Mastering Your Makeup

 Hello Lovelies,

So yes you read right at the title, I am going to bring you my top 30 products I love now that I am turning 30! For anyone that doesn’t know me personally, I am birthday obsessed, I love my birthday! I love other people’s birthday’s too but of course my own is the greatest ever. I think it’s such a nice thing to celebrate the day you became you and next Monday the 16^th of January I will be me 30 years. I’m excited for this year my 30^th year, I will be in full wedding planning mode, it’s the year of me so I’m hoping the blog will grow in 2017 just like I plan to as a person.

Anyway… rather than bombard you for 30 products in one post I am going to divide this into 3 so 10 products per post. These products will be a mixture of blogger mail I have received and fallen for (honestly of course) others will be gifts I have gotten and others will be products I have purchased myself and loved. I’m excited to bring these posts because I really do have a lot of products I really like. Just to note, the products won’t be in a preferential order that would be way too difficult and there will be a mix between makeup, hair and skin. Hope you like it!

1. Shiseido Synchro Skin Foundation: This foundation came into my life before I went to New York and I decided to seriously test it in the Sunshine. It was claimed that even with my oily skin, I would be able to wear this foundation without powder and you know what? I could!! This foundation is a little pricey up around the €50 but I have to say when there’s a foundation that doesn’t make me like a disco ball and still gives coverage it is well worth the money so it’s one I will never be without going forward!

2. Vichy Dermablend Powder: A little pot of loveliness this is and a thing of beauty also. This powder is only €20 and a must for anyone who does have oily skin. It’s so light so I can wear it with darker tan without looking like a ghost face! Vichy have such good ranges for all skin types that this powder was very welcomed in my collection.

3. Blank Canvas Cosmetics Solid Brush and Sponge Cleaning Soap: I know I know, I literally only used this for the first time last week but I am telling you, since that first use I have been washing all of my brushes with this bar. I also went online and bought two more of them for my sisters who have a total aversion to washing their brushes so now they really have no excuse. There is a nice scent off the soap, it cleans the brushes in seconds and I mean super cleans them not a trace of product left on them and its super cheap.

I am of course a massive blank canvas cosmetics fan, anyone that follows the blog knows I fully support Una and her BCC team. I have so many brushes and have modelled and worked with them on the beauty shows so it’s safe to say you can never go wrong with any product from Blank Canvas. If you head over to the blog www.masteringyourmakeup.blogspot.ie and search ‘blank canvas’ you’ll see loads of posts I have written so deffo check them out! If you are in need of some brushes there was a fantastic clip of the new #dimensionseries brush sets online.…Yay!!!

4. SOSU Premium Lashes in ‘GiGi’: Lashes are one of the greatest loves of my life. Lashes and me are the best of mates most times, let’s face it I wouldn’t go out without a pair (I honestly would feel so naked) These SOSU lashes in GiGi are that real fluttery look and for just under €6 again amazing value. I have picked up a pair of the Penneys exclusive lashes by SOSU in Holly, haven’t worn them yet but I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say they’ll be fab on my lash line!!

5. Inglot What a Spice Collection Eyeshadow: I decided to include the what a spice collection shadows as I now have 7 of them. To be fair the first 5 I bought I really wanted and then next two I ‘needed’ you know how it is. One of the greatest products Inglot do is their freedom system shadows. I currently have two 10 pan filled palettes and then I also own 3 flexi palettes. Not all full yet of course but I’m working it! The what a spice collection shadows are €6 each and with my pro discount come in at €4.20 (I love my 20% off) Also when my parents recently went to Poland a few weeks back they came back with a stunning haul for me. I’m thinking in 2017, I need to get myself to Poland even if it is for a makeup haul with ‘some’ sightseeing.

6. Dermalogica Daily Shampoo & Conditioner: Dermalogica is a brand that is in my heart, and on my face! When the shampoo and conditioner were launched, it was something I was really happy to review. I did have high hopes but a few concerns as the products are so good on the skin, I really didn’t want the hair products to be ‘too good’ on my hair and strip the colour out. But after finishing the whole bottle of both products, my colour was intact, my hair was silky smooth and super shiny so it is well worth the 20 odd euro you pay for these products. I think these hair products make a stunning gift for a hair lover or in fact someone who’s hair needs a little help.

