Maybelline The Falsies Push Up Drama Review

If you saw my Superdrug haul blog post, then you will know that in it I bought the new Maybelline Falsies mascara. Its official name is The Falsies Push Up Drama mascara and I got it on offer for €7.25 down from €10.75. I was pretty excited to try it because I liked the other Falsies mascara, and this one looked like it had a better brush (kinda like the brush from Benefit's They're Real mascara). 

I really love the packaging of this mascara, much more than the original Falsies mascara. It's really sleek or something and I really love the pink and red together which the black. Also, the look of the brush is right up my street; most of my favourite mascaras have a brush like this one. I hate the really fat bristly brushes of some mascaras and find that thinner, rubber brushes work best for me. 

When I tried this product, however, I found that I didn't like it. I felt like it didn't make much of a difference to my lashes and it really didn't give much volume. The most annoying thing about this product though is that it is quite wet or something. It gets all over my lid no matter what I do and even after a few minutes, it is really smudgeable. It takes really long to dry out and this makes it so easy to mess up. Most of the time when I apply this mascara, I end up taking it all off again because it either goes all over my lid, doesn't make much of a difference to my lashes or both. 

I've talked to a few of the girls in work about this mascara and some of them agree with me that it is a really wet formula and smudges everywhere. Some of them, however, have no idea what I'm talking about and say it is quite a good mascara. So make of that what you will, although none of them said it was a really amazing mascara, it was more like "it gets the job done" kind of thing. 

 BEFORE

AFTER

AFTER LIGHTLY TOUCHING MY EYE A FEW MINUTES LATER TO SHOW YOU HOW SMUDGEABLE IT IS

Overall, I really don't like this mascara. I wanted to but it is just so annoying to use. I'm going to continue to try and use it every now and then to see if I can use it up because I really hate waste, but it's definitely not going to be the first mascara I reach for on a special occasion or when I want to look nice. What do you think? Have you tried this mascara yet? Let me know in the comments below what you make of it or what mascara you own that was a great disappointment. Have a great day and I'll talk to you soon. 

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24K Gold Collagen Mask Review

When I went to the Professional Beauty Ireland event back in October, I got a goody bag from Tan Organic and Skin Logic that had a couple of cool freebies in it. One of those was a 24k Gold Under Eye Collagen Mask. I was definitely intrigued when I saw this product. I've never really used face masks before but this one sounded amazing.

 The mask contains gold minerals which are supposed to tighten the skin and facilitate the removal of toxins. It also contains plant collagen which combined with active gold is supposed to combat dryness, and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. The mask is also supposed to stimulate collagen production and therefore, give you younger looking skin.

It's obviously difficult to determine if I have gotten younger looking skin after just a few uses but I do really like this under-eye mask. It is so cooling and relaxing. I love to use it first thing in the morning to help wake me up and get ready for the day. You are supposed to leave it on for at least thirty minutes so I usually wear it while eating breakfast, writing blog posts or editing videos early in the morning. Once you apply it, it stays on your face so you don't have to worry about it sliding off as you walk around or do other things while you are waiting. It's not one of those masks where you have to lie down and keep still to use, which I love. There also is no clean up afterwards unlike other face masks which can be quite messy. 

I'm not sure if it meant to be reusable but I have been using it each day for a few days now. The youthful benefits of this mask may not be as beneficial after the first use, I'm not really sure how it works but it is still very cooling and relaxing to use on the second, third or fourth time. There is also a tip that was written on the packet that says once you are done using it, you can melt the remainder of the mask in your bath to give you softer, smoother skin.  

My skin isn't very aged looking anyway but after using the mask, my under-eye area feels very soft and smooth so I really like this mask. The great thing about it is that it is really affordable, and retails at only €3.49. You can buy it here on the Skin Logic website if you are interested. You can also get a full face mask version of it for €12, and there are also neck and lip masks. I think this is the start of a beautiful obsession with face masks for me.

I hope you enjoyed this post. If you did then please make sure to save it on Bloglovin or give it a +1 on Google Plus. Have you ever tried a Collegen face mask before? What did you think? If you haven't then make sure to let me know what your favourite face mask is in the comments below. Talk to you soon.

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Benefit Roller Lash Review

When I went to The Professional Beauty Ireland Event in Dublin last year, I made use of the 10% off all Benefit makeup and got myself a Benefit Roller Lash mascara. I was pretty excited about this mascara because their They're Real mascara is my absolute favourite. 

