FRIDAY STYLE: CHIFFON BLAZER AND RIPPED JEANS

Its Friday, it’s a bank holiday weekend, and there may be some sunshine, can I get a woohoo! It’s finally nice enough to wear ripped jeans without the fear of wind chill. Today’s outfit is a bit dressy and bit casual so it could take you from day to night or just relaxing in a beer garden, enjoying the sun and company of some friends.

The jacket is a recent purchase from Swamp. This jacket has a lovely crepe style front and chiffon dip hem back. It’s so lovely, it really dresses up what would be a casual outfit and it would also work great for wearing with a dress. It would really glam up a plain dress and it would be a great cover up to wear to a wedding.

The top is also a fairly recent purchase and it’s from New Look. The print is so cute and summery, I couldn’t leave it behind. It also has a cute button up back.

The jeans are from Penneys and they are old. They featured in a few posts last summer and will probably make a few appearances on the blog this summer.

The shoes are from Penneys. I do love a pointed toe court.

The bag was a gift with purchase from The Body Shop and it’s a great colour for summer.

I picked up the necklace while on holiday in Portugal.

How do you style ripped boyfriend jeans, do you like to dress them up or keep it casual?

LANCOME’S COLLABORATION WITH JENNY PACKHAM

As most of you already know I am a big fan of Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra 24 hour foundation and since Lancôme do such good gifts with purchase, I always keep a look out for a gift with purchase offer when I see that I’m getting close to the bottom of the bottle. Usually you need to purchase two items to get the free gift so I like to buy another foundation in a darker shade for when I am wearing fake tan or if one of the purchases needs to be skin care I will get either the Galatéis Douceur Cleanser or the Hydra Zen Moisturiser.

Lancôme’s latest gift is a beautiful cosmetic bag designed by Jenny Packham, which is packed with some lovely travel size products and I was lucky enough to be sent one to show you. Let’s admit it, we all want a little bit of designer in our lives. I know you can get a perfectly good cosmetic bag for under a tenner but let’s face it, it you can get a designer one FOR FEE when you purchase some gorgeous products that you totally need anyway, then it’s a win, win. This bag is so cute and I really want to go away somewhere so I can feel smug with all of products packed into my designer cosmetic bag. Who am I kidding, we all know I need more than one bag for all the products that I would bring away with me, even for a weekend. Hmm, it does come in two colours the other one is blue with white, obviously I need the other one as well, it would be a shame not to have the matching set.

The bag comes with the following travel sized products:

Galatéis Douceur Cleanser, which I really like.
Tonique Doucur Toner, haven’t tried yet
Hydra Zen Neurocalm Day Moisturising Cream, a lovely moisturiser
Mini Hypnose Mascara, one of my favourite mascaras and I find travel sized mascaras better because the size is easier to work with and they don’t dry out before you finish them.
Kohl Eye Pencil, which I can’t wait to try out.

This beautiful gift will be on Lancôme counters nationwide on June 1st, that’s this weekend! So what do you think, will you be rushing out to get your hands on one?

FACE OF THE DAY

On weekday mornings when I get ready for work I operate on auto pilot. I apply the same products in the same order every day. All the products that I use in my everyday routine are products that I purchased myself and they are the products that I trust to last all day without any need for touch ups. Thanks to blogging I am lucky enough to occasionally be sent products to try out and review. I not the biggest blog on the block so I don’t get sent loads of stuff but every now and again I do receive some great products. At the weekends is when I have time to play around with some of the other products in my stash. For this post I decided to try and do a face of the day without using any of the products that I use in my every day routine, however, I did have to use two products. They are MAC Mineralise Skinfinish in Medium Plus because I don’t have a bronzer without shimmer that I could use to contour and MAC Omega because you will see in the pictures below just how important filling in my eyebrows is so I don’t like to mess with them. I have brow pencils but I find that when I fill them in with pencils or pens they end up looking very different. I am happy with the result I get from Omega and feel the colour is perfect thanks to the ash tone. So here is the look:

1 My bare, pale face (no wonder everyone tells me I look tired when they see me without any makeup)
2 Max Factor CC Colour Corrector Pencils, Green to neutralise red and Yellow for dark under eye circles
3 Pari Mineral Perfection Foundation
4 Nars Light Reflecting Setting Powder
5 MAC Mineralise Skinfinish in Medium Plus to contour
6 Rimmel Mono Blush in Live Pink
7 MAC Omega to fill in brows
8 Eyes done with Pari 5 Well Eyeshadow Elements Palette (pink on lid, light brown in crease and liner) Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara for a subtle no makeup eye look.

Here I am right before getting ready for bed without having done any touch ups and I think all the products lasted pretty well.

Do you work on auto pilot in the mornings or do you vary your routine from day to day?

