Monday 29 December 2014

W7 Goodies!

Hey guys!  I was sent some W7 goodies to try out a while ago, and today I've got reviews of everything I got. I've tried W7's In The Buff palette before, a dead on dupe for Urban Decay's Naked 2, so I was very excited when I was offered to try out some more of their products!


The first thing I tried was the Butter Kiss Lipstick in Racing Red. I'm a sucker for red lipsticks, so I was ecstatic to see this in the package. The swatch shows it to be slightly orange toned, but in real life it leans more on the slightly pink side. The formula for this is great, it glides on so smooth, and doesn't tug at the lips at all. I was worried it was going to bleed throughout the day, as I had decided not to wear a lipliner underneath, but thankfully it didn't! At the four hour mark, it still looked great, and there was no need to touch up. But then I had food and it disappeared, except around the edges of my lips.



Next, I tried the Zoom Mascara. I loved the small wand on this mascara, and I found that the bristles really grabbed onto my lashes, helping to give a nice and even application. The mascara did lengthen my lashes, but didn't add a lot of volume, despite it promising '7x More Volume'. I still really like it, I find it makes a great daytime mascara!



I then tried the Chunky Cheeks cream blush in Tokyo. This is something you need to apply with a lighter hand, it's so pigmented! It blends out really easily too. The colour is really pretty, it gives a very natural looking flush to the cheeks when blended out properly. I this is my favourite product out of the lot!



Last of all, I tried the Cosmic Nail Dust, a really pretty pink nail glitter. I painted my nails a bright pink, waited for that to dry, and then added some stripes with a clear polish and added the glitter. My clear polish wasn't great, as most of the glitter came off after I washed my hands a while later, and I probably should have added a topcoat to help it stay on but you know how impossible it is to get glitters off, especially with a topcoat!

I really enjoyed all of these products, most of all the mascara and the cream blush! W7 products are really great quality, and are so affordable too! All of these products are around €2-€3! W7 products can be found in Cara Pharmacy, Cosmetic Outlet, and I've seen their products in Procare Pharmacy in UCD too.

Wednesday 24 December 2014

Playboy Playful Lashes and Sleek Lashes Mascara Reviews


So on Monday I had the Playboy lipsticks for you guys, and today I, as promised, I have the mascaras. Let's just jump right in, shall we?

Sleek Lashes Lengthening Mascara

First up is the more impressive of the two, the Sleek Lashes Lengthening Mascara. I found that this does what it says on the tin, it lengthens my lashes nicely. It's build-able, and didn't leave my lashes looking clumpy or spidery at all by the second coat, and I like that the wand isn't too big or too small. I curled my lashes before using it, and it did hold the curl well. There was no smudging or flaking as the day went a long either. Overall, I quite like this mascara!

Playful Lashes Volumizing Mascara

The Playful Lashes Volumizing Mascara wasn't nearly as good. The wand is too big, and it makes the application quite messy: no matter what I did, it got all over my eyelid every time. It does give some volume, but doesn't hold a curl at all. It doesn't smudge or flake as the day goes on though, so I'll give it points for that, and I do like the colourful packaging! It's an average mascara, definitely not the worst, but nowhere near the best either.

Both of these mascaras are available on Amazon.

Monday 22 December 2014

Playboy Perfect Kiss Intense Lipstick Review




Playboy launched their new cosmetic line a few months ago, and I was kindly sent some products to try out recently: two lipsticks and two mascaras. I'll have the mascara reviews up in a separate post.

The lipstick shades I was sent were Front Cover, a bright coral, and Bubblegum Pink, a pale pink. Both lipsticks apply really well, they're smooth and creamy and don't tug at the lips at all when you apply them. They do tend to highlight dry patches though, Bubblegum Pink being the bigger offender, so I'd recommend you exfoliate your lips before using these lipsticks. They're both very pigmented, and the colours are very pretty.

