My 5 Beauty Must-Haves

Hi girls!

Today I'm detailing the five beauty products that I just can't do without on a weekly basis we'll say because let's face it, I don't wear makeup on a daily basis! :P

So these are the products I use a lot, I'd be lost without them:

1. Anastasia Beverley Hills Dipbrow Pomade

This is definitely my favourite product at the moment! I can't gush about it enough. I bought it a few months ago from Beauty Bay for €12 (it has now risen to €18.50 I think) and I wanted it for so long after seeing it plastered online for the last year or more on Facebook/Instagram etc. After purchasing this, I honestly don't know how I ever lived without it. Before, I used power and a pencil to shape my brows but this is a gel product - it goes on so smoothly and a little goes a long way! I bought it a few months ago and I'm not even half way through it. I have read reviews that state it loses its creamy texture the more you use it and yes, I have noticed this but in my opinion, it doesn't affect the product. It still goes on perfectly and it doesn't affect it's durability. It comes in a few different shades as you can see from the picture (below), I use Dark Brown because my eyebrows are quite dark. 

2. Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs

This is my go-to tan product if I don't have time to put on tan the day before. And yes, I confess, sometimes even if I have put on tan the day before and I find it's not dark enough... I put on a layer of Sally Hansen too! :P I use it everywhere but my face, not just my legs FYI :)

It's so easy to apply, use a tanning glove, spray and blend and you're good to go! It drys instantly and it is also instant tan meaning the colour comes up immediately, you don't have to wait for it to develop or anything and it washes off completely in the shower so you are not left with fading tan marks. It's not streaky at all, I couldn't put streaks in it if I tried! :)

The main thing I love about this is - it washes off in the shower with a shower puff BUT it doesn't streak in the rain whatsoever. 

If you love Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain then this is the tan to use :P If you get caught in a shower, running from the taxi to the pub or wherever, it doesn't run or streak or ruin your clothes. If any of you Irish girls can remember being out years ago wearing Sun Shimmer and dreading the slightest bit of water getting on you because you'd look like you had "the mange", you will appreciate Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs for this reason :)

It comes in four different shades now, of course I use the Deep Glow one muwhahahahahaha! 

3. Foundation 

Of course, one of my beauty must have's is foundation. Even if I don't feel like wearing full makeup, wearing foundation and brows makes me feel a little less like a hobo on dress down days! 

My day foundation of choice at the moment was recommended to me by a friend (Thank you Nan!) and it's Vichy Dermablend. I love this because it has such great coverage and it's so cheap compared to other good coverage foundations. It retails at €21.99 and I usually buy mine at Sam McCauleys. It blends easily, has great coverage and over all it is a fantastic day foundation. I love it! The only downside is the range of colours it comes in as you can see below. I use Opal because I'm the palest girl alive and I still have to use some bronzer on my neck because there's a line! Haha yes, I am that pale! 

For night makeup, my favourite foundation of all time is definitely Estee Lauder Double Wear. It's slightly more expensive, prices starting at €34 but definitely worth it in my opinion. For me, foundation just does not get any better than this! It's creamy, amazing coverage, it's so durable in any condition and just gives the most beautiful finish. I have used this for years and I've tried a lot of other foundations (including Mac) and I always go back to Double Wear, it's just fantastic. Also, it comes in such a wide range of colours that all shades and tones are covered (the picture below shows a fraction of the colour variety, there are more!). I use Desert Beige and I have some darker samples I use to contour when the mood takes me :P This foundation is especially brilliant for anyone suffering from acne or someone who has hyper-pigmentation or freckles they want to cover - although freckles are the "in" thing at the moment :P If you google Before and After pictures, you can see for yourself the results are just amazing. 

The only one downside of this foundation is blending - it drys very quickly so when you are applying it, you have to apply to each section and blend as you go. This just goes to show how durable it is also though, once you apply it - there's not much moving it! It's not a big downside but just something to note :)

4. Wax

My beauty must haves are not only makeup products, I literally could not live without my wax pot! My sister purchased mine for me from Niall O' Reillys while I was in beauty college to practice for exams and I've used it for myself and friends ever since. I think I got a deal at the time for approximately €80-€100 for a Babyliss Pro Satin Smooth Double Heater Starter kit. 

