Mastering Your Makeup

Collette Griffin Masterclass in Waterford Health Park Pharmacy

Hello Lovelies,

So a couple of weeks ago I was home for a few days as some of you will have seen from my snaps. While I was at home, I saw that the Waterford Health Park Pharmacy was hosting a makeup masterclass with Collette Griffin. As some of you will know, Collette is doing my makeup for my wedding next year, I had actually asked Collette before we had even set a date as I knew the month. I cannot wait for her to do my makeup so I take every opportunity I can to see her in action… you always learn something new!

The best way for me to remember the demo I decided was to snap the entire thing and to post each picture with a description of the action and the products used. This post should really like a little picture book and of course I will add in any of the missing information.

Collette on the night was using products that you can find in the pharmacy, a very clever idea on Waterford Health Park Pharmacies part as for once you weren’t hearing about something that looks amazing but not able to buy it there and then. The shopping was manic once the event was over. Me being stony broke didn’t help at all but I’m telling you there’s a new wishlist for that pharmacy of stuff I will have over time.

The brand that Collette used mostly was The Balm, a real love affair of mine, I have the Mary Loumaniser on her own and as part of her sister set, it’s such a fantastic highlighter. The Meet Matt Hughes of course are desired by many, I have two shades and now I have taken to adding a little gloss on them to brighten them up for the coming spring. My lip can be a little dry sometimes but I find these fantastically creamy and not as drying as other matte lippies at all. Other brands used on the night were Cailyn which we know I love my Browlux Gel in Oak, literally wear it most days and then Flormar which I have to say I really wanted to buy their new oil free foundation on the night but wasn’t sure of my shade so will need to investigate more. The lashes were from new Irish brand Rebeluna and I have two pairs of these lashes. Created by Lauren Cleare, a MUA friend of mine I am loving her products (and yes I paid for two pairs of my own lashes at the beauty show so this is not an ad, they really are just that nice) The look really was stunning on Collettte’s model, her niece Eve.

Collette is so super down to earth you could literally listen to her for hours, I certainly could anyway and I really hope to see a lot more of her work and not just on my own face when I have events coming up. I actually have a wedding at home in a couple of months and wanted to book her, but wouldn’t know the bride has only gone and booked her so I’m thrilled to see her so busy.

The look Collette was creating on the night was a ‘Glitter Half Cut Crease’ and it was stunning so let’s take a look... I can only apologies as I spent over an hour trying to resize and rejig these pictures but to no avail to get them in the right order. As I was snapping I literally tried to include as much detail as I could.

The stunning finished look

As always I am inspired watching Collette work, her talent is just amazing and the fact she is so down to earth each and every time I see her makes me more and more excited to have her as part of my big day. i hope you were able to pick up some of the tips and products used in this post but also be sure to check out Lyanne's post HERE from Beauty & The brunette and Sarah's post HERE from Beauty & the Masseuse. It's always a great night in Waterford Health Park Pharmacy with the girls!!

20:03:00
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My visit to Renassiance Clinic Howth- Image Skincare Consultation

Hello Lovelies

Today on the blog I am going to talk to you about my recent visit out to Renaissance Clinic in Howth North Co. Dublin. I went out to get a free skin consultation of the Image Skincare brand. Image is not a new brand to me whatsoever, in fact, I have been attending launches of Image skincare products for about the last two years, I have used a good few added into my routine and then with the wedding coming up, I wanted to be sure I was using the best products for my skin.

I was booked in for 5:30pm and was delighted to learn that Renaissance is actually open until 8pm during the week to cater for clients like myself who are working. It did however take me well over an hour to drive to Howth from my place of work to make it on time but the weather was beautiful so Howth was glowing.

The clinic itself is extremely clean and warm inside. It’s welcoming and there are those wonderful salon smells you only get when you are about to be pampered. Just to say, not all facials are pampering, some like the peels are there to do a job on your face so don’t be falling into a false sense of security and then come back to me and say I was all wrong, I tell no lies I swear!!

My consultant was an absolute pro. She is 100% behind Image as a brand and as I lay there on the bed she used more words that I didn’t understand than I did but basically she was able to see each and every skin concern I had and she knew of either a product or a treatment from Image that would be able to help with it. At the end of the day she couldn’t say 100% that my skin would be absolutely perfect for my wedding but she was sure that my skin wasn’t in too bad shape to start with which was lovely to hear.

After talking through my concerns, I was then given a detailed plan of action. This was where my heart skipped a beat. The therapist wanted to start straight away with a course of peels then move onto another type of facial known as IPL and then closer to the wedding use a totally new procedure into the clinic again from image called Mezzo. (I will clarify that name) She said that by starting now that I would be into a maintaining phase for my wedding in August 2018.