I have to say I was disappointed by this mascara.When I first used it, I hated it. I couldn't understand how so many people liked it. I found it made my eyelashes so clumpy, and not very long or voluminous. I was originally using the brush with the sort of raised part facing up (like in the picture below) but once I changed to using it with the flatter part facing up, I found the mascara much easier to work with. 

Once I had got the hang of using it, Roller Lash was pretty okay but it was never my first choice when reaching for mascara. It retails at around €26 which is really expensive for mascara so I was expecting it to be a little bit better. To me, it was not much better than an average drugstore mascara and I still find it kind of clumpy even when I use the brush with the flat side facing up.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Because this mascara is so expensive, I don't think I will repurchase it. If I have any spare money for mascara I think I will just get They're Real again (I've never found a mascara quite as good). Although I don't really like this mascara, I've heard that there have been a lot of mixed reviews about it. It seems to be either a love it or hate it sort of product. So let me know if you loved it or hated it in the comments below. I'd love to hear what you think. Talk to you soon. 

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About Me/ Contact

Hello, I'm Laura, a 24-year-old Irish girl with a passion for beauty and makeup. Aside from blogging, I love making fun YouTube videos, hanging out with friends and watching reruns of 90's TV shows. I have recently graduated from University with an Arts degree and am constantly freaking out about what I should do for the rest of my life.

Welcome to my beauty, fashion and lifestyle blog. Here you will find 

lots of reviews, makeup tutorials, OOTDs and more. I hope you enjoy my little space on the internet. If you would like to follow me on social media, here are my links:

Bloglovin

YouTube

Twitter

Facebook

Google+

Instagram

Also, for any questions or queries, don't hesitate to contact me: misslaurabora@gmail.com

My Youtube Lighting Setup

A couple of months ago, I bought some new studio lights for my YouTube videos. The ones I got were on Amazon and they were between 80-100 euros. They are a 50x70cm softbox photo studio set consisting of 2 softboxes with 5500K 85W light bulbs. They are quite big as you can see in the picture below and it is possible to adjust their height to be both taller or shorter. 

The two softboxes came in a travel-friendly bag that is pretty lightweight and easy to carry around. Before I bought them, the only thing I was worried about was that they have 85W bulbs instead of 125W, which are supposed to be brighter. I haven't found this an issue, however, and have been able to use only one of the softboxes to light my entire YouTube background. (This is also down to how big they are and I can't fit them both in my room.)  

Below I have pictures showing what my room looks like without any lights on and also how it looks with only one softbox on, situated about 2 metres away. The light is so good that right now I don't need to use the second light at all because one is bright enough, whether it's during the day or during the night. ( The photos below were taken when it was dark outside). 

Without the lights:

While one of the softboxes is on:

As you can see, the one light makes an awful difference to my YouTube background. I've also been using one of the softboxes to light my blog pictures and I just love how the pictures have been coming out.

Here is a picture taken for my blog with one of the softboxes situated about a metre away:

Overall, I am so happy with my new lights and lighting setup, especially because I don't have to worry about the sun going down so quickly in the winter months and having to rush my videos and photos before it happens. If you have a blog or a YouTube channel, let me know in the comments below how you light your videos or pictures. Do you use natural lighting or studio lighting? And if you are thinking about getting the same lights as me, here is the link. Talk to you soon. 

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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My Top Tunes In The Charts Right Now #2

Hey guys, today I thought that I would share with you some of my favourite songs from the charts right now. I haven't been that crazy about some of the other songs lately but here are my top 3:

Am I Wrong? -Nico &Vinz

-This is my favourite song from the last month. I keep replaying it over and over again and I love it so much.

Break Free - Ariana Grande ft Zedd

- I love Ariana Grande and this song. It's really catchy and I just think her voice is amazing!

Amnesia- 5 Seconds of Summer

- This is just a really great song that I love to sing along to when it comes on the radio.

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!

Blogiversary + International Giveaway: Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette (Closed)

Hey guys, so today is the 1 year anniversary of my first blog post! I can't believe that it has been a whole year since I started this blog. Just thinking about the difference in the posts, the design and the readership,etc, I feel that my little blog has come quite a long way in twelve short months. I feel so proud to say that in one whole year that I didn't go one week without posting a blog post. Wooo! So to thank you all for continuing to read and support my blog over the last year, I am going to be running my best giveaway ever!!

I bought two naked 3 palettes last week, one for me and another for one of my lucky readers.

I will be using my one to do different makeup looks from the palette over the period of the giveaway and will be posting them on my blog so that you can see what great looks you can achieve with this palette. All the pictures below are of my palette so that the winner will get a brand new unopened identical Naked 3 palette.

This is a gorgeous rose gold palette with lots of the colours following a rose gold colour scheme. There are 12 high quality Urban Decay eye shadows included in the palette and also included is a double sided brush to apply the eye shadows.

As well as this amazing palette, the winner will also get 4 samples of different Urban Decay Primer Potions. When using a primer potion under your eye shadow, the colour appears a lot more vibrant and the eye shadow lasts so much longer. The four different samples of primer potion that come with the Naked 3 Palette are Original, Eden, Sin and Anti Aging so you can try them all out and see which is your favourite. The palette retails at €44 euro so I think that we would all agree that it would be pretty nice to get one absolutely free. Even if you are the most unlucky person in the world, it really wouldn't hurt to enter this giveaway to get such a great palette. I know that I have been wanting to get it for a long time.

All entries will be verified to keep the giveaway fair. The giveaway will have already started at midnight on the 1st of May 2014 and end midnight on the 27th May 2014. This  is not a sponsored giveaway, all prizes have been bought with my own money.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The winner will be notified by email within 48 hours of the giveaway’s closing, and I will also do an update blog post to let you all know who the winner is. Good luck to everyone and thank you for following and supporting my blog over the last year. It means a lot to me :)

Celeb Inspired look #3 Ariana Grande (Popular Song Music Video)

Products used to achieve this look:

Face

Benefit's The Porefessional (to prime face)
Rimmel's Wake Me Up foundation (in True Ivory)
Rimmel's Wake Me Up concealer (in Soft Beige)
Bourjois' Délice de Soleil Bronzing Powder (14 Olive/Tanned Skin)(to bronze neck and blend makeup into it, used on the cheeks and to try to bronze up my face like Ariana's.)
It didn't look like Ariana was wearing any blush in the video so I didn't use any.

Eyes

Urban Decay's Primer Potion (Original) (to prime eyes)

Colours used in Urban Decay's Naked 2 Palette:
YDK (all over the lid)
Snakebite (in the outer corner and blended into the YDK to darken up the look )

17 Eye Liner Pencil in Black  (to line the waterline + tightline)
Curl Eyelashes 
Benefit's They're Real mascara (applied to lashes in a zigzag motion to avoid any clumps)
Ariana was wearing fake lashes in the video so you could add them if you wanted but I didn't because I had to go to work afterwards :P

Lips

L'Oréal Caresse Lipstick (101 tempting lilac)

Hope you liked this post :) Click here to watch the music video for Popular Song or click here to see one of my other celeb inspired makeup tutorial of Selena Gomez. If you would like to me to do a celebrity makeup look please leave a comment below :)

Mother's Day Gift Ideas

Hey guys! So, because Mother's Day is coming up I thought that I would show you some of my gift ideas for it just in case you haven't got anything yet.

1. Pink Floral Quilted Makeup Bag - River Island (€17)
The first thing I thought that could be a nice Mother's Day present was this pink quilted makeup bag. It's just a really pretty makeup bag. It's a little expensive for a makeup bag but you can always get one that's just as nice in Pennys/Primark if you don't have much money to spend.
2. Personalised Card - funkypigeon.com (from €2.99)
I think personalised cards a such a great idea. There are loads of really cute/funny designs that you can choose from and personalise. I think funky pigeon only ships to the UK and Ireland but if you want personalised cards and you are from the US or Australia, then go to moonpig.com.
3. Vanilla Cupcake Scented Candle - Yankee Candle (around €20)
If your mom likes candles, then this present is the way to go. I chose Vanilla Cupcake because Vanilla is my favourite scent so I think this candle would smell really yummy!
4. Dolce by Dolce and Gabbana - Boots (€61)
If you have a big budget for Mother's Day or you just really want to spoil your mom, then why not buy her the new Dolce and Gabbana perfume called Dolce. It's pretty expensive but I bet that getting it for your mom will keep you in her good books for the next few months, if not for the whole year! If you don't have that much to spend then there are plenty of much cheaper perfumes out there that smell amazing.
5. Soap and Glory Bad Day Box- Boots (€20)
The last thing I chose was this Soap and Glory gift set. It's only €20 and it contains three great Soap and Glory products which are Foam Call shower gel, Pulp Friction body scrub and Butter Yourself body lotion. It's the perfect gift for any stressed-out mom.

So those were my Mother's Day gift ideas. I hope they helped you somewhat in making your choice for Mother's Day. If you liked this post, please give it a like on Bloglovin or a +1 on Google Plus and make sure to leave a comment down below telling me what you are getting your mom for Mother's Day.