The Ultimate Powder Contour Duo?*

Being a self confessed queen of contouring, I love my Crown Brush concealer palette. It's perfect for a dramatic night time look but I wanted something more subtle for during the day. I was using the sleek contour palette and although I love the highlight powder, the contour was verging on the muddy side. 

While on the hunt for my 'go-to' day time contour, I was kindly gifted some bits from W7 to trial. It really couldn't have come at a better time and to say they've blown me away is an understatement. The quality of these products for the price is mind blowing. 

The Matte Bronzer Compact has taken up full time residence on my face since receiving it. It is completely matte, it isn't orange and it doesn't cake on top of my foundation. It feels silky to the touch and while it is perfect for during the day, it's very buildable. Ideal for anyone who is new to contouring or someone who isn't ready to embrace a cream contour. 

I was also sent some brushes to try out. Being a bit of a brush snob, Sigma are my brushes of choice. I've been be left out of pocket on more than one occasion after "investing" in high end brushes so when I find one that works for me, I rarely change it up. That being said, I was completely blown away with the brushes I was sent. The Face Blending brush has completely changed my opinion on branded brushes, it so soft and such a unique shape. The angle of the brush and the fact that the bristles are curved mean it fits under my "cheekbones" perfectly. Chiseling them in one quick sweep. It's narrow enough to use down the sides of your nose too and perfect for disguising a high forehead like mine if you want to rock a slicked back ponytail.

What surprised me most about the brush was the complete lack of fall out where the bristles are concerned, even after washing the brush. I haven't seen one loose hair - Success! It just goes to show that price doesn't always indicate quality in the beauty industry.

This pair combined is a match made in makeup heaven. The W7 brushes start at €1.49 and the Bronzer compact is a mere €1.99. You can pick W7 online from Cara Pharmacy where these products are regularly on SALE. They're practically giving the products away at full price. 

I may have a few W7 Designer Dupes of Cult Beauty products up my sleeves so be sure to keep an eye out for those in the coming weeks.

The Body Shop Vitamin E Eye cream | Review

As part of my long list of New Years resolutions I wanted to add an eye cream into my skincare routine. Apparently I should have done that 3 years ago.. Better late than never I suppose!

Now I don't suffer from particularly puffy eyes or dark circles thankfully. What I do have is quite dull, almost lifeless eyes when I wake up. That's not to say I'm not a morning person because for the most part I am (we all have our days). I may not actually be tired but I most certainly look it. The joys of being naturally pale eh?

I wanted a cream as opposed to gel formula as I felt it would soak in and my makeup would sit better on top of it. After doing my research I settled on The Body Shop's Vitamin E eye cream.

 It is common knowledge that Vitamin E is good for the skin. It is an antioxidant, antioxidants neutralize free radicals and prevent cellular damage. And vitamin E is one of the most powerful of them. Not only that but it helps penetrate moisture into the skin, reducing transepidermal water-loss. Along with Vitamin A and C, Vitamin E is vital in the production of Collagen which keeps the skin looking youthful. Collagen around the eye area is particularly important as the skin in that area is so thin, it makes disguising fine lines and wrinkles quite difficult. At only 21, I have fine lines around my eyes! 

I've been using the Vitamin E eye cream since February. Have I noticed a difference? Yes and No! My skin does look brighter, around my eye area seems to be almost illuminated. People have even commented that I look 'Chirpier' in the mornings which it most certainly an improvement. Will it help me look 10 years younger? No it won't, nor would I want it too. My fine lines haven't gotten any deeper from what I can see over the past few months.. This eye cream is definitely the prevention rather than the cure. 

I apply it twice daily, morning and night and will continue to do so. I am now of the opinion that next to sun cream, eye cream should be applied religiously - a complete convert! 

Eye cream should be applied to the orbital bone - the bone around the eye socket, along the cheekbone and up to your brow bone. Not on the lid as that can cause irritation, eye cream naturally migrates inwards towards the eye on its own.

 If you're in the market for an eye cream for dark circles I'd definitely recommend giving this one a go. It's reasonably priced at €12 per 15ml tube which is the standard size of an eyecream. A little goes a long way with it too.. You only need a small amount approximately the size of a grain of rice is enough per application. Like I said I've been using it twice daily since February and I'm still not finished the tube!

