HOW TO | Make ANY Lipstick Matte

In order to make a lipstick matte you need two things, your favourite shade of lipstick and a loose translucent powder. 

STEP BY STEP

1. Apply your favourite lipstick. 

2. Using your finger tip gently pat on some loose translucent powder all over your lips ensuring the colour is completely covered. 

TOP TIPS

- Darker lipstick shades tend to work better.

- Use as little powder as possible.

- Make sure the loose powder is well blended and that you don't have clumps of it here and there on your lips. 

MAC Saint Germain

Smashbox Vivid Violet

Give it a try. It's lots of fun and helps to create totally different looks. Thanks for reading.

Love Mel x

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Christmas Gift Guide For Her

With Christmas just around the corner I thought I would put a little ''FOR HER'' gift guide for you to spoil your mammy, sister, friend or whoever. I will do my best to keep them as affordable as possible. 

''What Happened Next...'' by top blogger and bestselling author Suzanne Jackson €19.95

''So Sue Me What Happened Next...'' is the second book by blogger and author Suzanne Jackson. She is without doubt the lady of the moment. My twitter and instagram newsfeeds are covered in photos of women delighed to have their hands on this best selling book. I read mine in a day. I just couldn't put it down. I met Suzanne at a bloggers awards night during the Summer and she is such a lovely and inspiring woman. ''What Happened Next...'' can be purchased on Suzanne's website www.sosueme.ie, in Easons or in Cari's Closet.

Sleek Makeup do the most amazing gorgeous i-Divine eyeshadow palettes with prices starting from just €9.99!! What's even more amazing is that the are available in the Boots infamous 3 for 2 offer so you could get three palettes for less than €20!! Bargain!

When it comes to make-up brushes Real Techniques just cannot be beaten for price and quality. I love them and I am in the process of collecting them all. I THINK the core collection photographed above is like €28.99... It's defo no more than €30.00 which is really good for four makeup brushes as good as these. 

Sanctuary Spa Me Time Spa Treats €14.50

Sanctuary Spa products are a gift that is perfect for women of all ages. You could gift it to your teenage sister and your granny!! This particular set which contains a body scrub, body wash, body butter and a hand cream is my favourite because it has a nice variety of everything. It is the perfect pamper night kit and is also comes in very bright and impressive packaging. 

Alex And Ani bracelets are such a cute and thoughtful gift as you can pick one to suit a particular person or memory. I got my first one a few weeks ago from a friend and I LOVE it so much. I can't wait to add more of them to my collection. Although saying that I am defo one for sentimentality when it comes to jewellery. I like to be able to tell a little story about who got me what and why! 

I hope you all got even some inspiration from today's blog post even if it's only more things you want to buy for yourself!

Thank you for reading!

Love Mel x

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Review | #EylureBrows

Eylure have always been my go to brand when it comes to eyelashes so you can imagine my excitement when I got an email saying that they were launching their very own range of eyebrow products. I was soooo happy to be given a chance to trial and review them. I couldn't believe all the amazing products they sent. 

Receiving all these amazing products from one of my favourite brands was like Christmas morning!!

EYLURE BROW STENCILS 

The Eylure brow stencils are an absolute God send for creating perfectly shaped eyebrows. They come in four various styles so you can chose which one suits you or the occasion best. The brow stencils would also be ideal for anyone who is a newbie to the whole eyebrow shading thing. They are just fool proof. 

Eylure Brow Stencils RRP: €6.49

EYEBROW PALETTE
The Eylure brow palette is one of the best I have used so far. I've actually replaced my Benefit Browzings with it. The palette itself contains a wax to hold your brows in place, an eyebrow shader, a gorgeous highlighter, an eyebrow brush and a mirror. So basically it is a total bargain for only €12.99!!! It's a small size to so it won't take up tonnes of room in your makeup bag. 

Eylure Brow Palette RRP €12.99

EYLURE LONG LASTING FIXER GEL 

Once I'm finished shading and highlighting my eyebrows I apply the Eylure gel. This brushes out the eyebrows as well as giving them infinite hold. I got stuck in a desperate rain shower out walking last week and they didn't budge. I feel like the gel just gives them that perfectly polished and perfectly shaped finished. It also doubles up as a nourishing daily treatment for your eyebrows.

