Facebook!

I've just recently set up a Facebook page for this blog, so if any of you guys want to keep an eye on what's happening in my make up world through Facebook then you can find me on https://www.facebook.com/AlishasBeautyAttic

I tend to spend a lot of time on Facebook so hopefully when I've a bit more time to work on that page ye'll see a lot more activity on there from me! But for now if ye could head over and like the page that would be great!!

Thanks for reading,

Alisha xxx

NYX HD EYESHADOW PRIMER

I didn't know there was such a thing as an eyeshadow primer until I started watching youtube videos and reading blogs, and in nearly all of them the exact same primer was mentioned: The Urban Decay Primer Potion. I looked it up on a few different sites, and was shocked to see the price, nearly 20 euro! Now some people would pay that, and that's fair enough, but I prefer to spend less on make up, and get more products if you get my drift. So then I decided I'd a bit of research and see could I find something that would do a good job of holding my eye shadow in place for a working day, without the huge price tag! I'm a huge fan of Cloud 10 Beauty and BeautyEmporium.ie,which are both Irish beauty websites which stock products from brands such as Sleek and NYX, which are otherwise impossible to get in Ireland. So I decided to have a sneaky peak on BeautyEmporium.ie to see what I could find. Now unfortunately it was a while back when I purchased this, and they're no longer available on the site. :( But there is any number of budget beauty brands that have recently released eyeshadow primers if you fancy trying one, and the Maybelline Colour Tattoo's also work really well as bases, so that's another option! The base  I'm going to talk about today however is the NYX HD Eyeshadow Primer. I think this cost between 7 and 10 euro when I bought it, so half the price of the Urban Decay one! :)

Its a nude coloured base, with a slightly oily texture, and at first I wasn't sure of this, but after seeing how well it performs I've gotten used to it! When I'm doing my make up, I apply two coats of this to the eyes and blend it out, and then let it try for a few minutes while I'm priming my face. Then I go back and apply my eyeshadow. I still cant get over how good it is! I use it mostly with my MUA eyeshadow palettes, and I usually do my make up between half 8 and half 10, depending on what time I'm working at that day. Most nights its at least 11 or half 11 when I'm taking it off again, (I know, very bold), but I'm not joking, my eyeshadow is the EXACT same as it was when I applied it first! I now use this as part of my everyday make up routine, and I wouldn't be without it. I have tried another one from NYX, one from Catrice, and one from Essence, but none of them have lived up to this! Now I just have to try and figure out where I can buy it from when I run out. :(

Thanks for reading,

Alisha xxx

Boots Extracts pampering treats!

There's nothing I like better than a nice long hot shower to relax after a long and possibly stressful day. I have a press full of goodies that I often delve into to pamper myself with at the same time. This usually contains a shower gel or scrub and a body lotion, and whatever shampoo I'm using at the time, and a face mask or scrub. I've so many bits and pieces that I've gathered over the last while that I'm trying to use up before I attack the aisles of Boots again at Christmas! The products featured in this post are from the Boots Extracts range, and I have to say I'm in love with them and am looking forward to getting to try more!

I picked up the mango scent in these and its divine! Its fruity and sweet without being overpowering, and the scent lasts ages! And the best thing about this line of products is that the ingredients are organic, but also fair trade! 

The shower gel is 5.95 and for that price you get 200ml of product, but it lasts ages! Its a thick gel type substance, so a little goes a long way! 

The body scrub is amazing! Its a sugar scrub that's not too harsh and once its washed off it leaves a slightly oily feel to the skin, which I love because more often than not I already feel like my skin is super soft and moisturised and tend to skip the body butter then. (I know, slap on the wrist for me) I use this about once a week generally, maybe twice if I've been out at the weekend and have used some sort of fake tan. I cant remember the amount of product but I think this was about 11 euro, and the tub is huge and its lasted me ages! 

I think the body butter has to be my favourite product out of the lot. It smells divine, it leaves the body nice and soft, and it feels like a real luxury when using it! I've never used a Body Shop body butter before, but I'm aware they're about the 15 euro mark. These are on the Boots website for 10.95 (for 200mls),  which isn't a huge difference in price I know, but when I picked these up they were on 3 for 2, and after a quick look on Boots.ie they are still available on this offer! Woohoo! 

These are a great alternative to the Body Shop's offering if you don't want to part with 15 euro, or if you have Boots points to spend and fancy a treat! The only downside is there isn't a huge selection of scents,  but I currently have both the brazil nut body butter and the vanilla one on standby to try after this runs out! (And as you can see by the picture that won't be too far away)

You can pick these up in any Boots store or on the website http://www.boots.ie/

Thanks for reading,

Alisha xxx

A little haul.....

