Flormar 'Haul'

Hi Ladies,
I hope you're all enjoying the ahem 'Summer'...
Today I'm going to show you a few bit's I picked up from a new make up brand called Flormar. Now I say new, but it actually isn't. They're actually around since the 70's, having been born in Milan, and also having been extremely popular in Turkey, but imagine, it's taken this long to get to us!
Well when I say us, I actually picked up these bits in Lanzarote a few week's back, but fear not, they are on the way to Irish soil very soon I do believe!
I could've gone nut's in the shop so very easily. I mean there was so much of everything! Multiple nail and lip colours, eyeshadow, blushes, you name it they had it! They even had staff on hand to give make-overs, which I genuinely would have loved, but in 36 degree heat it would've just slid right of my face! The staff in there were so pleasant helpful as well, which is always a plus!
So finally, I'm going to show you now what I bought! I haven't done any swatches for the products, but I'll more than likely be doing individual blog post's on all the item's, so I shall add in the swatches to those posts.

• High Performance Rotating Volume Mascara: Yep, you read that right, A rotating mascara, which I believe the girl in store told me is battery operated! I was a bit dubious that it would do anything, but after having it tried on one of my eye's I had to have it. It instantly made my eyelashes appear longer and thicker, without that clumpy look! I haven't used it properly since because I've such a huge amount of mascara to get through, but I look forward to using it! 

• Sheer Tinted BB Cream with SPF 15: This I have yet to try properly, but once I do I'll definitely let you guy's know how I got on with it. Some day's I just can't be bothered with a full face of make up, but it's still nice to put something on when I have to go out and run some errands and what not. From the little bit the sales assistant tried on my hand it seems to have a decent amount of coverage, even though the name is 'sheer tinted'. I'm not a fan of really full coverage bases anyway, so this will be nice to have in my ever expanding collection! Colour wise though I did struggle to find a good match, but then again I was in Spain where the ladies are a lot more bronzed than me, but I'm sure they'll cater to us pale skinned lassies when they arrive on our shores!It doesn't actually give a shade name on this, it just says 01, so I'm just assuming it's the lightest shade! 

• Extra Colour Lip Lacquer Shade 04 Peace Out: I have given this serious usage since picking it up, I'm absolutely loving it! For me Lip Lacquer's have a tendency to be extremely drying and leave my lips in a heap. Not this chap! It's so creamy and comfortable to wear, and it lasts forever! The pigmentation is amazing as well, like you literally only need the smallest amount. I really love the colour of this, it's like a light pink/peach colour, but to be honest, I don't think it really suits me. But ya know, YOLO and all that. :P

• Terracotta Blush in Shade 45 Touch of Rose: This is a baked blush, and it's absolutely gorgeous! It kind of reminds me of the Mineralized Skin Finishes from MAC to look at, I can't say if it performs the same as I don't own any of them :( But this is a beautiful pink, with hint's of brown and gold glitter. I find that when I apply it that it nearly does the job of a blush and a bronzer all in one, and we all love a product that's multi purpose! However if you don't like glitter I wouldn't recommend this, as it is very heavy on glitter, and I find as the day goes on and the colour fades a bit, the glitter is more prominent. I don't care though I still luurrrve it! 
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• Puffy Eyeshadow 03 in Its My Headband: This is a lovely burgundy, rusty kind of shade, It probably won't suit me at all but the colour was so pretty I just had to have it! I haven't tried it properly, but one swipe in the shop resulted in such pigmentation, and it seemed to be really smooth, so once this post is up and pictures are taken I'll be sure to give it a good go! I'm thinking it would be perfect for a statement eye look on a night out! 

       
 So these are the few items I picked up. I really could have bought the shop but I was good and            restrained  myself, but I definitely will be picking up a few more bit's when it gets to Ireland.              The prices are fantastic, think somewhere along the lines of Rimmel and Maybelline, and the               packaging is a lot more luxurious than the prices would lead you to believe! If I can find prices           I will add them in for the item's, but I would advise getting out and trying the brand because for           the price you can't really go wrong! 

        Have any of you tried Flormar? What did you think?

        Thanks for reading,

         Alisha xxx

Rimmel Self-Tan Mousse

For the most part I'm a massive tanaphobe. (I'm not even sure if that's a word, but for the sake of this post it is). I've tried a fair few tans, and a lot of them just haven't worked for me. Even Cocoa Brown, which is probably the easiest tan in the world to use, just didn't seem to look right on my Casper skin. However, Rimmel released a new mousse tan recently, (when I say recently it's definitely a few months ago), so of course I decided I'd try it.

