Mastering Your Makeup: HomegrownHero

BPerfect LMD Master Palette- Review & Thoughts

Hello Lovelies,

Today on the blog I want to talk to you about a palette which seemed to take the blogging world by storm there before Christmas. It is of course the BPerfect Cosmetics LMD Master Palette.I am always sceptical to run off and review something straight away, I like to take my time with a palette. This is of course in the interest of a fair review but being completely honest, I don't wear eye shadow to work, I haven't since I moved job so the weekends are when I can really test out shadows.

First up who is LMD? Louise Mc Donnell is the creator of the palette and owner of the lmdsalon in the north of Ireland actually opening her second salon during 2016. She is also the lady who did Suzanne Jackson's makeup on her wedding day. You can check out all about Louise, her salon and her signature looks on her website HERE. Louise was one of the most talked about MUA's of 2017 being part of SoSueMe's big day but you gotta hand it to her, the look on Suzanne was stunning, she was a beautiful bride.

Back in early December I was invited out to McCabes pharmacy in Swords to see Louise and Brendan (owner of BPerfect Cosmetics) officially launch the palette. To watch Louise work, I was in awe. She is so comfortable at what she does and although she appears effortless in her actions, you can see the perfectionist coming out all the time as she wants everyone to feel 100% happy with her work. It was her true love of makeup that made her want to create her own palette and Brendan from BPerfect cosmetics seemed to be the the best link.

Let's get the details of the palette and then my thoughts; (information from the BPerfect Cosmetics website)

Price Point: €30/ £25

Availability: Lots of pharmacy stockists & online

Get the ultimate finish with this sculpt, blush, highlight and eyeshadow master palette. With 15 amazing colours to choose from, this all in one master palette is a make up bag must have!

Each of the eyeshadows is highly pigmented and can also be used as face powders.

This palette contains a range of 15 matte to shimmer shades.

Use the metallic shades as a highlight to make those cheekbones pop!

I think this is such a good idea Louise doing her own video!

Now let's take a look at the shadows and my faves...

Anyone who knows me will probably be able to guess my big loves from the shades in this palette but they HAVE to be... Toffe & Marbs along with Prinny & Cranberry, absolutely stunning! As a blue eyes lady these colours are stunning on my skin colour and eye colour.

There are a few words that we bloggers like to use when talking about new shadows, blend-ability, colour pay off, pigment and longevity. I'm not expert at testing out a shadow other than to put it on my eye and see how it lasts but i have to hand it to Louise, I am in fact able to get a good blend from the shadows. I am able to apply them without much fallout so when I forget to do my eyes first, my face is not ruined. I do find that I'm still wearing the same look as I applied when wanting to remove it later in the evening. I know that sounds like it should always happen but there have been times when shadows have kind of mix if you're out for a long time or getting hot (as in when out in a nightclub dancing) its not pretty!

I also find that whether I have tan on or not they suit me. Louise when she was at the launch was very clear in how she wanted to create a palette that all women could use with confidence. She didn't want to stick to one eye colour for her palette nor did she want an all matte or all shimmer palette. The size of the palette is perfect for travel. The added bonus of a contour, blush and highlight shade makes this palette perfect for travelling and the glow from the highlighter will have you seen from space no doubt about that. I also like the price point, the £25 or €30 for a palette with pans the size this one has and face powders puts it right up there in competition with lots others on the market. The shades I also feel allow for day and night looks, you can quite easily vamp up a day look into a night look using this palette with only adding one extra shadow.

If you are new to makeup or you are just looking for a sound investment to update your current makeup collection, I would 100% recommend the BPerfect Cosmetics LMD Master Palette. I am travelling to Amsterdam next week and I will be bringing this baby along for my three nights away.

Have you tried the LMD Master Palette, what are your thoughts?

09:56:00
1 Comments

The Year Was 2018...

Beauty

Hello Lovelies,

17 days into 2018 I would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year! I am now in fact 31 years of age as of yesterday!! I had a wonderful birthday and it got me thinking about where Mastering Your Makeup is going in 2018. The short answer is nowhere, but, 2018 is going to be a huge year in my life. I am less than 7 months away from marrying my best friend on the 10th of August 2018.

Rather than bombard you with bridal posts as to be honest, I don't feel qualified in the slightest to tell someone else how they should do things for their own wedding, I would like to invite any bride to be or past bride to get in touch with questions, advice or tips during the next few months because trust me, all suggestions welcomed!

