FRIDAY STYLE: BACK IN BLACK

Would it be terribly auld wan of me to say I can’t believe its “Friday Style” time again? The weeks are flying by; it’ll be Christmas before you know it. Right, with that little rant over, let’s move on to today’s outfit. I don’t often wear head to toe black because it can be a bit harsh on my pale Irish skin tone, navy would be more forgiving. Also black can be a bit boring, I like colour but I do appreciate how chic and versatile black can be. A change of shoes and accessories is all that is needed to take a black blouse and black skinny jeans from work, to meeting friends for lunch, to a night on the tiles. Let’s not forget the obvious, it’s slimming.

This top is another great find from Penneys. I think this looks way more expensive than Penneys and I even think the material has a lux feel to it. The cream piping is a nice bit of interesting detail adding to the lux feel of it but it also draws the eyes in a vertical direction adding to the slimming effect. This is a gorgeous blouse that could be worn so many ways.
The jeans are my old faithful super soft skinnies from Dorothy Perkins.

The boots are also from Penneys. They are faux suede, slouchy knee high boots. Unfortunately they are few years old and I love them so much that I have a second pair stashed in the back of my wardrobe waiting to replace these if they ever fall apart; I had to have a back up. Keep an eye out because I think Penneys had the same ones again a few months back.

The necklace is from Carraig Donn. It’s been all about large statement necklaces that sit at the collar bone for a long time now but a long pendent can be really glam too. This one is a lovely rose gold with pearls and a filigree heart. I think it’s gorgeous.
Are you a regular wearer of head to toe black, or do you prefer to mix it up?

RIMMEL LASTING FINISH 25 HOUR FOUNDATION: REVIEW AND PICTURES

I’m sure we all know by now how much I love Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra 24 hour foundation, but lately I’ve been a bit bored with it. It hasn’t done anything wrong, it’s just I’ve been wearing it for years and wanted to try something new. I’ve tried a few different foundations lately and still haven’t found the (new) “one”. Obviously I was happy to discover a free sample of Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation and Lasting Finish Primer in the March issue of Glamour Magazine. I love trying samples.

Lasting Finish Foundation promises skin perfecting full coverage with comfort serum. You’ll see in the pictures below that my skin is quite blotchy with more redness than usual, but the Lasting Finish covers it all really well. It is full coverage in the sense that I really don’t need to add any concealer but the finish is not as heavy and flat as I found the full coverage of the Clinique Beyond Perfecting Foundation and Concealer. This alone looks the way a medium coverage foundation looks after I’ve used concealer and powder. I think my skin still looks like skin in this and it feels very comfortable on.

Surprisingly enough I’ve gotten three wears out of this sample and I wasn’t scrimping. I have no intention of testing the 25 hour claim and the primer reckons it could add up to 8 hours wear so 33 hours, no chance, some days it’s all I can do to get through 8 hours. I’ve tried the foundation alone, with the primer, and then with the primer and with MAC Mineralise Skinfinish Natural as a setting powder. Alone it lasted about six hours before I noticed any shine but the shine wasn’t that bad and I could have lived without powder till about the eight hour mark. With the primer it was about the same. I didn’t think it kept shine at bay any longer but the primer felt hydrating when applied and created a lovely base for applying the foundation. Now with the primer and powder it lasted all day and I thought my makeup still looked perfect after twelve hours.

Top-Before, Bottom-After, no flash

(With a few finishing touches, MAC MSFN, Isadora Face Sculptor Palette. Taken indoors with a flash but next to a window)

I’m pretty impressed with this and if I’m honest I am a bit of a foundation snob. I’ll buy budget brands if there is enough hype but I wouldn’t wear a budget foundation on a regular basis and I definitely wouldn’t wear budget foundation to a special occasion or a night out. It’s about €9 and I am thinking about buying it to be my everyday foundation. It has an SPF of 20 so there is flashback when the lighting isn’t great so for that reason I wouldn’t use it for special occasions and nights out but spending only €9 instead of €30 plus on a foundation that I use every day, I will be saving so much so I can afford to spend big on the occasion foundation.

As for the primer, it creates a nice base but I’m not sure it extends the wear time of the foundation. I will try it with other foundations to see if it makes any improvement on them and report back. It doesn’t have any shimmer through it so I’m not sure it adds any skin improvements either but I’ll give it another go and let you know.