Ripped Jeans | How To

If you follow me on Twitter, you'll know that I have been in the market for my perfect pair of ripped jeans for quite some time now.. Having tried on several pairs over the course of the last few months I've been left disappointed. I just want a rip in the knee. Is that too much to ask? You can get ripped thighs and the arse ripped out of them but not the knee?

Then I spotted these on ASOS only to remember.. My short legs. It is difficult enough to find a pair of jeans that fit perfectly let alone have the rips in the right place. These may fall perfectly on Miss Legs Eleven over on Asos, however it is likely that the rips would end up mid shin on me. 

So I got to thinking and decided why not give it a go myself? After doing a bit of research into it, I learned that the mass produced ripped jeans you can buy on the "high street" are actually created using a sandblaster (a machine designed to blast rust off of things using tiny particles of metal). Well I don't have one of those lying around..  I'll just have to make do. 

What I used:

• A pair of old jeans - avoid using elasticated denim as it just won't rip as well as the stiffer stuff. 
• chalk
• a scissors
• an artists blade or in my case a Stanley knife
• a tweezers
• a grater
• some cardboard

Now its time to DIY:

1. While wearing the jeans mark out the areas you want to rip with the chalk
2. After taking said jeans off, take the cardboard and put it in the leg holes under the area you want to rip. Taking the scissors make a little hole in the material.
3. Now using your artists blade carefully drag it along the the mark you made to make the initial slit.
4. Now taking the grater rough up the edges to give a sort of distressed look. I recommend using these side of the grater:
   
5. Once the edges are nicely roughed up and you're happy with them. Take your tweezers and pull some of the horizontal threads from both the top and bottom of the rip and pull them towards the centre. These will loosen the rip slightly and make it easier for you to bend your knee. 
6. Try the jeans on. See how they look, if they aren't distressed enough or need a little tweaking that can be done now. ( not while wearing them of course).

Here is my end result.. I'm easing myself into the trend with one ripped knee. If that goes well I may rip the other one.

If you are going to try it out whatever you do, don't rip a pair of expensive jeans. My jeans are just plain black ones from New Look. I think they cost about €19.00!? And they're perfect for it. I've about 10 pair of these bad boys - I just love them! They're the perfect fit for shorty mc short legs here. 

Happy DIYing.. I'm off to sit out in the sunshine comtemplating painting my bedroom some more!

Rebecca x

Ps: How NOT to rip jeans a la Kim Kardashian..

April Favourites

Hello Lovelies,

Its hard to believe its May tomorrow isn't it? I'm back to you today with a Monthly Favourites. I haven't done one in a while purely out of lack of inspiration. I've tried a million new products since the start of the year and so many of them leave a lot to be desired and I wasn't going to post about February's "you'll do's".

April has been a somewhat more fruitful month where products are concerned, some are new, others are rediscovered gems. 

1. Wet n' Wild CoverAll Concealer Palette

As you all know, back in February Wet n' Wild launched in Ireland and the blogging world went nuts. I have to say I wasn't overwhelmed by the brand and still think there's a lot to be said for the more widely available Essence and Catrice where "drug store" brands are concerned. I did really enjoy the concealer palette though. You get 4 concealers in the colour corrector palette for €4.49. One to brighten, one to neutralize reddness, one to cover and a highlight. They are really creamy in consistency and the 'brighten' and 'cover' are the perfect shades for contouring and highlighting especially for day to day. They match my skin tone to perfection and I would go so far as to say I actually prefer them to my Crown Brush Contour palette. Definitely worth a go. It could however do without the icy silver "highlight" - its a bit gaudy in my opinion! 

2. Garnier Ultimate Blends The Silky 7-in-1 dry shampoo

For far too long us brunettes have been left out where dry shampoo is concerned, unless you were willing to fork out big bucks you'd never get to fully experience the joys of second or third day hair. Well you could but you'd run the risk of rocking grey roots down to the chalky residue left behind from the likes of Batiste. However garnier have come to the rescue with the release of their very own dry shampoo range and it is supurb- no residue whatsoever. I picked it up in the vanilla milk and it is fantastic. It would definitely give its higher end competitors a run for their money and the smell? OMG THE SMELL!!! 

