Custom Navbar

Monday 30 January 2017

Makeup Revolution Pro Fix Fixing Spray Review

Makeup Revolution Pro Fix Fixing Spray Review
Makeup Revolution are a really great brand for their affordable palettes, but how do their individual products measure up? I've tried one of their baked highlighters before and liked it but, quality-wise, it doesn't take much for a highlighter to work well. A setting spray, on the other hand, will quickly show if it works or not. It either makes your makeup stay in place longer or it doesn't. So when I bought the Makeup revolution Pro Fix Amazing Makeup Fixing Spray for €6.45, I was intrigued to see how well it worked. 

Looking at the Pros of this setting spray first, it sprays like a light mist. It's not as if you are being sprayed full force in the face with water like it can feel with some other setting sprays. It also has a fairy nice scent and is not too overpowering. I like the packaging, just like with most of the other Makeup Revolution products. It has a classic, simple design. It is also travel-friendly and very easy to throw into your handbag when you are on the go without weighing you down too much. Sadly, I think those are all the pros I can come up with. 

Onto the cons. I didn't see any difference in the lasting power of my makeup after using this setting spray. My foundation lasted the same amount of time without getting oily as it usually does. At the end of the night, my makeup didn't look any better than it would if I hadn't used any primer or setting spray. Also, for some reason this spray made my eye makeup run. I don't know why but a few of the times I used it my eye makeup started to run down my face a while after using it, and other times my makeup started to run as soon as I applied it. I thought maybe I was doing something wrong like applying it too close to my face but there was no difference when I held it even further away. It suggests that you use it at arms-length away from your face and that's what I did but it still made my makeup run. 

I've basically stopped using this product because I haven't really found any benefit from using it. It actually made my makeup look worse instead of better. It kind of feels like a waste of money so I'll probably use it once in a while if I'm not going anywhere important just to use it up and see if I've changed my mind about it. I won't hold my breath for the day when I start to like it, though. 

So that was my review of the Makeup Revolution Pro Fix Fixing Spray. It's a shame that it didn't work very well but I guess you can't expect that much from something that is so inexpensive. If you liked this post the please make sure to give it a love on Bloglovin or a +1 on Google Plus. I hope you have a great day and I'll talk to you soon. 






Follow

Friday 20 January 2017

A Little Progress | New Year's Resolutions Update

a-little-progress-each-day-adds-up-to-big-results
Source
Now that we are nearing the end of January, I think I should reflect a bit on my new year's resolutions. Here's my blog post of what my new year's resolutions are this year in case you missed it. Looking back on that post, I think some of my goals have shifted already. My main goal at the moment, which wasn't really a new year's resolution, is to lose the 6 pounds that I gained over Christmas. This has been my main focus for the past week and will continue to be my focus over the next 3 or four weeks. There is a TV show called Operation Transformation that is on at the minute where a number of people try to lose weight over six weeks by eating differently and exercising more. I thought that it would be a helpful motivational boost for me to follow the show so I'm cutting out all the bad food and to sticking to a 1500 calorie diet until it ends in a few weeks. I'm also exercising at least 30 minutes a day. I'm doing quite well at the minute and haven't had any mad binges which actually was one of my new year's resolutions (to not go on any mad binges and to have a healthier relationship with food).

I've found that I'm struggling with some of my other resolutions because a lot of my focus and energy is going to losing weight and getting in shape. Productivity wise, I've been struggling since I started the diet. My blog posts have gotten a little less regular in the last week and I find that I keep putting off editing a new video to go on my channel. Hopefully, I can sort this out and find a way to stay on schedule and continue my diet. This would probably be much easier if I could somehow manage to achieve one of my other resolutions; getting up early. 

I can honestly say, flat out, that I haven't once gotten up at 7 and stayed up since the new year started. A few times, I managed to get up at 7 but ended up falling asleep again an hour or two later. If I could manage to change this then I know the productivity thing would stop being a problem. I think I need to change my mindset about it. Sometimes I feel like it's all or nothing, that I need to be working on stuff all day, non-stop, or else I get nothing done. I need to be thinking more along the lines of a little progress each day, is better that working all day one day and not doing anything the next. If I could just get into the habit of doing a couple of hours each day while getting enough breaks throughout and having time to myself in the evenings then I feel like my life would be much more balanced. 

