FOTD: Golden Smokey Eye.

So last Wednesday I went out & the next day morning I shared a photo of my make up on Instagram because I loved it. You know when you have like three hours to watch Youtube videos & get ready and everything just comes together?
Then the lovely Sarah from RaraGiggles asked me to do a post on what products I used, so here it is! I also decided to check how much my face costs, because using a previous picture means I;m not actively trying to use certain products!

Eyes

Essence I Love Stage eye primer - €2.99

Urban Decay Naked Palette (Naked, Buck, Half Baked, Smog, Darkhorse & Creep) - €44

MUA Up All Night palette (No 1 & Hot) - €4.99

L'Oreal Infallible Eyeliner (Black) - €7.79

Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Liner (Black) - €11.99

Maybelline Colossal Go Extreme Mascara (Black) - €10.49

Maybelline One By One Mascara (Black) - €11.99

Urban Decay Browbox (Brown Sugar) - €25

Face

Benefit Porefessional - €34

Nars Sheer Glow (Mont Blanc) - €40

P2 Dress Code Happy Concealer - €3.95

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer (Light) - €6.35

Benefit Booing Concealer (01) - €24

NYC Blushable Creme Stick (Big Apple Blush) - €3.49

Bourjois Bronzing Primer - €13.99

ELF Shimmering Facial Whip (Pink Lemonade) - €2.40

Lips

Korres Lip Butter (Pomengranate) - €9.95

Rimmel Exaggerate Lipliner (Eastend Snob) - €5.49

MAC Satin Lipstick (Snob) - €19

Total

€281.86

Waaaaah that is a bit of a crazy total... But I suppose it's my hobby, plus I used a lot of products! It'd be pretty easy to leave out a lot of these products & get a similar result. I couldn't go without the Naked palette though, the golds & browns are beautiful!

This is not in any way a tutorial because I cannot do that for the life of me! But for reference, I blend Buck & Naked just in/over my crease, Half Baked goes in the centre of my lid, with Smog on the outside & Darkhorse applied on the outer V of my eye, with Creep blended over that. Then under my eyes, I started with Darkhorse on the outside, Smog in the middle, and Half Baked in the inner corner. I used the colours from MUA Up All Night as highlights, but Virgin from the Naked palette is one of my favourite eye highlights ever. (I'll stop gushing over Urban Decay now).

So that was my face last week!

Chloe x

Maybelline Colour Sensational Vivid Lipstick in Vibrant Mandarin

Today, you can check me out over on CherrySue Doin' The Do, talking about Maybelline's Big Eyes Mascara. I can't say I loved it, so to counteract that, I decided I should post about a new Maybelline lipstick that I picked up. (That's a lie - I picked up two shades..I can just never say no!)

The Boots website says "Color Sensational Lipcolor hydrates lips whilst delivering bright, rich, pigment- saturated coverage." The packaging is attractive, it's a plastic lid that corresponds with the lipstick colour, and it's squared off, while the base is silver. And shiny. While I like sleek black tubes, etc, they get a bit boring & these are much more attractive in my lovely new make up holders.

So Vibrant Mandarin sounds orange, but to me it's more of an orange toned red. Seeing as orange lipstick scares me, it's a good way to start dipping my toes in the water! It is a beautiful shade, & lives up to its name, coz this is vibrant with a capital V.

On the lips (as opposed to anywhere else you'd put your lipstick), it's smooth & incredibly pigmented. One coat gives full opacity, but because it's so smooth & slightly glossy, it's a terror for bleeding & smudging. I rubbed a spot near my mouth & had beautifully stained fingers to match the smudge down my chin. Similarly, as with any glossy lipstick, it will start to fade quicker than a matte - Though I found it didn't seem to transfer to my glass, so a bonus point for that. 

I really like this release from Maybelline - I go weak at the knees for bright lips, but it's nice to get one that a) isn't matte & b) doesn't highlight every dry patch. I haven't found the purple shades but when I do, they will be mine! Until then, I'll wear Vibrant Mandarin & see if I can work up the courage to try Electric Orange.  Colour Sensational Vivid Lipsticks cost €9.99, which I'm happy to pay & are available widely!