3. Sleek i-Divine Vintage Romance eyeshadow Palette

I've had this palette for months and didn't really give it a chance until ths month. I'm a massive fan of Sleek as a brand, everything is so pigmented and such value for money and the eyeshadow palettes are no different, you get 12 shadows for €9.99. The colour payoff is second to none. I really don't know why I've overlooked the palette for so long, you can literally create a million different looks with this palette. This month I've been focusing my attention on adding a hint of colour to my smokey eye with the help of the gorgeous purple's in this palette. They really make my greeny blue eyes pop! Oh and talk about wanderlust with the fab names "Meet in Madrid", "Propose in Prague" "Marry in Monte Carlo" etc. It was limited addition when I purchased it, if you can get your hands on it at all - you need it!

4. Vichy Normaderm Tri Activ cleanser + scrub + mask

With the warmer weather on its way, I've noticed an my skin has started to become oily again so to avoid the inevitable break out due to excess oil production I dug out the old reliable and it is working a treat. This multitasking beauty contains both salicylic and glycolic acid both well known for treating acne along with Kaolin to fight imperfections and clay to dry out any impurities and excess oil. It is also soap, paraben and alcohol free making it perfect for anyone with sensitive skin. In a nutshell, if you suffer from oily, acne prone skin or hormonal break outs, this cleanser will quiet literally save your life. It is priced at appox €14 and available in chemists nationwide.

5. Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in 220 'Showy Flamboyante'

I'm going to start off by saying that I think, maybe Revlon might be my favourite of the "drug store" brand. To date not one of their products has let me down and the foundation range for the paler than pale like me is just a dream come true. We're not talking foundation today though. We're talking lips and I am in love with these matte balms, throughout the month of April I have obsessing over the vibrant pink. What says spring has sprung better than big, bold, bright lips? Eh.. Nothing! They fact that it's matte makes it even more desirable in my eyes and I'm just so in love. Move out of the way MUA, you have been replaced. They consistency is just that of a balm and although the product does dry onto your lips, it isn't drying. The staying power is phenomenal and it doesn't flake away like some of the other Matte lip products. I have an orange shade knocking around my bedroom somewhere too and i'm looking forward to trying it out. 

But for know just look at the pink lip perfection that is 'Showy Flamboyante'. I've been using MAC's 'Magenta' lip liner to add a bit of depth and volume to my lips with it but it isn't necessary.

So there you have it, some of the products I have been loving through out the month of April. In honour of the 10th Anniversary I'm off to watch Mean Girls before bed! 

Whats been tickling your fancy of late? Any recommendations?

Rebecca x

The Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter | Review

Late last year I was toying with the idea of investing in the Elemis Pro-collagen cleansing balm, however the thought of spending €57 to find that I didn't like the end result and leaving me with a substantial hole in my pocket was off putting to say the least. 

Eager to try a cleansing balm I took to twitter and the recommendations flooded in. One in particular peaked my interest and it was from none other than The Body Shop. Affordable and from a brand I rate really highly. 

I picked it up shortly after and have been using it ever since. 

Basically it is a 'synthetic wax' balm designed to remove all traces of your makeup, everything - including waterproof mascara. It is semi-solid in the tin. You simply scoop out a teeny, tiny bit (a little goes a really long way), warm it in your hands, massage it into your face and watch your makeup melt away effortlessly without tugging at the skin.

It says you can apply it and just rinse it off. However due to the oily consistency I would recommend using a muslin cloth or like me, a cleanse off mitt to ensure no residue is left behind. Especially those of you with particularly oily skin, I think you're just asking for trouble and it may be advisable to use it as a pre-cleanse or to remove the heavy make up. 

I have dry skin primarily, my t-zone can get quite oily and I would go as far as saying it is acne prone. I did fear that using a cleansing balm would break my skin out more than normal but to my surprise and delight it hasn't, in fact I would go so far as to say it has had the opposite effect. I think my skin has improved since I started using it, down to the fact that it removes all remnants of my makeup. 

Camomile is known for its calming properties, and camomile tea is recommended for those who struggle to sleep. I think the same can be said about the scent of this cleanser. It is such a nice scent to prep your skin for bed; light, fresh and really relaxing. It is also quite soothing and great to use on sore/irritated skin. 

I have toyed again recently with trying a higher end balm but as the saying goes.. If it ain't broke, don't fix it! It is priced at €15, substantially cheaper than its higher end competitors. This cleansing butter has become a skincare staple for me, I have had it for the bones of 4 months and I'm not even half way through my tin (90mls). If that isn't value for money, I really don't know what is..

It is available from The Body Shop Nationwide or you can pick it up online here.

Have you tried any cleansing balms before? What do you think of them?