Empties videos and blog posts have become really popular over the last year, but I personally find them quite tedious unless they're purely makeup related empties. I find it quite interesting to see what makeup items that other girls loved so much that they used the whole thing up. Today I'm going to be sharing all the makeup products I've used up over the last few months. I've been holding out on doing this post for a while as I wanted to have a good bulk of products finished up.

I have a few MAC products, which is what inspired me to do this post, as I only need one more item to get myself a free lipstick - and as I'm typing this, I actually think I have a lipgloss that's a bit past it sell by date... perhaps a trip to MAC is needed after I finish this post!

As we go along I'll tell you what I recommend, what I wouldn't necessarily repurchase, or what I've already repurchased! Anything that is yet to be repurchased, will be bought after my spending ban has been lifted in July - you can read more about my spending ban here!

Last note - this is quite a long post, I've saved up a huge amount of empties to do this! I'd recommend a cup of tea and perhaps a biscuit before continuing.

Beauty Favourites Of 2014!

Happy New Year! I honestly can't believe how fast 2014 went - it seems like only yesterday we were in 2013.
I've spent the past few days whittling down my makeup collection to compile a list of my ultimate make-up picks of the year. I've taken inspiration from the lovely Vivianna Does Makeup and used her categories to list my choices for the best beauty items of 2014.
2014 was a fantastic year makeup-wise, particularly for us Irish gals. Many of the world's most popular beauty brands made their way to our shores, including Charlotte Tilbury, NYX, Physician's Formula and Wet'N'Wild, to name but a few.
If you've read my blog at any point since I made it last June, I'm sure you'll recognise some of these products - I tend to blog about my loves immediately so many of these items won't come as a surprise. So let's get straight to business: (Wait! One more thing - swatches of everything is at the bottom of the post!)

Base:

• Best Primer: My primer of 2014 is the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer, without a doubt. I've got incredibly oily skin and I have never found a primer as long-lasting as this little guy. It feels light and velvety, keeping my skin matte and my foundation in place. Love, love, love!
• Best Lightweight Foundation: NARS Sheer Matte. Although marketed as a sheer foundation, it's most certainly a buildable choice that you can make into a medium coverage if you wish. I chose it for my lightweight foundation as that's my preferred way of wearing it - it's so natural yet flawless, with fantastic longevity. It's a pricey base choice but in my opinion it is definitely worth investing in. 
• Best Full Coverage Foundation: I'm giving this prize to Maybelline Better Skin Superstay Foundation. I bought this back in June and it is my top foundation of the year, dare I say it. The coverage is nothing short of flawless, it feels light on your skin and blends in seamlessly. It's most definitely the best foundation I've ever come across at the drugstore. 
• Best Tinted Moisturiser: I'm not the biggest fan of tinted moisturisers, however I discovered the Stila Oil Free Sheer Tinted Moisturiser about two years ago and it has become a staple for me in the summer when my skin is clear and behaving itself. It's incredibly sheer but it can be built up to a nice light coverage with two or three layers. The formula is very light so there's no worry that it's going to cake up. It's very long lasting so it's an excellent option for the summer time when you don't need much coverage anyway.
• Best Concealer: No prizes for guessing what I've chosen here - of course, MAC Pro Longwear Concealer! I went through two of them this year, and got a new one for Christmas to keep me going for 2015. There are no concealers on the market that compare to it - it's ideal for highlighting under the eyes as well as covering blemishes. I've also started using it as an eyeshadow base and it works better than any primer I own! 
• Best Powder: Again, no surprise here - my beloved MAC Mineralise Skin Finish Natural. As you can tell from the picture above, it's very well loved! It'll have to be my first beauty purchase of 2015. I would describe this powder as a filter for your face - it just glides over the skin and banishes any imperfections with a light dusting. It has a light coverage so you can even use it on its own with a bit of concealer if you want a natural makeup look. I don't think I will ever find a powder that will overtake my love for this little guy! 
• Best Bronzer: Michael Kors Bronze Powder in Gleam. I love a bronzer with a good sheen to it, no chunky glitter. It's a stunning true bronze with a hint of gold, which is complimentary on every skin tone imaginable. The powder is very finely milled and delivers the most beautiful bronzed sheen to the skin. It's really the only non-matte bronzer that I reach for in my collection.
• Best Blush: I am awarding this to MAC's Dainty blush. It's part of their mineralise range, and is a stunning pink with a golden shimmer, but like the Michael Kors bronzer, it gives a sheen rather than becoming a thick glittery mess on your skin. This is my go-to blush as it looks beautiful paired with any eye and lip look, it's so effortless. 
• Best Contour: I'd like to say Laguna by NARS as I'm obsessed, but I don't think it's a fair pick as I've only had it for the last month or so. Hence, the award is going to NYC's Smooth Skin Bronzer in Sunny. It's the most fantastic contour shade as it's completely matte and is a true golden-bronze, not an orange or muddy brown. It's not too intensely pigmented, so you have great control with it and applying it is a breeze. It's also as cheap as chips, so there's no room for complaint here.
• Best Highlighter: This was a complete no brainer for me. Without a doubt, my highlighter of 2014 is Makeup Revolution's The One Blush Stick in Dream. It is the most stunning, pearlescent pink highlight that is so natural yet striking. I reviewed the whole collection of Blush Sticks, which you can view here. I love Dream because the formula is just outstanding - it has a cream to powder effect and you are in complete control of how it looks on your cheeks - you can apply it sheerly or apply it heavily for an intense highlight.

