The Spring Lipstick Menu

| Spring Lipsticks! | 

I stumbled upon a quote about Spring recently that sums up the season perfectly. The quote stated that "Spring herald's the return of the sun's warmth, the renewal of life and the reappearance of green and colour everywhere." Although the first official day of Spring was a few weeks ago it only started to feel like Spring over the weekend. The weekend brought fresh, bright sunny days and with the hour going forward we now have longer evenings. It's as if overnight the world seems more awake and vibrant, and to embrace these changes I'm switching up my lipstick wardrobe, saying goodbye to Winter reds and berry shades, and opting for light nudes, bright oranges and vibrant pinks....

If you caught my Nars lip pencil collection blog post then it'll come as no surprise that these bad boys are my favourite lipstick formulation. The matte pencils feel lightweight and comfortable to wear, and the satin formulas are quite nourishing. Ever since rewatching Gossip Girl {for the 100th time!} back in January, I've been loving my bright orange lip pencil called Iberico. In one of the episodes in the later seasons, Blair was spotted wearing an orange lipstick and since then I've been eagerly waiting to crack out this Nars option. Two peachy hues that I'll be reaching for this season are Torres Del Paine which is a light peachy coral, and Descanso which is a peachy nude shade. During the sunny weather, I like to reach for my Yu pencil which is a vibrant pink shade that's reminiscent of Spring flowers. 

Another luxurious lipstick brand in my collection is Charlotte Tilbury and Kidman's Kiss is my go-to Spring/Summer shade. This rosy pink shade with peachy undertones offers a matte but non-drying formula and the lasting power is second to none. A recent addition to my collection is Bitch Perfect - a warm peachy nude shade - which is from the K.I.S.S.I.N.G range so it has a much creamier formula that provides a satin finish. It looks beautiful paired with the Pillow Talk liner {review}. 

Mac lipsticks are a classic and a renowned shade that I always reach for more frequently during the Spring/Summer months is Creme Cup - a pale baby pink shade. When I'm feeling a bit more adventurous I opt for Aim For Gorgeous {Review}, a bright fuchsia shade with blue undertones. I find this lipstick is a little less vibrant than Nars Yu so it's a bit easier to pull off. Another bright option from Mac that is always a favourite in my Spring/Summer makeup bag is Tropic Tonic, an orange-toned bright coral shade that is quite unique to any other shades in my collection. 

Last month I introduced a few new budget lipsticks into my collection. After coveting the Rimmel Kate Moss 15th Anniversary Collection for a long time I decided to finally add some to my lipstick family *insert winking emoji* I chose two nude shades: 'Boho Nude' and 'Rock N Roll Nude'. The former being a brown-toned nude whilst the latter is a pink-toned nude. I adore the formula of these, they're creamy, comfortable to wear, they're just the perfect fuss-free lipstick. 

For a liquid lipstick option, I've been reaching for the Sleek Matte Me liquid lipsticks a lot lately. I have the shade Petal which is a light pink shade and Shabby Chic which is a deep mauve shade. The formula of these are initially creamy but they set down to a matte finish, which is slightly drying unless I've prepped my lips beforehand. But the lasting power and the ease of application is what keeps me returning to them time after time. 

I don't wear lip gloss often but when I do I reach for the NYX butter glosses. They have great pigmentation for a lip gloss with a non-sticky formula. Apple Strudel and Cotton Candy* are both perfect shades for the Spring. Another NYX lip product that is well loved in my collection is the Soft Matte Lip Cream in Addis Ababa*. This is another vibrant pink shade similar to Nars Yu and like all of the Soft Matte Lip Creams, it's comfortable to wear and the lasting power is good.  

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What are your favourite Spring lipsticks?

Love,

Cliona xx

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*Products marked with an asterisk have been sent to me by a brand or PR company. 

Two Spring Shower Staples

| Two Spring Shower Staples! | 

Now that Spring is upon us, Spring blossoms have bloomed and the hour has gone forward, the days are longer and brighter, and everything seems fresher and more vibrant. To mimic the changes in our outdoor world I've been reaching for fresh, uplifting shower gels from Roger & Gallet to embrace a bit of Spring in my shower before I head out the door. 

Roger & Gallet have managed to put Spring in a bottle and they've captured the essence of Spring with their uplifting and stimulating shower gels. Housed in bright vibrant packaging that adds a pop of colour and a light aura to my bathroom, these lightweight gels lather well to create a light foam that gently cleanses the skin and provides a little bit of hydration also. They contain skin-loving ingredients such as Glycerin to soften the skin, Coco Betaine to cleanse and Aloe Vera to moisturise. 

