March 2015 Favourites!!

March Favourites 2015

Jeez it's time for the March favourites already. I am literally typing this on my phone with one hand and making dinner with the other! LOL! The month flew by!!! In keeping with my new years resolution I will always post my monthly favourites on the last day of the month so here goes...

La Roche Posay Toleraine Teint Foundation

This foundation is amazing. It's incredibly light weight but still has great coverage. It lasts all day long when it is used with a primer and setting powder. My favourite ones at the mo are No7 Airbrush Away Primer and Rimmel Perfect Match Loose Powder. This used to be my daily foundation and I had totally forgotten about it until I got back into pharmacy work recently. I have fallen in love with it all over again. It retails at €19.00 but it worth every cent. I honestly would pay twice that and more for this foundation knowing how good it is.

Sleek Face Form Palette

So I bet you guys who follow my social media expected to see this bad boy get a mention in my favourites. Spoiler alert if you don't: I LOVE IT!! The palette I have been using is fair and it matches my skin tone perfectly. Highlighting and contouring has been huge this year and a lot of women have difficulty understanding it and achieving the look correctly. If you are one of these women, don't give up!! Give the Sleek MakeUP face form palette a go and I am sure you will find it much easier. Highlighting and contouring with a powder product as opposed to a cream concealer is sooo much easier!! Considering this palette contains a bronzer, a blusher, a highlighter and a cute little mirror it is a bargain at €12.99!! Like the guys over on Simply Foxy (who stock Sleek Makeup) said "It's like a 3in1 but without the calories!!" :) You can read my full review HERE. 

W7 Cosmetics In The Buff eyeshadow palette

When it comes to nude eyeshadow palettes there is just soooooo many out there it is often hard to know which one is the best quality and the best value. I am a firm believer that expensive makeup can sometimes be muck and more affordable makeup can be amaaaazing!! Not always...but sometimes!! I own Urban Decay Naked 1 and 2 and the shades in this W7 In The Buff palette are very very similar to Naked 2. I am so delighted that out of the three W7 Cosmetics palettes available that Simply Foxy sent me this one because I smashed my Urban Decay one like a week after I bought it and it was so devastating. I will be honest and admit that I was skeptical of exactly how good this palette would be and how it would stand up against it's rivals. I had seen it in pharmacies but never actually bought one. After using it pretty much daily for the past two weeks I am pleased to report that I love it!! 

I find it no different than my Urban Decay one. It swatches the same, colour pay off is the same and it blends just as easy! I am very impressed how a palette for only €7.99 could be THIS good. When you break it down, that is aprox €1.08 per eyeshadow. Bargain!!! I now understand why some of my followers were raving about them on my Facebook page a few weeks back. I am in no way putting down the Urban Decay palettes because there is no denying that they are fabulous but the W7 are a fantastic alternative for a younger person, a bargain hunter or an eegit like me who smashed their real deal!!! Check out www.simplyfoxy.com for the full range of W7 palettes. 

Left to right: Buff, Caramel, Sand, Dust, Chocolate, Topaz, Earth, Storm, Silk, Wave, Thunder, Onyx.

Thanks so much for reading my March Favourites.

Chat soon!!

Melissa x

www.lipstickandlouboutins.ie

10 Must Have Products Under €10!!

Ten Must Have Products Under €10.00!!

If you love beauty and a bargain then this is the ultimate blog post for you. Below are my top ten products that cost less than €10.00!!

Catrice Nude Illusion Makeup

This is one of the best foundations I have ever used. It is affordable, suitable for all skin types and has amazing longevity so it ticks all the boxes for me. I tried it out of curiousity and I am so glad I did. I wear 01 Ivory when I have no tan on and 03 Rosy Beige when I am wearing tan. It's always handy to have both!! 

Catrice Nude Illusion Makeup is available in selected pharmacies and Penneys stored nationwide. It is also available for only €5.00 on Simply Foxy. Shop HERE.

010 Ivory Nude

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

If you use them, put down the baby wipes and get yourself some micellar cleansing water. There is lots of them on the market but the one I use and love is the Garnier one. It is an ideal substitute for baby wipes for anyone who uses them. Personally I use mine daily to remove my eye makeup and as an occasional cleanser for lazy nights!! It is also really handy for refreshing your skin in the morning before a makeup application and for cleaning stubborn gel eyeliner out of brushes.

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water is available in pharmacies, Dunnes Stores, Super Valu's, Penneys and many other places nationwide. You can also pick it up on the Boots website HERE for less than €5. 

