The Everyday, The Mundane

I've spoken about my 'everyday' make up before. In fact, I've done a few posts on it. But this time I think I've found something that I won't stray from after a day or two like the others. While dramatic liner, bright lips and heavy eye makeup is all well and good when time is in abundance, I just haven't had that luxury recently. And so instead I've found myself reaching for the same products to complete le face speedily over the last few weeks - something that looks polished (my favourite lady-word ever), clean and lasts until I collapse into bed fifteen hours later. 

Now, I was incredibly proud to have paired down my makeup to the 'basics' since starting this more simple look, but scanning the amount of products in the photo above I still use a good few. I know there are people who can achieve their perfect look with just three products. Sadly, I'm just not one of them. My foundation of choice is the amazing Armani Designer Lift* which I either apply with hands or a buffing brush on top of the Laura Mercier Foundation Primer. So far so boring. A little application of the MUFE HD Cream Blush in #14 and the every-beautiful Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate palette adds a much needed natural contour and flush to the cheeks. 

Then I move onto my eyes, which are completely fool-proof. A smidgen of MAC Omega eyeshadow blended into the crease and any matte mid-brown on top of a cream base (the best I've found is Inglot #352) suits the eye perfectly. Then I add a few drops of Illamasqua Sealing Gel to their Brow Cake in Thunder and create a very thin line on my eyes with a teeny tiny flick. A quick eyelash curl and eyelining with Illamasqua 'Vow' pencil and lashings of Maxfactor False Lash Effect* and I can leg it out the door in time for my bus. 

The best part is that it only takes minutes to do, meaning an extra snooze in bed!

Do you have a set make up routine, what are the products you always use?

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*pr samples

My Perfume Collection

Only on a recent wardrobe clearout did I realise the sheer volume of perfumes I own. As someone who only really buys one or two and then replaces when they are finished, I was oblivious to the fact that I had way more than I thought. While perfume is something that is personal to everyone - its nice to get different ideas from Youtube videos about ones you may like or may want to test out.

And so I made a little video on those perfumes that I would recommend or buy again. If you have any suggestions for ones you think I may like, please leave them in the comments below. Enable me, friends!

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Bumble and Bumble Thickening Hairspray

Bumble and Bumble is one of those brands that I've always had on my list to purchase, but have never really got around to actually handing over the cash for. With so many rave reviews circulating the blogosphere, its sometimes refreshing to read a post about a product that someone didn't rate. I usually tend to avoid being a 'Negative Nelly' by discussing those products that I find a bit rubbish - and this is obviously just my experience, but sometimes its helpful when someone gives warning about a product so I can test it out before I splash the cash.

I received the Bumble and Bumble Thickening Hairspray* through work (ie. not for blogging purposes), which claims to protect from heat, add volume, and give lift and control when applied to wet or damp hair. Sounds simple, right? Unfortunately not. A few sprays of this and my hair dried into patches of  sticky clumps that were almost impossible to brush through. As for the volume, this spray resulted in more of a frizz than anything, adding a small amount of body that only looked right when I'd straightened my hair to high heaven.

As a plus, it does smell divine - fresh, floral and summery, but I think I'll be using it more as a room spray than something for my hair. I'm not sure if it was that my hair was too thick for this formula, but I would say to anyone thinking of purchasing to try and give it a test before forking out the £20.50/€23 for 250mls of it. Although I found this Bumble and Bumble product awful in my hair, it wouldn't put me off purchasing something else from the range like the shampoos and conditioners or the cult product Surf Spray. If you'd tried them let me know what you thought!

Have you tried this or any other Bumble and Bumble products? How did you find them? 

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The Darkness

Sometimes a little makeup shake up is the very thing that's needed in order to get out of a rut. For almost a year now, my usual night-time 'look' has been a sixties-esque pale lid with heavy contour in the socket and flicked black gel liner - and while this is a look I love, sometimes you just need a change. 

I went to the 21st of two of my friends last night and opted for makeup that was a bit grungy, a bit dark and a bit different to my usual. I used the Gosh Black eyeliner all over the lid and blended it into the socket and then placed a Maybelline Colour Tattoo eyeshadow in Tough as Taupe with my fingers on top - which left a metallic, dark smokey eye. The usual Armani Designer Lift foundation combined with the Tom Ford Contour kit and my favourite MAC Hue lipstick and I was out the door!

My lovely friend, Aoife, kindly took a few snaps before we headed out for cocktails and dancing and I just had to add the final one! Without making this post all about the shoes, I am obsessed. I felt a slight twinge after about four hours (pretty good, I believe) and have already set up a 'must-get-new-ones' fund. Little Christian has created a monster!

Anyone do anything nice for the weekend? 

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London Town

Singin’ in the Rain, Liberty, The Diner, The Diner Pancakes, Tower Bridge, Louboutin Museum x2, Piccadilly Circus, Princess Diana, Harrods crown made of cake, Harrod’s fish and meat section, Harrods cupcakes x2, me, London Eye, Big Ben, Westminster, Bodeans BBQ x3, Hummingbird Bakery x4

I think we can establish from these photos that I'm a huge foodie. London never ceases to bore me and every single time I go, I find something or somewhere that I'd never spotted before. Its probably the only place, bar Dublin, that I could see myself living for any amount of time and poking around its shops, attractions and museums always cheers me up. 