Eylure Brow Control And Shape Gel €7.99

EYLURE CHERYL LASHES 

A little extra surprise in my blogger mail was two pairs of eyelashes from the new Cheryl range. I love them!!! They come in four very different styles so you are bound to find one to match you and your style. They are incredibly lightweight and easy to apply. As with all of Eylures lashes they can be reused a few times once you carefully remove them from your eyes and very carefully remove the glue. I always hang onto the box and pop them back in. It saves that terrifying "OH MY GOD is that an eyelash or a spider?" moment. We've all been there!! 

MEL'S TOP TIPS FOR STRIP EYELASH APPLICATION

- Make sure the eyelashes actually fit your eye. If there is any excess hanging off the end near your temples then the lashes won't last.

- If you need to trim them then trim from the outer corners only.

- Use a small amount of glue ensuring you cover the whole strip then wait 20-30 seconds so that the glue has a chance to become tacky and sticky before applying it to your eyelid.

You can check out my strip eyelash tutorial HERE and my individual eyelashes tutorial HERE. 

Effortless brows in just a few minutes!!

Being photobombed by my little sister and our dog! :)

Eylure products are available in Mc Cabes Pharmacies, Sam Mc Cauley Chemists, Shaws Department Stores and from many other independent pharmacies around Ireland. Boots also stock loads of Eylure stuff. 

Thanks for reading.

Mel x

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Review | Dream Dots For Spots

Dream Dots For Spots
24pk €14.95
Order HERE

A few weeks back I received the infamous Dream Dots to review. I had seen them on a few blogs and had also watched some YouTube videos on them and I was SO excited to try them out. I waited and waited for a spot and nothing. My friends were all asking what they were like and I couldn't tell them because my skin was glowing...typical! Last night I posted a joke to Lipstick And Louboutins blog facebook saying that it was the best skincare ever as I hadn't had a spot since it arrived. Well I hadn't the words out of my mouth and boom...a spot! I just seemed to arrive all of a sudden. 

I was amazed when I put on the dream dot at how totally invisible it is. I had tea with a friend and we were chatting about the blog. When I said I was trying out the dream dots she literally had to look around my face for it. 

So this morning when I woke up... 

As you can see the treated spot has COMPLETELY and totally disappeared. My skin at the effected area even feels soft and smooth. The only bad news is that I now have a second spot literally right beside where the other one was but no worries I'll just pop on another dream dot tonight. Honestly girls, the way they work is nothing short of AMAZING!!!! 

If you haven't tried dream dots then you need to!!

Thanks for reading! :)

Melissa x

A Mammy's Life Made Easier

Most of you who follow Lipstick And Louboutins on either Facebook, Twitter or Instagram know, I recently gave birth to a gorgeous baby boy!! Jake is now five weeks old so you could say I am well and truly settled into my new role as a mammy so I decided to share with you all some bits and bobs that make my everyday jobs and duties that little bit easier. I guess this blog post is best suited to new of first time mammy's but don't click away because you never know what I may use that you may never even have heard of.

Me and my little cutie pie!! x

Many babies have a small amount of dry and/or flaky skin. Jake gets it on his hands, feet and sometimes his forehead. It seems to be worse after a bath for some reason. Something that helps me A LOT with this is the Forever Living Aloe Propolis Creme. One application keeps the problem at bay for a few days and each time I apply it the dry skin is less and less. I usually apply it following a bath and before bed time as it doubles up as a little baby massage and leaves my little squish super calm and relaxed. Mammy's can also apply the Aloe Propolis Creme all over as an intensive moisturizer and to combat stretch marks. For more information or to order this product check out my Forever Living Products representative's facebook page HERE. 

