How I Conceal and Correct

It would be great if we could all wake up each morning looking absolutely perfect, but for most of us this is not the case. I don't know about everyone else, but in the last couple of years the pores on my nose seem to have got significantly larger, and there seems to be a lot more redness on and around my nose than there used to be. So much so that no matter what primer or foundation I use it still seems to shine through. I'm used to light to medium coverage bases, and my skin is generally quite clear, so I'm not willing to switch to a fuller coverage base just to cover up a bit of redness in one particular area. If it was all over my face, or I had a lot of blemishes, then it may be something I'd consider. For now, I've figured out what works for me at the moment, so until it stops to work I'm going to stick to it like glue.
The two main area's I always conceal and correct no matter what are my nose and under my eyes.

Nose: I've mentioned the problem I have with my nose already so I won't dwell on it again, but I'll just explain what I do to fix it. If you're familiar with the Colour Wheel, you'll know that red is a primary colour, and green is its complementary colour because its across from it on the wheel. So if you put green on top of red, it will cancel it out altogether. So if you have problems with redness on your skin, if you use a green tone concealer on these red areas, they will eliminate the redness. The one I currently use is the green shade from the Catrice 'All Round Concealer' palette. This palette is so handy as it contains a green, pink (to counteract dark circles,) and 3 beige shades to suit differing skin tones. Its really inexpensive aswell which is always a bonus! I apply the concealer to my nose with my finger, and then blend it in with my Real Techniques Flat Foundation brush as its a middling size so it blends in the product quite nicely. The product itself is also really creamy so its easy to work with. And voila, redness is gone!

                                                    Maybelline's The Eraser (mine is disgusting and empty)
Under Eyes: The reason I conceal my under area is for the same reason as most others, dark circles! For most people, the area under there eyes will be of a purple/blue hue. If you look to the Colour Wheel to see the complimentary colour this, you'll see its yellow. Henceforth, a good colour to disguise the bags under the eyes is yellow. The area under the eye can be more difficult to find a concealer for because if you choose something to thick, it'll end up cakey and sitting in the lines around the eye. A more liquid concealer is perfect for this job as it blends in easier. I know a lot of people use Mac's Pro Long Wear Concealer for under the eyes, and I am hoping to pick it up when I go away, but for now I'm using two others. (At least I was until it one of those ran out).Those two are the Maybelline The Eraser, and Wet n Wilds Cover All Concealer.  Unfortunately I've ran out of the Maybelline one, and its 11 euro here, and something like 8.99 dollars, so naturally enough I'm going to stock up when I get over there instead of buying it here. ;) In fairness though it is a pretty good product. It comes with a little sponge applicator on the top, which some people don't like but I wasn't bothered about either way. Its a nice light liquid product, so it blends like a dream, it counteracts the darkness under my eyes, and brightens the area up all at the same time.

Until I get to New York though I'm going to use the Wet n Wild Cover All Concealer, which I picked up partly out of curiosity, it was only 2.99 or so, so it wasn't going to break the bank if it wasn't good. However though I was really impressed. Its another liquid product, but its a little bit thicker in consistency than the Maybelline one, but not so thick that it cakes and creases. In fact it blends really easily, and it actually offers more coverage than The Eraser. After using my concealer of choice I then set it with a powder, the one I'm currently using is the Rimmel Stay Matte.

Lastly, for the odd time I do get a whopper of a spot, I don't tend to wear a lot of make up as it just makes it more noticeable in my opinion. If I'm going somewhere though and can't go Au natural, the concealer of choice is Catrice's Camouflage Cream which is comparable from what I hear to the  Bobbi Brown corrector, accept this stuff is only just over 5 euro if my memory serves me correct. Its amazing, like its industrial strength stuff! It covers anything, and I mean anything! I've previously had scars on my hands from being pure clumsy but after dabbing a bit of this on it you wouldn't know they were even there! It is a very thick concealer though, so it wouldn't be suitable for the likes of under your eyes, but I find it works a dream for spot concealing, and just literally applying the tiniest amount on the pesky buggers!

Sorry this post was so long winded everyone, I didn't realise I used that many concealers on my mug!
Do you use as many as this? If so, which ones?

Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

Catrice Creme Fresh S/S 2014

Catrice is one of my absolute favourite make up brands of all time, and it's not hard to understand why. Great quality products at great prices! At any given stage there is a few Catrice bits in my every day make up bag.
Another thing Catrice are great at is releasing frequent limited edition collections, with there being a new one every couple of months or so.
This newest Spring collection is one that actually has me quite excited I must admit!
Beautiful washes of pastel with a hint of 60's style to it.

There is something for everyone in this collection. It is made up of:

• Creamy Powder Eyeshadow's
• Graduation Blush
• Lip Balms
• Ultimate Nail Lacquer
• Hair, Lash and Brow Colour!

I have to say the Hair Lash and Brow Colour is probably the most interesting thing, its just something that Catrice haven't done before. However I think it will appeal to a lot of people as hair chalks and adding bright colours to the hair is something that has become very popular over the last few months or so.

I'm a bit of a blush hoarder so I think I may have to pick that up, and possibly one or two of the nail polishes.

This collection will be available from January to March 2014 in pharmacies and Penneys.

Anythin here that you all would like to try? 

Thanks for reading,

Alisha xxx

Make Up shopping in Penneys!

I have been known on an occasion or two to drop a fair few euro in Penney's on any given day. Since Christmas though I'm very proud of myself as I've been very restrained! I'm trying very hard to save my money for New York as I want to be able to buy a few bits knowing how hard I saved for it.
On a trip in to Penney's recently I wandered over to the make up section which is my usual haunt and I  was super excited to see a new line of make up from Penney's themselves! The brand is called 'PS Love' and comes in super cute black and gold packaging. It looks a lot more expensive than it actually is! They had a fair few bits ranging from nail polish to eye liner to lipgloss, there's so much selection! I also saw on a video somewhere on YouTube that there is also 2 eyeshadow palettes available in England, but I didn't see them in the store when I was in. They were something crazy like 2.50 in pounds, and they looked so pretty! I really want to try them so I shall be keeping my eyes peeled!

In the end I decided to try a lipstick from the PS Love range, and a couple of bits from the standard make up that Penney's seem to have all the time.
The packaging is rather impressive, and its easy to see what the shade is because the packaging contains the colour on the bottom! There's no fancy names or anything, but I don't really mind that.
I picked up a light pink shade, which looks really natural with one coat, but it can be built up to a more pastel kind of look. I tried it last night, and after applying a heavy dose of lipbalm to my poor chapped lips, its actually really comfortable on! Obviously it doesn't last too long, but at 2 euro, would you really complain about that?

I then picked up another lipstick and a lipstain from the normal range. The packaging of either of these isn't great, but again at 2 euro each I wouldn't be put out. The colour of the lipstick is a slightly metallic purple, and its a sheerer lipstick than the previous one, but it can be built up to your desired coverage.
The lipstain is a beautiful coral colour, and I can't wait to try this out, as tried a lipstain before from NYC which I loved!

In the picture above from left to right we have the PS Love lipstick, then the standard Penney's lipstick and the lipstain. The stain is a completely different colour to the packaging! So not impressed with that.. :(


Have you tried any of them?
Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

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