Myself and a friend will wax each others arms and legs every month or so and it saves us both so much money! Apart from buying the actual heaters, to purchase a jar of warm wax, strips and spatulas it is under €20. And for those of you girls who think "sure I wouldn't be able to wax", trust me - it's simple! A few Youtube videos and you could be a pro ;)

For those of you dark haired beauties, you will know my struggle of having black hair everywhere. It's such a pain! Especially my lip, chin and brows - I have to do them every week. If I didn't have my wax pot, I'd have to go book an appointment with a salon, head into town, pay €20 or more every week just to keep it under control. There's nothing more unattractive than a hairy lip eh? :P But with my wax pot at home, it heats up for a half hour, it takes me 10 minutes to do if even and I don't have to walk through town to my car with bright red marks in the shape of a handle bar moustache and a unibrow on my face! :D I would definitely recommend purchasing one if you have frequent waxing trips. If you do decide to and you're stuck with something - PM/email me and I'll help you out :) 

5. Schwarzkopf Osis+ Flatliner Iron Serum

Last but not least, some hair care! I tend to straighten my hair a lot and I do curl it the odd time, that combined with dyeing it means it's not in the best condition. But I found this product to use to protect my hair when using heat appliances. I was recommended this in a hairdressers, the stylist was using it whilst styling my hair so I figured if it's good enough for a salon I would try it out :)

I love it, it's a great product and I use it whenever I straighten or curl my hair. Not only does it help keep my hair straight/curly but it protects your hair from heat up to 200 degrees, protects from humidity and it reduces frizziness. It's also level 3 on a scale of 1-4 for control so it's pretty darn good! 

I have heard some great reviews about Schwarzkopf Osis products and judging by this one, I'll be purchasing a few more :)

So these are my favourite products at the moment, my must-haves for beauty and hair care! If you have something you can't live without, please share - I might be missing out on other beauty essentials :P

Hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading <3

Aoife xx

Cocoa Brown 1hour Tan Review and How To Apply

Hi girls!

My favourite tan at the moment is the Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan, it's cheap and affordable but it's also great quality. When it's used with the other Cocoa Brown products it lasts longer, fades gradually and when I need it to come off, I don't need to have 5 showers to scrub it off - one shower with Cocoa Brown Tough Stuff and it's gone! I have tried alot of high end and high street tans over the years and this is my favourite by far.

Please note, this is how I like to apply my tan, I find I get the best tan by following this method. But as stated on the bottle, this is a 1 hour tan so if you are in a rush and can't leave it over night as I do, the tan does develop nicely in 1 hour. Hence the name! :)

The products I use to get the full benefit from this tan are:

- Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan (€7.99)
- Chocolate Whip Body Moisturiser (€4.99)
- Tough Stuff Body Scrub (€4.99)
- Tan Application Mitt (€5.00)
- Exfoliating Shower Gloves (€1.49 in Dealz)
- Disposable Latex Gloves (€1.49 in Dealz)

I purchased a gift pack from Tesco for €20 that included all the Cocoa Brown products (below) so for 6/7 applications I pay €23, not bad!

Step 1:

Always apply tan to clean, dry, exfoliated skin so shower first using your exfoliating gloves and Tough Stuff body scrub to exfoliate. Pay special attention to the usual dry areas - hands, feet, elbows and knees and any dry areas specific to your own body.

Step 2:

Apply a small amount of Chocolate Whip body moisturiser to areas of dry skin especially hands, feet, elbows and knees.

Step 3:

Wear a pair of disposable gloves under your tanning mitt as I find all tanning mitts sometimes leak tan through to your hands and cause staining. I glove both hands because I alternate hands when applying to reach different areas!

Step 4:

How you apply your tan is entirely up to yourself and once you get used to it, you'll find your own little knack for putting it on but just in case some people struggle with application, this is how I apply my tan :)
I usually start with my feet first and work my way up. I take the leg in sections making sure all areas are adequately covered before moving on, for example: foot and ankle first, then onto shin and half of the lower leg, then upper half of lower leg and the knee, lower half of thigh, upper half of thigh and bum cheek! If you work in very small areas at a time rather than spread it over a large area, you will have less chance of streaking.
Handy Tip: Try resting your foot on a low surface (edge of the bath/bed or on a closed toilet seat! :P) to get a better angle and have a long mirror nearby to check those hard to see areas.

When I've finished both legs I start at my wrists next, applying the tan in the same fashion - lower arm, upper arm, chest, neck, face, ears (Yes I tan my ears!), upper back and lower back that I can reach (use the mirror!), tummy and I usually get my partner to do the parts of my back that I can't reach otherwise it just comes out streaky.

Step 5:

Remove disposable gloves and tan hands last. Be sure to get in between the fingers, along the edges of your hands and also, bend your fingers to get into those little creases along your knuckles.