What do you think? How do you balance time for fun and time for being productive in your day-to-day life? Also, do you have any tips for getting up early? Let me know in the comments section below. I hope you enjoyed this post. If you did, the please make sure to give it a love on Bloglovin or a +1 on Google Plus. Have a great day and I'll talk to you soon.






Follow

Saturday 14 January 2017

What is the Best Conditioner for Dry or Damaged Hair?

Since colouring my hair purple last year (after bleaching it), my hair became extremely damaged and tangles really easily. I've been looking for something to combat the dryness and to get my hair in better shape for a while now but nothing I tried has helped very much. When I found this Henna Treatment Wax Intensive Deep Conditioner in a local pharmacy for only €4.99, I had to get it and see if it helped. 
beauty formulas henna treatment wax intensive deep conditioner review
I'd heard from different people that this is supposed to be amazing and really restores your hair back to being healthy, shiny and soft. I also heard from my mom that it was a big thing to use years ago when she was young, that everyone was using henna treatments in their hair. So I started using it on my hair once a week. The way it works is that you use your shampoo as normal and then apply it like a normal conditioner, but then you leave it in your hair for a couple of hours, wrapped in a warm towel. Then you just wash it out like normal and dry your hair like you would usually do (I always allow my hair to dry naturally without using a hair dryer because my hair dries quite quickly and it's better for your hair not to use heat on it). 

After the first use, I didn't notice any difference in my hair. It still tangled really easily and was quite frizzy. I've been using it for 2 or 3 months now once a week and it has made a difference to my hair. Not an amazing difference where my hair is silky smooth and never tangles but it is easier to manage now. It definitely restored my hair somewhat. I'd say it takes a least 3 or 4 uses before you see a noticeable difference, but then you might see a difference quicker if your hair isn't as damaged as mine. 

This Henna Treatment Wax is by Beauty Formulas. As I already said, It was only €4.99 which is really affordable but I guess you get what you pay for. It did restore my hair somewhat but I don't think it is a revolutionary product that makes your hair instantly restored back to how it was before. So here is my question: What is the best conditioner out there for dry or damaged hair? Have you found one? Let me know in the comments below. 

I really need to sort my hair out soon, both colour and quality. I'm planning on going back to brown soon because the colour seems to be ruining it and also, I don't really like the colour anymore, especially when it gets faded looking. I hope you liked this blog post. If you did, the please give it a love on Bloglovin or give it a +1 on Google Plus. I hope you have a great day, and I'll talk to you soon. 

Follow

Thursday 12 January 2017

Best and Worst Dressed at the Golden Globes 2017

So awards season has come around again and I thought that for today's post I would show you my best and worst dressed from the Golden Globes 2017. So without further ado, here are my best dressed:

Best Dressed

Lily Collins
Lily Collins looked amazing in this girly Zuhair Murad gown. The light pink material paired with the bright red lip and her porcelain skin is absolutely stunning. She is my best dressed of the night. 
Lily Collins wearing Zuhair Murad at the Golden Globes 2017
Mandy Moore
I loved this look on Mandy Moore. This stunning Naeem Khan dress with a plunging neckline and flowing cape looked gorgeous on her.  She was a very close contender for best dressed.
 Naomie Harris
This golden figure hugging dress looks perfect on Naomie Harris. She looks amazing.
Emma Stone
I love this gown on Emma Stone. The stars on the dress were inspired by the Film La La Land which she won an award for on the night. Also, her hair and makeup is gorgeous as always. 
 Kristen Bell
Kristen Bell looked stunning in this glittery Jenny Packham dress with plunging neckline. I like how the plunge wasn't a typical V-neck and didn't make her look overly sexy or trashy. She still looked chic and classy even with a plunging neckline. 
Evan Rachel Wood
Evan Rachel Wood rocked a different sort of look from her previous ones at the Golden Globes. Instead of wearing a dress, which she admits she loves to do and has nothing against, she wore a fitted Altuzarra suit to show women that they don't have to wear a dress if they don't want to, and she definitely pulled it off. 
Millie Bobby Brown
Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown looked really pretty in this sparkly Jenny Packham dress. Her entire look, from dress to hair to makeup was chic and elegant. A great look for the Golden Globes. 
So those were all my best dressed of the night, now onto my worst dressed: 

