Sephora Now Shipping To The UK! My Picks!

The beauty blogosphere was alight this morning with news that beauty mecca Sephora are now shipping to the UK. This is music to the ears of those of us addicted to make up, eager to try out the best the US has to offer but can't get our grubby paws on. Thankfully, in Ireland, we have Parcel Motel so you wont even have to sweet talk an English relative into taking the delivery for you. Good times all round. 

Here's what I would put straight into my basket right now if money were no object and if I didn't already own way too much blush. 

1) We can actually buy the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush over here anyway, but sure may as well throw it in the old basket while you're there. These are getting rave reviews all over the place and the blush addict in me must experience it for myself!!

2) Tarte Cheek Stain. I've heard nothing about this but it's from Tarte, it's pretty and I want it. So there.

3) Josie Maran Coconut Watercolour Cheek Gelee. I'm intrigued by the notion of a "hydrating blush" and these look kind of gorgeous.

4) Tarte Amazonian Clay Foundation. EssieButton has been raving about this and I pretty much want everything she recommends so it's high on the list.

5) Tarte Amazonian Clay blush. This is an obvious one as these are well regarded as being one of the best blushers available but I still haven't tried them and that's just a travesty really (not really, obviously).

6) Be Mattnificent Palette. Again, Tarte but look how gorgeous this is!! I do love a good matte shadow and this really looks like the perfect mix of shades.

If you want in on the action, all you have to do is do your shopping on the US site, select the UK as your country at checkout, ship your order for a flat rate of £10 on orders over £75. If you're shopping from Ireland, I'd recommend signing up with Parcel Motel, like I said above- you'll get a UK address from them to ship your delivery to. 

I wont lie, I'm very tempted! What about you, itching to get your hands on any of this lot?

XX

Neal's Yard Aromatic Foaming Bath | Best Of Beauty

Again, I can only apologise for my lack of proper blogging lately. I just moved into a new house last weekend and aside from being busy with packing, then unpacking, trying to get out the door to work whilst simultaneously climbing over boxes and of course making the always stressful trip to Ikea, I also had no internet connection until just last night so I have been adrift from all my lovely blogging friends!  Thankfully, I got wifi back in time for tonight's best of beauty post, which is all about pampering products. This is going to be a very short one from me because in all honesty, I actually tend not to do a huge amount of pampering. The only face mask I use is my Origins one (which I spoke about here) and that's an overnight one, so not really a treat as such. I rarely do my nails anymore as I can't wear polish in work and if I use a hair mask it's just one you leave on for a few minutes in the shower. 

I have however recently become a total convert to baths. My new house has a very cute little bath and I've been making the most of it with some bath bombs from Lush. I just used 'Blackberry' the other night, a rather lovely mix of bergamot, blackberries and frankincense. To that I added some Aromatic Foaming Bath from Neal's Yard to help send me off to sleep entirely.

Containing lavendar, Spanish marjoram and geranium essential oils and a "skin-conditioning herbal infusion", this is designed to help you unwind and relax and it certainly does that. I find my muscles can be quite achey and this is exactly what I need to soothe them. I used it on it's own last night as I ran out of bath bombs (may need a trip to Lush again soon...Cat, I'm looking at you for guidance/enabling here!!) and it was rather heavenly. It foamed up beautifully, left my skin super soft and my muscles relaxed. Fab.

What's top of your pampering product list at the moment? Are you good at finding the time to set aside for yourself or do you need to try a bit harder, like myself?! To the comments!!

XX

Best Of Beauty | Make Up Must Haves

I know, I've been a terrible blogger lately but life has just taken over a bit. Hopefully now things are settling down somewhat, that will all change. In the meantime, thank god for Samantha and her Best in Beauty blog challenge to keep me going! This week we're looking at our make up must haves. I'm particularly looking forward to seeing everyones picks for this as I am quite the little make up fiend!

Mine probably won't come as any surprise as I bang on about this lot all the time anyway:

1) Nars Voulez Vous Couchez Avec Moi, Ce Soir Palette
I have still yet to do a full independent review of this guy but believe me, when I do, it will be GLOWING. I bought this at the start of December as a Christmas present to myself (I'm generous like that) and I've actually used it every day since. I've always been a big fan of Nars blushes and would've put Orgasm in here if I haven't since fallen for Deep Throat (on the left of the pan in the photo below); for me, it's the grown up version of Orgasm- the same flattering peachy pink but with way less shimmer and very build-able in its pigmentation. Dolce Vita (on the right) although also lovely, I've used slightly less of as it's a darker dusty rose that requires a very light hand, something I'm not known to possess. As for the eyeshadows...SWOON. If you were wondering whether you should've bought the Narsissist palette, then yes, you should have. I have Lima, Lhasa, Tasmania and Antananarivo in this set and I've made a dent in all four already. The perfect combination of eyeshadows, this palette has actually ruined me for all other palettes.

