First Impressions: Essence's 'Get Big Lashes' Volume Curl Mascara

Well that title was a bit of a mouthful! Hello everyone! I have for you today a little first impressions post on Essence's mascara. It isn't a very hyped mascara at the moment but I wanted to give it a try since I was in need of a new mascara and had seen a positive recommendation of it somewhere.

I bought it for around €2.89 in Pennys and since it was suuuper cheap I couldn't say no! I'm pretty sure they have another version for length and another for waterproof but I picked this one up anyway.

Here is a picture of the wand, its a curved wand which I actually like here as it fits the natural curve of my eye perfectly!

As you can see from the photographs I have very thin lashes and especially on the bottom they are also very sparse. So I usually pick up 'volumizing' mascaras instead of 'lengthing' ones

After first trying on the mascara I found that one coat was not enough for me. It did make my lashes look better but I wanted them a bit thicker looking so I applied the second coat.

Overall I am very pleased with the results of the mascara. I mean, its not a life changing product by any means, but I think for the price that it is, it is a great mascara. I would even say that it is just as good as some of the other more expensive mascaras out there. I would definitely pick this up if you are on a budget and need a cheap mascara or if you are looking for a daytime mascara to keep in your handbag without spending a small fortune!

These are my lashes with no mascara or eyeliner. (excuse my puffy eyes!)

These are my lashes after one coat of the mascara.

These are my lashes after two coats of the mascara.

I hope the pictures were ok, it was quite awkward taking pictures of my eyes as I've never done it before, especially trying to get the camera to focus!

Thank-you all so much for reading and let me know what your favourite mascaras are as I would love to try more out! 

Haul: Topshop, Pennys, Vita Liberata and more!

Hello! So I have a little haul for you guys that I've accumulated over the past few weeks or so and I've been very pleased with some of the bargains I've picked up. I can be quite the sales impulse buyer so a lot of times I end up returning some of the things I pick up. I realize when I get home that I don't actually NEED and sometimes want what I purchased, which can be annoying when I have to go and return things again and again. 

I managed to buy some things I was actually looking for before I found them and some of them were even on sale!

I picked up these three necklaces from Pennys which were €5 each. I was super pleased to find them this cheap as other shops sell them for three times the price so it's a no brainer really! 

The one on the left is a cream colour and it separates into 5 different pieces and I think this is a good item that will go with different outfits as it's a neutral colour.

The one on the right is a pinky/coral colour which has triangles of different shapes along it. I saw this and immediately loved it as it will be great for spring/summer.

The top necklace is a gold chain and you will either love it or hate it. I obviously love it and think it will go nicely with some plain t-shirts. 

I definitely recommend checking out the jewellery section in Pennys at the moment because it's really good. And for €5 you can't really go wrong!

Sticking with the Pennys theme so far, I also picked up a lovely rose-gold watch with a floral face. Personally, I really like rose-gold even though I haven't a lot of jewellery in that colour. Unfortunately this watch doesn't actually work which I was pretty gutted about, but it was reduced from €6 to €1 so I bought it just to have for decorative purposes.

Next I picked up these gold hoop earrings for €1.50 which was a total bargain! Now, I wouldn't be a massive wearer of the old hoops as they usually look tacky on me, but I was so drawn to the smallest hoops in the pack that I had to pick them up being the price they were! The small hoops can look really interesting and when I get more ear piercings I'll definitely get use out of them. I'm not too sure what I'll do with the rest of the earrings but I'm sure someone will want them!

I came across the website FeelUnique which was great prices and free delivery so I purchased Essie's ''Aruba Blue'' nail polish which is a beautiful royal blue colour. I've been looking for that colour for ages to wear on my toes in the summer time. This colour is the exact one I was looking for so I bought it online where it was cheaper. I was really pleased with the packaging when it arrived because it was very secure in a little box, I would recommend shopping there so check it out!

Next I bought a nail polish off Asos, it's Models Own ''Beach Party''. It's a vibrant orange which is perfect for spring and summer and I first saw it on Zoella's Youtube and it looked so nice I had to buy it! It's a really eye catching colour and brightens up your outfit.

I have heard some good things about Essence's ''Get Big Lashes'' mascara and when I found out it was only €2.89 I bought it immediately because I was looking for a new mascara. If it's any good I'll do a review on it if you want to see it.

I have been on the hunt for some nice rings for a while and when I was in Topshop I spotted some really nice ones.   

The ring on the left is a midi ring which is gold with a diamond heart. It was €6 from Topshop and I want to go back and see if they have any more types as I love them! I have been looking for these types of rings for ages, so if you know of anywhere else that sells any nice ones do let me know.

