Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation

In this day and age in the beauty world, everyone seems to be searching for 'the perfect foundation', and finding said foundation is no easy task! With a vast range of formula's for dry to oily skin, from radiant to matte, to light/medium coverage, its a tough job these days to buy foundation, especially if you don't have the budget for higher ended brands who tend to give samples. In the drugstore (when did I become American), its not that easy.

I have previously never been searching for the perfect foundation, I tended just to pick one and say 'it'll do', I wasn't bothered about coverage or the type of finish it gave, as long as it made me look half decent it did the job.

Until I discovered this beauty from Rimmel. This is the foundation I had been waiting for all my life, I just didn't realise it!

So what's so special about this foundation you might ask?? Well I'll tell you what!
One of Rimmel's newest releases, this foundation is a liquid mousse foundation which is lightweight, and offers control oil. Although I tend to have more dry to combination skin as opposed to oily, I decided to try it out anyway!

Colour wise, I went for the shade 100 Ivory, which is what I'd usually wear in any Rimmel foundation, and it does be a little bit dark, but I make it work with a lot of blending. However, this range comes with the welcome addition of a lighter shade 010 Light Porcelain, which I was actually given afterwards as a present from a family friend, but I havent tried that shade yet, but I'm looking forward to seeing how it matches my Casper the friendly ghost pale face!

The texture of this foundation is a mousse, and because of this a little amount goes a long long way, it took me a while to realise that I needed to use a lot less than I did when using a normal liquid foundation. A teeny tiny pea sized amount is enough to do my whole face, so less is more ladies!

I use this foundation  with either of my two favourite brushes, the Real Techniques Buffing Brush and Expert Face Brush. Although if I had to pick just one to use it with I would probably say the Buffing brush, as it just seems to blend the product better, and it leaves a slightly better finish in my opinion.

As is quite obvious by the name of the product, it gives a matte finish, and on me it lasts well all day,  although I think if you're someone with oily skin, you may need to touch up a bit later on in the day with a little bit of powder.

All in all, I really am so impressed with this product. I've been using it non stop since I bought it, up until this week, because I'm holidays from work I figured I'd use a little bit less make up and so I'm just using BB creams for the week instead.

For the Winter I think this is a great foundation, as I think the matte affect works much better in the current season than it does in perhaps the Summer.  I wore this recently on a night out with a red lip and a neutral enough eye and it looked great!
If you're someone who wants a full coverage foundation but doesn't like the idea of matte, then this could just as easily work for you too, just maybe add a bit of a highlighter to give it more a dewy finish.
For anyone wondering about how easily it comes off, I use my L'oreal Miscellar Water first to remove the bulk of it first, and then I use my No 7 to cleanse properly. But it comes off fairly easily!

Its a great price at only 7.99 from Boots, and most pharmacies around the country, and  if you're stuck in a rut with your foundation I think for that price its definitely worth a go!
I've had numerous compliments from people while wearing this foundation, and that has never happened to me before, so for that I'm giving it two thumbs up!

Have you tried this foundation already?
If so what do you think?

Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

This or That Tag!!

I've been waiting for ages to a tag post, but the right one never came up.. Until I happened across this one on totalmakeupaddict's blog.

So I'll get cracking at the This or That tag shall I? Its nothing too complicated, just exactly what it says on the tin!!

Makeup
Blush or Bronzer?
Definitely blush. I'm a pale skinned, redhaired Irish cailin, so no matter what bronzer I've tried, it always seems to just look orange and not right on me. So I tend to stick with blushes, and just mix up the colour that I wear depending on the season! At the moment I'm loving deep mauvey toned blushes.

Lipgloss or Lipstick?
Hmmmm.... That is a toughie... If I was asked that question back in the spring or early summer I would probably have said lipgloss, as I didn't really have any lipsticks in my collection. But since then it has grown a fair bit, and I've amassed quite a few lipsticks from different drugstore brands. So I think for now I would probably have to go with lipsticks. 

Eyeliner or Mascara?
Mascara for sure. I do use eyeliner, but only for nights out or during the day the odd time if I fancy something a bit different. My eyelashes are very fair so I really need mascara, even on a day if I wasn't using any other make up I'd still put on mascara.

Foundation or Concealer?
I use both on a daily basis, but thankfully I don't have a huge problems with spots and blemishes, so if I had to I'd be able to do ok with just foundation. The one I'm using at the moment, Rimmel Stay Matte is pretty full coverage anyway. :D

Neutral or Colour Eyeshadow?
What are coloured eyeshadows?? I'm terrible, but nearly my whole eyeshadow collection is made up of neutrals. There's nothing better than a neutral eye teamed with a bright lip in my opinion!  I am trying to embrace deeper colours such as burgundy and deep greens for the winter season though! 

