Charcoal nose pore strips and eye gel patches

Charcoal Nose Pore Strips

I've used other nose pore strips before but these looked a little different than the other ones. This is probably because of the charcoal which makes them black. They work the same though with the same type directions which are wetting your nose and applying the strip, leave it for 10-15 minutes then gently peel it off. The results for me where good and removed a lot from the sides of my nose. They do leave a black mark around the outside of where the strip was but it comes off easily with water. I didn't see any difference in these charcoal strips then with the normal ones I've used before. I thought maybe they would draw more out or something but the result although good were the same as I usually get with other strips. They were only €1.50 so for that price I recommend giving them a go as they do work and there is 6 in the box so works out as only 25 cents per strip. I bought these in Mr. Price as well as the eye gel patches which were also €1.50

                                                   Eye gel patches

Was so hard to take a photo of them on they are so slippy!! 

These are something I've been dying to try for ages. They seem to be everywhere lately but that doesn't always mean they're good or they work. I've seen some online that are really expensive but sound exactly like these ones so I got these to try. They look and sound great but when I opened them the feel of them almost put me off, but I kept going and tried them anyway. Basically you put them on under your eyes on clean skin, leave them for a while and remove them. These ones are anti-aging and hydrating. It's the hydrating part I'm after, my eyes are so dry and puffy lately from the winter weather kicking in. The night I used them I was really tired and my eyes were so sore. I found these really cooling and strangely comfortable. I don't know what I was expecting they just seemed really strange at first until I put them on my face. My eyes were definitely less puffy after using these and they still looked like that the next morning. They suggest using them often which would be handy for tired eyes.

Chocolate biscuit cake tutorial

Filmed this ages ago but have only gotten around to editing it now. I don't have any editing software on my chromebook and can't download any so  used wevideo which I didn't find that great actually. Think I'll be finding myself something else next time. Anyway here it is the easiest cake you will ever make.

All you need fot this is a few ingredients and the most you will do is melt then and mix them. Here is what you need 200g chocolate (50%), 50g unsalted butter, 1 can condensed milk, 175g rich tea biscuits.

I make this a little different somethings adding a spoonful of honey and mix the biscuits up by using different kinds with different flavours you could also add marshmallows too if you would like. 

Skin Truth Equalising Mud Mask

I was at the hair and beauty suppliers recently and had a browse around the skin care products. As you may know I'm absolutely obsessed with face masks. I'm pretty sure it had to do with not being able to use them until the last few years that I'm making up for lost time. This mask is for oily /combination skin which is me. There was a few but in the end I thought this would suit me a little better. It cost about €10 when using their trade card, I don't actually have one of those cards as I'm not a hairdresser or beauty therapist but was with someone else that day who does have a card so they could get it for me. 

The mask itself smells really nice which is probably down to the orange blossom and ginger and reminds me of a cleanser that my sister used when she was in college and would practice facials on me  The Tub is pretty big at 225ml and I hardly made a dent on it when I used it. The mask says it is "enriched with dead sea mud to purify complexion by removing impurity's and excess oil whilst extracts of Orange blossom and Ginger promote balance and revitalise skin tone" which all sounds great to me, basically anything that says it will remove impurity's or revitalise skin tone I'm sold on. 

The directions are the usual apply after cleansing, leave for 10 -15 minutes, remove with water and sponge and your done. All sounds great and easy and nothing that takes much effort. I like products like that it usually means I'm more likely to keep up the routine of using it because it can easily be put on while watching the soaps and washed off during the ad break. I'm bad for remembering how long I've had masks on for so I usually do it during soaps so I remember when the ads come on to wash it off. I can't be the only one who does this surely there's someone else that times thing by tv programs lol. 

Anyway back to the mask. I used it as directed and washed it off also as it said to and the results where pretty good. I don't usually blog about products that I don't like because I couldn't be bothered putting the effort into it if I din't like it. For days after using this mask my face felt super soft as if the dry patches had disappeared and the oily parts of my face felt the same as the rest of my face. It was like my skin was all one type and not mix and match of oily and dry like it usually is. My make up has went on so well for those few days and stayed on too no cracking and sliding even when I didn't use a primer. It did make my skin a little clearer but not all the dramatically noticeable but I didn't really are about that when my skin felt so soft and smooth and just healthy looking if that makes sense. 

