In my May favourites post, I mentioned how much I was loving the new Essence Gel Nail Polish collection, so today I'm going to be showing you my current favourite polish from the range.

Sweet As Candy is a milky, baby pink colour that's so pale it's probably one of the most natural nail polishes I own. It's definitely one for those of you who prefer a natural looking nail! When I first saw it, it instantly reminded me of the Kardashian Kolor range that OPI released a few years ago - there was a stunning colour identical to Sweet As Candy, called 'Kim-pletely in Love', which was an instant sell-out. I was delighted to find a dupe for it as I was unable to get my hands on the Kardashian one.

Sweet As Candy is definitely not a nail polish you can apply if you're in a rush. As it's so pale, it takes quite a few coats to build up an opacity. In the photo above I'm wearing five coats of it! I would definitely recommend applying thin coats of it, because it's a gel formula so it's quite thick and can streak easily if you're not careful.

Although it takes a while to apply opaquely, once the polish dries it will stay chip-free on your nails for days! I got eight days out of this polish with no signs of chipping or wear. To me, that just about justifies the amount of time I spent putting it on in the first place!
It's also a great nail polish to use when doing a French manicure as it has that very natural pink tone.

The Essence The Gel Nail Polish collection boasts 48 shades, ranging from mattes to glitters, so there's bound to be something for everyone in the audience. At €1.79 each, I've been stocking up on them!

Zara :-) x

Micro Pedi Nano Review!

Now that my exams are officially over, it's finally time to begin preparing for summer! In the weeks leading up to my holidays I always feel like I have so much to do, but I get to try out lots of new gadgets in the process.

Today I'm going to be showing you the new Emjoi Micro Pedi Nano, which uses a micro mineral roller to buff away any dry or hard skin on your feet. It spends at 360 degrees, 30 times a second, leaving you with soft, smooth skin.

The Micro Pedi Nano comes in three different colours - Mardi Gras Orange, Mexican Pink, and Tropical Blue. It's the perfect size too - it literally sits into the palm of your hand! It's ideal for taking on your holidays because it's virtually weightless.

The Micro Pedi Nani exfoliates and removes hard, dry or rough skin while being gentle on your feet, leaving your heels and soles feeling soft and smooth. The innovation behind Micro Pedi Nano is that it's totally safe and effective as it doesn't use blades that could cut your skin, it uses a breakthrough micro-mineral roller.

I use my Micro Pedi Nano every few days in preparation for my holidays this week, and I love how gentle yet effective it is. It's also great if you're having a pamper night where you want salon results without the hassle and expense of going to get a pedicure!

The Micro Pedi Nano is battery powered so it's a great additional to your travel bag as you can take it on holidays without having to carry cords or chargers as well. I love how easy it is to use too - I'm no expert when it comes to fancy gadgets so I love that this is clearly laid out and straightforward to use.

I think the Micro Pedi Nano is an absolute essential to get summer ready this year - I can't imagine not having mine now! The Micro Pedi Nano is €39.95 and is available in selected pharmacies or online at micropedi.ie.

What do you think of the new Micro Pedi Nano?

Zara :-) x

Inglot Perfect Coverup HD Foundation Review!

It's been a while since I've tried a new high-end foundation, so on a recent shopping trip I picked up Inglot's latest offering on a whim. I believe this was released around November of last year, but I haven't really heard much about it.

Inglot is such a renowned brand, I had high hopes - and I most definitely wasn't disappointed! I think this beats NARS' Sheer Matte as my favourite high-end foundation.

Perfect Coverup is a medium to full coverage foundation that can be built up. The formula is a little thicker than most liquid foundations I've tried, but it feels very light-weight on the skin. The first time I tried this, I felt that it kind of sat on my skin and had an almost sticky texture. I soon discovered that I hadn't worked it into my skin well enough, so make sure you take the time to really buff it in. After that I never had any problems with it in terms of texture or how it looked on my skin.

I usually apply this with a Real Techniques Buffing Brush, or sometimes I like to use a regular foundation brush to give maximum coverage. 

