Beauty Thursday

Beauty Thursday

Hi guys it's my second week back at Beauty Thursday, last week I posted all the products I used up during my time away from the blogasphere and now I'm gonna talk about the products that I have been LOVING while I wasn't posting!

The first product I loved and actually plan on repurchasing was the Benefit Dew The Hoola. I received this in a Birchbox last year and I used the whole thing up in a couple of months! I would squirt 3 pumps on to my hand and then dab it into my cheekbones and then blend it in with either my F20 brush from Blank Canvas or a beauty sponge, although I preferred the brush. It was such a nice liquid bronzer and was perfect for a Summer makeup look, I also found it never went patchy on me and worked with all of my foundations.

Keeping on the Hoola theme, I finally got my hands on the Benefit Hoola bronzer for myself, I got a travel size as I got it in a kit, so I have linked the travel size for 12 euro. This is a cult classic for a reason, such a beautiful contour shade.

I have found a new drugstore face powder, the Rimmel #Insta Fix and Matte translucent powder. In my opinion, this is just as good as my Rimmel Stay Matte powder. I've wiped most of the # out of the design of the powder so you can't appreciate how cute the design in the powder is but it blends out effortlessly and leaves the skin looking amazing.


A brush which I have been obsessed with the last while is this Blank Canvas F15 brush, it is a fluffy tapered brush and I find it perfect for highlighting. You can use it for powder or highlight but I've used it for highlight and love how beautifully it applies all my highlight. I picked this up at the Irish Beauty Show a few months back and have used it every day that I've applied makeup since.

Next up, is this clear brow gel from Browcote waterproof brow gel. Excuse the dirt of it, it's well loved, I fill in my brows and then apply this clear gel on top to hold them in place and I really like it, it lasts all night on me.My Benefit Gimme Brow is still my all time favourite but this is definitely in my top 5.

I have found another favourite foundation to add to my list for nights out! This Lancome Teint Miracle foundation is so perfect, it lasts all night and looks great in photos. It has a strange hairspray smell so if you're sensitive to smells this might bother you but it fades after a minute or so. I was on the fence when I saw the bottle as it says bare which made me think it was going to be light coverage but it is definitely medium-high coverage in my opinion and feels super lightweight, not cakey at all. The foundation feels super moisturising on my skin and I can't get over how flawless and glowy it looks. I can only wear it when I have fake tan on as it is a much darker shade than I can get away with pale, I have shade 02.

My last makeup product is the Boujois Volume Reveal mascara. Pippa O' Connor is a fan which is enough for me to try almost anything and of course I loved it! It makes my lashes look long and voluminous which is very rare and another bonus it doesn't clump! It truly shines when I have a small amount of makeup on however, it constantly looks beautiful on my lower lashes. Plus, its from the drugstore!

My final product is a skincare product, it is the L'Oreal Pure Clay Detox mask. I bought the trio pack in Penneys/ Primark but so far this is the only one I tried, first off it doesn't react with my sensitive skin so yay for me, because the fear was real. The mask applies evenly and dries relatively quick, and I kept it on for 15minutes. I feel my skin tightening while I wear it, which the first time worried me regarding the sensitive skin issue but it doesn't burn or sting and once I wash it off my skin looks glowing and feels super smooth. My skin is so clear, love it!

So that's it for my recent favourites, I hope you enjoyed today's blog!