First off, the packaging. It comes in a plastic bottle that contains 150ml of product.  It's about the 7.99 mark, so not expensive at all for what you get. The nozzle makes it really easy to dispense the product, in comparison to some other tan's which I often find get clogged and stop dispensing the product after a certain amount of time! It's not exactly the fanciest looking, but it's fine. And honestly, I'm not a huge packaging fiend, as long as a product does the job I'm extremely happy.
And let me tell you this product definitely does a mighty job. I think I have finally found a 'holy grail tan'.
On Rimmels' website, www.rimmellondon.com if you're interested, this is what they have to say about the product.

Instant colour which develops into a long lasting colour over 3-6 hours

Gives a natural tan for 2-3 weeks (with an application once a week during 3 weeks)

Blends flawlessly and seamlessly for a streak free result

No fake tan smell.

The tan itself does provide instant colour, but nothing too mad, I think it's more a guide colour so you can see where it's been applied already.
 I also find after an hour the shade has started to deepen a bit, and after maybe 4 hours it's developed into a nice bronzed shade, that's deep enough for me. (I'm using the light shade for the record. The best bit for me is that it doesn't have to be washed off!
 You just apply it, let it dry (it dries very quickly FYI,) and you're good to go!
It goes on really easily, and it doesn't streak at all.
 It doesn't transfer onto clothes or sheets which is a pain in the backside with most tans.
It's matte, so it's really natural looking, so nothing like the sunshimmer of day's gone by where we'd look like a disco ball after application!
However, the only claim I'd disagree with is the claim that there's no fake tan smell. Because there is. Not as strong as most other tan's, but after a while you do get that biscuit smell.
But to be honest, because I think the product is so brilliant, I'll forgive it that! I genuinely think this is the most fool proof tan I've ever tried. It doesn't even go funny on my hands, which happens with every tan I've used!
As for longevity, I find if I moisturise well after I shower and exfoliate, I can get a good week out of the tan. I haven't reapplied it so I can't say whether it lives up to the claim that it lasts' 2-3 weeks. But a week for me is plenty!
I'm currently rocking the pale look, so I shall update this at the weekend  with some pictures
when I'm a bronzed goddess to show you all what the colour is like! :)

It's priced around 7.99 I believe, and you can buy it in most Penney's and most pharmacies!
Have you tried it?
What are your thoughts on it?

Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

(Image taken from www.boots.ie)

2015 Beauty New Years Resolutions

Hey ladies!
Hope you all had a great Christmas and a fantastic New Year!
This is what feels like my millionth attempt to get back to blogging, so what better way to get back into it than a quick and easy post on what my New Years Resolutions are, beauty style!


 1: This is probably the biggest one, and the one that will I find most difficult, but I need to stop buying so much make up! It's ridiculous the amount I have, and there's only so much I can put on my face at any given time. So I'm not going to buy any more for the foreseeable future, I have far too many mascara's, foundations,  blushes and eyeshadow than I can count! So hopefully I shall discover some new favourite's hidden away at the back of my drawers! :)


2: Improve my skincare routine. I need to hugely overhaul my skincare regime. It's not in too bad a shape really, I always cleanse,tone and moisturise in the morning, but nighttime is where I get a bit lazy. I do more often than not take my make up off at the end of the day, (this may not be the case for night's out however but shhhhh..) But as for the moisturising, well, it just seems like a huge job at night, so I aim to get a lot better at that for 2015 so I can have skin like that of a teenager! :)

3: Use up some of the stash of shower gel's, body butter's and lotions and potions that I've gathered up. Yep, we all know the drill. It's hard to resist the 3 for 2's and the Christmas gift sets that do be on offer, but when you know you have enough to last you for 2 year's (ish) worth of showers and baths, it's time to reign it in! Hopefully I will use up a good amount this year, although I may have to start showering twice a day with the amount I have!

So they are the 3 main beauty resolutions I have for 2015. Not a lot, but ones that I really need to keep before I get lost in a flood of make up and shower products! I think I'll do OK with regards to the lotions and potions, but as for the make up, I'm not sure! I've already used the excuse of my powder being smashed up as an excuse to buy a new one! (I haven't yet though.)