If anyone has oily or combination skin like I have and is looking for a good mask I would recommend giving this one a go. It can be bought with out a trade card also but for a few more euros. I think it might have been about €15 and I got it in Salon Services. I didn't really know much of this brand before but that's probably because it's a profession brand but they have a huge range of products I didn't know about. After I used the mask I goggled the brand to see what else they did I might even try one of their cleansers. 

Celtic Candles

I had to write a review of this candle because it is the nicest smell I have ever been near and even the packaging is gorgeous. My sister bought it for me as a little present because I love candles and anything with champaign lol. She bought it at the RDS at the beauty show last month. The candle is hand poured and organic wax too. The scent is pink grapefruit and champagne and even though I've had it lighting a good few hours it's hardly made a dent on it. It has 25 hours burning which for a little candle is fantastic as I go through other ones really quickly. 

It also turns out the the company that makes these right up the road from here in the same town and yet I'd never bought one before. I had a little look and they have loads of other scents. The house smells gorgeous with this candle lighting I'm so happy my sister bought me this even if it has started a new obsession.

Latest Bakes

I have been baking a bit over the last few weeks with Halloween it's always fun to make festive treats. I ended baking so many cupcakes but they all found good homes in the end. These ones are vanilla cupcakes uncoloured some of the others where multicoloured sponge and vanilla butter cream.

I love these cupcake boxes. My sister got loads of them a while ago and gave me some for these. I made about 10 boxes of these cupcakes.

These are the toppers that I made for the cupcakes I was only making a few at the beginning but just kept coming up with new ideas so here is the result.

This week I was also making a birthday cake. I made a cake for them a few months ago and they wanted more or less the same but smaller. It's so much chocolate in this cake I wish I could have eaten some myself. It's chocolate sponge with chocolate fudge filling and also chocolate fudge on the outside with chocolate butter cream piped around the top and bottom of the cake. The inside was full of smarties so when it was cut open they would all fall out. I couldn't find a cake board for this cake so had to get one a little bit bigger then but then  had no box to fit it in. I figured it all out in the end but these little things drive me crazy, the baking and decorating I love though. 

I also have a bit of good news with the baking. Not only do I have a half table at a Christmas fair at the end of this month but I also have a full table at an event next week too. Next week's event has a theme so I will be busy this week trying out some ideas which will be so fun. This will be my first stall for cupcakes and I'm very excited about it. I had applied for a table at this event before but they already had a cupcake table and after a mix up had to refund me my money but then yesterday I got a call offering it to me if I was still interested as the original cupcake person pulled out. They even offered me the table for no fee for the little notice and the previous mix up. I'm so delighted and can't wait now.

Skin Care Haul ... Sort of.

This haul is a little different then a normal skincare haul because it's only the ingredients for products. As I have mentioned before I have problem skin and have reactions to lots of skin products, because of this I'm very picky about what I use these days and never use anything until I have patch tested it first. I learned the hard way one too many times. I've started to notice what goes into things and what they do and then wondered how I would make my own products so that I would know what's in them and would have less chemicals and more natural ingredients. I had no idea where I would even buy any of it but after some research I found a website that delivered to here so gave it a go and ordered a few bits. 

I bought unrefined Shea butter (450g), Cacoa butter (300g), Jojoba oil (100ml) and Lavender oil (10ml). I love lavender oil I used to add it to some of the moisturisers and body washes that had no scent on them when my skin was really bad to give them less of a these have been recommended by the dermatologist feel. Altogether it cost about €40 and that included shipping too. I plan on making some body butters and I also want to use some coconut oil as well. I'm working on a recipe or two and can't wait to try making some and seeing how it might improve my skin since it's a perfect time of the year to have a good cream as the weather is getting colder and that usually means flare up for me. 

