Make Up Monday!

I know I say it every Monday but seriously, where are the weeks going? Tomorrow 4 weeks is Christmas Eve!! Madness!
So the product I've been loving this week is a new addition to my collection, and I just can't believe I haven't tried it before!
It is the infamous 'Porefessional' from Benefit, and its every bit as good as it has been made out to be!

Now I don't actually have this size YET, but I am definitely going to pick it up in the coming weeks!
Benefit claim that this primer 'quickly minimises the appearance of pores and fine lines for smoother than smooth skin'!
I had people raving about it for ages, and really had no interest in trying it, but then I was cleaning out my make up a few weeks back, and I came across a little sample size that I had gotten in a magazine! Woohoo! I've been using it for the last week, and the first thing I've noticed is for such a small sample its lasting ages! I definitely have another weeks use out of it!
Its a really light silky tinted primer, but it goes on to the skin transculent. The first place I used it was my nose, because I have serious Rudolph issues with redness, and also the pores on my nose are huge, like its ridiculous!
Now it took away the redness for sure, and although I could still see them, they definitely weren't as noticeable as they were before!
I actually noticed that this made my make up look a lot more flawless than it had with previous primers, but I don't think it helped it stay on any longer, but I really wouldn't worry about that unless I was going out or something!
I've been in two minds over whether to purchase the full size or not, but I do think more than likely it will happen, as I've never been as taken with a product after one go as I have been with this!

The POREfessional costs 34.00 for 22ml, but its currently on offer on Debenham's website for 30.60, so if you want a bit of a saving then pop on over!

Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

My Sleek Blush Collection!

Sleek is a drugstore brand in the UK that is raved about for having amazing quality products, at fantastically low prices. The most raved about products of there's is without a doubt, (in my opinion), the blushes.
Everyone and their mother in the blogging world can't get enough of them, and its not difficult to see why.
Now its not a brand that we'll walk into Boot's here in Ireland and find, boo... It is available in Superdrug in the UK, so for those of you on the east coast of our fair emerald isle, you may be able to get your paws on it.
However there's no need to fear because Cloud10Beauty have saved the day for us and have a range of Sleek's most popular products on the website! Yay!!
So onto my collection.... Which has expanded quite quickly over the past few months... oops!!

So altogether I have 5, and each blush contains 8grams of product, which isn't bad considering the price!

First up are the shades Coral and Pixie Pink. I bought Coral under the illusion that it would be just that, a coral blush, but as you can see its not coral, nor does it resemble coral in the slightest. As a matter of fact I  think its a bronzer, or at least that's what I'm going to be using it for anyway! Pixie Pink was a shade that I found it impossible to get my hands on. Any time I went to buy it online it was sold out!

You can see why though, its a bright bubblegum really girly pink! One thing with these blushes is that they are really pigmented, so a little does go a long way with these, especially the brighter colours. (I learned that the hard way). Pixie Pink to me is more of a Summer colour, but make up is supposed to be fun and there's no rules so go crazy!! ;)

Next up is Rose Gold and Flushed. Both of which I'm using fairly regularly since we hit September. Have a look at Rose Gold..... Does it remind you of any other blush? Of the high end variety?? No? Well this is a dupe for the infamous Nars Orgasm. I don't own it but after watching numerous YouTube video's and reading various blogs I sure can see the similarities! Rose Gold is a beautiful peach toned blush with very fine gold glitter throughout, so it works as both a highlighter and a blush all in one!! Flushed is a deep red/berry toned colour, which is great for the berry trend gracing the catwalks this season. Rose Gold doesn't come up great in the swatches again, but you can see how pretty Flushed is!

Lastly is my most recent purchase, Antique. Its part of the Vintage Romance collection that Sleek have recently released, and it is gorgeous! In the pan it doesn't look much, in fact when I saw it first I was slightly disappointed because it wasn't what I was expecting at all, but when I put it on, wow was I wrong! Its a mauve/brown toned blush, again with very fine glitter particles throughout, but when it's on it just gives the nicest glow to the skin! Its very natural looking so this teamed with a bright lip or smokey eye is a great look for the party season!