Xoxo


Sophie

Beauty Thursday + Life Update

Beauty Thursday

Hey everyone, I know it's been a while but I am back. I know I disappeared for a few months but there was some stuff going on and I had also began a new college course which I needed to take the time to settle in to but I am really excited to be back as I have missed posting! For my first post back I thought I would do an empties post as I have still been using up products and storing them in a little bin and now I have a huge amount to show you all, so with that let's get into it! :) 

In the past couple of months I've finished a few tans, I've probably finished more to be honest and just thrown them away. I have used up two instant tans which were the BBold Instant tan and the Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs Lotion, the BBold has a lovely colour however where it is a spray it can tend to stick dry patches so I would apply a moisturizer on the dry patches so it doesn't cling to it. Usually I can have the same problem that I have with the BBold when I use Sally Hansen, however since they came out with the liquid version it's much better and to say it is only meant to last till you shower I probably get two days out of it before it completely washes off of my skin. I also finished two gradual tanners in recent weeks as I was going away on holiday so wanted a slight colour but didn't want to worry about tan fading or turning patchy. The Dove Summer Glow Nourishing Lotion in Medium to Dark, is okay, it feels really moisturizing however it takes hours to dry and I still feel sticky hours later. The Skinny Tan gradual tanner confused me so much, as I remember not loving it however I actually really liked the colour it gave me. The smell wasn't great however it didn't take half as long to dry like the dove did.

Powder wise I have completely used up three different powders, two loose and one pressed. I finished up another of the trusted Rimmel Stay Matte pressed powder in the shade "06 Warm Beige," I've spoken about this countless of times so I won't go on about it too much again but I have repurchased this a ridiculous amount of times and I still have two back ups. I also finally used up my huge tub of the Inglot loose powder which honestly took me probably two years to use up because it was such a giant tub, now I did end up transferring it into a smaller tub when there was a smaller amount left but honestly it lasted me ages, I would definitely repurchase again. Lastly, I used up the Art Deco Poudres Fixante, I really like this powder and for a long time I used to use it to just set and bake my under eye however, the last couple of months I have started using it to lightly set the whole face when I don't want a super matte looking face but have a tacky foundation it's so, so pretty to just lightly dust all over the face.

For hair products, I used up a couple of shampoos but threw them out the only thing I remembered to keep was this Number 4 Lumiere d'Hiver Prep and Protect. I absolutely loved this spray it was by far the best detangler I have ever used on my hair it takes the smallest amount to get through my unruly mane with this bad boy. I have a couple to go through at the moment but I definitely recommend and will 100% be repurchasing!

I have three mascara's to talk about today. The Revlon Ultimate All in One, I didn't even close to use up I just found it did nothing for my lashes so gave up on it. Honestly, I've never found myself just give up on a mascara after only a few goes, I do usually power through and save them for when I use false lashes but this was just too terrible.  I also used up a travel size of the Lancome Hypnose mascara, I fell in love with this mascara all over again, this is one of my favourite mascaras ever. The other mascara I used up was the Kiko Extra Sculpt volumizing mascara and there is a reason why Kathleen Lights loves this mascara like I do! It is great at volumizing and and lengthening my lashes, it is too thick to apply to my bottom lashes but that doesn't bother me.

Over the past few months I have used up four foundations, two drugstore, two more expensive ones so at least it was a good 50/50. The Benefit Hello Flawless is probably my go to foundation for Summer time, so back in May I started pulling it back out of my drawer and repurchased another bottle when I finished this one up, I use the shade "I'm Pure 4 Sure, Ivory." I also used up a Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation, I really enjoyed this foundation it was a nice alternative to the Benefit one and I mentioned it in my favourites previously. I used up my Face Atelier Ultra Foundation in the shade "porcelain," this is my favourite foundation for Winter as it's one of the few foundations that is pale enough but doesn't have a pinky undertone, it has great coverage and lasts all day. Lastly, I used up another of the Rimmel Match Perfection foundation in the shade "classic ivory." I have repurchased this foundation a few times and all these years later, I still have such a love hate with this foundation. It looks great on the skin when you apply it and is a perfect shade match however, I find it oxidizes slightly on me so only matches correctly when I have a light layer of fake tan on or if my tan is fading but oxidizing or not it still looks beautiful.

I am absolutely devastated that I used up this sample size of the Benefit Dew The Hoola!!! I am not usually a major liquid bronzer fan but this just blew me away. My skin was really dry for a few months and this was perfect instead of applying more powder to my face. It blended easy and was a gorg colour, I am definitely saving up to purchase the full size.

