Mini Penneys Haul

Yesterday I popped into Penneys for 2 things and as usual I came out with everything but the things I originally went in for! Admittedly this is probably the most random Penneys haul ever, definitely a mixed bag of stuff but shockingly no clothes whatsoever. 

Even though I still live at home the homeware section of shops always manage to draw me in, particularly Penneys. They are constantly restocking and adding new items to their collection. Recently there has been a copper tone theme and I am loving it! This candle doesn't have a very strong scent but I was more interested in holding onto the jar afterwards. I also got this gorgeous ampersand sign, purely for decoration and to look quirky. 

Candle €4. Ampersand €5.

What trip to Penneys would be complete without a look in at the beauty section? I've had this concealer palette from Catrice before years ago and I loved it so it was finally time to repurchase. The green counter acts red pigment and the peachy/pink shade is perfect for neutralising dark under eye circles. The other 3 shades are perfect for concealing and the darkest shade can even be used for cream contouring on lighter skin. I've heard good things about this Catrice Prime & Fine eyeshadow base as well and it was cheap and cheerful so I'm going to give it a go as a drugstore alternative to some of my other eyeshadow bases. 

Concealing palette €3.79. Eyeshadow base €3.99.

Hands down my favourite tan is Cocoa Brown 1 hour tan by Marissa Carter in the new dark shade. I am super pale and it generally takes a couple of layers to build up a decent tan on my skin, well not with Cocoa Brown! I use this stuff religiously and will continue to use it, if it ain't broke and all that! 

Cocoa Brown €6.90.

You can never have enough makeup bags right? Well you probably can but this one was too cute to pass by. This one is from the P.S. Love range. I'm loving the whole holographic theme and it is also see through which makes it easy when looking for a particular item. 

Makeup Bag €5.

Gold hoops aren't everybodies cup of tea but whenever I wear them I always feel like I am channeling my inner Khloe Kardashian, FIERCE! 

Earring €1.50

Again this won't be to everybodies liking and ironically another Kardashion-esque item. A lot of the Kardashian-Jenner girls have been rocking around with similar items attached to their handbags or car keys. Very handy if you're prone to losing your keys... Cough cough*! This also comes in a navy and a grey colour. 

Keyring €3.

Have you been to Penneys/Primark this month? What's been your favourite item? 

Love, 

A x 

My Top 5 Highlighters!

Who doesn't look a good highlight? Personally I can tend to go a bit ham with the aul highlighter but with products like these I just want to be covered in them! I have an entire drawer full of highlighter but picking my top 5 was so easy because these are the ones I would reach for on a regular basis. I have chosen 4 powder products and 1 liquid product with a mix of drugstore and high end brands. 

No matter what highlighting product I use I always put t in the same places. Starting of with the cheekbones of course, next the bridge of the nose, Cupid's bow & finally Just a little bit across the forehead and above the eyebrows. 

1. MAC Soft & Gentle - This is such a holy grail product for almost every Makeup Artist/Blogger/YouTuber, and rightly so. This is hands down my favourite product to highlight with. A little really does go a long way. It has a gorgeous shimmery pink finish with small pieces of glitter in with which really reflect the light. Whenever I wear this I am guarenteed to be asked what highlight I am wearing, the proof is in the pudding & everyone loves it!  

2. MUA Makeup Academy Undress Your Skin Shimmer Highlighter - This is another pink based highlighter, extremely pigments and smooth with no chunks of glitter. This also comes in a white shade.  It takes a couple of swipes to see the product on the skin but it builds up nicely. 

3. Wet n a Wild Coloricon Bronzer Reverse Your Cabana - This is a bronzer as the name suggests but definitely not your average bronzer shade, not even for extremely pale skin! Not all bronzers are matte, most actually have shimmer like this one, making it a good option for highlighting. I like to use this to transform a matte finish foundation to give it a dewy finish. You get the staying power of a matte foundation but the finish of a dewy one. This product can also be built up in areas to give a more highlighted look. 