During early 2017, I changed job, I finally found what I feel is the job of my dreams. I am in a great location, working as part of a great team and the new working hours have allowed me to rejig my lifestyle. Over recent month like many of my fellow blogging beauties, things can get quite in the build up to Christmas. Everyone gets busy and if you're blessed with a good social circle, you are mostly busy because you are off spending time with people. I had a great start to December and then I got really sick so for about three weeks I wasn't myself at all, I wasn't out and I missed out on a lot of good social occasions.

One thing I have promised myself for 2018 is to be more social, spend more time out of the house and with friends and family. A downside to working so early is I still get really tired so I sometimes nap after work and that just destroys my evening then I'm totally zapped of energy, this is not the year for that to happen!

Anyway all you guys need to know is although Mastering Your Makeup is going nowhere it will be naturally quieter. I just don't have the same free time anymore and I'm in the process of changing some very bad diet and fitness habits to try and be at my best for August so I will be sure to keep you all in the loop of anything beauty related.

For the wedding, I have enlisted the dream team of Lisa from Zinc Hair and Beauty for all things hair, Collette Griffin MUA from Waterford for my makeup and of course remaining with my fave ladies Elaine from Elaine's Beauty for skin & nails and finally Louise from LuluBelle Beauty for brows and tan.(I can't link the ladies but they are all on social media) I cannot wait for the big day so all the prep be it skin, hair,nail and even hair removal have started now. That's right you heard me.. I am going for my very first laser hair removal session this Friday. I'm going to do a blog post on that separately but to be very clear, I am a paying customer of each and every one of those ladies mentioned above and especially with my laser hair removal, I booked in as an individual and not for the blog at all.

If time allows and the invites come in, I will still attend as many events as I can this year that are of real benefit and interest to the blog and of course will still review products purchased by myself and gifted with complete honesty. With the way the social media scandals have played out recently I take no offence in people wanting to know where things come from, we all work hard enough for our cash ladies let's not waste it on bad products on the opinion of some. Always trust your own gut and of course your own skin type.

Catch you all soon!!

Em x

13:15:00
4 Comments

Healthy Eating with The Healthy Kitchen!

Healthy Kitchen

Heya Lovelies,

So often we hear about the latest way to lose weight or gain muscle. A lot of our time is spent looking through Instagram at all these fabulous people while we sit scoffing our faces on the couch. If that's not you, huge congrats you've gotten over the hurdle I certainly haven't yet!

A new opportunity came to my inbox one day that I was intrigued with. I have seen a few advertisements for things like this in the past but never participated myself. As this was a new Irish company, I decided I would take a chance and offered to write a post afterwards.

From the Healthy Kitchen FB page

This company for this post as you can see from the title is The Healthy Kitchen. Here's some info about the company & what they offer;

We are a company that supplies and provides delivery of 5 balanced, full meals to the customer’s address/business Monday to Friday.

The menu is designed by experienced dietitian for people who would like to lose some extra kilograms, or just take care of their body and health in general, or improve their overall well-being. Thanks to the healthy kitchen diet, every person is able to change their eating habits and achieve success.

For us, our mission is to prepare and deliver healthy, quality great tasting food, directly to your door and ready for you in minutes.

Our diet meal plans are suitable for:

obese people,
seniors,
pregnant and breastfeeding women,
students,
athletes,
bodybuilding,
swimmers,
joggers,
runners,
martial art,
yoga,
vegetarians,
kids aged between 6 to 13 years
new parents,
general health improvement

So how does this work you are now asking well.... There are five diet plans you can choose from;

Whatever your personal background might be, we prepare suitable diet meal plans for each individual person’s needs. Our experience dietitian have developed 5 different diet meal plans that are delicious and nutritious as well as portion and calories controlled.

Everyone is different and has their own specific needs. Choose one of our meal diet plans most suitable to your needs so that it will help you achieve your personal fitness or weight loss goals. Healthy kitchen diet meal plans are easy to follow, there is so much variety and ready to eat in only a few minutes.

DIET MEAL PLANS STANDARD

Standard plan is for everyone who is interested in simply improving their health, maximizing their energy level, and achieving a goal weight.

This plan contains a balanced mix of nutrients, ensuring that you get the right level of carbohydrates, proteins, and dietary fats you need everyday.

