Inexpensive Beauty Blender Dupe + Review

I've wanted to try out a beauty blender makeup sponge for a while now but the actual Beauty Blenders are so expensive. When I saw this B. latex free blending sponge in Superdrug for just €6.45, I thought that I would try it and see what it was like. I bought this when I was planning my 100 layers of makeup video and didn't want to ruin my makeup brushes. 

I've had this sponge for about 2 months now and I still have mixed feelings about it. I feel like I both really love it and sort of hate it at the same time. My favourite thing about it is that my makeup does end up looking really good and it is great at building coverage. The thing that annoys me about it is that it takes so long to do your foundation. It's quite a small sponge, although you can get smaller, and it's average in terms of the size of a regular beauty blender but using it kind of annoys me. It might be down to some bad memories of the 100 layers of makeup video because I did use it to apply 100 layers of foundation and it took almost 4 hours.

My sister has basically stolen this from me now and uses it all the time to do her makeup. She loves it for her foundation, concealer, and powder. I sometimes take it back every now and then to do my makeup but I wouldn't use it every day because it takes so long to make your foundation flawless. 

Another thing that I don't really like is that it's hard to get in around your nose or under your eyes with it. I prefer to use the bottom of it mostly but it's too big to get into smaller areas. When I use the small pointy area at the top, I feel it doesn't blend as well and it not great at getting into the smaller areas either. 

Finally, it's not as easy to clean as a makeup brush, and once it has foundation stains, they tend to stay. Also, sponges are supposed to hold more bacteria than makeup brushes so hygiene-wise it's probably not great.  

Overall, I don't regret buying this product because it was pretty reasonably priced and provides good coverage with most foundations. I know so many people who love beauty blenders and their dupes but I think I just prefer a makeup brush most of the time. Maybe I might start to do a compromise where I do my foundation with a brush and do my concealer with the sponge so that it is quicker and I use it a bit more but as for now, I only use it now and then. It's a good one for a special occasion though where you don't mind spending a long time on your makeup. I hope you liked this post. If you did then make sure to love it on Bloglovin' or give it a +1 on Google Plus. Also if you are interested in getting this beauty blender dupe, you can get it at Superdrug or click here to get it online. I hope you have a great day and I'll talk to you soon. 

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Makeup Revolution Goddess of Love Highlighter Review

Makeup Revolution is quickly becoming a very popular brand for makeup. Their palettes are really inexpensive and are pretty great quality for the price. I've already bought both of their contour palettes and their concealer palette and was very happy with them. They recently came out with a series of baked highlighters so I decided to get one to see what it was like. 

The highlighter that I chose was their Goddess of Love Triple Baked Highlighter. They had different ones that were multitone but I ended up choosing this one which is gorgeous. The highlighter itself is heart-shaped and so is the gold and white box with purple lettering that it comes in. On first impressions of the packaging, I really love it; It is simple and cute. The only thing is that it is quite bulky so it's not very travel-friendly.

The price was pretty good. I got it for around €6. I know that there are some cheaper highlighters than this but there are also some that are 20 and 30 euro so I think it is a fairly good price.

On to the product, it is very pigmented and has quite a shimmery finish. It is so pigmented, in fact, that you have to be careful not to put too much on because the pigmentation along with the shimmer can look very tacky if put on wrong. It has a fairly good staying power as well and lasts the day. I never notice it has worn off throughout the day anyway. Below is a picture of me wearing the highlighter.

Overall, I do like this highlighter. I feel like highlighter is a product that just works or doesn't, I've never really fallen in love with one as far as I can remember. Anyway, I like this one. It is really pretty. The only negative thing I have to say is that it is quite bright and shimmery so I feel it does kind of border on tacky; it's not very subtle. I'm still going to wear it though, I just have to make sure not to put on too much and to blend it out as much as I can. Have you ever tried a Makeup Revolution highlighter or another one of their products? Leave a comment below if you did and let me know what you thought of it. Also, If you are interested in getting one of these highlighters, you can get it in your local Superdrug or here online. I hope you have and great day and hopefully I'll talk to you soon.

