Lashings of Lashes: The Eyelash Dyeing Routine

Eylure Dylash 45 Day Mascara €10.00/£7.50

Strong, caring and amazing she may be, but my Mother has rubbish lashes. Rubbish. In fact, they are one of the only things I failed to inherit from her, instead being lucky enough to get my Dad's long, horselike ones. My brother was not so lucky. On a recent threading trip, I had a sudden urge to fork out on eyelash extensions - most of my friends are huge fans, and so many bloggers rave about the experiece (Simone, mostly) only to be told by the beauty therapist not to bother: my eyelashes were long enough just to be tinted to add definition. Score!

So I hotfooted down to Boots and picked up this kit about two months ago and have been religiously dyeing my lashes since. Now, I'm not for one second suggesting you put this on your eyebrows like the box states - black brows aren't sexy; but for lashes I would always go for a black as opposed to a dark brown. Pick up a disposable mascara wand and get ready for some seriously defined eyelashes...

Prep the eyes for dyeing: remove any eye makeup or mascara and apply some Vaseline with a cotton bud both under the lashline and to the lid - this ensures no dye tinting the skin and is an essential step - irremovable panda eyes are not a good look. Next, mix up your Dylash tint. Take the plastic bowl from the kit, and squeeze about 2cm of the Dylash Cream Colour into it, use three drops of the Dylash Activating Solution and mix with the end of your mascara wand. The finished paste shouldn't be too runny or have excess solution in the bottom. Coat the disposable mascara wand in the product and proceed to coat the lashes, ensuring even the smallest and most invisible lashes are covered. Apply two dry cotton pads, one to each eye and sit back for 8-10 minutes. Remove with wet cotton pad and voilá, darker, thicker looking doe-eyed lashes. And the best part? You can do it at home on the cheap. Now, if I had my Mum's lashes, I would be sure to have invested in lash extensions a million times by now.. Thanks Daddy!...

The Weekly Nail Ritual

Pamper-time is a serious business in the brokenblush household. And there is nothing more satisfying than seeing a flash of your pretty painted nails throughout the day. You see, I have fat fingers: chubby, short and small. So when I see a lean-fingered beaut with perfectly shaped nails and dainty hands, envy rises very quickly inside me. Yep, of all things to be jealous of in a fellow female I choose to envy hands. So, a few months ago years of nail biting was brought to an end and the weekly nail pamper began in full swing. Excessive to some it may be, but here's what I get up to nail-wise once weekly...

From soft, brittle and uneven nails to strong and healthy can take a bit of time and effort; and of course a few products. I've been using Sally Hansen Miracle Cure* (€10.95) on and off for months and find it much more effective than any product which claims to make the nails grow. It strengthens while leaving a lovely shine on the nail - brilliant for days without colour. I apply one coat once a week, or when I re-paint my nails and let it do its magic. Next comes a little bit of shaping and snipping; grab a disposable nail file and shape the nails to perfection - I prefer mine a 'squoval' shape, and then move onto removing any excess cuticle, making your nails look longer and more polished. I have a generic cuticle nippers bought from Boots and really like it's slanted shape for quickly removing any dead skin. As for cuticle oils, I have two (Excessive, me? Non): Ultimate Beauty Viridian Organic Nail Cuticle Oil* (£12.95/€15.00) keeps them nourished and moisturised for hours, while the Sally Hansen Maximum Growth Cuticle & Nail Treatment* (€5.95) is a great pen for putting in your bag for on-the-go top-ups. Once I've completed these steps, I'm all set for a bit of nail painting.. Now we just have the dilemma of which shade to choose...

*pr samples

The One-Step Smokey Eye: CHANEL Ebloui

Chanel Illusion D'Ombre in Ebloui €29.50/£24.00

'Eyeshadow' has become a dirty word in the world of brokenblush in recent months and they have since been banished from my makeup routine. All the palettes, single shadows, cream pots, liquid liners and coloured pencils have been neglected in my carefully specified 'eye make-up' drawer in favour of a more natural look. Maybe it's laziness, or maybe I've taken on a more 'mature' look (pfft..) but simplicity has become my key and has been infiltrating every facet of my life as yet. In fact, it has to be a pretty special occasion for me to bring out an eye lid colour. But when I am feeling less apathetic and want to adorn my eyes with something pretty, my go-to product has been Chanel Illusion D'Ombre in Ebloui.

