Kiko Wishlist

So I'm off on my holidays next week and I cannot wait! I'm heading to Torravieja which is just outside Alicante in Spain and there is apparently a mahoosive shopping centre not too far away from where we're staying! So me being me, of course I had to do a bit of research! The shopping centre is called 'La Zenia Boulevard', and is home to one of best friends Primark!! So of course I will be stopping off there for a look, in fairness it would be really rude not to, wouldn't it?
But the shop that excites me most is Kiko! Turns out there is a Kiko store in the shopping centre too, so I've been looking online to see what might catch my eye when I get there, because otherwise I'll get too excited and buy loads more than I probably should!
If your not familiar with Kiko, it's an Italian professional cosmetics brand which offers amazing quality products for really reasonable prices!

So first on my list is some of there loose pigments. Mac do probably the most well known pigments in the beauty world, but these ones from Kiko only cost 5.90! (euro) I'm loving the look of the neutral colours, which are number 1 Nude Beige, 10 Light Taupe, and finally 18 White Gold!

I am a complete and utter blush fanatic, at one stage I had 11 blushes in my everyday make up bag! Which is a bit extreme really considering there's only 7 days in the week, and I tend to wear the same one every day anyway!  Lately I've been really getting into cream blushes and this Velvet Blush Stick looks lovely! There's a shade called 'Verve Peony' that looks like it'll be a really nice colour for Winter, a slightly dark pink! Its 7.90 so its not a bad price either! 

Everyone seems to rant and rave about MAC's 'Fix Plus Spray' for keeping there make up in place and for freshening it up during the day. I'm yet to try that, but this Make Up Fixer looks like a nice alternative at an even nicer price! Its 7.90 and its got rave reviews on there website, so fingers crossed! 

There Smart Lipsticks look absolutely amazeballs! At 3.90 they're a fantastic price, but I have a serious problem in that there's so many different colours that I'm going to have a serious task trying to choose which colour to go for! I'm looking a nice plum shade for autumn/winter, so I think I'll have to just try them out in the store! 

I've had a quick look at the make up brushes also, and the prices are really good! I havent really seen anything that's jumped out at me in the line of brushes though, but I may check out the eye brushes when I get there! 

So that's really a round up of what I'm hoping to pick up when I get there, but to be honest I'll probably come out with twice as much! That is if my boyfriend will have enough patience to let me go in after I've raided Primark! ;)

Thanks for reading,

Alisha xxx

New Irish Beauty Subscription service!

How exciting is this! For the first time ever there will be an Irish Beauty Box subscription service! Unless you've been living under a rock, or just don't like beauty, (if so then why are you here??) you'll have heard of the numerous beauty box services, the most popular one being Glossybox. These services involve signing up and paying a monthly fee, and in return you get a box full of beautylicious goodies sent to your front door! With Glossybox it tends to be higher end brands, and it varies between full size and samples, but in every box there is always at least one full size! There isn't a whole lot of information available yet on the Irish service, bar the name, which is Chic Treat Club.
https://www.facebook.com/ChicTreatClub?directed_target_id=0 This is the link to there Facebook page so head on over there to give them a like and be kept up to date with the info about what brands will be included, and when the service will be available! Or alternatively head over to there website and leave your email address to be one of the first to know! http://chictreatclub.com/
I am so excited as I've never subscribed to any of these before, and considering its Irish, I for one will be jumping at the service! Hopefully there will be some interesting and hard to get brands included!

Thanks for reading,

Alisha

My 5 favourite perfumes

One thing I love almost as much as make up is perfume. I have to say I tend to be a bit of a perfume hoarder. I buy them after one sniff in the shop, and more often than not that's it. They sit there collecting dust because my favourite ones are obviously the ones I reach for on a daily basis. I'm a real girly girl when it comes to scents, and I tend to choose sweeter scents over anything more musky or floral. So, on to the chosen ones!

So from left to right: CK 'IN2U', Roger and Gallet 'Fleur de Figuier', Kate Moss 'Kate', 'L'Imperatrice' by D&G, and L'Occitane's 'Mulberry and Mure'.
All these perfumes smell absolutely divine and I honestly don't think if you asked me to pick just one that I would be able! There all very sweet scents, but they all smell totally different!