I finished up another Cocoa Brown Tough Stuff exfoliating scrub, I've gone through a few of them over the years and think it's perfect to prep you body for tan and to remove tan. Great scrub and great price! I also used the Anatomicals the Buff Stuff citrus body scrub which I received in a subscription box. I wasn't as much of a fan of the smell the longer I used it and didn't do a great job.

I finished two skincare products recently, both of which are ones of finished a few times. I love the La Roche Posay Hydraphase moisturizer, this is the moisturizer I have used since the first time I bought moisturizer and although I try sample sizes that I receive this is always the one I go back to, my favourite moisturizer hands down! I also have this Vichy 3 in 1 cleanser, I love this cleanser when I am having my lazy days because it is so much faster and so handy to use.

I also used up this Dr Bronner Peppermint Castille liquid soap. I loved this soap, it smelled so nice, was all natural and I found it perfect for cleaning my makeup brushes. Plus even Kourtney Kardashian loves the soap, if it's good enough for a Kardashian, it is good enough for a Kavanagh ;)

I loved this MUA Pro Base Fixing Mist, I'm pretty sure I featured it in a previous favourites and months later much to my dismay I have finally used up the bottle. I found this product perfect it helped my makeup last all night, the nozzle on the spray was actually really nice and dispersed the product really nice. Plus extra bonus it only costs £5!

So if you have made it to the end thank you guys so much, sorry for it being a long one but hey I had to make up for the time away! I hope you enjoyed today's blog!

Xoxo

Sophie

Beauty Thursday

Beauty Thursday

For this week's Beauty Thursday I thought I would post my review of the November Birchbox. The November Birchbox collaborated with Tatler magazine on the design, sadly the design was the best part of the box. To be honest, I will be cancelling my subscription after the December box as the last few month's it has just been a let down😢

OCC Lip Tar Primer

This was a very good sample size I will give Birchbox that much and the full size is worth £15. You apply a small amount to your lips before your lipstick to help your lipstick last all day, I used this the day of my graduation just to ensure my lipstick was photo ready all day long and it worked. It also has a nice peppermint smell and vitamin E to help soothe your lips.

Marcelle BB Cream Golden Glow Illuminator

The full size of this is worth £25.50 but again I think the sample size would still give a few uses. The product is really illuminating and dewy like it claims however it's very dark so I will only be able to use it when I have a tan or am fake tanned.

Nuxe Creme Prodigieuse

The full size of this moisturizer costs £21. It has a very clean smell but it is quite strong so if you're sensitive to smell you probably won't be a fan. The cream feels really soft and moisturizing but I don't know how effective it makes me skin against looking fatigued.

Beauty Protector Protect & Blonde Shampoo

This purple shampoo is designed for blonde hair and aids to keep blonde hair bright and not brassy, the full size is worth £18.50. The scent is nice and obviously you wouldn't notice much effect unless you used it for the long term but I did like the shampoo. I wouldn't purchase the full size as it is very expensive but it's still quite good.

KhairPep Transforme Masque

The last item was this sample size masque, the full size is worth £20. It's a nice mask and you can get a few uses out of the sample size.

If you wish to subscribe to Birchbox, you can do so here:

So that's it for this week's Beauty Thursday, I hope you enjoyed today's blog!

Xoxo

Sophie

Beauty Thursday

Beauty Thursday

This week's Beauty Thursday is dedicated to my review of the November Glossybox. I was quite impressed with this month's box, they've really picked themselves back up lately!

Ruby Tapered Blending Brush

The first item in this month's box was this full sized blending brush, worth €8. I'd never heard of the Ruby brand but I must say I'm quite impressed, the brush did a great job at blending the shadow and is super soft. 