Green-eyed girls rejoice! Any fan of MAC Twinks eyeshadow needs to add this to their stash pronto. A neutral shade with purple and red shimmer running through it makes it a dead ringer for MAC's offering, but its cream texture is so much nicer to work with. Not quite a mousse, not quite a powder, this dense formula glides onto the eye with serious ease and can be applied sheer or built up to a more intense colour. For daytime I tend to blend a small amount of this all over the lid, and buff out any harsh edges with a fluffy brush (MAC 217 is perfect for this). For nighttime, packing this cream shadow on creates a more intense smokey-eye look; add a slick of eyeliner, lashings of mascara and you're good to go. I use MAC Painterly paintpot as a base everytime, but find that the shadow has great staying power on its own. It may not be a budget buy, but it's certainly the best cream eyeshadow I had in the eye drawer.

The best part of using CHANEL Ebloui? It really is the easiest and quickest way of creating a one-step smokey eye; no need for multiple colours, excess blending, lots of eyeshadow brushes or lugging a huge bag of products to work for a quick day-to-night makeup change. It's simple, takes minimal effort and results in the same effect as your usual four-step smokey eye. And leaves more time to focus on my increasingly messy hair.. Which, ladies, I believe is a win:win situation for all..

The Budget Buy: Cocoa Brown Tan

 Cocoa Brown* €7.99

Buyer's remorse. This always happens to me when I buy something expensive that yields mediocre results. And while I have a love/hate relationship with false tans, I have certainly invested in quite costly brands with average results.

There are so many on the market at the moment; gradual, deep, deluxe, gel, mousse, expert formulas, those targeted just for the face - the list is endless and while I go into my local pharmacy or Boots with good intentions, I often come out empty handed and confused about which tan is for me. So it is quite refreshing that Marissa Carter, creator of Cocoa Brown tan produced just one that would suit all skin types. At €7.99 it's a complete steal, and one I will be opting to repurchase before any summer nights out.

Now that we are edging closer to the summer months, it's nice to sport a healthy glow with your shorts and white t-shirts. And that is exactly the result I get from Cocoa Brown - not too dark, no patches, no streaks; just a nice, light tan that applies like a dream and unlike other mousse formulas doesn't dry out my skin. If you're someone who like a bit more colour than me, a few layers will achieve this with ease - my pale skin doesn't suit the 'dark tan' look. Like Marissa has said, she has managed to answer the calls of so many who want a quality product at a lower price. My days of forking out €30 on a tan are certainly over!

*pr sample

The Tom Ford Fire Lust Skin Illuminator

Tom Ford Fire Lust Skin Illuminator* €58.00

You know what they say: if the sun doesn't come to you... 

Yes, I have been forcing Summer onto my face. As a winter bunny who loves all things cosy, cold and autumnal I've surprised myself by having an urge to put on a pair of shorts, sunglasses and enjoy all this summer related. And if you're a fan of rose gold, you will love Tom Ford's latest Summer collection.

From the softest cream eyeshadows (these are like silk) to smooth illuminating sticks and a lustrous rose gold lip laquer, TF have summer makeup sorted. Afraid of summer brights and prefer more neutral shades? Well then this collection is for you. After a ponder at all the beauties in the mini collection, I went for the skin illuminator in Fire Lust, a rose gold, slightly shimmery liquid creation perfect for adding a summer glow. This multi-purpose liquid can be used for a few different things; mixed with foundation for an all-over glow (I had so many comments on my bright skin when I tried this) or as a highlight, adding a lovely sheen to the high points of the face. And unlike so many other skin illuminators, this offering has just the right amount of sheen without being too shimmery (I'm looking at you Benefit High/Sun Beam..). And the texture glides on like silk, giving a natural but noticeable healthy glow. Of course, you can amp up the amount at night but I've preferred to use this as a subtle hint of colour. But being rose gold in tone, no matter how much to pack on it looks quite natural, not too bronze but certainly not too pink toned.

The Tom Ford Summer Collection is out this month and is available in Brown Thomas stores. I already have my eye on the cream shadows and cream blush sticks.. Summer is finally here..!

*pr sample