So first up is a perfume from Calvin Klein 'IN2U'. Am I the only one who finds the name really weird? I'm useless at describing perfumes so I had to take to the Internet to find the notes etc, to make it look I know something about what I'm talking about.
So the top notes in this are 'Pink grapefruit fizz (fizz in a perfume, how cool is that!!), Sicilian bergamot, and  red currant leaves.
The middle notes are sugar orchid and white cactus.
And the dry notes are Neon amber, vanilla soufflé, and red cedar.
I'm actually wearing this perfume while I'm writing this, and now that I've seen the notes that are in it I can relate to most of them. There's a definite kick to it, which I assume is the 'pink grapefruit fizz', but at the same time its nice and fresh, which again I would assume is the Bergamot. The vanilla is also fairly obvious too, but not in a sickly way. I love love love this perfume, and its great for both daytime and nighttime also. I'm happy to wear this all day to work, but if I was going on a night out and didn't want a heavy perfume this would be the first one I'd reach for. Price wise for this size bottle, (150mls,) it tends to be about 60 euro I think, but I was in Dublin and picked this up in a pharmacy which I think was Mccabes for 30! Bargainous! 

The next on my list of smellies I love is this scent by Roger and Gallet. Fleur de Figuier.This was much raved about in the 'blogosphere' when it came out first, and when I finally got to smell it for myself I understood why! From the name, I thought it was going to just smell like Figs. If the truth be told I don't even know what Figs smell like, but I just had an opinion that it was going to be too strong for me! Its a gorgeous scent, with the  notes consisting of Mandarin, Caraway seeds, Fig leaves, Grapefruit, Cedar, and Fig Milk and Pulp. This is a sweet scent, but not overly sweet as it has the grapefruit and mandarin in it to give it a bit of a citrusy kick. This is perfect for morning time showers, especially if like me, you love your bed and have difficulty getting up in the morning! Its just a nice fresh scent. My only downfall with this perfume is it doesn't last too long, but I purchased the body lotion to give it a bit more longevity and it does the job! This perfume was 39.95 for a 100ml bottle, and the body lotion was 14.95 if I recall correctly, and I got a free bag when I bought them. Roger and Gallet is a brand that's found in selected pharmacies across the country.

This one was given to me by a family friend to try when it first came out and I loved it, but then it disappeared of my radar for a while, but its firmly back in its place now! Kate Moss has brought out a few more fragrances since this one, but I have to say this is definitely my favourite. This is more on the musky side rather than sweet, but its still not too heavy and that's why I like it.Some of the notes in this are forget-me-not, pink peppercorns, orange blossom, and then more floral notes like magnolia, peony and rose petals. It also contains notes of sandalwood and musk, which is obvious when worn. Its on Boots website for 23.95 for 30mls. I'm sure they do larger sizes, and its available nationwide in most other local pharmacies aswell.

L'Imperatrice by D&G as you can see is very well loved! Its one I've picked up repeatedly on holidays because is so much cheaper in Lanzarote, but I don't know what I'll do when this one runs out! To me this is my 'grown up' perfume. Its a real womanly scent, but again, its not strong, which as you can see from this post is a reoccurring theme with my taste in perfume! It contains notes of rhubarb, red currants and muskier notes of sandalwood and grapefruit wood. The one thing I dislike about this is its so expensive! Its 67 euro for a 100ml bottle, and I know compared to Chanel perfumes its not too bad, but I just wouldn't pay that much money for a perfume for myself.Maybe I'll have to drop some hints to people for Christmas! ;)

OK I have to admit I didn't purchase this one myself either. What I did do is drop copious hints to my boyfriend in the weeks leading up to my birthday in the hope he'd pick up on them. And, it worked! This is an offering from L'Occitane, and it is divine! This perfume is part of the recent 'Grasse' collection, which was named after the city of Grasse in Provence.When reading about it on line, I thought it was going to be a real floral scent, judging by the Magnolia in the name, but its not! The top notes are bergamot and blackberry, which is the main scent I get from this, and the middle notes are magnolia and rose, but I cant really smell either. To me its just a real fruity, fresh smell! This is another one that lasts all day, and I've gotten so many compliments on it! I got this in a set with a shower gel and a body milk, so if you really want to make the scent last its great to be able to use the 3 together. I tend to keep the shower gel and body milk for special occasions, because they are so expensive, so I tend to use them as a real treat. The set was in and around 70 euro for the lot, which isn't too bad. If you have any interest in L'occitane's other products, try the Verbena range, its beautiful! Although if you don't like lemon or really zingy smells, then it may not be for you!
So that's my round up of my favourite perfume's! I do have lots more, but these are the ones I really do reach for on a regular basis!