 

FRIDAY STYLE: MY TAKE ON DOUBLE DENIM

It may technically be summer but you still need to layer up a bit. Today’s outfit has some pastels peeking out but it’s not quite screaming summer either so I think it’s appropriate for the mixed bag of weather we are having lately. I think double denim can look quite cool but I’m not sure I am cool enough to carry it off so I cheated a little here by breaking it up with the top underneath and wearing dark navy jeans.

I’ve wanted a denim shirt for a while now but it’s hard to find one in just the right colour. This one is not too light, it’s not too dark and it has some nice fading. The material is quite thin so I won’t roast when I wear it with another light layer like I have here. I got this denim shirt in New Look recently.

The check shirt underneath is from Penneys and I have had this for a while now. I really like the peach and aqua blue along with the navy in this shirt. I actually wear this a lot. I think it works really well with the denim shirt and the navy jeans.

The Navy jeans are from Dorothy Perkins.

This necklace is another recent purchase and it’s from Carraig Donn. I absolutely fell in love with this the minute I saw it and I think it ties the whole outfit together nicely.

 

The shoes are from Oasis. I’ve said it a few times now but nude wedge heel courts are a brilliant type of shoe to have as you can wear them with almost anything and they are comfortable.

Are you brave enough to wear full on double denim or do you cheat like me?

REAL TECHNIQUES EXPERT FACE BURSH: REVIEW

It’s been a good few weeks now since I sang the praises of my first Real Techniques purchases. Boots were having a three for two offer so I picked up three brushes. In case you missed the other two posts you can see how I got on with the Silicone Liner Brush here and the Retractable Bronzing Brush here. I completely forgot that I hadn’t told you about this brush until I read this post by Lorraine at johnitsonlymakup.com. I thought to myself I must get that one, I didn’t even realise I already had the same brush because I have been using it for a completely different purpose.

When I picked up the Expert Face Brush I also got the Retractable Bronzing brush, which I started using to apply foundation. As I already have quite a few brushes that I use to apply foundation, I didn’t really need another one. What I did need was a brush to blend highlighter. I never really bothered too much about highlighter before; I usually just slapped it on with any old brush or just used my fingers. Then on a night out I couldn’t stop staring at my friend’s highlighter, it was a sparkly line sitting on top of her cheek where she had obviously applied a liquid highlighter with her finger and didn’t blend. I didn’t know if I should do a mommy lick and spit and rub the face off her or pretend not to notice. It made me paranoid about how my own highlighter looks.

I apply highlighter to the outside of my eye socked, so in a C shape starting under the outer brow bone and finishing on top of the outer cheek bone. Considering this area is at the side of your eyes it’s a hard place to see, so I want to be confident that I have blended well. I know it seems crazy; I apply loads of products to mattify my oily skin and then add more products to make the light reflect off the areas where light would naturally reflect off if I didn’t cover them.

The Expert Face brush is brilliant at blending both powder and liquid highlighters. It’s densely packed so it is quick and easy to blend with this brush. It’s even working well with the cream pencil formula of the Max Factor CC illuminator stick I told you about on Monday. There has been no shedding even after a few washes. This pleases me. The wide base is the only negative because this brush doesn’t fit in my brush holder with all the others. This annoys me.
Have you tried this brush? Do you use it for foundation or something else?

MAX FACTOR COLOUR CORRECTOR CC STICKS: REVIEW AND PICTURES

I often see celebrities on TV and wonder how their complexion looks so perfect. I’ve tried loads of different types of concealers and I’ve found the more they cover imperfections the more unnatural they look on the skin because they are too thick and end up looking patchy, caked and cracked as the day goes on. They best option that I have found for me is to use creamy concealers that lessen the appearance of my imperfections. I have to say I was quite excited when the parcel arrived with these Max Factor Colour Corrector CC sticks and not just because of the jar of sweets that came with them. I was excited to see if these CC sticks could give me the flawless complexion that I crave. We have seen colour correctors before especially in cream formulas but this is the first time I have come across a full range of colour correctors in a creamy stick formula.

The Max Factor Colour Corrector CC Sticks are soft and creamy, well pigmented, and easy to blend out. There are five sticks in the range:
The Reducer (Green) – to neutralise redness
The Revitaliser (Purple) – to counteract sallow and yellow tones
The Brightener (Yellow) – to neutralise purple tones like dark under eye circles
The Balancer (Pink) – to even out dark spots on lighter skin (pigmentation)
The Illuminator (Highlighter) – to reflect light and illuminate

 

Obviously you don’t need them all but since I had them all I decided to have a little fun and play around with them to see how flawless I could get my complexion. If I was buying them I would definitely get the illuminator, I really like this highlighter; it’s a subtle and flattering shade for my skin tone and it’s quick and easy to use for applying in the morning every day. I would also get the green and the yellow ones I think they both work really well with or without concealer on top. I do have some dark spots especially on the tops of my cheeks but they don’t bother me enough to buy products to cover them, I think foundation alone is enough but since I have the pink one I will use it, especially for those special occasions when I want to look my absolute best. I don’t think I have any sallow or yellow tones but for some reason around my mouth always looks a bit yellow when I use the flash on my camera so that is why I use the purple stick in the pictures below with the flash.