So on Friday I decided to head into town to pick up some bits for holidays. However this was a complete and utter flop as most of the summer clothes were sold forever ago, and so I ended up picking up a few winter bits! After that I then ventured to probably my favourite shop in the world.... Boots! And this happened:

Ya, I know, I know I know, I didn't really need any of it! But it was buy one, get second half off in Boots, and any girl that loves her beauty knows that's not the kinda offer you pass up!
There was a couple of things that I really really wanted, but the rest then I just decided I'd like to try because I've read a lot of reviews on them and wanted to give them a go myself!
First up is the much raved about 'Dream Fresh BB Cream' from Maybelline. Its only in recent months I've started to try Maybelline products, after trying the infamous 'Colour Tattoo's'. Miss Budget Beauty loves this stuff, so I'm looking forward to trying it for days when I don't want a full coverage make up. It was 11.95 but it also has an SPF of 30, so its like a double product really... Right???

Next up is again a much raved about product from Maybelline. The '24 hour colour tattoo' in 'Metallic Pomegranate'. I have been dying to try this colour for ages as it'll be a perfect base for burgundy looks and what not in winter, but unfortunately I've briefly tried it out and its not living up to the hype! It just doesn't come out as pigmented as it looks in the jar, but I'll hold back a proper opinion on it until I've given it fair use! With the current offer I got this for about 3.95 I think! Bargain!

The next thing I then picked up was the newest addition to the Rimmel foundation line, the 'Stay Matte Liquid Mouse Foundation'. I've tried this out already, (I've very little self restraint), and I have to say I really like it! The coverage is brilliant, and even after a full day at work it was still perfect. My only bug bear is that I tend to have drier skin in winter, so it may not be suitable for drier skinned ladies, but possibly with a good moisturiser it may be ok! Its also a great price at only 7.95! 

My next purchase that I got for half price is a goody! Recently make up stands far and wide have been bombarded with versions of the Clinique 'Chubby Sticks'. So I decided to pick up Rimmel's newest offering! I cant remember the exact shade name, but as you can see from the packaging, its red! I thought when I picked up that it was going to be a sheer, buildable, balm type, but its actually not! Its really pigmented and not balmy at all! Not that its a bad thing. This again came in around the 3.95 mark at half price, how could I refuse that!

The main thing I went in for was another one of the Kate Moss lipsticks for Rimmel. I have one of each formula, the red tube being the matte formula, and the black tube being the more glossy of the two. I had seen this amazing pink colour, but any stand I went to didn't have it.. Until I went to Boots of course! Its an amazing hot pink colour, that looks to have a slight shimmer to it, I cant wait to wear it on a night out! This was 6.95 full price, but I think this was the last item I got at half price so again around 3.50! (Sorry but my laptop is refusing to let me rotate the picture) :(

And lastly, I was trying to decide my last couple of purchases, when the apocalips caught my eye. In different shades! That's right! Rimmel have launched some new shades, I'm assuming for autumn/winter, but who knows! I decided to pick up the shade 'Aurora' which is a lovely muted reddish burgundy shade, and is perfect for day wear, unlike some other reds which are very in your face for the workplace! But this is perfect! It was 7.95, but again if you pick it up with something a bit more expensive, you'll get it for less than 4 euro! 

So that my lovely ladies was my haul! My poor boyfriend nearly fainted when he saw the amount I spent on make-up, but I do the same quite regularly when he tells me about parts he's bought for his car!

Thanks for reading,

Alisha xxx

My new favourite under eye concealer!

In recent weeks I've noticed my under eye 'bags' have become more prominent, and dark circles seem to be constant. My grandfather passed away a month ago, so a lack of sleep and long days and nights spent in the hospital took its toll. But since then no matter how hard I've tried to get to bed earlier, no matter how thick the concealer I've used, my dark circles seem to remain. My most recent attempt at concealing them was using a Prai under eye corrector, and the Maybelline Fit Me concealer. But not even such an expensive product as the Prai one worked! I was beginning to get paranoid, (even though I wear glasses, so they're probably not even that noticeable to others) until I recently went into the pharmacy near where I work and picked up this little ray of sunshine!