7. The Balm Nude Dude Vol2 palette: This was gifted to me at an event towards the end of the year. The Balm as a brand exploded throughout Ireland in 2016, I’m assuming mostly due to the big influencers showcasing the products on their social media accounts especially Snapchat. The Balm as a brand wasn’t overly available in Ireland so when I had the opportunity to attend an event I was delighted. I began purchasing from The Balm in Castle Pharmacy in Waterford and when I saw this palette I really wanted it. I’m like that you see, I just want things but funds don’t always allow for all the ‘I wants’. These palette is super sexy, you can create so many beautiful looks with it and it’s a regular in my makeup applications. I think this palette is around the €35 mark (€35 in Debenhams) so a little pricey but worth it!

8. TooFaced Better Than Sex Mascara:  Now that’s a massive bloody claim to be put on a mascara but I will say this, I LOVE this mascara! It is unreal, it gives me so much length and fullness that I’m needing a new one so soon (note to self: pick up the new mascara) and actually this will be a birthday treat to myself but this is the mascara that I never want to be without. I’m not sure if it beats my Urban Decay combo but its 2^nd and almost tipping it…almost!

9. Beauty Blender: I had to buy this in New York. I was so on the fence about the original beauty blender because let’s face it, €20 for a sponge seems mental. I picked mine up in Ricky’s and it was $25. I did buy the one with the soap with it and now that I think of it, I haven’t actually taken the soap out of the packet yet. I’m rambling but anyway…the beauty blender, the real one is very different to most other blenders. To be honest the only one that even relatively compares is the real techniques (the orange one) Cheaper beauty blenders are grand but if it’s the same texture and bounce back you want then the original is brilliant and really works the product into the skin.

10. Cocoa Brown Rose Golden Goddess Oil: Let’s just be clear as stated in the top of this post, these products are not ranked in order because this oil, the rose gold shade, has attended every single night out with me since I got it. I love the colouring of the rose gold. I started being subtle with my use of this product but then I just started lashing it on all over my legs when I’m heading out. I use it on my collarbone, the tips of my shoulders, as a highlighter on my cheek, tip of my lip anywhere that needs to glow I put this on. I haven’t yet tried to the ‘ice’ shade but the more I am seeing people using it as a highlight, I am starting to question if I need it too. Let me know if you do have it. At the moment, I have the rose gold packed into my suitcase for my birthday surprise weekend (I don’t know many details but I’m being brought away and need going out clothes) so it’s sitting there waiting to be lashed on again. Such a brilliant product from Marissa Carter!!

Ok so there we have the first 10. Apologies the post seemed to go on but I am so passionate about all of these products that it’s actually hard to stop typing! Stayed tuned for the next 10 in my top 30 at 30!!

Hello Everyone,

So here we are the first post of 2017… can you believe it 2017 already? I feel like it was literally the summer of 2016 a wet day ago and low and behold we’re in a whole new year.

I really like this time of year, I feel it gives everyone a mental fresh start, no matter what happened in the previous 12 months, you have a chance to give yourself a break, a chance to fight back, pick up where we left off or try something new. It is always good for those who had an amazing year, a starting point greater than any before and it will help to continue the same happy path.

For me…. I feel 2017 needs to be different, I’m not alone in this I know that! In 11 days I turn 30! 30 can you believe it? Well I can’t!! I mean where did my 20’s go feck sake it was my 21^st only a little while ago and now I’ll be 30, a grown…well sort of grown up age wise I guess. I did get 3 new Disney DVDs to add to my collection at Christmas not to mention my Harry Potter PJ’s and other childlike gifts such as hand warmers from my bestie. I am a massive child at heart and very happy to be so.

But like a lot of women, 30 brings with it a reality check. This post is not to be a diary entry of any kind but I am getting married next year (I can say that now it’s 2017) and like any bride I want to be at my best ever the day I say I do. So it’s time for change, January is full of change so 2017 is the year of me, my year! (it can be yours too of course but I can only mentally handle the pressure of one life change at a time)

Where does that leave Mastering Your Makeup? Well Mastering Your Makeup took a serious back seat in 2016, not blogging as a whole but my learning, where were the masterclasses, the courses? I tell you…they were right there and I didn’t go to them (not a lot of them) The beauty industry has a lot of costs and with courses costing up to €1000 and a few hours of a masterclass costing up to €100 I literally could not afford them in 2016. I can’t say for sure that 2017 will see me having any more access to money as I have a house to save for and a wedding to pay for but I am determined to have at least a few lessons and masterclasses completed throughout 2017. There are amazing makeup artists all around this country so I really want to link in with people, get learning again and increase my skills. I just have to or what’s the point of Mastering Your Makeup?