Step 6:

Don't get dressed for at least ten minutes, I usually dry myself a bit with the hairdryer to be honest, the heat will help to develop the colour aswell as dry it. Then put on loose fitting pyjamas or lounge wear.

Step 7:

I find this tan works best when you leave it over night and have a shower the next day. So have a quick shower the next morning but don't scrub your skin, just let the water rinse the top layer of tan and pat yourself dry with a towel, don't rub too vigorously.

Step 8:

For darker applications, you can do this one of two ways:
1) Straighter after application, go back over full body applying another layer of tan. This is the best option if you only have one night to apply tan!
2) After rinsing the next day, apply another layer of tan and allow this to develop again over night. Personally I find this to be the best option for me so for example if I want to be tanned for a Saturday night, I'll apply my first layer Thursday night and the second layer Friday night so that I'm rinsing Saturday night before I go out.
Only do this step if you feel one application isn't enough, for most people it's fine but I always like to go a tad darker!

Step 9:

To maintain your lovely, natural looking tan, apply Chocolate Whip body moisturiser every day after showering. But! And this is very important, don't apply this directly after rinsing the first day, just every day thereafter. This will keep your skin moisturised, locking in the colour for longer and helping your tan to fade gradually and naturally. Oh and it smells amazing!

Step 10:

When  your tan has faded considerably (mine usually lasts around 5 days when I apply the Chocolate Whip) and you think it's past its sell by date, all you need to do is shower and exfoliate using your exfoliating gloves and the Tough Scrub body scrub. Be sure to give a good scrub, your skin might be a bit pink afterwards but it feels great! Pay special attention to your neck, hands, knees, elbows and the trickiest areas I find are the underarms.


Apologies for the bad pictures, the first one is pre-tan, the second is post-tan and first shower and the third picture is after about 5 days when the tan is starting to wear off. As you can see when it wears off it does stick a bit around the ankles and knees but not as bad as most tans and the Tough Stuff scrub gets rid of that completely.

All in all, I love this tan - it's great value, great quality and it smells lovely. None of that awful fake tan smell at all!

If you're looking for a reasonably priced, salon quality fake tan then this is definitely the tan for you. For more pictures, see my Edinburgh post :)

Hope this post helps, if you have any Q's just leave a comment or grab me on my Facebook page :)

Aoife xx 

Edinburgh Weekend Outfit and Makeup Details

Hi girls!

So after having such an amazing fun filled time at a wedding in Edinburgh last weekend, I decided I'd post my makeup, outfit and accessory details seeing as I've been a bit neglectful of my blog as of late (darn internet!).

For the plane journey on Saturday, we had a 2 hour drive from Waterford to Dublin, an hours plane journey and a taxi into the heart of Edinburgh so I dressed pretty casual.. my favourite style!

Outfit: Red jeans, comfy sneakers and a black peplum top of sorts - all from Penneys/Primark. I must warn you before you continue that I'm like a walking advertisement for Penneys. I shop there ALL the time, just love their stuff :)

Jewellery: Also all from Penneys - gold necklace, rings and charm bracelet.

Make-up Details:

Face - Vichy Dermablend. I contoured with the foundation using Nude to highlight and Bronze to contour. Using (of course), my Real Techniques brushes and the beauty blender sponge. To emphasize the contour, I use Seventeen Define and Conquer contour kit (€8 in Boots). For blush, my usual favourite Dealz brand and powder is No.7.

Eyebrows - Anastasia Beverley Hills in Dark Brown using an ABH #12 brush.

Eyes - Urban Decay Naked 3 palette using Real Techniques eyeshadow brushes and other brushes I have from my beauty college kit. Also used NYX eyeliner and Penney's individual lashes (love!)

Lips - NYX Lip Pencil in Coffee.

As for my hair, as you can see from my pic below, I have a terrible habit of spending too much time on makeup and my hair always tends to go by the way side! So for that day it was wash, blow dry, brush and off I went. I'm lucky my hair is pretty naturally straight!

When we arrived in Edinburgh that evening, we got ready to go and hit the town immediately as you do! So quick makeup refresher and outfit change!

Outfit:

Dress from River Island, boots from Penneys and blazer from a stockist on Wish.com.

I did actually have a bit more time so I ran a straightener over my hair and flicked it over to show one of my little shaved sides :)

So finally, for the day of the wedding! The excitement!
Outfit:

Dress: A Jessica McClintock dress that I actually bought in Pamela Scott's about 6 years ago! It's a lovely dress and I had only worn it twice so I thought what the heck I'll recycle it!