4. e.l.f Baked Highlighter Moonlight Pearl - This is the one and only shimmery white coloured products out of my top picks. It is also the cheapest out of all my picks. This is gorgeous on pale skin with a slight pink undertone as it doesn't add any colour just shimmery reflects. This product is a baked highlighter so it can be applied with a brush sprayed with a setting spray to intensity the pigment and shimmer. 

5. Benefit High Beam - This is the only liquid highlighter and the only other high end product. I like to use this when I'm going for a minimal, fresh faced, dewy look. This formulation and pinkey colour gives a more natural look in my opinion. When I use this I dab it on with the brush then blend out by patting it out with my index finger. I do this in sections as it sets quite quickly. I use this directly after my foundation/concealer and powder after, if you apply this on top of powder it can turn quite cakey looking and can even smudge your base. 

 

What is your favourite highlighting product? Have you tried any of the ones I mentioned? 

Love, 

A x

One Brand Makeup Look : Inglot

Inglot has quickly become my favourite makeup brand and I have collected quite a few of their products. Recently Inglot has added some new products to their range, including a primer, setting spray and new brow products. I feel like I cheated a little bit because I used one products that weren't Inglot, I used an Anastasia Beverly Hills product for my brows but that's just because I surprising haven't got any Inglot brow products... YET! I'm looking forward to getting my hands on and trying out the new Brow Gels, so keep an eye out for a review in the near future. 

Base - 

Under Makeup Base

AMC Foundation LW400

Cream concealer Peach/LW100

Powder No.15

HD Sculpting Powder No.502

Blush No.50

Sparkling Dust No.02

Brows - 

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow Auburn

Eyes - 

Eye Makeup Base

Eyeshadows No. 318/106R/368/335/329

AMC Gel Liner No.77

Long & Curly Mascara

Soft Precision Eyeliner No.21

Lips - 

Matte Lipstick No.507/511 

Have you used any of the products I mentioned? What is your favourite Inglot product? 

Love, A

Toblerone Cookie Recipe

A super quick post for today guys. These cookies are a family favourite whenever I make them and they are definitely a big hit every time. They are really quick and easy to make, even with little ones running around. All you'll need is an electric whisk, a weighing scale and a large bowl. 

Ingredients : (9-12 cookies depending on size of scoops) 

100g butter 

50g caster sugar

50g icing sugar 

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 

100g plain flour

1/4 teaspoon table salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder 

5 pieces of Toblerone 

1. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper. Pre-heat your oven to 180ºC, 350ºF, Gas Mark 4. 

2. Use an electric whisk to cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg. Start off with 3/4 of the egg, add in the rest if needed. 

3. Sieve the flour, baking powder (I subbed self-raising flour instead of plain flour & baking powder) and salt into the mixture and fold that together with a wooden spoon. Add vanilla extract and mix again. Chop up your Toblerone pieces and add to the mixture. 

4. Use an ice-cream scoop to place the mixture on the baking sheets, allowing room for them to spread. Then simply bake for 12-15 minutes. 

5. Cool on the baking sheets for a couple of minutes before transferring to a wirerack to finish cooling. Finally get enjoying them! 

Be sure to let me know if you end up making these and how they turn out. 

Love, A 

P.S. Love Foundation Stick & Glow Stick Highlighter First Impressions

The entire P.S. Love range from Primark has been raved about and these new additions have been no different. I love the packaging of the foundation sticks. Sleek and simple black packaging with gold detail and clear lids. For just €3 you get a lot of product. The Highlighting Stick was just €3.50. 

Below are swatches of the products. Top to bottom, Foundation Stick in Natural, Foundation Stick in Ivory and finally the Glow Stick Highlighter. These foundation sticks are extremely creamy and blendable. This foundation is a full coverage product. The foundation sticks have a slight smell of coconut. A little goes a long way when applying and I would suggest setting your makeup with a powder to avoid smudging or sliding due to the creamy texture. The highlighter is a nice neutral highlighting shade with little flecs of gold which can be seen best when sunlight hits it.

