March Favourites and a huge FLOP! ('16)

This month has been a roller coaster!  I've had oily skin, dry skin, sensitive skin, I've gone bare skinned with just my eyebrows filled in, then I started the 100 Days of Makeup challenge...  I've tried what's felt like a tonne of new products!  Some I ended up loving to bits and others left me like... Wtf even is this?  So these are my favourites (and one total flop) from March ^_^

MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation (€31.50)

Love, love, love this stuff, especially applied over a regular liquid foundation with a stippling brush.

It looks good, it feels good, and I feel fancy when I'm wearing it... What more can you ask for?  XD 

(Even on "no makeup, makeup days", a little bit of this applied to moisturised skin - or over something like Botanics Radiance Balm - with a kabuki brush, and you're good to go!)

MAC Brush Cleanser (€15.50)

Where has this been all my makeup wearing life?!?!  No point going into too much detail because I already wrote about my brush cleaning routine, but I love this for spot cleaning my brushes between washes.  I wouldn't rely on this alone for a deep cleanse, but for day-to-day use it's a total game changer.  

Urban Decay NAKED 2 palette (€47.00)  

Left-Right: Foxy, Half Baked, Bootycall, Chopper, Tease, Snakebite 

Left-Right:  Suspect, Pistol, Verve, YDK, Busted, Blackout

When my husband bought me this palette for Christmas in 2014 I was so excited and loved it so much that I used it pretty much everyday for 6 months.  I don't know how I'd forgotten about this, but I'm obsessing over it again!  You get so many looks out of this palette, daytime, nighttime, subtle, dramatic... It's so versatile!  

Stila Magnificent Metals Foil Finish Eye Shadow (€44.00)

Let me start by saying that I did not go out and spend €44.00 on a single eyeshadow - I found mine in TKMaxx for €5.99!

I've honestly been trying to find ways to get to use this shadow everyday.  I haven't tried anything else like it so, I can't think of anything to compare it to.  Do I think it's worth nearly 50 odd quid?  Probably shhnot!  But if you can find it on offer or if you happen to stumble across them in the likes of TKMaxx, I'd say buy one of each colour (because I'm raging I didn't)...

Urban Decay Matte Revolution Lipstick €19.00 & 24/7 Lip Liner €18.50

Left to right: Blackmail liner/lipstick, Stark Naked lipstick

I know these photos are absolute poo, but it's like 1 in the morning so... moving on!

Don't ask me why it's taken me so long to try an Urban Decay lipstick, I have no clue.

Now I look back at the last few months and ask myself "How much better would I have looked that one day if I had had this lipstick then?".  Regret consumes me.  No surprise, I love them.  In my eyes Urban Decay can do no wrong!  I'm planning on picking up another couple of the lipsticks and lipliners and then take actual decent photos and write up my thoughts on them properly then ^^  But so far: L O V E. 

Biore Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser 200ml €6.99

I was actually really impressed with this face wash.  While theres nothing really "special" about it, my skin definitely feels cleaner after using this than it does after other washes, and I really like the smell and feeling of it on the skin, it feels minty, but doesn't sting or dry your face out or anything.  Two thumbs up from me anyway!

Lady Green Brume Exquise 150ml €15.95

FLOP!  Ah lads, this stuff is just wrong.  Hate the smell, hate the feeling, stings my eyelids and lips, and the way it sprays, ugh!  Instead of a spritz or a mist it's like a slap in the face with a wet fish.  It just saturates your face and no matter how far back I hold it I feel like my hair and clothes end up wet and gross too.  I'm not going to finish the bottle, there's about half left and frankly, I wouldn't insult anybody by passing it on to them, so in the bin it'll go!

So there ya go!

Let me know if any of these happen to be your favourites too (or if you hate them?)! ;P

Shiv

How I Sanitise My Brushes

Many a time online I'll see someone talking about how they clean their brushes and more often than not it consists of shampooing them with baby shampoo, fairy washing up liquid or a mixture of shampoo and olive oil, and that's it.

Brushes may look clean to the eye after shampooing, but they're not actually sanitised, are they? 

What difference does it make if I'm not a professional and I'm only using my brushes on myself though?

Well, if you ever get styes in your eye, cold cores or breakouts, it will make a difference, because you're not getting rid of all those germs and bacteria that build up in your brushes, particularly if you use your brushes multiple times before deep cleaning them.  

