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

Rimmel Nude Collection X Kate Moss

A few weeks back Rimmel added their Kate Moss range of lipsticks and polishes with The Nude Collection by Kate. A range of 5 Lipsticks and 5 polishes all in various nude shades to suit various different skin tones.

I picked up two of the lipsticks and I have been loving them over the last few weeks. Now I remember up to this time last year I wouldn’t go near a nude lipstick I just thought they didn’t suit me at all but since going out of my comfort zone and buying the odd nude lipstick I have been 100% converted.

The shades that I bought are 45 – a light tan nude and 48 – a deep dark almost brown shade. Both colours are on opposite ends of the nude scale with 45 being more suitable for everyday wear and 48 being probably a little more suitable for evenings although that hasn’t stopped me at all.

Seemingly these shades are the same formula as the Lasting Finish Kate Moss lipsticks but I think these are more of a semi matte formula, I found the lasting finish lipsticks that I have are a bit creamier.

I love the semi matte formula, the colour lasts longer with it and doesn’t dry out the lips. 45 doesn’t last as long as the darker 48 but I’d rather the darker one last longer either way.

The darker 48 can be a bit too dark when applied so I like to pat my lips with my finger to die down the colour I also think that doing this helps the colour last a bit longer on the lips.

I found with eating and drinking the longevity isn’t any different than other lipsticks – it doesn’t wear off any quicker or last any longer.

With these 5 lipstick shades there is a match for fair, dark and olive skin tones as well as neutral tones that will suit all skin types.  

The Rimmel Nude Kate collection can be found at your local Rimmel stand with the lipsticks priced at €6.99.

Do you dare to go bare with the Nude Kate collection? Comment below.

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

Tan Organic Self Tanning Oil

I go through fazes of wanting to be tan and wanting to be super pale, but when I do want to be tan I have two go to brands – Cocoa Brown and Tan Organic – and seeing as I have talked about Cocoa Brown a good lot on the blog I figured it’s about time I tell you about some of my favourite products from Tan Organic.

Firstly we have the Tan Erase Exfoliating Mitt. This mitt can be used wet or dry with its main purpose to rid yourself of any dead skin to prevent any build-up of skin or patchy tan. I use this every time I shower to keep my skin smooth and exfoliated but the major thumbs up with this mitt is that it gets rid of any built up tan. Sometimes exfoliating scrubs just don’t cut it but when I use this on any patchy bits of tan it gets rid of it completely. This is a game changer for getting rid of tan and even though it takes the patchy bits off it doesn’t come off altogether it still leaves a layer of tan on your skin.

I’ve tried their Original Tan before and love it but since trying the Tan Organic Self-Tanning oil it has really blown it out of the water. The first time I tried the tanning oil I was a bit confused about how to use it, I figured there was some sort of catch to it. The Tanning Oil is a clear oil that doesn’t really dry in to the skin unlike any other than I’ve ever used before. So the first time I tried it I was in a bit of a panic as I was standing there wanting to get dressed for bed with a full body of oil all over me. I didn’t know what to do but after reading on the Tan Organic website it said it would be ok to get dressed straight after so that’s what I did, I was slightly worried about waking up the next day and being a streaky mess but luckily it was perfect. I had gotten so many compliments on my tan in work with everyone saying how natural it was.

What’s great about the tan is that you don’t need to use a tan mitt you just apply it like any other body oil and wash your hands after it. The first time I used it I think I was a bit too heavy handed so a light layer is needed. The tan is super natural looking and would be a great addiction to topping up a post holiday tan.

Wearing Tan Organic Oil at the Irish Beauty Blog Awards

The tan lasts for a good 7 days and together with the mitt it comes off very gradually. I love how it doesn’t smell and it uses all natural ingredients. It says that it leaves no transfer but I did find that it does a little but that comes with the territory when you’ve put tan on.

Have any of you tried the tanning oil? I haven’t seen any other product like it available in stores.

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

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

Waxperts Wax - The most pain free wax ever!!

I’m a wimp, I hate pain so much but when you’re a woman sometimes it’s unavoidable, especially when it comes to looking beautiful. For this reason I’ve never liked the idea of getting waxed.

In the past I’ve bought home waxing kits but after one patch ripped off my leg I would wimp out and just shave instead. I also had a very painful professional wax done in a local salon which really put me off ever getting it done again.

This summer I bit the bullet after hearing so many good things about them and went off to Waxperts in Dun Laoghaire and dear lord has it been a life changer, so much so that I haven’t touched a razor since the start of the summer.

Now I have no car so getting to Dun Laoghaire is a bit like planes, trains and automobiles but you know a place is really good when you don’t mind trekking an hour and half to get there.

Firstly their waxing rooms are gorgeous, I love the décor, the waxing rooms are so clean and hygienic. They only do waxing here which is one of the things I love about the Waxperts salon. I prefer going to salons that specialise in a specific beauty area, I think that because it’s their main area of work that there is more knowledge and dedication involved, which leave you with the best possible results.

Getting down to the hairy business of it all I get an Inbetweeny bikini, full leg and underarm. The prices are very reasonable and the results are just amazing.

It is the most pain free wax I’ve ever had. What’s different about Waxperts wax compared to other waxes is that they don’t double dip which is really important hygienically, so there’s no spreading of germs onto the next client. They also use 2 different waxes for the different areas of your body. Their hot wax is used for underarm, bikini and face. It is left to go a bit tacky and then removed by hand there are no strips involved, the result is pain free and even though it’s a hot wax it doesn’t leave any areas red or any over sensitivity when the hot wax is reapplied.  The strip wax is then used for legs and while some areas of my legs are more sensitive than others like the back of my legs and ankles the pain is only there for a split second and then gone again. After waxing their own brand oil is applied to the skin and it smells divine.

The first time I got a professional wax (I’m using professional very loosely) I was left with red bumps all over my legs and my underarms stung for a whole day, it was unbearable. With any of my Waxpert waxes though I could have walked out of the place in shorts as there isn’t one patch of redness anywhere and no lingering pain to be found.

The staff at Waxperts are lovely to boot. They really put you at ease and chat away with you the whole time. The girls in there are highly trained and really know what they’re doing, I can’t fault them on one thing.

If Dun Laoghaire is too far for you to get to but you still want to try a Waxperts Wax there are many salons around Ireland that use their waxes and give the same professional result.  A full list of Waxperts Stockists can be found here.

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo

Whatsalon App - Hassle free salon booking in an instant!

I love getting treatments and going to the salon, whether it’s to get my brows, nails, hair, wax or whatever I love going but when it comes to booking it’s  one of my most hated chores.

I’m a little deaf (self-diagnosed) but I hate ringing up and booking an appointment with the hairdresser. With all the hairdryers blasting in the background it’s hard for me to hear what they’re saying and hard for them to hear what I’m saying, the amount of times my name have been taken down wrong or I’ve been booked in for the wrong treatment, after a while it gets very annoying.

To get around this I like to find places that I can book online – I do this for two reasons 1) I can book myself in with my correct details and treatment and 2) they usually give you a list of times so you can choose which one suits you best and find the perfect time with your favourite stylist.

I had heard about the Whatsalon app around the blogisphere but after being approached last week by the founder of the app I decided to give it a try.

So with Whatsalon instead of booking online everything can be done on your phone by one simple app. Simply download, insert your card details and choose which salon you want to book in with.

Booking couldn’t be easier, just choose your city and the list of salons available pop up. You can book on the day for a last minute appointment or later in the week if you’re a bit more organised, then just choose what you want done, your stylist and then your time. A deposit will be taken from your card at the time of booking and you just have to pay the remainder when you’re treatment is complete.

Once booked you’ll get an email to confirm your appointment and also you get a chance to save a picture like the one below.

I chose to book in with Aviary Lane, a gorgeous Salon in South Anne Street, I’d actually never heard of the salon but I will definitely be going back, the staff and surroundings are lovely and if you’re ever going in for a blow dry ask for Nicola. I always ask for straight but with volume on top which sometimes never happens I usually get straight and flat or the volume will only last for a few hours but whatever bit of magic she put in my hair it was volumous for days.

At the moment the only cities to book in are Dublin and Cork but keep an eye out in the coming months as there will be more cities added in Ireland as well inside the M25 area of London this October. There will also be more salons added, obviously the more successful the app becomes the more salons will be added in the future.

This will also be such a handy app for when you’re travelling, there’s time when I’m down the country and want to get a blow dry or nails done last minute but haven’t a clue which salons are close or what they offer, so instead of ringing around I’ll be able to whip the phone out, check the Whatsalon app and see what’s the closest salon is and what times are available.

It’s so quick and easy, booking is done literally within seconds with no hassle at all. I know there’s a good few places now that you can book online but having a load of salons on the one app is so much easier and will make everything a lot quicker in the future.

To get the app on Apple or Andriod just click the link here or search Whatsalon on ITunes or the Playstore and get downloading.

Thanks for reading.

Love Sarah xoxo