Every beauty blogger and their mother has heard of this concealer, and any of the ones I've seen talking about it has been singing its praises from the rooftops! But I couldn't justify buying more make up, especially when I have two or three other concealers on the go at the moment! Until now that is, and boy am I glad that I did! This is the Eraser Eye concealer, which has instant anti-age properties, and which also contains goji berry, which I assume has some brightening/and or cooling properties also. Now I wouldn't be too concerned with the whole anti-age part, mainly because I'm only 25, but then again, prevention is better than cure and all that jazz! But the product itself is amazing! I don't think I've bought something that I've really loved as soon as I've tried it for the first time. The product is dispensed through a sponge at the top, after you twist the lid to the left before use. Probably not the most hygienic method, but I suppose seen as only myself will be using it it won't be too much of an issue! The product itself is definitely by far the best concealer I've ever used, and you can instantly see a difference in the under eye area. My under eyes were much brighter, and a lot of the puffiness was gone straight away! I picked up the colour light which was the perfect match for me. It is available in Nude also, so I would assume this would be for people with more sallow or darker skin. Its around 11 euro for 6mls of product, which to me isn't the cheapest, but I wouldn't mind paying it again if it continues to do its job!

Thanks for reading,
Alisha xx

My favourite bloggers!

Its only really since before Christmas last year that I properly got into reading beauty blogs and watching beauty bloggers on YouTube. Thanks to this new found discovery of blogs, my obsession with make up and anything beauty related, escalated quite rapidly!
Which is why I thought that today I'd share my favourite bloggers with you all!
Although I dont know any of these people personally, through their own blogs, not only do they share their love of cosmetics, but you also get a slight insight into their life, which is really interesting! I'm constantly looking for new blogs to read, but at the end of the day these are always the first ones that I look for new posts from on my bloglovin feed!

First up has to be the lovely ladies Karen and Joanne at http://www.lovelygirliebits.com/ . If you havent heard of this blog before then seriously, where have you been? As the name suggests, its a place to go and read about all bits lovely and girly! The girls post every day, twice if not 3 times a day! They both work full time, yet still are so dedicated to the blog! Its fantastic! They recently set up a YouTube channel also, and I tell ya, if there's ever a day you feel slightly down or under the weather, then pop over and watch one of the video's, I guarantee you'll be splitting your side's laughing! They are just so down to earth and funny, and I for one cant wait to see the next video!

Next up is the loveable Estee at http://www.essiebutton.com/. This girl is adorable!
A canadian lady now living and studying in London, her obsession with The Body Shop makes me want to go in and buy one of everything, especially the body butters! Her most recent August favourites featured an olive body butter, which sounds to me a bit like Marmite, you'll either love it or hate it, but yet I still want to try it! She has such a lovely personality, its almost like sitting down with your best friend having a chat about make up and beauty products!

Another blog I love catching up with is Kila, otherwise known as MissBudgetBeauty! http://missbudgetbeauty.co.uk/ Like the name suggests, she generally blogs about less expensive,more budget friendly items, but at the same time, does talk about some, (but not many) more higher end products. Which is fair enough if you think about it. How could she provide us all with sneaky dupes etc if she didn't sometimes have a sneaky purchase or two of more expensive items! All in the name of research for us adoring readers. ;)

Although this next one isn't strictly just a beauty blog, its more of a bit of everything blog, I couldn't not mention Louise over at Sprinkle of Glitter! http://sprinkleofglitter.blogspot.ie/ This girl is just crazy! (In a good way). Most recently on her channel I've watched her reaction to the new One Direction single, and also a Fluffy Bunny challenge, (I didn't know what this was either until I watched the video). That's not to say she cant be serious because she has covered some serious issues that a lot of bloggers wouldn't dream about, such as self harming. Over on her blog she also does really inspiring posts called 'Motivational Mondays', which is a serious of weekly posts on a Monday (obvious I guess) that covers a wide variety of topics, but that all in some way inspire and motivate.

So there you have it, some of my own personal favourite bloggers and YouTubers! I know everyone has different tastes, so there approach to blogging and vlogging may or may not be your cup of tea! But still, you wont know until you have a look! So why not sit down, grab a cup of tea, (make mine weak with 2 sugars please), and maybe you'll discover your new favourite blog! Or if your like me, you'll end up with a list of new products you want to try!

Thanks for reading girlies,
Alisha xx

MUA (Make Up Academy)

So any serious beauty junkie knows the difference between her high-end and drugstore beauty brands.

Well this my dear ladies (and lads possibly) is probably the least expensive brand you could possibly find in the drugstore, (or chemist or pharmacy as we Irish gals like to call it.)

Now its not readily available in stores in Ireland, I do believe its available in Superdrug stores in Ireland, as that's where its sold in the U.K, but seen as there's no Superdrug in my area, I cant confirm or deny that.

I do know for certain though, (after a couple of sneaky purchases), that they do ship to Ireland from their website! Hurray!! 