Once I have sorted the recipe and tried it all out I will do a post about it and share it. 

Thanks for reading and don't forget you can follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Bloglovin.

Dublin Fashion Festival

Over this last weekend I attended an event for the Dublin Fashion Festival at the Royal Hibernian Way. I won two tickets to a chosen event in the festival from naked juice twitter page. My sister Clodagh was really excited when she heard and asked if she could come with me so of course I said yes. It was a great night and we had such a laugh. 

It took me forever to find something to wear since I've decided I don't like anything I own and so went shopping of course. This is what I ended up wearing. 

 

My top I already owned, my boots were from Penney's (Primark) €19, jacket from Tesco €37.50 and I love it so much and my jeans where also from Tesco for €23 and I picked up the short pair by mistake so they look fine with boots but if I wear them with flat shoes my poor ankles might freeze. This is what my sister (left) wore and all came from eBay. She has a great way for finding clothes online and the patients to wait on it all to be shipped. 

Before the show started we hopped on the train then went for a hot chocolate and a browse around the shops which mainly consisted of the Disney shop on Grafton street. We then went for cocktails in the Grafton lounge which where gorgeous and the bar staff are so nice. I haven't been there before but would definitely go again. 

It started to rain just as the show was suppose to be starting so everyone working at it had to run around and try reorganise the runway so it wasn't soaking and was covered. Once it was ready it stopped raining which is typical. Bulmers where there to supply us with lovely cold drinks I had the strawberry and lime which was so sweet and fruity and went down nicely. 

The whole thing went really well and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. My photography skills are not great so my sister took loads for me. These are just some of the outfits of the night. 

  
 

Pippa palette for Blank Canvas Cosmetics

I was waiting to get this palette for ages. When I went to get it there was none left so I had to wait for more to go on sale. I did get one eventually and I was like a kid at Christmas opening it. I bought it from cloud10beauty and they had 15% off when I went to get it. I love when that happens. The palette is limited edition and made by Pippa O'Conner and Blank Canvas cosmetics. I always love Pippas make up and I love her style so I couldn't wait to get my hand on this and try it out. 

The packaging as you can see is gorgeous, girly and pink. The mirror on the inside is a great size as well. The palette has six eye shadows, a highlighter, blusher and contour. I want to start by talking about my favourite of all these and its the highlighter! When I first opened it I couldn't help but swatch it on my hand and the pigment is so nice and a little sparkly, even putting it on feels nice. Where I apply highlighter is usually my driest area and highlighter sometimes just looks powdery there but this just made my cheekbones look so good. It's a perfect in between highlighter by not being to much or too little, it's just the right amount. This from a person that up until a few years ago didn't see why anyone wore highlighter oh how that's changed!

The contour suits me well and as it doesn't have that orange colour that can sometimes be in contours and it's matte. The blush is a nice subtle pink which I find very girly and good for the paler toned girls. The eye shadows are just fantastic and I especially love all the names of these, they obviously had thought put into them and my favourite is the shade called TOBY which I have on today blended in the crease. I also love LILY and DODO too and they all go so well together. My sister has also used it and went for the same colours as I did when I first used it and she loves it too but she may buy her own haha.

Thanks for reading and don't forget you can follow me on facebook, twitter and bloglovin.

Quick Fix Facials Exfoliating Scrub Mask

This ex-foliating scrub mask is for blackheads and blocked pores which is exactly what I need in a mask. I have used the Quick Fix Facials Moisture Mask before and really like it and still use it so I was interested in trying out more of these masks. I bought this in Boots and costs €6.49. 

This is a mask but also a scrub. How you use it is by putting in on damp skin (I did this with a foundation brush) and leave it work it's magic for 5 to 10 mins I left it for ten as I had already tested it on my hand and it didn't have a reaction. Then wet your hands and message it into your problem areas and focus on the nose, forehead and chin. After that you can rinse it off with warm water and pat your skin dry. Testing out masks is really important I think I've said this about a hundred times but I really think it's something you need to do at least then you will know before wrecking your skin. 

