Mastering Your Makeup

MooGoo Skincare Products..What have I tried and my thoughts.

MooGoo –Natural Skin Care for Sensitive or Troubled Skin.

Cows…wonderful creatures really but apart from a cold glass of milk or a nice steak once in a while, I rarely if ever considered that those lovely cows needing something to treat their skin that could then be adapted and end up on my body!!

What am I talking about??....

“MooGoo was first made when the founder adapted a cream used in dairy farms to help a family member with a skin problem. The dairy version of "udder cream" was designed to heal the cow's udders and keep them in good condition for milking. It was full of skin repair ingredients and no gimmicks. Cows don't care too much about the latest fad in skin care, or even "Organic blends of Horsetail and Bergamot..." They do need healthy skin on their most valuable assets. Although the original cream used in the dairy farms was legendary for its skin healing properties, it was thick and greasy. MooGoo modified the cream for human use by keeping all the skin healing properties but making it non-greasy.

Friends and neighbours started using the creams. It is amazing just how many people came out of the woodwork that had either very sensitive skin, or some sort of problem for which "nothing works.Since then, many other products have been added for people with sensitive skin and scalps and MooGoo was born.

MooGoo is now stocked in approximately 1300 pharmacies and healthfood stores within Australia and selected stores in Ireland, Malaysia and the US. MooGoo also exports Worldside via its online store on a daily basis”

Firstly I just want to say that the MooGoo Irish website www.moogoo.ie is bursting with information about the products, the company and thankfully they have a full Irish stockist list so if you are looking to try some of these bad boys after the post, deffo head over the website, I spent ages looking through products and getting familiar with what I was putting on my skin before I used it.

So what have I tried so far?

Well as you can see from that picture I was absolutely spoiled by MooGoo so I’d like to say a huge thank you firstly to them for treating me so well. I had been in touch with Melanie and we were discussing my current skin concerns so lucky for me I was one of the first to try their new Tamanu Oil.

Tamanu Oil: “Tamanu Oil is pressed from the nuts of Tamanu Fruit, mostly from Pacific Islands. Used for centuries in the Pacific Islands on wounds, this oil gained attention when it was shown in a study to help normalise the appearance of scar tissue.

From the moment you apply Tamanu Oil to the skin it can be seen that it is a very intense and concentrated oil. It has a yellow/green colour and a very distinctive scent. In some ways it may not be the "prettiest" of oils, but it is certainly one of the most effective.

Tamanu Oil is now becoming famous for its anti-ageing benefits abased on promotion of new skin and its assistance in repair. Ideal for acne, acne scarring and wound soothing. It is best applied in the evening or under a moisturiser.”

I was told while chatting to Melaine that they don't perfume their MooGoo products so the smell is the natural Tamanu smell which is a bit of a marmite situation for some! I can safely say it’s not a love of mine but the benefits are totally out weighing the smell, I am loving this product! I try to use it every day but as you apply the oil to your skin you need to leave it soak in before you add your moisturiser so just bear in mind you want to leave yourself a little time. I am not having the same breakouts as before at all and I am happy to contribute some of this to this beautiful oil.

This beauty retails at €12.70 (absolute bargain!!)

The second full size product I got was the Skin Milk Udder Cream- where it all began for MooGoo!

“Our original udder cream that started it all. The Skin Milk Udder Cream is the lightest of our creams. It easily penetrates the skin with healing ingredients and is non-greasy. Full of skin repair ingredients and Milk Protein for Skin Elasticity.”

As many of you will know, I have had loads of weddings lately, which in turn has meant lots of scrubbing of my skin, tanning and then more scrubbing so my poor skin has been needing some looking after. Thankfully the mudder udder cream is exactly what it claims to be. I love nothing more than taking a hot bath, scrubbing myself for my next tan and lashing on the udder cream afterwards to my legs especially they are loving the feel of it. A little goes a long long way so the tube is lasting me ages. Super happy that the initial product really lives up to the hype.

This baby retails at €10.25 (I mean the pricing is just unreal!)

As well as the two full sized products, I was sent loads of lovely little testers of other MooGoo products. I still have some left (which is very sad as I love them all) but I will talk you through some of the samples I've tried.