Worst Dressed

Anna Chlumsky 
This frumpy dress did no favours for Anna Chlumsky. There was no real shape to the dress and I really don't like the colour on her. 
Kerry Washington
From the waist up, I don't mind this dress, and she killed it with hair and makeup but the bottom half of the dress lets it down. I also really hate the weird detailing on the waist. Even with just that gone, I think the dress would be much better. 
Janelle Monae
When I first saw Janelle Monae on the red carpet, I saw her from the waist up and thought, this girl is in the running for best dressed. Then I saw the entire look and was let down. I think if the bottom of the dress was full length then it would be fine but it doesn't work as a mullet dress. All things aside though, I have to say, her hair and makeup looks STUNNING!!  
So those are my picks for best and worst dressed at the Golden Globes 2017. Let me know in the comments below who were your best and worst dressed of the night. Also, if you liked this post, please give it a love on Bloglovin or a +1 on Google Plus. I hope you have a great day and I'll talk to you soon.






Follow

*The images from this blog post are not my own

Monday 9 January 2017

My Top 5 Blog Posts From 2016

So this is my last blog post looking back on 2016, I promise. I figured I couldn't move forward in 2017 without sharing with you, my favourite blog posts from 2016. So here are my top 5:

2016 was the year that I discovered the brand Makeup Revolution and found out that they have some really great palettes. This is my blog post reviewing their Ultra Cream Contour Palette which is one of my favourite product reviews from the year. 
2016 was also the year I started my What I Ate Today blog post series where I documented what I ate each day in the hope that you might find it interesting. These type of blog posts are some of my favourites to read on other people's blogs so I decided to try them myself. This is the first blog post in that series. 
In this blog post, I tell you 5 simple ways to make yourself feel happier and more positive each day. This was one of my favourite posts to write from the year. 
Another one of my favourite reviews I wrote in 2016. I love Benefit so I wanted to see if this mascara compared to my favourite mascara by them, They're Real. Read the full review to see what I thought and if I prefer it to They're Real.
Towards the end of the year, I posted a blog post that answered a question that I, and apparently a lot of other people, had been wondering; how do I add tags to my blog on Bloglovin. It confused me that some people had up to ten tags on their blog, I had only one, and some people had none. In this blog post, I tell you why.

So those are my top 5 blog posts from 2016. Now I'm moving on from posts about 2016, I'm sure you are sick of them by now. I hope you enjoyed this blog post! If you did, then please give it a love on Bloglovin or a +1 on Google Plus. It would mean a lot <3 I hope you have a great day and I'll talk to you soon.






Follow

Saturday 7 January 2017

5 Things I Achieved in 2016

2016 wasn't a very productive year for me in terms of my blog and YouTube channel and generally, when I look back over the year, not that much really happened. Although I didn't accomplish that much in 2016, there were a number of things that I did achieve. So here are 5 of them:

- I hit 60,000 video views on my Youtube channel -
In the last month of the year, my channel reached 60K video views. I was excited just to reach 50K so 60K was amazing. The views on my channel more than doubled since last year which is really cool. I'm hoping to hit 100,000 views in 2017 if not more,

- I lost 20 pounds -
At the end of 2015, I realised that I had put on nearly 2 stone in weight. For lent in 2016, I decided to cut out all the junk food and that was the start of my weight loss. Once lent was over and I brought some of the junk food back into my diet, I started using calorie counting apps to try to lose the weight. I aimed to only eat 1500 calories each day (not always sticking to it) and that, along with exercise, lead me to lose 20 pounds over the year. 

-I got a job at Benefit Cosmetics-
This one really felt like an achievement. It was such a long and hectic interview process. I am quite an introverted person so a regular interview is pretty scary for me. The Benefit interview process had so many stages and one of them included a lot of traffic stopping, which is when you approach someone in a shop, start a conversation with them and try to get them to come back to the Benefit counter with you. I'm thinking of writing a blog post about the Benefit interview process so let me know in the comments if you would be interested in that.  

- I reached 1500 followers on Bloglovin -
When I first decided to write a blog, my goal for the number of followers I wanted to reach was 1000. I thought if I can reach 1000 followers then my blog will have been some sort of a success. Now I've surpassed it which is crazy. I never imagined reaching more than 1000 followers. I'm planning to hold a giveaway soon to celebrate reaching 1600 followers so look out for that. 

