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

Things I would tell my 16 year old self

Happy Tuesday everybody! I saw a post recently on Her.ie about the things they would tell their teenage selves if they could. It got me thinking, if I could go back ten years, and give myself some advice what would it be? After a bit of thinking I came up with what I think would have been really important advice for me at the time. So, lets get cracking shall we?

1: YOU ARE NOT FAT. I had to put this one in caps locks to really get the message across, because when I was 15, I was convinced at the time that I was a big blob of fat and that I was ten tonne Tess (sorry Tess) in comparison to all my friends. Looking back now, I know I was definitely not. I was fit and healthy due to playing volleyball and Gaelic football, so in hindsight I was probably fitter than a lot of the girls in my year were. As long as you're healthy it doesn't matter the size of your waist, we all come in different shapes and sizes and there ain't nothing wrong with that!

2:  Go easy on the black eyeliner. Less is definitely more when it comes to eyeliner, especially when its black, and especially when its being used on the waterline. I used to wear it really heavy every single day, so I wish someone only told me to go easy on it!

3: Don't waste time straightening your hair: I spent most nights trying to get my frizzy mop of hair to just sit straight, but alas it wasn't to be. I now understand that was because I actually didn't have frizzy hair, but instead I had a head of curls! So many people now comment that they'd love my hair, so really I would have just thrown my hair straightener away if I'd known!

4: Do NOT get a fringe: Another hair related one but seriously, fringes and curly hair do not go well together! It ended up wonky because it hadn't been cut right, and no matter what I did I  ended up with a cows lick and my mother saying 'I told you so'. Needless to say I let it grow out, and never let it make an appearance ever again!

5: Don't worry about what boy's think of you: When you're 15/16 years of age, boy's are the b all and all of your life. Do they like you, do they not, do they think you're cool and all the rest. Forget about them! Enjoy being a teenager, spend time with your friends, go out to disco's without the intention of getting 'the shift' and just enjoy yourself. Boy's will come and go but your friends will be there through thick and thin and that's all that counts.

6: Your parents aren't your enemies: Seriously, they're not! And ten or fifteen years down the road they will actually become you're friends and you'll feel horribly guilty for all the door banging and stomping up the stairs like an elephant you did. (Or maybe I'm the only one who did that). Treat your parents with a bit of respect, at the end of the day they only have your best interests at heart, and some day when your in the same position you'll realise it.

7: Don't put too much pressure on yourself about what you want to do: All you hear about at 16 is the CAO and what you  want to do in college and where you want to be in 10 years. I'm here now at 25 still trying to figure out what I want do and where I want to go. As my granny says 'If its for ya it won't pass ya'.

So there you have it ladies! Is there any words of advice you'd give your younger self?
Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

Make Up Monday!

Hey lovely ladies! Hope your Monday isn't going too bad so far.. In a bid to make it a little less dull, I myself decided to sport a red lip, just because I can! I got some funny looks when I went up town to do a few bits, but who cares!
Besides that, there wasn't any particular make up I had been loving this week, mainly because I was really wearing the same bits as last week.
One thing I did really like though was a brush. And no before you ask, it isn't a Real Techniques brush, (we all know by now how good they are.)
Instead it is the EcoTools Large Powder Brush.  I had previously heard of EcoTools but had never tried any of their products, so when I saw this brush in TK Maxx for only 6.99 I decided to pick it up! I've been having really problems with shine and redness on my nose and although I do use powder I had only been using the little sponge that came with the one I'm using at the minute, (Rimmel Stay Matte if you're curious).

The brand itself are renowned for being leaders in  eco conscious beauty products, and are favourited by celebrities around the world. Their brushes are 100percent cruelty free, have recycled aluminium ferrules, and sleek bamboo handles. Not only this, but they are so so soft! It sounds a little strange but I just sat stroking it for a few minutes after taking it out of the packet, its that soft! Anyway weird girl part over, on to the actual brush itself. It has a large brush head which is packed full of hairs and it makes it so so easy to apply powder1 Its slightly tapered aswell which helps disperse the powder more evenly over the face. Like I said I had been using the little sponge that came with the powder to apply it, but since I started using this I've realised that the sponge actually just caked the powder on and it didn't look natural. This brush just mattifies the skin and gives a nice looking natural looking finish to your make up without looking too heavy or caked on.

I picked it up on a whim in TK Maxx, and really didn't think it was going to be that good, but I'm so impressed! It does say it was originally 16.99 so I definitely got a bargain! I've no doubt that I shall be picking up more from EcoTools in the future!