What it says.

For stubborn and reoccurring blackheads, clogged pores and skin in need of a deep and thorough clean. This is definitely me. 

It contains:

Pink rose clay - helps to deep clean and de-congest the skin. 

Glycolic acid - extremely effective at balancing out uneven skin tone.

Pomegranate extract - packed with incredible antioxidant and anti-ageing properties to encourage radiant skin.

This was a nice mask to apply it wasn't too thick or too runny and the little exfoliating bits didn't make it difficult to spread. Leaving it for the ten minutes was grand it's not a mask that goes so tight that you can't move your face it just dry a little that all and washing it off was ok. I did feel like it took forever to get it all off though but at least that meant I got a good scrub anyway. 

After my skin looked a little brighter and had that really nice soft feeling that you get after a good exfoliation. So overall it has impressed me the skin on my cheeks do be a bit dry and oily at the same time so it kind of builds up there a little and this has left it feeling really soft a little red but that's what happens with these scrubs. 

I do have on little thing I didn't like about it and that the smell. It's kind of rosey smelling and it's not terrible but did make my eyes water just a little and it wasn't that close to them. This is mostly down to me though I have really sensitive eyes and lots of things make them water. 

For a mask that cost less then €10 it's a good mask that I think used on a regular basis would give a really good result. At the moment this range is buy one get one free so if you wanted to pick one up you can also get another to try out and not have to worry about wasting money if you didn't like it. 

Boots Botanics All Bright haul

For the past couple of weeks I've been trying out the Botantics All Bright range. I got them but didn't want to write about them until I had seen results of using them. I have been using the All bright radiance balm for a while and wanted to try out more of their stuff, so I headed to Boots and bought all this which were all reduced so ended up not having to spend so much. I also finally used my Boots app which is great for anyone like me that always forgot those vouchers that they used to send in the post. So here is what I bought.

Smoothing Eye Make Up Remover 150ml€2.99 originally €5.99

First of all does anyone else get a strange pleasure in shaking this up and watching it all separate again? If not I do suggest it keeps me entertained for ages.

I don't usually use removers specifically for eye make up I just use what ever make up remover I use on my face. This is not always the best idea because I sometimes have to really scrub off the mascara that then hurts my very over-sensitive eyes or by the morning I end up waking up looking like a panda so obviously it's not removing it all. This is sort of why I bought it really. I wanted something to remove it all, be gentle to my eyes and not need a lot of effort. So far so good for me with this it removes it all without leaving any. I just put some on a cotton pad hold it over my closed eye then gently rub it of then wipe under my eye to get whatevers there off and that it. I like the oil and I think it leaves my eyelids soft after suing it. Just don't try getting it in your eye it wont be nice I put too much on cotton and didn't close my eye properly. But after all it is for removing make up not cleaning eyeballs.

Micellar 3 in 1 cleansing solution 250ml

€2.49 originally €6.49

I've been using another micellar water for ages and really loved it but it can sometimes leave my skin feeling tight or a little sticky not always but I wanted to try another make to compare them. This one is really nice to use. It's not very scented and is very nice on the skin. I use it to take off my make up and just to clean my skin when I'm having make up free days. It takes it all of and is good for sensitive, dry and acne prone skin or well my skin by not causing breakouts or drying it out either.

Cleansing Toner 250ml

€2.99 originally €5.99

I am terrible for using toners in that I don't really use toners but I know I should. I'm really trying to improve my skin care habits so that includes using toners. I find it can be slightly stingy but only when my skin is dry and I have yet to find a toner that isn't the same which is why I don't bother with them most of the time. It's not terrible or anything I do like what is doing for my skin and it's better then another one that I used and stung the face off me and left it red for hours, this one does nothing near that. I use it after cleansers and before moisturiser which I hope is the right order. It seems to get the last bit of make up that I didn't know was still there which may explain why I break out after wearing a lot in a week. It's not over scented either which is great for my eyes they are way to sensitive a hint of fragrance and I look like I'm crying.