DIET MEAL PLANS BODYBUILDING & ATHLETIC

Sport focused meal plans are designed for the active individual in mind. Diet meal plans bodybuilding & athletic has a slightly different mix of nutrients that ensures you are giving your hard working muscles the fuel they need to recover and repair after those intense workout sessions.

These plans accommodate very high activity levels, you will notice that the macronutrient distribution favors a higher protein and moderate carbohydrate intake. This will ensure you have energy to spare as you go about those exercise sessions.

DIET MEAL PLANS FITNESS

Looking to achieve a high level of fitness or a toned body? If you want to have low levels of body fat with good muscle tone and definition, your diet will make all the difference.

Our fitness meal plans help ensure your body burns fat all day long, giving you the nutrients you need to get through a workout session.

These plans will be lower carb in nature, putting more emphasis on the protein and healthy fat side of things.

DIET MEAL PLANS VEGETARIAN

Our vegetarian meal plans are 100% meat-free while still getting in all the vital nutrients your body needs to feel its best.

Protein is the hardest nutrient to consume adequate amounts of on a vegetarian diet.

Our diet meal plans provide all essential daily protein required. Note that these plans will include eggs, fish, and dairy products.

DIET MEAL PLANS KIDS

Diet Meal Plans for kids are based on balanced nutritional portion controlled meals. The kids diet consists of 3 healthy and balanced ready to eat meals: breakfast, snack and lunch. This diet plan is suitable for kids aged 6 to 13 years.

So my opportunity was to choose one of the plans and a day would be delivered to my door. I was sitting at home and the doorbell rang, my bag was hand delivered and I was ready to eat for the next day. I wasn't exactly sure what was on the menu for that day but I decided to play it safe and choose the standard plan. I was also able to include that I was not to eat onions or mushrooms in my diet and I was told this wouldn't be a problem.

Let's take a look at what I got...

The first thing I noticed about the meals was the sizing. I had read somewhere that ideally our biggest meal of the day should be our breakfast and that as the day goes on we should be eating less and less. This theory is deffo used throughout The Healthy Kitchen so I wasn't fully prepared for this.

The second thing I noticed was the amount of food. It is definitely enough for one person in one day. To be honest even with the portion size, I felt like I might be eating all day but again was willing to give it a try.

So how did I get on? My day was made very easy not having to prepare food. I didn't find I was overly hungry, I do however love a cup of tea and a treat of an evening especially now that the winter months are here but I did leave that out even for this night to really give the full package a go.

Is this something I would invest in? Well for me saving for a wedding, a house and trying to remain on slimming world in preparation for the wedding, this doesn't really suit me. J however thinks this is a great idea. He doesn't unfortunately work in an environment where he takes enough breaks to eat 5 times a day so I think you would have to have a fairly structured working life to make this work for you.

Cost is also something I'm too aware of these days. You are talking €20 a day which may mean €100 a week to feed yourself, I don't know about you but currently I do not spend that on food. I think though for next year when I am really in the throws of the wedding preparation this would be an asset to any future weight loss I would like. I think if I was to take on working with a personal trainer, having a set programme and set food would really make it easier for me. I think health is an investment and we all need to look at that. Eating cheap isn't always the best thing for us, more & more studies are showing us the dangers of living on just processed foods so with that in mind, if you are looking for freshly prepared meals, delivered to your door then I would recommend The Healthy Kitchen.

You can find them on social media at:
Facebook: healthkitchen.ie
Instagram: @healthykitchen.ie

18:39:00
3 Comments

B Perfect Cosmetics- 10 Second Medium Coconut Tan, Mitt & Back Applicator

Beauty

Hello Lovelies,

I know, you must be thinking to yourself does this one ever wear the same tan twice? The answer is absolutely! But, I also wear different tans for different occasions, I like to be really dark on girly nights out, I like a mid tan for a wedding and I like to be sunkissed all the rest of the time :) It sounds mad but I love to try new tans to see what the shades are like on my skin and how natural they can look while wearing them to work.

The latest tan for me to review is the much talked about BPerfect Cosmetics tan in the shade Medium & the scent Coconut. That's the first thing to note about this tan range, they actually have scents! It's very pleasing to ould nose not to have to smell like a biscuit when you apply your tan or when it's developing for that matter. Usually I am a tanner before bed so in the morning, I can be sick of the smell of myself having slept with it on for about 7 hours. The best way to talk you through this tan is from start to finish so let's take a look firstly at the brands claim for this tan...