ISADORA FACE SCULPTOR IN WARM PEACH: REVIEW AND PICTURES

The lovely Makeup Monster recently asked if readers feel blog posts where the product has been given to the blogger to review are less credible than posts where the blogger buys the product with their own money. Apparently it doesn’t matter to me because I know bloggers were given the new Isadora Face Sculptor palettes at an event and the after reading just one blog post on it from Lovely Girlie Bits I was sold, hook, line and sinker, I couldn’t get my hands on it fast enough. But then Karen would never lead me astray, but she certainly gets the title of number one enabler; she is always “making” me buy things.

There are two and I had decided that I was definitely buying the Warm Peach, however when I got to the Isadora stand and saw Cool Pink, I threw a wobbly. I stood staring (like an idiot) at the two of them for ages trying to decide which one to get. I eventually decided to stick with my original choice and get Warm Peach but it is inevitable that I will have to go back for Cool Pink.

(Heavy Swatches)

This palette is just perfect; it’s everything you need to contour and highlight all in one neat palette. It’s very finely milled powder that’s not powdery. You know when you have a new powder product and it looks so smooth and perfect in the pan and then you dip your brush in and powder lifts and goes everywhere. (This is why if you are going to blog about a product you need to take pictures of it before you use it.) That doesn’t happen with this. I have been using it for over a week now and it looks brand new, like I haven’t even touched it. It’s impossible to get too much of any of the three on your brush, meaning you won’t accidentally apply too much. We all know too much bronzer makes you look dirty and too much blusher makes you look like Bosco. It is easy to build up more if needed like when wearing fake tan.
The shades in this are perfect for my skin tone. The bronzer has a very slight shimmer to it, which actually gives a more natural finish on the skin than a matte bronzer. It’s not too dark and it has a nice balance of warm and cool. Cool shades can look a bit gray on me and warm ones can create the oompa loompa orange hue. The peach blush is just beautiful; it instantly perks up my complexion and makes me feel prettier. I love a peach blush. The highlighter though is like no other highlighter I’ve ever tried. It’s so subtle. It looks like natural radiance instead of looking like strategically placed shimmer. It also works great for setting concealer under the eyes; it helps brighten up the area without looking shimmery.

(L-R: 1. Before, 2. Contour, 3. Blush, 4. flash used to show Highlight)

The Isadora Face Sculptors are €25 each. I had been lusting over the Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow palette which is €65 and only has a bronzer and a highlighter. I know it’s not fair to compare them but for me I am happy to leave the CT palette and instead get a second Face Sculptor, I’ll have paid less and gotten two extra blushes. What I mean is, even though I haven’t tried the CT one, the itch has been scratched, I’m perfectly happy with the Face Sculptor. Have you tried the Isadora Face Sculptor? What are your favourite contour and highlighter products?

FRIDAY STYLE: THE BLUES

Just because I’m wearing blue doesn’t mean I’m feeling blue. All in all it’s been a pretty good week. We had pancakes on Tuesday, the temperature is sneaking up, we were in double digits on Wednesday and the evenings are getting longer. However, I have given up all sweet stuff and junk for lent. So far I am fine because I am used to being good during the week but I always over indulge in sweets over the weekend so we will see how I get on. It’s not a religious thing or even an attempt to empathise with the less fortunate. It’s merely a personal challenge and a chance to hopefully break some bad habits. I am also going to try and not buy clothes for lent. This may be a sacrifice too far but I am hoping to use the time I usually waste wandering around the shops to actually get the things done that I have been meaning to do for ages. Don’t worry there is loads in my wardrobe to keep the blog going and clearing out my wardrobe is one of those things that I have been meaning to do for ages. On to today’s outfit:

I’ve had this blazer for ages and it’s from Mango. Now that spring is on the horizon it’ll soon be warm enough to leave the house with a blazer instead of the winter coat. The bright blue colour really lifts an outfit.