Rimmel London Rita Ora Festival Polish Collection

These colours are stunning and they really are Spring Summer perfection. When I saw Peachella it was love at first sight. Daisy Days is going to be my next purchase!! I got inspired by the cute daisys on my polish bottle so I created some nail art to match. It got over 450 likes and counting across my social media pages. I even got a tweet from Rimmel London about them which was amazing!! They retail at about €4.49 each.

Here is a picture of the full Rimmel and Rita Ora festival colab...

Left to right
880 Port A Loo Blue
300 Glastonberry
860 Bestival Blue
878 Roll In The Grass
322 Neon Fest
498 Rain Rain Go Away
450 Daisy Days
408 Peachella
270 Sweet Retreat
558 Go Wilderness

NYX Butter Gloss

When it comes to lipgloss this one is the bizz!!! I have three of them. I have Eclair, Strawberry Parfait and Peach Cobbler. They aren't sticky at all which is a massive bonus for a lipgloss AND they are quite long lasting. I have to reapply once, maybe twice in the day which is good going for a gloss! Every week when I get paid I treat myself to one of them. I can't remember the exact price but they are in or around €6.49. I will collect them all!! 

Left to right
Strawberry Parfait
Eclair
Peach Cobbler

Cocoa Brown 1hr Mousse 

When it comes to tanning on a budget it doesn't get much better than Cocoa Brown!! I loved their original one hour tan but my only hang up was that I would have liked the colour a little darker. The Cocoa Brown queen herself Marissa Carter answered my prayers and released a new darker shade of her bestselling 1hr mousse. Currently my go to Cocoa Brown tan is their night and day tan because it lasts for days and fades evenly. Cocoa Brown recently hit the shelves in USA and are soon set for release down under. Cocoa Brown is taking on the world...one pale girly at a time!!! Aprox €7.99 a bottle.

Rimmel Perfect Match Loose Powder

Soooo it's safe to say my one is in bits!! It has been in and out of handbags, fired into drawers and it's still going strong. I love this product because just a small amount of it will hold your makeup on all day. Beware though that overuse can cause a seriously unattractive caked look. It's defo a case of practise makes perfect with this bad boy!! My one is so old and battered I can't remember the price, it's THAT long ago since I bought it. I think it was around the €8.99 mark.

Boots Botanics Radience Balm All Bright

It is rare that a product as affordable and as hyped as this one lives up to expectation but my god this meets the expectations and more. MAC Strobe Cream is a favourite of mine for ages and this is an exact dupe. It can be applied all over to give a dewy glow or it can be mixed with your foundation. Sometimes I like to apply it just to the tops of my cheeks or along my collar bone for a little pick me up shimmer. It is currently €3.99 in all Boots Pharmacies instore and online.

Beverly Hills Perfect White Black Toothpaste

This toothpaste is like nothing I have ever seen or used before. It contains activated charcoal which oddly enough has been used for hundreds of years to whiten teeth. It is black in colour but don't let that put you off. After a few seconds of brushing it goes white like any other toothpaste and has the same minty taste although not as over powering as some. I had amazing results with this and Beverly Hills Formula PR were so happy with my results and review that it is now featured on the press section of their website. You can read that and see my results HERE.  RRP aprox €4.75.

Catrice Eyebrow Filler Perfecting And Shaping Gel

This product is a god send for anyone who is always busy or on the go and doesn't have the time to spend shading in their eyebrows. It is also amazing for those who do shade their eyebrows for holding them in place and for adding a fuller, more dense look to the brows. For best results brush in against and then with your eyebrows. RRP aprox €4.99.

NYX Wonder Pencil 

I bought this wonder pencil on a whim whilst browsing in my local pharmacy and it was a great buy. It comes in three shades, light, medium and dark and is an extremely versatile and multi-use product. It can be used to hide and/or conceal very small blemishes, as an invisible lipliner or on the waterline of your eyes to really open them up and instantly make you look more awake. I like it because it isn't as harsh as a white eyeliner on the waterline but still gives the same great eye opening results.

Lots of love,

Melissa x
www.lipstickandlouboutins.ie

REVIEW | Sleek MakeUP Face Form Contouring And Blush Palette

REVIEW | Sleek MakeUP Face Form Contouring And Blush Palette

Earlier this week I got a parcel from a new, up and coming online Irish beauty retailer Simply Foxy. It contained a W7 Cosmetics In The Buff eyeshadow palette, a bottle of BBold tan and applicator mitt, a Dream Weave mascara and a Sleek MakeUp Face Form Palette. It was so generous and just the pick me up I needed on a dreery monday morning! 