I absolutely love the coverage this foundation gives - it covers everything, I never feel the need to add additional concealer. It has the most beautiful satin finish - if you look closely at the bottle you can see little shimmers in the foundation, but it's definitely not as dewy as foundations such as MAC Face and Body. 

The Perfect Coverup foundation also comes with a pump, which is brilliant as most high-end foundations don't. I generally use about two pumps of product to do my whole face.

The shade range is excellent too - I'm in the shade 73, which is the third lightest. There are 8 shades in total, with something for everyone included.

The longevity of this foundation is without a doubt the best I've ever had with a foundation. It sets so well and lasts about eight hours on my oily skin before I start to see any patches or shininess. I normally dust my Urban Decay translucent powder over it just to set my base, but it's not really necessary.

The Inglot Perfect Coverup HD Foundation is available at all Inglot counters and their website http://inglot.ie, and it'll set you back €33 - it's worth every cent in my opinion!

Zara :-) x

The Lipstick Addict Tag!

As I do so many reviews on my blog, sometimes I think it's nice to switch it up a little bit and do a beauty-related tag. I've done a few of these in the past and they've gone down really well, so today I'm going to do the Lipstick Addict Tag!

I'm the ultimate lipstick junkie, so I had quite a tough decision when it came to answering each question. So let's see how I got on!

1. Favourite lip balm/treatment?
I'm a huge fan of the EOS lip balms. I have six different flavours, and my favourite is Strawberry. They're incredibly moisturising and don't leave any sort of residue on the lips. I love that they're in a little egg shape as they're great for on the go - I'm not a huge fan of lip balms or treatments that you have to dig your finger into!

2. Best eye-catching red?
I'm not a huge wearer of red lipsticks, but I think MAC's Russian Red is the strongest, eye-catching red I own. I normally pair it with MAC's Cherry lip pencil, and it just gives a very defined, flawless look. It's great for nights where you want to look immaculate but you don't want to put too much effort into your eye makeup. I also think the fact that it's a matte shade makes it stand out more than any other finish.

3. Best luxury and best drugstore?
My favourite luxury lipstick won't come as a surprise to any
regular readers of my blog - of course it's Tom Ford Spanish Pink! It's my all-time favourite lipstick. The formula is so creamy and long-wearing, and the colour itself is perfect for everyday wear. Just look at that packaging! Everything about Mr Ford's lipsticks oozes luxury, I love them.

For drugstore, without a doubt I have to say the Rimmel Kate Moss Lasting Finish lipsticks are faultless. I have seven different shades and I love them all. They're absolutely fantastic for their price, and the colour range has something to suit everyone. My favourites are 03 and 05. The shades are so flattering and incredibly moisturising on the lips.

4. Best MAC lipstick?
This was an easy one for me - my absolute favourite MAC lipstick is Brave. It's relatively new to my collection, I got it last November, but it's the one I reach for on an almost daily basis. It's the perfect soft, rosy-pink that works with every eye look. It's commonly associated with Kylie Jenner and her famous lip look, and it's most definitely worth the hype. It's a satin finish (my favourite from MAC) and it's long-wearing and moisturising. Of all my MAC lipsticks I think it's the only one I will certainly repurchase.

5. The most disappointing?
After searching through my lipstick stash, I couldn't find one that I would say disappoints me, as I normally do lots of research into lipsticks before I buy them! The only lipstick I've tried that I've absolutely hated was the Revlon Lip Butter in Cupcake. I've thrown it out so I don't have a picture of it, but I hated it. The colour was too pale on my lips, and I found that the consistency was so buttery that it just glided right off my lips. It also sat into every crack on my lips - I would go as far as saying it's the most disappointing makeup product I've ever tried! It's a pity though, because the Lip Butters are so raved about, but they just didn't work for me. I've tried loads of Revlon lip products that I've loved since, so all is not lost!

6. Liner - yes or no?
Yes! As someone with virtually non-existent lips, I need the outline of a pencil to ensure that my lipstick is actually noticeable on me! Although I hate overdrawn lips, I love the definition that a good pencil can give to your lips. My all-time favourite lip pencil is MAC's Soar.

7. Best gloss?
As a whole, I would say Rimmel is the best lip gloss brand out there - I've never been left disappointed by any of their glosses. Specifically, I think the best gloss is their Stay Glossy in 'Non Stop Glamour'. It's the perfect Victoria's Secret Angel nude lip colour that looks so effortless and beautiful.

8. Something extra! (An honourable mention!)
My honourable mention goes to a high-end lip colour that comes very close to Mr Ford in the best lipstick stakes. It's the YSL Glossy Stain in #4 Mauve Pigmente. I featured this on my blog when I started it last June and I have easily mentioned it about seven or eight times since! It's a beautiful, vampy mauve shade that is so striking, and actually very easy to pair with most looks. It had to get a mention in this tag because it's one that, like Brave, I will definitely repurchase.
 

So there you have it - all my favourite lip products! Feel free to do this tag on your own blog and link it to me, I'd love to see what your top picks are!

Zara :-) x

Lypsyl Lip Balms Review!

I absolutely love trying new lip balms - there are so many lip balms on offer, I'm always trying to hunt down the best bargain buys. I think having a good lip balm at hand is essential at all times, especially if you're constantly wearing lipsticks. I also find in the summer that my lips get so dry!

I recently received these lip balms from Lypsyl, and my initial impression was how adorable the packaging is! These lip balms look so cute on your desk, as well being a good size to take around with you.

The Lypsyl range has three different lip balms - Original, Cherry Blossom and Strawberry Polka Dot. As you'd expect, Cherry Blossom and Strawberry Polka Dot are tinted, which is great for the summer - I personally find that lipsticks and glosses can be a bit too much on hot summer days, so a tinted lip balm is always a great option to have. In addition to this, each of the lip balms contain SPF 15, which is vital on these hot days!

The lip balms have a fantastic buttery texture that just glides onto the lips and absorbs instantly. They don't feel sticky or leave any sort of greasy residue behind. The lip balms contain Vitamin E and Aloe Vera, leaving your lips feeling incredibly hydrated and soft.

I also love that the lip balms are in tube form, as on a day-to-day basis I much prefer having a lip balm that I can apply straight to my lips, as opposed to having to dip my finger into a pot. I've been bringing these lip balms everywhere with me, and they'll most definitely be coming on my summer holidays next week so this won't be the last time you see them on the blog!

Here are some swatches of the two tinted lip balms - they give the perfect, natural wash of colour to the lips which is great for everyday use.

Lypsyl lip balms are available from Tesco, Lloyds Pharmacy and Sainsburys, to name a few, for a mere £1.39 for the original, and £1.45 for the tinted - how could you pass them up?!

What are your favourite lip balms?
Zara :-) x

L'Oreal Infallible 24 Hour Matte Foundation Review!

I've been trying out so many new drugstore foundations recently, but I think I've found my current favourite. I've been testing out the L'Oreal Infallible Mattifying Foundation for about three weeks now, and I can definitely confirm that it's a good 'un.

Although I have incredibly oily skin and I love matte foundations, I never actually buy specifically matte foundations - I usually buy satin finish bases and mattify them with my own matte powders. I bought the Infallible foundation after seeing countless Youtubers and bloggers rave about it, and my local pharmacy had it for 33% off, making it a mere €8 - I couldn't resist, could I?

The Infallible promises to be a medium high coverage, shine-control foundation that will last for 24 hours. Like I said with the Rimmel 25 Hour Foundation I reviewed, I don't ever see myself in a situation where I'll have my base on for that long, but I was intrigued to see how long it would wear on certain occasions, but more on that later. I have this in the shade 12 -Natural Rose, and it's a perfect match for my skin at the moment.

Before application, I make sure that my face is well moisturised so this foundation doesn't cling to any dry patches I may have. I love to use the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush for application as I found it was the only brush to give me the optimum coverage I desired. If you prefer a more sheer finish, I'd recommend a Beauty Blender or the Real Techniques Buffing Brush.