The ring on the right is a vintage looking gold ring with a purple stone and I think it's really pretty. It was only €3 but its too big for my ring finger so I'll have to wear it on my middle or index finger.

Next are these two rings which are potential face scratchers so I'll have to be careful with them! But they are two gold spike rings with purple and white stones in the middle. They were €3.50 each, I really like them and I think they're interesting looking.

This next item is a clampless hair wand by BaByliss I bought in a car boot sale! I was ecstatic when I found this as I previously had one like it but it was lost/stolen (not sure which) and I was devastated when I couldn't find it. But I have a new one now and it was €12 (originally €35), used once or twice but has no scratches and works perfectly. This was my most exciting purchase of late. 

And last but not least, I picked up the Vita Liberata pHenomal 2-3 week tan in 'fair/clair'. I bought this on sale in Boots a few weeks ago so I'm not sure how much it was, sorry! I am so excited to try out this organic tan so if you would like to see a review please say so in the comments.

So that's my haul for you all, hope you enjoyed! Let me know if you've done any haul posts recently as I love to read them.

Veggie Update 2: February & March

Hello Everyone! This is my second vegetarian update and it's for the month of February. This month I found it even easier to avoid meat and I had been more adventurous with my meals by trying different meals.

One meal I tried was spinach ravioli, with a cheese sauce. I found it had a lot of flavour and was tasty, but it was a bit too cheesy for me.

The next meal I tried was a vegetable curry. It  was the same as a regular curry just without the chicken.

I'll be honest with you guys, I quit being a vegetarian in the middle of March after nearly three months of not eating meat. The main reason I stopped is because I felt I was run down and I had a cold which had lasted a while. I generally felt like I wasn't getting the nutrients I needed. The main reason I took it up in the first place was for long term health benefits, but in the short term, I wasn't feeling great. 

So I made a sensible decision and ate my first piece of meat while I was on my lunch break in work. It was a chicken roll from the shop, which didn't taste great. The chicken tasted like plastic and I couldn't finish it. Apart from that, it felt strange to eat meat again but only in my head though, I didn't feel sick or anything!

Since then, I've had meat every day and I've been loving it. It feels so much easier to eat anything I want, especially when I'm eating out or in other people's homes. 

I've definitely learned something from it though. I've learned that there is plenty of different options out there that don't contain meat which are very tasty, and very good for you. That it's good to try different foods and you don't have to eat meat with every meal, there is a whole range of foods to try and explore.

Most of all I've learned that life is too short to be feeling run down and to restrict myself so dramatically,  by taking something out of my diet which has always been a massive part of it. 

But in conclusion I am glad I tried it, and I'm not ashamed to have given it up.

So, I hope you enjoyed reading this little update, hope it wasn't too boring!

And thank you all for leaving such nice comments I really appreciate it :)

♥

Empty Products

  

Hello Everyone! I have seen a lot of these posts going around the blogosphere and especially video tags on Youtube. Some people may not find these posts interesting but personally I love reading them so I’ve decided to make one of my own as I had some empty products that I had recently used up. I hate wasting products and always use them up instead of just throwing them out, unless they are absolutely horrendous. I think these posts are a good idea because you have completely used up the product and have an accurate idea of what your opinion of the product is. I hope you enjoy reading about how I got on with these products!

Aveeno Moisturiser – I purchased the hand moisturizer and body moisturiser. The body moisturizer is lighter than the hand moisturizer but they are very similar. The best thing I found with these products is that they skink into the skin very quickly.  If you don’t like greasy moisturizer then this is definitely for you. They both last for a long time so are cheap and worth the money. Not too heavy on the skin but for me I prefer something that leaves my skin a bit more moisturized as I have extremely dry skin, but for normal to oily or combination skin this would be an ideal product to pick up, I would recommend it. I used this when I was fake tanning and it was perfect as I could apply it before applying the tan and it didn’t make it streaky.

Johnson’s Make-up Wipes (fragrance free) – Slightly to rough for my skin and I found that it made skin a bit irritated. At the beginning they took off makeup well and even stubborn mascara. The packaging isn’t great because the sticker which closes the wipes stopped working after a while so it was difficult to keep closed and the wipes were dried out towards the end. I would recommend storing any makeup wipes upside-down to bring moisture to top of wipes. I love the night time skin Johnson’s wipes much more as they smell nice and seem to be better at taking off my makeup.