Shoes: I bought these in the Shoe Rack online sale for €20, bargain! They were about 5 and a half inches high though so not the best idea for a full day of socialising.

Clutch: My favourite! I bought this on the Debenhams website for €30. I absolutely love it, it's so me! The multi colour means it will go with almost anything too. I took a picture of the inside of the clutch too, it had a great bit of room in there. When I go out I tend to bring everything but the kitchen sink so was handy to have some room in there.

Accessories:

Headpiece: This was my fave part of the outfit! I bought it in Penneys for around €3 and I just love it, it's really elegant.

Earrings: Pilgrim earrings, a present from my lovely Aunty Mary

Bracelets: An Alex and Ani that I got my from my wonderful sis Corah and a silver bracelet, again from my lovely Aunty (she spoils me!)

Rings: All Ti Sento rings that I purchased a few years back

Nails: House of Holland Stiletto style nails only €12 in boots. These were really sturdy too, I didn't lose one all weekend.

 Makeup:

For my makeup I used the exact same products as the day before but the only difference was my eyes! So for my eyes I used my Urban Decay Naked 3 palette for transition and shading colours but I used Claire's Accessories glitter on my eyes (fixed with eyelash glue).

Also, I almost forgot! My tan for the weekend was the 1 hour Cocoa Brown one - my go to tan! Post coming soon on the tan and the products I use :)

The wedding was amazing, I had such a great time and met so many wonderful people! It was a fantastic venue - the Signet Library - and the little bits and pieces that came with our seats were so thoughtful and beautifully laid out. 

I hope you girlies like the product and outfit details, any feedback please feel free to leave comments below or on my Facebook page. Thanks for reading!

Aoife xxx

My Skincare Routine

 Most people are shocked to hear that I cleanse, tone and moisturise fully every night (yes the whole hog!) so I decided to share my daily skin-care routine for those of you who just use handy aul face wipes every night! :P

If you do use baby/cleansing wipes to remove your make-up or clean your face - you should stop. First of all, they contain alcohol and other harsh chemicals to keep the wipes moist and fresh but the chemicals can cause harm and dry out your skin. Secondly, if you are constantly using wipes, this will lead to dryness, aggravated skin conditions like acne, rosacea and eczema, the dryness will cause wrinkles in latter years and from constant rubbing your eyes with them you can develop bags under your eyes. Personally, I don't use wipes because my skin feels dry, irritated and sometimes gets really blotchy and sore afterwards. So only in dire straits would I consider using them! 

 In the morning, it is recommended that people should use a daily face wash but I'll be honest - I don't. I splash a bit of cold water on my face before I put on my make-up. If you want to use a face wash I'd recommend the Garnier range if you are on a budget, they have a one called the Invigorating Daily Scrub. Good quality, a reasonable price and available in most Boots stores. If you want to splash out a wee bit, I would definitely go for Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant. I used this in college, it's pricey but you only use the tiniest amount every day and it would last almost forever.

 Every evening I use a Garnier cleanser, toner and moisturiser (pictured below) with cotton pads that I pick up for next to nothing in any Aldi store. The only reason I use Garnier products is because they are really reasonably priced and I go through alot of it! I have sensitive-ish skin so I have to be careful about what I use and I've never had any problems with Garnier products. That and I'm always a last minuter so its handy to grab a cleanser in Tesco/Boots rather than order it online. 

To begin, I wet approx. 10-12 cotton pads, more if I have alot of make-up on. I start with my eye make-up and brows by getting cleanser on my ring finger and running it through my brows, over my eyelids and down my lashes. When I have it rubbed in a good bit I take one of the wet cotton pads and run it over my eye area in the same way, removing the cleanser and makeup. I repeat this until the pad is clear so it usually takes about 2 pads (front and back) per eye. Remember though, take it easy with your eyes because the skin around them is thin and delicate so its more prone to wrinkles! As my Nanny would say "don't be rubbing your eyes!!" :P

For my face I get more cleanser and spread it out evenly on my face. I probably use too much cleanser because I like to give my face a good scrub but the recommended amount is a dollop around the size of a 2 euro coin. I then basically massage my face with my fingertips in upward, circular movements taking care not to drag the skin down the way but massage it upwards. This cleanses your skin, removing dirt from the pores and regenerates skin cells to replenish your skin aswell as clean it. Be sure to massage into all the finicky areas - your nose, your hairline, the skin between your brows (I always miss that bit!). 