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100 Layers of Makeup

Recently on my YouTube channel, I did the 100 layers of makeup challenge. I did 100 layers of foundation, 100 layers on liquid lipstick and 100 layers of filling in my eyebrows. It took so long to do so many layers of makeup but I did it in the end and it actually was kind of fun. In case you haven't seen the video yet, then here it is:

I hope you enjoy the video. If you do, it would mean a lot if you would subscribe to my channel for free to hear when I put out new videos. I hope you are all having a great day and I'll talk to you soon. 

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Autumn Makeup Look with a Dark Lip

Hey guys, this week's video on my YouTube channel is one of my favourite looks that I've been wearing this Autumn/ Fall. One of my favourite aspects of this look that I love is the lip colour which is MAC's Rebel lipstick (which I reviewed here). 

I paired the lipstick with quite neutral eye makeup because I really wanted the lips to be the main focus of this look. If you would like to see how I achieved this makeup look then make sure to watch the video below (or here on YouTube if the embedded player isn't working). 

I hope you enjoy it! If you do, please make sure to give it a thumb up as it helps the video to be found a bit easier in the search rankings of YouTube. Also, let me know in the comments below what is you favourite colour for a bright or bold lipstick? Talk to you soon.

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Face and Outfit of the Day

Hey guys! How are ye all? Today I thought I would share my face and outfit of the day with you! This is a really casual everyday look that I threw on quite quickly..perfect for the college day. I really love wearing my red checked shirt lately as it's a nice change from a hoody or cardigan when it is a little nippy outside on a fine day. The black ripped jeans are a new favourite of mine to wear because they go with almost anything. I also really love this makeup look especially the colours from the Revlon eye shadow quad that I used; they are so pretty!

Outfit:

Checked red shirt -Penneys/Primark

Green T-shirt - Penneys/ Primark

Black ripped jeans - Penneys/Primark

Grey runners - Penneys/Primark 

Makeup:

Products Used:

Benefit's The Porefessional

Maybelline Better Skin Foundation applied with The Real Techniques Stippling brush

Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer applied with The RT deluxe crease brush

Revlon "Blushed Wines" eye shadow quad applied with the RT base shadow brush

Kiko powder applied with a Sigma F30 brush

Bobbi Brown gel eye liner in "Black Ink" applied with a Sigma 65 brush

17 Backlash mascara

Soap & Glory lipstick in "The missing pink"

I hope you liked this post! If you did then make sure to give it a +1 on Google Plus or save it on Bloglovin. Also, make sure to let me know in the comments if you would like to see more face and outfit of the day posts!

My MAC Eye Shadow Collection

Hey guys! For today's blog post, I thought that I would share my Mac eye shadow collection with you all. I went a little crazy about a year or two ago and went out and bought a custom palette. I chose mostly neutral colours because I love neutral eye shadows and subtle makeup looks. 

I remember when I bought the palette, they didn't actually have the case to put it in and I had to leave the eye shadows in the insert case for a few months while I waited for them to get the new cases. I was so happy when the cases came in because now my palette actually looks complete! So here is a run-through of each of the eye shadow in my palettes:

Top line L-R: Brule, Honey Lust, Quarry,Omega, Espresso,

Middle Line L-R: Nylon,Woodwinked, All That Glitters, Satin Taupe, Smut,

Bottom Line L-R: Naked Lunch, Mulch, Coppering, Charcoal Brown, Carbon

Here are the swatches:

A lowdown on each of the shadows:

Brule: A lovely natural highlight. 

Nylon: A bright shimmery white that looks great in the inner corner (Tip by Tanya Burr)

Naked Lunch: I love this shimmery pink shadow all over the lid with Mulch in the crease. 

Honey Lust: An extremely shimmery shadow with a rose gold tint. This one gives a lot of fall out. 

Woodwinked: A gorgeous deep shimmery gold shadow. 

Mulch: One of my favourites. A dark shimmery brown. 

Quarry: A light matte purple eye shadow. 

All That Glitters: A really pretty shimmery gold neutral shadow. 

Coppering: A shimmery red colour to go all over the lid. 