So, all that said, I'm just going to how you how I like to clean my own brushes :)

Things I use:

MAC Brush Cleanser 

Johnsons Baby Shampoo

Isopropyl Alcohol 70%

"Brushegg"

(not really necessary but makes the shampooing sooo much easier and it'll only set you back by about €1.30 + free p+p on eBay)

Spot Cleaning

I'd tried a couple of brush cleansers before my MAC one, but the difference is so extraordinary, that I'm not even bother going into details of other ones.  This cleanser really does do a great job of cleaning even dark eyeshadow off of white brushes with little to no effort.

A common complaint about this product is the amount of product wasted due to the dispenser, so I fill up a little spray bottle with the product and work from that instead of from the original bottle.  Just spray one or two spritzes onto a folded kitchen towel and then swirl the brush in it until you're pleased that it's clean enough.  It really doesn't get easier than that, does it?

Method:

This is with just one spritz and about 3-5 seconds of rubbing.  

If I wasn't going to deep clean after I would just repeat that process again.

For eyeshadow brushes I'll do that maybe three times between deep cleaning, and for all others (face, eyeliner and lip brushes) I'll only spot clean once between deep cleanses. 

Brushes before a few spritzes of the MAC brush cleanser 

And after 

As you can see, the MAC brush cleanser does a great job of cleaning/sanitising your brushes between uses.  

Deep Cleaning!

For deep cleaning I would normally go ahead and spot clean anyway, just to get the bulk of the product out first and make the shampooing easier and faster.  Then I just pump some shampoo on my brush egg, wet the bristles of the brush and work it into the bristles to create a lather.  For darker pigments and foundation brushes you might want to repeat the shampooing process until the suds stay white and the water runs clear.

When I'm done with all my brushes I like to squeeze excess water out with a kitchen towel.

It's important to reshape all of your brushes while they're still wet, but particularly brushes like these, as skipping this step will affect how crisp and precise a line you'll be able to create with them. 

There are different ways you can dry your brushes such as hanging them upside down, rolling a towel and having them at a slight angle, bristles down, to avoid water soaking up into the glue and loosening the bristles, but the way I've been enjoying drying mine is by placing them on a windowsill with the bristles facing out off of the edge.  I find it great if you have a radiator under the window as they're far away enough that they don't get hot, but the heat drastically speeds up drying time.  

Once I have my brushes positioned the way I want them, I spray them with isopropyl alcohol 70% to ensure that all my brushes are sanitised properly. 

 It's important not to use a higher percentage though, as it evaporates too quickly to actually sanitise the brushes.

Deep cleaning Beauty Blenders

These are a little more time consuming to clean.  I find it best to have a couple of these on the go as I prefer to wash them after every single use to avoid product buildup and spreading bacteria and gunk on my face!

First I spray a kitchen towel with my MAC brush cleanser and then press the sponge onto it to get as much of the product out as possible.

Then I put it in a bowl with a couple of squirts of baby shampoo, fill it up with warm/hot water, squeeze the sponge a couple of times in the water so that it soaks it all up and creates some suds, then let it sit for about half an hour after which time I'll take it out, and rub it in shampoo in the palm of my hand until the suds stay white and the water runs clear.

To actually sanitise the sponge I give it a 30 second blast of heat in the microwave. 

To do this I put a little water in a bowl (about 1 inch of water), put the sponge in it and just microwave it for 30 seconds.  

The sponge will be very hot, so let it sit for 5 minutes before squeezing it out.

So that's pretty much it.

You don't need the Brushegg, but I find it super handy, faster than using the palm of my hand and I feel like the soap penetrates the bristles easier and faster with it, and like I said, it's super inexpensive.

Hope this was useful!  

Happy washing! 

MAC vs NYX: Is this a TRUE dupe?

Hey!  Just wanted to write a quick post on these two powder foundations because I'd seen so many blog posts and YouTube videos comparing the two that I just had to pick them both up and compare them myself.

Of course I'm talking about the MAC Studio Fix powder foundation compared to the NYX Stay Matte But Not Flat powder foundation.

Firstly, the shade;  I couldn't find an exact match for the MAC NC15, but 04 Creamy Natural seemed to be the closest colour match for me, so that's the one I picked up.

Now before I go on, I want to point out something else.  The price.

MAC studio fix retails at €31.50 for 15g, whereas NYX Stay Matte Put Not Flat retails at €14.00 for 7.5g... So, in my opinion, claims that this is a dupe for MAC for half the price are a a bit misleading due to the fact that you only get half the amount of product too.

Moving on!

The formula:

MAC Studio Fix is very mattifying and looks smooth on the skin, when applied with a stippling brush in buffing motions it makes the skin looked almost airbrushed.  It also doesn't accentuate dry patches as much as it could, being a powder foundation, or as much as the Urban Decay Naked Skin powder foundation does.