 So at the moment this is my collection of Sleek individual blushes. They also do a blush trio which I also have two of (shame on me), and I will show you those at a later date, possibly along with the eyeshadow palettes, which again are great quality and a great price!
If you haven't tried out any of the products and are looking to try some the blushes are a great place to start as they are so inexpensive, not that any of Sleek's products are. Other well known products are the Face Form, which contain a bronzer, highlighter and blusher all in one palette, so that would be a great way to try out three products all at once.

Sleek products are available HERE at Cloud10Beauty,
Thanks for reading,
Alisha
xxx

Nails Of The Week!

So I have to apologise first of all, because I have gotten very lacksy daisy with painting my nails. I don't know what it is but some weeks I'm mad to change them up a bit, and then others I'm just happy to let them chip away... Bold me!!
This week however I'm back with a bang, and with a trusty favourite that I've had in my collection for years at that!
Its another from the Rimmel 60 Second Collection in the colour 'Grey Matter'. Seriously, if you haven't tried these polishes, you must! The formula is fantastic!
Anyway, this polish is a light grey colour, which is perfect for this time of year, especially if you want something fairly neutral but don't want your typical nude colours.
In the bottle it does look a light grey, but with this you need two coats to make it opaque, and with two coats it does translate to a slightly darker colour, but I wouldn't mind that! ;)
What nail colours are you lovely ladies rocking this week?

Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

Make Up Monday!

Can you believe it! Another week over, and its another Monday.... :( However it does mean it is time for another Make Up Monday!! :) Woohoo!
If you don't know what in the slightest I'm talking about, I've decided to do a little series talking about my favourite item of the previous week. This week I'm including two, but they've been used together as a couple so to speak, and let me tell ye, I'm loving the combination!

The product's I'm speaking of are..... My Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge, and my Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation!

I got these pictures from www.boots.ie, they are blurry but I couldn't possibly show you my own personal ones because they are so beaten up and dirty!

But these work amazingly well together its amazing! 

I've been using the Healthy Mix since the Summer time, but put it away because for some reason it always looked slightly streaky on my nose. I don't know why exactly this is, I do have rather large noticeable pores on my nose so it could be to do with that. But last week I decided I'd get it back out again, and rather than use a brush I dampened my miracle complexion sponge a bit and gave it a go! 

I was instantly surprised with the finished look of my make up, it just looks so flawless, like I don't have any make up on at all! 

The sponge is great because it has a wider side, and then a pointed side which is great for getting in around the nose, and I also use it for blending in my concealer for blemishes and under eyes! 

The Healthy Mix foundation is available in Boots for 14.99 and the Miracle Complexion Sponge is only 5.89 also in Boots.

What have you been loving this week? 

Thanks for reading, 

Alisha xxx

The Sweater Tag!

Sometimes its nice to do a different type of post, rather than the regular haul or review etc, so I decided for today's post I'd do another tag one!
This one is called 'the sweater tag' and it originated on YouTube, so if I find the original video of the girl that started it, I shall pop it in at the bottom of the post.
Its basically all about the autumn/winter months, hence the name, so lets not waste any more time chinwagging lets get to it! :)

1. Favourite candle scent? 
Any Yankee Candle scent! Seriously, they taste good enough to eat! At this time of year, any of the warmer spicier scents, like Cinnamon Stick, or Fireside Treats is another yummy one! 

2. Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate?
Tea all the way! I would drink maybe 2/3 cups a day, but I'm trying to make at least one of those a herbal tea..... But it just doesn't taste the same!


3. What's the best fall memory you have?
Hmmmm..... I don't have any particular memories as such, bar those of Halloween when I was a child, and myself and my brother and all our cousins used to dress up in a bin liner, and a cheap mask and head trick or treating, and we would then head to my grandparents house where my grandfather would have a basin set up for 'ducking' and an apple tied to the ceiling, they were fun times! :) 


4. Which makeup trend do you prefer: dark lips or winged eyeliner? 
Dark Lips all the way! I'm not very good at applying lipstick though, but I make a better job of it than I do with eyeliner, that's for sure! 


5. Best fragrance for fall?
I'm the kind of person that doesn't care what time of year it is when it comes to perfume, if I like a perfume I'll wear it and that's that, no matter if its January or June! Currently I'm wearing a fragrance from L'Occitane called Magnolia and Mure, and its a very deep berry scent, so I suppose it is appropriate for this time of year!

6. Favourite Thanksgiving food? 
Well we don't do Thanksgiving here in Ireland, but for Christmas I would say it has to be the turkey!

7. What is autumn weather like where you live?
Wet, wet and more wet. I live in Ireland so its constantly raining! :( However we do get the odd nice day where its sunny, but really cold so its a nice crisp day where you can see your breath, I love those kind of days! 


8. Most worn sweater? 
Don't really have one in particular, I usually layer up when it gets to this kind of year! 

9. Must-have nail polish this fall? 
I don't know why, but I'm on the hunt for a nice rose gold polish, so if anyone knows any good ones then feel free to let me know! :)


10. Football games or jumping in leaf piles?
Football games, leaf piles in Ireland tend to me mucky and all stuck together!! 


11. Skinny jeans or leggings?
Skinny Jeans, I despise people wearing leggings as proper pants! Fine if you wear a long top with them, but do we really need to see your camel toe?? 


12. Combat boots or Uggs? 
Don't own either of these.... But I would say Combat boots.... 


13. Is pumpkin spice worth the hype? 
Never tried pumpkin spice, in fact I've never tried pumpkin! Going to Dublin in a few weeks, so I may just have to head to Starbucks!! :)

14. Favourite fall TV show? 
Fall TV shows?? I don't know any fall TV shows.. My favourite TV show by far is The Big Bang Theory! 


15. What songs really gets you into the fall spirit?
Usually Christmas songs would get me in the fall/Xmas mood.. But this year I'm not particularly bothered about Xmas...

So that's my take on The Sweater Tag!
Thanks for reading guys,
Alisha xxx

MUA 'Luxe' Power Brow

I have never understood the fuss behind eyebrows, and 'HD' brows. Now maybe its just because a number of people that I see on an everyday basis have done there eyebrows themselves, and they look absolutely ridiculous, like two caterpillars stuck on to their face! Mean but true. In recent months I've noticed that my eyebrows have become a bit sparse, it looks like I've possibly over plucked my eyebrows, a lot! 

Which is why when I saw this new release from MUA, one of my favourite brands as you may know already, I just had to give it a go! 

Its the Power Brow, which is part of the new LUXE collection MUA have released recently, (check of the Velvet Lip's, they look gorge!)

So the packaging is a bit more fancy than a lot of the other MUA products, but I suppose considering this is part of a more luxurious range, that would be why. Its great that they even give you instructions on how to get the perfect eyebrows and everything!

The product itself is contained in what looks like it could be a liquid eyeliner, but its a sturdy pen which contains the brow pencil on one side, and a brow highlighter on the other. 

Ignore fluffy pj's in background.... Ahem!! This is the brow pencil part, although it has a softer texture than a pencil... Its more like a powder in a pencil form, if that makes sense! I got the colour fair, which is probably a bit too light for my eyebrows, but seen as I only fill in the gaps that are obvious, I get away with it. 

This is the highlighter side. Sometimes with a duo product like this, the highlighter may not be great, but I actually like this one! I also saw Miss Budget Beauty say recently she used it as a face highlighter too, so I may have to give that a go!

Overall, I have to say I really like this product! I hate the idea of my eyebrows looking ridiculously drawn on, but with this product, that doesn't happen. 

I literally just use light strokes just to fill in the parts of my brows that I think look a bit sparse and I really like how full looking it makes them! 

The even better news about this product is that it only costs 3 pounds! Imagine!

Its available on the MUA website HERE

What do you lovely folks use to do your brows?

Thanks for reading, 

Alisha xxx

High End Christmas Beauty Gift Guide,

So that season is quickly creeping up on us, and no matter how much I give out and rant about it being too early for decorations and ads on TV and what not, it doesn't matter, its still going to happen!
The worst thing for me is trying to decide what to get for people, and although I'm keeping it strictly to family and the boyfriend this year, its still a pain!
So for those of you out there that are in the same dilemma as me and are unsure what to get some of the people in your life, I thought I'd compile a little gift guide for the women in your life!
I figured I'd start at the more expensive side of the spectrum, and work down to the less expensive side, which I think is a place a lot of people are looking to these days, which is no harm at all!
But for those people who do like to spoil their significant others at Christmas, here are some of my top picks! The bits and pieces I've chosen are all available on Brown Thomas' website, and if you don't like what I've chosen there are lots of other lovely bits there for you to peruse at your leisure!

My attempts at 'Paint' weren't too great.. .But any who here's what I picked!

Mac Nocturnals Lip Gloss in Nude: I'm amazed at the price of these... So much so that I considered not putting in to this post, 35.00 for 4 of Mac's well known Lip Glasses, to me that's a bargain! This same set also comes's in a Coral/Red collection, or else a Pink set, so there's something for everyone!
If this isn't your cup of tea, Mac have some other great collections out so they may be worth a look instead!

Diptyque Roses Scented Candle: I've seen beauty bloggers across the globe rave about these, and sometimes there's nothing nicer than a nice luxuriously scented candle to relax you after a hard day's work. For someone that  enjoys a relaxing bath or two, these would be ideal, obviously more scents are available but I just chose this one because I didn't know what the other scents were... Shameful! This full size candle is 50.00

Joe Malone Pomegranate Noir Collection: Joe Malone is one of those labels that I look at online and in Brown Thomas and nearly let the items fall in shock at the price, its just a really luxurious label with amazing quality products. Especially the candles! The set pictured here is made up of three items from the Pomegranate Noir line, the Pomegranate Noir Cologne, a hand and body wash, and a body creme.
Its 80.00 for the set which is great value, considering  the 30ml cologne which you get in this set is 48.00 alone! It also comes in a gorgeous little gift box, which makes it even feel more luxurious!

Clarisonic & Lancome Gift Set: If you have someone in your life that loves skincare, and really looks after skin then perhaps this set from Clarisonic and Lancome is one you should look into. The set contains the infamous Clarisonic 'Mia 2' and Lancome's Visionnaire, as well as Gel Eclat Clarifying Cleanser. Its 149.00 for the lot which is not bad at all at all!

Tom Forde Jasmine Rouge Lip Colour In Fatal: Tom Forde Lipsticks are the lipsticks of all lipsticks, they're little pieces of coloured luxury in a bullet. Full Stop. The black and gold packaging just makes it even more amazing! Why not treat somebody to this red colour so they'll really stand out on Christmas Day! 46.00 is the price, but she'll love you forever if she opens this on Christmas Day!

Kilian Jeweled Clutch Back to Black, Aphrodisac 50ml: This is something I'd never heard of before, but I just had to put it in when I saw it! This clutch is encrusted with real crystals and is adorned with the Chinese symbol of longevity! The clutch itself is amazing, and I'd love to even get the clutch never mind the scent, but it does come with a 50ml bottle of Back to Black, which does sound like it would be a very heavy musky scent... Its not the cheapest at 195.00 though!

So they are just some of my picks!
My next Christmas post will probably be on more drugstore products, which will be a lot more affordable for all of you, hopefully!
Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

Pictures are property of www.brownthomas.ie