Omega: A light matte brown. 

Satin Taupe: A gorgeous shimmery purpley sort of colour great for all over the lid or through the crease with a lighter colour on the lid. 

Charcoal Brown: A matte brown that goes great in the crease, and is perfect for filling in my eyebrows. 

Espresso: A deep matte chocolate brown.

Smut: A dark grey shimmery colour that is perfect blended out under the lower lash line when black seems too harsh. 

Carbon: A basic matte black for any smokey eye makeup look. 

So that is it. I hope you enjoyed this run through of my MAC custom eye shadow palette. I really love this palette because MAC's eye shadows are all really great quality and because these are neutrals, I can wear them whenever I what. I think I wouldn't recommend going out and buying a whole palette, but maybe build it up overtime by adding more and more eye shadows. Then you will know that every colour in your palette is something you really love. Have you any MAC eye shadows? Let me know which ones in the comments below. 

80's Night

Hey guys, so the other night, my friend and I decided to have a bit of an 80's night. I was so excited to try to recreate one of my favourite looks for the 80's - that of Taylor Dayne in the Tell it to my Heart music video. It wasn't the most attractive makeup look - orange eye makeup with a red lip but I really loved it. I tried to make my hair as big as humanly possible which proved to be a pretty difficult task so I basically just wore it a little messier than usual. Below are some pictures of the hair and makeup that I wore:

I also tried to recreate the outfit Taylor Dayne wore in the video as much as possible so I wore all black with a leather jacket and ankle boots. I love the 80's fashion and music so much that it was nice to escape all the college work I have at the moment and go back to the 80's for a night. Below is the outfit I wore along with the music video that inspired the look. I know her hair is a bit crazy but I would actually really love to try get my hair like that for a night, it is so cool!

I hope you liked this post. I might do another one in the future of maybe more 80's night looks or other decades like the 90's or 70's. I've been thinking of maybe doing a series on my YouTube channel of hair and makeup tutorials from different time periods so please leave a comment below or save this post on Bloglovin if you would like to see that, and i'll talk to you soon.

Gift ideas for Sisters

Hey, guys! I've been thinking lately of what to get my sisters for Christmas and I came up with a few ideas that I thought I would share with you. One of my sisters is in her twenties and the other is nearly fourteen so I've put together a little mix of presents ideas for both of them. So here are my ideas:

1. Too Faced Boudoir Eyes Eye Palette - Boots (€38.00)
When I saw this I thought of my older sister, she has a too faced palette already so I know she likes the brand. I thought the colours in this palette would be perfect for her, there are neutral ones for every day but there is also black and silver to create a really dramatic smokey eye. It's pretty expensive though so it would only be that present on its own that I would get her and I want to get her a few things.

2. Essence Gel Nails At Home - Pennys/Primark (€25- €30)
This is something that I just think would be a great present for any girl. I mostly put this on the list because I would really love to get this for Christmas and I know both of my sisters would feel the same. If you haven't heard of it yet, it's basically a really inexpensive kit to create gel nails at home. The beauty of it is that you can use it with any nail polish including the Essence ones that are less than €2 and it turns them into a gel nail finish so your nail polish will last much longer.

3.  Sleek 7 Piece Brush Set- Boots (€15.99)
I really think my younger sister would love a makeup brush set. She has a few random brushes but is constantly stealing mine. This one is really inexpensive and has all the essential brushes that a 14-year-old would need. It also has a brush belt that I think she would love because it makes the brushes look a bit more professional and she can take them with her anywhere she goes.

4. Rose Gold Tine Bracelet Watch (€37.00)
I love this watch, my mom loves this watch and I bet both of my sisters would love it too. Any girl would love this watch for Christmas. I don't know how many of my friends in work have rose gold watches but I know that these are a big favourite right now among them all. I think I might actually get it for my mom now because when I showed her the sister gift ideas picture I made she completely fell in love with the watch and wouldn't stop talking about it.