Once you massaged it in well, remove with a wet cotton pad in each hand using the same upward, circular movements. I repeat this once more, twice if I have alot of make-up on. To tone, I douse two cotton pads in toner and apply to my face with the same upward, circular movements. Then moisturiser is simple, a pea sized amount, not too much, and apply with to your whole face.

For people who wear alot of heavy eye make-up, gel liner, glitter etc, I would recommend using Garnier's Express 2-in-1 eye make-up remover, it's a great dupe for Matis' Bi-Phase. A few drops on a cotton pad, hold to your eye for 30 seconds or so and then remove as normal. I find it brilliant for stubborn glitter and eye-liner.

I can't stress enough the importance of cleansing your skin on a daily basis. Even if you don't wear make-up, cleansing cleans everyday dirt out of your pores, it brightens, refreshes and rejuvenates your skin and in the long term it helps to prevent premature ageing, wrinkles etc. Rather than spending alot of money on anti-wrinkle creams and other treatments in later years, cleansing your skin daily in the way outlined above will make all the difference and it will really show when you are older.

As a Beauty Therapist, I should advise exfoliating and using a face mask designed to your skin type once a week but again, being honest... I don't! However, if I do start using exfoliators/masks natural or otherwise, I will post about it ;)

I hope this helps, if you have any comments/questions you can post below or you can catch me on my Facebook page!

Aoife xx

Wish.com Product Reviews

Hi girls!

As promised, I've reviewed the Wish.com products I'v received. For those of you that don't know what Wish.com is, it's an app (that is advertised ALOT on Facebook!) that you can get on your mobile selling beauty products, jewellery, clothing, shoes, homewear, menswear, you name it, they more than likely sell it! It's a sort of an easier ebay lay out and you don't need Paypal, you use your debit/Visa card and once your details are saved in your profile, you can click "Buy" to your hearts content.

The prices are pretty reasonable on most products so naturally, I was a tad skeptical about paying money for items in relation to the quality and actually receiving them. I had heard mixed reviews about the website but all in all, most customers stated the items had actually been delivered so I said why not! and chanced my arm buying a few bits.

Warning: Upon downloading this app, you may get what I call Wish.com Fever, after you get your first few bits it's hard to stop! :P

The first product I ordered was a 3D Butterfly Wall Design, it was only €3 (€1 shipping) and it looked pretty reasonable. There had been good reviews from other customers, these can be seen on some but not all products by scrolling down below the picture and details of the products.

The butterflys arrived in about 20-22 days and I'm delighted with them! They are great quality for the price, easy to apply and of a reasonable size.

At the same time of ordering the butterflys, I ordered a Jewellery Holder, it was advertised as a 39 pockets jewellery holder but when it arrived approx 18-20 days later, it had 39 pockets for rings and 23 velcro holders for necklaces, bracelets, head pieces etc. I had paid €5 for it (€2 shipping) so it was great value for money. As you can see the pockets are quite big, especially near the bottom so you can fit alot in. I have also clipped a couple of clip-in hair flowers to the top aswell.

This is probably my favourite product so far! Sometimes, when I'm dressing up or going out I forget to wear jewellery because bits and pieces are flung everywhere and usually go missing (I'm so organised I know!). So with this, I have all my little bits there in front of me and I can grab a few bits before I run out the door.

A lipstick holder arrived a few days ago and I got time today to put a few lipsticks into it to take pictures. I can be really fussy so be sure they are going in according to colour, brand, brightness etc hehe! :) It holds 24 lipsticks and I absolutely love it. Again, most of my lipsticks are thrown about between handbags, under the bed, in the car, makeup bags, everywhere so it's good to have something I can pop them into and have them all lined up ready for the pickin'! I got it for €4 (€1 shipping) so it was a good bargain.

As you can see, I'm a big fan of Rimmel lip products :P

So all in all, my first few buys were a good experience. Apart from just the one teeny issue - I had ordered a pair of winter fingerless gloves like these:

But the order never arrived so I queried it on the app by clicking "Contact Support" and within a few hours I had been awarded a refund for the full payment amount. The money was put back into my bank account approximately a week later so not too bad! They also stated if I did happen to receive the product in the mean time, I could keep the refund as a gift for the inconvenience. Not bad at all! That was for a €4 item so it will be interesting to see in the coming weeks if the same thing would apply for a more expensive item.

All in all, shopping at Wish.com has been a pleasant experience albeit the risk of becoming addicted and buying everything :P I have more products arriving this week so I'll be sure to post some pictures and let you gals know what they are like.

Thanks for reading and if you have any Q's or want to share your own experience/review just comment below :)

Aoife x