Current Beauty Favourites

Hey fab things,

 

Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone had a relaxing and fun Christmas. I'm back and ready for a 2015 full of new adventures. 

I'll kick off my first post of 2015 with my current beauty favourites. 

 

I use Shiesedo softener (forgot to include in the picture) and Lancome hydra zen neurocalm moisturiser both products absolutely brilliant for putting any missing moisture back into the skin especially in dry coarse weather. 

Next I use, Too Faced "Primed & Poreless" Primer. It glides onto my face and it maintains moisturer. I then spray my face with the Urban Decay All Nighter Setting spray. I find putting it on before my makeup helps the staying power even more and it's good because where I work im always on my feet, running here and there. 

My next step is my new favourite foundation - Lancome Teint Miracle. I absolutely love this (my review will be up this week). You can build up the coverage bit by bit. I let this set, and start on my eyes. I use the Laura Geller Baked Eye Stripes Cinnamon Strudel. There's three purple shades and you can have a subtle look or build it up for a dark smokey look.

My next step is concealer/highlighter I use Rimmel Wake Me Up. It really does what it says. 

I start on my eyebrows. I have three favourites - an essence one, Eylure, and a MAC one. At the moment I'm trying out an Eylure pencil which I'm liking so far and for under €10 why not try it out? 

I use an Essence thin and thick eyeliner for my eyes and a mixture of a No7 Intense Volume and L'Oreal Volume Million lashes mascara. 

With my foundation you don't really need a powder but I love using one. I use MAC Mineralise Skinfinish powder. It leaves your face looking absolutely flawless. They've repackaged the powder and I'm liking it. My next step, and my absolutely favourite step is contour and highlighting with my Sleek palette. I love this step. It really adds something to your make up. 

For the lips, for an everyday look - firstly I use Vaseline and then pop on 07 Nude Love Essence lipstick - it is an absolutely perfect nude - recommended by one of my besties and blogger Linda - her fab blog http://beauty-la-linda.blogspot.ie/?m=1 

I added in my new hair favourite - I use Keratase beautifying oil. It smells amazing and it's actually the first hair oil to keep moisturer in my hair especially because of dry weather or after the straightener. Leaves it silky smooth. 

These are my current beauty favourites! I hope you enjoyed my first blog post of 2015. 

Until next time beauties,

A x

Foundation - "Lancome Teint Miracle" Review

Love: Dewy finish, buildable coverage, great colour match, medium-full coverage, lovely smell

Negative: None 

Hey Fab Things,

At this time of year, my skin dries out slightly and it can get frustrating when you want your make up to go on flawless and it can sit on your dry areas. Just like changing up hair care routines, I think a change in your skin care routine or foundation is just as essential. 

I actually initially went in search of new skincare products but a new foundation would be a bonus. I looked everywhere and went to the Lancome counter, and mentioned that I wanted Teint Idole you can see my review here: http://wonderstruck-beauty.blogspot.ie/2014/08/lancome-teint-idole-ultra-24hr-review_31.html?m=1

The Lancome consultant asked if I had any dry areas and I told her I did and my skin had dried out slightly due to the weather. She explained Teint Idole might be a bit harsh at this time of year and suggested Teint Miracle as it suits normal to dry skin much better. She cleansed, put on a bit of primer and matched my colour up and my skin looked less dry and so dewy straight away. 

Looking back, I had prepared my skin a lot to use the Teint Idole foundation but it still dried out my skin the smallest bit. It did make me look dewy but it stuck to my cheeks, which foundation never really does. I still really like that foundation as the colour matched up perfect and it gave a dewy finish but I'd 100% recommend it for combination skin and it would balance it out. 

I love the dewy finish to this foundation. You can build up this foundation to a full coverage but one layer is enough for the day even without powder but I always like to use a bit of powder or extra staying power. The colour is a great match up to my skin tone. I just love how my skin looks so flawless with this foundation it really shows in pictures too. You have no fear of white flash back either which is always a bonus. 

I have the shade 01 but with Lancome this isn't the lightest shade. 

The colour guide for Lancome is different to other foundations with its colour guide.  But there is a huge variety of shades that you are bound to be matched up. 

I've been using this foundation since the end of November and mixed with a good skincare routine my skin has had no dryness. I would recommend exfoliating even once a week if you have any bits of dryness - I use an Elemis one but any exfoliator would do, a good softener or toner - I use a shiseido ibuki one and a moisturer preferably one without an SPF as this can make your moisturer very heavy - current using a Lancome one I mentioned in yesterday's blog.

I would honestly recommend this foundation 110% for anyone with any type of dryness on their skin. You can find the Lancome Teint Miracle foundation in any Boots or Brown Thomas Lancome counters or online at boots.ie or brownthomas.com. Happy shopping! 

Until next time beauties,

A x

Top Tans: Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs Lotion And Spray

Hi lovelies, 

I hope you enjoyed my Cocoa Brown Tan review yesterday. The first in the "Series". So the next tan I'd like to share with you is an instant tan "Sally Hansen Airbrushed Legs". 

A bit of History about Sally. According to the website - it was a company set up by Sally and her husband in the 1950s primarily focused on nail care which I'm also a huge fan of but extended out to tan. "The philosophy was simple: educate the consumer and develop quality, practical products that were competitively priced and easy to use." Which it has stayed true to all this time. 

It comes  in a spray and more recent a lotion. It is probably one of the most popular instant tans I know. It is basically a flawless makeup for your legs. Also it may say for your legs but you can use it all over your body. I remember I was going to a friends birthday in the middle of summer and I was about 16 and I remember getting my Sally Hansen done and sure wasn't I just the bees knees haha.

You know those times when you agree to something last minute and it could be a night out? Well the amount of times I've said "go old reliable Sally". You literally grab it and go.

I will say it does have the ability to stain clothes as many of you might know. I've had to re-wash dresses and tops a lot due to Sally transferring but the trick is to give it enough time to dry in - at least a half an hour or longer if possible. 

While my tan dries I do my hair and make up - especially if I'm wearing something white, I give myself plenty of time. The spray has been around for years and year at this stage and it's a classic. I think it was April 2013 that Sally Hansen brought out a lotion and this was a huge thing. It was a bit pricey coming out around €16 but in more recent times I've seen it at €8-€12. I waited for a while to get it but I ended up getting it at €8 I was delighted. 

The spray and lotion both come in four different shades. The Spray comes in: Light Glow, Medium Glow, Deep Glow and Tan Glow. 

The Lotions are called: Light, Medium, Tan, Deep.

For anyone out there who would like to try out a tan - I'd 100% suggest Sally Hansen. It can be easily applied, built on but doesn't leave you with an orange colour. 

I have a lot of love for this tan. It has been here when I first started out with learning how to use tan and it's clearly here to stay! 

It can be purchased throughout pharmacies, Penneys/Primark, shopping markets, Dunnes. It retails from €7-€13. At the moment in some places there's a promotion to buy the the Tan (spray) with a Sally Hansen nailpolish so look out for that offer. It would save yourself some money and get the two for as much as€10-€12. It would be an ideal gift especially coming up to Christmas or a nice treat for yourself!

Of course it can be bought online at: 

feelunique.com

www.carapharmacy.com

Until next time beauties,

A x

Top Tans: Cocoa Brown 1hour Tan

Hi guys and dolls,

Instead of putting my Top Tans in one blog, I thought I'd spread them out. That way I can talk about each one in detail and how they work for me. 

The first one I'm going to start with: Cocoa Brown 1Hour Tan. 

(Image from: www.cocoabrown.ie)

I discovered this tan around January 2 years ago as one of my roomies Amy was doing her tan for a ball. The colour turned out amazing on her and straight away I thought I need this tan in my life. 

Cocoa Brown is an Irish brand by a woman named Marissa Carter who spotted a gab in the market for what I would probably call a salon tan in a can, excuse the cheese pun at a fantastic low, affordable price of €7-8. It can be purchased throughout Ireland and England and bought online and shipped to many countries. 

Most of us Irish girls, we absolutely love a tan for day to day and nights out, especially one that doesn't come out orange or isn't streaky or will come off in a flash. Cocoa Brown was the answer. 

She came out with a tan that can be put on your skin for 1-3 hours (depending on the colour you'd like it be), wash it off - leaving your skin with a glow and it will even continue to develop after it's been washed off. 

I will be honest and tell you my first experiences with the tan and how the tan worked for me. Before this the only time I ever got a tan that I washed off was a spray tan for my debs other than that it had always been instant. The first time I used it, I gave it a trial run just I see how it would work out for me as I was heading out in a few days. I followed all the exfoliation steps and my skin was all prepped and ready. I left it on for maybe 2 and half hours, washed it off, patted myself dry and I could see there was no colour left. I thought maybe it'll develop itself but the next day there was nothing. I was a bit worried because anyone I talked to or read reviews online it had worked perfectly for them. I gave it another try leaving it on for 3 hours and still nothing. 

I didn't want to give up so I read about how tans can pick up skin pigmentation differently with everyone so the next time I used it I put it on at midday and washed it off at 6pm that evening, hopped out of the shower to see a glowing colour.

 

I have given advice to a few friends to leave it on for maybe 12 hours or even over night and wash it off the next day as everyone's pigmentation is different. 

I recently wanted a deeper colour so i decided to put it on at 9pm that night and washed it off at 9am the next day. 

9pm picture

Picture I took later that night after washing it off at 9pm. 

Most people I talk to 1-3 hours works perfectly but I have to leave mine on for about 6 hours for a colour to develop it all depends on how strong the colour can be picked up on the skin. 

I have used a lot of tans but this is still my go to tan - a Holy Grail of tans as I'd call it as the colour turns out absolutely beautiful, it's so so affordable and the colour can last up to 5-7 days (especially using the Cocoa Brown Chocolate Whip moisturiser). 

This a 100% recommendation. Fabulous brand. Also how fab is the packaging and colour?!

My advice if it doesn't work straight away do what I do and leave it on for a few more hours ,you'll see a difference and always exfoliate!! My top tips for prepping your skin for tan is up you can see it here: http://wonderstruck-beauty.blogspot.ie/2014/11/top-tanning-tricks-and-tips.html?m=1

(Image from: www.cocoabrown.ie)

Check out Cocoa Brown's other products on:

www.cocoabrown.ie

You can also purchase the 1hour tan and the other products featured on the website in Penneys, Primark, Superdrug, Boots and online at:

cloud10beauty.com 

feelunique.com

carapharmacy.ie

Happy buying - let me know what ou think of Cocoa Brown through here or my twitter @wonderbeauty8 or Facebook - all links on the right. :)

Until next time beauties,

A x

Top Tanning Tricks and Tips

Hi fab things,

I promised a tan blog and I'll deliver on it. 

This blog will be all about prepping your skin for the perfect tan.  

The absolute key to a perfect tan is prepping your skin: Exfoliate, Exfoliate, Exfoliate!! Can't stress that enough as it is the most important part of exfoliating. 

These are some of my top tips:

• Exfoliating can be done one day prior to tanning with an exfoliating glove. These can be picked up in pharmacies and Penneys/Primark for a €1 in a variety of colours.  

• With regards to shaving, it should be done at least two days in advance. 

• Some of my favourite exfoliators:

"Tough Stuff" - Cocoa Brown, The Sanctuary range, Clinque, Elemis and The Body Shop all have a great range of body exfoliators. Just to mention a few.

• If I'm not tanning I'd moisturise after showering but when tanning make sure you don't moisturise after exfoliating.  

• So the day of tanning - I like to take a shower in the morning using an oil-free body wash: I'd suggest one from the Neutrogena range. This is important so the tan won't have a barrier before it's applied. (I've learned this from past experiences)

• The absolute best way to apply tan is with a tanning mitt, these are also very cheap to pick up in Pharmacies and Pennes/Primark. Make sure to apply tan in circular motions - leave your hands until the end. When you're finished with your tan, there will be a little bit left on the glove and just use that. 

• After the tan is applied - give yourself plenty of time for it to dry and develop. Wear loose clothes and maybe hold of from doing anything that could work up a sweat just to give your tan a chance hehe. 

These are my top tanning tips. I will post my Top Tans in the next blog as a part 2. 

Until Next Time Beauties,

A x

November Haul

Hi beauties,

So I was half way through my detailed post about my Haul and it didn't save so second time lucky I hope. So Im excited to share all the bits I got over the last week. 

