I have never done one of these "rambly" type of blogs before but I just wanted to give you an update on...well 'me' I suppose. I haven't been writing as much on my blog and my social media has been quiet also but life is just very busy at the moment!!!. So here is a run down on how my new healthy lifestyle is going and the new makeup and skincare products I have been trying out in 2016. Health & Fitness As with most January's I decided I really needed to lose weight but more so I needed to get fit (well fitter than I was anyway). My brother James is getting married at the end of February so that was a great intensive for me to make a start and an obvious first goal. Lucky for me I have a friend who is a qualified personal trainer and she was up for the challenge (I still don't think she has realised how tough it will be!!!!) and so on January 5th I hit up Dunnes and bought some fitness gear, joined the gym and started to eat "clean". I have done every "diet" ever known to human kind over the years including Slimming World, Weight Watchers, Lipotrim, 7 Day Juice Diet & Cambridge however as soon as I fall off the wagon I put back on whatever weight I had lost.... plus some!!! So not wanting to cut out any food group or deprive myself I am doing my own thing from a combination of what I have learnt from my friend Denise (who is a nutritionist - you can find her at www.irishpaleogirl.ie), my new favourite nutrition coach Joe Wicks aka The Body Coach (http://www.thebodycoach.co.uk/) and four brilliant bloggers/snapchatters - Ursula @momfitnessdiary, Tara Farrell @tara_makeup (Tara Farrell Makeup), Rosemary @rosemarymaccabe & Sharon @sharonleavy (Behind Green Eyes). These 4 ladies post healthy homecook recipes & fitness inspiration on their snapchat, Instagram & blogs so check them out. Preparation is key - It's all about being prepared - have your ingredients bought and stored at home, prep your meals in advance and give yourself some "you time" to plan & cook your meals. Breakfast tends to be a smoothie, overnight oats or eggs, lunch is homemade soup or leftovers and dinner will be whatever I fancy!!! I love meatballs, stews, bacon & cabbage, Shepard's pie, chicken...I honestly don't think I have ever cooked as much and surprisingly have been really enjoying it. I try not to use anything from a packet, jar or tin, I read the labels on all my food and am making a huge effort to eliminate added sugar from my diet (which is so frickin hard). And I try (but don't always succeed) to have protein, a healthy fat and loads of greens with my meals and after a workout throw in some form of healthy carb. Now I didn't weigh myself at the start of all this because I become OBSESSED with the scales - Joe Wicks calls it the sad step and I agree with him. I would start to weigh myself every day and if I didn't see a loss or god forbid I had an increase I would get upset and end up eating my body weight in chocolate (I am an emotional eater!!). So I can't tell you how much I have lost but I am down a dress size and all my clothes are fitting much better - I can even pull down my jeans and work trousers without opening the buttons :)....However my obsession with the scales hasn't gone away - I do know what I weighed before Christmas and I am going to weigh myself at the end of this month so hopefully I will be pleasantly surprised. So I'm a full month in and things are going really well on my health kick. I try and do some form of exercise at least five days a week and usually do a mix of walking/jogging, cardio, circuits & weights. The eating is going well too - I plan ahead and have my meals sorted and as for the demon drink - well I pretty much has a dry January except for one cheat - I had a friends 30th on the last day of Jan so we had an India and drinks but I'm having a quiet few weeks before the wedding so that's all a huge help. And as I type this my bestest sister-in-law just text to say she got me Roz Purcell's Natural Born Feeder cookbook!!!! EEEKKKK I'm so excited. Skincare & Makeup I haven't bought a huge amount this month even though I was in Dublin last week but what I did buy cost me a fortune!!!! I'm not going to do a full review on these products yet as I haven't been using them long enough but I just wanted to give you an overview. If you are a regular reader then you will know I'm into my skincare products and research as much as I can before buying something. So the first product wasn't an impulse purchase and trust me I thought long and hard before handing over my hard earned cash. Its the Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil. This costs a whopping €105 for 30mls but it's supposed to be the bomb!!!. It is a Retinol product which promises to "reduce pore size, improve appearance of damaged skin and helps fight wrinkles". It would want to work for that price!!!! Next up is the REN Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial (€38 for 75mls). I have read so many good things about this mask over the past few months so had to include it on my never ending shopping list. This mask contains water activated Vitamin C and claims to "instantly revitalize and visibly rejuvenate the skin leaving it looking firm, toned and smooth while reducing the signs of fatigue, photo ageing and skin imperfections". And lastly from my skincare haul is the No7 Beautiful Skin Hydrating Mask (€17.50 for 100mls). I got this at the start of January for my poor winter battered skin. This gives skin an intense moisture boost and with the way my skin drinks it up its badly needed. Keep an eye out for a full review