Pressed or loose eyeshadows?  I do have a couple of pigments in my collection, and I think they're great if you want to create a more intense eye look for a night out or something, but for every day its pressed all the way. Much easier if like me you don't give yourself a lot of time in the morning to get ready!

Nails
OPI or China Glaze?  The only thing I have from either of these labels is an OPI top coat. And although it does make the polish last a few days longer, its a pain to dry! Even after doing your nail polish really carefully and letting it dry, if after applying the top coat you happen to smudge one it makes a mess of the already dry nail polish!! Grrr... Very annoying!!

Long or Short Nails? Most of the time mine are short. They do grow fairly well, so I'm lucky in that sense, but I just have more comfortable when I have them kept short. At least there less likely to break! 

Acrylic or Natural?
Natural. I'm yet to try Shellac or gel nails even!! I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing! 

Bright or Dark?
A bit of both! I have a huge nail polish collection, so depending on the mood I'm in your liable to see me with any colour nail polish on my nails!

Flower or no flower?
Well I'm not very good at nail art, so I think no flower. The less complicated the better! . 

Body
Perfume or Body Spray? Definitely perfume. I have a huge perfume collection made up of mostly sweet scents. I don't think I even own a body spray! 

Lotion or Body Butter?
Very recently I've become a bit obsessive about body butters. I went into Boots during the summer and stocked up while there was an offer on their own brand. But on the other hand I have lotions from Soap And Glory that I also use on a regular basis. So I think it has to be both!

Body Wash or Soap?
Its always some sort of body wash. I did pick up a soap when in the UK from Lush, and although it smells gorgeous, its impossible to use because it just slips and slides all over the shower! 

LUSH or Other bath companies?
I don't live anywhere near a LUSH unfortunately... But anytime I'm in Dublin or the UK I always have a look in a store. They do have a great selection, but I think my all time favourite label, although I don't know if they're a bath company as such, is Soap And Glory!  They have such a selection of products and different scents, (Sugar Crush is divine, trust me), and most of the time they're on offer in Boots, whoo!!

Fashion
Jeans or Sweat Pants?
Jeans most of the time, but at the moment I'm in trackies and a big hoody! You can't beat a bit of comfort sometimes! 

Long or short sleeves?
Long sleeves but it's a bit of a waste of time really because I have my sleeves rolled up, so it kind of defeats the purpose! 

Dresses or skirts?
I wear a bit of both. For work and stuff I find dresses easier because I can just throw a cardigan on over them to keep warm, but if I'm going out I'd definitely wear a skirt! 

Stripes or Plaid?
I don't wear much of either, but I suppose at a push I'd say stripes!  

Flip Flops or Sandals?
Flip Flops all the way!. Although maybe not in the depths of Winter! 

Scarves or hats?
Scarves, scarves and more scarves! Its actually ridiculous the amount I own! I continuously complain about being cold but would never dream of wearing a hat!

Studs or dangly earrings?
Studs. I have one pair that are never out of my ears. Silver and they're made up of all little diamonds... A present from myself, to myself! 

Necklaces or Bracelets?
Both but seen as its Winter I'm always wearing scarves so I don't tend to wear the necklaces unless I'm going out! 

Jackets or Hoodies?
Hmmm... Usually jackets, but today I'm wearing a hoody! 

Hair
Curly or Straight? My hair is always curly so I guess I'll have to say curly. The very very odd occasion I straighten, maybe once a year, if even!

Bun or ponytail? A bun for sure... Its just so easy with the donuts! 

Bobby Pins or Butterfly Clips?
Bobby pins- But yet when I want one I can never, ever, find one!! 

Long or Short hair?
Long, my hair as always been relatively long, and although its not as long as it previous has been I'm happy with the way it is now because if I choose to, there is a lot I can do with it. 

Light or dark?
I don't know really. I am a redhead of sorts, and depending on if my hair is highlighted, it can go various shades of blonde in the summer, and it tends to be darker in the winter. But I think I prefer it when its lighter!  

Side sweep or Full on bangs (fringe)?
I had a full fringe a few years ago at school, and my mother hated it. It was impossible to keep because of my curly hair, and I also had a cow's lick, so no matter how hard I tried, it never stayed down! So probably a side sweep. 

Up or Down?
Its up most of the time really! I do try to leave it down though if I'm going out. 

Random
Rain or Shine?
Why would anyone say rain? We get too much of it in this country, so definitely shine! Nothing beats a nice crisp sunny winters day in my book! 

