Primark PS Love Beauty Pearly Queen Highlighter

There’s nothing more I love in life than an absolute bargain and Penneys never fails to come up with one.

A few months ago pictures from the Penneys/Primark A/W collection started to emerge and amongst the photos was a PS Love Beauty Highlighter. Since then I had been on the lookout for this highlighter which had gotten some amazing first impressions from bloggers that attended the A/W showcase.

The highlight in question is called “The Pearly Queen” and costs only €2.50, it appeared in Penneys in the last few weeks and when I saw in store I grabbed it.

I was slightly sceptical at first as the Penneys makeup can be a bit hit and miss but after using it for 2-3 weeks now I love it.

When I used it first it didn’t put much product on my brush but after a few goes on it the product loosened up a bit. The colour is a pearly pinkie gold along the lines of MAC Soft and Gentle.

It’s a buildable highlight that lasts all day. I like to pack it on as I like the ultra-glowing look.

It wouldn’t be the same quality as MAC or Becca highlights but for €2.50 I haven’t come across a highlight this cheap that still gives you a good glow and that lasts all day.

Definitely worth picking up next time you’re in Penneys.

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

PS. Primark is known as Penneys in Ireland 

Barry M Chisel Cheeks Contour Kit

Contouring isn’t going away any time soon and it seems this summer brands like Smashbox have really stepped up their contouring game with the introduction of their Step by Step Contouring Stick Trio and the Step by Step Contour Kit. So with an abundance of high end contour kits I was happy to find the budget high street end of things aren’t afraid to get involved either.

At the beginning of the summer I purchased the Barry M Chiseled Cheeks Contour Kit, I had been hunting it down for weeks, every time I went to pick one up it was sold out and at €9.49 for a contour kit that looks like an exact double for the Smashbox contour kit you can see why.

For a palette costing €9.49 it is good but compared to the Anastasia Beverly Hills contour powders which I also bought over the summer you do realise that paying a bit extra you will get a better quality powder but as a beginner kit it’s the biz.

The vanilla shade in the palette is a great dupe for the ABH Vanilla powder, I use it to set under my eyes which helps to brighten them up a bit. The middle bronze shade I use to bronze my cheeks (obviously). This shade is probably the colour I use least in the palette though, the bronzer is a bit more on the orangey side which doesn’t suit my complexion at all and it doesn’t blend very well either. The third shade in the palette is the contour shade, a lot like Fawn in the ABH kits, I pop this in the hollows of my cheeks and it’s a great colour to deepen even the chubbiest of cheeks.

I bought some of the ABH contour powders over the summer and sitting them side by side you can see they are very similar.

So if you’re thinking of getting into contouring and don’t want to spend a fortune I’d recommend the Barry M Chisseld Cheeks Contour Kit. While it’s not super amazing it’s definitely great as a starter kit and I’d probably give it a 7/10.

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

Flormar - The affordable makeup brand you need in your life

Last month I went to a blogger showcase of the makeup brand Flormar. A few years back they had started to be stocked in Ireland but soon disappeared. They’ve been picked up again and the brand is being stocked all over Ireland, with new stockists popping up every couple of weeks.

At the showcase we were given demos of some of their star products and where lucky enough to take a bag away with us to test some of them out.

I have to say I’m super impressed by this brand and so excited to see what’s in store for them in the coming months. The prices of their products range from €2.95-€12.95 and there is so much to choose from.

Here’s a few of their star products that you should be keeping an eye out for:

Flormar Colour Palette Eye Shadow (rrp€9.95)

This palette is just gorgeous and come in a few different colours. The palette I have contains 5 matte shadows and for 9.95 I’m super impressed. They are super pigmented, they last all day with no creasing at all and blend seamlessly into the lid. I like to smoke these colours into my crease and add a bit of gel liner to give it a bit of extra pop. Absolutely gorgeous!!

COMPLEXION PERFECTION with Flormar Illuminating Primer (rrp €9.95) 

This was featured in my July favourites and it still is a favourite. I’ve been wearing it every day under my foundation and I’m really enjoying. It keeps my makeup on all day from 7am till the time I go to bed. It mattify the skin on application but doesn’t give the foundation a dried matte finish.