Eyes:

• Best Brow Product: Benefit's Gimme Brow has been my favourite brow launch of the year. I've found that this year in particular, every reputable makeup brand has stepped up their brow game, but I really think Benefit were on to a winner with this product. It's a brow gel that emulates the look of real hairs so you can have a natural looking brow that isn't sparce. I tend to use this on its own if I'm too lazy to do a full face of makeup with defined brows, and it gives my brows a nice bit of definition without looking like a huge amount of effort went into doing them. I will most definitely be repurchasing this.
• Best Eye Primer: I've raved about this primer countless times here on my blog, it's the Essence I Heart Stage Eye Base. I've used this for about two years now and no other primer comes close to it for me. It has a slight tint to it so it eliminates any discolouration or veining on your lids to provide you with a smooth blank canvas to apply your eyeshadow on top of. 
• Best Single Eyeshadow: I chose Givenchy's Mono Eyeshadow in Modish Brown. I did a full in depth review of it here which you can refer to for swatches and more detail. It's basically a single eyeshadow, a light chocolate brown, that is divided into four squares to give you four finishes. Fairly suave, non? It's so versatile and as you know, I'm a packaging junkie so I adore the classy Givenchy casing. I'm also a fan of a good magnetic closure, so this is an all rounder by my standards.
• Best Eyeshadow Palette: I don't think will come as a surprise to any of you. Charlotte Tilbury's Dolce Vita eyeshadow palette - also known as the make-up love of my life (well, maybe my second as I think my Tom Ford lipstick has won my heart...). Like my Givenchy eyeshadow, I've done a full in-depth review of the palette with swatches which you can view here.  Charlotte Tilbury Cosmetics took the beauty world by storm in 2014, and this product is a true testament as to why she is fast becoming the queen of makeup.
• Best Eyeshadow Stick: I actually had a few in mind for this category, but my winner is the NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk. NYX launched in Ireland this year and Milk was near impossible to get until about a month after it launched! Anyway, it's the perfect opaque white eyeshadow base or eyeliner that is so versatile. I love to put it under my eyeshadows to really intensify them and improve their longevity. It also looks fabulous as an eyeliner on the waterline.
• Best Eye Pencil: My go-to eye pencil of the year has been the Chanel Intense Eye Pencil in Noir. I read countless reviews of how excellent this one was, so I decided to step away from my beloved Rimmel eye kohl and give this one a whirl. It was most definitely worth it! It's the most long-wearing, intense black eye pencil I have ever tried. It's completely smudge resistant and doesn't budge at all. It's ideal for the tightline as it doesn't transfer at all.
• Best Mascara: The winner here is the Kiko Ultra Tech mascara. This is another firm love that I was introduced to this year when I went to Italy. We don't have Kiko here in Ireland and at €3, I had to snap this mascara up. It's an excellent volumising mascara that is clump free and adds a false-lash effect to your eyelashes. I didn't get the waterproof formula but it doesn't smudge or dry incredibly hard, it's a very comfortable mascara to wear. It's the best I've tried in a while, without a doubt!

Lips:

• Best Lip Balm: I'm awarding this to the famous EOS lip balms. My younger sister is a massive fan of them - her collection proudly boasts over 20 of them! My collection, however, is a little more demure and holds six different flavours. They all smell divine -my personal favourite is Summer Fruits- and they're incredibly moisturising without leaving a greasy residue behind. Their egg shape makes application a dream, and also quite fun! They're a handbag essential for me - I can't be without my little egg lip balms!
• Best Lip Gloss: I found myself scratching my head a little on which lip gloss to choose - it made me come to the realisation that I've definitely been neglecting glossy lips recently! Anyway, I concluded that the best gloss I've tried all year has to be the NYX Butter Gloss in Peaches and Cream. The name is a little misleading as it's certainly not peach - it's a true pink colour that's highly pigmented. It smells like vanilla, almost similar to the MAC lipsticks, and is very buttery - and ultimately true to its name! I plan on trying more colours this year, so let me know if you've any recommendations.
• Best Lip Pencil: An absolute no brainer for me - MAC's Soar lip pencil. Kylie Jenner took over the beauty world with her lip lining techniques, and when it was confirmed that Soar was her weapon of choice, there was not a Soar pencil to be found at any MAC counter. I've used mine non-stop since October - I think I've worn perhaps five make-up looks without it! It's the most versatile lip pencil in my collection, it works well with every lip colour under the sun. I particularly like to put it under light pink lipsticks, it makes them much more flattering and adds a lovely deep tone. If you only have one lip pencil in your life, it has to be this one! 
• Best Nude Lipstick: I've chosen my Essence Stay Matte Lip Cream in Soft Nude. I'm not the biggest fan of nude lipsticks, so as you'll see from the swatches below, this is more a mauve-toned nude. I would go as far as saying this is one of my all-time favourite lip colours - the formula is impeccable, it has fantastic staying power and it doesn't feel drying on your lips, nor does it sit into any dry areas on your lips. The smell is slightly off putting, it smells like very sweet marshmallows, which can be overpowering after a while but it's worth it for such a beautiful lip colour, in my opinion!
• Best Bold Lipstick: My favourite bold lippie of 2014 has got to be MAC's Dodgy Girl lipstick. It was part of May's Kelly Osbourne collection, and it's a matte lilac which is absolutely beautiful, as you can see below. Even though this is the bold lipstick category, I think it's worth mentioning that this lipstick can easily be made into a wearable one by simply adding a slightly darker gloss. It's a true winner that I love in my collection!

And finally, that is everything that I have been loving in 2014! Wishing you all a very Happy New Year - here's to plenty more favourites posts! 

Zara :-) x

My Top High-End Foundations!

Today's post is all about expensive bases and the ones that I think are worth the price. As all make-up addicts know, you can pay between €30 - €50 for a high-end foundation, so you want to make sure you pick the best one for you.
When you're considering these reviews bear in mind that my skin is oily - combination skin and it's quite acne prone, although it isn't sensitive - so what works for me may not work for you.
The best thing about high-end foundations is that you're able to get a sample before you buy, so make sure to do this before splashing your cash!