Hydrating Night Cream 50ml

€3.49 originally €6.99

This night cream ticks all the boxes for me. It feels lovely to even apply and is by far my favourite out of this range. When I put it on is nice to massage into my skin and stays on without feeling overly heavy on the skin. It makes my skin look and feel moisturised and smooth and soft and by the morning it still feels like that. It feels sort of oily which is good for my dry skin but doesn't break me out and I'm very happy I bought it I just really like it.

Hydrating Day Cream 50ml

€3.49 originally €6.99

The day cream is as good as the night cream but does feel like it takes it's time soaking in, however it doesn't feel like that once its on for too long. It's great for moisturising before applying make up and I can see the difference it makes. It also like all the rest contains brightening hibiscus and I do think it helps my skin by giving me a healthy smooth glowy look. It also contains an SPF 15 which these days I think is essential for everyday use so for me makes it even better. This picture makes it look white but it does actually have a pink colour to it like the night cream.

So overall after using all of these for the past couple of weeks I have seen a nice improvement in my skin. It now better moisturised and feels a lot less dry and dull. For the price it's great I spent €17.49 for the lot as it was all reduced but even at full price it was only €16.25 more so for €33.74 you get a lot for your money. It doesn't look like I've used loads out of it all and I use it daily.

Thanks for reading and don't forget you can now find me on Facebook, Twitter, Bloglovin and Instagram.

Coffee Morning

On Tuesday morning my Mam held a coffee morning in aid of Foot Prints For Leah. Coffee mornings are always a good way to help support a charity as it really gets people involved while raising money for a good cause. It was a nice morning out as well which always gets people out a little more. 

The day before my Mam spent the entire day baking Scones, rocks buns, brown bread, banana bread, tea cake and fruit buns. 

That night I got a little done myself making macaroons, chocolate biscuit cake and mini cupcakes. 

My aunty even baked for the day making slimming world tiramisu and black forest roulade so that the slimming world members that would be there that morning would have something nice with their tea or coffee and not go off their plan. There was enough to feed an army in the end but it's nice to treat those who come out and support the day.

 As it is the summer a some people couldn't make it as they are away on their holidays but where so nice to give a donation before hand or have some one who was coming drop it in. It's these days that you really see how generous and kind people can be. 

My Mam so happy with the turn out and all the donations for the day and to be able to help towards a great cause. 

Thanks for reading Neads xx

My weekend

On Saturday I spent the day making this cake. It was for a dental nurses 21st which is why there is a toothbrush and toothpaste on top. Inside is chocolate biscuit cake covered first in chocolate fudge and then purple fondant. I used an embosser for the bottom edging, cut around the pattern and then added blue metallic paint. This was on heavy cake the bottom is 10 inch and the top is 8 inch. The recipe for this cake can be found here and I used 6 times this recipe for the whole cake. 

For a while now I've been thinking of starting a facebook page for this blog but didn't do anything about it so tonight I actually did.I have liked loads of bloggers on facebook  but never really put much thought or effort into creating my own until recently so I just wanted to share my link on here so here it is right here and if you like it I would be very happy.


Neads xx

.... and another Penney's haul

So I went shopping yesterday for what was supposed to be to buy ingredients for a cake but I may have brought a little extra to visit Penney's and I wonder why I'm always broke. Well anyway here is what I bought and yes not just one candle like a normal person I got two because I couldn't decide which one I wanted more.

First of all I re-bought the P.S love make up brush cleaner as it just so handy for cleaning brushes after using them and I am almost out of my other bottle.

Next is the peach and sweet champaign candle which is in a cute jar that was €3. The first thing I noticed was the colour which I love then I opened it an had a little smell and wow it's so nice. It has a really sweet smell to it and is definitely peach, I was never too keen on peach's until I tasted peach ice tea and then became obsessed with it. 

The second candle I bought is the White lily and peony that is in the white jar that only cost €4. I looks lovely and I would never have even considered it because I usually stay clear of anything to do with lily's or I'll spend the next week sneezing. My sister insisted I smell it saying that she thought I'd love it when she saw it the other day, so I did and it smells like fresh washing or that fancy soap that only ever came out for guests lol. This is the type of candle I like to burn when I'm just relaxing on a quite day.