What have you all loved this week!
Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

Valentine's Day Wishlist

Hey ladies, hope you all had a lovely weekend. January is finally over, although you wouldn't think it with the rotten weather that we've been having. Seriously, what is with all this rain?? Anyway, it now being February means that a lot of people are already thinking about Valentine's day and gift giving and all the rest. Me, not so much, because I told my other half not to get me anything because we're going to New York in April so I figured we could just save any money we would spend on presents for our holiday. Sensible me eh! However, it has definitely not stopped me eyeing up a few bits online.. So am.... Paul, if you are reading this.... Wink Wink.... ;)

I have really gotten into my statement jewelry in the last few weeks, and this neck piece from The Button And Bow Factory has really caught my eye! Its has such beautiful pastel shades in it that would really stand out in the Summer with a plain white tshirt and jeans and pumps... Ah... I don't know what else to say except I REALLY WANT IT!! Its 21 euro HERE and they also offer free shipping worldwide! Yay!

I know I'm seriously late to the party with this one, but I've been so close to buying it on so many occasions, even today I nearly did but the angel on my shoulder just holds me back! The colours are so pretty in it and this one is just way more appealing to me than either of the other Naked palettes. Unless someone buys this for me, or MUA bring out a dupe for it, I think I shall be picking it up in the US OF A. 

Our house has always been a Yankee Candle house, and there's always some fragrance burning in nearly every room! I've really gotten into burning the wax tarts in my bedroom lately, but I would love to try some of the large jars. I'm more into the fruity sweeter scents, but this Strawberry Buttercream one just sounds divine! Although it will probably make me hungry! 

 Pandora are renowned for their charms, and anyone that knows me knows how important a role my family play in my life. I am yet to have something to represent that on my Pandora so it would be nice to get a little charm like this to put on it! 

Ah good old LUSH! You really can't beat them for gift's for any occasion! This Lots Of Love gift set is made up of 5 of Lush's most well known products which are perfect for your loved one this Valentines. It contains Prince Charming Shower Gel, Sex Bomb Bath Bomb, Ro's Argan Body Conditioner, Neon Love Soap, and Tender is The Night massage bar. 

These are just a couple of things that caught my eye so far, I'm sure there's plenty more to come! However, just to be clear, although it has become quite a tradition to give gifts for Valentine's day, presents aren't the most important thing! Whether it be your mother, your granny, your best friend or your boyfriend, you don't need gifts to show them you love them! Who knows, maybe I'll just buy some of these myself... ;) 

Any of these catch your eyes? 

Thanks for reading,

Alisha xxx

Wet N' Wild Sweet As Candy Trio

I have tried to restrain myself from writing this post too early, but I can't help it. I have fallen head over heel's for these eye shadow's so I may aswell just be upfront about it and admit the truth! I have been lusting after the Naked 3 Palette as soon as I heard about it, there's something about the pink hues in it that are calling out to me! It is possible that it will eventually be mine, but when I spotted this trio I thought it would be a good alternative for the moment. OK I KNOW all the shades aren't pink, but I figured that it will give me a fair idea if the colours in the Urban Decay offering will actually suit me.

So as you can see from the picture (and from the description on the actual eyeshadows, there's a highlight for the browbone, a brown crease shade, and then a pink for all over the eyelid!

I have to admit that the name of the actual trio kind of encouraged me to buy it aswell, I'm a sucker for sweeties! 

Everyone and their next door neighbour raved about the quality of Wet N' Wild eyeshadows, and I understand why. They are some of the best quality eyeshadows I've ever used. Soft, creamy, easy to use with little or no fallout, and lots of pigmentation. I mean look at the picture below with just one swipe of my finger!

I'm not usually one for effort with my eyeshadow, its usually just one colour over the lid and that's it. But this year I am going to attempt to get a bit better at my eye makeup and doing more blending etc. 

I have tried to take a picture of how this looks on my eyes, but the only thing I can see is the big line across my nose from my glasses! :(

But really I do quite like how it looks on my eyes, and although you can't see the highlight in the picture, it does look really nice. I'm so impressed with the quality of Wet N Wild make up so far. Everything seems to be such good quality for such incredible prices! 

Have you tried anything from Wet N Wild yet?

What are your thoughts?

Thanks for reading,

Alisha xxx

January Favourites!

So thankfully January has come to a close! I'm sure I'm not the only one who finds January to be so long and boring and basically just a fairly depressing month. But to cheer you all up I decided to come along and tell you all what I've been absolutely loving this past month, and maybe encourage you to try some of these during the months ahead...

