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 :)

My Foundation Routine

Hey guys! So this week on my YouTube channel, I posted my foundation routine where I show you all how I do my foundation, tell you about my favourite brushes and then show you how I contour my face for everyday. I hope you like it :)

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 :)

My Benefit Wishlist!

Hey guys! So as you already may know, I really love the brand Benefit, and as I was looking at their website earlier, I realized that there are loads of Benefit products that I am dying to try out. So here are the top 5 products (in no particular order) that are on my wishlist:

Benefit Play Sticks €34.00

Play Sticks are supposed to be concealer, foundation and powder all in one. Who wouldn't want to apply all of these in the form of a stick. I'd love to get this just to see if it actually any good or if it is just all hype.

Benefit Fakeup €25.00

I love trying out concealers and I really love the sound of a hydrating crease control concealer. I find that a lot of my concealers do crease throughout the day so I would really like to try this one and see if it works.

Benefit Hoola €32.00

I've wanted to try Hoola for a while because I've heard great things about it. I really like the idea of a completely matte bronzer because a lot of bronzers seem to have some kind of shimmer in them and I think I would prefer a matte bronzer. 

Benefit Rockateur €32.00
One of the things I really like about Rockateur is its packaging, it is just so cute. Obviously, I really like the actual product itself too, with its gorgeous rose gold shimmer so it is a win win. This powder just looks stunning and I think it would be so pretty on cheeks.

Benefit Girl Meets Pearl €31.00

Girl Meets Pearl has been called "liquid pearl" for your face. It is a dewy luminizer that is perfect for highlighting your cheekbones, nose, forehead and cupid's bow. I would love to try out this product.  

I hope you liked this post. If you did, please give it a like on Bloglovin or a +1 on Google Plus. What are the Benefit products that you really want to try? Leave a comment down below.

The Mirrorless Makeup Challenge!

Hey guys! I'm having a bit of a crazy week between work and college work, and it's only going to get worse in the next couple of weeks until college ends. I can't wait until the day that I'm finished my last exam so I can really focus more on my blog and get some more interesting posts up for you all. The good news is that now that I have a job again, that I will be able to buy more clothes/beauty products to do blog posts about. It feels like months since I've bought any new clothes or done a OOTD or look book for you so I'm looking forward to doing more of them :)

Anyway, on to today's post. Here is this weeks video that I've put up on my YouTube channel. It's the mirrorless makeup challenge!! This video was so much fun to film and I definitely recommend that you try at least once to do your makeup without a mirror. It can turn out quite funny. So without further ado, here is my mirrorless makeup challenge! I hope you like it :)

I hope you liked this post. There are a lot of better ones to come including a Naked Palette Giveaway (I'm not sure which one yet) for my year blogiversary in May!! Have you ever done your makeup, or part of your makeup, without a mirror? If so, how did it turn out? Leave a comment down below.

SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube Channel

Lush R&B Hair Moisturiser Review

Hey guys, today I am reviewing a hair product by Lush called R&B. The R&B stands for reviving and balancing your hair. It is made with a mix of oils and butters and it is meant to be used as a leave-in conditioner/moisturiser. I got it last year when I was in London because there aren't any Lush stores in Ireland yet. I'm not crazy about this product for a number of reasons. One of those reasons is the packaging, it looks very nice but it's not very practical for getting the product out. Every time I reach into the tub to get some out it all gets stuck under my nails and I find it's really hard to get product out and prevent this at the same time. I would prefer if you could squeeze it out of a tube instead of having to scoop it out of a tub.

I find that this product works best when only a small amount is applied to wet hair because if you apply too much, especially on dry hair, it can make your hair look quite greasy. I only like to apply it to dry hair the night before I wash it. I put loads on, applying it mostly to the ombred ends of my hair, and let it soak in overnight. This is probably my favourite way to use it and I don't use it that often, only every few weeks or so, mostly because I don't love it's scent so I only use it when I think to use it up and when I can wash it out soon after. The product has a Jasmine and orange scent but I find it to be a bit too strong for me. This is a great product for conditioning your hair but I'd really recommend smelling it first before you buy it just in case you don't like the scent.

It is a nice product but I don't like its scent and much prefer spray-in leave-in conditioners to a cream leave-in moisturiser so I won't be repurchasing it. I love Lush products though and I definitely would like to get one of their deep treatments that you wash out after this one runs out. It's a great product but it's just not for me.

If you would like to get this product, you can buy it in any Lush store or here on the Lush website.
I hope you like this post. It you did, make sure to give it a like on Bloglovin or a +1 on Google Plus. What is your favourite Lush product? Leave a comment below!

25 Facts About Me!

Hey guys, so I know that a few weeks ago I said that I would only be posting my beauty YouTube videos to my blog but I thought that this video would be an exception because it would let you know a little more about me. I know that when I read other people's blogs that I like to know a bit about them and what they are like first so hopefully this video can do that for you. So here are 25 facts about me:

I hope you liked this video and don't think that I'm too strange :P If you want to see more of my videos then make sure to SUBSCRIBE so you know when a new one comes out :)

MAC Coppering Makeup Look

Hey guys, today I want to show you all an easy look to do with MAC's Coppering. This is such a bright unique colour that it doesn't go with a lot looks. This is one of the ways I like to wear it.

Products used:

Face:  Bourjois Radiance Reveal Healthy Mix foundation

          Soap & Glory Glow All Out Luminizing Face Powder (on cheeks)

Eyes:  MAC's Charcoal Brown (to fill in eyebrows)

           MAC's Coppering (all over the lid)

           MAC's Carbon or any black eye shadow (in the crease, I smoked it out a lot with a fluffy brush but                                                                                 you can smoke it out a much or as little as you want to)

           MAC's Carbon (again, as liner, applied with a small angled liner brush)

           Benefit's Bad Gal Lash mascara

Lips: For this look, I tried so many lipsticks but all of them clashed somewhat. For this look I think a nude lip would work best because its hard to find a colour that would look okay with the orangey-red eye shadow. I didn't have any nude lipsticks so I just put some concealer on my lips so you could see what it would look like with nude lips. If you are looking for a nude lipstick, I know that No.7 do one.

I hope you liked this post :) If you did, give it a like on Bloglovin or a +1 on Google Plus. Do you have MAC's Coppering eye shadow? How do you like to wear it?

Benefit Coralista Blush Review

Hey guys, today I'm doing a review of the Coralista blush by Benefit. This is one of the Benefit Box O'Powders and I think this blush is a perfect colour for summer. I love wearing coral in summer, whether it be in a blush, a lipstick or a nail polish. I just think it is such a pretty colour. One thing I really love about this blush is its packaging, I just love the design with the coral leopard print on it. When you buy this blush you also get a small mirror that is attached to the box, and you get a small brush to apply it with too (but I prefer to use a better blush brush like a Sigma or Real Techniques one).

Benefit are known for their quality so I always know that I can count on the quality of their products. The only thing about that is that is that I find that blush doesn't really need to be an amazing quality. It's rare that you would find a really bad quality blush because that probably means that it just isn't that pigmented but usually you can still build up the colour if you keep applying it. The reason I'm telling you this is because this Coralista blush is €34. I don't know about you, but to me, that is one expensive blush. Don't get me wrong, it is a gorgeous colour and is really pigmented, but I'm not sure I would pay €34 again to repurchase it. Another thing, besides the price, that I don't like about this blush is that it is fairly shimmery and I prefer more matte blushes.

Me wearing Coralista

The good news is that I have found a much cheaper alternative to this blush that just so happens to be matte. The alternative is No 7's blush in the colour Coral Flush. This is a gorgeous matte coral blush that is less than a third of the price of Coralista at only €10.50. It is also really pigmented. I would definitely recommend getting this blush if you want to try some corals for summer and Coralista is a bit out of your price range.

I'm not dissing the Benefit Box O'Powders though, they are great if you want to treat yourself and I absolutely love Sugarbomb. My main reason for not wanting to repurchase Coralista again is that I just don't think it is that special a colour, and you can get similar blushes to it for a lot less money. If you would still like to treat yourself and buy Coralista, you can buy it here on the Benefit website or if you would prefer a cheaper alternative, you can buy No 7's Coral Flush in any Boots store.

I hope you like this post. Give it a like on Bloglovin or a +1 on Google Plus if you would like me to do more reviews like this one. Also, you can leave a comment below if there is any product that you would like me to review for you.

My Everyday Makeup Tutorial

Hey guys, here is an everyday makeup tutorial that I made. I hope you like it. Make sure to let me know what you think of it and please SUBSCRIBE if you would like to see more of my videos :)

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.

Did I mention I'm on YouTube??

Hey guys, so I told you that I was starting YouTube last week.. and here is my fist video! Let me know what you think :)

From now on, the only video's I will posting to my blog are the beauty related videos, so if you are interested in seeing the challenges, vlogs and skits then make sure to subscribe so that you will know when they've been put up. There will be a new video out on Monday but I'm pretty sure it's gonna be beauty related so I will probably post it here so that you can all see it.

The Versatile Blogger Award!

Hey guys, so the other day I was nominated by the lovely Lauren Hill for The Versatile Blogger Award!! Thanks so much Lauren, it means a lot that you like my blog enough to nominate me for The Versatile Blogger Award. Now on to the rules.

The rules of the Versatile Blogger Award say that your blog post must include the name of the person who nominated you, and a link to their blog, seven facts about yourself, and then names (with blog links) of the people that you are nominating. So here are seven facts about me:

1. My favourite ice-cream is Ben & Jerry's cookie dough ice-cream.

2. I'm obsessed with Pretty Little Liars and am determined to figure out who A is before they reveal it.

3. I didn't dye my hair until I was almost 21. 

4. My blog is nearly one year old now. I made it in May 2013.

5. I'm so scared about posting my first ever Youtube video to my Youtube channel tonight.

6. Some of my favourite Youtubers at the moment are Connor Franta, Sprinkle of Glitter and Thatcher Joe.

7. One of my favourite drinks is Dr. Pepper.

And my nominees are...

Heather from All Things Heather Lee

Molly from What Molly Loves

Poppy from Miss Everyday Elegance

Caroline from Seeking ElleJay

Madeline from Madeline Loves

I hope you liked this post. Thanks again to Lauren for nominating me. I was so happy when I saw your tweet. If anybody that I haven't nominated wants to do the tag, make sure to leave your post as a comment down below when your are done so I can read it :)

I do not own any of the pictures in the above blog post.

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette Review

Hey guys, today I'm doing a review of the infamous Naked 2 palette by Urban Decay. I've already reviewed the original Naked palette which you can read here. I love the both the Naked and Naked 2 palettes because I always really love to do a neutral eye look. I can't wait to get the Naked 3 palette and try it out.

So this is what the inside of the palette looks like. It contains twelve neutrally eye shadows, a mirror and a double sided brush with both a flat and a fluffy side. I think it also came with an Urban Decay lip gloss too, which is nice but I would have preferred if it came with an Urban Decay Primer Potion like the original Naked palette did. Urban Decay eye shadows are really good quality and last super long, especially when you use the Primer Potion with it. 

I prefer the first half of this palette (from L-R) to the other half because I love warm brown tones. I do use the other half too though because they are really gorgeous colours, and I recently did a blog post of a silver and black smokey eye using this palette. 

So here is a closer look at the colours that come in the palette:

 

And here are the swatches of the eye shadows:

So that is the Naked 2 Palette. I probably prefer the colours overall in this palette to the ones in the Naked palette but then one of my ultimate favourite eye shadow combinations (Sin & Buck) are in the Naked palette so I don't know which one I would choose if I had to choose between them. If you are interested in buying the Naked 2 palette, you can buy it here on the Urban Decay website or you can get it at your local Urban Decay counter.

I hope you liked this post. Give it a like on Bloglovin or a +1 on Google Plus if you did. I'm thinking of doing a giveaway of one of the Naked palettes in the next few months (maybe for my blog's 1 year anniversary in May) so let me know in the comments below if that would be a prize that you would like to win and also let me know which of the Naked palettes that you would like to win.