Press Info:

"Take centre stage with the BPerfect 10 Second Tan. Get a gorgeous glow in seconds with this new instant tanning formula that works with your skin’s natural tones to create the perfect colour for you. The 10 Second Tan is a liquid non-streak formula that is easy to apply (spray bottle), quick-drying, gradual fade up to 5 days. Lightly scented with soft notes of coconut."

This tan is €24.99 availble in Pharmacies nationwide. I know it is stocked in Waterford Health Park Pharmacy, in Meaghers, Sam McCauley's &McCabes Pharmacy.

My Thoughts!

Application: I have to say, I was always a little dubious about buying a mitt and a tan from the same brand. i assumed long ago that tanning brands bring our their own mitt just to get you to spend more money. I know realise after trying to many tans so many different ways, that if a brand has it's own mitt it's usually because they have found their own mitt to be the best at applying their product. The BPerfect Cosmetics Mitt is no different,. I used it for two of the applications of this tan and on another occasion used a mitt not from any brand and there was deffo a difference in my tanning results. I used it the exact same way but the fabric on the other mitt didn't catch the spray as well as the BPerfct one so I ended up wasting a lot of my product seeping into the mitt rather than just landing it on my skin.

The spray works really well on the velvet mitt and it does have a slight colour guide also so you know where you have applied the tan. Depending on how brave I'm feeling, for the most part i will apply the tan to the mitt and then swipe the mitt over my body. If I feel i need a top up, I may spray the tan directly onto my skin. You do need to move fast however, as the tan is a total liquid so it will run down your skin super fast which is why you have to be brave and ready to buff with your mitt.

The smell of coconut is minimal to be fair so don't panic about the scent if coconut isn't your favourite thing, you are not walking around like a bounty bar!

Wear: The glow from the medium tan was stunning on my skin. I recently had my first staff night out in my new job and I applied the tan first on the Wednesday night, showered off and reapplied the Thursday and with two coats, I was a beautiful sunkissed brown for the night out. I think the shade medium is what I would call a week tan, I would like to try the dark watermelon shade next to see if it is more of a night out shade for me. I was wearing a black dress to the night out and did feel I would like to be a little darker but all the same it was a beautiful shade and I have washed it off and reapplied to have the same golden coulour for three weeks now.

Wear Off: The wear off is said to be a gradual fade over about 5 days from this tan, I would have to agree that the wear off from the medium shade has been extremely easy on my skin. Once I know I want to start taking a tan off, I will apply moisturiser that I know has oil in it, usually going to bed so it really get to work in my skin and then in the morning shower, I will start to exfoliate my skin as the week progresses. No tanning week is complete in my life without my hot bubble bath to take away the very ends of a tan. I soak in a bath usually with a lush bath bomb but I always add in some Johnson's Baby Oil into the bath so again the oil gets right into my skin and the tan will literally brush off with an exfoliating glove. I won't reapply the tan the same night that i have the bath so I allow my skin to breathe.

Overall, I am very happy with the tan and especially the shade medium. As I have said, it is a beautiful golden shade on my skin type (which is extremely pale) I will deffo get my hands on the darker shade at some point and give that a review also as I'd be very interested to see how well that darker shade takes to my skin.

Now last but by no means least at all has to be the new back applicator for the tan.... this is life!! It's coming in at around €15 if I remember correctly from the sterling price but 100% I am never going without this product again!! Seriously ladies, I don't know about you but people like J & my Mam are so fed up of me asking them to tan my back when I want an all over colour. J always insists on asking me 'will you back be on show' and that's never a relevant question...I need to half a full tan if I'm applying tan. I probably waste product this way but I can't tan up to my shoulder just to wear a tshirt, I'll do the whole area and feel much better! Now just for clarity, I have our course used instant tan in this way, literally only tanning where is needed but that's more for an emergency Haha!

Posing at a family party with the tan on had to crop out the poor dadman!

So with the festive season coming up like literally around the corner, try it out for yourself and see if you like the glow. I know it seems a little pricey for tan but a little goes a long long way with this beauty, A few sprays and your whole body is covered. BPerfect Cosmetics have a great website which also includes tips and tricks for tanning so be sure to check that out!

Website: www.bperfectcosmetics.com
Facebook: BPerfect-Cosmetics
Twitter: @bperfectcosm
Instagram: bperfectcosmetics
Snapchat: bperfectbrendan