Have you picked up any of this range? What do you think of orange lips?

Chloe xx

Maybelline 24 Hour Colour Tattoo in Metallic Pomengranate

First up, if you think there'll be photos of this actually on my eyes, go away. I spent FORTY FIVE MINUTES trying to get a photo of this at work.. They all left me looking like I had the eyelids of a 90 year old or a severe eye infection. But I promise, Maybelline's Colour Tattoo in Metallic Pomegranate is actually nice.. In real life anyway. 

The story behind this is that I bought a variety of Colour Tattoos before I went to a festival last year, figuring they'd be handy to just smear on my eyelids (They were.) Back to reality, & I realised as hard as I tried, bright blue & purple eyelids weren't going to take me far. So I picked up a few more wearable colours, like Metallic Pomegranate. (It's a serious effort writing that just so you know.)

The colour tattoos are housed in a clear glass jar, with a black & coloured lid that corresponds with the colour inside. Handy until you realise you put the wrong lids on the wrong pots & your lovely white highlight is actually now cranberry & you look like you have a bruised eye.. But anyway.

Metallic Pomegranate is a cranberry coloured creamy shadow, with little flecks of gold shimmer. It's soft & easy to work with, plus it can be patted onto your lid or built up for intense colour. They also work as excellent bases for powder eyeshadows - I've been putting this under a shimmery cranberry colour from the Sleek Celestial palette & it keeps it perfect throughout the day. They can also of course be worn alone, but be careful, especially if you have oily eyelids - Primer is needed, or they will crease a tad & start to fade. It's not very pretty.

It is red-toned, but not overly so - It's more of a purple-red-brown. I know, I'm killing it with descriptions today. My point is, it's actually really wearable! Especially when you want a bit of a smoky eye that's not just blacks & silver.

Even if Metallic Pomegranate isn't your colour, I recommend checking the range out if you haven't already - I have about seven at this stage & use them regularly! They cost €10.49 in Boots, but are often on 3-for-2 offers etc.

Chloe x

Maybelline Big Eyes Volum' Express Mascara

One of the best things about a new country? New make up to try out... Especially new mascaras. Maybelline make some of my favourite mascaras so I was unbelievably excited to find a new one here! Big Eyes is a dual ended mascara, with one end (the purple) being for top lashes, & the other (black) being for bottom lashes. Definitely an idea I can get on board with! Most mascaras aren't really suitable for bottom lashes, & I left my Clinique Bottom Lash mascara at home. So I picked this up mainly for my lower lashes but with high hopes for the other mascara too!

The packaging is very slim for a Maybelline mascara. As you can see, it's half purple & half black, so you know which end is for which lashes. Not much more to say really! The brushes are attached onto the main part of the tube, & the removable sides of the mascara are the tubes of the formula. (Hopefully that makes sense!)

Left - Top lashes brush. Right - Bottom lashes brush.

The brushes are quite different. The one for top lashes is a bit bigger, & the bristles catch on to A LOT of mascara. Honestly? Not a fan. It does offer a bit of volume, but nowhere near as much as my other mascaras, & length isn't improved majorly. I also feel like it clumps my lashes together just a bit too much. It's not awful, I just much prefer my lashes to be more dramatic! But all is not lost - The brush for the bottom lashes is much smaller & neater, & the bristles are quite small & only dispense a bit of mascara onto your lashes. The wand is also longer, so it's perfect for getting under your eyes without smudges!

But..While I'm definitely going to continue using this on my bottom eyelashes, & won't hesitate also using the mascara for the top lashes in an emergency, I can't wait to get my Clinique back, and wouldn't bother repurchasing whatsoever. I hate writing negative reviews, but while I loved the concept, it just didn't deliver. That said, it's handy to throw in a bag, & if the thought of spending €16 on a mascara for just bottom lashes makes you feel sick, it is a decent alternative - This costs €10.99. While I don't believe it is yet available in Ireland, you might see it on your travels, if it's something you'd like to try.

Have you come across dual ended mascaras? What do you use on your bottom lashes?
Chloe x

June Favourites

This is my first ever favourites post - These are all the products I've been loving recently!

Cocoa Brown Night & Day Tan
I put off trying this out, because I just loved Cocoa Brown's One Hour Tan, & figured I wouldn't prefer this. But um.. I love them both equally now. I promise to fully review this, but for now - Favourite instant tan.

MUFE HD Foundation 
This is 100% my 'going out' foundation. It matches my tan & makes my skin look flawless. My only regret is that I don't have it in a colour that matches my skin, because it's deadly.

Lancome La Vie Est Belle
I got this perfume at Christmas & wore it daily. After moving back home, it ended up in a box, & only came back out last week. Four people asked me in one day what I was wearing. I love it.

MUFE Lift Concealer
Lots of work, late nights & early mornings = Horrible dark shadows under my eyes. This covers them better than any other concealer, but doesn't look fake. It's nice, natural, & it works.

Maybelline Volum' Express The Rocket Mascara
When I get up early, I find it really hard to do a full face of make up, so once my eyes are defined, I'm happy. All I need is a quick brush through my lashes, & my eyes are so much bigger.

ELF Studio Powder Brush
I have at least six foundation brushes. But it's this (very cheap) one that I keep coming back to, when I went a beautiful finish. It buffs foundation in to give an air-brushed look (especially when combined with my MUFE foundation!)

Have you used any of these? What are your recent favourites?

Chloe x

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Maybelline Volum Express The Rocket Mascara

I don't know if you can tell from all my wittering on.. But I LOVE mascara. If I ran out of everything, mascara would be my first repurchase because I have no eyelashes, just a few invisible hairs somewhere around my eye.

 I love the bright tube. The brush is also one of my favourites.

One of my favourites was Maybelline The Falsies, but I find it far too hard to repurchase a product, so I ended up slipping The Rocket into my bag. (After paying for it, obviously.) In fairness, the bright blue & pink packaging is so bright that everyone's eyes are on it! I'm a big fan of the packaging, and while the brush isn't anything new, I do like big, spiky brushes because they are ideal for getting in at lashes & zig-zagging.

Eh, hello eyelashes. I didn't realise you existed. This is with a quick two coats.

Add to that, the formula is proper black & it should be a-may-zing, right? That's not even a trick question, because it's beyond amazing. I text several people to express my delight at my lashes, & also fluttered them like crazy when in the presence of anyone I thought might appreciate them. (It worked.)

Now, I clearly am head-over-heels for The Rocket, but just to warn you - I like A LOT of volume, with as much length as possible added in. This means I can deal with clumps. I can't say I've had to cope with too many clumps, but they are possible, at least if you throw on a few coats, like I tend to. No matter how many coats though, I haven't managed to smudge it, & there's been no flaking.

Not gonna lie, this photo scares me a bit. Like, one intense eye, one un-defined eye.

So, if you're looking for dark, thick lashes, €11.99 (or so) in Boots, Superdrug, Sam McCauleys etc will make you happy.

And just a normal one coat of mascara, going around day-to-day.

What's your favourite brand for mascara?
Chloe x

Skittles Manicure

Hi there :)

After our quick burst of sunshine last week, I'm really hoping that Ireland doesn't get flooded at this stage. But even if the weather outside isn't quite so bright, the perfect solution has to be a Skittles manicure. It's easy  Just paint all your nails a different colour, then sit back and be blinded by the clashing colours. You can go for rainbow brights, like me, or try out more subtle pastels.

Aren't they pretty?

From left - right: Rimmel London 825 Sky High, Essence 39 Lime Up!, Claire's Accessories Yellow, Maybelline MNY My Varnish 341, Leighton Denny Plush Pink.
I painted my nails with a white polish first, to make the colours a little brighter.

You can use whatever colours & nail polishes you want to recreate this look, or something similar.

What do you think of the Skittles manicure? Too fussy, or something you'd wear?

Chloe x