Soap and Glory The Righteous Butter: I had used this constantly for a couple of years, and then I just got distracted by other products in my collection and forgot how good this was!s. The consistency is amazing its nice and light and melts into the skin almost instantly, and leaves your skin feeling soft and hydrated for the day. And the smell! Its the typical Soap and Glory smell, so if you generally like that smell then you'll be happy with this. On some days after using the Clean On Me shower gel teamed with this, I haven't needed any perfume at all, the scent just lingers for the day! The scent is made up of beautiful  fruity scents such as bergamot and mandarin, and some more grown up slightly musky scents such as oakmoss and amber. I'm glad I rediscovered this and I'm never going to let it out of my sight again! 

No 7 Beautiful Skin Hydration Mask for Dry/Very Dry Skin: This has been an absolute saviour for my skin this month, and to some that may sound like a very large claim to make. But after the Christmas and the excess food and drink, and the cold weather my skin was feeling excessively dry. I had got this before Christmas as part of a gift set I treated to, and can't believe how well it worked on my dry skin. It does say to leave on for 3 minutes or else 10, so I tend to pop it on when I'm heading in the shower and letting it really sink in! I have mentioned this before in previous posts so I won't go into too much detail, but if you do suffer from dry skin I think its worth giving this a shot! 

CK IN2U Perfume: I have been a fan of Calvin Klein perfume's for a few years now, and I think this one is quite possibly my favourite out of all the scents I've had. Its a very sweet and girly scent, but yet very grown up all at the same time. It contains notes from pink grapefruit fizz to bergamot to vanilla souffle so there's a bit of everything in there! This bottle is a 150 ml size which will last me for ages, but its my second time buying this perfume, and I don't think I'll ever be sick of it! 

Benefit 'Dandelion' Blush: I have a feeling I've mentioned this in a favourite's post before, and if I have I'm very sorry but I can't help how deeply I've fallen for this blush, really. It's the most beautiful shade of pink with a slight shimmer going through it, and it just adds a nice pop of colour to the cheeks without going over board. I've really been loving it for days when I'm going for the really natural looking make up look. 

Benefit 'Sun Beam': Everybody raves about Benefit liquid highlighter 'High Beam' but I have never heard Sun Beam get a lot of love. Well let me tell you, its getting it now, from me! OK so I only have a teeny tiny size bottle, but its going to last me for ages, because a little goes a long way with this bottle of gold liquid goodness! I dab a little bit on to the highest point of my cheeks and blend it in with my Real Techniques Stippling Brush. It just gives the most beautiful effect to my cheeks, it almost makes me feel like a supermodel. If only I was really tall with legs that go on forever. I can dream I guess!

Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara: I have mentioned this in a Make Up Monday, so I'm not going to go into huge much detail again, but seriously this stuff is amazing! It makes my eyelashes look so long and fluttery and gorgeous! (May be a bit bigheaded, but seriously just try it and you'll understand). This mascara also contains 'Grow Lash Complex', which claims to help lashes grow and appear up to 117 percent longer in just 30 days! I'll keep ye posted.. ;)

So there you have it ladies and gents, 

this months top picks. I know there's not a lot of make up in there, but sometimes its nice to have a break from the norm isn't it? 

What have you all been loving?

Thanks for reading,

Alisha xxx

Make Up Monday: Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara

Hey ladies, hope you all had an amazing weekend, and did lots of wonderful things. I unfortunately didn't have such a great few days myself, and without going in to do much detail here I've been very down in the dumps the last couple of days, but as all my lovely family and friends have told me, things will work out and things will work out for the best. However it does mean I will have more free time to work on the blog, so hopefully I can do wonderful magical make up things with it. Fingers crossed!
Onto today's task however, and that is telling you about this week's must have product.
 I recently finished up the mascara I was using, and so I decided to try one that I knew I had in a drawer somewhere, and I've heard numerous people raving about it, including Miss Budget Beauty, so I knew I was onto a good thing!

The blurb for this product says that 'Rimmel's advanced ultra lengthening formula delivers up to 80% longer looking lashes instantly'. It really really does! My eyelashes are naturally quite fair, and because of this I find it makes them look shorter and stumpier than they really are. But just one coat of this and they instantly look much longer. I generally use black mascara because my eyelashes are so fair, but I somehow ended up with this in brown, but I really can't tell the difference once it's on my lashes.
Rimmel also claim that if its 'used daily over 30 days, our innovative Grow-Lash Complex helps to strengthen, renew and nourish lashes, promoting natural lash growth to create lashes that appear fuller, lusher and up to 117% longer.