They're paraben and sulphate free, as well as being free from colourants and soap, meaning it's ideal for those with sensitive skin like myself. I've had allergic reactions to body products before but I found these to be very gentle on my skin, and in fact, the Aloe Vera soothes the skin which is exactly what our skin needs after enduring the harsh effects of central heating all Winter long. 

I was kindly gifted the Gingembre* and Fleur d'Osmanthus shower gels*, and both scents are the epitome of Spring. The Fleur d'Osmanthus has been my favourite scent of the two as the refreshing floral scent with a hint of citrus notes evokes memories of previous Summer holidays where I visited beautiful gardens in the south of France. The ginger scent of Gingembre is much warmer than the scent mentioned before however, it's still light and refreshing, distinguishing it from a Winter scent. The press release says "Roger & Gallet has created the perfect blend between highly sophisticated perfumes and natural formulation", and I 100% agree with that. The scent lingers on the skin for the majority of the day but the scent still smells light, natural and not overpowering. 

I mentioned in a previous post that my favourite thing about Roger & Gallet is that they provide luxurious products housed in stunning packaging so these products are a great way to treat yourself to a little bit of luxury for a budget price. They would also make for great gifts, you really can't go wrong with gifting someone a shower gel but the luxurious element of these will the make the person feel special. These shower gels have been a firm favourite in both my everyday shower routine as well as my weekly pamper routine, and I highly recommend them!

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Have you tried any Roger & Gallet products?

What are your Spring shower essentials?

Love,

Cliona xx

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*Products marked with an asterisk have been sent to me by a brand or PR company.

Charlotte Tilbury Bitch Perfect & Pillow Talk

| Charlotte Tilbury Bitch Perfect Lipstick & Pillow Talk Liner! |

As my Charlotte Tilbury collection grows so does my love for the brand. I have built up a fair collection at this stage and not a single product I've tried has caused disappointment. Not only does the dreamy celestial packaging emanate luxury, but the quality of the products themselves is what makes the brand worth the pennies. And my latest additions to my collection are no exception...

A couple of weeks ago, I was feeling spendy so I decided to treat myself to the Bitch Perfect lipstick and Pillow Talk Lip Cheat. This is actually my first time to try one of her lip liners as I was apprehensive about the price tag. But I'm thoroughly impressed by the quality and I find that it's much better quality than my Mac liners. The main difference between this lip liner and the Mac liners is, it has a more velvety creamy texture making it glide on more easily than the Mac liners. I also noted that the CT offering lasted much longer than the Mac version and it also extended the wear of the lipstick. The shade of this particular one is a nude pink with a slight brown tinge to it, that complements both light and deep nude lipsticks.

This is my second CT lipstick and this time I decided to try the K.I.S.S.I.N.G formula, which has a satin finish as opposed to the matte formula of the matte revolution lipstick I own. When worn on its own it didn't last as long as the matte offering but when paired with the liner it prolonged the lasting power. As you would expect from a €32 lipstick, the pigmentation is excellent and I would describe the shade as a warm peachy pink that would flatter all skin tones.

When paired together they provide the perfect my lips but better shade and they plump up the lips making them appear fuller. The quality of both the lipstick and the liner is incredible and definitely worth the extra pennies in my opinion. You're not just paying for pretty packaging, you're paying for extra wear time, a richer pigment and a gorgeous sweet vanilla scent. 

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What's your favourite Charlotte Tilbury lipstick & liner combination?

Love,

Cliona xx

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Trialling Benecos Makeup

| Trialling Benecos Makeup! |

As a self-professed beauty lover, I'm always on the hunt for new beauty brands to try. One of my favourite things about blogging is being exposed to the beauty industry and finding new brands and products to try. A brand that I've been introduced to recently is Benecos and I love their ethos. They're a brand that offers natural products at affordable prices. I've been testing out some of their products for the past few weeks and I've been thoroughly impressed with the quality of the products.

Benecos Lipstick in 'Watermelon'*: 
This natural lipstick has good pigmentation when swatched but I find that two coats work best on the lips to reach the full-colour potential. The lustre finish provides a slight shine to the lips and the formula doesn't bleed so I didn't need to use a lipliner. The formula is also very moisturising due to the hydrating ingredients such as organic jojoba oil, making it ideal to wear at this time of year when our lips aren't in the best condition after the harsh elements of Winter. The lasting power is good for a budget lipstick but most of the product comes off when I eat. However, the creamy formula glides onto the lips making it quick and effortless to re-apply after my meals. 

Benecos Natural Lipgloss in 'Pink Blossom'*:
The vibrant pink of the Pink Blossom lip gloss is perfect for Spring. As you can see from the swatch photos below, it has excellent pigmentation for a lip gloss and it provides an outstanding colour payoff to the lips. Similarly to the lipstick, it feels very hydrating on the lips, it doesn't feel sticky like most glosses on the market and it's full of skin-loving ingredients like Beeswax and sunflower seed oil. It has a subtle sweet scent that smells very natural. I've not found a lip gloss that's as good as the NYX Butter Glosses but I'm actually loving this one more than the NYX offerings!

Benecos Natural Fresh Bronzing Duo in 'Ibiza Nights'*:
I saved the best for last; The natural fresh bronzing duo contains a warm-toned bronzer alongside a deep rosy pink blush shade housed in a neat little compact. The bronzer is an ideal shade for adding warmth to the complexion, providing a natural sun kissed healthy appearance to the skin, whilst the blush adds a subtle wash of colour to the complexion. 

I found the powders to be very good quality, they have a silky texture that makes them very easy to blend and they looked very natural - Sometimes I find that bronzer can sit on the skin and look quite unnatural but this blended seamlessly into the skin and appeared as a natural warmth. Both the bronzer and the blush contain minute shimmer particles but it's not noticeable on the skin. This was definitely my favourite product of the bunch and one that'll be living in my Spring/Summer makeup bag!

Have you tried any natural products?

Love,

Cliona xx

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My Favourite Budget Brands

| My Favourite Budget Brands! | 

In my recent favourite high-end brands post, I mentioned how there's a wide variety of budget brands that offer amazing products. So for today's post, I thought I'd share a few of my favourite brands and my top products...

1) NYX //

I've never been disappointed by any NYX products, the quality of the products is probably the best out of all budget brands. I always recommend the Soft Matte Lip Creams as they're the best liquid lipsticks in my opinion! The feel very comfortable to wear and they apply easily. My favourite shade is 'Stockholm' - a gorgeous neutral shade!

Another lip favourite from NYX is their Butter Glosses. These are the best gloss formula I have in my collection and in fact, they're the only lip gloss I tend to reach for. They're very pigmented so I find that they last much longer than an average lipgloss, and on top of that, they're not sticky either. 

I've been smitten with NYX concealers ever since I picked up the HD Concealer a few months ago. This creamy concealer has quite a few similarities to the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer so if you're on a budget then this is a great alternative. I recently bought the Full Coverage Concealer as my all-time favourite Catrice Camouflage ran out and I wanted to try something a little different. It has become a staple in my makeup bag as it covers spots well.

My last NYX favourite is their Born To Glow Liquid Illuminator. I usually mix this in with a matte foundation to achieve a radiant complexion, but an alternative function of this product is to apply it to the cheekbones to create 'the wet look' - paired with a red/berry in the Winter or a fuschia pink lipstick in the Spring and a champagne eyeshadow, this look can be worn at any time of the year and will transform the appearance of your skin to make it look healthy. 

Shop My NYX Favourites:

2) Ps Pro //

I first tried the Ps Pro range from Penneys/Primark a few months ago and I was blown away by how well each product performs. If you've been reading my blog for at least a year then you'll know how much I love the Mac Strobe Cream, but I found an even better alternative from the Penneys makeup range. Their Strobing Hydrating Primer provides the exact same function of adding dewiness to your complexion whilst also delivering a hydrated base for foundation application. To be honest they pretty much do the exact same thing and I've found myself reaching for this option more than the Mac offering. 

Two additions were welcomed to my makeup collection a few weeks ago: The Master Eye Palette and the Illuminating Concealer. The eyeshadow palette is an obvious replica of the renowned Mac palettes and some of the shades are quite similar to the Mac shadows I have in my collection. The burnt orange shade is similar to Texture from Mac, the bronze shade reminds me of Antiqued and the shimmery gold shade resembles Amber Lights. The Penneys shadows work well considering the €8 price tag - The pigmentation is excellent but the only problems I've encountered with them is that there's quite a bit of fallout and they're a little harder to blend out than my expensive eyeshadows. But €8 for 12 eyeshadows that work really well makes it definitely worth picking up in my opinion.

