Penney's/Primark Picks!

So more or less since Christmas, I am being very sensible and trying not to shop needlessly, because I'm going away in a few weeks time and want to save as much as possible for that. I could easily go in to Penney's and spend 80 or 90 euro in one go, but I've been doing well lately and haven't bought anything in there really in weeks! Until now that is. I've been so good that I decided I could go in and pick up just a few bits to brighten up my wardrobe for when Spring eventually realises that its late getting here and the sun comes out!

First up I bought socks. Lots of socks. I don't know why I bought so many really because its not like anyone  is going to see them except me. I just couldn't resist the quirky colours and animals! I think my favourites though are the ones on the right, which are so so handy for wearing with pumps and open shoes in the summer. I hate wearing shoes without socks, and I won't wear popsocks (smelly feet central), so these are perfect as they are cotton like normal socks, so they don't make your feet sweat too much.

Its not  a trip to Penney's without a look in the accessories section. They have so many pretty things in there, including some beautiful sequined bags, but I restrained myself and just picked up this trio of bracelets. I love the colours, and the different designs all within the one bracelet! It came in plenty of other colours but this was my favourite.

Can anyone go into Penney's without checking out the make up? Just me? I spotted these eyeshadow palettes on the Essence stand and I couldn't decide between the two of them, so I got both. The first one has some really pretty pastel colours, which will make some really nice eye looks when the weather picks up, and the second one has more neutral colours in it. The colours seem to have a pink tone to them, reminding me of the Naked 3 palette, so I figured I'd give it a go. They were only 4.89 euro each, and there was other colours in them aswell, so well worth a look I think!
I spotted  these Catrice 8 Hour Lip Polishes online a few weeks back and HAD to have them. The idea seems similar to the YSL Glossy stains, the colour of a lipstick, with the shine of a gloss and a staining effect after the glossiness wears off, topped off with the promise of 8 hours wear time! I picked up two shades, Mission Pinkpossible, which is a really bright blue toned pink, and Strawberry's Secret, which to me is a nice light coral colour. I'll  be putting these through their paces in the next few weeks and doing a review, so keep your eyes peeled for that!

To finish I picked up some shoes. I love when the weather gets a bit warmer to get rid of my boots and heavier shoes and go for something light and girly, so when I saw these I had to pick up a couple of colours. They're so light and they're not completely flat so they'll be nice and comfy, and they'll go with lots of different bits and pieces, especially jeans and nice tops!
To match the coral shoes I then picked up this jumper to match. I know they look slightly different colours here, but I promise they are a lot closer in real life! Also, this jumper is a huge fit, I've ended up taking it in a size 6, and its still very big!

Have you ladies done any shopping lately?
If so what have you bought?
Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

Sephora Wishlist

So last week Twitter was set alight with the news that Sephora now delivers to the UK. This is good news for all us Irish ladies aswell because thanks to the fantastic service that is Parcel Motel, we can also shop till we drop. Apparently there is a flat rate of 10 pounds for delivery for orders over 75 pounds, so if there was a couple of friends that also wanted a few bits then you could always go together and deliver would work out cheap as chips. Sephora have said that there won't be any customs charges, but I don't know is that for them. But still, we can shop in Sephora now! Woohoo!
Anyway, this news didn't really make any difference to me, because in 6 weeks time I shall be in New York, so I can actually go into a Sephora, and touch and see and swatch to my hearts content!
I have been eyeing up the website frequently to see what bits I'm going to get, and these are the products I've narrowed it down to. However all of these may not be possible as Sephora is more on the high end side, but we'll see. ;)

First of all is the Naked 3 palette. I've been thinking about this for ages now, but am yet to give in to the hype. There's something about the pink tones that are just calling out to me!

Next up is the Sephora Collection Rouge Infusion Lip Ink: I've heard great things about Sephora's own brand products and this Lip Ink looks really interesting. From the description it seems to be similar to the YSL Glossy Stains, but for a lot less money! Also, how cute is the test tube like packaging?