2) YSL Touche Eclat
This is a weird one as I actually haven't used this since my early-mid twenties (when I bought it religiously) but got it as part of a Christmas present this year and have been reminded about why I loved it so much. I use this over my Nars concealer for my under-eye area and I find it's just that little extra something I need to neutralise the blue tones I'm prone to there. Plus it's light as a feather so sinks in nicely and doesn't leave me with any product build-up in skin creases (yeah, I'm THAT attractive). Sometimes, things are classics for a reason.

3) Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer
This will be my monthly ode to this concealer then. I bought this last Summer and really, I haven't looked back. This stuff is the absolute business. It works on both under eye dark circles and spots/blemishes (actually rare enough to find that in a concealer). It doesn't go all cakey and it has fantastic staying power. I wrote a full review on it HERE if you want to see it in action, although I would warn you to prepare your poor eyes for the horror that is the before photo.

4) MAC Rebel
I also spoke about Rebel HERE so I won't go rambling on again but since I bought this, it's become my absolute favourite. A super flattering berry shade that works as well built up for a full on pop of colour in Autumn/Winter as it does applied as a light sheen with a slick of gloss over it in Spring/Summer, this is for me, the perfect lipstick.

5) Bourjois Intuitive Liner
I always have a liquid pen liner of some variety on the go. At the moment, I'm using this one from Bourjois, having recently finished the more expensive Clarins version of it. I really like Bourjois eyeliners in general though, they tend to be a good strong black (watery liners are my pet peeve), last well and are a decent price point.

6) YSL Effet Faux Cils Shocking Mascara
I've also gone on at length about this so I won't bore you any further but basically, this is my favourite mascara of all time. I try and use cheaper mascaras for daytime and "save" this one for nights out etc but then I think, once it's open you won't get that long out of it anyway and so I end up using it constantly. I don't really mind spending the extra bit on this though as I am now addicted to its false lash effect in a major way. It actually changes the way my face looks when I use it and I can't leave the house without it on now. Gah.

Apologies for the dirty mirror, didn't notice that til I uploaded it. Doh.

And that's the lot. Let me know in the comments if any of these are your own make up must haves or what you would pick yourself!

XX

Best Of Beauty | Hair Heroes

Following on from last week's Best of Beauty | Skincare, you can read all about beauty bloggers favourite haircare products this week via Twitter using the #BOBBlogChallenge. I really enjoyed reading everyones favourites last week and have most definitely taken a few down for my own "to-buy" list so I'm sure today's posts will be no different. This was actually a toughie for me as I have been struggling lately to find Holy Grail haircare. If I could I would buy nothing but Kerastase, I love the stuff. Unfortunately, I'm currently on a self-imposed spending ban so I'm using up what I have left and also trialing some new products that I don't want to mention here until I've given them a full review. So basically, I just went into my bathroom and picked out what I either have or will repurchase and of course, my trusty styling tools.

1) Joico K-Pak Deep Pentrating Reconstructor for Damaged Hair.
That's quite the mouthful, eh? I've been using this mask for a couple of years now, the hairdressers I used to go to in Limerick use Joico products and I found they just worked really well for my hair. I especially love this mask though because it's left on for only five minutes and does wonders for my poor, bedraggled hair. Oddly enough, it smells a bit like you mashed up a banana and added some coconut milk, which I find pleasant but may not be everyones cup of tea.

2) John Frieda Frizz-Ease Firm Hold Hairspray
I've never actually had "frizzy" hair as such but when I was given this to try at a blogging event, I said I'd give it a go as I'm a big fan of John Frieda products. Luckily, this has worked well for me as it's just a very good hairspray. It has good hold without leaving the hair hard or sticky and it's a decent price for the amount of product you get too.

3) Batiste Dry Shampoo
I've used all the variations of this (I HATED the one for blonde hair though, left big yellow patches in my hair..yuck) and it really is one that I couldn't be without. When I don't have time to wash my hair or I want to give a bit of life to a blow dry on day 2 or even to give a bit of extra volume to freshly washed locks, this is what I turn to.

4) Tangle Teezer
This little guy has divided opinion on the blogosphere but I love mine! The whole idea is that it combs through wet hair with ease, removing tangles or knots quickly without causing hair loss, pain or the need to hack away at your poor hair.

photo taken when I first got it, it's no longer in its box!

5) GHD Eclipse
I won this in a beaut.ie giveaway last year and have used it regularly since. Again, my hair is naturally straight so I use this to either perfect a style or else to get curls quickly and with minimal fuss. Yes, this heats to 185 degrees Celsius but it styles your hair quicker because of that heat so your hair is exposed for less time and is less likely to be damaged.

I could also have added in the Kerastase hair oil that I spoke about HERE and the little Clairol Colorseal Glosses that I blogged about HERE but I unfortunately have none left at the moment to pop into the photo! Let me know in the comments if you use any of these or what your own personal Hair heroes are!

XX

Recently Read | January

I know, I know, this is horribly late but better late than never. I didn't get to read quite as much as I wanted to last month due to general busy times and living life but I managed to squeeze these few in. I got the first two books in the kindle sale there after Christmas for just a couple of euros each so if they were terrible, I knew I wouldn't feel too hard done by. I was especially worried about Bridget Jones as I'd heard a fair few negative reviews but I've also read the previous two books in the series so I felt like I had to complete the trilogy. Other book addicts will understand. 

Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy by Helen Fielding.

This time around, (SPOILERS AHOY) Bridget is now middle-aged, has two children and is still coming to terms with the crushing loss of her husband Mark Darcy (that's not really a spoiler actually as it was revealed before the book was ever even released). I struggled with how I felt about this book because parts of it rang really true to life; Bridget's grief was actually palpable, it came off the pages in waves and hit me so hard that I felt real empathy for her- I cried for her loss and then wondered how I would possibly ever cope in the same situation. But then, Bridget is also the same shambles of a human being, which somehow seemed less realistic. I'm not saying that one big event in your life will change you irrevocably as a person but it surely would alter you on some level? The fact that she copes with both of her children being in the throws of a nasty gastric bug by swilling wine directly from the bottle just seemed a little false to me. Also, her obsession with gaining followers on Twitter felt empty, like Helen Fielding threw it in there to make it relevant for the year 2014. Having said all of that and in spite of my misgivings, I did at times enjoy this book and am glad I saw it through to the end, even though it was incredibly predictable. I won't read it again but I'm glad I gave it a go.

All My Friends Are Superheroes by Andrew Kaufman.

This is a quick and quirky little read about a regular guy called Tom who finds himself surrounded with superhero friends after marrying "The Perfectionist", also a superhero. Unfortunately, at their wedding, a jealous ex-boyfriend of hers hypnotises her into believing that Tom has left her. Tom is now completely invisible to The Perfectionist and spends the next six months trying to make her see him again. I really enjoyed this book, the characters are brilliant with unusual and very witty superpowers that make for fun reading while at the same time you really feel for both Tom and the Perfectionist, who have both lost their soulmate. It's also quite nerve-wracking waiting to see will Tom get her to see him before it's too late. I would definitely recommend this one and you'll have it finished in a day!

Harry Potter 1 & 2 (it's quicker) by J K Rowling

As I've mentioned before, I've never read the HP books and so I decided to set myself a challenge for the year to read them all. I'm so very glad that I did. I'm already half way through the third book and I'm absolutely loving them. I'm sure no one needs a review of these given that I'm so late to the party but basically, they're beautifully written; exciting, emotive (I've cried several times already), captivating books that really make you want to read the next in the series. Many people have commented on Twitter and Instagram about how lucky I am to be reading them for the first time and I genuinely feel that way too. Roll on the rest of them, I say!

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, The Long Way Home by Joss Whedon and Georges Jeanty

Yis all know by now that I'm a massive Buffy fan. MASSIVE. So himself bought me the first three in the series which are a canonical continuation from the TV show. The first one takes place a year after the show ended whereby Buffy and Xander are now leading "command central", training the new slayers and going after the baddies with the help of Willow and her super-witch magic. This definitely goes to a lot weirder places than the TV show ever could (Dawn is still annoyingly there but is now a giant. Gah.) but it still retains it's unique Whedon-ness; the language, the pop culture references and the in-jokes, so for me it's a really great way to continue the Buffy legacy.  The drawings are also rather beautiful. I can't wait to get stuck in to the rest of them!

And that's your lot.

Let me know in the comments if you've read any of these yourself or what you're currently reading!

XX