As for the concealer, this is a creamy illuminating concealer that's ideal for under the eyes and cream highlighting. I've tried a fair few of these types of concealers and this €3 product provides beautiful results that are similar to my more expensive concealers. 

3) Catrice //
Catrice is a popular brand in the Irish blogging community and I'm glad that I jumped on this particular bandwagon. The standout product for me is without a shadow of a doubt their High Glow Mineral Highlighting Powder. The cheap but cheerful baked highlighter is a pearlescent white shade that provides a high sheen finish to the skin. It's the best highlighter for photographs, particularly at night time because the flash will pick it up. The incredible pigmentation would lead you to believe that it's an expensive product but in fact, it only costs a mere fiver. 

A Catrice product that has stood the test of time and always has me coming back to it is the Camouflage Cream. I've repurchased this a countless number of times as the full coverage concealer covers bad blemishes as well as blemish scarring for just €3.50 a pot!

An underrated Catrice product is their Eyeshadow Stick in 'Copper & Paste'. These eyeshadow sticks don't get much recognition in the blogging industry but I adore them! They have great pigmentation, they blend easily and the copper shade of this particular one is right up my street - No surprise there! 

4) Sleek // 
Sleek products are housed in minimal fuss-free packaging that has a luxurious quality similar to that of Nars. My first Sleek product was the Brow Kit and to this day it remains to be one of my all-time favourite brow products. 

Sleek has a vast array of palettes available, from eyeshadow palettes to contour kits. One of my favourite palettes is the Sleek Face Form palette which contains a contour shade, a highlight shade and a blusher. It's an ideal palette for creating a natural everyday contour and the blush is the perfect shade for perking up tired, lacklustre skin. 

Another palette that is beloved in my collection is the Sleek Solstice palette, the best product you'll ever come across in the aisles of Boots. The intense pigment of some of the shades could temporarily blind the people around you the way the high beams of a car would - but sure isn't that what everyone looks for in a highlighter *wink wink* 

A recent addition to my makeup collection is the Matte Me liquid lipsticks. When first applied they're very creamy but they then set down to a matte finish. Exfoliation and lip balm is a fundamental step prior to application with these and if you neglect this step you'll be left with a patchy finish and a tight uncomfortable feeling - I learned the hard way *insert monkey with his hands over his eyes emoji* I have the shades Petal which is the perfect pink shade for Spring as well as Shabby Chic  which is a gorgeous mauve shade.

Shop My Sleek Favourites:

What's your favourite budget brand?

Love,

Cliona xx

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Paddy's Day Makeup Look

| Paddy's Day Parade Makeup Look! | 

Ireland's big day is tomorrow and every corner of the world will dawn a bit of green to celebrate the renowned Paddy's Day. Every year I opt to wear a subtle hint of green to embrace the day but this year I decided to create a fun 'out there' makeup look that would be ideal for anyone that's heading to a parade tomorrow. If you're spending the day with your kids or nieces and nephews then this would be such a fun look to wear - They'd certainly get a great laugh out of it! My thinking behind this look was to create a Snapchat filter style look whilst representing the three colours of the Irish flag.

I started off my normal foundation routine and then instead of my usual contour, I decided to contour using green eyeshadow. I used an turquoise shade called "Heads Will Roll" from the Urban Decay Alice In Wonderland palette that was released last Summer. What I love about this palette is the fact that it's so versatile as you can create a subtle daytime look using the neutral brown, peach, copper and pink shades, but you can also use it for creative looks using the bright shades like blue and green.

I also donned green on the eyes using the NYX Lid Lingerie in the shade Morning Sky*. The bright teal shade is ideal for Paddy's Day and the formula is very different to anything I've tried before. It has a liquid formula that's much easier to blend than a standard cream shadow, and the doe foot applicator makes it easy to apply. It provides a gorgeous metallic finish and I'll definitely be picking up some of the neutral shades as they would be so handy in my everyday makeup bag!

And the final green step of the look was the lips and for this, I used the NYX Cosmic Metals Lip Cream in the shade Electromagnetic*. The gorgeous deep green shade of the lip cream has a futuristic metallic finish and it feels comfortable to wear.

To represent the orange on the flag I applied some of the Mac Copper Sparkle pigment on the inner corners of my eyes. And lastly, to represent the white part of the flag I packed on 10x more highlighter than I would normally wear.

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Will you be wearing green makeup tomorrow?