• NARS Sheer Matte Foundation, €40

NARS Sheer Glow foundation is one of the most raved about foundations amongst Youtubers and bloggers, so of course I was interested in trying out. So I went to the NARS counter in Brown Thomas to get a sample while I was buying other items there. The make-up artist didn't have any samples as in NARS they don't pump it out there and then, you get a little NARS jar with a tiny spatula to scoop out the product (it's quite cute actually!). Instead she gave me a sample of the Sheer Matte and I am so glad she did! 

It's quite a trial and error type product with regards to application, it took me about a week of use to find the proper tool to use with it as every brush I tried just didn't make it look right. Now I apply it with the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. 

Although it's called Sheer Matte, I think the coverage is perfect - it's not as sheer as a BB cream or tinted moisturiser, but it gives enough coverage that you can leave concealer out of your make-up routine. I normally apply a base layer and then add a little more to my problem areas if needs be.

The most impressive part of this foundation for me is it's staying power - I wore this to a ball a few months ago and applied it at 4pm and it was still flawless at 2am - with no touch ups! I've never had a foundation stay that long on me, with or without extra powder!

I wear the shade Light 04 - Deauville and it's a perfect match. The NARS foundations have a great range of shades too, which is always a bonus!

• MAC Face and Body Foundation, €31.50

I would say that this is my all-time favourite foundation! This may seem odd coming from someone with bad skin, but I just love how light it is. I love this foundation for natural days - I just pop a bit of MAC Pro Longwear concealer (absolute holy-grail product) onto my blemishes, blend this over it with my Real Techniques Buffing Brush and I'm ready to go! 

MAC Face and Body is known as a firm favourite amongst make-up artists as it's so versatile - as well being designed for use on the body, you can wear it as sheer or as heavy as you want. I only apply one layer but it is so buildable you could wear it as a full coverage foundation! 

The packaging is also a great bonus as no product is wasted through the squeezy bottle, it doesn't have a pump, just a little nozzle to squeeze the product out through.

It's very runny but you don't have to work quickly with it. I apply it onto the back of my hand then just dip my brush into the product and work it all over the face.

This video by AnchalMUA on Youtube made me copy her contouring technique with the Face and Body and it looks beautiful! I wear this in the shade C3.

• Chanel Perfection Lumiere Foundation, €44

I discussed this foundation in my Best Of The Brand post a few weeks ago, as it's a firm favourite of mine. It's a medium to full coverage foundation which sets like a second skin. You have to work quickly with it as it sets very fast! It sets to a powder-like finish but it still looks natural enough to wear on a day to day basis. One thing to bear in mind with this foundation is that it has quite a strong scent - it's one of my favourite things about it but my skin isn't sensitive! So I'd definitely recommend getting a sample of this before buying it if your skin is sensitive to perfumed products. 

Application wise, it's a bit like the NARS one in the sense that it can be hit and miss until you find the brush that works for you and how you want the foundation to look. For me, I love the Real Techniques Stippling Brush to apply it. It works wonders and the brush is only about €16 (I have a post coming up on my top brushes so it'll be mentioned there!)

I have the shade 10 - Beige, which I find a tad too light now, so when I repurchase it I'll probably go up a shade or two. The main promise of this foundation is to keep your skin looking flawless all day. I would go along with that promise, as I rarely find myself having to touch this foundation up during the day.

Although it's a steep price, you certainly get your money's worth both in terms of wear and longevity. My bottle lasted me about five and a half months, with some weeks where I wore it every day. 

I would definitely recommend saving up your pennies to treat yourself to this little guy!

• MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation, €36.50

This foundation is a bit of a love/hate one for many people. A lot of people associate it with cakey make-up and breakouts, others can't live without it. 

Before I tried it, I was under the first bracket - I had seen so many people with heavy looking make-up who'd told me they use MAC Studio Fix Fluid, but one day in MAC one of the girls put it on me and I fell in love! She said a very true thing about it - application is everything. You can make this foundation as light or as heavy as you want, depending on how you apply it.