I tore open the box and couldn't wait to play with my new goodies. The Sleek MakeUP Face Form palette is something I have wanted to try for ages and I was not disappointed. I am seriously impressed with this palette and at €12.99 it is a total bagain. When you break it down it is three amazing highlighting and contouring products that cost only €4 each but you get to have them in one cute little compact with a really decent sized mirror.

The Sleek MakeUP Face Form palettes come in different combinations of shades so there is something suitable for all skin tones. I work in my local pharmacy and we can't keep these on the shelf!! If you live in the Mallow area, you can pop into me in Horgan's Pharmacy and I will be happy to help you pick one. Alternitively I have found from helping girls colour match that the light and fair face form palettes suit most pale irish complexions. The medium one is perfect for someone with more sallow skin or for you girlies who wear fake tan. Ideally with your contour you would use a shade that is two times darker than your foundation. 

The bronzer blends like a dream and the highlighter gives instant shimmer!! The blusher is beautiful to. It gives a subtle and gorgeous flushed look to your skin. Sleek MakeUP is stocked on www.simplyfoxy.com and in selected pharmacies nationwide. 

It has most definetely earned it's place in my makeup bag!! I am so looking forward to trying some more Sleek MakeUP products now. 

Chat soon everyone

Mel x

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Sally Hansen Airbrush Sun Gradual Tanning Lotion

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Sally Hansen Airbrush Sun Gradual Tanning Lotion

                         

This is a really quick blog post just to share with you all how I got on applying the new Sally Hansen Gradual Tan. Being honest if I had the power to ban any tan in the world it would be the Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs. I think it's awful, chalky stuff. It is insanely popular with lots of women though. 

Because of how much I hate Airbrush Legs I was so nervous applying this BUT it is way better. It is a lot more natural looking and a much nicer product to work with. I would advise applying it in small amounts at a time because while it is nice to work with it does require a decent amount of rubbing on. It smells really good to!! 

My arm before tanning

My arm after tanning

I am beyond delighted with how it turned out on legs!!

I will keep you all updated on how it wears, fades and removes.

Talk soon

Melissa x

My Cocoa Brown Routine

My Cocoa Brown Routine

So in order to celebrate Cocoa Brown going stateside I have decided to share my Cocoa Brown tanning routine with you all. It's so quick and easy to follow. 

STEP ONE: Exfoliation & hair removal

Tanning is a waste of time unless you exfoliate and do whatever hair removal you require first. This needs to be done atleast 24 hours prior to when you plan on tanning. Tough Stuff is a no nonsense 3 in 1 body scrub which can be used on wet or dry skin. Using it on dry skin will give you a much deeper scrub. When I want a good scrub especially on my elbows, knees and ankles where tan can gather I use the Cocoa Brown Tough Stuff with my exfoliation gloves. Because the actual gritty scrub is in a bright pink gel you won't have red raw looking skin after your shower...that's always a bonus. I don't know about you but my pale Irish skin is red and pink enough without adding to it!

Cocoa Brown Tough Stuff can be purchased here: http://www.cloud10beauty.com/cocoa-brown-tough-stuff-200ml.html#.VOz_EHzkcpA

STEP TWO: Moisturise

I apply Cocoa Brown Chocolate Whip Oil Free Moisturiser all over my body the morning of when I plan on tanning. That combined with your exfoliation from the night before leaves your skin so soft and silky smooth. About ten minutes before my tan application I reapply Chocolate Whip to my elbows, hands, knees, ankles and feet. This ensures there is no build up of product in there areas. 

Cocoa Brown Chocolate Whip can be purchased here: http://www.cloud10beauty.com/cocoa-brown-chocolate-whip-200ml.html#.VO0B_XzkcpA

STEP THREE: Tanning

Finally the fun part, the bronzing. My favourite tan out of all the Cocoa Brown products is their Night And Day tan. When applied first it gives a beautiful dark colour for your night out, occasion or whatever and after showering the following day it leaves a gorgeous bronze glow for about 3-5 days. Applying the Cocoa Brown Chocolate Whip daily will ensure an even fade and easy removal when the time comes.

Cocoa Brown Night & Day Tan can be purchased here: http://www.cloud10beauty.com/cocoa-brown-night-day-mousse.html#.VO0DznzkcpA

Thanks for reading you guys.