111Skin Biocellulose Face Mask

This sheet mask is worth £20 and encourages collagen stimulation. I haven't tried this yet as my face hasn't reacted well to previous sheet masks.

Kiss Looks So Natural Lashes

This month was full of full size products with these false lashes worth £4.95. They're pretty lashes and don't look overly fake.

Wilkinson Quattro Disposable Razors

This pack of three is worth £5.69 and honestly I wish these had arrived a week earlier as I only just bought a multipack of razors! Wilkinsons are probably one of my go to brands for razors.

De Bruyere Beaute Jumbo Eye Pencil

The last item in this month's box was this jumbo eye pencil in the shade "Bubble 07." It's worth €15 and is a pretty khaki grey colour. The cool tone shade is perfect for a smokey eye and the pencil is easily blended.

If you wish to subscribe to Glossybox, you can do so here:

So that's it for this week's Beauty Thursday, I hope you enjoyed today's blog!

Xoxo

Sophie

Beauty Thursday

Beauty Thursday

For this week's Beauty Thursday I decided to do another post of all the products I have used up recently. As I don't like to do these posts too often this will be my last empties post of 2016! On that note let's get into the products!

First up I finished 3 shower products recently. The first one is Dove Purely Pampering in the coconut scent and I have to say I normally love Dove shower gels and I love coconut scents however, I hated this! It was too thick of a consistency and it just made me feel greasy to be honest I actually had to force myself to finish it. I also finished the Radox Feel Fabulous in Mango Mayhem, this one I did like, I've used it before and I have a couple of shower gels to go through at the moment but I would probably repurchase it at some point. Lastly I used up the Nuxe Precious scented shower oil, I received this in a recent Birchbox and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I expected to hate this stuff and that it was going to just make my skin feel greasy like the Dove shower gel but, it was actually a thicker consistency and it made my skin feel soft without feeling greasy. I probably wont be purchasing it myself as I just have cheaper shower gels that I like more but it was still nice to try.

I used up another Redken Blonde Idol, I've spoken about this many times in previous empties posts so I won't drone on about it too long but it works well with my extensions and it's sulphate free which is great for your hair unlike most shampoos. I will continue to repurchase it as long as I have extensions in.

I have 3 cleansing products to talk about today, due to some health issues for the past year I have had some trouble with my skin so I've tried a ridiculous amount of products to help with it and these are the three that I've used up recently. I tried the Clearasil Rapid Action gel wash first and it was okay, I saw a bit of a difference but not much. When I ran out of the Clearasil I tried the Quinaderm antibacterial face wash and that made a huge difference, I would definitely recommend that one out of the two. Sadly, when I went to repurchase the Quinaderm, there wasn't any so I repurchased the Clearasil but now that my skin is clear it's doing fine but I think if my skin went bad again I would go back to the Quinaderm. Lastly, I used up a tub of the Clearasil Rapid Action pads, I found I could only use these every 2-3 days as my skin was too sensitive and I would only use it on my problem areas even then they dried out my skin a lot. It did a good job at cleaning out my pores but didn't prevent any actual spots. I have purchased the First Aid blemish pads which I would recommend over these, they are more expensive but I can use them everyday, they don't dry out or burn my skin and I think they did a better job at clearing my skin than these did.

I'm throwing away my Le Roche Posay make up remover milk, I had used most of this up ages ago and then for some reason never threw it out. I could probably scrap around the bottle but I've had it that long that I bought a new one and just threw this one out. I'm still using my Vichy 3 in 1 cleanser but when that's all gone I will go back to this.

I have two empty fragrances this month, Britney Spears Believe and Taylor Swift Wonderstruck. I have had 2 spritz left of Believe for an extremely long time but I could never find a new bottle so I wouldn't use them up, luckily for me I have a wonderful best friend who remembered my obsession with this perfume years ago and she bought me a bottle for my 21st so I finally used up the old one! Wonderstruck was another one I got as a gift a couple of years ago and I was not a fan of at all but I hate wasting perfume so I would use it as a room spray just to freshen up a room. As you can guess it took a long time to use up but I did it and now I don't have to feel guilty for not using it!