FLORMAR BRONZING POWDER FACE & BODY (rrp €9.95)

I thought I wasn’t going to like this when I first saw it as it looked shimmery in the pan but this goes on gorgeously. It’s a matte and the muted bronze colour is perfect for pale Irish skin tones. I don’t use it to contour but I do use it as a bronzer around my forehead and my cheeks to give me a summer glow. The pan is also huge so you get an awful lot of product for such a great price.

FLORMAR’S REVOLUTION LIPSTICK (RRP €6.95)

These are great lipsticks, firstly the packaging is just gorgeous and secondly they’re super pigmented. I have the colour Provocative Orange which is a pretty bold colour but again if you’re a pale girl like me and in fact I think any skin tone could rock this colour but it really suits pale skin tones. I will definitely be picking up a few more of these lipsticks.

FLORMAR JELLY LOOK NAIL ENAMEL (RRP €2.95- €4.95)

I’m beyond excited about these nail polishes. At the moment there will be about 100 colours available in Ireland and if they open their store in Ireland you could possibly be looking at over 1000 colours! I tried the Jelly Look polish in Turquoise Green. So pigmented, one coat would do but for real opaqueness two coats is perfect. I love the brush on this it makes the application very quick and easy and the drying time is very quick, after 10 minutes it was 100% dry.

So these are my favourite bits from Flormar, keep an eye out for them in your local pharmacy and pick some bits up, with a price range of €2.95-€12.95 it would be rude not to pick a few bits up.

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

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

Brand Focus - Makeup Revolution

I feel like I’ve been talking about Makeup Revolution a lot the last few months but I love the brand and their products so I can’t help but talk about them (a lot!).

Instead of doing a few posts on individual products this post will be a brand focus post. If this works out well I’ll be doing a few posts on different brands such as MAC, Smashbox and NYC.

I have foundation, concealer, highlighter, blusher, eyeliner, mascara and lipstick. I have an eye shadow palette from them but at the time of taking pictures I couldn’t find it but their shadows are really good and I have a previous post done which you can read about them here.

I’m going to start with I didn’t love and leave the best till last.

Firstly we have the foundation and concealer. I bought the foundation as it has a matte finish and with having oily skin this is usually the type of foundation I go for and I bought the concealer as it was a brightening concealer so I use it to highlight my cheeks, nose and forehead. I’m going to be blunt and just say that I didn’t love them, I don’t know if it was just my skin that it didn’t suit or if it was the actual products but they were just not for me. The foundation looked thick when I put it on the back of my hand but as soon as I put it on my skin it went very sheer and dried so quickly that you didn’t have much time to really buff it into the skin and make it look natural. I found that using a damp blender sponge that it helped but it still didn’t look great. It also didn’t last too long being matte although that could just be because of my skin type. When I put the concealer on my face it was a very liquid substance and when blended into my skin it moved the foundation on my face and when I had just perfected the foundation and made it look decent it the concealer just ruined everything.

I suppose I shouldn’t expect much seeing as the foundation and concealer where £2.00 each but I did have a little hope they would have worked out.

The Vivid baked highlight is £3.00 and I bought mine in peach. The only other highlight that I have similar to this is the MAC Mineralise Skin Finish in Soft and Gentle so I’ll compare it to that one. The colours are very similar and it gives a lovely highlight but you do need to put what seems like a lot on just so it’s noticeable.

I have a few of their lipsticks but this is the latest one that I have. I love my vampy colours and this is from their Vamp Collection in the colour 100% Vamp. It’s a perfect colour for Halloween, it’s a dark black wine colour which are my absolute favourites and a bargain at £1.00 and if you don’t like the colour they have a huge range of different ones all for £1.00 so you should find something you like.

The Amazing Eyeliner in Ultra Black is awesome. It’s a super black liquid liner that is so long wearing it could put the They’re Real Liner to shame.  The only problem I have with it is the pointy brush, it’s very stiff and I think with a normal liner brush it would go on much better. This one is another bargain at £1.50.

Everyone needs this blusher; it is so pigmented and such great quality for a blush that costs £1.00. I have mine in Sugar; it’s a warm matte peach and brightens up your cheeks giving such a fresh look. A little goes a long way with this as a lot of pigment comes off on your brush so start off small and you can build it up to your desired colour. Absolutely love this blush and will most definitely be buying more.

Finally my favourite from the bunch is this Amazing Lengths mascara. Only £1.50, this plastic wand will lift and separate your lashes to give wide eyed natural look. It’s also a long wearing formula that lasts from morning till the time you’re taking off your makeup. My star buy and I really recommend it especially for more daytime friendly natural makeup looks.

