Lust-haves #1

1. MAC | Amber x 9 palette - There are few things I like more than a neutral eye shadow palette and MAC have hit the nail on the head with release these x9 palettes. As soon as I saw this one I knew it had to be mine. The compact palette contains 9 warm toned amber shadows with textures ranging from matte to satin to frost. It would be the perfect palette for traveling with the endless colour combinations you aren't restricted to one look for day and one for night. Yes Mac - YES!

2. Narciso Rodriguez | Narciso Perfume - I have Narciso Rodriguez for her already and I love it - It's one of my go to autumn/winter scents. Ever since I smelled this one earlier on in the year I knew I had to have it sooner or later(Karen from Lovely Girlie Bits I blame you). It's a real feminine; floral and slightly woody scent - Perfect for late summer/ autumn. The thought of pairing this with chunky knits in a couple of months is getting me through this disaster of a so-called Summer.
3. Smashbox | Be Legendary Lipstick in Fireball Matte - It's an orangey/red shade, it's matte and it's moisturising. Do I really need to justify this lipstick anymore? It's a show stopper and I need it in my life.
4. Two Faced | Better than Sex Mascara - Admittedly a lot of this is to do with the name, it's a hefty claim to make by any brand. That being said the reviews I have read about this mascara have all been very positive and I haven't splashed out on a mascara in a long time. The fact that you can now buy Two Faced in Debenhams may have swayed me towards it slightly more - consider it bought!
5. Urban Decay | Naked Skin Ultra Definition Loose Finishing Powder - I've said it before and I'll say it again - Urban Decay is my favourite Beauty Brand. Their shade range is second to none, their eyeshadows are like butter and I've been thoroughly enjoying their base products of late. I have all but two products from their naked skin range, this and the powder foundation. I'm not a huge fan of powder/mineral foundations because of my dry skin so I'm too fussed about getting that. This finishing powder on the other hand will undoubtedly be my next makeup splurge. 

So there you have it, just a few of the high-end beauty bits I'm currently lusting after. Are any of these on your lust-haves list?

Brand Focus | Nars

While in Australia what seems like forever ago, I went a little bit crazy and splurged on a tonne of high end cosmetics. Nars and Hourglass namely because they aren't easy to get your hands on here in Cork. I picked up 3 of the most talked about products by the brand and thought I'd share my thoughts overall.

The first product I picked up was the sheer glow foundation. I'm like a magpie when I hear glow, anything that will make my skin look brighter and less dehydrated. And let me just tell you.. It is so worth ALL of the hype surrounding it. It is water based which is great for those with drier skin as it means it won't cling to any dry patches. The name "sheer glow" would lead you to believe the coverage is light but this is very much a medium buildable coverage foundation. Once applied it leaves your skin with the most beautiful healthy glow. For those of you looking for a brighter complexion without it looking "dewy" this foundation is totally worth the splurge. With approximately 20 shades in the range their is literally one to suit everyone. I picked it up in the shade "Deauville" and it is the closest colour match that I've found in a foundation in a long time. 

My one and only gripe with this foundation, is an issue I have with a lot of high end brands -the lack of a pump. I just forked out €40 for this and now you want €5 more for a pump? Ugh - First World Problems!

Next on my list is the cult favourite "Laguna" bronzer. It looks a little dirty in the pan but don't let that put you off. The cooler tone mimic's that of an actual shadow meaning it is perfect for contouring. Think Benefit's "Hoola" with the teeniest hint of shimmer. Not only does it carve out glorious cheekbones, it also gives the skin the most beautiful sunkissed glow without looking caked on.  The fact that it is almost a 2 in 1 product definitely makes spending €38 on it a lot easier to stomach. I have a drawer literally overflowing with bronzers and contouring palettes and this is hands down my go-to favourite since picking it up in December and I haven't hit pan yet *touches all the wood*.

Finally I picked up the radiant creamy concealer in "vanilla". I am a bit of a self-confessed concealer junkie and my addiction has become very apparent in recent months - I want to conceal EVERYTHING. So lets start off by getting any and all misconceptions out of the way first - There is nothing radiant about this concealer. It does not have a luminous finish like that of  YSL's touche eclat for example. This stuff is heavy duty and will hide ALL of your sins. I have tear stains on the outer corners of my eyes, a few broken capillaries around my nose, a little bit of redness on my cheeks and plenty of acne scarring and this stuff hides it like nobody's business. I replaced it with the Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage concealer for a while but I couldn't resist going back to this. I don't know how I ever coped without it. 

Nars is now available from BrownThomas.com which is very dangerous indeed - I will without a doubt be expanding my collection in the coming months. The Audacious lipstick in "Anita" is next on my hitlist thanks to Orla from MakeupOverMind for introducing me.