5. Maybelline NY Limited Edition Fashion Look Box - Boots (€24.99)
I think this set is perfect for younger teenage girls who are starting off their makeup collection, or maybe don't have that much makeup yet because it has a lot of different products in it. There is mascara, blush, baby lips lip balm, nail polish and more and it isn't too expensive.

I hope you liked this post. What are you thinking of buying your family members for Christmas? Has everyone already started Christmas shopping? I still haven't gotten half the things I need. Leave a comment below.

Beauty Haul From Boots

Hey guys, so as you may have seen in this week's video, I recently went on a shopping spree in Boots and got a couple of new makeup items, some that were on offer and some that weren't.

If you are wondering, I will be writing reviews on all these products in the next while so make sure to check back or follow my blog on Bloglovin' to be notified when they come out. Now onto the haul items:

Collection Gothic Glam lipstick in the colour Seduction : €3.99

Collection Galactica lip butter in the colour Pink Rush : €3.99

Collection Super Size Fat Lash mascara - got free but it retails at €3.99

Seventeen Back Lash mascara in the colour Black/Brown - got free but retails at €8.19

Seventeen Colour Clash Nail Effects (Tropical Punch) :  €5.09

Seventeen Falsifeye HD mascara in Black/Brown : €8.89

Natural Collection Concealer : €2.49 

Natural Collection Nail Polish (Praline) : €2.49

Maybelline Better Skin foundation (Light Beige) : €11.99

If you haven't yet seen my haul video then you can watch it below. If you like it, please think about giving it a like or subscribing to my YouTube channel to see more of my videos :)

I hope you liked this post! Do you think I should do more hauls? Leave a comment down below letting me know what you think :)

FOTD: Pretty Neutrals

Hey guys, here is a very simple, neutral face of the day done using the Naked 3 palette. Because I haven't been wearing that much makeup over the summer, I feel like I haven't got a great amount of use out of my Naked 3 palette, so when I do wear makeup, I like to test out new looks from it. I love that most of the colours have a sort of pink or purpley tinge to them even though it mightn't appear that way by looking at them in the pan. Here is the look I created this time: 

Products Used:

Face

Bourjois Radiance Reveal Healthy Mix foundation

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer

Bourjois Délice de Soleil bronzing powder

Eyes

Colours Used from the Naked 3 Palette:

Burnout (across the lid)

Buzz (through the crease)

Liar (outer corner + under the eye)

Limit (to fill in eyebrows)

Strange (to highlight)

Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner (black ink)

Maybelline The Falsies mascara

Lips

L'Oréal Caresse Lipstick (101 tempting lilac)

I hope you liked this post! If you did, please give it a like on Bloglovin or a +1 on Google Plus if you did. I hope everyone is having a good summer and I'll talk to you soon :)

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I've Finally Made A Facebook Page!

Hey guys! Just letting you know that I have finally made a Facebook page after months of putting it off. Give the page a like if you want. I will be posting all my new blog posts and videos to it so you can see them all in the one place and don't have to keep going between Blogger and YouTube. Click here to go to my new Facebook page!

Benefit Hello Flawless Foundation Review

Hey guys, happy father's day! So when I was last in Benefit, I got a couple of free samples with a purchase, one of which was a sample of their Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow foundation. I used it once or twice on holidays because I didn't want to have to bring a big bottle of foundation with me and I found that I loved it. It makes my skin look really radiant and it lasts for ages. In Ireland, it retails at about €36 which is super expensive for a foundation. I don't think that I've ever paid more than €15 for a foundation before, but then I've never tried a high end brand foundation before. This foundation does what it says in the tin and makes my skin look so flawless looking so for that I give it props, but €36 is so much to pay for foundation that I don't know if I would ever actually purchase it. Decide for yourself what you think of this foundation from the before or after pictures below.                                                        

Before the foundation

After applying the foundation

6 hours later

I think this foundation is great and I love the way it sits on my skin but I just feel like there are so many amazing drugstore foundations for less than a third of the price. I think that, since I have pretty good skin anyway, that foundation isn't a product that I need to splurge on every couple of months when I run out. What do you think? Do you like to splurge on your foundation or do you think that the drugstore brands are just as good? Leave a comment down below.