours are similar to a lot of what I already have. I’m not going into too much detail as I have a post on it coming up this week so keep an eye out for it. Despite being a total splurge and similar to every other palette I have, I have worn it an awful lot this month. Even though it’s pricey I’ve been using it most days as a go to for my work makeup as it gives a gorgeous smoky shimmery eye that’s subtle enough to be worn every day.

Another Sephora one, this time it’s their Rouge Infusion Lip Stain in 20 Dusty Rose. It’s a long wearing lip stain that lasts for a good few hours, it can be a bit sticky but I love the colour so I tend to look that over. I have a good few colours in the Rouge Infusion collection but Dusty Rose is one of my faves, it’s a dark reddish pink. It’s very buildable so you can have a light pink colour or put a few layers on for a dark pink.

Last in the beauty faves for August is the Body Shop Satsuma Beautifying Oil. This oil is for all over the body and can even be used in the hair. I have this in a deluxe sample and I will be buying the full size version when it’s done. The oil I find is much better for my skin than cream moisturisers, especially since I’ve started getting my legs waxed regularly. The oil keeps my legs moisturised much longer than cream moisturisers and my skin is a lot silkier as the oil keeps any moisture locked in. The fragrance of the satsumas is another reason to love this oil, it’s so refreshing and lasts all day that when you move around you’ll still get the scent.

Two un-beauty favourites this month has been the return of the Great British Bake Off and my Snapchat addiction.

Firstly there’s not much explanation for this one it’s pretty obvious for anyone who loves GBBO and in fairness who doesn’t love watching cakes being made. It’s taking so much for me not to get the goo to bake every night after watching it but I know if I do I’ll end up eating all the cake afterwards and my waistline will not appreciate it one bit even though my taste buds will. I have strong opinions about the contestants this year. I just love Nadiya, Matt and Paul, even though they’re not always perfect with their bakes I love their personalities. Of all the bakers though I really don’t like Ian even though he’s been star baker for the last 3 weeks he does nothing for me, he’s a bit of a show off in my opinion.

Finally I’ve gotten hooked on Snapchat (even more so), I used to just follow my friends but I’ve started following celebs, bloggers and the cool kids of this world and it has become an honest to god addiction. I cannot stop checking people’s stories. My faves are:

Karen AKA Lovelygirlybits: She is just hilarious and the bridie in me can relate to her on so many levels. Her dog Baily is just the cutest, her pubicles are on major fleek and she has the Hun Hole to beat all Hun Holes.

Holly Shortall AKA hollywooddublin: firstly her brother needs to give her the bunny back the poor girl is heartbroken! Secondly she’s just a gas hun, I love her rambles on life and popular culture I can relate to it all and her illos are just the biz.

James Kavanagh AKA JamesKava: to be asked to “Present Yo Self” by James is such a privilege and honour I hope one day it will happen to a pleb like myself. He is a blogging inspiration and I won’t be anything till I get a hat like his! If you’re ever having a bad day just go watch his snaps and he will make your day.

Marissa Carter AKA CarterMarissa: Marissa comes across as the loveliest person ever, her voice is the most calming thing to listen to. She is such an inspiration for women in business and I love to get tips from her Snapchat q&a’s. Plus it’s always great to see sneak peaks from the new Cocoa Brown collections.

So that’s my jam packed August Favourites. Who are your snapchat favourites?? Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

June 2015 Favourites

I haven’t done a monthly favourites post in a while but thought I’d do one this month as I’ve switched things up and have been using a lot of things that I wouldn’t normally use but have fallen in love with in the last few weeks.

My June favourites really reflect the summer mood I’m in, a lot of it is about getting that glow and about hydration.

Back in May I went a lot blonder so to keep my hair from discolouring I bought the Bleach London Silver Shampoo and Conditioner. I’ve tried different purple shampoos in the past to keep the brassiness at bay that haven’t worked but the Bleach London shampoo and conditioner combo are really working for me and my hair hasn’t gone brassy at all.

I used to only use my MAC Fix+ to spray on my brushes to intensify my eyeshadows more but in the last few months I’ve been using it to set my makeup after application. It’s helped get rid of that overly powered look and just helps your makeup settle and on these hot summer days it’s just nice to spritz it on your face to cool down.

I’ve fallen back in love with tanning, I spent the whole winter with not a drop on my skin but once the sun started coming back out I knew I had to put some life back into my skin. I have been loving the Tan Organic Self Tanning Oil. I’ve gotten so many compliments when I wear this and is possibly the most natural looking tan that I’ve used. It really makes you looks like you’ve spent a week on a beach in Spain, it’s gorgeous. I was a bit confused about it when I tried it first, it is an oil so it doesn’t really dry into the skin like a normal tan would so I was a bit scared to put my clothes back on afterwards but it was fine and I didn’t have one streak or build up anywhere.

I got the La Roche Posay Serozinc spray late in June so I’m still trying to figure out if it’s making a difference to my skin but I am loving using it. I spritz it on after I cleanse my face, it’s just so refreshing and leaves your skin matte without it feeling tight or dry. I have oily skin so this is perfect for my skin, I love a matte look.