Mel x

REVIEW: IsaDora Nude Sensation Fluid Foundation

IsaDora is HUGE at the moment. They are really getting word out their with their promotions and they are a firm favourite with a lot of bloggers and makeup artists. Today I am reviewing the IsaDora Nude Sensation Fluid Foundation and I will have an IsaDora haul coming soon containing lots of their other products. 

So, I have been using this foundation the past few days and so far I am loving it. I apply it over the No7 Airbrush Away Primer and set it in place with the Rimmel Match Perfection Loose Powder. This foundation has really good coverage but because it is so creamy it doesn't look cakey. It is definitely buildable to if you like a fuller coverage. 

It is unusual in that it doesn't come in a pump or squeeze format but with a dropper which can be seen in the pictures I have included. At the start I found this a little annoying but now that I have used it for a while and gotten the hang of it, I love it. I think it's a great idea. When it comes to foundations it has to be REALLY good to impress me and practically flawless for me to repurchase it and I would 100% buy this again!!

So this was my makeup application at aprox 7:30am today...

...and this was it at aprox 8:30pm this evening, so about 13 hours later and after a hard days work. I just can't believe how well it lasted!! Excuse my tired head and the lack of natural light. 

I am so delighted I got the chance to try and review this foundation. IsaDora really have upped their game in a big way and have some amazing products at affordable prices.

Thank you for reading!! 
Love,
Melissa x 

REVIEW - The "Wet" Brush

REVIEW: THE ''WET'' BRUSH

Since being pregnant I have such long and thick hair and while I loved it, it was often a pain to brush and to style. I am a divil for the pineapple hairstyle. You know the one where your ponytail is literally on top of your head?? My hair got so matted and messy. I hate it. My hairdresser Amy from Dial And Style, Cork spent aaaages one day brushing it all out but a few days later it was back to it old self. I tried all the tricks like sleeping on silk pillowcases and wearing a ponytail to bed and nothing helped! I needed something and next thing The Wet Brush hopped in my letterbox. 

I have already raved about The Wet Brush across my social media sites so you guys who follow me there already know how much I LOVE IT. It is literally a lifesaver, or a hairsaver even. I will never again use a different hairbrush ever. Melissa and The Wet Brush are together forever. I am actually gonna order a few because I am lethal for losing them!!

You are probably wondering why is it so good and why I love it so much... Basically The Wet Brush is designed with crazy strong intelli-flex bristles that bend and flex to ensure your hair is left silky smooth and knot free...even when it is wet!! The little ball tips at the top of each bristle provide a little mini massage action that stimulates circulation at your hair follicle which encourages healthy hair. Every girl needs to try this brush!!!

Since posting it to my social media, lots of you have tried it. I have had amazing reports back including lots of mums that use it on their little ones and girls who wear hair extensions and love it. 

The Wet Brush is available to buy from Salon Services and from the new Irish beauty website Simply Foxy. I will attach links below. I know I recommend a lot of things but this really is a MUST HAVE. 

Buy from Salon Services HERE. 

Buy from Simply Foxy HERE.

Love from me and my happy hair,

Melissa x

ALL IMAGES USED IN THIS BLOG POST ARE OWNED BY WWW.LIPSTICKANDLOUBOUTINS.IE AND MAY BE SUBJECT TO COPYRIGHT. THE WET BRUSH WAS SPONSORED TO ME BY A PR COMPANY BUT THIS IN NO WAY SWAYS MY VIEWS AND/OR OPINIONS. I AM ALWAYS 100% HONEST.

The NUPO Diet.

What is NUPO?

NUPO (nutritional powder) is stocked in pharmacies and it is used to help lose weight in a healthy way. It is ideal for someone who wants to lose a small bit of weight before a wedding or a holiday. I decided to do it because I have a small amount of baby weight I wouldn't mind shifting!! To be honest I don't have a huge interest in diet or weight loss but after doing the training with these guys I was interested to see if it worked. Myself and a work colleague undertook the NUPO challenge together.

Basically you first decide if you want to do the two day NUPO diet or the weekly one. We decided to do the two day one first to get to grips with it. NUPO can be taken in either shake or soup format. We both decided to do strawberry shakes. I think that much soup would be sickening. You either drink six shakes/soups a day OR five shakes/soups and one NUPO meal replacement bar. With the two day diet you also have the option to eat you evening meal if you like. With the weekly one you are still allowed your food but it much be kept under ten bricks.

What are NUPO bricks?

NUPO bricks are a guideline as to the fat, sugar etc. content in certain food items. It is similar to Weight Watchers points. Because we done the two day challenge the brick system didn't apply to us but it's an eye opener in regards to how unhealthy some things are.