This Inglot Under MakeUp Base may look like there is still product in there but trust me there isn't! I repurchased this primer MONTH's ago when it looked like it was running low and it still just kept going, for such a small tube you really get your money's worth. Anyway, I love this primer for night's out it makes a great base and really helps my make up stay put for the night.

I used up this Revlon ColorStay pencil in brown. I used to use this on my brows but it's still a good pencil liner. I like the twist up and it was nice and pigmented, once I use up more brow products I would probably repurchase it.

I'm getting rid of 4 mascaras this time around! After I wrote my post on my mascara collection I realized how many opened tubes of mascara I had that I never used and didn't really like. The Rimmel Wake Me Up mascara, I did like and I have used that up, it was a good mascara but it wouldn't be in my top 5 all time favourites. The Essence I love extreme crazy volume mascara was terrible, the wand did nothing along with the mascara and it never dried, the handful of times I used it, it transferred. The Georgia mascara I got in a fake eyelash gift set that Georgia Salpa came out with years ago, I never tried the mascara however when I went to open it last week it was all dried up. Lastly, the W7 Cosmetics triple volume mascara this was an okay mascara. It was nice on the bottom lashes, but I just prefer a bigger impact lash.

So that's it for this week's Beauty Thursday, I hope you enjoyed today's blog!

Xoxo

Sophie

Beauty Thursday

Beauty Thursday

For this week's Beauty Thursday I decided to continue on my dedicated series to my make up collection. I have already covered my eye shadow palettes and my face products so for this post I thought I would move onto my brow products and mascaras.

I don't have that many brow products and I use each of the products so I'm quite happy with the size of my collection.

I have two little brow powder sets, one was from W7 Cosmetics and its their "Brow Bar" this I use on a night out as I'm normally in a rush if I do my make up during the day so I don't have time for powders. I also have one from Wet 'n' Wild, which I do like but the only shade I use is the darkest and I can only get away with using that when I have first gotten my eyebrows done.

I have only two brow pencils at the moment, brow pencils are what I would use every day. I have one from Rimmel and the second is from Studio 10. The Studio 10 pencil is a bit lighter than the Rimmel pencil and is one of the few pencils that I've ever tried that matches my brow shade when they haven't been done in a while. I also have two brow gels which I would use most days, the ModelCo "More Brows" is a dupe for the Benefit Gimme Brow and matches perfectly with the Studio 10 pencil. The second brow gel is the Rimmel Brow This Way in "Dark Brown" and I would use this on nights out or if my brows are still dark from being tinted.

I'm a bit ashamed of how much mascara I have in my collection but I have myself on a no-buy list for mascara. I have four unopened mascaras, which I need to make my way through and five opened ones which I only realized doing this post that I have had for far too long so I will be throwing them out after.

I have two sample size mascaras one is the Lancome Hypnose Noir mascara which is nearly used up and the Clinique High Impact mascara which I haven't tried yet, I also have seven full size mascaras, four of which are opened and I'll be getting rid of. The opened ones are the So Susan Flutter mascara, W7 Volume mascara, Essence I Love extreme crazy volume mascara and the Georgia mascara. The only mascara that I would consider repurchasing again is the So Susan Flutter mascara however it does take a long time to dry! I still have to try the Revlon All in One, Icona Milano mascara and the Kiko Extra Sculpt Volume mascara.

Lastly, I have a Boots No7 eye lash curler which I need to purchase new pads for and two eye lash primers. I have opened and quite like the Manna lash primer and I think it works well with some mascaras. The second lash primer is the Benefit They're Real primer which I haven't tried yet but have read good things about it so I'm excited to try.

So that's it for this week's Beauty Thursday, I hope you enjoyed today's blog!

Xoxo

Sophie