Now I haven't been using that long, I've been using it maybe 10 to 12 days at the most, but I'm looking forward to seeing if it does live up to these claims, as I would only love to have longer lashes, because to be honest, I'm not too good with falsies!
Its not badly priced at 10.99, considering a lot of other drugstore mascara's are now up around the 15 euro mark!

Have any of you tried this mascara?
Does it make your lashes grow?

Thanks for reading,
Alisha

Wet N Wild Haul!

So every beauty obsessed lady in Ireland were delighted to hear that Wet N Wild had crept into some Dunnes Stores in Dublin unknown to us. I had given up hope of finding it in Galway for another few weeks, (the official launch is next week), so I'd resigned myself to waiting patiently. Until last night!
After work myself and my better half headed into get dinner in the city, and after stuffing ourselves with chicken in KFC, we went for a romantic stroll in Dunnes. The first aisle we headed for was the beauty aisle, but no sign of it there so just incase we headed upstairs. (My other half was just dragging his heals behind me, can't blame him really). After a bit of wandering I came across Rimmel, and there was a stand the far side which I thought was Catrice, until I walked around and nearly jumped out of my pants, WET N WILD WAS HERE!!!! Needless to say I picked up a couple of bits, so I thought I'd show you all what I got, incase like me you want to hotfoot it down there straight away! ;)

                                                  My stash of Wet'nWild

Wet'n'Wild's best known products are probably the eyeshadow palettes. So of course I had to pick up 3! Comfort Zone is probably the most well known, so even though I definitely did not need another neutral palette I picked up anyway. The right hand side appealed to me more because I don't really have any green colours for my eyes, so thought it would be nice to try. The next one I bought was Poster Child, which is made up of 8 bright and fun shades. I really stick to the same colour eyeshadows all the time, so I thought this palette would be a nice way of trying bright looks for my eyes once the warmer weather hits. The yellow and turquoise look like a really interesting combo! These are great value at only 6.49 each!

I also picked up one the trio's of eyeshadow's because I just thought the colours were so pretty. I have actually used this today and it seems lovely so far! Its called Sweet As Candy. The name alone just sold it to me! The price of these again was so reasonable at only 4.49!

 I had heard that the blushes were also very good, so I picked up the shade Heather Silk. Again I tried this today, and all I can say is, go easy with your brush! Its so so pigmented, and I had a lot of work to do to try and tone it down after application because I went in to hard with my brush! Oops.. But don't make my mistake and you'll get along just grand! There was a great selection of colours and it didn't break the bank, again at only 4.49!

 Another thing I had heard a lot about were the lipsticks, so I had it in my head when I heard Wet'n'Wild were in Ireland to try them. I picked up two colours in the MegaLast Lip Colour, Mauve Outta Here and Rose Bud. I couldn't not really try them, they were only 2.99!! They both seem like really natural every day colours, so when my lips heal up a bit as they are very cracked on both sides, I'll definitely be trying them out.

And of course I had to try the Megaslicks Balm Stain. I don't know what it is with me and lip crayons! This was the only thing I didn't swatch on my hand, so I don't really know what it'll be like, but it just like it'll be a nice fun Barbie pink! It was only 3.99, so not the end of the world if I don't like it!

So that's all I got! I was so delighted to see it in Galway I got slightly excited and wasn't really sure what I wanted, but in the end I calmed myself and picked out what seem to be the stand out products! It was great to see the stand pretty much full, and no products opened and tested bar the actual testers, which always gets on my nerves! I picked up my bits in the Dunnes in Briarhill, so I would assume it would be in the other stores in town now, or else soon enough!

Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

Lip Lovin!!

A lot of the time we often overlook our lips when it comes to our skincare routine. Its only when our lips get so dry that they start to crack, (mine at the minute, ouch), or when we apply a matte formula lipstick that we see just how badly our lips suffer, and perhaps regret not looking after them aswell as we should have.
Which is why from now until Spring creeps in, (and Valentines day, wink wink,) I'm going to aiming to give my lips some serious looking after, which will make it much easier when it comes to applying lipstick, the only thing it won't help with is deciding which one to wear...