Milk Shampoo: This was first made for a family member who had a scalp so itchy they went to bed with olive oil and cling wrap around their head. It took 6 months of trialling until we banished the cling wrap to the kitchen for good.
Our Scalp Friendly Milk Shampoo has now become one of our best selling products. Read our 'We got mail" page to see how much it has helped people with scalp problems. We use natural ingredients combined with ingredients to control the micro-flora of the scalp that can cause scalp problems for many adults and children. Fragrance Free. pH BAlanced. Natural Cleansers. Bottle size is 500ml.

Cream Conditioner: Our Scalp Friendly Cream Conditioner uses natural ingredients to moisturise the hair, not silicones to coat the hair with something slippery. It also has ingredients to control the flora of the scalp that sometimes causes scalp problems for people.

I took these two products with me while camping last week, they were a god send. We were out in the wilderness (ok Galway) but the sun was beaming during the day, midges out at night destroying our lives but thankfully the adult leaders had access to wonderful showers so I used these to get my hair back into shape and my hair was silky smooth after using these two products. I have had a lot of rough products in my hair over the last year or two so I am really taking care of my hair now and these products would be perfect for someone who is conscious of their scalp, who may be suffering from any type of scalp issue.

The shampoo retails at €14.95 for a 500ml and the conditioner at €14.95 for a 500ml (that’s huge!!)

I have also tried the Full Cream Moisturiser and the SPF15 Anti-Aging Face Cream.

Full Cream Moisturiser: This is a "creamier" version of the original Udder Cream moisturiser. It is designed to moisturise easily irritated skin using natural ingredients. The base oil of the cream is Sweet Almond Oil. This is high in the types of fatty acids needed for troubled skin.
Also raw Coconut Oil which naturopaths often use as a skin soothing oil. Other ingredients include pasteurised honey (so safe for babies). The pH is balanced to the skin through the use of Apple Cider Vinegar. Naturally, the apple and honey give the cream a wonderful fragrance and there is no need for us to add any other fragrance.

SPF15 Anti-Aging Face Cream: We have made an all-natural moisturiser for the face which is full of powerful anti-oxidants and then stirred through 19% of non nano Zinc. The first thing people notice is the colour. It is a light tan colour as it is full of genuine natural anti-oxidants, and these are not always white. We also use Red Raspberry Seed Oil for natural SPF in the formula which is bright red. Secondly it is quite thick due to the natural actives and Zinc. However we find it spreads really easily.

Again I brought these two products on my camping trip and got days out of them. The SPF cream I used in the evenings after my shower, the sun was still bright so I was very aware that my skin was not going to burn. The creams are lovely and softening on the skin. Although the SPF is quite thick I can vogue for the fact it is easily blended into the skin. A 270g of the full cream will only cost you €16.65 and the SPF cream is €25.30 and I would highly recommend this.

I am really looking forward to continuing to use my MooGoo samples not to mention check out some newbies. On my current MooGoo wishlist are two products I will certainly have to try in the near future and they are:

Oil Cleansing for Combination: http://moogoo.ie/face-cleanser/oil-cleanser-combination.html I really think with all the makeup I wear, this could be a super treat for my face each evening.

How Now Brown Cow (Gradual Tanner): http://moogoo.ie/natural-tanning-cream.html I mean look we all know I am a serious tanner but with a name like that I HAVE to try it!!

So there we have it, a pretty long post on a pretty cool brand of skincare. You’ll see MooGoo has a huge range of Irish stockists and if you cannot find one for you, you can also purchase through the website. Be sure to check out MooGoo on Facebook HERE and on Twitter @moogoocows and on Instagram @moogooireland

Have you tried MooGoo? What do you think??

09:32:00
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A look at some Spectrum Brushes- with Beauty Matters.ie

Online beauty shopping how do we all feel about it??

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I'm great at it to be honest...I will now happily buy all my brushes from Blank Canvas Cosmetics online or Nima Brush, two amazing Irish brush companies but I think some of that comes from the two beauty shows which take place annually in the RDS. I will have a list ready, grab a few newbies and it’s a good chance to spot what you like then for your online purchases.