 I also got a new lip pencil in the hopes that it somewhat matches the wet n wild lipstick I bought the other day. I haven't put them together yet but they look pretty similar. It doesn't seem to say what shade it is but it was only €1.50

On my way to the till I spotted the eye cream for only a €1 so I bought it gets me every time. I used later on after taking off my make-up and although it was nice and soaked in well it slightly stung my eye area a little. It's not a like it left it red or anything but just a little stingy. I might use it once more and see if it does it again just so I know and that it wasn't that my skin was too dry or anything.

These colour they just find me every time. I keep looking at these pj bottoms and keep putting them back so today I just gave in and bought them. They where €7 and are so light and soft. I got them in a size bigger then I'd usually get because I suffer with a bad stomach and can swell up from time to time so it's nice to have something lose and not constricting to throw on especially since I sometimes have to wear a size up because of it.  I put them on the next chance i got and they are so comfy the band around them is really light elastic and really nice to wear.

The runners were a complete impulse buy. I have runners already a couple of them actually but these have memory foam and where only €13 so I convinced myself to buy them and see how the memory foam works out. I wore them walking to and from my evening class later that day and they where really bouncy to walk in but a little tight. It's really strange I bought some in Penney's in the same size a while ago and they where a little bit too big so this time I tried on the smaller size and they where so small I couldn't get my foot in them so I went back to my original size which are a little tight. Either my feet are trying to make a fool of me or the sizes are a bit off in there, I'm just hoping they will loosen up a bit if I where them around a bit because I love the colour.

Thanks for reading and if you would like to follow me on here , bloglovin or twitter all my links are on the side.

Neads xx

Wet N Wild Mega last lip colour

While shopping in Dunes Stores I can't resist having a look at the make up stands like Wet N Wild. Until today I have never bought or used any of their lipsticks before and when I saw they where only €2.99 I picked up a few then put most of them back and bought this one. I wasn't sure if I'd like them so I thought I'll buy one this time and if I do like it I'll buy them all next time lol. 

The one I went for is called Think Pink and it's a really light but bright pink shade. It's nice and creamy and doesn't have that weird plastic taste like some cheaper lipsticks do. I couldn't wait to try it out and I did straight away in the car after buying it. I know I maybe should have waited to take a couple of photos but nope I'm too impatient for that. It did last a bit not forever but not a lot of lipsticks do or maybe that's just me anyway I will definitely be trying out some of the other shades of these next time I'm in Dunnes and they also have a good selection to choose from. If anybody has any recommendations for which ones I should get let me know by leaving me a comment.

Neadsxx

My current makeup and tools

I wanted to do a post about what I'm currently using for my everyday makeup and what tools I like to use to do it. I recently changed the makeup I was using and think it suites me much better. I was a little nervous to post a before picture as my skin hasn't been great lately but then I thought why not after seeing other bloggers and vloggers showing off their no makeup faces and it is how I look after all. I do have to say that my skin here is so much better then it was a few weeks ago as I've started to use face masks and other products to help with my acne and eczema and scaring from it. 

Tools

Real techniques multi task brush (blusher)

Real techniques contour brush (bronze contour)

Real techniques setting brush (highlight)

Powder Brush (eBay)

Sponge (foundation)

Face

Boots Botanic All bright radiance balm.

Maybelline super stay better skin flawless finish foundation (005 Light Beige)

Rimmel Wake me up concealer (010 Ivory)

Rimmel Match perfection silky loose face powder (001 Transparent)

L'oreal Glam bronze and highlight (101 Blonde Harmony)

Blusher from blush palette (top right coral shade)

Eyes

W7 absolute lashes mascara (Blackest Black)

Eyebrows

Catrice eye brow pencil (040 Don't let me brown)

Lips

Burt's bees lip gloss (257 Ruby Moon)

Setting Spray

Models Prefer Finale make-up setting mist

Thanks for reading 

Neads xx