                                  Picture taken from oneclickbeautycare.com

Exfoliating: This is probably the key thing when looking after your lips. We all exfoliate our bodies and faces using varying exfoliators, so the lips aren't any different. Obviously the lips are more sensitive than the rest of the body, so a less abrasive scrub is ideal. You can go out and buy a ready made one, or you can make one yourself!!

• If you really don't want to spend money on a lip scrub, then it is quite easy to do it yourself. The easiest way to do it is with a toothbrush and some Vaseline, which lets face it, everyone has in their house. Dab a bit of Vaseline onto the brush and rub the toothbrush on your lips in circular motions. Lovely soft lips in an instant without spending any money! 
• Make your own! This is simple, and again its not going to cost you anything, because pretty much everything you need should be in your kitchen. The basic ingredients for a lip scrub are sugar, (brown works best but ordinary sugar will work aswell,) and olive oil. You just have to mix the two ingredients together and rub onto the lips. You could rub it on with a face cloth if you wanted to really give them a good vigorous scrub! When your done all you have to do is wash it off, and apply a lip balm of some sort because your lips will be slightly dry afterwards. (But super soft). You can add other ingredients to it if you so choose, such as honey, or lemon, or coconut oil. Its amazing what you can find in the kitchen!
• Buy one. The most likely option for us all, because lets face it most of us don't have the time for all these DIY beauty products. If we had the time I don't think we'd need to buy another beauty product again! The most well known lip scrub that can be bought on the high street are definitely the Lush ones. They come in a variety of flavours, Bubblegum, Pop Corn and Mint Julips. All of them smell equally as tasty as the other, and depending on your taste you'll definitely find one to suit. My personal favourite is the Bubblegum one, it smells like sweets, or the pink Hubba Bubba from back in the day! It works well, and it lasts for ages!! I'm still using a pot that I got back in February last year! And if you're so inclined to eat it, you can! Although I don't think eating dead skin from your lips mixed in with sugar would be too tasty... For what it is, its slightly expensive. Its around 6 euro, and if you can get past paying that for a tub of sugar then you're sure to love it!
  

                                                    Picture taken from Lush.com

Moisturise: Again this is common sense when it comes to our face and body, but we somehow over look it when it comes to lips. Once you've exfoliated your lips they will be super smooth, but slightly dry. The next step is to use a good moisturising lip balm to put some moisture back into your lips, which will give you a great base for whatever lipstick you may choose to wear. I currently have a few on rotation, one for my handbag, one for my bedroom, and then  another just for the sake of it! Its personal preference really, but I am loving a Lush one that I got for Christmas by the name of Honey Trap. Its by far the most moisturising Lip Balm I have ever used. Its no surprise really considering its made of up of ingredients like Shea Butter, Almond Oil,Beeswax and Honey! Oh and it also smells like chocolate... ;) 

The next step after that then is to try and decide which lipstick you want to wear.. .Which my friends I'm afraid I can't help with! 

So do you look after your lips, or do are they as dry as the Sahara desert?

Thanks for reading,

Alisha xxx

Make Up Monday!

Hey lovelies, hope you all had a good weekend! I didn't do too much, I spent Saturday at work, I spent Saturday night with my boyfriend and we just got a load of rubbish food and wine and sat in watching TV! Then Sunday I went shopping eager to see had Wet N Wild made its way to Galway yet, but it hasn't so I came home without anything! But I don't mind too much because I'm saving much needed shopping money for NYC!
Because of this little holiday, I've been good on the make up front too, and haven't bought any, and have really decided to try and use up as much of the bits I have at the moment.
Which led to the rediscovery of this week's much loved product
 It is in fact my Maybelline 24 Hour Colour Tattoo in Permanent Taupe.

I love these guys so much! I have 7 if not 8 colours in them which is more or less the whole collection! I do have a post on them already.
If you have been reading the blog for the last while, you will know that I am obsessed with the On and On Bronze shade which is just a beautiful shimmery bronze colour.
This one is the complete opposite and is a matte muddy grey. I know it doesn't sound, or look all that interesting, but its when its actually applied to the eyes that it really comes into its own! It just looks so gorgeous on the eyes, and it looks like you've put in a lot more effort with your eye make up than you actually have. (Its OK I won't tell, I promise).
These little lads are brilliant because they can be used in either of two ways: as a base for powder shadows, or just on their own as a cream eyeshadow. Now I have used On and On Bronze on its own a million and one times, and it stays on forever and a day, but Permanent Taupe seems to crease a lot more for some reason. It could be because of the matte texture, but either way I'd recommend using a primer underneath it if you are using it on its own, or else using it as a base for another eyeshadow.
I use mine under an MUA eyeshadow from the Undress Me Too palette, which is the exact same colour but with shimmer, so it really helps it last all day.