Brushes can be hard to judge from a screen, I'm sure many beauty lovers like myself have gone onto Ebay seen a ‘MAC’ makeup brush set for €20 and convinced ourselves it’s good quality. Well I did anyway and it was a stupid idea because once I became really into makeup and discovered great brands like them, I binned my ‘MAC’ brushes straight away.

Sometimes though, word of mouth and social media are exactly what you need in order to discover new brands and recently that’s exactly what happened to me…I have been seeing Spectrum Brushes all over my social media and mostly on the ladies From Matte to Metallic’s Facebook page. They teach many courses from their studio and each student gets spectrum brushes as part of their kit.

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‘Spectrum Collections is a cosmetics brush brand who specialise in boldly designed makeup brushes, applicators and tools, where vibrant colour palettes are teamed with expert design. Spectrum Collections aims to be a trusted and recognised brand amongst professional artists and makeup lovers alike.

All of Spectrum Collection’s brushes are hand finished, vegan and animal friendly - composed of the highest quality synthetic hair, ensuring the brushes are not only beautifully soft, but also a compassionate choice.

Our unique product range targets a niche within the industry, and presents the opportunity to provide a vibrant range of alternative brushes, that translate as an extension of the vibrant colours used and loved by makeup fanatics.’ (www.spectrumcollections.com)

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I was really delighted to receive three Spectrum Brushes from Beauty Matters (www.beautymatters.ie) a few weeks back and have been putting them to the test with using them and cleaning them. Beauty Matters is an Irish online beauty store with a huge range of brands for you to choose from, I have been building a little shopping basket as the weeks to payday come closer. I really want two more of the spectrum brushes and some of the BECCA Cosmetics. I absolutely love the ‘about us’ section of Beauty Matters its super quirky and just makes you want to shop!

“Hello there! Let us introduce ourselves: we are BeautyMatters.ie.

Our goal - let's rephrase that - our vision is to make sure you have a fantastic experience while having a browse through our online store. Bear in mind that we take no responsibility if you happen to fall head over heels in love with our gorgeous hand picked range of nail lacquers or even our superb selection of skincare.

If you happen to see something you like then great, pop it into your basket (shhh...we won't tell if you don't :-P ). And if you don't get the chance to indulge and pamper yourself this time around, don't worry - just visit our Facebook page, where we like to reward everyone just for being a part of the Beauty Matters family.

Everyone knows sharing is caring, so that's what we're doing. We are bringing so many wonderful beauty and hair products to Ireland so we can all share them together. We've brought you brands like AR457, Ren, Butter London...oh my goodness, too many to name...I think we may have over shopped on this occasion. But hey, what's ours is yours and your happiness is what matters here at BeautyMatters.ie.

We can guarantee a lot to our customers. If we could deliver your luxuries by helicopter we would. They will arrive at your door on time with all the love, tenderness and care they deserve, so you can enjoy the benefits of being part of the Beauty Matters family. We might even throw in some extra freebies if you're good...

Thanks for visiting us!

Come back soon,

Beauty Matters Team”

The three brushes I received were the:

Well Rounded Domed Buffer: €10.75 “This beautifully soft but dense brush is the perfect tool to apply powder products. It is also suitable for cream formulas. Use to add a light amount of product to the face, and build to get the desired finish. The rounded bristles are perfect to use both on the apples of the cheeks, but also the temples to create a contoured effect.”

In The Buff Flat Top Buffer: €10.75 “Use to blend cream and liquid products onto the skin. The super soft bristles mean that foundation can be buffed lightly into the skin for a beautifully even finish that can be left lighter, or built up to a more full coverage look. This product is also perfect to contour the face by blending different coloured foundations into the skin seamlessly.”

Blending Friend Tall Tapered Blender: €5.99 “Our most popular eye blending brush, this is the ultimate tool for creating all kinds of make-up looks, from soft and romantic to full blown sexy and smokey. Use to blend out colour or build up shade in the contours of the eye, this brush can do no wrong.”

I am very happy with all these brushes, truly I am. They are super soft, I mean they're pink and purple for god’s sake I am a sucker for colours. I have used a range of foundations on the flat buffer and it cleans brilliantly every time with the baby shampoo and warm water combo. The domed buffer I’ve used for both contouring and blusher but I prefer to use it for blusher. Again its super soft it picks up the colour really well and doesn’t leave much fall off at all. The eye brush with its tapered top works perfectly into the crease of the eye. I have been using this brush with my transition colour for my eye looks. I love the pink handle on these Spectrum brushes but the hair is just so pretty, I think it’s a really good selling point for the brushes being so different. From the feedback I have been reading about Spectrum Brushes, I think they are going to be super popular with Make Up Artists and Beauty Bloggers alike.

If you are interested in trying some new brushes then I can happily recommend Spectrum Brushes. They are so on budget with only almost €11 for a bigger brush and only €5.99 for an eye brush.

An 8 piece eye set will set you back €42.50 on Beauty Matters that’s only a little over €5 per brush.

A 10 piece essential set which includes eye and face brushes is again only €60.

I hope you enjoyed learning all about Beautymatters.ie and Spectrum brushes, I’d love to hear if you’ve bought from Beauty Matters or used Spectrum Brushes before.

14:31:00
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Motives Cosmetics- A night in Waverley Academy

11:29:00
2 Comments

My Holiday Haul from The Loop at Dublin Airport

Hey Hey Beautiful People,

It's been a good week, blog post wise, I finally feel I am catching up in things here and it hasn't felt like that in ages so thank you for your continued support and following of my little blog.

Every now and then when I can, I try to save for a makeup haul and this summer has been no different. I have been working really hard saving for all the hen's weddings and the holiday we had so I made sure that when I went through The Loop, I could treat myself.

My advice to anyone going through The Loop and wanting to treat yourself, have a little look online before you go, get some ideas..You've no idea just how distracted you can get but thankfully I had my list at the ready for the MAC counter.

I was flying out of Terminal 2 and we had a very early flight, we were through security at 5am and I was delighted to see MAC open. The reason I pointed out being prepared is unfortunately at the time I went to the counter, there was only one girl available to serve. She was extremely busy with people asking questions about makeup. I found this a little annoying as I was waiting quite a while to be served. Now don't get me wrong, the girl herself was super but she was just snowed under at that time of the morning. There was a lady doing a shopping list for her daughter and the girl ran around getting everything she wanted and then the lady wanted her to test out foundations on her, I really began to feel for the girl as she now had a Q of 5 people deep, thankfully my list and the guy behind me had a list also so we were ready.

When it was my turn, the girl again got all I asked for but they didn't have two of the lipsticks I wanted but she was so on the ball with two similar shades that she said would look really nice on me. Now before the skeptics tut at my poor restraint to not buy the lippies, the girl was not just 'trying to sell' and she was so right, I've been wearing both my lippies and I really like them so good call on her part!!

I was served, money paid and swinging that bag happily towards my gate in no time! Thanks to the lovely girl in MAC who was working at 5am in T2 on the 8th of June.

I couldn't go straight to the gate without stopping in Victoria's Secret for a peek. This shop was much quieter but again the girl on the till was super nice. In here I decided to try the primer I had read so much about and also the leg shine, not that I was going to tan on my holiday but I decided it was a must have for my night's out. The packaging alone in Victoria's Secret had me excited so it was €25 well spent!!

J was laughing as I boarded the plane, fearful I should have bought more and we hadn't even left Ireland and €150 was already gone!!

So what did I buy:

Mac Studio Fix Fluid in NC30- I have been using this foundation since I'm at least 18. This was the first foundation I bought from MAC and continues to be my night time foundation. This is why the shade is so dark, I could only ever wear this with my darker tans and not for all day wear like for work. There's just something about this foundation that I love, it's really good coverage, you don't need to use loads of it each time and it lasts me a good while. This costs €2.25 in the loop.

Mac Waterproof ProLongwear in NC25- I decided to give this a go as I was passing through. I had read a few makeup artists & bloggers post on this, that it was a nice addition to their kits so for €31.05 it was a steep plunge. I am happy I did though, I wore this foundation recently to a family bbq, out in the sun all afternoon and the shine wasn't at all as bad as I thought it would be. I was really happy to see it wear well and it's something I will come back to time and time again. I decided on NC25 for this just for those lighter tan days as I don't want all my foundation to be super dark and I'll have nothing for my pale days, not that I have many of them to be fair!

