NO 7 Cleanse and Care Eye Makeup Remover

As I've said before, I'm unfortunate enough to have quite sensitive eyes. Last year, the weather caused the skin on my eyelids to become quite flaky (not very pleasant) and this led to my usual method of removing eye makeup (Boots baby wipes) to sting my eyes a little bit. I went into Boots and had a couple of ladies at the counters advise me on what to use and a few recommended the NO 7 Cleanse and Care eye makeup remover, which claims to be suitable for sensitive eyes.

                 

When I used this for the first time, my eye makeup came off quite easily but it left a bit of an oily residue which I didn't like but was willing to deal with. The next morning I woke up to a terrifying sight when I looked in the mirror (and no that wasn't just because I wasn't wearing makeup haha). It looked like I had been in a boxing match with my eyes having been repeatedly punched. They were extremely red and swollen. I had never seen anything like this with my eyes before. The new eye makeup remover was the only thing I had used differently in my routine and I had no allergies, so there was only one place to put the blame.

I would strongly advise against getting this eye makeup remover. It is not good for sensitive eyes despite what it says. I had to take a day off college because I looked that horrendous and it actually took about 3 days for my eyes to go back to normal. Now the only use I have for this bottle of blue oil is to take the glue off my false eyelashes when I take them off. This really was a terrible product which I certainly will not be buying again.

What eye makeup removers do you guys like to use?

XOXO,

B

Victoria's Secret Scent Splash!

Hey guys, sorry it's been a while since my last post, haven't been feeling the best for the last week. Anyway, despite the fact that the weather has been icy cold recently, I am in a ridiculous summery kind of mood, which has lead me into busting out some fresh summer scents. Nobody is better at doing these kind of scents than Victoria's Secret so thought I would tell you about a few of them.

    

The first is their Luscious Kisses fragrance mist which is described as a coconut and passion flower scent. I've never smelt passion flower so don't really know what it smells like but what I can tell you is that this scent makes me feel like I'm somewhere tropical drinking a pina colada. You can definitely smell the coconut in the fragrance along with something fruity. Despite being a fragrance mist, it is quite strong and lasts all day. I've had a couple of friends say it's too sweet but I think it smells delicious.

    

    

The next scent I wish to talk about is their Romantic Wish fragrance mist which contains freesia and cucumber. I love this. It smells so fresh and delicious and everyone I'm around asks me what I'm wearing. You can definitely get the notes of both freesia and cucumber upon spraying. This is a perfect spring/summer scent if you just want something light.


    

    

The final scent I'll talk about today is Pink With a Splash Pretty and Pure body mist which is described as containing jasmine and pink lemonade. I don't know if I can get either of these notes particularly well. It does give both a sweet and floral scent but I just don't get those particular notes. It is a nice sweet and fresh scent but it doesn't last very long at all. I would recommend the first 2 scents over this one.

    

    

What scents are you guys loving at the minute?

 XOXO,

B

Diaries of a Fair Lady- Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation

So as I've said in a previous post Makeup Forever Face and Body foundation is my go to foundation, being the only one that matches me. Well the stockists of Makeup Forever in Dublin (FACE2 on Clarendon Street) are always out of this product. After Christmas, I was running very low on this foundation and thought I had a spare bottle in my drawer. Well, I didn't...so I went in to buy another bottle. They told me they were out of stock and that it would be a whole month before they got it back in. (Note that they have still not contacted me...very poor customer service).This sent me into a panic as I had no foundation that would match me. In my frenzy, I ran into Brown Thomas searching for a shade that would match my pale complexion.

One of the samples I picked up was Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation. The lady at the counter was very nice and advised me to pick up shade 2, which as their palest shade. It looked slightly yellowy in the packaging so I asked did they do shade 1, to which she replied that it had been discontinued since nobody had that pasty of a complexion...I'd beg to differ!

    

I heard fantastic things about this foundation so was very excited to try it. I was a bit disappointed. It clung to all my dry patches and made my pores look very pronounced. For a 'luminous' foundation, I thought it would give my skin a healthy glow but it just made me look like I had very dull, dehydrated skin. Saying that, my skin was very dry at that time due to the cold weather but I have tried it since and it still doesn't look great.

    


In terms of colour, it went on slightly too dark and yellow for my skin and oxidised a touch more so that it really wasn't a good match for me. I could get away with it if I added a touch of bronzer on my neck and chest but for the hefty price tag (about 50 euro or so) this was not what I was looking for.


    

I also found the smell to be very strong and chemical like. I would't have minded this if I loved the product but for those of you sensitive to scents, I'd suggest giving this a try first.

Overall, I was quite disappointed. This may just have been due to the fact that I had such high hopes for it. For those of you with a normal skin tone, I'd say you could definitely find a colour to match you and if you have normal to slightly oily skin this may look great. For me, it just didn't work.

Have any of you guys tried this foundation? What did you think?

XOXO,

B

Liebster Award!

First of all I would like to say thank you so much to Adi from Coffee. Beauty. Life  for nominating me for this award.

The Liebster award is passed on through bloggers with under 200 GFC followers and helps to 

promote their blogs. So here are the rules:

1. Those who are nominated must link back the person who nominated them. 

2. Once nominated you must write 11 random facts about yourself.

3. You must also answer the 11 questions from the person that has nominated you.

4. Come up with 11 questions to ask the 11 people you have nominated for the award.

So let's get started!