The style of this top, with the wrap over and tucked in effect at the front and longer length at the back, is something that River Island have been doing for a while now but lately I have been seeing the same style tops in other high street stores, even Penneys. That’s right, it’s from Penneys. Apparently it comes in a few colours but this navy one was the only colour in my local store but that’s ok because navy is a great base colour that you can match so much with. It’s a classy style that can be dressed up or down and you can see my printed River Island top, of the same style, dressed up with a skirt in this post. This navy top would look great with a printed skirt.

The jeans are from River Island. I love dressing up distressed jeans with a pretty top, heels and a blazer. It’s a relaxed but stylish look that I really like.

The shoes are from Dune. They are beautiful but very high.

The necklace is from Carraig Donn. It’s a gorgeous chunky sparkler that adds a bit of glam to any outfit.

What are you looking forward to wearing as the temperatures increase? Did you give anything up for lent?

GLAMGLOW THIRSTYMUD HYDRATING TREATMENT MASK: REVIEW

I told you about the sample of GlamGlow YouthMud that I got in a local salon a few weeks back. I loved it so much that I purchased a full size one. I also managed to get 2 sample sachets of ThirstyMud and feel another purchase may need to be made. Until recently there were no local retailers of GlamGlow that I know of, but now all of a sudden it seems to be popping up in a few local salons and chemists. All this easy availability could be bad for my wallet but good for my skin. I have the BrightMud Eye Treatment in my sights.

GlamGlow ThirstyMud Hydrating Treatment Mask promises to leave you with “hydrated heart pounding glowing skin”, I don’t know about heart pounding but it certainly leaves me with well hydrated skin. My skin has been fairly dehydrated lately. You know when you use a gentle cleanser but your skin feels really tight and dry after and you can’t get enough serum and moisturiser on your face fast enough, well that’s how it has been. The directions on ThirstyMud are that you can leave it on or wipe off after desired amount of time. Looking at it, it’s a beige gel like cream. I assumed it would sit on the skin and that if I left it on overnight it would be all over my pillow and hair the next morning so I applied it in the early evening, when I knew no one would see me, with the intention of wiping it off before bed. However, it actually sinks in and disappears into the skin so I have been leaving it on overnight. It feels lovely and cooling when first applied. The tight dry feeling disappears instantly. When I wake up my skin is soft and plump with no hint of any dehydration lines that may have been. There is a strong scent of coconut, which I really like, but bear it in mind if you don’t like strongly scented skincare. A little seems to go a long way because I get at least two uses out of the 3g sachets, where I only got one with the Supermud, but I have oily but occasionally dehydrated skin. If you have dry skin you may want or need to apply more.

I have seen this anywhere from €58 to €69. It’s pricey but I really like it so I probably will end up buying it. Have you tried this or any of the other GlamGlow masks? Do you think they are worth the price tag? Please tell me I won’t like BrightMud!

SOAP & GLORY SEXY MOTHER PUCKER IN CHARM OFFENSIVE: REVIEW AND PICTURES

Well it’s been a busy weekend so we’ll start the week with an easy lippy post. I got this one in this gift set but they are €9 to buy individually in Boots. Sexy Mother Pucker Lip Lacquer is a gloss/lipstick hybrid. It’s more pigmented than a gloss but not as opaque as a lipstick. I think there is supposed to be a “3-D Plump” effect but I don’t really notice that this makes my lips any plumper than the slight fuller effect you get with any shiny gloss.

I have the shade Charm Offensive, which is a dusky mauve pink. It goes on evenly and leaves a lovely glossy finish. The formula is a bit on the sticky side but it’s not uncomfortable. It’s neither hydrating nor drying. With all the new long lasting glosses, glossy balms and now the oil in glosses, this seems fairly basic. It’s shine and colour for your lips, nothing more but it doesn’t really claim to be anything more. There is loads of transfer onto cups and glasses but after two hours wear and two drinks there is still plenty of colour and shine left on my lips and as it fades it leaves a slight stain but you do need to reapply regularly to keep it glossy. So here are the pictures:

It’s a nice basic gloss at a good price but it won’t set the world alight. Have you tried any of the Sexy Mother Pucker lip lacquers?

FRIDAY STYLE: 3 OUTFITS FOR VALENTINE’S INSPIRATION

Love it or hate it, it’s that time of the year again, Valentine’s Day. I’m a bit of a girly girl so I love the chance to get dressed up in pink (red isn’t a great colour for me). Today I am showing you three outfits to give you some inspiration if you are heading out on Saturday Night.