It wouldn't be a trip to the States without picking up an Amazonian Clay Blush from Tarte. Every beauty blogger across the globe has raved about these, and apparently the shade Exposed is great as a contour colour for fair skin. I'm akin to Casper the Friendly Ghost, and I can't contour to save my life, so this could be just what I need to get myself in gear to practice it a bit more.

Another really hyped up product is the famous Beauty Blender. Ok so this in reality is just a really expensive make up sponge, but after trying  and loving the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge, and another copy of the BB that I picked up in TK Maxx, I just have to try this and see is it really worth it.

I've been wanting to try a full coverage foundation for ages, but haven't been able to find anything decent in the drug store, but the Kat Von D Lock It Foundation is meant to have exceptional coverage, and as its not available here I may be tempted to pick it up on my holiers! Its also a bit less expensive than some of the other more high end offerings, so that means more money to spend!

And last but by no means least is the Tarte Airbrush Finish Bamboo Foundation Brush.  Apparently Sephora brushes are phenomenal, but browsing the site I didn't really see any that I liked. However, this brush from Tarte looks extremely sturdy with its bamboo handle, and it just looks like it would buff in foundation to perfection!

There was lots more I could really have added to this post, but I dread even seeing what these bits have added up to! But by the time I get around to going to New York I may have won the Lotto so I may be able to afford all these! ;)

Have any of you ordered from the Sephora site yet?
Have you been in Sephora?

Thanks for reading!
Alisha xxx

February Favourites...

Hey everyone, happy March! Ok so I'm a couple of days late but I'm a bit stuffed up with a cold and had been feeling just meh. But now I'm back with a months full of favourites!


First up I've been really getting back into my  Undress Me Too eyeshadow palette from MUA. Its a pretty identical dupe for the Naked 2 palette from Urban Decay from what I've read online and I've rediscovered it this month. Its made up of a range of different neutral colour eyeshadows ranging from mattes to shimmers and its perfect for creating either a natural every day look or else a smokey night time look. And its a steal at just under 5 euro!

Sleek is one of my favourite brands and I especially love the blushes. This month I'm loving the shade Rose Gold. Again its hailed as a really good dupe for Nars Orgasm, but I can't compare because I don't own it, but I love Sleek's offering. Its a beautiful pink coral shade with gold shimmer throughout it, and it transfers on to the face really nicely, as it gives the colour of blush, but the shimmer leaves a really nice highlight. I shall definitely be wearing this throughout the summer when I get a bit of a tan. (When I say tan I mean red. Up to my elbows')

I recently ran out of my beloved Healthy Mix, and rather than going straight out and buying a new bottle, I decided I'd be good and raid my foundation drawer. (Don't judge me). The first one I tried was another Rimmel one which I can't think of the name of, but after a few uses I ran out of that one! Aaaagh!! But anyway, I then reached for my Wake Me Up Foundation instead, and its all I've reached for the last few weeks. I find its a really light coverage but I've had a really bad break out the last  few days, and I found it was easily enough built up to cover it. It just makes me look awake and healthy, and makes me look like I've lovely glowy skin, when its in fact the opposite at the moment.

My lips have been ridiculously dry this month and its taken ages to get them somewhat back to normal, then I go and get a headcold and I'm right back to where I started! But because of this I haven't been able to wear lipstick which has been killing me! However I have been wearing gloss without too much hassle, and I've really loved this Catrice Infinite Shine Lipgloss in Pink Up Your Life. Its a lovely pink with gold shimmer through, its very like the Rose Gold Blush, except in lipgloss form. I don't know why I left it to the side for so long, because its a super creamy gloss, and there's no stickiness at all, not like other glosses I've tried. It doesn't last too long, but I have no problem reapplying it a few times a day anyway!