Summer or Winter?
Summer for sure! Sunshine, sitting in the garden enjoying a nice crisp drink... Yummy! 

Autumn or Spring?
I love Autumn, and being able to get out all my boots and scarves and warmer clothes!! 

Chocolate or Vanilla?  Chocolate is my all time favourite weakness. Any kind will do, except Turkish Delight! Hate that stuff!! 

So that's it for my first tag post! Hope you enjoyed it, 

Thanks for reading,

Alisha! xxx

Hask Keratin Protein Shampoo and Conditioner Review.

For some reason, haircare is something I've never gotten into. Perhaps its due to all the plaiting of my hair my mother did in my schooldays, (my hair was down as far as my backside almost), or perhaps its just because deep down my true love is make up, and always will be. But the point is, haircare has never been a top priority of mine. I previously used to straighten and blow dry my hair a fair bit, but in recent years I've decided to embrace the curliness, and just let it dry naturally and sometimes add a bit of mousse and I'm good to go. Because my hair is so try however, I tend to have problems with it being really really dry and brittle, especially at the ends. I decided to give somethings a go, including the infamous Argan Oil, but nothing worked.

 On a whim in Penneys one day I decided to pick up this set of shampoo and conditioner from the 'Hask' brand, but in the Keratin Protein formula, as opposed to the Argan Oil formula, and I have never been as glad that I did!

These are a smoothing shampoo and conditioner, which to me would be aimed at people with dry and damaged hair. Now I  wouldn't say my hair is damaged as such because I very very rarely but heat on it, but it is definitely more dry than I'd like it to me. These products claim to soften and renew such hair, and are free of sulfates and parabens, artificial colours, and alchohol, which which is another added bonus!

The products contain an ingredient called 'Hydrolysed Keratin' which apparently reduces frizz and protects the hair from humidity, which we all know can often reek havoc on our locks!

I have never been as impressed with anything as quickly as I have been with this, I've only used them 3 times each so far, but I really know that I'm onto a winner with these! My hair feels completely different after using these, and I can't actually believe its my hair! 

It's so soft in comparison to what it used to be, and the ends are also so smooth compared to before. 

I definitely would recomend these beauties to anybody who has had problems with their hair like I have had. I'm not as sure how they'd work if your hair was really damaged from heat and what not, but I'd say they're worth a try at least! 

These were 4.50 per bottle in Penneys, which is a little bit steep for something from Penney's but it is well well worth it in my opinion! They also do treatment oils, and deep conditioners, and if they are anything as good these products, I may just have to try!

Thanks for reading, 

Alisha xxx

Lush Wishlist

Ah good old Lush. The only shop that I go into that gives me a pounding headache thanks to all the lovely goodies contained inside its 4 walls....Its not very often I get to visit a Lush shop because unfortunately there is none located in Galway, (Lush, sort this out), and its only when I'm either in Dublin or visiting my brother in the UK, that I get to go in and wander!
So if someone was to give me access to a Lush store right at this very moment, and a pocket full of cash to buy whatever I wanted, then here's what I would pick!

Let The Good Times Roll Face and Body Cleanser: I've heard Khila from Miss Budget Beauty rave about this and ever since I've been dying to try it. Its a cleanser, with possibly them most amazing ingredient in it..... Popcorn!!! Popcorn in a cleanser, imagine that! But anyway, this is a limited edition rolled cleanser that has been released for the Christmas season. Its made up of ingredients such as maize flower, polenta,cinnamon powder, and popcorn!! This is a cleanser that gently exfoliates the skin so it would be perfect for the party season, and the fact that it smells like caramel is only an added bonus! 

Snow Fairy: Another  Christmas product that has been raved about by bloggers all over the world that has peaked my interest. A bright pink shower gel  that apparently smells like sweets, what's not to like about this! I may have to ask my brother to bring me home some of this... Purely for research purposes of course! ;)

Golden Wonder Bath Bomb: I hadn't planned on this wishlist being all Christmas products... But that's just how its looking! Can you blame me though, look how pretty this is! It would actually be a shame to use this, but I guess leaving it sitting on the window would be a bit of a waste.. This is one of  the Lush bath bombs, which all have a surprise of some sort when you put them into the bath, usually in the form of some scents and colours, and sometimes even glitter! This particular one contains ingredients such as orange and cognac oil, and apparently turns the bath water all sorts of colours. I'm not one for baths, but this could be the thing that changes all of that!