The foundation is incredibly easy to blend into the skin, and despite being a full coverage foundation, felt weightless on my skin. Although I love the coverage of the foundation, I've been suffering with really bad stress acne on my jawline, and I needed additional concealer to cover it all up. However these spots will hopefully gone when I finish my exams on the 12th, so I'm not going to complain about them too much! That aside, the coverage is really excellent. My drawback with full coverage foundations is always that they'll look cakey or like I've got a mask on. This couldn't be further from the truth with this foundation. It's so natural looking on the skin.

In terms of longevity and how long my skin stayed matte, I couldn't praise the foundation enough. As I said earlier, my skin is incredibly oily so it's quite rare for me to find a foundation that stays put all day. I recently wore this to the 5 Seconds Of Summer concert, and I was shocked to find that it was still perfect when I got home after the show. I had the foundation on for about 9 hours in total and it didn't budge or get shiny at all! Even though the venue was quite warm and I was incredibly excited, it didn't show on my foundation! I didn't need to touch up once, nor did I feel like my skin was starting to get a bit sticky or oily.

 The L'Oreal Infallible Foundation is €11.99 and is 100% worth the hype. They also have a matching primer which I'll definitely be picking up too!

What's your favourite drugstore foundation?

Zara :-) x

Bioderma Micellar Water Review!

If you're in any way familiar with the beauty blogging or vlogging community, you'll have heard about this product, without a doubt. Bioderma's micellar water is one of those internationally recognised cult beauty products that every girl should have in their bathroom cabinet. Until recently, it was relatively difficult to get, particularly for us Irish ladies, but I'm delighted to tell you that Bioderma are launching in Ireland this month!

I was incredibly lucky to get invited to Bioderma's Irish launch last month, so I've had a chance to play with some of their goodies before they hit shelves this month. Today, of course, we're talking about the Bioderma Sensibio H20 Make-Up Removing Micelle Solution, which is obviously Bioderma's most popular product. Did you know a bottle of it is sold every three seconds in France?!

Basically, Bioderma's Micellar Water is a revolution in terms of makeup removal. While many brands have released their versions of micellar water (Garnier, Simple, Nivea, etc.), Bioderma was the originator of this craze.

It's an extremely effective makeup remover, that takes every scrap off your face in one swipe. I've tried a couple of other micellar solutions, but I find that it takes a good three or four cotton pads full of product to take the bulk of my makeup off. With Bioderma, I'm able to take my face and eye makeup off with one cotton pad. Yes, really!

It's designed for sensitive skin, and will leave your skin feeling cleansed and nourished. It has no greasy or oily residue, and it's incredibly gentle on the face. Your skin doesn't feel stripped after using it, it almost doubles as a toner! It doesn't leave your skin feeling tight or uncomfortable, like some makeup removers do. It's also scent-free, again for those of you for sensitive skin this is another huge bonus of this product.

This is most definitely a holy grail product for me, and I'm so glad that it has reached Irish shores as I can't quite imagine doing without it now. I have the 250ml bottle, but it also comes in this adorable 100ml bottle, which excited me greatly at the launch.

A bottle of Bioderma's micellar water will set you back €11.50 for the 250ml, or if you want the little baby one it'll be €5.50. So do the right thing and get both for €17 - you won't regret it!

Also stay tuned for reviews of even more lovely bits from the Bioderma range - I have some good 'uns coming up!

What's your holy grail makeup remover?

Zara :-)x

Declare Purifying Cleansing Gel Review

If you've read my blog for any length of time, you'll have gathered by now that I'm a face wash junkie - strange, I know, but I just love to try new face washes in the hope of finding 'the one'.
While I'll keep you updated on my quest, today's offering is definitely in the running as the Holy Grail face wash.

This is the Declare Purifying Cleansing Gel -  a face wash that was developed especially for sensitive skin, and this one is specifically for combination and oily skin.
It's perfect for cleansing and removing your makeup all at once, and it lathers really well to allow you to get the most out of it.