The fact that the foundation and concealer where a disaster for me I still love Makeup Revolution they a fantastic inexpensive makeup company that keep their collections up to date and are always adding new lines so there’s always an excuse to buy more. You can find out more on their website and if you’re in Dublin, the Superdrug in the Omni Centre in Santry have a stand but keep an eye out as they are rolling out more soon.

I haven’t been paid or sent any of these items I just love their products hope that you’ll love them too.

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

Barry M Aquarium Nail Collection

I absolutely love Barry M polishes, they always have amazing colours and collections. When I saw these two from the Aquarium Collection I fell instantly in love with them. One is a colour polish and one is a glitter polish and suit each other perfectly. The polish is in Arabian, an amazing 2 toned turquoise colour and the glitter polish in Mermaid, a clear polish with flecks of blue, gold and green.

You’ll need at least two coats of the Arabian so not to see any of the nail bed and I put a few coats of the Mermaid on to get a good amount of the glitter flecks onto the nail as I didn’t want it too sparse looking.

The colour probably goes better with a tan, I think I’m a bit pale but it still works. It didn’t take too long to dry but the Mermaid took a while as I put a lot of product on my nail.

I love these colours they’re probably more suited for the summer so I should only get another month or so out of it.

The collection is still available in boots and it comes in few more colours too. I love how they’re so cheap only €5.99 and the great thing about boots is that they’re currently in a 3 for 2 offer!

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde - The Best Low Cost Mascara on the Market!

I love my mascaras, the more volume they give the better.

I had second thoughts about buying this mascara as I thought I didn’t need it (eh yea that didn’t last long, when do I not need a bright shiny new mascara) but after reading numerous reviews I decided to give it a go, I think I also got it for free when I was on a 3 for 2 Raid in Boots.

Firstly the packaging is awesome; it’s so sleek and shiny and gives it a look that it costs a few bucks. Then we have the wand which is really really good, I usually prefer the regular bristles you get on wands rather than plastic ones but this plastic wand has definitely won me over. I put my love of it down to its uniqueness; the wand is patented and comes with teeny tiny balls in between the bristles giving you an “instant 360° Volume”.

The Volume 1 Seconde Mascara not only instantly volumises but makes your lashes separate thanks to its bristles and little balls (minds out of the gutters ladies). The formula is also a one of the blackest blacks I have seen in a drugstore brand.

This is a long lasting mascara also, the blurb on the website says that it gives up to 16hrs hold with the waterproof offering 24hrs, and I can definitely agree with them as I put my makeup on around 7 in the morning and by 11 at night when I’m taking my makeup off it is still looking as fresh as when I put it on and after going to 2 concerts in the last week and a half where I was drenched by torrential rain it does last in all weathers. That being said I probably wouldn’t want to be jumping into any pools with it on and giving it a good wetting just in case!

Sorry for the droopy eyes, I wasn't long out of bed

It does say easy to remove but it does take a bit more effort than other mascaras that I have used in the past so that would be the only fault that I would have with it. I can only imagine what the waterproof one is like if I have a bit of trouble with the regular one.

This has to get a 9½/10 for me and that’s just me being picky for not coming off as easy as it says it would!

The Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Mascara is a big hit with myself and I have been wearing it nearly every day since I started using it. It will only set you back €12.99 and let me tell you it’s worth every penny!!

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Love Sarah xoxo

Dupe Tuesday | Urban Decay Naked 3 Dupe

I’ve been so excited to write this post for you guys! I’ve never seen a more amazing dupe than this before!

Tonight I’m bringing you a dupe for the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette, coming from a new UK company Makeup Revolution the Iconic 3 palette will only set you back £4.00.

I have only discovered Makeup Revolution in the last 2 months, they are a new company that launched back in March and have been bringing out amazing makeup since. I ordered a few things from their site last month and among them was their Iconic 3 palette. When I got it I was so surprised that it was exactly like my Naked 3 palette.

Just look at these pictures, you can see how similar they are. Even though they aren’t named like the Naked palette the colours are positioned the same.  The payoff is really good for such an affordable product, with some of the colours working out even better than in the Naked palette. There is some fall out but you get the exact same with the urban decay shadows.

Makeup Revolution Iconic 3 Palette

The palette is slim and small enough that you can bring it travelling with you and for £4.00 if you smash it or lose it while away I don’t think I would be crying too much like I would if I did the same with one of my more expensive palettes and would be back on their site ordering another within days.