I love to use a regular foundation brush, like a MAC 190 and just apply it in strokes across the face.

This way it gives a light to medium coverage and looks so pretty without looking heavy or like you're wearing a lot of make-up. I wouldn't call it a natural look foundation, but it doesn't bother me as it gives me the coverage I want from a foundation. 

The staying power is good, but it's not exceptional on my oily skin. It stays flawless for about five hours, which is fine by me as I usually don't wear a foundation from morning to night, but this may be a factor you want to consider if you're choosing this foundation for an all-day wear.

The MAC staff are super helpful so don't be afraid to go to your local counter and ask for a demo or a sample of this foundation - I was lucky enough to get both before I bought it! I wear this in the shade NC15.

So they are my ultimate high-end foundations! Let me know what your favourites are and what you think I should try next!
Zara :-) x

Make-Up Of The Day: Smoky Eyes!

Today's make-up of the day post features a darker eye look than I would usually wear - I wanted a change from my neutrals so I decided to try something a little more smoky.
I used the Wet'N'Wild Comfort Zone Palette to achieve this look and paired it with my favourite false eyelashes too!

                                                             FACE:
                                                  - MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NW20
                                                  - Bourjois Bronzing Primer
                                                  - MAC Face and Body Foundation in C3
         * I used the MAC concealer to highlight and the Bourjois primer to contour, then I applied the MAC Face and Body to blend it all together!*
                                                   - Wet'N'Wild Blush in Pearlescent Pink
                                                   - NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer in Sunny

EYES

- Benefit Stay Don't Stray Eyeshadow Primer

- Wet'N'Wild Comfort Zone Eyeshadow Palette

- Wet'N'Wild H20 Proof Liquid Eye Liner in Ultra Black

- Chanel Intense Eye Pencil in Noir

- Maybelline The Rocket Express Volum' Mascara

- Cheryl Cole Eyelashes by Eylure

LIPS

- MAC 'Hug Me' Lipstick

                                               The Wet'N'Wild palettes are so perfect for creating both day and night looks - I couldn't recommend them enough!

So that's my make-up of the day, let me know what you think!
Zara :-) xx

Make-Up Of The Night - Dirty Dancing Edition!

I recently went to see Dirty Dancing - The Musical with my cousins and I wanted to share with you the make-up look I wore! The show was incredible - I couldn't recommend it enough! Unfortunately my make-up pictures aren't great because I couldn't get my camera working to take some pictures before I left! However these are the pictures I do have! I only used the Naked Palette 1 by Urban Decay to do a neutral smoky eye.
Here is the look I wore and the products I used:


                                                             FACE:
                        - Benefit The Porefessional Primer
     - Maybelline Better Skin Super Stay Foundation in Sand
      - MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NW20
       - Chanel Eclat Lumiere Highlighter Pen in 20 Beige Clair
              - MAC Mineralise Skinfinish Natural in Medium
                                      - MAC Mineralise Blush in Dainty
                                      - Benefit High Beam Highlighter

                           
                                                          EYEBROWS:
                                      - Kiko Cosmetics Eyebrow Expert Styling Kit in 01
                                      - Benefit Gimme Brow Eyebrow Gel in Medium/Deep

                                                           EYES:
                                      - MAC Painterly Paint Pot
                                      - Urban Decay Naked Palette - Buck, Darkhorse, Smog, Half Baked and Virgin
                                      - Chanel Intense Eye Pencil in Noir (tightline)
                                      - Sephora Eye Pencil in Chocolate (waterline)
                                      - Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner in Black
                                      - Dior It Addict Mascara in It Black

                                                     





     LIPS:
                                       - YSL Glossy Stain in #4 Mauve Pigmente.

Best Of The Brand - My Top 5 Chanel Products!

I'm starting a new series on my blog that I'm going to call 'The Best Of The Brand', where I will feature my top 5 products from a specific brand. Today we'll be looking at Chanel! However, I will be doing many brands from drugstore to high-end so there'll be something of interest for everyone!
I do think posts such as this that deal with high-end brands can be helpful as when you're splashing out on expensive make-up you don't want to regret it! I always like to check several blogs before making a high-end beauty purchase!

5. Chanel Illusion D'Ombre Eyeshadow (€30)
These are cream eyeshadows but they have quite an unusual texture - it's like a soft, silky powder to cream style shadow. The one I have here is 89 - Vision which is a beautiful sparkly gold. It's not a very strongly pigmented shadow as it's quite glittery but that makes it perfect for layering over mattes or to add a bit of extra sparkle! I love to pair this with Half Baked from Urban Decay, I think they compliment each other beautifully. I don't tend to wear this on its own because on me, I find it can end up looking quite chunky if you continually layer it on itself. I'd recommend this shade for an extra wash of colour over another eyeshadow.


4. Chanel Glossimer Lip Gloss (€26.00)
Generally I wouldn't be one to spend an awful lot of money on lipgloss, purely because I love drugstore lipglosses (particularly Rimmel ones, but that post is on its way!), but I actually got this as a gift off my parents and I love it! This colour is called 437 Eden, and I believe it was part of the 2013 summer collection. It's a sheer raspberry shade, that looks stunning over absolutely any lip colour! I love this because it means I really get value from my Chanel gloss as I can wear it over anything I want! I love to pair this with a lip stain too. As lipglosses go, this is actually not sticky at all - it has a light feel and a slightly tacky texture that settles once you apply it to the lips. So the Chanel glosses get a big thumbs up from me!

3. Chanel Perfection Lumiére Long Wear Flawless Fluid Makeup (€44.00)
The first thing I have to say about this foundation is that it is the nicest smelling foundation I have ever owned! It's quite a strong scent so that may be something to keep in mind if you're thinking of purchasing this foundation. I adore the smell - it was one of my favourite things about the foundation! I actually need to repurchase this as I have just ran out. Anyway, I would say this is a medium to full coverage foundation that literally is like a second skin - you can feel it set on your skin as you apply it! My top tip for application is to work quickly - there is no time for dotting all over the face then coming back to blend! I pump it out onto the back of my hand, then dot it on one area of my face, blend it in with my Real Techniques Stippling Brush then continue to do so until my face is finished.
It certainly is a long-wear foundation too, I never felt the need to touch it up - as someone with oily skin I don't say that lightly! For the price you do get a good amount of time out of it - I bought my bottle in January and used the last drop at the end of April.
I have the shade 10 Beige, which is the lightest shade that Chanel offer but I do think I could have gone a shade or two up as sometimes I needed to load up the bronzer to avoid looking ill! This was coming closer to the summer though so my colour was darkening slightly. But of all the high-end foundations I've tried, this is by far my favourite!

2. Chanel Le Blush Creme De Chanel (€34.50)
Generally speaking I'm not a fan of cream blushes - I find them sticky and patchy on the skin. However the Chanel cream blushes have a powdery texture that I absolutely love! The shade I have here is 63 - Revelation which is an absolutely stunning light pink, that sets to a satin finish. The pigmentation of this blush is actually quite versatile, as you can apply it lightly for a nice wash of pink on your cheeks or you can build it up for a stronger colour on your cheeks. I like to apply a small amount with my fingers and then blend with the MAC 187 stippling brush. The longevity of this blush is also fantastic, it lasted the whole day on me and didn't look patchy at all at the end of the day. These are incomparable to any other cream blush I've tried - they are brilliant!