There's one fragrance I haven't been able to get enough in February either, and its Caroline Heherra  L'Eau, which is one I picked up in Lanzarote a couple of years back. This is my second bottle of the stuff, and after using up the first bottle I had bought, I couldn't wait to get back to Spain to pick up another bottle as it couldn't be got here. I'm rubbish at describing scents, but if you could put Spring and Summer in a bottle then this would be it. Its just so fresh and it gives me an instant lift as soon as I put it on. It contains notes of Lemon and Orange Tree Flowers, Jasmine, and Apple Tree Flowers, but deeper  notes like Sandalwood also, so its while its sweet, it still has enough deeper notes to keep it from being sickly.

So that's it for this month! Not a whole lot of products really, but honestly they are the ones I have reached for without giving a second thought this month.

What have you all been loving?
I'd love to know. :)

Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

Fiver Friday

And here we are again, the end of another week! Woohoo! And I'm back with another inexpensive product that you should all go out and buy... Today its MUA's Undress Your Skin Highlighter.  If you're not aware of the brand, they are an English company, that sell some amazing make up products for next to nothing! I've tried a lot of products from the company, and the only thing I haven't liked was a concealer, mainly because the shade was wrong, but everything else I've loved, including this little beauty. Its a champagne coloured highlighter that MUA say 'transforms your complexion with luminous shimmer', which I would agree with completely.
 I mostly just use it on the high points of my face, and it gives me a gorgeous natural highlight, without looking like a discoball. The presentation of this is lovely aswell, its actually very similar to the MAC Extra Dimension Skinfinish to look at!

My only little bugbear is the plastic packaging. While I'm not usually fussed on packaging, I believe you get what you pay for, this white plastic casing isn't very good or sturdy. Mine actually broke after a couple of weeks, and while the highlighter itself is still in one piece, I'd be afraid to bring the product anywhere with me for fear it would end up all over the bottom of my handbag.

The price you ask? 3.66 euro! Its available in Superdrug for all you ladies in the capital, but if you're like me living in the sticks, you can order it online HERE. However I've just checked and its out of stock. (Now do you see how good it is?) But if you really want it keep an eye on the site because it generally doesn't be out of stock for too long. MUA also do offers and discounts fairly frequently, so who knows, you may end up picking up another couple of bits too!

Thanks for reading guys,
Alisha xxx


Pictures taken from MUA and Brown Thomas Websites respectively.

How much is your face worth?

Sometimes the urge takes me to just sit down and empty everything out of my make up bag so I can see what I'm using frequently and what can be put back in my drawer until such a time I'm going to use them. This week in particular I emptied everything out and then thought to myself about the cost of all the make up I have. Like most other make up junkies, I have gathered quite a lot, and although some of it has been given to me as presents and what not, I would imagine it all still adds up to a fairly large amount. So today I thought I'd do something a bit different and discover how much the make up I actually use on a daily basis adds up to, therefore telling me 'how much my face is worth', well for today at least!
I could be cheating a bit by not putting in my moisturisers etc, but that's for another day!

Let's get cracking!
First up is the face products:
Primer: Benefit The Porefessional: 34.00
Foundation: Rimmel Match Perfection Cream Compact Foundation: 9.45 (A present)
Concealer: Catrice Camouflage Concealer: 3.49
Blush: Sleek Rose Gold: 5.49
 Total: 52.43 (ouch)

Eyes:  
Base:Maybelline Colour Tattoo On and On Bronze: 10.49
Eyeshadow: MUA Undressed Palette: 4.87
Mascara : Mac Opulash: 18.00 (This was part of a giftset at Christmas) 
Total: 33.36

Lips: Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub: £5.50 (so around 6.69 euro)
Lip Gloss: Catrice Infinite Shine Lip Gloss: (Not sure of exact price, around 4 euro)
Lip Balm: Lush Honey Trap: £5.75 (part of Christmas gift set,) around 6.98 euro
Total: 17.67

Total altogether: 103.46

Wow. I honestly didn't think it would come to that, and OK its not as high as it could be in comparison to others say that use more high end products, its still a lot of money to be putting on your face, that instead say you could be putting towards a holiday or a new car or something like that. But that's the joys of make up I guess! And what harm, sure we could be doing worse! ;)


