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

Essence Longlasting Lipstick in 09 Wear Berries!

A few months ago, I picked up another of Essence's Long Lasting Lipsticks & was impressed, big time. I mentioned that I wanted to try out a few other shades, & for €2.49, it would be rude not to buy another. Or another three. But today, I'm going to show you the one that's taking up space in my bag for the last while.

Wear Berries is a pinky-purple shade. At first glance, I thought maybe it was similar to MAC's Up The Amp, but it's definitely a lot pinker. In the bullet, it's a deep berry shade, but swatched, it's quite a bit lighter. And, just to say it again, pinker.

I actually cannot deny how well these lipsticks apply - They're so creamy, & do not dry my lips out in the slightest. There's a slight sheen to them, but they're not glossy at all - Just very creamy and smooth! I'm not sure about the long lasting claims though - Three hours later or so, & my lips sport a barely there berry stain, but wear time isn't that impressive. However it does fade very evenly, & I find that it's a colour I have no problem applying on the go because it's not too bright or dark. 

I did originally think that Wear Berries was going to be a real winter shade (it's snowing here, winter shades are still appropriate) but it's definitely an all-round kind of lipstick - It translates to a deep but natural colour on the lips. I wore it to my oral exam yesterday & that went well, so I'm putting it down to the lipstick. And using it as an excuse to go buy every other colour.

Do you like purple toned lipsticks?

Chloe x

Essence NOTD

Hello hello hello,
Seeing as the first week of January is apparently the worst of the year, why not paint my nails something equally as gloomy? Haha in reality I've just been loving both of these polishes for the last month or two, but only now has it hit me - I should combine them! I did, & I'm loving the result.

Moonless Nights & Here's My Number

I used Essence 03 Moonless Night, which is the suede from the Dark Romance collection on all my nails, & then did an accent nail of their Sparkle Sand Effect polish, 165 Here's My Number. Moonless Night goes on really well, two thin coats gives perfect opacity & it finishes to a lovely matte. Yep, I'd call it more matte than suede, but I can forgive that because it's such a pretty, unique grey. It's quite smokey, but it nearly has teal tones to it as well. Definitely a winter shade! Here's My Number has even better coverage - One coat, good to go. (Though obviously it was layered over Moonless Night, so it didn't have to work as hard..) It's a dark grey grey base, with black & holographic glitter it - It's so pretty, I keep looking at the glitter changing from silver to blue to purple etc! It is a bit gritty to the touch, but it's not too bad if you only use one coat.

Please, looks at the polish, not at the state of the skin surrounding them..

I really like these two polishes together - I think the glitter contrasts nicely against the matte polish, but the colours tie in together. Plus, they're both around €1.49 -What's not to love? Essence is usually in Penneys & Sam McCauleys.

What's your favourite nail combo?
Chloe x

Essence Longlasting Lipstick in 03 Dare To Wear

Hey!

So out of all the lovely new make up brands over here... I chose to go with something I recognised. I've never tried an Essence lipstick before, but after swatching it, I liked the colour & it was only €2.49 - Where could I go wrong?

The packaging looks better than Essence's usual offerings, a matte black plastic tube with a stripe across the middle to show the colour. The lid clicks on well, so it feels pretty sturdy! I also like the 'e' embossed on the bullet.

When swatched, I thought this was a deep pinky red (similar to a Rimmel lipstick I left at home!) and because I love any pink lipstick, I threw it in my bag. Or basket. Because I did actually pay for it. Either way, after applying it, I realised it's not really pinky toned. There is a hint there, but it's predominantly  a mid-deep red.

Pigmentation is good, & it applies well. I suppose it's a satin finish - Not quite matte, but not glossy either. I had lipbalm underneath, hence the shine! But above all - Essence say it's long lasting. Which it is. If you're sitting at home twiddling your thumbs. Yes, it lasts if you're just running around, & it fades evenly. But kissing & eating mean it'll pretty much smudge around your mouth - Could be solved by lipliner, but I don't have one with me!

That said, I probably will wear it during the day, just not on a date night or anything like that. And it hasn't stopped me from wanting to try some of the pink shades!

Have you tried Essence lipsticks? Does it annoy you when swatches are different to the actual colour?

Chloe x

Lá Fhéile Pádraig

Hello girls!

Just wanted to pop by & wish you all a Happy St Patrick's Day. Last night I shared a picture of what I thought I'd do with my make up so I thought I'd pop up what I actually did on the day. (I love doing my make up to sit at home in front of the fire watching Catfish.. It's pouring rain so I opted out of the parade!)

I used MUA Pearl Eyeshadows in Shades 5 & 6 as my green shades, 

& Barry M Dazzle Dust 100 for the gold. 