 Next up is the Pharmacy Brand Glycerine & Aniseed. Please excuse the crappy google images picture but the actual stuff is gone in Jake's baby bag with his daddy while mammy has a relaxing morning doing blog posts. ;) If Jake is struggling to get up his wind after being fed or if he is just a little unsettled and struggling to sleep then this stuff is the answer. I dip his soother into it, pop it into his mouth and he LOVES it. It is completely sugar, glucose, colours and alcohol free. Whenever I am trying to describe it's effects to someone I always say it's like when you put peanut butter on your tongue and it feels kind of thick and dry...only the glycerine and aniseed it actually nicer. We call this ''the magic stuff''! :)

For bottle feeding mammy's there are many ways of sterilising bottles...obviously but I find the Avent microwaveable steriliser soooo handy. All you need to do is wash the bottes in the sink, pop them in the sterilising unit, place this into a microwave and the water in the base of the unit uses steam to sterilise them super fast!

The Clevamama sterilising soother tree works pretty much the same way as the Avent microwavable bottle steriliser. To be honest I just put the soothers in to steralise along with the bottles. I use this more for storing the steralised soothers than anything else. Atleast this way you know they are always spotless for your little one.

This is quite an obvious one but nappy sacks are great. These ones are from ALDI and are scented so no dodgy smells as a result of nappies in the bin. The Mamia nappy sacks smell great to be honest. Also handy in the car for bits of rubbish on long journeys. 

Besides cuddling mammy or daddy this is Jake's favourite place in the world. It is a little bouncer chair that gently vibrates and he just loves it. It is suitable to use from birth to three years. Only this week my sister attached the arch with the frog and monkey on it and he has a great time bouncing away playing with them. It's amazing how alert they are when they are so young. I'm not sure where this chair is from as it was a gift...he's spoiled! ;)

Kisses from daddy! x

Last but most definitely not least is the formula powder dispenser. Again, as with the glycerine and aniseed please forgive the google images photo, the real thing is gone in Jake's baby bag. We bought our powder dispenser in Tesco for like €2.99. Jake is currently taking 5oz of formula so we put five scoops of powder and add it to a sterilised bottle of water when we need it. This way the bottles are always as fresh as possible. I find these dispensers particularly useful for the baby bag when we are on the go and for night feeding. 

Other than that I rely on coffee and cuddles from the little man to keep me going! I am LOVING being a mammy. He is just the cutest, sweetest little thing!

Thank you for reading!

Love Mel x

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Mel's Love Hate Products

MEL'S LOVE HATE PRODUCTS

Just gonna start by saying this blog post is nothing to do with our beloved gangsters on RTE. There won't be a mention of Nidge, Frano or the boys here. This blog post is to outline products that I have tried recently and either really love or absolutely hate. Bare in mind girls that this is completely and totally my opinion. You may see something in the ''Mel Hates'' section and think OMG she's mad I love that or visa versa in the ''Mel Loves'' section. 

MEL LOVES
MAC STROBE CREAM

I love this product and wear it every single day. You can apply it under your foundation and it acts as an illuminator and doubles up as a primer. It also gives my skin the most gorgeous glow on those no makeup days.

GARNIER MICELLAR CLEANSING WATER

This is amazing for those lazy nights when you couldnt be bothered with doing a full cleanse routine. I always leave mine in my bedside drawer with a packet of cotton pads. I don't use it every night BUT I do use it every morning to freshen up and clean my skin before makeup. It's so quick and easy to use. 

MEMEME SKIN ILLUMINATOR 

I randomly picked this up because it reminded me of a benefit highlighter. My thinking was to try the more affordable option before spending money on a more high end product. I LOVE IT. It gives my cheek, collar and brow bone especially the most stunning glow and shimmer. 

DERMALOGICA DAILY MICROFOLIANT 

I am a very lucky lady to have a big professional sized tub of this product. It is sooooo good. It makes my skin feel so smooth and improves the appearance of your skin ten times over in just a few days. A little pricey but DEFO worth it. 

DUO EYELASH ADHESIVE 

One huge and very common mistake when it comes to applying false eyelashes both strip and individual is using a poor quality glue. DUO is a little pricey but you will have it ages and it will make your eyelash applications 100 times easier. 

NKD SKN TAN

I love nkd skn because its affordable, it's gives instant colour, dries fast AND fades evenly. I promise it is as good as it sounds. I have tried soooo many tans over the years and this is right up there in my favourites. 

COCOA BROWN TOUGH STUFF

Tough stuff can be used to exfoliate prior to tanning and for removing false tans. I have tried it with lots of tans, even really stubborn ones and it never fails. My skin is baby smooth after it to! Another huge plus is that the scrub is in a pink gel so it doesn't feel too rough or abrasive on your skin. 