As I was visiting from a blog as well as a customer point of view I did go home with some of the home care samples to help me prep my skin for further treatments not to mention to see if I liked the brand itself. I have been an avid user of Dermalogica for the last few years so it’s really important for me that if I was going to change, it would be to the best brand out there.

I left the clinic feeling slightly overwhelmed but delighted at the prospect of having improved skin for the wedding. I’m sure I’m one of millions of brides who wants to be proactive about her image at her own wedding and ensure she is at her best on the biggest day of her life. Although the treatments will be spread out there are expensive but it’s an investment to change how you feel about yourself so please do bare that in mind. When I came away from the clinic I was quite overwhelmed by the money aspect for a brand I hadn’t overly used in the past so after consulting with our wedding budget, whichever brand I choose be it Image or Dermalogica, I am not going to start for a few months yet.

If you are looking for a skin consultation and have access to Howth than I 100% would recommend you book in and visit Renaissance Clinic. I was in no way sponsored to attend there but as part of my visit and receiving some products, it was for a review purpose. I can whole heartedly say that being three weeks into the homecare products, I am already seeing my skin starting to brighten and also look less uneven. In conjunction with proper skincare and a rigid routine I am also trying to up the fitness and take on slimming world again so I think all in all I am in a much better position to give my skin what it needs. My favourite product from my samples is the illuminating serum (which is probably where I am seeing the glow from) I use one pump in the morning under my SPF moisturiser and I am really loving it. The smell (as we all know I’m a smell person) is not the greatest for me personally but the effects are brilliant. I will continue to use the samples until they run out and if I have any more thoughts to share I will of course pass them on.

I hope this post was helpful and I have tagged both the Renaissance Clinic in Howth and Image Skincare Ireland so you can take a look at what your skin might need. Of course if you have any questions please feel free to get in touch with me and I look forward to really kicking my skin into gear in the next few months.

19:50:00
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Ziaja Cucumber & Mint range- Newbies from budget brand

CLEARER COMPLEXIONS AHEAD

NEW ZIAJA CUCUMBER INFUSED SKINCARE

Dramatically transform your skin’s health and appearance with cucumber - the ultimate skin beautifying veggie. ziaja’s new cucumber & mint infused skincare products will help keep your complexion clear and your skin feeling incredibly soft and hydrated. Cucumbers have long been loved by beauty experts because this green veggie effectively treats many common skin problems and offers many skincare benefits.

Ziaja’s cucumber products contain pure cucumber pulp extract which has an array of benefits for your skin – it’s purifying and anti-inflammatory, it helps reduce pigmentation, improves skin tone, it’s refreshing and revitalising, soothing and cooling and has a delicious fresh cucumber scent. Ziaja’s new products also contain mint extract for its refreshing feel and fragrance, and to help reduce oily skin, along with lactobionic acid – an ingredient that is buzzing in the beauty industry - as it’s a non-irritating polyhydroxy acid derived from milk sugar (gentle natural exfoliator) that helps prevent and reverse the appearance of photoaging, including lines and wrinkles, uneven pigmentation, enlarged pores and roughness.

Here in this blog post you will read all of the PR information and then my own review of products I have tried. Where you see the bold italic writing you know that's me but you'll soon see that's very clear because I am in no way scientific!! Enjoy xx

Ziaja’s New Cucumber Skincare Products:

cucumber mint micellar gel €3.99 (200ml)

A gentle ultralight micellar gel for every skin type which foams up with water to swoosh away every last molecule of grime and dirt and remove make-up. With cucumber extract and lactobionic acid (gentle natural exfoliator) to deeply cleanse and resurface skin and leave it feeling soft and smooth. Protects the skins moisture levels and provides a feeling of minty freshness. The mint extract diminishes oil production and reduces inflammation in the skin. ingredients include cucumber pulp extract, lactobionic acid, mint extract and provitamin B5 (D-panthenol)

I have to say I am really loving this product. I find I am using it as a precleanse with my new Penney's face cloth. It's meant to rival the likes of the Nima Mitt and the Cleanse off Mitt but it's not in the same league. Because of the brilliant powder of the micellar gel, I don't actually need a mitt like one of those. The penney's facecloth works perfectly well because the gel is doing all the hard work for me. I do like to go back in with another cleanser but to be totally honest that's just my routine. I can sometimes wears a lot of makeup so i like to double cleanse to make sure each and every screed is off but trust me if you don't cake it on the way I can, you won't need to double up. Also one pump will more than do so you never need to waste product making the €3.99 price tag even more desirable.

cucumber mint face cream €3.99 (50ml)

An ultralight face cream - the perfect solution for dry, inflamed, and irritated skin – this

cooling and calming cream provides intense hydration to the skin, while the cucumber extracts will alleviate any redness and irritation resulting from pollution, sun exposure, redness and acne. With lactobionic acid (a natural exfoliator) to delicately brighten and improve skin tone, while the mint extract refreshes and revitalises the skin. ingredients cucumber pulp extract, lactobionic acid, mint extract, provitamin B5 (D-panthenol)

The scent of the new product is so fresh, I think this is a great time of year for Ziaja to have brought out the new face cream. Of course it's wonderful if it's meeting the needs of those with dry, inflamed or irritated skin but I also think the scent will encourage people to use it more now the days are once again getting longer and hopefully that means we will also see some more sunshine. I do use this face cream myself but I am always conscious not to change my routine too much at once with introducing a whole new range. Someone in my house who is loving the new face cream however is J. He loves how lightweight it is. I am forever asking him to take better care of his skin, he hates that greasy feeling and he is reluctant to use many of my face creams but he absolutely loves this. If you are someone who really wants something lightweight and suffer from the allocated skin types then be sure to give this a try. It gets the thumbs up in our house anyway.

cucumber mint enzyme gel mask €0.69

A refreshing and cooling enzyme gel mask with botanical extracts of cucumber, mint and papain to instantly calm, soothe and moisturise dry irritated skin. Leaves the skin with a gentle feeling of coolness. The gentle gel helps soothe, hydrate, and detoxify dry skin with botanical extracts of cucumber, papaya and mint (is also excellent for calming and soothing irritated skin after sun exposure, peels, waxing, facials etc) and can be used under the eye area to help reduce puffiness.

I was sent two of the masks to try but I will tell you now I always keep Ziaja skin masks in my drawer. I use them all the time (mostly the nights I have my pre-tan bath) and I find then boost my face after hard days of makeup, pollution and general stress. I usually go for the cocoa butter mask but that's just purely for smell, I also use the jasmine mask even though it's for the older age range as it's so lovely afterwards but my skin literally drank this mask in. I wouldn't consider myself to have dry skin at all but my skin has really needed a boost lately, I have been terrible with my drinking water so I will be sure to pick up more of them and come on for 69c you'd be mad not to try it, it's less than a bloody packet of crisps!

cucumber mint body lotion €5.99 (200ml)

An ultralight micro-emulsion body lotion that acts like a fresh juiced green drink for everyday body care, flooding the skin with intensive moisture to increase its hydration content while it cools, soothes and smooths. Immediately and effectively moisturises the epidermis, reduces roughness, provides smoothness and elasticity to the skin and Soothes irritation. ingredients cucumber pulp extract, lactobionic acid, mint extract, provitamin B5 (D-panthenol).

This spray on body lotion has been a godsend to me. I always shower in the morning and it's nearly always a mad rush to be getting ready for work. I also don't like being cold so I'm forever trying to dress as quickly as I can. This body lotion spritzes on in seconds and it melts into the skin in no time at all. You can get dressed within minutes which suits someone like me who is on the go big time. I also like that when I am wearing tan, I don't see it taking off my tan when I am trying to make it last longer by moisturising my skin. One again a few sprays and your arms and legs are covered. I was a little afraid at the start that the 200ml would run out quickly but then I realised how far a spray will go on the skin, I was able to cut back on using so much product. There is nothing worse than being happy a product is cheap but then having to use loads every time so you end up spending the same amount anyway.

Also available in the range:

cucumber cleansing milk €3.99 (200ml)

Cucumber face toner €3.99 (200ml)

cucumber cream for oily skin €4.79 (50ml)

I hope you have found this post some way informative because as always I am a big Ziaja Skincare lover. They have such an extensive range of products that really does cater to almost every skin type there is and with such low pricing, every can afford to give it a go. If you are like me and love to tan all the time then I still highly recommend the orange scrub it works wonders at prepping your skin for tan!!

19:28:00
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Waverley Academy Annual Awards 2017- Best Beauty Blogger Win

16:26:00
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Blank Canvas Cosmetics- Think Pink! #dimensionseries

16:16:00
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SunKiss Tan- Press Info & Review by Me

Hello Lovelies,

Today on the blog we are talking one of my great loves, tan!!

Janice O’ Sullivan, creator of the latest self-tan SunKiss, shares her top tips for applying self-tan to ensure a perfect result every time!

Top Tips for Applying Fake Tan

Tip 1: Hair Prepare

It is important to get rid of any unwanted hair before tanning, wax 48 hours or shave 24 hours before applying. This ensures the skin has calmed and any shaving cuts have healed.

Tip 2: Scrub Up

Exfoliate to gently remove dead skin cells. For maximum exfoliation, use exfoliating gloves, working the scrub in a circular motion, leaving your skin feeling soft and smooth, which will result in an even golden colour.

Tip 3: Oil Free

Make sure your skin is free from any deodorant, moisturisers or perfumes, as they can leave traces on the skin that can cause streaking.