So ladies, have you made any beauty new years resolutions?
If so what are they?
Thanks for reading,
Alisha xx

Current Favourites

Hey ladies!
For such a long time I've been trying to get back on track with my blogging. I still love make up and beauty just as much as I previously did, but there was just something about blogging that felt like an effort, so because of that I gave it a break for quite a long while. Oops!
Today I'm here to tell you about my current favourites. I have tried a fair bit during the Summer so my list could be huge, but I'll try and keep it short so you won't get bored! :)

Essence All About Matt Powder: I've always always always for as long as I can remember had dry and previously  super sensitive skin. But for whatever reason this Summer my skin turned more to the oily side of the scale, and no matter what primer or foundation I used, after a couple of hours my face was as shiny as a disco ball. I picked this up on a whim one day because it was cheap, and oh my god it is actually so good!I apply it after all my other make up is done, and it keeps me matt all day long. Now that the weather has slightly changed and gotten a bit cooler, I may not need to use it as much, but for anyone on a budget looking for a good mattifying powder, give this a go!


Covergirl 3 in 1 Outlast Foundation: I'm really trying to ration my use of this because I picked it up in the States back in April, and since I've no immediate plans to return for a while I don't know when I'll be able to pick it up again! Sad face! But anyway, this is the first foundation in quite a while that I've really loved. Its a medium/full coverage and it leaves the nicest finish on the skin. Not matte, but not particularly dewy either.  But it lasts ALL DAY. I put it on in the morning and when I'm taking my make up off at night it looks exactly the same as it had earlier. To me it just looks natural! I only got it back in April and I'm over half way in the bottle already, so that just shows how good it really is!

Benefit Dandelion Blush: This has been mentioned quite a few times before, but when you hit pan on something then you really know its a favourite! Its a beautiful natural shade of pink, with a very very subtle hint of shimmer. Its the perfect blush to wear if you want to go for a strong smokey eye, or a bright statement lip. I really can't wait to try more of the Benefit Box O Powders because I genuinely love this one!

MUA Undressed Palette: I'm a neutrals girl through and through. I don't know what it is but I'm just not adventurous when it comes to my eyes! This palette is MUA's version of the Naked Palette, and you can see how much I love it by just looking at the battered packaging and I've hit pan on a couple of them already!  I'm not too gone on the Matte shades so I don't use them that much, but I love the shimmers, and when I use them alongside a primer, they stay put all day!

Rimmel Colour Rush Balms: There was one particular shade that I wanted to tell you about, but typical when I went to photograph it, it seems to have disappeared! I'm really looking forward to trying some deeper shades when the weather gets a bit cooler! This is probably the most comfortable, pigmented lip crayon I've used so far, and trust me I've tried a lot of them! There's a newer pinky/purple shade that came out as part of the Rita Ora Collection that I can't wait to try! :)

Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm: I was lucky enough that my mother gifted one of these to me when she purchased it herself of QVC a while back. I hadn't been using it because its so expensive, but I've been using it regularly the last while and I'm so impressed! I rub some onto my face and it sounds strange but you can feel it actually melting the make up away! I then rinse it off with a warm face cloth and all my make up is gone! I often use a micellar water to make sure, but there genuinely isn't a trace of make up left!

So that's it lads and ladies.. There's so much more I could list here, but for now I'll keep it short and sweet! :) I've really enjoyed writing this post, so here's hoping that this is the start of me getting my blogging mojo back!
Anything in particular that you've been loving lately?
Thanks for reading (if there's anyone still left out there)
Alisha xx

I'm baaaack!!

If there's anyone left out there reading this blog, then from the bottom of my heart I'm truly sorry for the huge blank space that has been this blog for the last couple of months! I could give a list of excuses why, but I won't. In truth its just been laziness. Plenty of people have plenty of things going on in there lives, and still make time for their blog, so for me to come along and try to use the things that have happened in recent months to me as an excuse, it would just be highly insulting to all those people out there who have genuinely have more hectic lives and still have fantastic blogs on the side!
Anywho, apologies aside, things have changed a bit for me in recent months, and to be honest at the start I was a bit down in the dumps about it, but the last few weeks especially, I've seen how fantastic the friends that I have really are, and I've enjoyed some fantastic nights out with them, some that I won't be forgetting anytime soon... :D But one thing these nights out (there's been a lot), have taught me, is that for the first time in a long long time, I'm genuinely happy.
Far too many times I found myself sitting in my bedroom crying for reasons I couldn't figure out, a lot of the time I put it down to grieving for my grandfather, (which maybe it was). However, I haven't had that happen to me in weeks. I wake up in the morning in a great mood, looking forward the day ahead, and find myself giggling and smiling at ridiculous things during the day and just in much better form than I ever can remember being in before.
So now that I've found myself in this great humour, I've found itch to start blogging again has returned. I'm not that sure exactly where I'll start, but over the last while I've found some products that I genuinely love, so no doubt you'll hear about those!
So if there's any of you left out there, thanks for sticking with me and I'm looking forward to getting stuck back in soon!