REVIEW | Declare Cleansing Products

Hi everyone! 

Apologies for this review being a little bit late. I received these products a few weeks back and due to baby Jake's arrival my review was delayed. In a way it is a good thing because it gave me lots of time to give the products a good and proper testing. My first impressions were that I loved the packaging. It is very salon like and professional looking. It also looks quite unisex which I think is important nowadays with skincare. A lot more men have started to become skincare aware. 

The first product I am going to review is the Declare Purifying Gel cleanser for combination and oily skin. I'm quite fussy about my cleansers. I'm the kind of girl that wants to do one cleanse and have all my make-up removed and I found this excellent. I love gel cleansers to because they just feel smooth and fresh on your skin. It smells amazing to. I wish I had a way to allow you all smell it via this post...if only!! This cleanser is so gentle it can even be comfortably used on your eyes. All you need to do is apply a small amount onto a damp cotton circle and remove your eye make-up in upward circular movements as downward movements will encourage lines and/or wrinkles which we don't want!! 

A great cleanser and toner go hand in hand. Declare's Matifying Toner refines pores, removes excess sebum and leaves skin ready and prepared for the next product. I love the cool, fresh feeling on your skin after applying toner. One thing I hate about toners is when they leave your skin feeling tight and like you can't move. The Declare one is amaaaazing. It smells like holidays which is a huge plus. I love that smell!! I don't even know how to describe it but I think we are all guilty of saying ''Ohh the smell of holidays'' at some point in our lives. I found this product really effective for battling my oily t-zone. 

The Declare Matifying Cream is probably my favourite of the whole lot. It is so rich and creamy that it just screams luxury. It is a little bit more pricey but a little goes such a long way and it is soooo worth it. It's my favourite part of my cleansing routine and it compliments the other products perfectly. Again like the cleanser and toner is smells great, kind of similar to a fresh seaside smell. 

I feel like such a lucky girl to be given a chance to review such amazing products!
Thank you for reading.
Love Mel x

Jake

Hi girls!! 

I'm so excited to be back from my little blogging break. I really missed it but a newborn baby is hard work. I had to find a balance between being a mammy and finding time to blog. I'm sure I'll manage it. Soooo as most of you already know from our facebook page Jake has arrived and is the cutest little baby ever. I suppose I am a little bias being his mammy but oh my God he is gorgeous. 

The whole mammy thing is a complete and total change of lifestyle but it's amazing. Once you get into a bottle making routine and eventually learn how to put a buggie together you're laughing. They say you should sleep when they sleep during the day to make up for your sleep deprivation at night time but I find that really hard because I'm still in that oh my God I can't believe he's mine and I can't stop staring at him phase!! He's asleep right now and I'm here typing away in my pyjamas! I love being able to hear his little snores when he's sleeping...so cute!! 

The arrival of Jake has given me the idea to add a pregnancy and parenting section to the blog. Now don't get me wrong, Jake is only three weeks old so I'm not claiming to be an expert or anything but I will share things like stuff that helped me through pregnancy, things that make being a mammy a little easier and how I maintain a beauty regime with my new hectic schedule etc! I hope this is something that will interest you guys. As with all my posts I will be 100% open and honest. 

He's such a little sweetheart x

I won't go into too much detail but honestly girls the whole having a baby thing is totally fine. I think if I can do it then anybody can. My whole pregnancy I was listening to women telling me that and all I could think was ''Yeaaaah right'' but it actually is. I can't finish the blog post without giving a little mention to my other half Josh who has being amazing throughout everything!! I thought I couldn't love him more but I was wrong. Watching him look after, cuddle and just be with Jake makes me a very emotional Mel...in a good way like! He has brought so much happiness into both our lives and our families lives. 

I LOVE this picture x

I'm not sure what else to say because I don't want to bore you all with me blabbing on. If there is anything you want to know about pregnancy, labour or motherhood and think I may be able to help then feel free to message me on our facebook page or email me at lipstickandlouboutinsblog@gmail.com.

Thank you for reading.

Love Melissa...and Jake!! ;) x