Mac Mineralize Skin Finish in Medium- I can honestly say I've no idea why I bought this haha! I had a few of the MSF products now in shades like, medium deep, light plus, lightscapade and soft & gentle but I thought medium was good to have in my collection for use all over my face. I have used this a little but it's not really for my skin on it's more oily days but I'll use it nonetheless and add some light to my face. This costs €25.50. (if you have any advice on that to use this for let me know)

Mac Prep+Prime highlighter pen in Light Boost Ah-ha now this was something I was really looking forward to. I have seen so many people using this magic pen to brighten up their under-eye area so it had to be mine. I really like it, and it really does work to brighten up your face. Light Boost is exactly the shade I wanted so I was so happy when it was available to me in T2. This would be one of my highly recommended new products I've tried. This will set you back €20.85.

Lipsticks in Honey Love & Please Me Awh my new babies, they are super pretty shades, kinda nude with a pink and a brown colour to them. I love them, as with many of my MAC lippies, I wear them most weekends and try to mix up my lip liner pencils with more than just one shade and thankfully my spice and soar liners work really well with these. These lipsticks cost €16.60 in The Loop and it's only natural to treat yourself to at least one new lippy as your pass through, it's actually a rule!! I hadn't chosen these girls before I arrived at the counter but I was really happy when the girl showed them to me, I swatched them and said yes and delighted I did now.

The victoria's secret goodies were just a little treat to myself, I've used the Prime & set spray and it's lovely, I have only used it once or twice so I can't say too much at the min and the same goes for the leg shine, I haven't had a dark tan on lately but I will deffo give this a go with a few late nights out coming up.

Overall my service at The Loop was very good and it's such a handy service to have when you are travelling. Hope everyone is loving the weather :)

16:04:00
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Vichy Purete Thermale Cleansing Range- Have I liked the new products?

Hi Everyone,

For today's post I am talking about Vichy. Vichy is a hugely well known brand that I'm sure many of you have tried but these are two new products that I was sent to try. I am all for pre-cleansing, I think it's such an important part of removing your makeup properly. I have tried a pre-cleanse from Dermalogica and I really liked it but to be fair it's super expensive so I am delighted to see Vichy bring our their new beautifying cleansing micellar oil as a brilliant rival.

"NEW BEAUTIFYING CLEANSING MICELLAR OIL RRP €16.50

This non-greasy oil is the perfect product for pleasurable make-up removal, while cleansing the skin to remove impurities, excess sebum and dead cells. Suitable for both dry and oily skin types, the formula works to remove even tough waterproof make-up, transforming into milk on contact with water. Formulated with Camelia Oil and Vitamin E, skin will be left soothed, soft and deeply hydrated." (press release)

So I have been using this cleansing oil for at least 3 weeks now, I have been using it most nights when I have been wearing makeup during the day. I really like it! Genuinely I think for my heavy makeup days this is exactly what I need, it's a super price at only €16.50 and it really does remove about 80% of my makeup from just one use. I use this as I said as the first part of my cleaning routine. I then go on to use my cleanser, toner and night moisturiser/serum as needed but this is going nowhere from my skin routine. It's really gentle on my skin, I'm not having any type of reaction or redness/soreness which is a big plus as sometimes I go too heavy handed with products and end up hurting my face.

One Step Cleansing Micellar Solution RRP €

"Ultra-gentle, refreshing cleansing solution to purify skin, remove make-up and soothe irritation. With unique micellar technology to effectively remove impurities." (vichyusa.com)

I am loving this product. Unlike the cleansing oil, I tend to use this in the mornings or in the evenings when I haven't used much makeup. I think this is a great micellar water again super gentle, really helps to get rid of the daily dirt and grime that may land on your face throughout the day. I have tried this with stronger makeup such a eye liner and the likes but for me that's a job for the oil. I think the Micellar solution is a good pre-cleanse again but deffo for the day time when it comes to my makeup.

If you are into makeup or just want to add that extra step of cleansing to your routine then please do try out the new Vichy Purete Thermale Cleansing range from your local stockist.