Front Cover

Bubblegum Pink

Front Cover (left) and Bubblegum Pink (Right)


Unfortunately though, neither colour really suits my skin tone, and I think they'd look much more flattering on those with paler skin. I put on a bit of Mac's Soar lipliner underneath to make the colours suit me more, and thankfully both look much better on me paired with Soar!

The Playboy Perfect Kiss Intense Lipsticks retail at around £3.50-£4 and can be purchased here. Neither of these colours are in stock it seems, but I'd keep checking back if you're interested in them!

Thursday 18 December 2014

So...? Kiss Me and Rock n Roll Gift Sets!

Hey guys! I know it's been ages since I last posted anything, but with exams and assignments I haven't had any time to sit down and write anything. But exams are (thankfully!) over, and I can get back into blogging!

Today I've got some So...? gift sets to share with you. I was sent these a few weeks ago, and I've been trying them out for since then. These sets would make great stocking fillers for girls in their early teen years: they smell great, are age appropriate and are super affordable!

For Me (left), Rock (centre) and In Love (Right)

First, let's talk about the Rock n Roll set. You get three body sprays, with 75ml of product in each. These are perfect for anyone who likes body sprays really, and I especially love the fact that they're not overpowering like other body sprays can be (*cough* Impulse *cough*). All three smell amazing, but my favourite is definitely Rock!


Next up is the Kiss Me set. In this set you get a 30ml perfume, a 50ml body lotion and a lipbalm. Again, this is perfect for those young teens, and would make a great stocking stuffer! All three products in this set smell lovely and sweet, but not sickly sweet. The scent really reminds me of something, and it's really been bothering me as I can't seem to figure out what! 

Both sets are available in Shaw Stores and selected pharmacies. The Rock n Roll trio retails for €4.95 and the Kiss Me set comes in at €6.95. There's also a few other sets similar to the Kiss Me one, so if you're not overly fond of sweet scents, there's four others to choose from!

Friday 28 November 2014

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor Deep Conditioner Review

Hey guys!

I was recently sent this Aussie conditioner to try out and I'm sharing my thoughts on it today! I'm always on the hunt for a conditioner that'll leave my hair softer for more than a day. I've got this crazy mane of curly/frizzy/dry hair that drives me crazy most of the time.

My hair is really dry, and it really only stays soft for the day I wash it, and as most know, washing your hair too often can make it drier in the long run as you're basically getting rid of all those essential oils. Occasionally, if I'm really lucky, it'll still be a tiny bit soft the next day. If I'm really lucky.

So, enter the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor Deep Conditioner. The way this works is you leave it on your hair for around 3 minutes, and then rinse. Simple as that.



What I do love about this conditioner is the smell. It. Is. Gorgeous. I've tried the Aussie frizz shampoo & conditioner before, but could not stand the smell, and to be honest it put me off their products for a while. But this? Love the scent!

Another great thing about it is that it actually works! It leaves my hair really soft, and for longer too! The only downside is that it does nothing to control my frizz. Aussie have another 3 Minute Miracle conditioner in their range that's targeted towards those of us who have been cursed with intense frizz, and I'll be picking that up once I'm finished with this one (I checked, it's not got the same main
ingredients as the frizz stuff I tried before so the smell should be better!)

Just one other thing worth noting: don't drop it. It slipped out of my hand at one point, and now the cap is broken. Don't be clumsy like me!



During the month of November, Aussie are donating 15 cents from the sale of every product sold in Tesco to the Movember charity. There's still a couple of days left, so if you were thinking of buying some Aussie goodies, now is the time to do it!

The Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor Deep Conditioner retails at €6.69, but prices will depend on where you get it.

Monday 24 November 2014

Memebox #72 Etude House Unboxing



My Etude House box has finally arrived! I was expecting great things from this box, but to be honest I don't think it's as great as the Tonymoly box. Let's have a look and see what I got, shall we?