Coco Chanel Perfume (eau de toilette) – This is a classic perfume which I bought in France a about a year and a half ago. It has a very strong fragrance so if I used too much it would give me a headache. If you are susceptible to headaches then definitely get the Eau de Toilette because the Parfum would be way too strong, and use sparingly. It is very expensive but has strong lasting power on the skin and you only need one or two sprays so it lasts for ages. It has pretty packaging and has an easy to use spray pump. It has an older scent to it, so I would recommend it for more mature women, but really anyone could pull it off.

Simple Eye Make-Up Remover – I haven’t much to say about this product as I wasn’t very impressed with it. On the upside it is affordable which drew me to it. On the downside you get what you pay for. The liquid felt cheap and slightly rough and my eyes became slightly irritated after all the rubbing. I have never been a massive fan of the Simple Skin Care range but I decided to give this a go as I have heard some good reviews on the product. I found getting off my eye makeup quite difficult and had to rub at my eyes to get off everything. I have used better eye makeup removers for a similar price, I won’t be repurchasing this product.
 

Nivea Cleansing Cream –  This is a very affordable product which I picked up as I was looking for a makeup cleanser which didn’t contain many nasty chemicals eg. parabens. I found it took off my makeup but it took a good few cotton pads to take all my makeup off. It left my skin feeling soft but I didn’t like that there was a residue left on the skin. It caused my skin to suffer as it clogged my pores and caused some spots. I would only recommend it if you are going to wash your face afterwards or if you like the feeling the product leaves on your face. I won’t be repurchasing this product.

Thank-you so much for reading!

♥

Veggie Update 1: January

Hello everyone! This is my January update for my New Year’s Resolution.  I was planning on posting this blog at the very beginning of February but I was very busy and forgot to write it actually! I’m doing monthly sort of updates for my new vegetarian adventures, which will be short and sweet but hopefully you’ll enjoy reading them.  

My first month as a vegetarian has been, well, not too bad actually! I was expecting my newly meatless diet to be extremely stressful and difficult, but much to my surprise, it was not at all either of those things! During the first few days I found myself desperately craving meat, meat and more meat, but as time went on, it got easier for me.

My meal from Eddie Rockets

My meal is the burger (veggie)

I will admit that I have not yet been too adventurous with different vegetarian recipes but I will hopefully be experimenting in the coming months. I have been substituting chicken with Quorn Chicken Style Pieces, and substituting burgers with Quorn Burgers.

One thing I have found difficult though is eating out. I haven’t been out too often this month but I did make a trip to Eddie Rockets and I tried their Veggie Burger. I wasn't impressed with it as it contained many different strange vegetables and was quite spicy which I did not like. I guess I’m just not used to those different flavours or textures yet so I bought Quorn Veggie Burgers which look and taste almost exactly like beef. This was so much better than the stereotypical veggie burgers which I am not ready for yet! I know they’re not the healthiest option but for the time being I am going to eat them until I am ready for the big step to the healthier veggie option.

I haven’t been an extremely strict vegetarian as I eat some sweets which may contain gelatin so technically I have eaten some sort of meat but for me that is ok for the moment. I am only trying to slowly remove meat from my diet in case I find it too difficult and give in. I am not too worried as I’m only taking baby steps with it and I’m not quitting animal products cold turkey (excuse the pun). 

Overall it has been as successful first month with my diet. I was expecting the first month to be the hardest so I am hoping it doesn't get harder in the next few months! For anyone who is planning on becoming a vegetarian and is worried it will be too difficult then don’t think that because everyone is telling me they are surprised I have lasted this long, so if I can do it then anyone can!

I am looking forward to updating you all for how February goes.

Thank-you for reading! 

♥

My Skincare Routine

Hi Everyone!

Recently I have been loving reading about people's skincare routines so I thought I would share with you my own. My skincare products change from time to time depending on my budget, my requirements or what is popular at the moment. Right now these are the items that I am using regularly.

I generally tend not to stick to the same brand for every product as different brands are good for different things and I also like to have a bit of variety to meet the needs of my skin.

St. Ives Apricot Scrub

I absolutely love this exfoliater. I have had it for over a year now so it has lasted me ages (I only use a small amount). It is quite grainy which I like as I feel like it gives my skin a good exfoliate and it feels so soft afterwards. I have dry skin so I only use this once or twice a week and avoid the very dry areas of my face. It's oil free so would be perfect for people with oily skin but if you don't like rough products then this might be too harsh for your skin.

Origins Balanced Diet Lightweight Moisture Lotion

I use this product twice a day after I have washed my face in the morning and before I go to bed at night. I have done a review so click here to see it. I do find that it is too light for my skin so I have to apply loads before I put on my foundation or else it will look dry. It has lasted me a long time though so I would recommend if you have oily/normal skin.

Aveeno Eye-Brightening Cream

I apply eye cream every night before I go to bed as I like to pay extra attention to the more delicate parts of my face. I have used eye creams in the past which irritated my eyes (my skin can sometimes be a tad sensitive) but I have had no trouble with this. It is a pretty inexpensive product and Aveeno claim to be a natural brand which I like. It isn't a ground breaking product in my opinion but I haven't had any dryness around my eyes since I've been using it.

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Lip Protectant

My lips can get chapped very quickly especially in the winter time which is annoying when you are trying to apply lipstick, so every night I exfoliate my lips and lather on a thick layer of this moisturiser. I wake up in the morning and my lips feel so soft and smooth! I have a full review of the product here so check that out if you want to see more. 

Johnson's Daily Essentials Facial Cleansing Wipes

I know makeup wipes are supposedly very bad for your skin but they are so handy and take off my makeup so well! Johnson's are my preferred brand but my favourite type is the dreamy skin wipes (purple packet) as they smell amazing! I do wash my face afterwards so this is just step one for taking off my makeup and they say its leaving the residue from the wipes on your face that makes it bad for your skin. These are really cheap too and usually on a special offer!

Nivea Visage Young Wash Off Cleansing Gel

I have literally had this for about 2 years now and it just keeps going and going. I use this facial wash twice a day. Once after removing my makeup and then again in the morning to wake me up and cleanse my skin. I love this because it's oil-free therefore it leaves my skin feeling so clean a with no residue. It also gives me a smooth base on my skin which is great when applying my foundation. It is cheap and cheerful and it lasts for a long time, plus you only have to use a pea sized amount as a little goes a long way with this product. My skin feels so soft after using it but I have to apply moisturiser after to avoid my skin becoming dry.

This is a realistic look at my skin. I have dry skin and am lucky enough not to have any major issues with spots - but my skin is not flawless, it can have a mind of it's own sometimes! I hope you find it interesting to see what products work for me, I would love to hear what products work for you, or what you thought of any of the products I use if you've tried them.

Thanks for reading!

♥

The Liebster Blog Award

Hello Everyone! 

Today's post is about The Liebster Blog Award! Now, to be honest I hadn't heard of this award before it was mentioned to me, but I'm so excited to do it! 

I was very kindly nominated by Eleanor from The Lipstick, The Girl and Her Wardrobe I was really so grateful to be nominated, and I also want to thank everyone who reads and comments on my blog it really makes my day!

This award was created to commend blogs with less than 200 followers so to be nominated for the award, you must have less than 200.

After googling The Liebster Award I found out how it works and basically it is an award passed on from blogger to blogger with a set of rules attached.

The rules do vary a tad bit from blog to blog but generally they are the same. They are as follows:

List 11 random facts about yourself 

 Answer the 11 questions which are given to you by your nominator

Ask 11 new questions for all the bloggers that you nominate to win the award

Nominate 9 bloggers with less than 200 followers to win the award

Go to each of the blogger's pages to let them know about their nomination

Thank the blogger who nominated you by mentioning them and link it back to their blog on your post

I hope you all understood the jist of it! Here it goes,

11 Facts About Me:

1. I am a night owl. Literally I stay up way too late most nights as it is usually my post productive and creative hours, and unsurprisingly I am 100% not a morning person. (I'm writing this post at midnight!)
2. I have failed on numerous occasions to keep a diary to write down things that I did and my thoughts etc. I've always loved the idea of keeping a journal and what better way to do it than share it with people who have similar interests! This blog has been the longest I've kept up a sort of 'diary' and I think it's because it's way more fun!
3. I hate pizza. I always get questions as to why I don't eat pizza when I'm out with friends or having a meal somewhere. It's so simple though, I just do not like the taste of it, at all! It unusual and often an inconvenience (when there's nothing else or everyone's having pizza) but I just think it tastes rotten!
4. I want to travel. I want to see all the beautiful places there are to see in the world. I haven't been to a load of different countries yet so I want to explore the world, because different cultures and landscapes fascinate me.
5. My favourite animal is the cliché, a dog. I absolutely love dogs, their loyalty is so unique from other animals. I don't actually have one at the moment, but I would love to own a Japanese Spitz and a Golden Retriever one day.
6. I am from Ireland.. so I'm Irish!
7. My favourite drink is Coke. I could literally drink it all day. I know it's bad for you, but it tastes so good! When I was younger, they used to sell Coke Vanilla in Ireland but they don't any more so I haven't had it in about 10 years but it was soooo good!
8. I am quite sentimental. I have a huge bag in which I keep tonnes of photos, letters and random bits and bobs which I love to look at after years of forgetting about it. I love taking photos as well, and I love to look back on old ones seeing how things have changed.
9. I believe I was born into the wrong generation! I am obsessed with movies, fashion and music from the 1980's. I have a huge interest each of the decades of the 20th Century but the 80's is my favourite one. I listen to more old music than I do modern. I find that the oldies are way more appealing to me and I rarely go crazy for a new release these days. 
10. I have seen every single episode of Friends. One year I got the whole box sex for Christmas and that summer I watched all the seasons. It's one of my favourite programmes. I do wish I didn't sit down and watch them all in one go, because now I can't watch an episode on tv without knowing what to expect. Still, that programme is a classic!
11. I haven't seen most of the Disney movies. I'd say that will shock a few people (it shocks most of the people I tell!). When I was younger I didn't watch that much tv but when I did I didn't watch cartoons. It wasn't for any particular reason, just my mum bought different types of movies. The movies I have seen was The Little Mermaid (when I was 14) and The Lion King (when I was 15). It is quite weird, but I enjoyed the movies I did watch like Pete's Dragon and The Little Vampire. 

My questions from Eleanor were:

1. If you could steal 1 celebrities wardrobe who would it be and why?
2. Shoes or Bags?
3. What is your favourite eye shadow?
4. High end or drugstore makeup?
5. What is your favourite clothes shop? 
6. What is your favourite makeup brand?
7. What is your favourite item of jewellery?
8. What is your dream pair of shoes?
9. What is your favourite TV program?
10. Do you have any 'investment' pieces in your wardrobe?
11. What is your favourite shade of nail varnish?

1. To be honest I don't really follow anybody's style in particular, but I do like what Miley Cyrus wears.
2. Oh I am definitely more of a shoes girl. I think I have about 4 handbags in total! I think that a nice pair of shoes are so much easier to find than a nice handbag.
3. That is a though one. I don't have a huge eye shadow collection so I'm going to say that my favourite palette is the Naked 1 palette by Urban Decay. If I could only use them eye shadows for the rest of my life then I would be happy with that.
4. I will definitely say drugstore for this one. I think you can get dupes for most high end make-up in the drugstore, it's cheaper and I think there is more variety as well.
5. Now this one took me a while to decide. I was torn between Pennys (Primark) and Topshop. Pennys is so cheap and cheerful, but I am going to have to go with Topshop as being my ultimate favourite. Their clothes are just so beautiful!
6. I love different brands for different things, so this is a hard one. But if I had to pick one brand for the rest of my life, I would have to choose Revlon. Their foundations are brilliant and their lip products are equally as luscious!
7. I have a lot of sentimental jewellery which I love, but my fanciest piece is a gold necklace with a diamond in the middle which I got for my 18th birthday.
8. I'm not the type of person who fantasizes about the day they buy their first pair of Louboutin heels, I just care about how they look of me and how comfy they are! I would love a pair of black, closed toe wedges with an ankle strap.
9. I simply could not choose one programme so I chose 4 instead! Downton Abbey, The Big Bang Theory, Moone Boy and The Inbetweeners. 
10. I don't know if you would call them 'investment pieces' but I have a staple pair of brown knee high boots and a denim jacket.
11. My favourite nail polish for my toes is Aruba Blue by Essie and by favourite finger nail polish is any light nude colour. I like to keep it pretty natural on my hands for everyday wear!

My questions are:

1. If you were stranded on a desert island, what 3 items would you talk with you and why?
2. What is your favourite perfume?
3. Favourite skin care brand?
4. What is your biggest pet peeve?
5. Would you rather wear no eye make-up or no foundation?
6. What inspired you to create a blog?
7. Share your best beauty tip.
8. What is your dream job?
9. When did you first start wearing make-up and what did you wear?
10. Who is your favourite Youtube beauty guru?
11. What are your top 3 current favourite songs?

I nominate:

1. http://glorychen.blogspot.ie/
2. http://elinorrhian.blogspot.ie/
3. http://beautybodymind.blogspot.ie/
4. http://styleofsavannah.blogspot.ie/
5. http://pippjones281190.blogspot.ie/
6. http://whatisinherwardrobe.blogspot.ie/
7. http://favouritepurchases.blogspot.ie/
8. http://eyelashwishes-x.blogspot.ie/
9. http://livelifebrightbdearie55.blogspot.ie/