11 Facts about me:

1)I have quite an addiction to chocolate...I even get bad headaches if I'm deprived haha

2)I am terrified of needles

3)I love a good Nicholas Sparks book (and movie!)

4)Reality shows are my guilty pleasure...I watch nearly all of them

5)I like to think I can rap...I can't

6)I am in my final year of uni...SCARY!

7)My favorite number is 8

8)I used to be quite OCD

9)I love pilates and yoga

10)I really miss the tv show Brothers and Sisters

11)I hate being in really crowded places

My questions from Adi:

1)Your idea of a perfect Sunday: Lie in until about 12pm, and stay in my pjs watching romcoms or reality shows. (Yes I am quite lazy haha)

2)Your favorite music artist: I actually don't have one! I go through phases! At the minute I'm liking Hunter Hayes and Colbie Callait

3)What's your current favorite beauty product?: YSL Le Touche Eclat foundation (review coming soon!)

4)One thing in your life you just cannot do without?: My family and friends, they keep me sane :)

5)Your favorite colour: I love aqua blue, such a cheerful colour I think haha

6)For a night out, what would your outfit be?: Depends where I'm going. If its to a pub, jeans and a nice top and some heeled boots maybe. If its to a club, some form of dress (it involves no thinking) and heels

7)Your sun sign: I had to google that, but I have realized it is the same as star sign. I am a virgo!

8)Nail polish- bright, dark, neon or natural?: Depends what time of the year but I'm a fan of red nails or French manicure all year round

9)Your favorite scent (perfume): At the minute it's Jo Malone English Pear and Freesia

10)Piercings or tattoos?: I've none! As I've said...I'm terrified of needles

11)After 5 years where would you like to see yourself?: Well at the minute I'm trying to decide what direction to go with in my career but I really don't know yet. I'd just like to be really happy!

The 11 brilliant bloggers I've nominated:

1)Tales From The Kingdom

2)Beauty is Perfection

3)Aoife's Beauty Blog

4)Glamorous Glitter

5)Not your average

6)Fuchsia Forest

7)Blogging My Days Away

8)Emilie The Hackett

9)Little Miss Lifestyle

10) I Fell into yesterday

11)Deceptive Beauty

Questions for my nominees:

1)Why did you start blogging?

2)What's your all time favorite movie?

3) What was the first beauty product you ever bought?

4)What is your job/what are you studying in school or college?

5)What's your favorite song at the minute?

6)Who is your favorite blogger?

7)Are you a summer or winter person?

8)What perks you up when you're in a bad mood?

9)Do you sing to yourself in the car/shower?

10)What TV show do you love?

11)What's your favorite thing about yourself?

Please link me to your post when you're done, I would really love to read your answers!

Thanks again to Adi, I really enjoyed doing this post :)

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer Review

So I am well aware that everyone and their mother has been reviewing this product lately but when I'm buying a product I often read a ridiculous amount of reviews before purchasing just to make sure its extra good. So...I don't think one more review on this product is going to be too bad!



I'd been eyeing up Rimmel's Apocalips lip lacquer ever since the promo came out a while back. I was looking for a great long wearing red lip colour that didn't cause dryness and this product in the shade Big Bang looked perfect. However...it didn't come out in time for the event. (I did find another great product instead though, so check out this post to see what it was : http://bellissimabeauty18.blogspot.ie/2013/01/glossy-vixen-revlon-colorburst-lipgloss.html

Anyway, my urge to splurge didn't end after the event. When the product finally came into Boots, I was out on the prowl straight away. I had heard of all the great 3 for 2 offers in the UK but my Boots unfortunately wasn't as kind, so I just left with one. They were out of the Big Bang shade so I went for the shade Apocaliptic instead. This is a very bright pink with orangey undertones, that could cause it to be mistaken for a red shade. The shade is definitely not one for the faint hearted. I don't think I could wear it as an everyday colour but I already have it ready to go for my next night out.



The product has a doe foot applicator which makes applying it very easy. The product is also extremely smooth and goes on like a dream. Word of warning though, it is extremely pigmented and so, a little goes a very long way.



I was really very impressed with the wear of this product. It lasted a good 5/6 hours (it may last longer but that was all I had it on for) and was fine with drinking and eating. After a while, its glossiness faded but it still left a lovely stain just as pigmented as when it was applied.


Overall, for the value of this product, it is amazing. I'm always skeptical about products with this much hype but I really had nothing to fear. It reminds me very much of NYX Xtreme Lip Creams, which unfortunately we can't get in Ireland, so it was definitely a fantastic replacement for me.

XOXO,

B

Redken Shine Brilliance Shine Flash 02 - Buyer Beware!

I received Redken's Shine Brilliance Shine Flash 02 in a Birchbox last year, but had lost it before I got to use it. It resurfaced at the bottom of a bag last week and I was very excited to give it a try.
Redken describe this as a spray which "illuminates hair with brilliant sheen and a silky feel. Weightless formula gives a light, clean application to all hair types".

               

I sprayed it in my newly washed hair as I was about to go out the door and the first thing I noticed was the horrible scent. I'm usually not very fussy with scents, not really caring what my hair products smell like but this really was not pleasant at all.

As for the effect of the spray, it really didn't make any difference to my hair whatsoever. There may have been a very slight shine but I don't think I would have noticed except for the fact I was really looking for it.

The scent alone would have put me off buying it but the fact it's pretty much useless has cemented my dislike for the product. I have even noticed that there is an error in the spelling of the product on the bottle (notice it says 'brillance' instead of 'brilliance'). Save your money guys!