Big Sea Salt Shampoo: A big trend this year in hair was volume, everyone wanted big hair! This shampoo from Lush aptly named 'Big' is packed full of coarse sea salt for volume, seaweed and coconut for softness, and lemon and limes for shine. It also contains fragrances such as neroli and vanilla so your hair actually won't smell like a big tub of salt, which can only be a good thing! 

Catastrophe Cosmetic Fresh Face Mask: A few years ago I got a really really bad dose of spots on my chin, which I tried and tried to get rid of and nothing worked. I was so self conscious of them I packed on the make up, which really didn't help matters. It was only until a trip up the north that I was given a sample of one of the fresh face masks (cosmetic warrior) in a Lush store that the pesky buggers finally cleared up! Now I only tend to get spots the very odd time, and if I was looking for a cleanser to keep my skin clear I'd be looking to try this particular mask. Packed full of blueberries, calamine powder, Irish moss gel, among many other ingredients, this is a mask that gives a good deep clean, and so keeping the pesky spots at bay!

I could've kept going with this post really, there's so much amazing stuff in the Lush store at the moment, but I figured I'd restrain myself! 

Thanks for reading,

Alisha xxx

Boots Star Gift

Unless you've been living under a rock, you'll all be aware of the 'Star Gift' concept Boots launched in recent years. If you have been living under a rock and have only just crawled out and are wondering what the hell I'm talking about, in the lead up to Christmas, Boots take a gift set from a well known brand, sometimes perfume, sometimes body care or make up, and they slash the price of it! Its usually at least 50 percent off, sometimes more. They then leave this set on offer for a week, and its changed up every week then in the run up to Christmas. Now as far as I was aware this usually begun the 1st week of December, but this year it seems to have started earlier!
So what's this weeks you may ask? Well here it is!

                                              Its this beauty from Ted Baker!
'The Great & The Gorgeous' is a gorgeous set jam packed with 11 products that beauty junkies are sure to love, and it also contains 4 brushes!
Its made up of:
                      Bronzer,
                      2 Lip Crayons,
                      Eye Liner Pen,
                      2 Eye Creams,
                      Eye Glitter,
                      2 Nail Varnishes,
                      Pink Illuminating Liquid,
                      Gold Illuminating Liquid.


This is a great gift idea for any age, and I know for a fact I would love to open this on Christmas Day! Its a bargainous price this week at 25 euro, down from 52 euro! These offers run from Thursday to Thursday, so if you do see something you like you'll have to be quick to snap them up!

Happy shopping!
Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

October Favourites

Everyone loves a good favourites video don't they? So I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon and show you the products I've been loving for the last month, just in written form instead of video! 

Soooo.... Who wants to see what I've been using constantly over the month of October?? 

So as you can see, there is a wide variety of things I've been enjoying, some not too interesting, but they've never been far from arm's reach for me, and it will quite possibly be the same for the rest of November too! 

First up is the perfume I've probably been reaching for the most this month. I don't know why but there's something about this scent that I just find very comforting at this time of the year. Its one of the Kate Moss perfumes, I think this was the first scent she release a few years back, and I was obsessed when it came out first, and then after a while began using other things, but for some reason I'm just as obsessed now as I was in the beginning! Its a floral scent, but at the same time its musky, so it definitely suits people that like both sweet and strong scents! Its not expensive either as a 30ml bottle is currently on the Boots website for 11.99! 

I'm a demon for eyeshadow and I have gathered quite a large amount over the years. Most recently I've been getting really into eye shadow palettes, and this one from Sleek is one I've been reaching for most days. A lot of beauty bloggers rave about Sleek as a brand, and I can see why! The pigmentation of the shadow's is amazing, and so far they are the must buttery soft, creamy shadows I've used! I've found that they work best for me with a primer, but that's not really an issue because I use one on a daily basis anyway. This particular palette is called the 'Storm' palette, and there's a great mix of colours in it to choose from! I particularly love to use this two shades in the top right corner as combined they are the perfect burgundy eye, especially when used with the 'Metallic Pomegranate' colour tattoo from Maybelline! These are a fantastic price at only 9.99 from Cloud10Beauty.

I am a Soap and Glory nutter. Its ridiculous! Every Christmas I'm one of the many women eyeing up the Boots website to find out what gift set is on offer that particular year, and what it contains and all the rest! This is the Smoothie Star Body Milk which I got in last years set, and OMG, I love the smell of this! When I started to use it first I wasn't sure what to make of the scent, as its a real foody smell, but now I'm obsessed! Its ingredient list is mouth watering, with ingredients including almond, cocoa butter, honey, oats and honey! Its 14.00 for a 500ml bottle, but it lasts forever! I've mine on the go since Easter time and I still have a good quarter of product left in the bottle! This is also available in a body 'buttercream' which makes it sound even better! I would assume its more of a body lotion formula, but either way its a winner. 