1. Etude House Oh My Lash Mascara 01 Top Coat
Memebox says: "Ever heard of a top coat for your lashes? Create translucent and glossy lashes by applying it alone, or give a non-smudging and long-lasting finish to your regular eye makeup by applying it over mascara."
A top coat for your lashes? I can't be the only one that finds this a little weird right? I've only played around with this the one time the other day, but I have to say, so far I am kind of impressed. I wouldn't say my lashes are glossy or anything, but there is a very subtle difference when you apply this over regular mascara. More testing needed, I think!



2. Etude House Moistfull Collagen Cream
Memebox says: "Specially formulated with marine collagen and mucilage from baobab trees, the famous Moistfull Collagen Cream is a gentle, deeply moisturising, and skin firming facial cream. It's fast absorbing and lightweight in texture as well, making it a suitable moisturiser for both the summer and winter times."
I am so glad they included this in the box, I just ran out of mine and was going to re-purchase! I've a full review on this here if you want to check it out.



3. Etude House Play Therapy Sleeping Pack
Memebox says: "Etude's special formula 'Nutrition Compact' - a blend of pomegranate, mango seed butter, and evening primrose - combined together with rich collagen complex work to deeply nurish and tighten dry, sagging skin overnight, for a mochi-firm and radiant complexion the next morning."
Another product I was thinking of buying recently, so I'm very happy to see it included! I've been trying this out for the last few nights, my skin feels so soft in the morning!



4. Etude House Bella Dress Pretty Look Shower Cologne Pretty Look
Memebox says: "Get ready in the morning with a spritz of Belle Dress cologne which comes in a fruity perfume complex - a  blend of fruity sweetness, jasmine floral, refreshing green note, and warm musk scents. Its blend of hyaluronic acid, natural spring water, and the lovely perfume fragrance will give a refreshingly moist and sweetly scented start to your day."
I have mixed feelings about this one. It's smells great and all (reminds me of those roll-on body glitters that The Body Shop used to sell), but I would have liked to see a lipstick included instead of this. Also, the packaging seems very childish to me.


5. Etude House Face Conditioning Fixer
Memebox says: "A makeup boosting fixer for cooling, refreshing, and moisturising the skin while locking in makeup in place for a long lasting, silky finish. It also helps soothe and relieve reddened or irritated skin with its aloe vera infused formula."
I was thinking of getting this over the summer, so again I am happy to see this in the box! I have yet to try it out, so I can't say anything about it just yet.



6. Etude House Brow Mascara in 02 Light Brown
Memebox says: "A mascara for your brows! Non-smudging, long-lasting and containing allantoin, beeswax, and camauba wax components rich in nutrition, this Brow Mascara from Etude House offers naturally defined and youthful arches with just a quick smudge."
This one was a huge disappointment. I personally don't think things like this should be included, as they don't suit everyone. My eyebrows are black, so obviously this is not going to work for me, so I won't be touching this one at all.

Overall, this box is nice, but it could be a lot better. I wish they had included some newer Etude House products, like those adorable castle hand creams that launched about a month ago, or even some lipsticks or tints. The brow mascara was disappointing, I wish they had said they were including it and given the option of choosing what colour of the three available shades you wanted. The body spray was ok, but I would have preferred to see a lipstick or tint in it's place. I hope the next Etude House box is more impressive!

Friday 21 November 2014

Memebox #66 Tonymoly Unboxing



My Tonymoly box arrived last week, so I thought I'd quickly share what I got. Out of the three Memeboxes I've gotten so far, this one is by far my favourite. I wonder if my Etude House box will beat it!