1. Chanel Rouge Coco Shine/Rouge Allure Lipsticks (€32.00)
My absolute favourite Chanel products have got to be their lipsticks! They have an excellent range of shades and the formulas are really moisturising and long-lasting. My one problem with them is that I prefer the formula of the Rouge Allure lipsticks but the colour range of the Coco Shines! I have two of each to show you here and they are all beautiful colours. I think that Chanel lipsticks are the perfect thing to treat yourself to if you're in the mood to spoil yourself! When my parents offer to treat me to a piece of makeup I nearly always ask for a Chanel lipstick! I'm a huge fan of luxury lipsticks anyway, but I would say these are my favourites, tied with the YSL Rouge Voulpte Shines. There's also a lovely scent off the Rouge Allures, it's quite subtle and difficult to explain but trust me it's lovely! If you're at your local Chanel counter give one a sniff and you'll see for yourself! ;-)
The main difference between them would be that the Coco Shines are more of a glossy finish whereas the Rouge Allure has more of a satin finish. The packaging is also different - the Coco Shines twist up like most lipsticks, but the Rouge Allure pops out of its case and has Chanel embossed on the actual lipstick.

And they are my top 5 Chanel products! Let me know what yours are! 

Zara :-) x

June Favourites!

I can't believe we're already into July! Where has this year gone?!
Today's post is my first ever favourites! These are some of the beauty products I have been loving this month!

Bourjois Happy Light Foundation (€16.99)
I bought this foundation back in October when it first came out and fell in love with it instantly. The first time I tried it on my skin I loved the consistency, the smell and how it gave my skin a dewy finish. I wear the shade no.52 light beige and it's a perfect match for me now, however it was slightly too dark when I first bought it so it ended up in my foundation drawer unloved for fear of looking like an oompa loompa.
However now it's summer I can wear it without this fear and I love it! It has fantastic staying power and blends in like a dream. I apply it with the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. You can see it on my face in my Make-Up Of The Day post! 






Chanel Intense Eye Pencil (€20.50)

As someone with incredibly watery eyes, finding an eyeliner that stays put is quite a task. This eye pencil by Chanel is single handedly the best eye kohl I've ever tried! It doesn't smudge and sets instantly when applied to the water line. It is quite expensive for an eyeliner but I believe it's worth it for the longevity of it. It's also quite a generous size so I expect it to last me quite a while!


Kiko Ultra Tech Mascara (€7.20)

I bought this mascara in Venice back in April and I have been using it ever since! The brush on this mascara isn't like any other mascaras I own, it's quite an odd shape as you can see from the picture - it almost looks like a comb! This is a great mascara for volume and separating your lashes, but I do find that you need to wipe off the excess to avoid clumps.

MAC 'Chatterbox' Lipstick (€19)
I have had this lipstick in my collection for about a year now and for some reason I never used it. I was going through my lipstick collection earlier this month and found it again and it has been my go-to lipstick ever since! It's an amplified creme lipstick and applies really opaque and is quite moisturising. It's an easy colour to wear but still looks bold and bright. What I love about this shade is it's a lovely bubblegum pink that's bright on the lips without being very in your face or neon. It's perfect to wear day or night! I'll be sharing my MAC lipstick collection in a post very soon so keep an eye out for that.









Soap and Glory 'The Righteous Butter' (€14.69)

I got this body butter a few weeks ago and I have used it every single day since! I got it along with the 'Clean On Me' shower gel and they are a perfect combination! I love this butter because it doesn't feel sticky or heavy when you apply it to the skin, which is an issue I have with most body butters. Your skin feels like velvet after applying it, and the smell is just divine - it is the 'Original Pink' fragrance that Soap and Glory are famous for. I'd highly recommend this as an after shower treat!










That's the end of my beauty favourites for this month! I just have one non-beauty favourite to share with you, and it is an album! It's the debut album by 5 Seconds Of Summer, who are my current favourite band! I saw them support One Direction in Croke Park back in May and I fell in love with them! I was so excited to buy their new album when they released it last week and if you're a fan of bands such as McFly or Busted I would definitely recommend you check these guys out! My favourite songs on the album are Don't Stop, 18 and Long Way Home. You can check out their album here.

That's all from me today! Hope you enjoyed, and let me know your favourites from the past month! 

Zara :-) x