First up is an outfit I showed you a while back. It doesn’t get much pinker than this hot pink, bodycon Vesper Dress, Vero Moda necklace and New Look Shoes.

The next outfit is from this recent post. It’s a more subtle outfit but still quite feminine and romantic. The top and skirt are both from River Island and the shoes are New Look.

Last we have an outfit that I haven’t shown you yet. This is a lot less girlie than the other two and perfect if you don’t want to be too dressed up but still want to channel a bit of romance.

This berry pink top is from Oasis. It is plain at the front but has some cute pleating details at the back.

The faux leather biker jacket is from New Look and I have had it for ages, so a good investment considering its still in style. You can get similar ones to this in many high street shops now.

The trousers are from Dorothy Perkins. Another outfit option would be to wear leather look trousers or leggings with a blazer, keeping it edgy by swapping where you wear the leather (double leather could look a little 80’s glam rock).

The shoes are from River Island, any excuse to wear them. I told you it’s all about the printed shoes.

The necklace is from Carraig Donn. I love the rose gold colour of it and the filigree heart is very pretty.

What are you planning on wearing this Valentine’s Day?

REDKEN COLOR REBEL HAIR MAKEUP

Just when I thought I had every type of makeup known to man, these were sent to me. It’s hard not to notice the growing trend for bold coloured hair and it’s not just celebrities; I’ve noticed lots of funky coloured hair popping up on twitter with followers commenting on how much they love it but wouldn’t be brave enough to do it themselves. I’m afraid I fall into this camp also. When I was a teenager I was mad to dye my hair but I was always afraid to do it. My brother used dye his hair regularly but it involved using a harsh bleach type product to strip the hair of colour so it was white and then he added the fun colour. Hot pink was one of my favourite shades on him; in fact he had hot pink hair on his licence picture for years. It’s all well and good for boys because they can shave off all the damaged hair when it starts to fade or they don’t want the colour anymore but I would be left with long damaged hair that I would have to try and dye over. Too bad I didn’t have Redken Color Rebel Hair Makeup back then because it would have given me the chance to have fun coloured hair without the commitment or the damage.

L-R: Gilty as Charged, Red-y to Rock, Rebel Without a Coral, Punked Up Pink, Purple Riot

There are five Color Rebel Shades: Red-y to Rock, Rebel Without a Coral, Punked Up Pink, Purple Riot, and Gilty as Charged. You apply them to clean or day-after hair. You start by applying light layers to sections but you can add more to build the colour intensity if desired. You then either let your hair dry naturally or you can blow dry it. Color Rebel coats the hair so the colour is resistant to water, brushing, blow-drying or straightening. The best bit is, it washes out after two shampoos but if you need to remove it instantly you can wash your hair with Redken Hair Cleansing Cream or rub the hair between your fingers with either Redken Diamond Oil Shatterproof Shine or All Soft Argan-6 Multicare Oil until the colour pigment dissolves. So you can be a punk at the weekend and a model employee during the week. Just because you have to pay the bills doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun.

These may be the perfect compromise for those of you who have teenagers that are driving you demented asking if they can dye their hair a bold colour; you want to give in so they will stop banging on about it but you don’t want a lecture from the headmaster/headmistress first thing Monday morning. Not to mention that festival season will soon be upon us and who wouldn’t want to match their hair to their willies. You can have loads of fun with these from all over colour to just adding some individual strips.

What do you think of the trend for bold coloured hair? Will you be trying these or going for permanent colour?

CLINIQUE BEYONE PERFECTING FOUNDATION AND CONCEALER: REVIEW AND PICTURES

Clinique’s new foundation is a 2 in 1, full coverage, long lasting foundation which eliminates the need for a separate concealer and it is targeted at the thirty something with oily skin. Beyond Perfecting Foundation and Concealer sounds like it’s exactly what I am looking for. I had read a few positive reviews of it and I was sold. It was supposed to land on counters this weekend, however, I spotted it on sale at my local Clinique counter last weekend and I was definitely buying it until I was told that they were already sold out of the shade the sales assistant matched me to. She applied Fair all over my face and then told me I needed a bit of bronzer on my neck “to warm it up a bit”. They were also out of the lighter shade, Alabaster, but she gave me a decent sized sample of it and assured me it would definitely be in stock next weekend when I returned and I had fully intended to return to purchase it. (Note: she poured this from a large squeezey bottle into a little jar, so don’t be fobbed off if you want a sample before purchasing).