So first we have the pictures without any flash. First is my bare face without any product, next is with the CC sticks, green at sides of my nose, on my chin and some other smaller spots, yellow under my eyes, and pink on top of my cheeks and corners of my mouth. In the next picture I blended it all with my fingers. The next picture is with just one pump of Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra 24 Hour foundation applied over the blended CC sticks. In the final picture I applied MAC Mineralise Skinfinish to set my foundation, added some blush, and filled in my brows.

In this row of pictures I have used a flash. First is my bare face without any product, next is with the CC sticks, green at sides of my nose, on my chin and some other smaller spots, purple around my mouth and between my brows, yellow under my eyes, and finally pink on top of my cheeks and corners of my mouth. In the next picture I blended it all with my fingers. The next picture is with just one pump of Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra 24 Hour foundation applied over the blended CC sticks. In the final picture I applied MAC Mineralise Skinfinish to set my foundation, added some blush, and filled in my brows.

I am really impressed by how well these neutralise imperfections and create a flawless finish. I don’t think i have ever seen my complexion looking better than in the last pictures in the two collages above. These CC sticks are €10.99 and are available in stores now. Have you tried any of them yet or which ones will you be picking up?

P.S. It’s fun to scribble all over your face, just do it with these sticks and not with permanent marker like kids and drunk lads seem to have a habit of doing.

FRIDAY STYLE: FLORAL AND BARCODE PRINT

I might as well start this post with a favourite old cliché of mine, I can’t believe it’s Friday again, the weeks are flying. Today I have a slightly unusual print to show you. The thing is that I am not a big fan of just any old floral print. For me to pick up something with a floral print I have to really like something about it especially all the colours. Since yellow and red are two colours that I feel don’t look great on me I tend to shy away from anything with those colours, so even if there is only small bit of yellow or red in a floral print, it can put me off, fussy I know. In case you haven’t noticed floral prints are everywhere this summer.

This dress has a mash up of two prints so we have the floral with a barcode type print over it. I was immediately drawn to it because it is so unusual and different to anything else I have seen in other shops. This dress is from the brand Jaime La Vie, which is only sold in Carraig Donn. Body con can, more often than not, be a bit unforgiving but with the placement of the panels on this dress it is actually quite flattering. As you can see the print is in a panel in the middle so it is black at the sides but then it has the stripped triangle shaped panels at the sides pointing at a black band across the waist which really gives the illusion of a nipped in waist and narrow hips. There  is also some print on the back, which I love. I hate when a dress has some lovely detail on the front but the back is just plain like a completely different dress.

Since the print is busy I kept the accessories to a minimum. This necklace is also from Jaime La Vie at Carraig Donn.

There is a bit of orange in the print so I decided to wear it with these orange shoes from Kurt Keiger. I love these shoes and they always draw so many compliments. You would be surprised by the amount of things you can wear orange shoes with, they really lift an outfit.

 

This clutch is old and it’s from Dunnes but envelope clutches are another trend that seems to be everywhere this summer.

How do you feel about floral prints? Do you love them all or are you fussy like me?

LIPPY WARS: LANCOME JUICY TUBE VS ESSENCE GLOSSY LIPBALM

Supposedly there is a heat wave on the way, let’s be honest, even at the slightest whisper of the phrase heat wave and we lose the run of ourselves. We know Ireland’s idea of a heat wave is when we have three or more days where the temperature rises above 10 degrees and yet we still get all giddy and get out the auld denim cut off shorts, the floral crown headbands and plan our dewy glossy makeup looks. I’ll be honest, I’m too old for the cut off shorts and floral crowns and my skin is too oily to do dewy but I can certainly do glossy lips.

Today I am comparing Lancôme’s Juicy Tube in Marshmallow Electro with Essence Glossy Lipbalm in Sweet Strawberry. There is very little shade difference because they are both very sheer so my natural lip colour comes through them both. I know how much you all love a good dupe so I’ll say it now, the only real difference between them is the price tag. The Essence one is about €1.30 while the full size Lancôme Juicy Tube will set you back €20 but my one was a free gift with purchase sample size.