1. Tonymoly Delight Tint Crayon Neon in 07 Neon Cherry
Memebox says: "Sweet and vivid under the daylight, Tonymoly's Delight Tint Crayon Neon goes wild under UV lights with its electric neon colours! It melts onto lips like a lip balm with a long-lasting radiance and is easy to use with its auto type packaging."
I thought the colour would be a lot stronger, but it's actually more like a tinted lip balm than anything. I do like the colour though, and I'm glad it's not a bright red because I do have a good few red lipsticks already. I haven't been exposed to any UV light recently, so I have no idea what it'll look like under that! There's a slight smell to this, it reminds me of cherry Blow Pops!



2. Tonymoly Egg Pore Shiny Skin Soap
Memebox says: "A 5 in 1 Egg Soap that works to deliver moisture, nutrition, deep cleansing effect, sebum control, and pore care. It's made from fertile eggs soaked in vinegar for 1-2 weeks, a process that maximises the level of calcium, protein, vitamin, amino acid, and various minerals found in eggs."
When I read that it was made of eggs, I thought that this was going to smell kinda nasty.I can't quite place the scent but thankfully it smells really nice! 



3. Tonymoly Back Gel Liner Long Brush in 03 Pearl Brown
Memebox says: "A best-selling gel liner that comes with a brush of its own and boosts its super water proof and long-lasting formula. The eyeliner glides on smoothly and precisely, then quickly dries down to a long wearing, water resistant finish."
I've heard great things about this line of gel liners, I'm excited to try it out for myself!



4. Tonymoly Luminous Goddess Aura Beam
Memebox says: "Tonymoly's Luminous Goddess Aura Beam is a luminous gel type cream that adds supple, healthy glow to the skin, and minimises the look of skin imperfections. Mixed with your favourite BB cream or used alone, this miracle product will help you achieve that infamous gorgeous Korean skin glow!" 
I hate the packaging of this product. The gel is kind of thick and you have to squeeze the tube really hard to get even a tiny amount of product out. 



5. Tonymoly Mini Peach Lip Balm
Memebox says: "This adorable mini-sized lip balm comes in the size of a large coin and is scented with a lovely fruity peach fragrance that lingers on your lips long after application. Its peach and shea butter formula is also extremely nourishing and leaves lips moist and supple."
I'm actually surprised by how good this lip balm is! I was expecting it to be kind of meh to be honest, but I actually like it more than my Carmex (I never thought I'd say that!). It's really hydrating, doesn't feel too greasy on the lips, and it smells absolutely gorgeous.



6. Tonymoly Panda's Dream White Magic Cream
Memebox says: "A skin brightening and perfecting cream that locks in moisture and brightens dull complexions. This super moisturising cream will bring vitality back to skin while evening out the skin tone. Skin will feel soft and smooth after each application without the greasiness. The adorable panda packaging and the light fruity scent is an added bonus."
This one is all about the packaging! It is seriously the most adorable beauty product I own! The cream itself you need to be careful with. It's quite thick and if you apply too much, it leaves your face looking very white. Use sparingly is my advice!



7. Tonymoly Apple Tox Smooth Massage Peeling Cream
Memebox says: "This is a multi-cream enriched with green apple extracts, AHA, and papaya extracts and which works as a massaging, moisturising, and peeling cream all in one. Green apple extracts rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, Vitamin C, and pectinic acid are effective agents as skin exfoliators and revitalisers."
Again, all about the packaging here! So cute! This one smells just like green apples, as you would expect, and is heavenly! You're meant to apply this evenly all over the face, and then peel it off after 20-30 seconds. But when I put it on, I didn't really find any way to peel it.

All in all, this is a great box! I love how adorable everything is, and all the products smell absolutely amazing! I hope Memebox release another Tonymoly box sometime in the near future, I'll be first in line to get it!

Monday 17 November 2014

Max Factor Skin Luminizer Foundation Review


Hey everyone! I've another Max Factor product to share with you today, the Skin Luminizer Foundation! 

Max Factor say that this foundation contains subtle skin luminizers, that give your skin a beautiful, healthy glow, and aims to give you medium coverage. 

I don't tend to wear foundation often, as I find that most tend to cling to my drier patches if I'm not extremely careful. I was pleasantly surprised by Max Factor's offering!