The name itself "Stay Matte But Not Flat" already gives you a an idea of the finish.  It's not even close to being as matte as its MAC counterpart.  It will mattify your skin if applied over a liquid foundation, but it definitely requires more touch ups throughout the day if you prefer a matte finish.  

Apart from that, I think you can see for yourself the difference between the textures of the products themselves.  This one doesn't feel too different one the finger, but when applied to the face with a sponge/brush it looks quite powdery compared to the MAC one and requires more work to get a good even coverage with, particularly when used as alone as opposed to over a liquid foundation. 

Left: MAC Studio Fix NC15/ Right: NYX Stay Matte But Not Flat 04 Creamy Natural

The packaging is probably a big part of what makes this a dupe.  They both come with a mirror, and the compacts lift up to reveal a sponge underneath for application or touch ups.

So to summarise:

MAC Studio Fix is €31.50 for 15g and looks and feels smooth and flawless on the skin and stays very matte for hours.

NYX Stay Matte But Not Flat is €14.00 for 7.5g and requires more work to get looking smooth rather than powdery, and looks quite dewy after a couple of hours.  

Do I think this is a true dupe?  The simple answer is no.

I feel like there are too many differences in the formulas for this to be rightfully called a dupe!  

Don't get me wrong, the NYX one is grand for everyday wear or if you're in a rush to get out the door, but apart from the packaging, I can't see any other similarities, and it works out very little cheaper than its MAC counterpart in the long run. 

Have you tried these two products?  Do you think they're comparable or do you prefer one over the other?  Let me know :)

xx

Liquid lipsticks: Highstreet vs Highend

The first liquid lipstick I bought was a Sephora one.  I knew that the feeling would probably vary from brand to brand and particularly from drugstore to higher end, but I didn't know just how much.

So I'm going to jump in and give you my thoughts on liquid lipsticks from Sleek, Sephora and MAC.

Left to right:  Sleek Matte Me Ultra Smooth Matte Lip Cream in the shade "Birthday Suit (436)", Sephora Cream Lip Stain in the shade "Marvelous Mauve (13)", MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour in the shade "Dance With Me".

Swatches are in the same order as the lipsticks themselves.  From left to right; Sleek, Sephora and MAC.

So first we'll address Sleek.  

Out of the three, Sleek is the cheapest brand.  

If you look back at the swatches, you can actually see how patchy even the swatch itself is.  It kind of feels a bit watered down/liquidy rather than creamy.  It's opaque, but you have to be quite careful about application and layer it to get an even distribution of colour.  

As for the way it feels... Not great guys.  Once it dries it feels chalky and tight on the lips; staying power, also not great, probably a 4 out of 10 for what it is.  

All being said, it's not horrendous, if you can't splurge on a more expensive product, this isn't going to break the bank at €6.99, so go for it if you're curious. 

Would I repurchase?  No. 

This is the Sephora one.  

This feels creamy and smooth during application, not too thick, not too watery, just right.

It's opaque, easy to work with and, in my humble opinion, pretty fool proof.  You're not going to get any streaks, patches, unevenness with this, and once it dries it feels comfortable and smooth providing a matte finish without drying out the lips or causing tightness.  Staying power is awesome, it stays put for hours even while eating and drinking!  

If you have access to Sephora in your country, I would certainly give these a go, you won't regret it.  This retails at $14, so roughly €12.50.

Last but not least, MAC. 

I was so excited when I walked into MAC and seen these that, even though I hadn't been planning on buying one, I couldn't resist picking one up.

This is probably the thickest consistency of the three.  It glides on like a dream, even and oh-so opaque and beautiful.  Once it dries, it turns beautifully matte, even more opaque and really pulls your whole look together.  The only thing I was disappointed about was the staying power.  The edges stay perfect, but dare you eat or drink and you can say hello to that awful "ring of shame".  The product completely disappears from the inner edges of the lips, regardless of how carefully you drink, whether you used a Lip liner or not, it doesn't make a difference.  And the contrast between ultra rich, opaque, matte lip of ultimate sophistication and...your actual lip, looks drastic and not at all flattering.   It's something to bear in mind because if you're going to be doing anything other than talking or posing for pictures, you're going to need to keep on top of it all day/night.  

For the price (€28), I feel ...  Disappointed to say the least.  I won't be repurchasing, I'll be sticking to their regular Retro Matte Lipsticks from now on!  

So, to conclude, out of Sleek (€6.99), Sephora (€12.50) and MAC (€28!), Sephora is leaps and bounds better in my opinion and personal experience!  