I’m not going on a rant by any means but I am not living my life on my blog, my blog is about makeup and beauty. It’s about products I’ve tried, I’ve liked, what hasn’t suited me, what I wouldn’t buy again things like that. It’s about events I’ve attended and products I will review for companies. It’s to promote the fantastic businesswomen we have in Ireland, companies coming to the fore and latest releases that beauty lovers all over might be interested in.

I will always support fellow bloggers, if I give a shoutout on snapchat it’s because it’s someone I watch. If I share a competition, offer or advertisement on my blog it’s because it’s a product/person I believe in and want to support. I am not paid, this is not my job! Anyone that follows me on snapchat knows that at times, my job can completely take over my life and I am ok with that. I don't earn from my blog but I get access all the time to wonderful people and new beauty products. For that, I am always grateful! I never intend to earn from my blog it's not a route I am looking to go down. This is my hobby so that's why my job will come first and my private life remains private. 

I will work hard to be consistent with posting, I always respond to people who get in touch and I will try and have a quicker turn around on my posts. Sometimes, we are so blessed with packages, it can be really hard to stay on top of things and make sure that everything is reviewed but one thing I will kick off this year with is my best and not so great products of 2016.

These posts will be totally honest as always and I will try my best to get a lot more up and more regularly. Something I am really stuck with though is my makeup ability. It has gone nowhere and I’m really sad about that. My confidence has actually gone so low that this Christmas I asked for one lipstick and liner combo and that was it. I didn’t want a single other makeup piece nor have I been able to buy any makeup recently because I just feel what’s the point? Am I ever going to get better?! Without beating myself up too much about it I have come to the conclusion that its practice that has hindered me most. I stopped watching YouTube videos, I don’t sit in front of the mirror anymore and work on my liner or my lips. I don’t see blending as an easier task at all, I dread having to do my own makeup. I have literally spent a small fortune having other makeup artists doing my makeup for at least the last 6 months for any occasion I’ve had on in my life. Now please don’t get me wrong, in the way some women love their hair played with, their feet rubbed, I am crazy about getting my makeup done, I love how you can simply transform a person but if I am not trying to do that for myself after three years of blogging about it then where the hell am I after coming?!

I really want to be better so I am going to enlist the help of some of my favourite makeup artists in the country. Not only for the blog to showcase these brilliant woman but every now and then I am going to book myself in with a makeup artist, focussing on one part of their skill I love and I am going to work my ass off to learn how to do it myself. That’s all I really want, to practice so much in 2017 that when I am writing my year review post in 2018, I am saying thank you for all the positive messages I’ve had over the year practising and getting better at makeup.

Sounds like a good plan don’t you think? I need to practice so as much of the time I will spend getting my body and mind into shape this year in 2017, I will also work on getting my face to a brilliant new place. Not for anyone else, just for me. To feel like I really am Mastering My Makeup!

If you are reading this and feel like there is any advice or comments you want to give me please do get in touch. I really love hearing from people and I know I am not the only one who’s been in a place like this before so get in touch! I really want to turn things around and why not now? I could be an epic makeup artist if I just put my mind and hands to it…Positive Mental Attitude that’s me all over ladies xx

Le Soin Aura Mirablis - The New Face Care Ritual

Detoxify, Refine, Restore and Renew

Roger & Gallet are excited to introduce AURA MIRABILIS – a face care ritual that reveals the aura of perfect looking skin.  With four products; the Extra – Fine Cleansing Mask, Beauty Vinegar, Double Extract and Legendary Cream, this face care ritual is inspired by history.  Over 300 years ago, monks created a powerful natural remedy called "Aqua Mirabilis", containing 18 distilled or officinal plants.  This natural elixir could be drunk or applied to the skin for preserving health and providing beauty.   At the heart of this secret remedy were the rarest medicinal plants. Roger & Gallet owns this formula.

The secret of the most prestigious royal courts

This powerful remedy renamed Eau de Cologne Jean Marie Farina was used by all the royal courts, the emperors and empresses such as Napoléon III, Josephine de Beauharnais and even Queen Victoria. Legend has it, it was the source of their health, their beauty and their AURA.