Tip 4: Shower Power

If you’re tanning at home and shower just before your tan application, blast your skin with cold water just before you step out of the shower. It will close all of your pores so no tan builds up, blocking your pores.

Tip 5: Dry Off

After showering, towel dry and wait 10 mins before applying your self-tan.

Tip 6: Commit to the Mitt

The mitt you choose is very important to give a streak free and even application. SunKiss tanning mitt is a luxurious, double sided, velvet tanning mitt. It’s fool proof and will glide over your skin creating a fabulous glow quickly. Spray SunKiss Tanning Mist 6-12 inches from the body in sweeping movements to achieve an even tan, or spray the tan on the SunKiss mitt and rub! Alternatively pump SunKiss Tanning Mousse onto the mitt and apply to the skin by rubbing gently and evenly which will allow the mousse to absorb, giving a flawless glow!

Tip 7: Streak Free

Make sure the area you wish to tan is covered all over with an even layer of tan.

Tip 8: Aftermath

For best results apply in the morning and leave your tan to develop for 4-6 hours before showering. Allow to completely dry before contact with clothes or hair. Wear dark, loose clothing once you have finished your application.

Tip 9: Upkeep

When showering for the first time use a gentle shower gel and pat skin dry with your towel, rubbing will scrub off the tan.

Tip 10: Finish it off

Moisturise to lock in hydration and watch your tan naturally fade leaving no patches or un-even skin tones, SunKiss tan wears really well for up to 5 days!

Enjoy that SunKiss tan!

(Press release info above)

"SunKiss is a responsive tanning product that adapts to your skin-tone to create the sun kissed and natural glow you’re looking for. Originally a professional spray tanning product Janice wanted to create a high quality tanning system that could be applied at home. Easy application and a sweet fresh scent were key to the final product design which Irish consumers can now enjoy. With SunKiss you know that you are going to look authentically tanned with a healthy glow!"

SunKiss instant self-tanning mousse 200ml – RRP €12.95 and self-tanning mist 150ml - RRP €12.95 & the SunKiss luxurious tanning mitt - RRP €5.95. This is a budget friendly tan which I have to agree will really suit the Irish skin tone. I find with this tan a natural glow is what you get, this may not suit some people who like to be super dark for nights out but for someone who loves to wear tan all the time and can't really embrace the pale in her life, this tan is right up there with my faves for a weekly glow. I have layered this over a couple of applications to get it darker on my skin but I like the natural glow. People often ask me to equate a tan to a foundations shade and I think for me the SunKiss in the medium colour would be similar to a MAC Studio Fix foundation in NC20. I can't even wear NC15 when I'm pale as that's too dark so you can see now why I like to have a glow all the time!!

Have you tried the new tanning range? Let me know your thoughts!

09:37:00
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Vichy Dermablend Concealer...not a spot in sight!

Hello lovelies,

Vichy Dermablend is not a wording pair unfamiliar to many. Vichy has been saving people’s skin for years now and the Dermablend range has really taken the market by storm. I was recently sent three of the Dermablend products to review, the Dermablend Setting powder and two shades of the Dermablend Corrective Concealer sticks.

Before we go any further I have a confession to make, a few years ago I bought the white panstick looking concealer from Vichy. I’m not even lying when I say I used the entire thing as a foundation stick, it was so thick on my face I don’t know how I didn’t notice it, I mean my face was just plastered but in fairness I hadn’t a single spot on show they were always 100% covered. OOps!

Pic from vichy.ie website

The new Dermablend corrective concealer sticks come in a black box and a much slimmer so makes it much easier to use for precision spot cover-up. I’ve been quite lucky lately since going back on slimming world that I am not breaking out in as many sore red spots but due to a bit of stress (life of course) I have seen the bags under my eyes become increasingly worse and I look forward to them backing off a bit.

I have found the new corrective concealer sticks very easy to use. Rather than use them on my under eye area, if I am having a particularly dark day I will take a small brush (a detail brush) and I will gently add a little more coverage to the under area. When I do get the occasional spot on my chin, I will use the stick of the concealer straight onto my skin and blend it out with either a damp beauty sponge or a small brush again.

This corrective concealer isn’t for the under eye area in general I feel, I don’t want people who maybe aren’t as into make as me to think I am saying this is the new highlighting concealer you need in your life and start dragging the face off themselves. This is a concealer for ‘real’ concealing. It’s a thicker consistency than a liquid so don’t hurt your face, nobody needs unnecessary wrinkles. This product is for when you have severely red spots and there’s no point layering foundation on top of these, a thicker concealer gently placed will do the job for you.

So there you have it if in need of some serious cover up then look no further than the new Vichy Corrective Concealer Sticks!