I really love this foundation. It didn't cling to my dry patches at all, looked flawless on my skin (I used a beauty blender to apply it), and it gave that subtle glow that it promised. The shade (Bronze) is a tiny bit too dark for me, but it still looks really nice. I found that about half a pump is enough for a light coverage, and a full pump gives the medium coverage. It felt so lightweight on my face, which I loved. The pump is also so handy, and I like that the bottle is nice and sturdy, it's very practical, especially for me since I'm always knocking stuff off my desk!

I will be buying this in a shade lighter on my next trip to Boots, I really love it so! It's €15.99, and if you have a student travel card you get 10% off too (just a remainder because I always forget!). 


Friday 14 November 2014

Max Factor Gel Lacquers Review & Swatches




Hey everyone!

I was sent some Max Factor goodies to review recently, and today I've got swatches and reviews of their Gel Lacquers! The colours of all of these polishes are so gorgeous, and they're all super glossy too! I didn't use a topcoat in any of the pictures below.

Vivid Vermillion
Vivid Vermillion: This is a very pretty bright orange-red colour. I used two coats here, you could get away with just using one really, but out of habit I did two coats. It has a nice formula, it's not streaky at all when you apply it. It's also so glossy!


Patent Poppy
Patent Poppy: Lovely, glossy red. Again, I used two coats, but really you only need one. The formula is nice too, no streakiness here either!


Twinkling Pink
Twinkling Pink: This one is a really bright pink, my camera refused to capture the brightness though! The photo doesn't do it justice really. I used just one coat here, I couldn't justify using a second when there was clearly no need. Again, really nice formula, it's not too thick or too thin!


Lacquered Violet
Lacquered Violet: This one is a bit more purple than in the photo, and a bit darker. It kept coming out really blue on camera. This one had a slightly tricky formula, it needed two coats as the first was quite uneven and streaky. The colour in the end is really pretty though, and its a shame it wouldn't quite come through on camera!

Glazed Cobalt
Glazed Cobalt: I used just one coat of this. My camera and computer really hated this one! It's a lot less bright in reality, and has a slight purple tone to it. I tried fixing up the photo to look more like the actual colour, but every time I added any photo of this swatch onto the blog, the blue turned out so bright. So annoying!

Gleaming Teal
Gleaming Teal: This one requires a lot of patience. The formula is on the thinner side, and you have to be very careful with how much you put on the brush as it can either end up being a very thick coat or a very streaky one. You definitely need two coats of this to get it even. The end result is worth it though, the colour is beautiful!


Radiant Ruby
Radiant Ruby: Another one coater! It's a bit darker than in the photo. The colour is absolutely gorgeous, and is definitely one of my favourites in the collection. Great formula, beautiful finish, stunning colour, what's not to love? Maybe I'm biased because it's red, and I seem to be loving all things red in recent months!


Sparkling Berry
Sparkling Berry: This one has a tiny bit more red in it than the picture shows. As with all the others, great colour and shine, and the formula is wonderful! I used one coat here.

Sheen Merlot
Sheen Merlot: I used one coat here, but I think it could have done with a second one just to make it a bit stronger. As with all the others, it has a lovely glossy finish, and the formula is really nice too.


Overall, I really love this collection! The colours are all gorgeous, and the shine on them is amazing! Most have great formulas and are opaque on the first coat, with the exception of Lacquered Violet and Gleaming Teal. Radiant Ruby and Sparkling Berry were definitely my favourites here, I just adored the shades! 

You can get these in Boots stores nationwide. They're €10.49 a bottle, which I personally think is pretty pricey for a nail polish, so if you are going to buy some, I'd suggest waiting until there's a 3 for 2 offer on (there's one on now actually) and if you have a student discount, use that too! 