It seems it was never meant to be for me and Clinique Beyond Perfecting Foundation and Concealer. I have tried this every which way I can think of and I still can’t get it to work for me. Now this foundation comes with its own “magic” wand applicator which Clinique say holds the perfect amount for the full face because a little goes a long way. Now I don’t have this applicator so I am left guessing but I have tried this every day since I got it and every day I try to use less and less and I still seem to be using too much. I thought I wanted full coverage because I often have to add more of a medium coverage foundation to the tops of my cheeks and around my nose but I find this full coverage foundation makes my face look flat. The problem isn’t how much I am using it’s that I don’t like the look of the full coverage. I definitely wouldn’t be leaving the house without contouring and highlighting when using it. I usually use MAC Mineralise Skinfinish Natural to set my foundation but it adds a little more coverage and that would be way too much with this so I have mostly been using my NARS Translucent Pressed Powder instead.

(L-R: before, just foundation, foundation set with NARS and countoured, blush and brows filled in)

Another problem I am having with this is the way it wears throughout the day. It looks flawlessly smooth when first applied but the picture below is about the four hour mark. This foundation really settles into my pores, it clings to dry patches that I didn’t know were dry patches, and it settles into fine lines and creases. I’m not sure you can see it in the picture but it also looks a bit pulpy. It makes my skin look both oily and dry all at once. Thanks to the likes of Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra 24 Hour, and Este Lauder Double Wear Light I’ve come to expect a good eight hours (without primer) from a long lasting foundation. I’ve even tried setting it with MAC Mineralise Skinfinish Natural and it still doesn’t wear any better.

So it’s not the one for me, but as I said I have read some really positive reviews of it, so if you are interested you should ask for a sample or at the least let the sales assistant apply it and leave without buying it. If it still looks great later, you can always go back and get it another day because I wouldn’t be too happy if I had spent €33 on a foundation I don’t like.
Have you tired this yet and how did you get on with it? Were you ever really disappointed with a foundation that you thought would be perfect for you?

FRIDAY STYLE: A LOOK AT SPRING AND SUMMER TRENDS

I thought I would try something a bit different today. Instead of an outfit post I want to talk about a few of the trends that I am noticing in shops and magazines for spring and summer and have a look at what I already have in my wardrobe that fits in with these trends. You see I am trying to be responsible here and get you all, and me, to have a look at what we already have before we all go shopping for loads of new clothes.

First up is pastels, no surprise here, pastels make a comeback every year but this year lilac especially seems to be prominent. I had a good root through and I don’t seem to have anything lilac so maybe one little spend is allowed here. This year there also seems to be a lot of layering different shades of pastels together, so lilac with pink, baby blue, and or mint green. I do have lots of mint green. There is way more mint than this in my wardrobe but you get the idea and a panoramic photo probably won’t fit here anyway.

Florals, for someone who reckons they are not really into floral prints, I seem to have a lot. Truth be told there is even more than this lot.  This is another trend that pops up in some shape or form every year. This year though it seems every item of clothing you can think of comes in a floral print. Some years it’s all about the ditsy floral some years it all big and bold floral prints but this year it looks like anything goes.

Geometric prints seem to big this year and I don’t have much of this in my wardrobe either so maybe another one for the list. I’ve seem some gorgeous geometric print dresses.

Prints on shoes look set to send the solid colour courts to the back of the wardrobe. I am seeing a lot of courts, especially pointed toe courts, with floral prints, stripes, animal prints and strips of animal or floral prints. I’ve also seen some mixed colour animal prints. Printed shoes could be a fun way to liven up a plain dress.

Layered dainty necklaces are trying to muscle in on the chunky statement necklaces. I don’t seem to have any dainty layered necklaces either so another one for the list but that doesn’t mean I am going to shun my chunky statement necklaces.

What trends have you noticed? What are you planning on buying for your spring and summer wardrobe?