Love,
Cliona xx

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*Products marked with an asterisk have been sent to me by a brand or PR company.

My Signature Spring Scent From Roger & Gallet

| My Signature Spring Scent From Roger & Gallet! |

Spring is officially in the air! Every morning I wake up to the sounds of the birds chirping their morning song, the sun is beaming more frequently, and in the words of William Wordsworth, a host of golden daffodils can be spotted beside the lake, beneath the trees, fluttering and dancing in the breeze. Now that Spring is upon us I've started to Spring clean my beauty stash so that I can transition my products ready for Spring. One of the beauty items that I've been incorporating into my routine is the Roger & Gallet Bois D'Orange Fragrant Water*.

My Favourite High-End Brands

| High-End Brands I Love! |

There is a vast array of budget brands that offer amazing products however, I can't help but be drawn toward brands that offer a little bit of luxury for a semi-reasonable price. Most budget lipsticks are around €7-€9 so spending an extra tenner on a Mac lipstick or another tenner on top of that for a CT lipstick is a simple way to treat myself to something of utmost quality. 

1) Mac //
Most of Mac's products are reasonably priced and for that reason, I have quite a large collection of their products. 

I've always loved mac eyeshadows but the recent price drop has made me gravitate towards buying them more often, as they're only €7 for the pro refills. My stand-out shades are Texture, a warm burnt orange shade - Antiqued, a coppery bronze shade - and Haux which looks beautiful paired with my By Terry Ombre Blackstar in Frozen Quartz {review}.

Another stunning eye product from Mac is their Copper Sparkle Pigment. This sparkly copper shade provides a dreamy finish to any eye look and it looks amazing worn with a spotlight eye.

The lipsticks are also note-worthy as the formulas are impeccable while the pigmentation is superb. There's an extensive selection of shades to choose from, varying from beautiful statement shades like Aim For Gorgeous {review}, as well as many swoon-worthy nudes like Creme Cup and Brave.

I also highly rate their concealers, the Prep & Prime highlighting concealer pen being my favourite. The soft yellow shade adds luminosity to my skin and perks up my complexion, making it an ideal product for cream highlighting as well as for use under the eyes. I also adore the creamy moisturising formula of the Pro Longwear concealer which covers spots and my dark circles well.

Shop My Mac Favourites:

2) Nars //

Nars is my favourite brand of all-time and at this stage, I could probably open up my own little Nars store with the many products I own. 

I always recommend their foundations to everyone and I think Sheer Glow is a great pick for anyone. I also highly rate the Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser for anyone that likes to wear a light base on an everyday basis, and it's also a great Summer option.

I published a post about my Nars Lip Pencil collection recently and I have no doubt that it will grow even more in the future. The creamy formula, the rich pigmentation and how comfortable they feel on the lips are the prime reasons why I'm so infatuated with these lip pencils.

Shop My Nars Favourites:

3) Charlotte Tilbury //
Charlotte Tilbury is the embodiment of luxury with each of her products steeped in breathtaking rose gold packaging. The prices are a little higher than the aforementioned brands but the quality of the products is truly remarkable, so they're definitely worth the pennies in my book!

My first Charlotte Tilbury product was the Magic Foundation and it remains to be one of my most used products. I love the demi-matte finish as it isn't as drying as a completely matte foundation. Another CT foundation favourite is the Light Wonder foundation which is a lightweight offering that provides a natural "your skin but better look". In the most recent CT newsletter, it was divulged to us beauty lovers that this was the foundation Emma Roberts wore to the Oscars - Well, if it's good enough for Emma Roberts, then it's definitely good enough for me *insert winking emoji*

The Kidman's Kiss lipstick {review} is the most luxurious lipstick I own. The peachy pink shade works well for the warmer months as well as perking up my dull Winter complexion. After using this lipstick religiously for around 7 months, I decided to treat myself to another one of her lipsticks. This time I've opted for one from the K.I.S.S.I.N.G range and the shade I chose was Bitch Perfect. I also ordered the Pillow Talk liner so I can't wait for them to arrive!

The Dolce Vita palette is one of my favourite eyeshadow palettes as it houses the perfect selection of shades to create a warm smokey eye that's ideal for the A/W months. A recent addition to my CT collection is the Eyes To Mesmerise in Jean, which is a beautiful champagne cream eyeshadow. This product was also used on Emma Roberts for her red carpet look!

Shop My Charlotte Tilbury Favourites:

What are your favourite high-end brands?

Love,

Cliona xx

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