Monday 10 November 2014

Rimmel Provocalips Review

The Rimmel Provocalips launched early around October. I got it a few weeks ago in the shade Make Your Move, as a reward for not buying something else (sad, I know!), and have really been loving it!




Rimmel claims that this gloss lasts 16 hours and promises that it won't transfer. The gloss is double ended, one end has the colour, the other has the balm. The coloured gloss is really pigmented, and the balm is completely transparent. You apply the colour first, wait until its tacky, and then you apply the balm. And you're good to go. 

I popped this gloss on at around 9:30 one morning. By 4, it started to feel a tiny bit dry, it still looked perfect though. I just put on a little bit more of the clear balm and it was all good.

By 7, it had faded just a little bit, but not enough that I needed to even consider re-applying!

It still looked great by 10 that night. It felt a bit dry again, but at that point I was ready to drop, I was so exhausted, that I decided to just take it off and call it a night. Taking it off was quite the task, I had to scrub it off using my Lush Sugar Lip Scrub, and even then I couldn't get it off completely!


Make Your Move (it's a little more brown than in the picture)


The Rimmel Provocalips really lived up it's claims of being long lasting and transfer proof! I really love this gloss, I'm thinking I might have to pick up a few more colours!

Monday 3 November 2014

October Favourites 2014




Anyone else feel like October was a slow month this year? Not that I'm complaining or anything, October is nice, it's November that I don't like. All those assignment deadlines and exams coming up, is it any surprise that it's my least favourite month of the year?
Enough about that though, today I have some of my favourite products of the last month! I've got some make-up brushes, haircare, lipsticks and more, so let's just get started shall we?



First favourite of this month are these Wet n Wild lipsticks in Cherry Bomb and Sugar Plum Fairy (review here). I've already talked about SPF so many times, so all I'll say here is it's a dupe for Mac's Rebel and it's an absolutely gorgeous colour! Cherry Bomb is, I've heard, an exact dupe for Mac's Diva (don't have it, so can't say too much about that), and it's just so lovely for this time of year. Like SPF, it's matte, but not too drying, and it lasts for ages. They're only €2.99 each too, and can be found in Pennys and Dunnes.



Next up is Benefit's Cheeky Sweet Spot, which is part of their Christmas 2014 collection. I have wanted to try Benefit's blushes for a while, so when I saw this I knew I just had to have it! It contains 5 blushes (Dandelion, Bella Bamba, Sugarbomb, Rockteur and Coralista), a bronzer (Hoola) and a highlight (Watt's Up!). I've been using this palette almost every day since I got it, I love all of the colours so much! It's around €35-43 depending on where you get it from, I think Boots do it for €35 but you have to order it to the store.



I'm always on the hunt for a great mascara, so when I heard about the Isehan Kiss Me Heroine Make Mascara on YouTube, I decided to give it ago. It's a Japanese brand, so I had to order it on eBay, it was around €15. I got the lengthening one, and at first, I didn't really like, I didn't feel like it really did anything. Then I tried it after curling my lashes, and it worked really well, giving me some nice looong lashes! It doesn't give much volume though, so I do use another mascara on top of it.



I've really been loving the Pink Avenue Contour Brush to apply my blush over the last month! It picks up just the right amount of product and it's really soft too! I have a review up of it here if you want some more information on it, including price and stocklists.



Up next, Nima Brush's The Lady. I'm not exaggerating when I say this brush changed my life. It. Is. Amazing. I always used to mess up doing the outer corner of my eye until I got this. I bought it at Pro Beauty a few weeks ago, and I've literally used it every time I put on eyeshadow since then. You can get it here for €12.



Last but not least, some haircare! I originally just went into Boots looking to get the John Freida Frizz Ease Curling Cream, but the line was on special offer (3 for 2) so I picked up the shampoo and conditioner too. These leave my hair nice and soft, and the cream does wonders in controlling my frizz!

That's it for all my favourites this month! I'd love to know what you guys have been loving this month, share them in the comments!