shortly. I haven't bought a huge amount of makeup mainly because I've wore feck all in January. No point when you are just going to sweat it off in the gym!. But I couldn't leave Brown Thomas without nothing :). First up is the Armani Luminous Silk Foundation (€45 for 30mls). Again this has been on my shopping list for a long time. I actually tried the Nars All Day Luminous Foundation first but it was far too drying on my skin. Now the lovely girl that was applying it did tell me they recommended it more for oily/combination skin so it was a definite no from me. I moved on to the next one on my list which happened to be the Armani Luminous Silk. Now the counter assistant wasn't the friendliest of ladies but she did colour match me to shade 4.5 which is actually pretty good. I have been wearing this for the past week at work and been loving it so far. Next up is the Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Colour in Sandglow (€30). I love cream eyeshadows but alot of them then to crease quite quickly so after reading rave reviews about these one I picked up this beautiful bronze shade. It has a lovely gold shimmer through it and lasts for hours. And lastly I picked up two MAC items during the month - MAC Hot Gossip Cremesheen Lipstick €20 and MAC Cork Eyeshadow €10. Hot Gossip is a beautiful Pinky Plum colour and one I think will be perfect for alot of my brides who want a little more colour for their wedding day. And Cork eyeshadow is a muted golden brown and a perfect transition shade for blending out darker colours. Two lovely additions to my kit. So I think that's all I have to tell you. I hope you liked my little rambly blog and please keep your fingers crossed I stayed on the "health buzz" wagon.
Thanks for reading. Susie xxx
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Hey guys Happy New Year to you. I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas. Today's blog is going to be my 2015 Makeup Favourites. Some are new products for me and some are old favourites that I keep going back to time & time again. But they are all ones that I have used and loved the most. Primer has pretty much stayed the same since I discovered this product. It's the Laura Mercier Radiance Primer and I use it both on myself and in my professional kit. It is a lightweight creamy gel that leaves skin with a beautiful radiant appearance. Lovely to use on its own for "no makeup" days or perfect under your foundation to help it last longer. There are two foundations which have really stood out for me this year and the first one is the Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation. This has firmly become my everyday go to base. It evens out my complexion and hide any redness around my nose whilst lasting brilliantly throughout the day. Amazing budget foundation. For something with a little more coverage I have been loving the Clarins Everlasting Foundation. I am a loyal Estee Lauder Double Wear user however this has definitely taken over from it. It feels really light on your skin but still has great high coverage with a beautiful finish. No caking in sight!!!! I know I have raved about this concealer on loads of occasions but it really is my favourite go to. It's the Maybelline The Eraser Eye and is my most used and most loved concealer. It doesn't crease or sit in my fine lines and manages to cover most of my dark circles...Sure what else could you want!!!! The Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer wasn't an instant WOW product for me but after seeing so many people rave about it I decided to give it a 2nd chance. And boy am I glad I did. It is now a firm favourite in my makeup bag. I use it on days I need extra coverage for dark circles or for any blemishes I may have.This stuff doesn't budge...brilliant concealer. So to hold my foundations in place and prevent shine I still go back to the Rimmel Lasting Perfection Powder. It adds a little extra coverage and stays in place for the day. My favourite bronzer is an old favourite. It's the Soap and Glory Solar Powder. This has two shades...the darker shade is a matte bronze and the lighter shade has a lovely golden shimmer. I love using this with a big fluffy brush to warm up my complexion. It adds a lovely glow without being too shimmery.... Outstanding blush has to be the Max Factor Creme Puff Blushes...I have about four of these and am a massive fan. They apply beautifully to the skin, the pigmentation is great and it blends really well. To contour I love the Sleek Face Form palette. This contour colour is the perfect shade for me and is totally matte. I also love the blush and highlight that comes with this. It's just a great all rounder palette. Highlighter will be no surprise as it has taken the world by storm this year. It's The Balm Mary Loumanizer. This is the perfect glowy champagne colour. I always use an eye primer and this is another product that hasn't changed over the past twelve months. I apply a thin layer of the MAC Painterly Paint Pot all over my lid to even any discolouration and to hold my shadow in place all day. This year I have been loving cream eyeshadows and my favourite has been the Max Factor Colour Excess in Bronze. It 's super simple to use, adds a lovely wash of colour all over the eye and is perfect for a quick makeup look. It lasts all day and can be used on it's own or as a base for powder shadows. A new discovery for me this year has been the Makeup Geek eyeshadows. I have about 6 shades but now that they are more easily available on Beautybay.com I will definitely be adding more to my collection.They