Thanks for reading,

Alisha xxx

Catrice Ultimate Shine Lipsticks

Everyone and there cousins dog knows that MAC lipsticks are THE lipsticks in the beauty world. Except me. Because, (hides face behind hands in shame,) I don't actually own one. Yup, I said it! I don't own a MAC lipstick! I own very little MAC make up as a matter of fact, but as I've said before, I have serious issues with parting with nearly 20 euro for a lipstick when I could find something as good in the drugstore for much less money. Or maybe I just have a problem with parting with money full stop, who knows! But I am known for disappearing in Penney's and if I do, you will find me in the same place each and every time, the make up section! Sometimes I buy something, sometimes I don't, but still i can't help myself looking anyway! I have a tendency to lean more towards lip glosses, or crayons or stains, as for some reason I have this belief that lipsticks are too heavy on my lips and so go for something a bit lighter. So on one occasion when I was in Penney's, I decided to pick up a lipstick from the Catrice stand to give it a go, and I am glad I did! So much so I went back for more!

I really need to figure out how to work this camera properly and the flash and what not, but as you can see, the lipsticks come in a black packaging with a slight sheen, with the Catrice name on the front. I don't know are they trying to emulate the MAC bullets, but either way, they're still pretty enough to leave on your bedside locker if you are someone that likes to display your make up!

The 3 I own are: 250 Matte about Pink, 240 Hey Nude, and number 210 Pinkadilly Circus. First off, how cool are the names! I especially love Hey Nude, because any time I go to wear it I automatically start to sing 'na,na,na,nananana, Hey Nude!' (I know, I'm getting weirder and weirder as this post goes on). The 3 of these are all from the Ultimate Shine collection. I know there are a couple of other collections including a new Gel lipstick collection, but I haven't tried any of those yet!

First up is Matte about Pink, I know this one and Pinkadilly Circus look very similar in the bullet colour wise, but there actually not. Matte about Pink is as the name suggests Matte, but its not very Pink either, its more of a coral colour. I'm not a big fan of matte lipsticks, but I love the colour of this one, and also picked up a lip liner to match, but I don't think I'll be wearing a whole lot of this one for autumn/winter, but either way its a nice lipstick and its not too drying on the lips like some matte offerings are!

Next up is Hey Nude! I've never been one for nude lipsticks either, mainly because I don't want to look like a mannequin from a shop window, because that's not a good look for anyone! But decided to give this one a shot. Its a very subtle lipstick, and it just offers a very sheer wash of colour to the lips, which is perfect  for me as it just makes my lips look a lot healthier than normal.

And last up is my favourite out of the lot, Pinkadilly Circus. I have to apologise for this looking so beat up, but I havent even used it that much! I actually bought it after swatching a tester at the stand, and grabbed a new one, and assumed it wouldn't have been opened. Well, as you can see, I was  wrong! I don't understand why people don't just use the testers, that's what they're there for after all! But anyway! This one looks brighter in the bullet than it is in real life. It is more of a berry coloured pink, so its perfect for the transition into the colder months if you fancy sprucing up your make up bag!
All of these lipsticks are super creamy and comfy on the lips, but I would suggest using a lip balm with Matte about Pink, as with most other matte lipsticks it is slightly drying. But the formula of these is amazing, and the price is amazing, 5.49 each! Like you could have 4 of these for the price of one MAC one! I know MAC have a huge selection of colours, and obviously seen as this is a drugstore brand there wont be as much choice, but there is 16 colours to choose from, which is massive for a drugstore brand!

Not the greatest swatches in the world, but just to give you an idea of what there like! From left to right, Matte about Pink, Hey Nude, and Pinkadilly Circus, (why this colour wont show up properly is beyond me). So there you go folks, just a little review on my new favourite lipsticks! 

I have a  feeling I'll have to go back for more, just for research purposes of course! ;)

Catrice can be found in some pharmacies across the country, and some Penney's stores. 

Happy weekend people, and thanks for reading! 

Alisha xxx

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