The brand in question, is fairly obvious, as its the title of this post. Make Up Academy, or MUA as its more commonly known, is one of my favourite make up brands. Not only has it such a selection of cosmetic products, but the prices of them are ridiculously cheap! This does not mean in any way that the products are of a lesser quality, because believe me they aren't! 

I think the product they are most well know for is the infamous eye shadow palettes, especially the aptly named 'Undressed and Undress Me Too' palettes, which you may be able to tell from the names are dupes of the Urban Decay Naked palettes! Now I personally don't own either of the Naked palettes as I'm not sure how i feel about paying 40 euro for an eye shadow palette, when I can get the MUA ones for just over 4 euro! Here's the Undress Me Too palette:

Another great thing with this palette is that on the back it has names for all the colours, just like the Urban Decay ones, and it even gives tips on looks you can create with the colours! I cant compare it to the Naked palette, but from my own usage, and my own opinion I can safely say I love these palettes! Its my go to for my every day make up and its fantastic! I use some eyeshadow primer and pop on what ever colours I'm using that day, and no exaggeration, they do not budge for the day! For the price of them they're worth a try at least! 

Some more personal favourites of mine are this highlighter and foundation from the Undress Your Skin range. Again this would be something similar to the Naked line being offered from Urban Decay. The MUA line also offers a face primer, an eyeshadow primer, a make up setting spray among many other bits and bobs. So far the highlighter and foundation are all I've tried. But that's not to say I wont pick up a few more bits! ;)

Apologies for the poor quality pictures, it may take me a while to get the hang of it! Practice makes perfect! The foundation is an illuminating foundation, which offers medium to full coverage, so depending on your preference, this would suit a lot of ladies! Its available in 3 shades, Porcelain, Beige and Golden, and me being the typical Irish lady that I am, with red hair and freckles, I chose the lightest shade, Porcelain. However, it is a little bit too light for me, but with a lot of blending I make it work. I would be interested in trying the next shade to see is it much darker though. Its a nice foundation, but I didn't find it to illuminate my skin, but again that could be because I chose the wrong shade and it washed me out. For the price (5.86 euro for 35mls of product), its not bad!

However my personal favourite has to be the highlighter! Its amazing! Its only 3.52, (yes you read that right), and it gives such a beautiful glow to the skin, you would genuinely think its a much more expensive product! I did try to take swatches but the pictures did not do the highlighter justice whatsoever!

It does look very shimmery in the pan, but when its on the face its much more subtle. I apply a light dusting on my cheeks over my blusher, and then set it all with some powder, and I also often use it as a highlighter on my brow bone. There is so much to choose from with this brand, they're constantly coming up with new products! Most recently they introduced the Power Pout, which is something similar to the Clinique Chubby Sticks,which only cost 3.52, the Colour Blast Eyeshadow Tints, (again similar to the Clinique Chubby Sticks for the Eyes, and there's more in the pipeline! 

If you're interested in trying some of the products then click here

:http://www.muastore.co.uk/store

They also have two Facebook pages where you can find out all about new product releases and find out about special offers and discounts! 

https://www.facebook.com/MUAmakeupacademy?fref=ts

and 

https://www.facebook.com/MrMUAmakeupacademy?fref=ts

However, if you end up ordering quite a lot, its not my fault really!! :) 

Thanks for reading,

Alisha xxx

My first post!!

So after weeks and weeks of contemplating, I eventually decided to sit down and give this blogging thing a go! It'll either go fantastically well, or horrifically horrifically wrong! But to start off I thought I'd give a bit of an introduction to myself and the reasons I've decided to start this blog!

So I'm a 25 year old Irish cailin that has developed a very very strong obsession with all things beauty related in the last couple of years, which I am putting down to my discovery of a number of beauty blogs such as http://www.makeupovermind.com/, http://www.vivaadonis.com/, and http://www.lovelygirliebits.com/ (these are also all Irish bloggers so its nice to read their opinions on various beauty bits and pieces!)
My main downfall is make-up. Plain and Simple. I could spend hours at a time wandering the aisles of Boots if I could, (if I did this I think my boyfriend would most definitely have done a runner a long time ago.) Thats not to say that I dont have an interest in skincare or bodycare either. Oh no. I'm one of those girls that spends the weeks before Christmas waiting to see what 'gift of the week' is on offer in Boots, and eagerly anticipating the release of the Soap And Glory offering!
So the main reason I set up this blog was to share my love of all things beauty with you all and my favourite products etc, and hopefully if I do it right, you'll also share yours with me!
I'm also just after reaching my goal weight with Weight Watchers Ireland, so I'll be keeping you guys filled in on that also!
So thats it for my first post, which I just said I'd do to introduce myself to you all!
Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx