Dandelion Blush Review

If I had to pick my favourite make up product of all time it would be without a doubt blusher. I just love how a simple sweep of a certain colour over the apples of the cheeks can change a look completely and instantly make you look more alert and fresh faced. In fact I love blush so much that I have an insane amount of it in my make up collection. I am yet to hit pan or anywhere near it on any blush I own, in fact, I don't think I ever will I have that many of them.
So even with the insane amount I have, there's only one that I have been reaching for on a daily basis over the last few months, and it is Benefit's Dandelion Blush. I was in Dublin before Christmas and decided to treat myself to a 'Box O' Powder' from the quirky high end brand, and one of the girls with me was raving about Coralista, so I was originally going for that. However, after telling this to the make up artist, he gave me a disapproving look, and said 'not for you love, you're far too pale' and recommended Dandelion instead.
Me being one to do what I'm told, brought it back to good old Galway with me..... But what did I think? Let's find out!

As you can see from the picture, it comes in the same cute packaging like a lot of Benefit's products. Its in a light green box, with a picture of a cute little dandelion on the front. (Anyone else used to pick these and pretend they were fairies and blow all the seeds away in the wind?) It contains 7 grammes of product, which from what I'm aware is in line with most of the other Box O Powder products.

All the Benefit boxed products also come with a little brush like this one in the picture. I honestly can't tell you what it's like because I never use any other brush bar my trusty Real Techniques Blush brush! But still, its a nice touch. I was actually watching Katie Dee on Youtube, and she actually recommended using these little brushes for contouring. So that's an idea!
Benefit describe it as a 'brightening face powder that takes you're complexion from dull to radiant with buildable colour and just a hint of shimmer'.
Its a really natural but pretty pink colour, which does have a slight shimmer in it, but nothing too crazy, it just makes you look like you have a natural glow, which is always good!
A little does go a long way with this though, you really don't need too much of it to get effective colour payoff. If you did use too much of this I think you're cheeks would end up looking more on the sweaty side of things as opposed to glowy!

It was really hard to actually try and get a good picture of this on the cheeks, but I think you can see the slight pink colour, and the hint of shimmer in there too. Before I bought this I wouldn't wear highlighter on a daily basis, but this does the work of one anyway, so if you're someone who does like to use highlighter everyday, this is a time saver as it takes that extra step out of your routine and gives you an extra few minutes in the leaba, which I don't think anyone would refuse!
Over all I have to say I am really impressed with this little box of loveliness. I held off buying one of Benefit's blushes for so long, mainly because they are pricey, but I have a feeling this will last for ages so I don't have to worry about running out of it any time soon!
Dandelion is available from Benefit Counters priced at 34 euro.

What do you guys think of Benefit?
Have you tried any of the products?
Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

Fiver Friday #2

With the day that's in it, I think today's Fiver Friday post is very appropriate for those of you who may be planning on puckering up to someone special. And even if you're not, well I think you just go and treat yourself! :)

Today I want to tell you about Essence's Longlasting lipsticks. Essence is a brand that I tend to look over a lot, and when I'm in my local Penney's I tend to look at the Catrice stand rather then the Essence stand. This may have something to do with lots of teenage girls having the stand surrounded, and then swatching all the lip products on themselves and putting them back and wandering off without buying anything. This gets on my nerves and I'm sure I'm not the only it happens to, or am I?

Anyway I did get a look at the stand one day and I got to pick up a couple to try, and I was really impressed.
I'm not going to go in to too much detail because I already have a post on these little beauties HERE, but these are some really good lipsticks! Easy to apply, creamy, and really pigmented, and they come in a great selection. The packaging is also quite nice, a slightly matte black finish, with the colour of the lipstick itself around the centre of the tube.
These lipsticks are an out and out bargain at only 2.85 each! So for just a little bit more than a fiver you'll have two new shiny lipsticks! If you decide to try them out, I'd recomend the colours 'Cotton Candy' and 'Wear Berries'.

Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

If I were a rich girl.....

Hi, I'm Alisha, and I'm a cheapskate.... (If you've ever watched Extreme Cheapskates, don't worry, I'm not THAT bad). Don't get me wrong, I like to spend money, I like to spend it quite a lot actually, but I don't tend to spend a lot of money on more expensive things. I like cheap and cheerful, and I can't really justify spending high amounts of money for things that can be picked up for a lot less in less expensive places, and I'm afraid this goes for make up too. I just don't spend money on higher end more expensive make up products, when there's such amazing things to be found in the 'drugstore' these days. However, everybody is different, and I'm not judging anybody who does prefer  to splash their cash on high end make up, each to their own. This is just how I roll! Now that being said, I do own some high end make up, but I can count it on one hand!
The whole purpose of this post is to show you all what I would buy, if I by some stroke of luck win the lotto, or if I perhaps marry a rich man!!

Yves Saint Laurent is one of the most luxurious high end brands around. With its elegant packaging its not hard to see why. I mean just look at it! How pretty is this lipstick! However, no matter how pretty is, I just wouldn't pay 32.50 for it at this moment in time. I know it sounds tight, but I find it  hard to pay anything over 10 euro for a lipstick, especially when I've found such great ones for 3 and 4 euro! If I had the means though I would have all colours in the ROUGE VOLUPTE SHINE lipstick, even just to have them sitting pretty on my dressing table!

I love nail polish, at present there is a drawer next to my bed that won't close properly because there is copious bottles of polish sticking out of it, calling out to me to be used! However, there is no high end nail colours in there, so a Tom Ford polish wouldn't be out of place in there! However, at 32.50 for a single polish, I think it'll be sitting pretty in my Brown Thomas online basket for a while longer. :(

Just recently I've really gotten into my skincare, and have really loved trying different bits and pieces to see what suits my skin. I suppose I've finally realised that prevention is better than cure, and now is the time to start looking after my skin. Creme De La Mer is the cream of the crop when it comes to skincare (pardon the pun there), but at 1600 euro for a 500ml tub?? I'll stick with my No 7 moisturiser for now thank you very much! However if I was a lady who had lots to spend, well I'd be very happy to purchase this!

Jo Malone are probably most well known for their huge range of fragrances and candles. I hear very little of the bath and body range, but this Lime Basil and Mandarin Body Creme sounds so luxurious, and its no wonder at 62.50! If money was no object, I'd probably have the body wash and the matching perfume too! Feck it, I'd probably get the candle too just for the heck of it! :)

And lastly, this post wouldn't be complete without a designer handbag, and the one I'd run out straight away and buy for myself if I won the EuroMillions would be this Michael Kors Medium Sutton Tote in this gorgeous bright blue saffiano leather. It would just be the perfect bag to brighten up any plain outfit, and it would fit everything you'd need to carry around with you on a daily basis. However at 328 Dollars, I think I'll wait until someone picks up on a hint or two and maybe buys it for me?? Or else I'll keep an eye out when I go to America for some good sales! :)

What would you guys buy if you had an endless stream of money?

Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

Make Up Monday!

Back to Monday again... Sigh... Wouldn't it be great if there was an extra day at the weekend to get ready for the week ahead? Ah well, a girl can dream I guess. I have to admit this week I was a bit lazy with regards to make up. I wasn't doing a lot so I didn't really bother with a heavy base, but yet I didn't want to leave the house sans make up altogether. That would just be crazy, and I really didn't want to scare all my neighbours. The saviour product I used this week though was Catrice's BB Allround Foundation Multi Benefit Make Up. Ok so quite a long winded name, but basically its Catrice's version of a BB cream! I picked this up on a whim after Laura Cunningham raved about it one morning on Ireland AM. Laura Cunningham really knows her stuff when it comes to beauty products, so I figured if its good enough for her its good enough for little old me! Its a 6 in 1 product which Catrice claim offers Balancing, Correcting, Protecting, Illuminating, Covering, and Moisturising properties.
That's a lot of claims for just one product!

Some of them I don't know would I agree with altogether, such as the balancing property and the moisturising one. I do find it does a very good job of correcting and covering, as it does even out the colour of my skin and does a good job of visibly reducing redness, a lot of which I have on and around my nose. I'm also very impressed with the protection offered in this product, as its Factor 30! Which in itself is amazing as a lot of face products I've seen seem to offer at the most a Factor 15. This product also contains light reflecting pigments which give a more radiant glow to the skin. (At times I use a bit too much and so end up looking shiny, so just beware of that and use a tiny amount.)
Coverage wise, obviously as its a BB cream its a rather light coverage, but that's what  I like about it. Some days I just don't want the hassle of priming my skin and then applying foundation and then powder. This is just so quick and easy, especially for day's your not doing much and are just hanging around the house, but yet want to feel somewhat put together.
Its so handy to use, literally just this, a tiny bit of blush, and mascara and I'm good to go!
There is only 3/4 shades in this, so that is probably the only downside of this, I'm using the lightest shade and it is very yellow, and my skin has more pink undertones, but with a lot of blending in I manage to make it work.
I have a feeling that Catrice are actually to discontinue this, but don't worry if they have because they always reintroduce something very similar within a few weeks, which is partly why I love Catrice, they're always reintroducing new products for me to try! It is very reasonably priced too at 6.99, which is great if you want to try the BB craze!
Catrice can be found at selected pharmacies and Penney's stores nationwide.

Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

Barry M Gelly Nail Polish

Today's post comes compliments of my lazy weekend, which was spent moving from couch to kettle and back again. The only thing I did that involved some slight effort on my part was turn on my laptop to watch some YouTube video's and catch up on some blogs on my Bloglovin feed, (there's a lot to catch up on, I currently have 540 new posts to get through)! Oh yes, and I painted my nails! I'm so laxy daisy with nail painting at the minute, that I feel like everytime I do it, it deserves a little blog post all of its own. Bit much? Maybe. Do I care? Not really!

The polish I went with this week is Barry M's Gelly Nail Paint in Greenberry. Barry M nail polishes are some of the best on the high street at the minute, the selection of colours is outstanding, the formula's are excellent, and there's a great selection of finishes to choose from. Just recently they introduced the Matte Nail Paints, there's the unusual Neon Nail Paints, and then a selection of top coats.
I used one of the most talked about formula's on the Internet in the last year or so, the 'Gelly Hi Shine Nail Polish'. It is exactly what the name suggests, a high shine polish which gives a gel like finish. Barry M maintain you achieve this in just one coat, but with this particular shade Greenberry, I didn't think it was opaque enough with one coat so I did two, and it gives such a nice glossy finish! I have to say though I did find it a little bit messy to apply  because it is quite a thick formula, and the brush itself is fairly average size, so if you have too much product on the brush it will tend to go everywhere! But if you take some of the excess polish off before you actually start your nails, it applies like a dream. It does take a while to dry (I learned the hard way), so unless your using a quick drying top coat like Seche Vite, make sure and give yourself enough time to let it dry fully, otherwise you will end up with a lot of smudges.. I
As for wear time, I did my nails around 2 or 3 o clock yesterday afternoon, and so far so good, still no chips! Which is fantastic for me because usually they will have chipped by bed time the same night I've done them! There is an amazing selection of shades available in this range, so if you're someone who is into Nail Polish, and don't really want to go to a Salon and pay for gel nails, then these may be worth a look! They're a great price too at only 5.99, and usually there's some sort of offer on in Boots, so you'll either get one for half price, or else for free depending on the offer, woohoo!

Hope you're all having a great weekend,
Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

Fiver Friday!

Hello Friday you beautiful day you, welcome back! And welcome to all you lovely ladies! Hope you all have some great plans for the weekend? Me, not so much. Oh well!

The idea for this blog post hit me like a bold of lightning earlier in the week, I am hoping to make it into a mini series, but I'll see what the feedback is like from this post and take it from there!

Basically the idea is that every Friday I'll show you a product of some sort, be it skincare, haircare, makeup or bodycare, that you can pick up for the bargain price of 5 euro or thereabouts! 

I thought I'd start with what I would consider to possible be the best bargain of all time! That sounds like a big claim, but when you see what I'm talking about you'll see why! 

It is of course W7's 'In the Buff' palette! Yes, you have it right. It is quite an obvious dupe for Urban Decay's Naked 2 palette, even down to the tin effect packaging, but for a lot less than a Naked 2 would set you back! 

In the Buff also contains 12 different shades, with a mixture of shimmers and mattes, ranging from lighter champagne's to darker blacks, which makes this palette perfect for creating a smokey eye! 

Obviously it is fair to say that these shadow's would not be to the standard of the Urban Decay ones but if you use an eyeshadow primer of your choice underneath them, they will last for a decent amount of time! 

This palette is great if you would like to try the Naked 2, but can't afford the 36 euro price tag, or if you do want to invest in the Urban Decay offering, but perhaps might want to try out a cheaper alternative first to see how the colours would work on you, (they'll work on everyone, they're neutral after all).

Its available from Cara Pharmacies nationwide, (it tends to be sold out a lot), or online HERE

So what do you guy's think? Would you be willing to try this palette? 

Have you any bargainous products for me to try?

Thanks for reading,

Alisha xxx

Loved Up Lippies

Everyone loves a bright lipstick don't they? Well what better reason do you need to break them out but Valentines!
Today I thought I'd show you my favourite pink and red lipsticks that are perfect for the rosemantic weekend that's upon us!

Revlon Lip Butter in Candy Apple: Everyone has heard of these by now, and knows how fantastic a product they are. If you're the type of person who usually shys away from red lipsticks, this is the perfect way to slowly dip your toe in the water. With the colour of a lipstick, but the comfort and moisture of a lip balm, these can be built up to a really strong red colour, or can be worn more sheerly with just a wash of colour over the lips. If you're a pink girl rather than a red, Sorbet is a nice alternative. These are 11.20 in Boots and all usual Revlon stockists.

Rimmel Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipstick No 20: The formula of these lipsticks is without a doubt the most comfortable I've ever worn. Really smooth to apply and not at all drying when on the lips. This dark pink is the perfect shade, not too light that it leaves your lips too pale, but not too dark either. These is a matte formula of these lipsticks aswell, but I personally prefer this formula, but hey we're all different! At 6.99 they're really affordable and you can pick up a couple of them for less than the price of one MAC one!

Catrice Ultimate Colour Lipstick in Pinkadilly Circus: This shade from Catrice is a slightly more muted shade of pink  than the Rimmel offering, and so is a little easier to wear. Its a really pigmented lipstick that offers lots of shine at the same time. The lasting power isn't the greatest, but I'm not too bothered about that because I tend to top up my lipsticks a lot, purely out of habit I think at this stage. They are a bargain price at only 5.49 each, and again there is a great selection of colours and finishes to choose from. There are some of them that have a slightly frosty finish, so I tend to steer clear of those ones myself.

Wet N Wild Megalast Lip Colour in Red Velvet: I was so delighted that Wet N Wild finally arrived to Ireland, and needless to say it wasn't long before I hotfooted it to town to pick up a few bits, the lipsticks being one of the first things I wanted to try. Red Velvet is a beautiful coral red colour, so again if true red's ain't your thang, this is a great one to try. I even wore this on Monday, just because! The only thing I would advise with these is to make sure your lips are in tip top condition if you're planning on wearing any of the megalast lip colours. The formula is slightly drying after a few hours wear, and it does tug at the lips when applying. But just do it bit by bit and you'll be fine. Slow and steady wins the race and all that! ;) It really is worth giving it a go, it is only 2.99 after all!

Sleek Pout Polish in Powder Pink: This is a product I recently rediscovered in my collection.This is a great product for those who are slightly less adventurous when it comes to lipsticks etc but still want to wear lip products. The pout polishes are a conditioning lip balm that offer a slight hint of colour with lots of shine while providing your lips with lots of moisture and nourishment. It also contains an SPF of 15 which is always a bonus with lip products as a lot of us forget that our lips need to be treated with the same care as our skin. Powder Pink is a nice natural 'your lips but better' colour, (I hate that phrase by the way), it just adds a nice slight hint of pink and plenty of shine! It also smells like Vanilla! Again they're not expensive, coming in at a cheap and cheerful 5.49! They are available from Sleeks own website, or our very own Cloud10Beauty. I have heard some Sleek is available in Boots in Liffey Valley, but as I'm the other side of the country I can't say for sure!

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer in Big Bang: This is exactly as is says on the tin, a bang in your face red colour! Its the perfect shade of red to match a nice and simple eye look with just some black eyeliner  and lashings of mascara! The apocalips are one of my most loved products from 2013, a seriously pigmented lip colour that lasts for ages! Like seriously, no matter what you do these WILL NOT budge for hours! If this isn't your cup of tea, then try Stellar! It leans slightly more to the coral red side, but I really love it, its a real statement lip with little to no effort. (Although take your time applying, otherwise it can be a little messy,).I have just seen that these are on offer in Boots right now for 5.95, usually they cost 7.95, so you'll save 2 euro for yourself, which you could put towards buying yourself something else nice in Boots! ;)

So they are just some of the shades and products I have in my collection that I may or may not be rocking next weekend, depending on what plans my boyfriend has up his sleeve.. What about you lovely ladies? Any exciting plans?

Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx