Wednesday 22 October 2014

My New York Beauty Haul



I cant believe my trip to New York is over! It went by so fast. I had such an amazing time. We shopped until we dropped every day and I spent far too much but it was all worth it. I thought I'd share with you all the beauty products I picked up while I was there. Sephora is absolutely amazing, they have so many brands we dont have here in Ireland. I also went to a Walgreens which had some amazing beauty products, I got Essie polish for $8! Bargain!

So here are some of the products I picked up-

Milani Compact Makeup in 108 Medium- I picked this compact up at Walgreens. Several of the American beauty bloggers I follow are forever raving about the Milani products, I had to pick up at least one. So far I am lovely it, the packaging is beautiful. The powder creates a matte finish which last for hours on my skin.


Essie Nail Polish- Urban Jungle, Mademoiselle, Sparkle on top- I picked these beauties up at Walgreens, I could not believe the price difference. I decided to go for two pastels and a glitter, I would have happily bought the entire self of polishes if I could have taken them home, Essie is my absolute favourite polish.

Victoria Secret Angel Body Spray- The Victoria Secret sprays are absolutely gorgeous. All body sprays were on sale for $10 on the day we visited VS. This mist smells beautiful and I know I will get plenty of use out of it. 

Victoria Secret Rockin' Body Legshine- I had heard about this product before my trip over and it went straight into my basket when I seen it, it recreates a gorgeous golden glow to your legs. I must give this a test out this weekend.

eos Lip Balm Pomegranate Raspberry- The minute I seen this I knew I had to have it, I have yet to use it, but everyone needs one of these right?

Sephora MicroSmooth Baked Luminizer Powder in Stardust- Something I don't have a lot of in my makeup collection is highlighting powder so it was definitely something I wanted to pick up while I was away. This luminizer is beautiful and creates a gorgeous high shine. All the Sephora products were beautiful, the range was huge.

Chloe Perfume/ Viva la Juicy Perfume- At Sephora they have a wall of these small perfume bottles. This is such a fantastic idea, why don't we have these here? I picked up two of my favourites.They are so handy for throwing in your hang bag.

Nars Laguna/Orgasm Duo Palette- Two items I was determined to pick up while I was visiting was the Nars Laguna Bronzer and the Nars Orgasm Blush, I was thrilled to find this duo palette at Sephora. Nars can be a bit pricey, no matter where you are purchasing it, so the duo was a bargain buy.

Benefit Professional Primer/ Smash Box Photo Finish Primer- Again this is something I wish we had here in Ireland, Sample size products. At the Sephora counter they have several sample size products. I picked up these primers for $10 each! I tend to swap between these two primers so I was delighted to be able to pick up both for $20.

Juicy Couture Lip Gloss- This gloss came with the Viva la Juicy perfume. The set was $25 dollars! Talking about these prices just makes me wish I'd bought more! It is a beautiful bright pink shade.

L'oreal Voluminous Original- This is a product which is available here but I simply picked it up in Walgreens because I love it, I think it might actually be my favourite mascara. It creates really long lashes and is the blackest pigmented mascara I have ever found.

MAC Eye Shadow in Antiqued - I couldn't come back from NYC without a MAc Product. I found I was more drawn to Sephora to pick up brands we don't have here but I had to get one MAC product. This shadow is beautiful, it is a deep brown shade with a hint of glitter. Perfect for autumn night time looks.

Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara- This was another item on my wish list. I had heard great things about this mascara and couldn't wait to try it. I also wanted to get it because of  the packaging,  it is so unusual. But I have to say I was a bit disappointed with this product, I found it clumped my eyelashes together and was very dry and flaked away. Has anyone else tried this product and had similar issues with it?

Anastasia Brow Wiz- Another must buy, I was really glad I picked this up, the girl in Sephora helped me pick out a colour that would suit me perfectly. This is a gorgeous pencil and the brush on the end is really narrow and leaves your brows looking flawless. I wished I had picked up a second one, I have a feeling I will use this up quickly.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Spot Concealer + Treatment- I have heard this product is amazing at instantly hiding dark circles under the eye area and any other discolouration on the skin. I haven't gotten a chance to try it out yet, but I have a feeling I am going to love it.