Lots of Love,

Alisha xxx

'Nearly Empties'

So today's post is a  bit of a different one. Last night I was getting ready for bed and cleaning my face and all that stuff, and something hit me like a bolt of lightning out of the blue.. I HAVE TOO MUCH STUFF. I mean, it was something I knew all along, but whatever way I looked at it last night it was different, like all of a sudden I took my rose tinted glasses off and saw the amount of stuff I've gathered up over the years for the first time. Not good!
 I'm a bit embarrassed and ashamed of it if the truth be told. I mean I've so many shower gels and body lotions on the go at the one time I've lost track! So today I've decided I'm going to pick some products that I've been using for a good while now, and try and use them up by the end of the month so I can go on and use some other new bits instead!
I'm also going to do the same with my make up bag and give it an overhaul in a way, so that I'm using products that I've shoved to the side and forgotten about, but I shall do that separately!

L'Occitane Verbena Body Lotion: I'm not sure if I should continue to use this or actually throw it out because I've had it opened for so long. I think the latter may be the best option! I absolutely love the Verbena range from L'Occitane. Its a beautiful refreshing lemon scent, that is perfect for the Summer and for early mornings aswell as it instantly wakes me up. I really want to get rid of this one because my parents got me a lovely gift set of the same range at Christmas, and I can't wait to get to start using it!

Boots Extracts Mango Sugar Scrub: I bought this huge tub last Summer, and its still going strong, although I wish it wasn't, as I'm really not liking it! Its not tough enough to feel like its actually doing a good job, and after I rinse it off it leaves what feels like an oily film on my skin. I hate wasting things so I'm going to use it until the very end.

Soap and Glory Clean on Me Shower Wash: Don't get me wrong, I love Soap and Glory, quite a lot as a matter of fact, but given that I've been using this shower gel for about 6 months now, you may understand why at this stage I'm a little bored of it! Like these bottles are a huge 500mls, that's half a litre! They are ridiculously big, and while there's no denying that its great value, at this stage I want to try one of the other lovely ones!

Soap And Glory The Righteous Butter Body Butter: Obviously enough this goes hand in hand with the last product because the scent is the exact same, so I use them in conjunction with each other. I have a few of these lying around the place thanks to the gift sets I buy every Christmas, but I'm making good headway with this one and have over half of the product gone, so hopefully by the end of the month it'll be used up!

No 7 Protect and Perfect Night Cream: I'm great with moisturisers in the morning, but I admit I slack off at night time. I'm nearly done with this though, so I'm going to get better and actually give myself a proper night time skincare routine and use up the end of this fella so I can get on to something else.


Nivea Extra Gentle Eye Make Up Remover: Again, nothing very exciting about this one. It doesn't remove eye make up very well at all, so no wonder its extra gentle! I much prefer my micellar solution for removing eye make up, it does a much better job! However there's only a small drop left so I'm going to do my best.


So ladies, they are all the shower type products that I'm going to attempt to use up this month. Hopefully I'll manage to do it, but I shall check back in at the end of the month and let you know how I get on! I'll also do something similar with my make up at some point aswell!



Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

Orange Lips...

Hey ladies, I hope you all had a fantastic June Bank Holiday Weekend! I'd a great time, went out Friday, had a rest Saturday, and hit the town again yesterday! :) It was great to catch up with friends and have a good gossip, and scout out some potential talent ;)
Anyway, given that I've seen orange lips everywhere this Summer, I decided I wanted to give it a try. I'm a little bit apprehensive about colours like these because they can often wash me out and just look ridiculous on me! But I decided I'd pick up something cheap to try the trend, and if I didn't like it there was no harm done.

The one I decided to try was from one of my favourite brands Catrice, more specifically the Ultimate Colour Range. This range comes in sleek black packaging, which make it look more expensive than its less than 5 euro price tag. It also has the brand name embossed into the actually product, which I think is another lovely touch.
The shade I picked up was shade 50, Princess Peach, ( cute right?) To me this is a beautiful light orange shade, which isn't too over powering, which is what I wanted given that I was dipping my toe into the orange pool for the first time.

Formula wise, it was so comfortable, it glided on to my lips effortlessly, and left a creamy, glossy sheen. It applied lightly, but I built it up to get more colour. Time wise, it didn't last too long, but given that I was eating and drinking, I wasn't too surprised. But reapplying lip products isn't something that bothers me too much.
Overall, I'm really glad I picked it up, and I do genuinely really like it! Paired with a neutral eye and lashings of mascara, it's the perfect shade for Summer, if it ever arrives that is! I also picked up a more vibrant shade from the Penney's range, but I'm yet to try this, but I shall let you all know when I do! :)

Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx