Top 10 Makeup Products of The Year 2013

Sorry for the lack of blog posts here guys! I have been doing lots of YouTube videos lately, another one is set to go live later this evening so watch out for that! :)

As Christmas seems like a distant memory at this stage and we have waved good bye to 2013, I was looking back on the year and thinking of how many new things I found out about. Given it was the year I started beauty blogging I was introduced to many new makeup products, some of them have now become essentials. Without further ado, here are my top 10 makeup finds of 2013
  

Winter Essentials #3 - Dry Hands?

Dry winds, cold water, exposed to the elements - your hands often bear the brunt of the cold weather. Dry hands are especially common in winter and even more so if you're prone to symptoms of sensitive skin like inflammation or eczema.

 

Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan - Review

I know I am a little late to jump on the bandwagon with this one but never the less it does deserves a full post review by itself and its long overdue

 

One word to describe this tan.... wow! On so many levels, the colour, the development time, the smell, the price...the list just goes on.

October Beauty Favourites 2013

Here are all the products I loved in October! Links to each of the products are underneath the video on YouTube.

 

Make sure to give the video a thumbs up if you liked it and remember to subscribe to my YouTube channel. 

 

 

Ashley :)

Benefit Makeup Products - Review

A little insight to the benefit makeup products I have been trying out at the moment! 

Other places you can find me....

Bourjois Bronzing Primer - Product Review

I was totally intrigued by the concept of a cream bronzer that you wear under your foundation. If you are familiar with Chanel Universal Bronze, this is more or less the same idea and gives an almost identical result for a third of the price!

MAC Techniques Class - Review

MAC run a techniques class every couple of months where a small group of about 14 people get to learn tips, tricks and new techniques by MAC makeup artists. It lasts two and a half hours and costs €60 which is redeemable off products... sounds brilliant doesn't it! However, and it really does pain me to say this, we were a little disappointed. It was nothing to do with the quality of the workshop or the makeup artists, it was down to the organization of it. They didn't have us booked in despite me calling them to confirm the previous day, also they took the group to the workshop and left us in the store while they started the tutorial before we had even been colour matched.

Bourjois Cream Blush Review (My new blush obsession)

This is a big time product rave from me! I have always put cream blush under the 'not going to work for me' heading as I thought the staying power and dewiness wouldn't mix well with my medium coverage foundation. Also, I never really thought the pigment was that great on any of the ones I had tried. That all changed for me last week when I indulged in a Boots 3 for 2 on Bourjois products and picked up the new Cream Blush in shade 02 Healthy Glow. I LOVE IT!

First of all Im really liking the packaging, the 4 different shades come in small posts that are colored the same as the shade and have a little mirror inside which is always handy for the makeup bag. 

The quality and pigment of this blush is amazing and the constancy is what I think I love most about it. When your applying it to your cheeks with your finger straight from the pot it feels very creamy but once blended it gives a powered finish to your cheeks. 

Another thing I love about this is how build-able it is, you can use it for a light flush look during the day and then apply more to get a stronger shade for at night. Here is a picture of swatches with one coat, 2 coats and 3 coats of the blush to show you how well it builds. 

I found this to have really good staying power both during the day and out at night, it lasts brilliantly. They are €10.49 each which I think is amazing value for the quality of the product. 

Let me know what your favorite blush is...I'm having a bit of a blush phase this month! 

Ashley :)

No7 Free Gift - Product Reviews

No7 are giving a free gift in Boots at the moment and if you buy any two No7 products you get it. (While stocks last)

The free gift is this really cute makeup bag with 5 products inside. There is nothing like a free gift to push me into buying something! I am not usually a big No7 fan and sometimes find the products overpriced for what you get however, I did really like the lip stains they have at the moment and I was buying one so I bought two instead just to get my hands on the below! I have gone through all 5 products in this post to let you know if there was any fab finds!

July Monthly Favourites - First Ever YouTube Video!

Here are all the products that I have been using and loving in July!

Hope you like it... if you do give it a thumbs up and subscribe to my channel.

Thanks for watching!

Ashley :)

My Summer Essential Number 4 - Soap & Glory Righteous Butter (Review)

This is my go-to summer body butter, well its my all year around body butter really but I use it twice as much in the summer and on holiday.I love this product and have yet to find a body butter that is on a par with this when it comes to leaving your skin feeling super moisturised and smelling amazing!

Review - Barry M Gelly Nail Polish

I am loving Barry M's new Gelly polish! When I say 'new' I mean new to me, they have been around for about 3 months or so. These two colours caught my eye (Lychee & Greenberry) and I am so happy I tried them!

The gloss is high-shine with a thick consistency, they are more sheer than the creme gloss that Barry M does (which is also fab) and they give a very shellac-like look on your nails.

Holly Willoughby & Her Budget Beauty Secrets

Ok so I didn't meet Holly Willoughby myself :( My dad has though and he say's she is just as lovely in person as on the TV! I read an article about her where she revels all her beauty secrets and I thought I would summarize for you!

While Holly can afford all the lavish products on the market you will be pleased to know that some of her most favorite you can pick up down in your local boots!

My Summer Essentials - Number 2 Emoji Micro - Pedi (Review)

The sun is out and the toes are on show - who wants dry, hard, flaky feet?...Nobody!!

I bought the Micro-Pedi by Emjoi last summer after reading great things about it in magazines. It is an at-home solution for rough, dry skin on the bottom of your feet. If you want a quick and easy problem solver to a dry skin situation, you will achieve very similar results to a salon pedicure with this product.

My Summer Essentials - Number 1 Clarins HydraQuench Cream

The sun has inspired this post! On the very rare occasion that we get sun in Ireland we bring out all the stops... BBQ's, Garden parties, Hitting the beach, Sun bathing the works! Whether your going abroad on holiday or just out and about enjoying the sun in your homeland you need to make sure you have all the things you need to ensure your beautiful self doesn't get damaged.

Admittedly I use a lot of products during the summer months so I am going to write 5 reviews over the next week of all the products I consider my summer essentials!

First up is my skins new best friend! Before now I have been true my fair share of pharmacy branded creams and also high end ones and although the high end ones do feel more luxurious when your using them and can smell more expensive I never really noticed a major difference in my skin.... until now!

Clarins HydraQuench Cream SPF 15

Review - Nimue Adult Spot Treatment

My skin has been pretty much blemish-less for the last 3 months or so and then last week out of nowhere I got a spot on my cheek. (I know I'm very lucky to just have one spot in the last 3 months so I am definitely not complaining)

I remembered that the lovely Daria from The Beauty Salon at the Camden Court Hotel had given me the Nimue Adult Spot Treatment about a year ago when my skin wasn't so great, I was reluctant to use it at the time as I was in a routine that was slowly working and I didn't want to rock the boat! I thought it would be a good exercise to use it on this one blemish and see what the results are like and I am very impressed!

Product Review - Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation

I bought this product about two weeks ago now and have used this every single day since. Granted the first couple of days I was using it for trial purposes, now I find myself reaching for this over any other foundation every morning.