But have you tried any (or all) of these??  Do you agree/disagree?  Do you have a favourite that I need to try?  Let me know! :)  

Skin and Hair Care Empties

These are just my thoughts and opinions on the products I've finished up in the last month! ^_^

I'll insert links in the descriptions to where you can buy or read up on them incase you're interested  :)

Lee Stafford:

Lee Stafford Growth Treatment

I don't think I will ever get over this stuff.  My hair was in such desperate condition that I genuinely thought that the only way to deal with it at that point was to chop it all off.  This treatment has improved the condition of my hair like nothing else has ever come close to!  And for the price, you really can't go wrong considering it actually does so much more than just make your hair smell nice, now can ya?  I've repurchased this six or seven times already!

Lee Stafford Hair Growth Leave In Treatment

Same goes for this!  I used to use Aussie's "Miracle Recharge Moisture Infuser" leave-in conditioner, and I thought it was grand at the time, but having discovered this gem, I actually can't be without it now.  Again, this does things for my hair that nothing else has ever even come close to doing and all without weighing it down or leaving behind any gross residue.  I do wish that it came in a bigger size though because, it's only a 100ml bottle and I just fly through them.  I've already bought loads of these too!

Travel size of Lee Stafford Original Dry Shampoo

What will I say?  It's grand, it gets the job done and it smells great but I mean, I've tried so many dry shampoos (I'm lazy) and I just haven't found any that can outdo Batiste, especially at that price point. 

Soap & Glory

(If you live in Ireland or the UK remember that in Boots a lot of the travel size stuff is 3 for 2, including a load of S&G products.  It's a great way to try things without paying a fortune for three or four bits that you may only end up liking one or two of!)

S&G Flake Away Body Scrub 50ml

Love this stuff!  It's a really fine scrub which is why I love it.  It's one of those products that you buy but don't really have high hopes for, and then it turns out to be one of your best buys and turns into a staple product in your routine!  I love the scent and the grittiness of it, I feel like it does a great job at exfoliating without being too abrasive, and it moisturises without leaving an oily residue on your skin like a lot of other scrubs/polished sometimes do.  Highly recommend giving this a go!  I have a couple of backups of this...

S&G Scrub Em And Leave Em Body Buff 50ml

Wasn't overly impressed by this to be honest.  It smells great but... I don't know.  Maybe I'm missing the point of it?  It didn't notice anything major happening, but then again, it's only a body "buff".  I wasn't a fan of the way it made my skin feel, I think it was meant to feel "moisturised", but it just felt a bit tacky to me.  I'm sure this product works for other people, if not they wouldn't keep making it, but I'm personally not a fan.

S&G Righteous Butter Body Butter 50ml

Love.  Love.  Love.  

This just feels so luxurious and creamy and soothing and cooling and...  I just really love it.

I swear, every time I see this is a shop I just want to buy it again, even though I already have like four backups at home.  You have to try it, or at least smell it the next time you see it!

S&G Hand Food Hand Cream 50ml

I've gone through seven or eight of these already, and that's saying something because 1) I don't like hand cream and 2) I'd never ever finished a tube of hand cream.

Last year my hands were feeling really dry and crappy and I picked up one of these just because I needed a something immediately and the name of this amused me.  

It smells the same as the Righteous Butter, and it soaks in really fast, so no greasy phone screens. 

Random but necessary!

Garnier Simply Essentials 2 in 1 Make-up Remover 200ml

This stuff is really great.  Shake it up, soak a cotton disc, place it over your eye for about 20 seconds, apply a little pressure and wipe away (and it really does remove waterproof mascara and all with little to no effort!).
Also, I have sensitive eyes, a lot of eye makeup removers will actually sting my eyes like crazy, but this one doesn't, which is obviously always a plus.  

It says it's for face and eyes, but I've an oily t-zone I don't like to use it for removing my face makeup, but thats just me.  This is another one of those things that I find myself buying over and over again!

Sephora Collection Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover

This stuff sucked so bad, seriously.  I got mine in Sephora in Prague for 180 Czech crown which is like 6.50 in Euro for a 50ml bottle.  What was I even thinking?  It was mediocre at best and the Garnier makeup remover mentioned above is bounds and leaps better than this.  Won't be repurchasing this - ever.

Lady Green Elixir De Jour

I broke my pump...but don't mind that!

This claims that it "moisturises, matifies and rebalances"... I dunno guys.

I was just suckered in by the cute packaging and the fact that I'd never heard of the brand.
It's grand, it smells nice and that, but I don't like the texture.
Instead of spreading like a normal cream it kind of sets while you're smoothing it on and feels like you're tugging at your skin.  I wound up just kind of using it as a mattifying primer on the T-zone, but even at that it doesn't really keep you matte all day long.  As for its moisturising properties, I found them to be second to none.  I had to put on my normal moisturiser with SPF (because this one doesn't even have that) and layer this over it.
I'd like to try something else by the brand and see how it goes, but I wouldn't repurchase or recommend this one.

HOLIKA HOLIKA 3 Second Starter 150ml
HOLIKA HOLIKA is a Korean brand and I have loved many a Korean beauty product and actually found them to be among the most effective products I've used without breaking the bank.
This is a sort of toner/serum with a watery gel consistency.
I didn't notice anything to write home about while using it, but it was super cooling and refreshing and for someone who maybe isn't that into skincare or feels they don't have the time for layering products in the mornings I would totally recommend this one because, even on the days I was in a rush and would just slap on some of this and an SPF over it, my skin didn't feel dehydrated or tight.

They have three different types to choose from:  Collagen, Vita Complex and Hyaluronic Acid.
I'm going to try out the hyaluronic acid one next :)
If you'd like to give one of these a go, click here to buy from ebay.ie for 8 euros with free p+p!

PS... Makeup Fixing Spray
This stuff isn't listed on the Irish Primark site anymore, but it's still available in store.
This was Penneys attempt at a setting spray and...bleh.
It has a pretty high alcohol content, it feels like hairspray, I feel like it made me shinier than I would normally be after couple of hours, and you have to be careful not to open your eyes where you've just sprayed it if you have sensitive eyes because I found it stung a bit.
I wouldn't repurchase it to use every day, but if I was broke and absolutely couldn't do without one, I would probably pick it up, but other than that I'd pass on this.

Maybelline Baby Lips - Repair
I've tried many many lip balms and many from the Baby Lips line, and this is only one that I've repurchased so far.  Apart from the fact that it contains SPF20, it doesn't taste like anything or have any colouring.  I find a lot of lip balms just kind of feel like they sit on the surface of the lips without doing much, but this one genuinely helped soothe my lips during the winter and got rid of that tight feeling.

Loreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil Nourishing Mask Balm
OMG, I hated this so much!!
I have never hated a hair mask so much.  Everything from the smell, to the colour, to the texture, to the fact that it did literally nothing for my hair... Ugh!  No.
Maybe the texture was so off because it's a mask "balm", but it felt like it had been sitting on a shelf for three years or something.
If this worked for you, let me know, because I was totally grossed out by it, and I used to the whole thing to give it a fair go but it did nothing for me.

Pantene Pro V Instant Nourishing Spray
Another disappointing product.  I don't know if this is still available or if it's been repackaged/reformulated, but the one I had was pretty underwhelming to say the least.
This claims that it's for fine hair... I don't know how that would work out because, I don't have fine hair and this still weighed my hair down even when used sparingly.
The smell was overpowering to me and I noticed I had to wash my hair more frequently when I used it.  Wouldn't recommend this product even if it is still available.

TRESemme Heat Defence Styling Spray 300ml
I bought the travel size of this, finished it up pretty quickly and then bought the full size.
I wouldn't say it's a game changer or anything, but for the price point it's really quite good.  It smells good, sprays evenly, and after using my flat iron, I did feel like my hair was protected and felt soft and smoothed but not weighed down.

Salt of the Earth Natural Deodorant (Travel)
I bought this when I went through my "omg we're all gonna die poisoned by everything" phase.
It's a stick deodorant but, not.  It's like a big lump of rock basically.
I have a few things to note about this one.
1.  I'm not an excessive "sweater" naturally, so if you are, maybe you won't be quite as impressed with the product, or maybe you'll feel more paranoid at first.
2.  It has no colour, scent or texture so, it's kind of difficult to judge if you're good to go or if it's working or not.  For this reason I found myself sniffing my pits all day for the first few days and reapplying simply due to the fact that I couldn't smell anything, neither good nor bad.  Good thing is, it doesn't stain or leave marks behind either.
3.  It needs to be wet to used it.  I would apply when I was just out of the shower, but for reapplication you'd have to rinse it under the tap and then apply, and that can get messy with water running down your side and that, not the handiest if you're out and about.

Overall, I think it does work, but it's just strange when you're used to smelling deodorant and then you're using a product that smells like nothing.
The good thing is they do a spray version too, which is probably way faster and handy to use... In retrospect I don't know why I didn't just pick that one up to begin with! To see that one, click here.

So those are all my empties for this month!  If you tried any of these and had a similar or totally opposite experience, or even any recommendations, let me know!  I'm always in the market for new products too ^_^