Urban Decay Naked 3

I put the left eye in all Makeup Revolution and the Right eye in Naked 3 and used strange, limit, trick, nooner, factory and mugshot to create the look below. Some of the colours weren’t as dark as naked palette so had to build them up to match the naked eye, but blending was very easy and the colours weren’t chalky at all which you would usually find in affordable makeup.

Iconic 3 (Left), Naked 3 (Right)

The Makeup Revolution Iconic 3 palette retails for £4.00 versus the Naked 3 palette which will set you back €44.00 (varys around the country) that’s a whopper saving on €40.00, just think about all the other makeup you could buy on the Makeup Revolution website with that!

As far as I’m aware you can only buy Makeup Revolution products on their website here, but as their only a new brand I’m sure we’ll start seeing them more widely available.

Thanks for reading this week’s Dupe Tuesday!

Love Sarah xoxo

Urban Decay Electric Palette Dupe

I’m always on the lookout for a bargain and I especially love finding a cheaper product that will give me the same effect as a more expensive brand.

A few weeks back Urban Decay launched their new Electric Palette, now it’s completely different to all any of the other palettes they have brought out. The colours are bright and bold and probably not everyone’s cup of tea but they are such a welcome to see bright colours especially with the summer finally starting to knock on our doors!

The palette contains 5 matte shades and 5 shimmers and comes with a double ended brush as well. Like most Urban Decay palettes the price does some damage to your purse with a cost of €45 (in Debenhams right now with 10% of).

But if you don’t want to fork over that much money, especially on a palette that has a lot of colours that you won’t necessarily use on an everyday basis then why try out Sleek I Divine palettes.

I Candy

Acid

Ultra Matte V1

These palettes range between €14.39 and 9.99 and you can’t really get better than that. They have 3 palettes – Ultra Matte V1, I Candy and the one that is most like the Urban Decay Palette the I Divine Acid.

They obviously won’t be as good quality as the Urban Decay palette but if you use the right tools then I think you’ll get nearly just as good a look as you would with the Electric Palette.

So if you want to get the look but not have to fork out scores of money then head over to Sleek and choose your favourite palette.

You can get them at www.sleek.com or try your local Boots, I know the only one boots in my area that does them is Boots Liffey Vally, I've tried other boots around South Dublin but you can't find them anywhere.

NYC Expert Last Lip Color | Review

If you haven’t copped it already I love my lippy! Every girl needs a bit of lipstick in their lives and for me a bit of lipstick will always make me feel more confident and top a look off.

Anytime I go into Penny’s I always make a b-line for makeup section and always manage to find something to buy and when there is so much choice and such bargains it’s hard not to walk away with bags of makeup.

For the last few weeks I had seen on Instagram a load of posts from a girl who had bought the NYC Expert Last Lip Color lipsticks, the swatches really caught my eye and usually when something catches my eye I have to go straight out and get whatever it is!

When I went to the stand in Penny’s they had some but not all of the collection, I think there are 15-20 colours in total, so I picked four of my favourites. I failed to mention that these lipsticks are €2.49, I’m surprised that I only came away with 4 colours, but it did look like a lot of the colours where very similar.

Red Rapture

Now these guys claim to last up to 6 hours which I think is pushing it, at most I would say 2-4 hours and that’s without doing too much eating or drinking, but when they’re that cheap I don’t think that really matters. The good thing is that they unlike a lot of lipsticks that say that they are long lasting they don’t dry out the lip, they do say that they are moisturising but not totally moisturising. 

Purple Crush

On application the colours go on pretty heavy and a lot of the time you have to pat any excess off with some tissue, but I don't like to feel a lot of product on my lips so each to their own, but this works for me.

Air Kiss

The colour payoff is really good for such a cheap product with some of the lipsticks beings just as pigmented as highly coloured as brands like MAC. The only problem I have with them is the smell, it's a sweet berry but it reminds me of the smell from makeup I had when I was a kid.

Blue Rose

I think that I’m a bit late in the game with these ones I think they’ve been out in Ireland for nearly a year but only out in the states a few months, hence my Instagram timeline being filled with swatches from the collection the last few months. Go out and get these guys, especially if you want to try out a few colours this summer that you might not usually try as they are so cheap, if you don't think it works for you its not like you have broken the bank!