What have you been loving this week? Have you rediscovered any of your old favourites?
Thanks for reading and have a good week,
Alisha
xxx

L'Oreal Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Puryfying Micellar Solution V 15 Second Miracle Cleansing Oil

Micellar solutions seem to be the bee's knees and the cat's pyjamas in skincare these days thanks to the stir Bioderma has caused in the beauty world. I've never tried Bioderma so I can't say anything about that, but when I saw L'Oreal had brought out their own version, well it didn't take me too long to hot foot it to Boots to see what the fuss was about! In case you don't know what a Micellar solution is, its a solution which acts as a magnet to draw impurities and oils etc out of the face, instead of spreading them around the face which is what some face wipes can do. Of course when I went in there was a 3 for 2 on skincare so I ended up with 2 bottles of the Purifying Micellar Solution, and a bottle of the 15 Second Miracle Cleansing Oil.
 Neither of these are products that I would use on their own to cleanse my face, (unless its 3am and I may have had one or two cocktails,) but rather as an extra step in my skincare routine to make sure my make up has been removed altogether.
I have had a lot of compliments on my skin lately, and I myself have seen a noticeable difference. Its clearer, I'm getting a lot less blemishes, and it seems to be a lot brighter. I myself am putting it down to the double cleanse routine that I have really gotten into.
I figured it would be a good idea to do a post comparing the two of these, mainly because they are two different products, from the same company that claim to do the same job!

Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution: 
L'Oreal claim that this is a 'A high-performance hypo-allergenic cleanser for face eyes and lips, suitable for sensitive skin. Dissolves make-up, unclogs pores and removes impurities and tones and soothes the skin.' It is also said to be suitable for Sensitive Skin. I have skin which is more dry to combination so I can't really give any opinion on those claims. However I have found this a godsend in my skincare routine. I use it to take off the bulk of my make up, and the amount of stuff that comes off on my cotton pads is really and truly disgusting! (Sorry for the visual).So without a doubt it removes make up!  I then go in with whatever cleanser I'm using at that time (Its Lancome at the minute). It doesn't effect the eyes in the slightest bit so it does act as an eye make up remover at the same time. I've gone through two bottles of this altogether so far and it is just such a handy product, I often use it in the morning as a quick freshen up to wake myself up. The only small little complaint I can make about it though is that I did find it to dry my skin out a tiny little bit, so for this I wouldn't say it tones and soothes skin. I'm out of this for the moment but it is a product I would definitely repurchase. Its currently on offer for 4.46 in   
Boots, (6.00 normal price) so go quickly!!


Skin Perfection 15 Second Miracle Cleansing Oil:
Straight away this is different to the Micellar Solution for one obvious reason, this one is an oil rather than a water. It claims to 'instantly dissolve all traces of make up and impurities, (even water proof), re balances and purifies for healthier looking skin'. This was my first time trying a facial oil, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. It was easy enough to use though, I took 2/3 drops of the oil and applied it all over my face and eyes (this is the part where I was waiting to be blinded), and then rinsed it off with warm water. The first thing I'll say about this is that its very messy to use. As soon as I had rubbed it on my eyes there was eyeshadow and mascara all over my hands! That didn't really make a huge difference as realistically you're taking off your make up anyway. I did the same with this as I did with the Micellar Solution, and used it more of a pre cleanse rather than a proper full on cleanse. 
Again it lived up to its claims of dissolving make up instantaneously, as there wasn't a bit left on my face when I rinsed this off. Pricewise this is slightly more expensive at 10.79, but again its on offer at 7.19, so its a good time to try it if you've been curious about products like this! 


So which one would I choose? 
To be honest I can't really decide. Both of these are excellent products, which both do a great job at what they say. However the Micellar Solution to me is a quick fix, its one of those products you might use if you're in a rush, whereas the Cleansing Oil is something you'd need to have more time for seen as you have to rub it on and then wash it off. Its more of a treat too I think, something  you may use if you're having a night in and really want to pamper yourself. (Oils seem fancy to me ok?)
The price point for them is good too, there isn't a huge difference in the two to make you choose one rather than the other. If you are like me and can't help yourself and want to try both, you'll get both for under 20.00, and you'll even have change left over for ice cream! (Or fruit).
Either way you can't go wrong...

What products are must haves for you in your skin care routine?

Thanks for reading,
Alisha
xxx