P.S Love...Lip Liner Pencils

Up until pretty recently, lip products were one of my least favourite makeup items to buy.  I don't like lipgloss, I'm not a fan of lip tints, and I really hate glossy, frosty or sheer finishes.

My go-to lip products were always a plain old matte (or liquid to matte) lipstick in a true red, a nude or a black.  

I decided to pick up these lip liners from penneys simply because of the price - €1.50!  

      

I have to say, I really didn't have high hopes for these, having been disappointed by more expensive ones in the past, but these things are freakin AMAZING!  

Their staying power is extraordinary!  They literally stay on for hours on end without needing touch ups or fading away.  And if you pair these with MAC Prep and Prime Lip and your go-to lipstick on top, you are sorted and good to go for the whole day, no joke!  

(From right to left:  06, 05, 04)

       

They only have a small selection of colours, (one or two pinks apart from the three colours pictured) but considering the price and the fact that they're penneys finest, that's hardly a tragedy.  

Quality over quantity all the way! 

Now, I have chronically dry lips, and it doesn't matter what balms or creams I put on them, they are always dry, and as gross as it is, many lipsticks and lip liners will actually make my lips begin to peel within a half hour.  

Not so with these guys!!  They're not ridiculously creamy, which is something I appreciate because I associate creaminess with feathering, but by no means are they hard, nor do they tug on the lips.  They're just the perfect consistency and so opaque!  

(The colour 06 is a gorgeous nude shade)

   

I think, even with the limited colour selection, there's bound to be one for you because all the the shades are just so different.  And sure for €1.50 I promise you, you can't go wrong!  I can guarantee you, I won't be buying another MAC lip liner in a shade similar to these, because there's just no reason to anymore!  

If you have a penneys near you, and you have lips, you need these!  

Shiv X :)

Tarte Maracuja Cheek Tint Review

Hey guys!!  

I am SUPER DUPER excited over this because, I had wanted to try a Tarte product (ANY Tarte product!) for ages and ages but, living in Ireland where you can pretty much only buy it online, I never did.  (I hate buying makeup online, I want the FULL experience!  Discovery - Excitement - Swatching - Desire - Purchase!)

So when I went into TK Maxx and caught this little box out of the side of my eye, I'm embarrassed to say, I did squeal, and very nearly peed myself with excitement (Not really...).

Tarte Maracuja Cheek Tint - Deep Berry

Granted, people of my pale and pasty complexion mightn't usually wear this particular colour but, quite frankly, I probably would still have bought it if it had've been a neon yellow lipgloss, as long as it was by Tarte! (I'm sad, I know)

So, here is a picture of the way it comes out of the pump.  It's a gel formula, not at all runny or difficult to control.  I strongly recommend starting off with the teeny tinniest amount of product and layering more if you need it.

 You do have to work pretty fast to get even coverage, because taking your time can result in patchiness, and that's hardly the look you're going for.  Also, in the 'instructions' on the box it says to 'pump a small, drop-sized amount onto fingertips' and apply to cheeks.  If you do use your fingers, you definitely need an oil based makeup remover to clean it off your hand, because it stains like no other!  

What I love love love about Tarte is that they are Cruelty Free, and this particular product is formulated without parabens, mineral oil, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate or synthetic fragrance! ^_^

How I've Used This Product:

Being so pale myself I found that, considering I picked up the only shade that they had and it's quite a vibrant colour, I apply this over my moisturiser/primer and under my foundation so that, even if I went a bit crazy with it, the foundation tones it all down and just makes it look like you're glowing from within!  But I'm guessing this colour looks STUNNING on all the darker skinned gals!  :)

I hope that someone found this post helpful or at least somewhat informative!  

Let me know if you've tried it, how you apply it, what colour you use;  Everything!  I'm dying to hear!!

Chat to yiz all again!

Shiv X

P.S.
I realise now that I probably should've put a picture up of it on my actual mug, but I didn't think of taking one. *FAIL* - I promise I'll work on actually thinking before I post in the future :D

A bit about myself!

Hey guys, how're ye keeping!?

I just realised I should probably tell ye all a bit about myself so ye can kind of put a face (or, personality, rather) to the blog, I think it'll just make things a bit more personal and not look like I'm trying to be something that I'm not!

(I'll put the fancy American words for the un-fancy language I use, in brackets, ha, ha!)

So, first thing's first, I am NOT a professional blogger/writer or anything like that, I'm just a 22 year old Irish girl that needed a bit of inspiration, or excitement, and so decided to start a sort of online diary (blog), if you will.  I'll probably just be giving my thoughts on products (reviews), or showing ye what I buy when I go on a mad one (hauls) and other little bits like that for the moment, until I get into the swing of things!

I'm actually doing a make-up artistry course at the moment and I really love it.  I still don't know if I want to go down the 'make me look pretty for my wedding' route, or the 'make me look pretty ugly for this photo shoot' route though.  Coming from an alternative background, I'm still way more drawn to the Special FX and almost theatre-like aspect of makeup (and those kinds of people), than the 'people pleasing' side of wearing makeup, if that makes any sense?  

Moving on, I'm going to Prague with a good friend for a short mid-week break on the 24th of this month.  This is both exciting and anxiety inducing for me because, A) I have never been to a country in which I couldn't speak the language, B) I have never been to a country where the currency is like: 1 euro = 27 koruna, and C) I feel like we need an adult!  'But you're both adults, Siobhan!' But, NO!  I need like, a 40 year old adult!  (You'd never guess I'm a married woman...I know!  Ha, ha, ha!).

ANYWAY!  The only thing that is keeping me going and forcing me not to chicken out and pull a sickie, is... Sephora. 

*oooh! - aaah!*  

There are no Sephoras in Ireland :'(  and I hear soooo many vloggers go on about it, and I see so many Sephora hauls, and, it's just not fair!  It's just not right lads.  

SO, when I get back from my travels, I will be doing a post about all the stuff I buy (haul), with lots of photos and all that jazz!  

Anyway, have you been to Prague?  Is it nice?  Are the shop assistants really as scary as everyone is saying they are?  I heard there's a couple of Sephora stores there, is there one in particular I should make an effort to visit?  Let me know!

If you made it this far, thank you, please stop by again, and I'll chat to ye all soon!

  Bye!  Shiv X

Urban Decay - Naked skin Ultra Definition Powder Foundation-Fair/Neutral

Hey guys!

So, I know I'm probably the last person on the face of the earth to write about this foundation but, I wanted to take my time and use it up before I gave a final opinion because I really wanted to love this stuff but, I can't say that I do.  I don't hate it but, I think it has equal amount of pros and cons.

(Just as a point of reference for anyone who might be reading this, I can wear either NC15 or NW13 in MAC shades, depending on the foundation.)

I have fairly neutral undertones, so I got mine in fair/neutral, but I think this shade still leans more towards pinky/peachy than neutral or yellow.

It still matched fairly well during the summer, but I don't think that I could wear this during the Winter months without bringing it down onto my neck.

Now, I've read many reviews about this foundation and many people seem to say that its 'non-drying'... This was not true for me.  Any tiny bit of dryness on your face will stand out tenfold unless you apply it with serious caution, so I certainly don't recommend this for people with even slightly dry skin.  I have a slightly oily T-zone, but the rest of my face is neither dry nor oily, except in winter when I sometimes get some dryness around my nose. 

This foundation, no matter how applied, made my face feel quite tight and uncomfortable for at least the first 45 minutes of wear, regardless of what primer I used or the amount of moisturiser I applied beforehand.  That being said, during the Summer months, after a few hours of wear it became quite patchy on my nose.  

When I tried it wet, I couldn't even bring myself to wear it outside of the house because it became at least two shades darker than my actual skin tone and oxidised HORRIBLY within  an hour.  

The 'pros' are that it does work nicely as a setting powder, and because of the smart little packaging, it's a nice powder to carry around in your bag for touchups during the day.  Also, if you have the patience to work with it and mess around with different primers and that, it really does make your skin look relatively flawless with a soft focus effect.

I think that that more or less sums up my thoughts on this foundation.  I won't be repurchasing because, I feel that, for the price point (around 35 quid) there are plenty of more comfortable and easier to work with foundations available.  However, if you'd like to read their claims for yourself, or are curious about the shade selection, here's a link to the Debenhams website so you can have a nose for yourself:  Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition Powder Foundation - Debenhams.

Thanks for stopping by, chat to ye soon!
Shiv ^^