We went on Monday morning and came home on Thursday and spent our time in the London Dungeons, manically shopping in order to get out of the madness that is Oxford Street, going to musicals (Singin' in the Rain and The Lion King) and generally stuffing ourselves. I also spent Tuesday afternoon roaming the halls of the Design Museum, where the Louboutin exhibition is being held. After this post I have a huge obsession with the shoes and think I'm a Louboutin girl at heart (sadly, in the case of my bank balance). It was amazing, with shoes from the past twenty years, an exhibition of Christian Louboutin's life, a hologram of Dita von Teese and a replica of the genius' workstation. In short, a must-see for all Louboutin lovers out there!

As for the food, which takes up about two thirds of the photos - I would highly recommend Bodean's BBQ in Soho (wait until you're starving to go there, they have the best burgers ever), any Pret for breakfast or lunch, The Diner and The Stockpot for a rustic and filling meal on the cheap. 

What are you favourite places in London? 

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Travel Make-Up 'Essentials'

I think we can safely say I don't travel light.

 As I'm off to London tomorrow for a few days I decided to take the opportunity to film a little video on the make up and beauty essentials I'm bringing with me. I really try not to be my usual high maintenance self (who am I kidding?!) when I go away, but I always feel a bit lost when I don't have everything I use around me. I'm a real home bird so I think having all this stuff makes me feel a bit more comfortable. That's what I try to convince myself of anyway!

If any of you lovely people see me wandering around London, do say hello! We have so many lovely things planned; Singin' in the Rain and The Lion King musicals, The London Dungeons, The London Eye, Harrod's, Louboutin exhibition and shopping. If you can think of any other cool places to go or to eat please leave them in the comments!

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The Heel Reveal

I think everyone has that one item that once obtained they will cherish forever. For years now, I have been lusting after a pair of plain patent black Louboutins, and see them as the epitome of beauty. Classic, stunning and somewhat exclusive, I made it my mission a few years ago to buy at least one pair throughout my lifetime. And here they are.

I recently celebrated my 21st birthday and with the money I received from my lovely family, I decided to invest in these beauties. Even through the scoffs of my Mother, Sister and Granny - I love them. As Laura said, they are my dream shoe. 

They are the Simple Pump and I adore their black patent finish which looks so classic and elegant. I opted for a smaller heel as I wanted to buy something that could be worn throughout the day as well as night, and because I'm not a big drinker and don't go clubbing much, a huge platform heel would have been lost on me. They are 100mm (around four inches) which is high enough without being too uncomfortable. 

Do I expect them to be the most comfortable heels I have? Absolutely not. But I think for their beauty they are worth the pain. My bank balance isn't too happy but my feet are!

What do you think of expensive shoes? Would you invest?

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The 'Ultimate' Foundation

I always sob silently to myself when another blogger announces they've found the perfect foundation for their skin. After yet another make up obsessive revealed their holy grail product, it made me realise that I have never repurchased a foundation. Ever. And believe me there have been plenty of phases; Laura Mercier Crème Smooth, MAC Face and Body, Benefit Playstick, Chanel Pro Lumiere - I could go on for ages. And while I love all of these foundations for different reasons, I haven't completely finished any of them or ran out to repurchase. 

I was given multiple foundations to try out for a TV beauty show here in Ireland (Xposé for all you Irish girls who may have seen it) where we used new foundations on the market over four weeks and reported back for the show. And one of these was Armani Designer Lift*. Now, marketed at more mature ladies it boasts that its formula is 'smoothing' and 'firming' and when applied the 'Armani glow reaches its height: the skin is cloaked in a matte and luminous veil. The stretch texture, rich in active ingredients, enhances the youthfulness of the face'. 

While that is a mammoth of a description, I happen to completely agree with it. Designer Lift gives a beautiful medium coverage (and can build to full) but gives a luminosity I have never had with any other product. Its longlasting (I tend to use it with Laura Mercier foundation primer) and removes any discolouration without looking cakey. Paired with the Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate, it leaves my dry skin looking fresh and dewy all day long.

It’s not cheap, landing within the €60-65 bracket but it’s the only foundation I've ever come to the end of and wanted to buy again. Think I may wait until next week in the airport before splashing the cash though!

Have you used any Armani foundations and what were your thoughts? 

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*pr sample 

The Tom Ford Effect

When the Tom Ford Make up collection came out in Ireland in October, the list of products I wanted to acquire probably surpassed all reasonable expectations. There's nothing more exciting than a luxurious make up brand, and Tom Ford's is no exception. I initially wanted to buy a lipstick (especially Vanilla Suede and Black Orchid. Heck, even the names are expensive), but when I saw the price topped just under €50, I backed slowly away from the counter. Good Julie!

Instead, after much thought I decided to buy the Shade and Illuminate cream  highlight and contour. Now, I have multiple cream highlights - Jemma Kidd Dewy Glow, Make Up For Ever Cream Highlight and Benefit High Beam to name a few, but all my contours were powder; and seeing as my skin is so dry I thought it would be a nice 'investment'. And investment it was, this palette knocked me back €67. And I love it. Not only is it perfect for travel, having both products in the one place, but it creates the most beautiful, yet subtle cheekbones that can be built up to something runway-esque.

Blending is absolutely key to this product, and you need to have a small amount of patience to apply the product, blend and then build it up again. I bought the shade Intensity One, which is for paler skins and while it looks like muck (or something slightly more sinister) in the palette, it blends into a gorgeous sheen. The 'shade and illuminate' brush can be bought with it for around €60 and I was very seriously contemplating it until I realised any short haired foundation brush would work perfectly to apply it. Money saved, I do believe! I wouldn't say this is an essential product that you need to have in your make up bag, but it certainly adds a gorgeous glow to the complexion in a way powder doesn't.

Have you bought anything from the Tom Ford collection? More importantly, do you think the prices are just too high?

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