The cleansing gel is incredibly gentle on your skin - it's really refreshing and it has a lovely soft scent. As it's designed for sensitive skin, it's definitely not overpowering or overly perfumed, but it's a really pleasant fragrance. It deep cleanses and nourishes your skin, without leaving it feeling stripped of essential oils, or really tight and dry.

Although my skin is oily, I can get dry patches on my cheeks and I felt like this gel really kept my skin hydrated. To exemplify how clean your skin is left after using it - my skin actually squeaks when I'm finished! It's literally squeaky clean!

I use my Purifying Cleansing Gel both morning and night, as it leaves my skin feeling soft and supple, and also prevents blemishes.

My skin is going through the mill at the moment with my exams, so I'm really enjoying having a good quality cleanser to keep it in shape as much as possible!
I highly recommend this cleanser - it's by far one of the best I've tried recently, it's just so gentle and really kind to my skin.

The Declare Purifying Cleansing Gel is €19.75 and you can find your nearest stockist here.

May Favourites 2015!

The typical opening for every month's favourites post, but how fast did May go?! It was quite a hectic month for me, as I graduated secondary school, and had lots of blog events and other fun things to go to. June will be quite a challenging month as I begin my Leaving Cert exams on the 3rd (I'll actually be sitting one of my exams when this post goes live, so please send a miracle my way!!). 

The last month or two, I've been really back into my beauty products and I've bought lots of new goodies to try out, so I have some great gems to share with you this month.

L'Occitane Iris Bleu & Iris Blanc Perfume
My mum recently got me a gift set from L'Occitane, which had all of their Iris Bleu & Iris Blanc collection in it. This is the first taster I've ever had of their products, but this perfume is my absolute favourite scent at the moment! It's literally summer in a bottle - it's the perfect balance of fruity and floral, and it's not too overpowering in the warmth. Its top notes are citrus and blackcurrant, and its base notes are musk and cedarwood, so it definitely strikes the balance of not being too sweet or too floral. Compared to some of my other perfumes, it wears exceptionally well. I normally spritz some on my neck and on my wrists and it will last me the whole day. It'll definitely be a summer staple for me!

L'Oreal Infallible 24H-Matte Foundation
Due to my horrific exam stress skin, I've been gravitating towards full coverage foundations, which is quite unusual for me as I've always been one for lighter foundations. After hearing multiple bloggers raving about this new offering from L'Oreal, I decided it was worth a go as my local pharmacy had it on sale for €8. I'll be doing a full in depth review of it soon, but I absolutely love it. The coverage is perfect, the longevity is phenomenal and the shade 12 Natural Rose is a perfect match for my skin. Stay tuned for my full review in the next week or two, but if you're on the hunt for a new drugstore foundation, I'd definitely recommend giving this one a whirl.


Rimmel Lasting Finish High Coverage Concealer

Continuing with my full coverage theme, I've been really enjoying this new concealer from Rimmel. It's part of their Lasting Finish collection (I reviewed the range's newest foundation here!), and I believe it's their first cream concealer. I'm not one to normally go for cream concealers, but I wanted to change my routine up a little as I usually use MAC's Pro Longwear concealer. The consistency of it is really creamy and easy to blend into the skin. It settles nicely onto the skin and doesn't move when you're contouring or anything like that. The coverage is excellent - definitely on par with MAC's Pro Longwear. One downside to this product is the lack of shades though - there are only three to choose from, and this is 20 Ivory, which is the middle shade. That aside, if you can get a colour to match you it is a really excellent product.

MAC Corduroy Eyeshadow

I recently went to my local MAC counter to update my eyeshadow collection, as I felt my MAC palette lacked some good basic matte shadows. I picked up a couple of different shades, but the one I've been using most is Corduroy. It's a muted, reddish brown colour that I've been putting in the outer corners of my eyes in place of a matte black, or in the crease to deepen a look. It's such a smooth eyeshadow that blends so easily. I've been really into softer, brown smokey looks recently so it's perfect for defining my eyes but not making them too dark. I've also been enjoying Embark, but Corduroy is my favourite!