I started off by applying the Natural shade below my cheek bones, along my hair line and down both sides of my nose. Then I took my damp beauty blender and slightly buffed the product into my skin. Next I took the lighter, Ivory shade, and placed it under my eyes, along my jaw, across my forehead, down the centre of my nose, above my lip and on my chin. Again I took my damp beauty blender and buffed out the lighter product, concentrating on areas where the light and darker shade meet to avoid any harsh lines. Finally I applied the highlighter by dabbing it in with my index finger onto the high points of my face.

As you can see from the swatches neither shades match my skin colour but from the images above when blended out they seem to be a much better match. So far I have had my makeup on for about 10 hours. I am not used to wearing products that are this full coverage and generally wouldn't opt for cream foundations, so my face feels a little caked. After about 7-8 hours my skin began to look shiny around my nose and forehead and it had begun to go patchy around my nose, chin and jaw. All in all I'm not a huge fan of these foundation sticks, I don't feel like they suited my skin type. I think they would suit a drier complexion much better. My highlighter lasted the entire day, gave my face a nice natural glow and I will definitely be reaching for this product again.

Has anyone else tried these products? What are your thoughts? 

Love, A

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My Top 5 Eyeshadow Primers

For me eyeshadow primer is just as important as any other step in applying my makeup everyday, especially in this hot, humid weather we're having in Dublin at the minute. Using eyeshadow primer can really transform an eye look, it can look more professionally done and will be more long lasting. No more loss of intensity, faded out or smudges eyeshadow... WOOHOO! 

There are tons of textures, finishes, and packaging when it comes to eye shadow primer, but trust me, it’s not as confusing as it sounds. With most eyeshadow bases, when applying you should apply and blend onto the eyelid then I prefer leaving it to set for a minute or two before going in with any eyeshadow.

1. MAC Pro Longwear Paintpot

Paintpots are possibly my favourite eyeshadow base ever. They come in different shades and finishes, they can be worn on their own or with shadows layered on top. My go to shades would be Soft Ochre and Painterly. Both shades are the perfect 'skin tone' shade, Soft Ochre being yellow toned and Painterly being more pink toned. This is some heavy duty stuff, it has a fairly thick consistency and brilliant pigmentation which means it cancels out any discolouration and veins on the eyelids and gives you a blank canvas for your desired look. Sometimes I like to wear Soft Ochre on its own when I'm going for a more minimal makeup look. I find it best to apply with my finger for more control but this product also works well with synthetic bristle brushes. For oil eyelids this is your best option! 

2. Urban Decay Primer Potion

Prime Potion has been raved about since Day 1, it's definitely a holy grail product. The texture of this primer is the complete opposite to Paintpots, it is extremely thin and just as blendable. 

This is my favourite primer when using glitter or loose eyeshadow as the texture is more tacky and adheres more to loose products. No matter what product you are using over it, no fear they will go nowhere! This product would be more suitable for drier eyelids. 

3. Essence I ❤️ Stage Eyeshadow Base 

I would mostly only use this primer when I am fake tanned as it is quite pigmented, so unfortunately not suitable for extremely pale skin but when I do get to use it I love this product. Essence is an extremely affordable drugstore range, which doesn't disappoint. The texture is blendable and dries quickly, which means little to no waiting time before you can go a head with eyeshadow application.

4. E.L.F Eyelid Primer 

I currently have this E.L.F in the shade golden which has a slight tint of golden reflect when applied and it has a similar texture and consistency to the UD Primer Potion. The original E.L.F primer would be a lot more like the UD primer if your are looking for an affordable option. E.L.F isn't available in Ireland but can be purchased online from the eyeslipsface.co.uk website or beautybay.com. 

5. Cream Concealer 

My pick for using a cream concealer as an eyeshadow primer is Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer Pen in CIA (I love doubt use products!), others include the MAC Studio Finish Concealer or Catrice Camouflage Cream Concealer as a cheaper alternative. Any cream concealer will be similar to MAC Paintpots when using them as an eyeshadow base, but keep in mind the consistency and texture of the cream concealer. Don't use anything too oily if you have very oily skin and nothing too drying if you have dry or flakey eyelids. 

What are your favourite eyeshadow bases? Do you have any recommendation for me? 

Love, A

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