I am in love with facial oils at the moment. I’ve heard people say that you should use facial oils if you have oily skin but it hasn’t made my skin worse in fact it’s made it a lot better. I apply the Josie Maran Argan oil onto my skin every night and when I wake up my skin is so moisturised, especially around my cheeks and jaw line where I can get very dry.

I’ve neglected my MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Soft and Gentle but in the last few weeks I’ve fallen back in love with it. I’ve been using the MAC 188 Duo Fibre brush to apply it, it packs on the product a lot more than any other brush I’ve used. I’m blaming Jaclyn Hill on my obsession with highlighters a mirror.

For a glow over my body I’ve been lovely the Body Shop Honey Bronze Shimmering Dry Oil in No.2 Golden Honey. Firstly the smell is amazing, I can’t put my finger on what it smells like but it lasts all day and smells glorious. With the shimmering flecks of gold in the oil it is more suited to night time but on these sunny days I have popped a bit on my arms and décolletage just to get a bit of that Victoria Secret model glow.

Finally I’ve been loving the Rimmel Get the Glow Highlighter in Notting Hill. It’s a silvery/pinkish cream highlight that I’ve been using three ways. The first way is to apply it lightly all over my face before my foundation, or I’ve been mixing it in with my foundation. Both ways result in an all over healthy summer glow without looking like a lightbulb. The Third way is to apply it before I’ve set my foundation onto the tops on my cheekbones to highlight them, I sometimes go in after with a powder highlight just to give that extra bit of pop.

As you can see my summer loves have all been about having healthy glowing skin, I’m trying to stay away from looking too matte so looking so glowy takes some getting used to without thinking I’m looking oily but it’s working.

What have your June Favourites been? Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

Top Tips for Tip Top Lips

Some people were born with perfect teeth, glossy hair, bigger chested and somewhere "naturally" gifted like Kim K or Nicki Mina in the rear area, I myself have been blessed with full lips (all natural I assure you).

To keep my lips in tip top shape I follow 3 important rules:

1.       Stay Hydrated

2.       Exfoliate

3.       Moisturise

In this hot hot weather I try to drink as much as possible, even in the winter it’s  more important as you have dry air from heaters trying to turn you in to a piece of dried fruit! Anything above a litre and I’m doing well, but I aim to have between a litre and 2 litres a day.

Secondly I exfoliate, I recall telling friends that I exfoliate my lips and I just remember them looking at me funny, but you lips are skin too and need to be exfoliated to stay smooth and soft just like any other bit of skin on your body.

I use the Lush Lip scrub in the flavour Popcorn; it’s so sweet and tastes like toffee popcorn. I rub it on my lips about once a week – while I do think lips should be exfoliated the skin in that area is very thin so you don’t need to be going overboard.  I just do it in the mornings when I wash my face and make sure that my lips are wet when I do it as rubbing it in dry is just too harsh.

If I don’t have my lip scrub I also use my toothbrush which works just as well!

To finish I moisturise using any lip balms that I can get my hands on. I’m loving coconut at the moment with it being the summer so I’ve been using the Body Shop Lip Butters and the Balmi lip cubes, both in Coconut. A little tip for you – I keep a pot in the fridge so that it when I apply it, especially on hot days like today , it cools you down immediately and it also stops it from melting, I don’t know how many times I have put my whole finger into a melted tub of lip balm.

So that's how I keep my lips in tip top form, everybody has a part of their body that they love more than the rest and I love my lips so it’s important that I keep them in good nick!

Enjoy the weekend girls :)

Love Sarah xoxo

Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil

Morning all!

I haven’t done a proper review in a while so I thought it was about time I did one.

I love looking after my skin and love a product that can clean off my makeup as quick as possible (the sooner the better I can get into bed the better).

I never usually shop in Body Shop, the most I think I’ve ever come out of the place with is a lip balm or a spray but I had heard a few people mention their new Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil so I decided to buy it and try it.

My typical routine involves my Soap and Glory Peaches and Clean cleanser and my Nimue Cleansing Gel at night and just the Nimue Gel in the morning (I need the extra cleanser to make sure every bit of makeup is taken off before I go to bed). Since I bought the oil I’ve used it every night since and Peaches and Clean has since been retired to the back of the shelf in the bathroom.

I’ve never used a cleansing oil before so it was completely new to me when I first used it. I just use one pump in my palm and rub it into my hands and then massage it into my face. It’s so relaxing just before going to bed to massage it in and the smell is so calming it really chills you out. Apart from relaxing you it really strips the makeup off your face. After massaging I add a bit of water and it turns into more of a creamy consistency, once I’m done I just wipe it all off and my face is spotless. I use my Nimue Cleansing Gel after just to make sure every last bit is gone.

Before - Full face of makeup 

During

After - All my makeup is gone :)

All in all I really like the oil, it’s so different and relaxing and really takes my makeup off really well. Even though it’s an oil it doesn’t affect my skin in any way, I’ve oily skin so don’t worry if you do to as it’s for all skin types and won’t make you any greasier.

Thanks for reading and enjoy your day

Love Sarah xoxo