Everyone and their granny knows that lip crayons have been a huge trend in the beauty world this year. Clinique started the trend with the 'chubby sticks' and then Revlon introduced the 'Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain' into the drugstores also. Well now you can look at any brand in the drugstore, and its quite likely they'll have some offering. This one from Rimmel is probably the best I've tried so far! The colour payoff is amazing for something that is described as a lip balm of sorts, and it feels so comfortable on the lips! It does stain the lips, but its very slight. There is a variety of colours in these from nudes to reds, and I have 6 out of the 7 of them so far, and I can't pick just one as a favourite! These come in around 7 or 8.95 so not badly priced! 

This one is a bit random but after using it constantly for a week I had to put it in! Its the Carmex mint lip balm, and WOW is it minty! This is a thick enough consistency, and my lips have been starting to feel a bit drier so I decided I'd use this at night time to see did it help! Its so weird, its like one of those plumping lip glossed that make your lips tingle! Except this lasts for more than a few seconds! It doesn't bother me in the slightest but I know a lot of people aren't comfortable with that sensation. This was really inexpensive at only 2 or 3 euro in Penneys! 

Lastly, I can not get enough of this Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge! From someone who never had a Beauty Blender, I can't really compare the two, but I can say that I love this sponge. It just gives such a natural looking finish to my foundation, and its so multipurpose I also use it to blend my under eye concealer and my normal concealer! And it was so cheap at 4.99 aswell! I will definitely be picking up more of these just to have! The Brush Buff is something I've had for a while, but due to laziness on my part it hasn't got much use. Its an antibacterial cleanser for make up brushes, and is so easy to use! I just spray a bit on my brushes and then just wipe the brush clean. It sometimes takes a while as I don't wash my brushes as much as I should, (slaps wrist), but this little bottle takes the effort out of brush cleaning. It was 14.99 on Cloud10Beauty but a little does go a long way so it'll last a long time. 

So that's what I've been loving in October! I could have gone on... and on... and on... But I really didn't want to send anyone to sleep! 

Thanks for reading,

Alisha xxx

US Drugstore Items I NEED!!

Although there are some amazing things to be found in the drugstores here and in the UK, it seems those lucky suckers in the US get some bits waaaaaay before they hit our shores, and even at that, sometimes they never do! So I decided I'd compile a wish list of things I would be picking up if the day ever comes that I'll hit American shores!

To be honest if I could have fit a lot more bits and pieces into this picture I would have! But for now these picks will have to do!:D

First up in the top left is something I'm really really hoping will make its way over the us in the Emerald Isle, Maybelline 24 Hour Colour Pigments! I've been lusting after these since seeing they had been released a couple of months back so I'm keeping my fingers crossed! I had a look at the Maybelline website and they come in so many colours so there's bound to be something for everyone! 

NYX are a brand that we can't really get here, which is a pity because they have some amazing stuff! One of the most popular and much loved products from the vast range available are these  butter glosses, which I think are more like a liquid lipstick! I saw Tarmarz talk about them in a recent video and she picked up some amazing colours in the US, so I think these would definitely be one of the first things I'd grab!

Next up, and the only thing that's higher end in this post is the Amazonian  Clay Blush from Tarte! Every blogger in America seems to love these. Soft, easy to blend and full of pigment, if only we could get them here! :(

WetnWild are another drugstore in the States, and the prices are just mental. I've just been browsing the Walmart website, and its buy one get one 50 percent off! Madness! Considering that the lipstick that I've pictured here is 1.99 (dollars) So you'd be getting another one for in or around a euro! I would grab any colours in these lipsticks because so many people have said they are super pigmented, and for that price you could afford to try loads! 

Another much hyped WetnWild product that is much raved about is the eyeshadow quads! Again these are so inexpensive, and they're meant to be such good quality! I wish all these brands would make there way to us, I'm getting serious cravings for all these new bits of make up now! 

Physicians Formula are probably one of the most well known American drugstore brands, and its no wonder, look how adorable this neutral eyeshadow pallette is and this blush is! 

Oh to live in the States, I definitely wouldn't have a cent left with all this amazingness!

I'm sure as time goes on there'll be more things added to this list.. As it is I've heard that Maybelline have released some limited edition matte colour tattoos! Considering there's only one matte shade in the collection as it is, this is great news. But will we get them... Who knows??

Thanks for reading guys,

Alisha xxx