- I Made Lots of New Friends -
I've never been the girl who has hundreds of friends. I've always struggled in social situations, and have had social anxiety in the past. It weird now even writing "in the past" because I really feel I've come on leaps and bounds when it comes to social anxiety in the last 3 or 4 years. I went from not being even able to order at McDonalds to traffic stopping and approaching strangers for Benefit. There are still situations that scare me or make me feel anxious but social anxiety affects me way less than it used to on a daily basis. Anyway, at the start of the year, I had only 3 friends (two of which live in a different county). Now I have 10+ people who I can message to hang out, go drinking, see a movie or whatever, and I feel like that is some sort of achievement considering how hard is has been for me to turn acquaintances into friends in the past. 

So those are my big achievements from 2016. I've been looking back on the year as not such a great year but reflecting on it now, I feel like it wasn't so bad. What was something you achieved in 2016? No matter how big or small. Let me know in the comment section below. I hope you enjoyed this post. If you did then please make sure to give it a love on Bloglovin or a +1 on Google Plus. I hope you have a great day and I'll talk to you soon. 






Follow

Thursday 5 January 2017

My Top 3 Moments of 2016

Since it's the beginning of 2017, I thought that for today's post I would reflect on the year just gone. Looking back, I'd have to say that 2016 wasn't a great year for me but let's not dwell on the negative. Although there were some bad times, there also was some good ones. So here are my top 3 moments of 2016:

- Getting a job at Benefit Cosmetics -
Towards the end of the year, I wound up getting a job as a Beauty Advisor at Benefit Cosmetics. It was just a Christmas job but since I was a teenager, I'd always dreamed about working for Benefit because it is one of my favourite makeup brands. It was a really cool experience and I'm glad that I got a chance to work for such a great company. 

- Centenary trip to Dublin -
2016 marked the 100 year anniversary of the 1916 Rising in Ireland. I love Irish history so I really wanted to do something to mark the occasion. I ended up going to Dublin for a day with a friend and we went to all the major places where the rising took place. We went to the GPO which was the headquarters for the rebels of the rising. The GPO has a really amazing exhibition that includes real items and clothing that had belonged to some of the main figures of the rising. We also went to Kilmainham Jail where the leaders of the rising were executed. It was really cool but strange to be in all the places where these Irish historical events took place. 


-Day Trip to the Beach-
For my mom's birthday, loads of my family went out to celebrate which was really fun but the next day, my mom, my nana, me and my two sisters all took a trip to the beach. It was a lovely sunny day, which is rare for Ireland haha.We all sunbathed and just had a laugh on the beach, and it was a really nice trip.  

So those are my top 3 moments of 2016. Make sure to let me know your top moments of 2016 in the comments below. Also, If you liked this post, then please love it on Bloglovin or give it a +1 on Google Plus. I hope you are having a great day and I'll talk to you soon. 







Follow

Tuesday 3 January 2017

My New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year Everyone!!
I love this time of year because everyone is alway so motivated to change their life for the better. This year I am especially excited about because I'm taking some time out from work and am looking forward to having a few months to spend more time creating and hanging out with friends. I have lots of creative projects that I will be working on and each of them makes me so happy and excited going into the new year. 

So anyway here are some of my New Year's Resolutions for 2017:

  • Wake up earlier. I'm planning on waking up at 7 every morning with the exception of maybe one day a week where I can have a lie in. This is probably going to be the hardest resolution to stick to because I find it so difficult to get up in the mornings. I am definitely not a morning person. 
  • I want to have a better relationship with food this year. I want to have more of a balance and not go on massive binges where I eat loads of rubbish. This is so difficult after Christmas because there is still loads of junk food in the house but I'm going to try my best.
  • I am going to make more time for friends this year, especially now I am in charge of my own schedule for a few months. When I was working I didn't have a set schedule and my hours could change with as little notice as the day before and it was so hard to plan things with friends. Also, I've always had a fairly small friend group and have found it difficult to make new friends, but somehow in 2016 I've made loads so I want to make sure that I keep in touch with them all. 
  • I want to be really productive this year. I've been spending the last few days trying to set up a schedule for each week so I can be as productive as possible. Now that I don't have a job with crazy hours, there is no excuse for not getting things done. 
So those are some of my new year's resolutions. Hopefully, I'll be able to stick to them. If I could just manage to get up at 7 every morning I would consider it a massive achievement. Anway, what are some of your new year's resolutions? I'd love to know. Let me know in the comment section below. Also, if you liked this post then make sure to give it a love on Bloglovin or a +1 on Google Plus. I hope you have a great day and new year, and I'll talk to you soon.






Follow