While on the two day NUPO diet you can drink as much water, tea, coffee and sugar free drinks as you like. You can also chose to have your evening meal if you like. It is advisable to drink as much liquids as possible to keep the possible side effects of headaches at bay. We were drinking the strawberry milkshakes which are so yummy. It is 300ml of water with one pouch of NUPO powder or you can use 200-250ml of water and one NUPO pouch for a thicker, more fuller shake. You can also blend in your own fresh fruit of you wish.

I decided to drink five shakes, eat one NUPO meal replacement bar and have my evening meal. My work colleague decided to go hard core and drink six shakes only along with her coffee and water intake. I lost just over a pound and my work colleague lost almost three pounds. I think that's pretty amazing considering it was only two days. While I would have eaten more on the NUPO diet, I never felt hungry. The shakes, soups and bars are designed to give you the correct amount of nourishment and levels of fat, salts etc. you should be taking in.

Since the NUPO diet I do feel more energetic. I have decided to make an effort to get my five a day and my two litres of water daily. Yesterday for breakfast I had my own smoothie which contained strawberries, a banana, mixed forest fruit and some low fat natural yoghurt. For my lunch I had my own homemade soup, carrot and parsnip with a small bit of onion and it was yummy. I will admit I did have a bold Chinese take away last night but it was my end of week treat.

Click HERE to find your nearest NUPO stockist or you can follow NUPO on Facebook HERE.

I will 100% use NUPO again in the future.

Melissa 

Mini NYX Cosmetics Haul

So this post on NYX Cosmetics is a reader request. A LOT of you wanted to know my thoughts and opinions on the NYX Cosmetics bits I have tried. First of all I recently discovered that NYX is actually pronounced ''nicks''... who knew? I done beauty therapy in 2011 and our entire makeup kit was NYX and none of us including the teacher said ''nicks''!!

Just the other day I was chatting a representative for pharmacy makeup brands and he was able to tell me that my local stockist of NYX, Mulcahy's Pharmacy Mallow, cannot keep NYX on the shelf and that it is because of my blog. I was so delighted! Whoever you girls are that are chatting and talking about my blog pretty please keep it up!!

The lipstick I am wearing in the picture above is the NYX Matte Lipstick in MLS21 Butter Beurre. This is one of my favourite nude lippies out there at the mo. Even though it is a matte lipstick which have a reputation for being quite drying on the lips I found the NYX quite soft and almost creamy. The longevity of it was excellent. Everytime I look at it I think of the day Josh (my other half) stared at me and was like ''Why are your lips brown???'' I was raging!! MEN!! They just don't understand!! 

Sticking with the matte lippies, the one above is Tea Rose by NYX (obviously)! I had seen the girls on From Matte to Metallic blog raving about it so I knew it had to be good. I find it a really nice shade which is suitable for a woman of any age. It is a nice everyday shade aswell because while it is noticable it isn't too in your face. 

Next on the NYX Cosmetics haul list is the dewy finish long lasting setting spray. I LOVE THIS. It genuinely really does help your makeup last longer. It is incredibly light weight so sometimes I like to give a quick spray to my face during the day just to refresh my makeup and give it a gorgeous dewy glow. There is also a matte setting spray which is fab if you suffer with oily skin. 

I love nothing more than an affordable multi use product and the NYX Wonder Pencil is a great example of this. It is available in three different shades and can be used as a lipliner, an eyeliner and to conceal small blemishes. A huge plus for me is that it makes your eyes look wide open, just like a white eyeliner, but without being as bright and obvious as a white liner. Don't get me wrong, I love white eyeliners but sometimes for a more natural look this one is miles better. 

The NYX Cosmetics Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk is a great example of using a white eyeliner to make your eyes appear bigger. It is also a great little product for popping into your tear ducts to open up your eyes and make you look more awake.

One of my favourite products from the NYX Cosmetics range is their Butter Gloss. So far I only have Eclair and Peach Cobbler but I plan on expanding and growing my collection each week. I love Eclair for a natural look or is also compliments a dark smokey eye perfectly. So far I haven't gotten much wear out of my Peach Cobbler as I am waiting for warmer weather. I posted a picture of my jumbo eye pencil in milk and the butter gloss in peach cobbler to my instagram and it was liked by the official NYX account. As a result the over 600 likes. It was insane!! 

I really hope you guys enjoyed my little NYX Cosmetics haul. I will do another NYX one when I hopefully have another few bits collected. My next makeup hauls will be on IsaDora, Mememe Cosmetics and more so keep an eye out.

Chat soon

Mel x