blend really well, have great pigment with very little fall out. My favourite shade is this beautiful rich cranberry called Burlesque. My 2015 favourite eyeshadow palette will be no surprise to my regular readers...It's the Charlotte Tilbury Dolce Vita palette. This is basically my go to perfect palette. I love the colours, the shadows are buttery soft and blend like a dream and even the packaging is gorgeous. If I was stuck on a desert island and could only have one makeup product it would definitely be mascara. And I am totally in love with these two. First up is the Maybelline Lash Sensational mascara. This gives great volume and curl without looking clumpy. The perfect everyday mascara. And for a more dramatic look I love the Lancome Grandiose. It gives great volume, separation and a fab long lasting curl without any of that nasty flakiness... Another cult favourite which has been massive this year is the Inglot No. 77 Gel liner. This glides on easily and once it sets it will NOT budge!!! My go to pencil eyeliner has to be MAC Teddy. This is a silky smooth bronze that glides on easily. It's not as harsh as black so great for day wear. Eyebrows are still "big" this season and my favourite product has to be the Eylure Brow Palette. It comes in 3 shades Blonde, Medium Brown & Dark Brown and each palette contains a powder colour, gel colour & a matte brow highlight shade. Its super easy to apply and very long lasting. Basically fool proof!!! I have fallen in love with lip pencils this year and often use them on their own with just a bit of gloss for colour. It was hard to choose just one favourite but when I actually thought about it the Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in Pillow Talk is the one I reach for the most. This is the perfect nude pencil and is great for adding shape & definition to your lips. Honorable mention has to go to the Essence & Catrice lip pencils. I must own every shade of the NYX Butter Glosses. These are just brilliant. They are well pigmented, creamy and so comfortable to wear on the lips. Brilliant budget buy. MAC Creme Cup has to be my favourite nude lipstick both personally and for professional use. This is a beautiful light pink with a blue undertone (so it makes your teeth look whiter!!!). And as with most MAC lipsticks its very comfortable to wear. My go to darker lip colour has to be the Maybelline Color Sensational Creamy Matte Lipstick in Divine Wine. This applies nice and creamy and then dries to a comfortable matte finish. The pigmentation is incredible and it wears really well without going patchy. I love makeup brushes and sponges so of course had to give a mention to my favourite tools. First up is the Cailyn O WOW Foundation Brush. This looks strange and takes a bit of getting used to but it makes applying your foundation really easy. Next up is the Blank Canvas F15. This is the most versatile brush I own. I use it to set my concealer and for contour because it has a great tapered head and for blush & highlight because it is super soft and blends the products so easily. I have about four of them for my professional kit. Amazing brush. And lastly...it's the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. This makes applying foundation & concealer super simple and gives a beautiful airbrush effect to the skin. So that's it...My 2015 favourites!!!!
What have your been loving over the past 12 months? Let me know in the comments below or pop over and say hi on Facebook/Instagram or Snapchat (you will find me at makeupbyrubysue) Thanks for reading guys!!! Susie xxx To be honest I have never really rated Essence eyeshadows as I always found them to be very powdery with far too much fallout and poor colour payoff. But I had heard rave reviews about their new palettes so I went investigating. There are 4 palettes in total "All About Bronze", All About Greys" and the two I picked up "All About Roses" and "All About Nudes". First up is the All About Nudes...I thought this would be my favourite as it has mainly warm matte browny/gold shades. As you can see from the swatches the colour payoff is really nice and the shadows are really buttery and easy to apply. On the lid the colour payoff isn't as good when applied with a brush so I used a flat brush to pack on the colour and then just blended out the edges. I didn't try them with a primer but they lasted well all day without creasing. Next is All About Roses... This turned out to be my favourite even though there are more shimmery shades in the palette. I was exceptionally surprised at how well these lasted throughout the day, as I always have to wear a primer as a base for my shadows because they usually crease but no such problems with these. However I am going to start to use my MAC Painterly Paint pot so I get a better colour payoff. You can use any cream shadow to help makes these colours stand out a little bit better - I love the Maybelline Colour Tattoo ones!!!! I have been using both these palettes as my go to every day shadows for the past few weeks and love them both. I cannot believe how reasonable they are. You can pick them up in Penny's and a huge range of pharmacies nationwide for only €4.99. I can now say I am a convert to Essence eyeshadows. Only problem now is should I buy the other two palettes????? Until next time....Be Happy!!!!
Susie xxx |
AuthorLover of all things beauty, Makeup Artist, Blogger & Wife . I am always on the look out for the perfect makeup or the best beauty product so keep reading to follow my never ending quest! Categories
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