What about you?
Have you tried this before? How did yours compare to mine?
Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

Time for Change

Hey Ladies, I hope you're all keeping well and had a great weekend. This post is something a little bit different for me, but there is so many different thoughts floating around my head at the minute that I had try to put them down somewhere. So why not on my tiny tiny Internet place?
For the last while now, I've noticed a change in myself. I'm not the happy go lucky person I used to be, and on occasion my boyfriend has also said it to me. This in itself would be worrying if I hadn't lost one of the most important people in my life last August, my amazing grandfather. I saw him and my grandmother every day because they only lived around the corner, and I'm so grateful because thanks to being so near to them, I have some fantastic memories that noone can ever take from me. Death has hit my family hard having lost 2 brothers, and 2 cousins on the same side, and I was a lot younger at the time, so it has taken until now for me to fully understand the devastation loosing someone special can have on a person. Dealing with his loss is difficult enough, but without going into too much detail on here, my circumstances in life with regard to work have changed. I'm not working at the minute, and the job I was previously in was part time, its still hard to adjust from getting up to go to work to getting up and not knowing what I'm going to do with my day. At the start it was like a holiday, but now its been a few weeks its changed. I've started to get very fed up and at times I've ended up in tears feeling very low and down in the dumps. Its hard, so many of my friends have fantastic jobs, my brother is studying for a great career in Physiotherapy, and at times I find myself looking at them and thinking 'what's wrong with me', or 'why can't I be like that'. And before you say it, no I'm not jealous, my brother has come through a lot and worked his backside off to get to where he is, and I'm so proud of him for it, and likewise my friends are the same, so I suppose sometimes I just feel a little left behind or lost. Which I think is my problem right there. Comparing myself to everyone else. I am me, and only me can be me! I need to stop comparing myself to each and every other person out there and realise I can't and won't ever be like them, because I'm Alisha, and I've to lead the path that's right for me. I've realised its time to change my 'Negative Nelly' attitude. Instead of looking at the things I don't have, its time to look at what I do have. I've a fantastic family, who I love to pieces, I've a loving and supportive boyfriend, great friends, and a roof over my head. There's so many people out there who would only love to be right now, and here I am complaining about things I don't need to. Instead I'm going to have a more positive attitude to life. If I'm not happy, its only me who can change it. And it starts today! I've signed up for a Distance Learning course, I've this little space on the interweb which I'm going to put my heart and soul into while I have the time, and I'm going to figure out who I really am, and what I want from my life. (That sounds awful corny doesn't it)
But to end, a positive quote!

Thanks for reading everybody,
Alisha xxx

Nails of the Week

After having my nails a dull and rather boring grey colour for a night out last week, I decided I wanted to go for something bright and a bit more cheery seen as its Spring, (seeing today's weather though we could all be forgiven for thinking otherwise). I went for a look in my nail polish drawer to see what stood out and I fancied something with a bit of glitter. And then I found a white Rimmel polish at the back of the drawer that hadn't even been opened, so I decided to give both a go together and see how they fared out.

 The white polish I used was one of Rimmel's Lasting Finish Polishes in London Cloud. I know white nail polish isn't the most opaque of colours, but it took me 3  coats to get something that looked half decent. The effort! The glitter polish is the same formula but its in the shade Disco Ball. I don't think this is actually meant as a top coat, but it would take a lot of work  and a few coats to get it up to a decent coverage. I decided just to go with one coat, which resulted in fairly sparce glitter on the nail, which I was OK with. However it took me an age to get the lid off the glitter polish, and resulted in big nail marks in the polish on my nails  on my left hand... Some day I will get to do my nails without ruining them in 5 minutes! I was pleased with how they turned out, but 3 coats is a hell of a lot of work, and ain't nobody got time for that! I was also less than impressed when they had chipped by the afternoon the following day!! :( Next time I shall remember to use a top coat!

 

What are you all sporting on your nails at the moment?

Thanks for reading,

Alisha xxx