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

Rimmel London: Lasting Finish Matte by Kate Moss Lipstick in 107

Gonna put my hands right up & say that for the past year, I've been referring to this as "that dark red Kate Moss lipstick" & just had to Google the real name. Which is a bit of a mouthful. That said, it's quite possible my Favourite Red Lipstick. Not that I wear red lipstick a lot, which makes the fact that I like one quite special.

I know, the world & his granny have probably picked up one of Kate's lipsticks by now, & quite possibly 90% of those grannies got 107 because everybody seems to love it. But just in case, I thought I'd list the reasons it's so fabulous.

The packaging is sturdy, & despite just throwing it in the bottom of my bag, the lid has never come off. I like the red casing, though it does annoy me slightly that the lipstick can't be stored upside down, so if you have a few of the matte lipsticks, you have to turn them all upside down to find the one that you want... I know, first world problems.

That aside, I hadn't really been looking for this shade until November 1st. It's a total winter colour, not just because I'm far too cold to get out of bed in the morning so it's easier to throw on some lipstick instead of trying to focus on my liquid liner & smokey eye. The deep red is literally just a winner - I haven't yet seen someone that it hadn't suited. (Maybe they're out there.) Even though I'm not a red lip person, I don't mind a deep red like this... It's less attention grabbing, I think, but still makes a statement.

The middle photo is frightful, but the only natural light photo I had - Oops!

I thought there would be problems with the matte finish, but it hasn't dried my lips out in the slightest, & doesn't highlight dry patches any more than any lipstick does. Naturally, the one complaint I have is that it does feather slightly.. So yesterday, I invested in a red lipliner. Problem solved. Even without the liner though, this has serious staying power. I put it on yesterday before going to college & after a morning of talking, drinking & biting my lips, then coming home & having curry & a Kinder Bueno (a free Kinder Bueno! Yum), there was still an impressive colour left.

Is it obvious that I love this lipstick? Literally, I apply it from the bullet, blot it, re-apply, & I'm good to go. I live in fear that it will be discontinued & I'll be comparing every deep red to this. I may stock up. Kate Moss lipsticks are €6.99, but you can usually get them on 3 for 2 in Boots, etc, so even if you don't like this shade, you should still try another colour - 101 is my favourite nude-pink.

Do you own this? What's one of your 'winter' beauty items?

Chloe x

Rimmel Apocalips in Apocaliptic

Hi lovelies!

First up, let me say - I must have had to check the spelling of my title at least ten times, the word 'apocalips' really confused me! But for the last week, it's the product on everyone's lips. Rimmel Apocalips are lip lacquers, so basically a mix between a lipgloss & lipstick - I pictured a very heavy, opaque lip gloss. and I'm pretty sure that's what I got.

I was browsing in Boots for a cheap foundation/ BB cream to get me through a weekend at home, since I forgot to pack one, and I noticed seven out of the eight shades. Since Rimmel was on 3-for-2, I thought it'd be rude not to try out two, on top of the BB cream I ended up with. After some serious swatching, one of the shades I bought was Apocaliptic.

It's a quite blue-toned pink, which is bright but not neon. It's a stunning shade, and I think it's the perfect way to get some bright lips out there, without being too in-your-face for every day wear. (Then again, I can wear anything to college!) The packaging is sleek & sturdy, and the wand is perfect - There's a little well in the applicator, which collects enough product to cut down on double dipping. It's fabulous!

Without & with flash.

It's extremely opaque & glossy. It applies beautifully & does stay glossy for a few hours, but this does mean that it transfers onto cups/ bottles etc quite easily. Once it faded, my lips were still stained, but fading was even, so I didn't absolutely have to top up. I applied it around 9:30AM and after a rainy walk, few bottles of water & some Belvita, it was still going strong! I reapplied around 2PM, just because I had the time & it was still there at the end of the day.

Apocaliptic in action.

I really, really like both this shade & Apocalips in general. They're cheap (€7.55-ish), they're pigmented, they're long lasting & they're pretty. What more could you want?

Have you bought any Apocalips? What do you think?

Chloe x

Life via pictures #5

Okay, it's been a while. But this is a quick glimpse of what I've been up to!

Rimmel Apocalips - Snowy view

Trying out my NIMA Mitt - Afraid Tesco might run out of Belvita?

Sorting out make up - Yankee candles 

Three bean chilli with Georgia - Reduced Topshop shoes

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

Strawberry Nails!

Hi girls!

Well, for the summer I've been picking strawberries part-time, & this weekend in Enniscorthy, the Strawberry Fest is taking place. And therefore - What would be more appropriate than strawberry-themed nails? They're cute,but unbelievably simple.

All you need are red, green and yellow polishes, and something to do dots with - I just used a hair clip, it was closest to hand. Use whichever base/top coat you want too! My polishes were Catrice 740 King of Greens, a Claire's Accessories yellow polish, Rimmel 325 Hot Gossip and I used a white polish too, to make the yellow stand out a bit more. Any polishes can be used though!

1. Paint your nails with the red polish. I used two coats to make sure it was opaque.

2. Paint a line of green over the top - It doesn't need to be neat, because you're going to do two or three little points underneath the line, to look like the leaves. Some people use tape for this, but strawberries aren't all perfect, so feel free to have it a bit messy!

3. Finally, the seeds on the outside. If using a white polish, just dot it onto the red part of your nails, using your dotting tool. Then, when dry, cover it with your yellow polish. Once again,don't worry about the neatness!

4. Sit back and admire your handiwork. Then gorge yourself on strawberries - They count towards your 5 a day, so guilt free!

And it's as simple as that. What are your favourite nail looks at the moment?

Chloe x

Rimmel: Wake Me Up Foundation

Hey guys!

I've badly been wanting a new foundation, as both my go-to bases are on their last legs. I'm waiting until I'm in the airport in a month to stock up, but in the mean time, I wanted an inexpensive, but decent foundation.

Lo-and-behold, while popping into Boots in between lectures, I saw a strand of Rimmel's newest offering, Wake Me Up foundation. After a long, draining two weeks of essay deadlines, I needed a new alternative to guzzling coffee and covering my face with my hair. At an introductory price of €6.95, the usual RRP of €10.95 still won't break the bank. (I think it's an indication of how wrecked I am that I just typed PPR by accident.)

The packaging claims that it "visibly reawakens and illuminates skin, with a radiant glow and a flawless, natural-looking finish" and has an "anti-fatigue effect". Bring it on, I said. And did it?

I bought shade 103, True Ivory, as it was the palest shade. I'm pretty much ghostly, and sadly, it's a little too dark & yellow-toned for me currently. Taking into account that (a) my skin is a little paler than NC 15, and (b) I haven't seen the sun in quite a while, I think it should still suit most fair-skinned girls. I'm hopeful that it'll match my skin when it gets warmer, or at least with a hint of fake tan.

With flash

Without flash.

But otherwise, I think that this foundation pretty much delivers on its claims. My skin is dry/combination, but it applied miraculously. It doesn't cake or highlight any dry patches, and seemed to just hide all my pores. It makes my skin look dewy, which could be a problem for those with oily skin. I don't tend to apply foundation to my forehead, so I can't really comment on whether it's overly shiny. Of course, it's not a heavy coverage, which I like for during the day, but I still feel like I could wear this without concealer and powder, if in a rush.

So, would I recommend it? Yes. I don't think it's perfect for me, mostly down to my colouring, but I like the look of it, and for €10.95 for 30ml, it's a budget-friendly option for tired skin.

Chloe x