I hadn't been home in so long so I had a few days off so I headed down. One of the days, myself and my lovely Mam had a fab girlie day out. We got our hair done, got lunch, coffee, and of course browsed the shops a bit. 

I did end up a few Christmas presents for family and friends but I also I treated myself. The first item I'll talk about is the Real Techniques Blush Brush (try saying that fast 5 times ha).

Over the last year and a bit my RT brush and other brush collection has been growing. So my lastest addition is the Blush Brush that I picked up at half price so I couldn't leave it there!

(Excuse the chipped nail polish)

I love the RT brushes by sisters Sam and Nic Chapman. They are amazing quality and do exactly what you want even better. I have been using the brush since Tuesday and I can honestly say I'm already loving everything about it. The fibres are so soft, contouring the hollows of my cheeks is a breeze but it's also flexible enough that you can pop on blush the way you want. Huge props to this brush but unsurprisingly this brush is absolutely top quality just like the others.

The next item I am absolutely crazy about. I have tried out so many brands of eyelashes at this stage. From Eylure to Penneys and I really liked the range especially the girls aloud Eylure range but I came across Ardell Lashes while out with fellow blogger and bestie Linda (Beauty-La-Linda.blogspot.ie) she was looking for a pair of lashes for a night out and spotted these in boots. They were the Demi Whispy Lashes and I loved them from first looking at them. They are beautifully natural and the curly is absolutely gorgeous.

I will of course use Eylure and Penneys lashes as they were always my go to lashes. I love the thought of lash extensions and the Ardell lashes look exactly like the ones I've seen on friends but only at the price of €7.35.

The next item is a foundation I have heard so much about this from bloggers and magazines: L'oreal True Match Foundation. I'm only after getting around to buying it and I don't know how I exactly feel about this foundation yet as I've only been using it since Saturday. So far I love the light weight feel of the foundation and it matches my skin tone perfectly which is the best aspect. It doesn't have the strongest coverage or staying power. Saying that, when I buy a new foundation I always like to give it a proper run so I'll use it for the next week or two and then see how I really feel about it. 

The next bits are smaller items: I got bits from one of my favourite skincare: Sheisado. I bought a lot from the range and I got given samples of things I've used before which I'm over the moon with as I'm running out. 

The NYX range is absolutely amazing and I'm delighted it has come to Ireland more. Anytime it does, things seem to sell out in a flash so I was lucky to pop in and see the butter glosses stocked up. So I had to buy one. I got the colour maple blonde. It has a gorgeous strong pigmentation, slightly sticky but if used with Vaseline it is perfect. 

I picked up a gosh lags strengthener at half price so I will be using that for the next few weeks and see if there's any difference. 

I have seen the Karona tan range talked about on So Sue Me 's blog and I saw the Karona CC Cream with 20% off and thought to myself I must pick it up. So I have yet to try it out. I will on Saturday night to go along with my tan. I'm excited to use this as the Karona tan range is hugely praised.

I think that's enough for one night but I will be keeping you updated on bits I have yet to try out or try more of. Look out for my blog post tomorrow all about my favourite tans and tricks and tips I've picked up for the perfect tan. 

Thanks for reading! 

Until next time beauties,

A x

  

Crazy Times

Hi lovelies,

I'm determined to get back into my blog. I update my Facebook, Instagram etc regularly but I haven't sat down and written reviews, favourites for a while. 

Work and college have been my main focus for the last while but surely I can fit in my blog which I love doing as it's anything beauty related. 

So I'm going to set myself some targets this week to get back into it. 

Monday will be all about a haul and review of bits I bought over the weekend. Looking forward to discussing things. 

  

Tuesday will be about my favourite tans and little tricks for the perfect tan. 

Wednesday will be about my favourite nailpolishes for autumn/winter. Also a catch up of previous hauls. 

Thursday I'll discuss all about contouring and highlighting.

Friday I will be doing an easy everyday makeup look that you could do in 10/15 minutes. I love looks like that especially in the mornings because who doesn't love a few minutes extra in bed!

So that's it for now but stay tuned for the week because I'm really looking forward to getting back into my blog. 

Until next time beauties,

A x