The first part of this face care ritual is to detoxify using the Extra-Fine Cleansing Mask. This part of the face care ritual is inspired by the virginal milk used to create marvellous skin and oil-based formulas that are known for their numerous skincare benefits and their makeup removing efficacy. This efficacy in removing makeup enables the mask to provide a double use – it can be used as a makeup remover or a detoxifying mask.  It concentrates all the natural powers of 18 officinal plants combined with extra fine Helianthus flower oil, which is rich in essential fatty acids. The Extra-Fine Cleansing Mask is suitable and gentle enough for sensitive skin.

Aura Mirabilis Extra-Fine Cleansing Mask RRP €20

Roger & Gallet was inspired by vinegar-based formulas known for their refreshing and purifying properties to create a new daily facecare formula.  This inspiration led to the creation of the Aura Mirabilis Beauty Vinegar. The Beauty Vinegar helps to smooth the skin, remove makeup residue and eliminate dead cells.   It will also refine skin texture and tighten pores. 

Aura Mirabilis Beauty Vinegar RRP €20

The third part of the Aura Mirabilis face care ritual is to restore your skin using the Double-Extract which will smooth and penetrate your skin quickly to infuse its benefits at the heart of the cells. Hydrated and revived, skin reveals a new bloom.  It also offers a protection against external aggressors.  

Aura Mirabilis Double Extract RRP €55

The ultimate step of the AURA MIRABLIS ritual, the Legendary Cream concentrates all the natural powers of the 18 officinal plants combined with an extract of an immaculately white lily.  This micro-emulsified formula appears firm at first yet gently melts on application, offering the freshness of a gel with the comfort of a cream boosting the skins radiance and texture, protecting it from external aggressors.  

Aura Mirabilis Legendary Cream RRP €45

Roger & Gallet AURA MIRABILIS is available in pharmacies and Marks and Spencer nationwide. 

ENDS

Press Release:

Introducing LanaiBLO; the professional, time-saving tool that your hair and your lifestyle have long been waiting for. 

For the first time in hair history, Katie-Jane Goldin - Serial Hair Entrepreneur, is putting the peerless power of a professional, salon-approved hairdryer in the hands of discerning Irish women. Katie Jane knows that for Irish women and herself included, a good hair day can be life-giving, but why should it have to be a rarity? What's more, why should it take so long? With the right tools, each and every at-home blow-dry can finally be of a salon standard. Named after the villa in which Katie-Jane tied the knot with her husband, Barry, LanaiBLO is an undisputed, beauty industry gamechanger. 

Here's why: 

Technology aside, one of the most loved features about the LanaiBLO hairdryer is the super long cord, making styling at home a hell of a lot easier.

Boasting an impressive power rating of 2400 Watts, LanaiBLO employs fast-drying technology, meaning the days of hours spent creating the perfect blow-dry are at last behind us. As Irish women continue to work hard and achieve all of their goals, saving on time is a necessity, especially for those of us wearing hair extensions. 

Not only will your hair dry faster, you'll never be left trying to tame static tresses, thanks to LanaiBLO's incredible ionic technology. 

Introducing the Cold Shot feature. With this, you can lock in the look you have spent your time creating with heat by quickly cooling the temperature of the air being generated by your dryer, cooling your hair and setting it in place. Another  industry insider secret!

For the ultra professional finish at home, LanaiBLO comes with two different sized narrow nozzles, allowing you to control both heat and air flow. 

What's more, the LanaiBLO hairdryer, despite being incredibly powerful, is super lightweight and ergonomically designed to make your life easier. Maximum style, maximum comfort. 

Lastly, the LanaiBLO Tourmaline crystal components help to seal in moisture to counteract frizz. This feature also helps achieve a smooth and shiny finish. Control 6 Speed / Heat Options. The more options you have the more control you get!

And if that wasn't enough, there's also a range of colours to choose from, and you can have your own LanaiBLO personalised with your name, making it the perfect beauty gift as the festive season beckons.

LanaiBLO, your perfect hair day - every day - awaits. 

Link to High Res Images: http://www.lanaiblo.com/press/

The LanaiBLO Professional Hairdryer is available from www.lanaiblo.com for €99.99 with FREE DELIVERY NATIONWIDE and a PERSONALISATION OPTION!

Instagram @lanaiofficial - Facebook @lanaiofficial - Snapchat @katiejanegoldin