Barry M 289 Gold, topped with Barry M Copper, 

Model's Own Toxic Apple topped with Louise Gray for Topshop Hat Trick

Face

Revlon Colourstay Foundation in Ivory

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Light

Benefit Boo-ing Concealer in 001

MAC Mineralise Skinfinish in Light

Urban Decay Afterglow Blush in Quickie 

Benefit Hoola Bronzer

Lancome Highlighter in Moonlight Rose

Eyes

Urban Decay Primer Potion

MUA Pearl Eyeshadow Shades 5&6

Barry M Dazzle Dust 100

Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner in Stage Dive

Naked Palette in Virgin

Benefit They're Real

Loreal Super Liner Gel

Collection Eyebrow Definer in Blonde

Lips

Elemis Lip Balm

Essence Stay With Me Lipgloss in Candy Bar

Did you do anything for the day? Or change your nails/ make up in honour of it? Leave a link if so!
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

Essence Blush Sorbet

Hi girls :)

After about 5 minutes to get ready this morning, hasty make-up application in the car (not while driving obviously), and forgetting most of my make up, when my blusher-less self spotted Essence's new Fruity range on stands, I couldn't resist picking up their new Blush Sorbet in 01 Smoothie Operator. Cheap, cheerful & the perfect rainy day pick-me-up.

The packaging & plastic tub.

First things first - The white lid & pink font is not the nicest. It's quite cheap looking, which I don't usually expect from Essence. The plastic tub doesn't bother me - It looks simple & neat. But hey, it's the product inside that counts. Essence describes it as 'an intense pink-red shade', but I think it's a tad more coral. And it has amazing an golden glimmer. But the first thing I noticed when opening the lid was the strong burst of fruity fragrance. It cheered me up quite a bit, but if you have sensitive skin or strong scents bother you, it's probably not for you. However, the smell doesn't transfer to your skin.

Swatched thickly & thinly.

And how does it look? Despite its brightness in the tub, it really gives a pretty sheer, natural flush that certainly looks healthy. It blends well and can be applied with a brush or fingers. It's the first time I've used a creamy/ liquid blush, and I do think I prefer my powder blushes, but it's certainly a light alternative on hot, sunny days (If we get any more - Fingers crossed!)

Overall, it's not the prettiest product on the outside, but the colour is gorgeous & can be built upeasily. So I don't think it'll become a favourite, but for €3.29, I won't complain.

Have you gotten any products from the new Fruity collection? 

Chloe x

50 Followers Give-away

Hi everyone!

I am truly sorry for disappearing recently - Exams took over my life! But I have returned to blogging, with the fabulous sight of this:

50 followers!

And therefore, I wanted to do a little giveaway! (I wanted to feel like one of those bloggers who does give-aways. They look quite cool.)

Essence Nail Colour 3 in 06 Ticket To The Show

NYC High Definition Separating Mascara

Impress Press-On Manicure in 

NYC Metro Quartet Eyeshadow in Gothic Harlem

Nivea Glamorous Gloss in Natural

Revlon Limited Edition Nail Files

I'm going to use Rafflecopter for this giveaway, as it seems pretty convenient, so feel free to enter through every way, or just by following. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

It will end on the 30th of May, & I will choose and announce the winner. Good luck, & thank you all for following!

Chloe x

Essence Nail Stickers

Hi guys :)

I got these zebra-print nail stickers by Essence quite a while ago - It was well before Christmas. But since I'm an awful person, I completely forgot about them. When I found them today as I procrastinated (I have three weeks of study at the moment, before my exams start) I quickly cleaned off the Easter nails that I had been so proud of, & tried to figure out how exactly to put stickers on my nails without looking like a four-year old let loose in Arts & Crafts box.

Said Easter nails.

Not as impressive as I'd like to believe.

Turns out, I didn't have to worry. They weren't complicated enough to let me avoid study for too long, and they look so pretty.

The instructions are pretty clear - Natural nails should be clean, fit the correct size sticker to each nail, press sticker on & file the excess sticker. To be honest, my nails are ridiculously short & the stickers are reasonably long, so I broke out the scissors to get rid of the excess sticker. Pretty sure I'd actually be able to apply another set! The pack comes with fourteen stickers anyway, so no sweat if you mess up one.

The sticker applied directly, & cut down to size.

Essence recommend sealing the design with a shiny topcoat, but I'm thinking a matte finish would look gorgeous. I'll leave it for now (purely because my supplies are limited at the moment, darn two bedrooms in different counties.) but this weekend, I'm planning on a matte topcoat & having fun with glittery nail art pens. I'll keep you updated on how that turns out!

The end result. I love it!

Have any of you tried nail stickers? How did they turn out? I'll be honest, I love my nail polish, but for €2.49, I'll try anything. Hope you all had a brilliant Easter!

Chloe x