Must have Brush Set!

Hey guys!! 

Sorry it has been an age and a half <3 :(

However I am going to be doing a lot more blogs soon on recent favourites and just general items I keep going back for :)

So, this time round, I am going to be discussing my all time favourite brush set.

No it's not real techniques, crown or any other. But a simple twelve piece set from a pharmacy found in the West and North west of Ireland called Cara pharmacies. Now I have wanted this brush set since it came out and for some reason never picked it up! Until one day, there was a massive sale in the shop and it was down in price so I had no choice! My arms literally grabbed it before my brain had a chance to think!

They come in a beautiful pink or black storage case, which is placed inside another beautiful black box, with the details of all inside. 

I tried it out the moment I went home and fell in love! My personal favourites being the C02 Stippler Brush and CO8 Large Powder Brush! I just feel that my Makeup looks smoother and less flaky!

It comes with 12 beautiful pink/black handled brushes, ranging from a flat foundation brush to a Pointed Kabuki Eyeshadow and Blender Brush :) They cost just 29.50 which means it is about 2-3€ per brush! Nothing :) 

Highly Highly recommend ordering online or buying in the pharmacy if you are in any of the areas :) I bought mine in Galway :)
If you want to buy it online or even have a look you can get it here:
Cara Pharmacy Professional Brush set

Happy Brushing <3 <3 <3!!! :D

Until Next time :) 

Sandy.S

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Rimmel's Kate Lasting Finish Lipstick in 01

I'm back with something short and sweet :)

So I was browsing my lipstick collection earlier and I found one that I haven't worn in quite a while, my old reliable Kate Moss Lipstick in 01 :) 

This lipstick is one that I have gone back to quite a number of times, simply because of the rich red colour that it gives you. It has a blue undertone, which is perfect if you are sensitive about your teeth as the undertones will give the appearance of beautiful white teeth! 

I normally rarely wear lipstick as I want to draw attention to my eyes more than my mouth, simply because I am told I have lovely eyes. But if you want to draw the attention there, this is perfect for you :) 

Remember red is the colour for passion, so if you're looking to get a kiss off someone special under the mistletoe, I suggest going to your local boots or pharmacy and pick one up before that Christmas party ;) 

Wearing the lipstick on two separate occasions :)

Hope you enjoy :)

Sandy.S

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Top Summer fragrances!

Hey guys ! : ) So this time I'm going to write something about my favorite fragrances, which is new for me! I will show you which ones I cannot leave the house without, most suitable fragrances for certain occasions and of course how to make them last longer! :) Perfumes are something I cannot live without, literally. I remember being in School and all my friends use to tell me that whenever I walked onto the bus or in to class it was like being in a perfumery haha! I can't help it I like to smell good! My favourite thing to do when shopping is to pop into a pharmicy, perfume shop or somewhere like Debenhams and go straight to the Perfume! It's no shock that I have loads and would like to share them with you :) 

♥The fragrance I am going to start with is Britney Spears 'Fantasy' 

Now this perfume has been one of my favorites for years! I think it was the first proper perfume I got (not including the Barbie perfume I had years ago :P) This perfume is a blend of Jasmine Petals, White Chocolate Orchid, Red Lychee, Golden Quince, Kiwi, Musk, Orris Root and Sensual woods. It is a very seductive scent and I always get compliments when ever I wear it, it is strong enough that you need only a a spritz or two of this and it WILL last all day! This is a fact! I would wear this for a date or a going to the cinema or something. This is a perfect summer scent! The bottle is pink with little green crystals on the bottle and is perfect to carry in your bag! 

♥The next scent is another Britney Spears! This is called 'Believe' I wore this one of the first dates I went on with my boyfriend and he loved it so I keep going back to it :) It has notes of Guava, Tangerine, Honeysuckle, Lime Blossom, Praline, Amber and Patchouli...it even just sounds delicious! My sister bought this for me for christmas a few years ago and keep going back to this also. I like to wear this even just for going around the house, going for a walk or to the shops. It's long lasting and has an amazing 'fresh' smell to last throughout the day. It comes in a lovely glass bottle in a kind of halfcut diamond shape and a green liquid. I highly recommend this if your looking for something simple but sweet!

♥My next favorite is Becham 'signature' from the famous Beckhams :) I honestly don't know why I love this so much because it's not my usual scent, but when I smelt it first I had to have it because I thought it was so unusual! My friends boyfriend got this for her as a present ages ago, she let me have a spritz and a few months later I went out and bought it myself! It has notes of Orchid, Heliotrope, Vanilla, Star Anise, Green Apple, Patchouli, Amber and Musk. It's a very musky floral scent but I keep going back to it. I actually bought this for 11€ in Boots! I would wear this for going out with my boyfriend or to dinner or something. I recommended this to a lot of people as I really think for such a a cheap price people would think it was a Chanel, or DKNY perfume. I really recommend this for somebody looking to impress their partner with something different :) 

♥I have always loved DKNY perfumes (I actually currently have my eye on the Be Delicious pink fragrance) and my long term favorite has either been Be Delicious the green bottle or 'Women'. I love DKNY perfumes because they are so fruity and citrusy. 'Women' is noted with Daffodil, Orchid, Water Lily, Blood Orange, Tomato Leaf, Vodka, Birch and Tulip. This is a very warm scent, it smells like warm oranges and I like to wear this at Christmas as it's a very festive and warm scent. Be Delicious 'Green apple' is a very summery scent. It has notes of American Apple, Cucumber, Grapefruit, Candid Magnolia, Tuberose, White Muguet, Rose, Violet, Sandalwood, Tender Skin Accord, Blonde Woods and White Amber. It is so refreshing and unique. I would wear this to a festival or even to the beach! 

♥The next scent is Juicy Couture 'Viva La Juicy' I have loved this scent for years! I got it as my 16th birthday present off of my friends and then last Christmas off my boyfriend. This is an extremely floral, flirty scent. One spritz of this and the scent can be smelled across the room, which they say is a great perfume. The notes in this beauty are Wild Berries, Mandarins, Honeysuckle, Gardenia, Jasmine, Amber, Caramel, Vanilla, Sandalwood and Praline. As Sephora says 'The Viva la Juicy girl never turns down a glass of champagne or the chance to get into the tiniest bit of trouble' You could wear this on a night out and it would last all night long! 

♥My second most favorite is Georgio Armani 'Armani Code' I absolutely adore this perfume! It's the type of perfume I'm afraid to use all of because I'll miss it too much. I wore this perfume a lot when I started going out with my boyfriend and always wear it on a night out since. Just because it makes you feel elegant no matter what your wearing! It is another warm scent with notes of Blood Orange, Ginger, Pear Sorbet, Sambac Jasmine, Orange Blossom, Seringa Flower, Lavender Honey, Precious Woods Complex and Vanilla. It is extremely Seductive and Femenine.

♥Wait for it...(drumroll please...) My most used and favorite fragrance has to be Alien eau Extraordinaire by Thierry Mugler. This is something I only discovered recently but has already made it to the top of my list! Another perfume my boyfriend got for me (I'm spoiled rotten by him the monkey) after I showed him a tester I got in Cara Pharmacy and he loved it! So ladies, men love this! I love this perfume not just because of the scent but it's an 'eco fill' bottle also, meaning when you have used it up, you can just go back and buy the refill bottle for cheaper, amazing right? The notes alone sound intriguing, with Tunisian Neroli, Bergamot, Tahitian Tiare, Cashmere Wood and White Amber. The bottle is beautiful, a simple clear bottle with a gold lid. According to Sephora it's based on a 'celestial goddess from a world of brilliant light that radiates sensuality and absolute serenity' ...right, it sounds pretty though! I wear this everywhere! Going on dates, outside, beach, walking, going out... I just love it this much. So, as you've guessed I defenitely recommend this! 

♥Now come my tips on how to make sure any perfume you use is long lasting :)

We've all heard about Cleopatra, the famous Egyptian Queen. Legend says that when she wanted to wrap Marc Anthony around her little finger, she dressed like the goddess Venus and sailed in on a barge bedecked with gold and silver and so redolent with fragrance that "perfumes diffused themselves from the vessel to the shore." So, she must have known that of all the senses in the body, smell is the most powerful to enticing passion. Smells are perceived by the brain's limbic system, the same region that's involved in mood and emotion. Aroma and emotion flow like two streams that converge. But how do you make it last long enough? 

♥Applying scents to the body is actually more effective than on clothes or fabric. If you locate any pulse points in the body (anywhere you feel your pulse) these are most effective for applying scent. Areas such as below the earlobes, temples, throat, wrist, even behind the knee. But do not rub in the scent as this damages the molecules of the fragrance.

 ♥Another area I have been told is your hair, if you spray perfume into your hair after washing and styling it, it will last longer. 

♥If you have dry skin, make sure to use a moisturizer on the skin before applying perfume as the alcahol in the scent evaporates quicker on dry skin compared to oily skin. If your afraid of the moisturizer's smell overpowering the perfume look for one with the same scent or a non smelling one. I've heard Burts Bees do a great non smelling skincare range. 

♥Try to keep Perfumes in a stable temperature that's not too hot, if you cannot escape the heat then use a fridge! If they are exposed to too much heat or sunlight they degrade and develop "off aromas". It could even damage your skin :/ So make sure to keep them in a dark area with a stable temperature

♥Last but not least, ever get a perfumed body lotion with your perfume? Make sure to use this before you put on your favorite scent. It works better after a shower, so I advise to exfoliate your skin first and then apply this lotion in the shower as it already has the scent on your body, which will double when you apply the perfume.

So everyone, there you have it, another update from me on my favorites, tips and tricks!

As ever, hope you enjoyed :)

Thanks for reading! 

Sandy.S

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My (much needed) updated essential items list :)

Hi everyone :)  Now I know I haven't done one of these in so so long but anyway here I am :) 

So to begin with, how I'm going to do this is by going by different items for different parts of the face and body :) I will start with...

Eye products  

OK, so the eyes are the windows to the soul right? Or the nipples to the face as I was once told lol :P So for entrancing possible partners women have been using make-up products for thousands of years to snare a mate, we still do to this day(although some women need to seriously rethink the blue shadow red lipstick look, ughhh)  so eye products are very important! I have always been told my eyes are very majestic looking (I was actually told this before, not just blowing my own trumpet) and are my best feature. I like to make sure they look the best of my overall look :) The products I use are as follows:

For my eyebrows I use a spooly brush and a kit by Seventeen called Brows that :) For my eye shadow and lids I use the Naked Palette 3 by Urban Decay it's beautiful :) I also use Bourjois volumizer mascara, rimmel kohl liner and essence waterproof liquid liner, all in black :) and thats my general eye product list :D

Lip Products  For the lips, I don't use much, simply lipsticks or a lip balm :) I am currently loving Rimmel colour rush lip balms in 710 Drive me nude and Seventeen's pink power ! 

General Face  For my face I use alot of products so I'm going to narrow it down to moisturisers, foundations, concealers, powders and bronzers/blushers.

For a moisturiser I am currently adoring the Garnier Moisture match hydrating cream in Dry to very dry skin. I absoloutely love this, it's so moisturising and refreshing and smells good too! For a primer I then use either Rimmel Stay matte primer in 003 or else Nivea express hydration primer. Sometimes I use both depending on where I'm going or how dull and dry my skin is! To cleanse my skin I simply use baby wipes, anything else is too severe on my sensitive skin. All of these products come in a range to suit your skin type so they are very recommendable!

Next is Foundations, god knows I have tried an abundance of these since I was a teenager! I have yet to find the holy grail of foundations for me in one single bottle, at the moment it's a mixture of about three!! So my list is

Max Factor Pan Stick (really) in True Beige

Revlon colourstay in Ivory

Maybelline Superstay better skin in Nude

Bourjois healthy mix in Beige

Elizabeth Arden Flawless Finish Porcelain Beige

Revlon Photoready compact makeup in Ivory

I know what you're thinking, wow that's alot, but that's literally just what I have in one of my travel bags!

I have to mix and match some of these depending on what I am doing or where I'm going, I obviously use the darker colours for my nights out with tan and the lighter ones for day wear. The ones I am most impressed with are Maybelline superstay and the Elizabeth Arden. I am least impressed with the Revlon foundations unless both are mixed with another. 

 Concealers are very simple, I only use two :) I use Seventeen phwoar paint concealer it's amazing and covers everything! Likewise with the Catrice Light reflecting concealer in Porcelain.

Next on the list is Powders, blushers and bronzers. For my general everyday use of powder is the Max Factor Creme puff powder in Candle glow. For bronzer I use two products, Bourjois Bronzing powder and Honolulu bronzer by W7. For blusher I use an essence Blush stick in pretty in pink.

 So guys apart from all this, all I can talk about really is the Ultimate Blends shampoo that I ADORE it is amazing!! It's unbelievable nourishing and brightens up any dull head of hair :) As well as that the Cocoa brown tan for legs and the mousse are my must need product for going out! The tan is so natural and lasts forever! 

Thank you so much guys for reading, hope you all enjoyed :) Feel free to leave any comments about your own essential items :) 

Lots of love..

Sandy. S

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