Smashbox Full Exposure Travel Palette- I would have loved to get the full palette but I decided the travel size would be enough for me. The colours in the palette are beautiful, I especially love the glitter golden shade. This travel size palette was $22.

Too Faced La Belle Carousel- This was a last minute purchase. I went into Sephora on our final day to help my sister pick up a mascara and noticed this beauty. The box contains five palettes and a mini Mascara, The colours in the palettes are out of this world gorgeous and sooo pigmented. The packaging is just beautiful, I was so careful opening it up, I didn't want to damage the box. I haven't had a change to try out the mascara yet, it is the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara, I hear it is one of Sephora's top selling mascaras, so I can't wait to give it a go.


So I don't think I went too mad on makeup products. I actually wish I had picked up more but I guess you can only fit so much in a suitcase! I bought so much new clothes and bags and shoes too. I don't think I will need to shop again for a while... well until the weekend anyway lol. 

I hope everyone is having a nice week.

Wednesday 8 October 2014

My New York Makeup Wish List

I am off to the big apple in four days!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited! My sister, Sarah has always wanted to do something big to celebrate turning the big 30! So she finally settled on a trip to NYC with a few friends and a big party back in Dublin when we return!

So as fellow beauty bloggers and all beauty junkies can relate, my list of beauty products I would like to pick up while I'm there is endless! I thought I would share a few of my must-buys with you guys. I got some great ideas for this list from a video Makeup Over Mind posted on YouTube last month after her trip to the states.  Go check out Makeup Over Mind here she has some amazing videos and tutorials. Onto the list.....


Physician's Formula Happy Booster Blush



The Balm Blush in Frat Boy

The Balm Mary Lou Manizer

Nars Brozing Powder in Laguna


Nars Blush in Orgasm

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer


Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz


Milani Liquif'Eye Eye Liner Pencil

Hourglass Icon Opaque Rouge Mini Liquid Lipstick



NYX Butter Gloss



NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil


Smashbox Full Exposure Travel Palette


Smashbox Iconic Photo Finish Foundation Primer





Tarte Lights,Camera, Lashes 4 in 1 Mascara



Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush

Ciate Mini Mani Manor Advent Calendar




Has anyone any suggestions of some other must-have makeup products I should pick up while I'm there?


Monday 6 October 2014

Ziaja’s New Manuka Range






Having recently discovered the Ziaja range for Sensitive Skin,  I was delighted to hear they now have a new Manuka Range out which is specifically designed for people with oily/combination Skin. I have combination skin but my t-zone area is quite oily so I could not wait to give the Ziaja Manuka Tree Range* a go! 

There are five products in the range, Manuka Tree Purifying Normalising Day Cream, Manuka Treet Purifying gently Exfoliating Night Cream,  Manuka Tree Purifying Deeply Cleansing Peeling Paste, Manuka Tree Purifying Astringent Face Toner and Mauka Tree Purifying Normalising Cleansing Gel. 
These products are formulated with the ingredient Manuka Leaf oil extract which reduces excessive sebum secretion while also treating acne breakouts using its powerful antibacterial properties.


Manuka Treet Purfiying Gently Exfoliating Night Cream- This product is enriched with almond acid which gently exfoliates the skin. This product also brightens dark spots, reduces enlarged pores and improves firmness of the skin. I used this product daily during my night time skin care routine and it left my skin feeling super soft and clean without any irritation. 


Mauka Tree Purifying Normalising Cleansing Gel-  I was really impressed with this product. This gel rids your skin of an excess sebum and makeup building up in seconds, it is a fantastic product. The products reduces makeup and oils but is not harsh on the skin like some other cleansing gels, its leaves your skin feeling smooth and soothing.


Manuka Tree Purifying Normalising Day Cream- This product is a must for people who have oily skin or find their makeup moving/shine forming after a few hours of application. This moisturiser regulates sebaceous gland activity creating an instant mattifying effect. I used this product in the morning under my foundation and found my makeup lasted for longer than usual and I didn't have shine/makeup moving. This product provides moisture for 24 hours and also contains SPF 10 for every day light protection.

This beautiful range of products is available online at Original Beauty and selected pharmacies nationwide.

Is anyone else a fan of the Ziaja facial products?