Covergirl Lashblast Volume Mascara

This has always been my go-to mascara, but I recently realised that I've never mentioned it on my blog. It's the definition of a perfect mascara - it adds volume, maximum length, it's the blackest of black and it doesn't smudge or run at all. I have fairly short eyelashes so I'm quite fussy with mascaras, and no mascara gives my eyelashes the volume and length that this does. Although this isn't a waterproof formula, I have really watery eyes and I've never experienced flaking or smudging with this product. Can we start a petition to get Covergirl onto our shores please?!

Essence The Gel Nail Polish in 'Indian Summer'
My favourite thing about being finished in school is definitely the fact that I'm now free to paint my nails whenever I want! My school didn't allow us to wear nail polish so I certainly won't miss that rule! I've heard so many positive reviews about the brand new Essence The Gel nail polish range, so I bought this beautiful coral shade called Indian Summer. It's the perfect summer shade and I love the gel finish. This lasted on my nails for 7 days without the slightest bit of chipping - the quality is absolutely incredible! I've since bought four more, so I'll be doing a full blog post on them. There are 48 shades available in this range, so at €1.79, I can certainly see myself going back for more!

Just to round off today's blog post, here's a little collage of some of the things I got up to in May!

I got an Olaf graduation ballon! | I graduated secondary school! | I went to see 5 Seconds Of Summer | I attended the launch of Bioderma in Ireland! | And finally a picture of me with a 5SOS foam finger.

Let me know what your May favourites are!

Zara :-)x

Seventeen Smoulder Gel Eyeliner Review!

I have always been an avid lover and user of gel eyeliners - I just think they're so easy to work with, as I'm totally hopeless with liquid liners. For this reason, I'm constantly picking up new gels to try, however I've found recently that the new ones I've tried have been fairly mediocre, and nothing worth reviewing or repurchasing.

As my favourite gel eyeliner, the Collection Lasting Colour, is starting to dry out, I thought it was time to get myself a new one as back-up. I bought the Seventeen Smoulder Gel on a whim, I hadn't done any research into it nor did I actually hear anyone speaking about it. But for €5.99, I was willing to take a risk on it.

It was a risk that paid off - I absolutely love this gel eyeliner! I've been trying it out for about two weeks now, but my love was solidified when I gave it the ultimate trial run - wearing it to the 5 Seconds Of Summer concert last week. Anyone who knows me (or reads my Tweets, for that matter!) will know I'm a huge fan of the band so any eyeliner that can stand the test of their concert (and the excitement and tears that come with it!) is a good 'un in my books.

The eyeliner comes with a tiny little brush, which is so handy if you're new to gel liners. I personally don't tend to use the brushes that come with the products as I love to use my MAC 209 liner brush to apply gel eyeliner. However I did try out the brush that came with it and it's a great brush for beginners!

The liner itself is matte black, and incredibly creamy. The minute I applied it for the first time, I was instantly impressed by how smoothly it glided over my lids. It applied so evenly, and took little or no work to get my liner perfect. I also love that it takes a minute or two to set, as I always like the option to go back and fine-tune my liner when I've done both sides! So if you mess up one of your wings, you've got a little bit of time to go back and adjust it.

While testing this for the last two weeks, I've only really worn it for a couple of hours and I was quite impressed with how long it stayed. I knew the ultimate test of its longevity would be last week when I wore it to 5 Seconds Of Summer - I had it on about eight hours, in a hot venue with excitement and everything that comes with going to a concert! It lasted incredibly well - it didn't smudge, it didn't crack or flake, and it was still perfect when I got home that night.

For a budget gel eyeliner I was so happy with the results. I'm most definitely going to go back to this eyeliner when I use up my current one. Actually, I've been quite impressed with two or three gel liners I've tried from the drugstore, so I might do a separate post on my favourite inexpensive liners soon.

What's your favourite gel liner?

Zara :-)x