(L-R: Before, Essence Glossy Lip Balm, Lacome Juicy Tube)

 Both are comfortable to wear and really hydrating, however the Essence Glossy Lipbalm is a little bit stickier but only a little bit. The scent is also strong with the Essence one but it fades quickly. I prefer the more subtle scent of the Lancôme Juicy Tube and the scent doest last longer. There is loads more sparkle in the Juicy Tube but they both look equally glossy on the lips. I think the extra sparkle in the Juicy Tube makes my lips look a bit plumper but again I’m splitting hairs here. Look, I like a luxury product so I’m trying to justify the enormous price difference. The Juicy Tube does last a lot longer but gloss is so quick and easy to reapply and at €1.30 using the Essence one all up and having to repurchase is not going to break the bank. So in truth, I am happy to get a Juicy Tube as a free gift with purchase when I am buying other Lancôme products anyway but I definitely won’t be spending €20 on one when Essence Glossy Lipbalms are a perfectly good dupe.
Have you tried either of these glosses? What are your thoughts?

CURRENT SKIN CARE ROUTINE

I haven’t done a post on my skincare routine in a while and since I think my skin is in pretty good condition at the moment I figured I would tell you about what I am currently using. There are a few new products to tell you about but if you have seen my previous skincare posts you will recognise a few old reliables. As much as I love trying new products, when I find something that does everything that I need it to do I will repurchase it over and over again. I may be fickle with makeup but when it comes to my skin and finding a product that does my skin good, then I am faithful. Here is a look at what I am using:
Cleansers:
L’Oreal Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution – Instead of washing my face in the mornings this is what I use to remove any residue left from the products I applied the night before. It’s a quick and easy way to cleanse my face in the mornings when I am rushing and still groggy.

La Roche Posay Physiological Cleansing Gel – this is one of my reliables that I have repurchased over and over again. I have reviewed it here so I won’t say much about it now except that it is a brilliant cleanser that quickly and gently removes all makeup. I keep one in my bathroom and one in my gym bag.
Serum:

The body Shop Vitamin E – I only review this last week so no need to go on about it now again. It is a really good hydrating serum that seems to be keeping my usually oily skin in check so I use it both morning and night.
Eye Cream:

Olay Regenerist Luminous Dark Circle Correcting Swirl – I’ve only been using this for just over two weeks now so I will review it properly in a few more weeks. I will say that first impressions are good; it’s a nice hydrating eye cream with light reflecting pigments, which brighten my dark circles.
Moisturiser:

Olay Regenerist Luminous Skin Tone Perfecting Cream – again I have only been using this for just over two week and I will review it properly when I have been using it for a good five or six weeks. First impressions are good here also. I am really enjoying using this moisturiser. It’s really hydrating but also leaves a matte finish to my skin creating a perfect base for my foundation.
Masks:

Clinique Deep Cleansing Emergency Clay Mask – I haven’t actually needed this in a while but this is the mask I turn to when my skin looks a bit spotty. I find it helps the spots that are already there heel quickly and generally clears my skin up so it stops breaking out.

Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Recovery Mask – this is just a lovely mask to use as a treat for my skin. It’s really hydrating and just really lovely to use when my skin is already in good condition. What I love about it thought is the way it sooths my skin when it is irritated, like from sun or (more likely) wind burn.
There you have it. There have been times when I have got carried away and ended up with loads of products like day cream, night cream, day eye cream, night eye cream, a hydrating serum, an anti-aging serum, lots of different cleansers… but for the moment I am trying to keep it simple and use as few products as possible. I look for products that can be used both morning and night time, along with cleansers that can clean my whole face including removing stubborn eye makeup while being gentle.
Do you use any of these products? What are your old reliable?

FRIDAY STYLE: SMART CASUAL TEAL AND PLUM

Well we have reached another Friday after a short week. Sometimes the week after a bank holiday Monday feels so long, especially when it has been wet, cold and windy all week. To cheer things up a bit, todays outfit is one of my favourite colour combinations, teal and plum. As you may already know, I love all shades of green and my second favourite colour is purple. This outfit is smart casual and I would wear it if I was meeting up with some friends during the day, like for a coffee or some retail therapy.

This Vero Moda top is a recent purchase from an independent boutique. It was on a sale rail with a sign saying everything €10. The sales assistant reckoned that was a mistake and it was only new in but the manager said it was indeed €10 so I don’t know if I found a bargain or just got lucky. I love the colour and the print is really cute too. The loose shape that comes in at the waist is really comfortable to wear and it hides a multitude on those days when I am feeling a bit pudgy.

I picked this blazer up in Penneys a while ago. The relaxed shape means it works better with jeans and tops rather than a dress. The strong plum colour is great for colour blocking or contrasting with brighter colours. The jeans are my faithful old reliables from New Look.

The Love Moschino bag was a Christmas present from a few years ago. Who would have though a teal bag would be the perfect present for me? I love this bag!

The wedge heel nude courts are from Oasis. Shoes like these that you can wear with anything, while dressed up or casual, and that are comfortable to walk in are a must have for the summer.

I picked this statement necklace up while on holiday in Portugal.

Have you got any good bargains lately? What is your favourite colour combo?