A Passion for Natural: Aloe Vera Gel & Lip Butter

By now, we all know I love products that are as natural as possible.
A Passion for Natural are a company that believe in using extremely gentle ingredients so sensitive and eczema prone skin won't react or become further damaged by using their products.

Since my experience with eczema, my skin reacts to anything and everything. If you're familiar with eczema, you'll know it makes any fine lines, bends or wrinkles in the effected area, become more deep set and pronounced. I've been left with some very deep wrinkles around my mouth where the eczema spread down from my nose.

I read the label on the Aloe Vera Gel* and saw that it could be used on both face and body, to help promote cell regeneration and reduce the appearance of wrinkles.
I've been using it around my nose and mouth for the past couple of weeks and can honestly say, I've noticed a difference in the severity of the wrinkles in the area.
As an allover body product, I've got to say it does a great job at hydrating dry skin without leaving you tacky.

The gel is just that, a see through Aloe Vera Gel that absorbs almost instantly on the skin.

A Passion for Natural Aloe Vera Gel gets a big thumbs up from me. It retails for a little under €9 which is pretty good in comparison to some Aloe Vera gel products. If you're in need of something to soothe your irritated skin, I'd definitely say to give this a try!

I use a lot of matte and drying lip products so my lips really do get a fair amount of abuse. Again, having eczema means that the corners of my mouth crack open and become extremely painful.
For this reason, I was so excited to try A Passion for Natural's Aloe Vera Lip Butter* however, I'm still on the fence about.

The product smells lovely, very lightly fragranced with what I think is Aloe Vera.

It does a good job at lightly hydrating your lips but I find it quite hard to actually get any product onto my fingertip. For the first few days, I really had to work to get out any product at all.
I also find it has to be reapplied constantly. It's slightly reminiscent of Baby Lips which in my opinion, were the most over hyped pieces of rubbish I've ever encountered.

My lips have also been really peeling after using this which made to go over the ingredients with a fine tooth comb.

I can't find anything in it other than the flavourings that could be causing it all.

I think my main issue is that it's called a lip butter. I think of a Carmex kind of consistency when I hear the term "butter". Even though Carmex is even worse for making your lips peel, at least it gives the illusion of being hydrating whist on the lips. This retails for around €6 which I think is a little pricey when there are much better products out there for half the price.

Overall, A Passion for Natural Aloe Vera Lip Balm just wasn't what I was hoping for.
I'm not saying it will make your lips peel because I can't find any of the usual lip-peeling-culprits in the ingredients but I don't think it's as suitable for sensitive skin as their other products.

I hope you enjoyed this post, let me know if you have very sensitive skin and what products you find work best for you!

Thanks for reading :) ♥

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Blogger of the Week

This week's Blogger of the Week is:

Aisling from TotalMakeUpAddict

I absolutely love Aisling's writing style. She's so direct and honest with her posts.
TotalMakeUpAddict is one of those blogs that you can pop over to, read a review and not need to go anywhere else because all your questions have been answered.
Her blog is honestly one of my favourites and if you don't already follow her, you so should!
Here's all her social media links so you can follow her in every way possible!

Bloglovin'

Twitter 

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

Google+

Thanks for reading! ♥ 

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FOTD #3

I love wearing a dark lip but when I do, I tend not to use any colour on my eyes. Today, I decided to go for a dark lip with a slightly shimmery eye.

For my base I went with the usual:

L'Oreal True Match Foundation in W3

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer in Soft Beige 

Rimmel Stay Matte Setting Powder

NYX Blush in Mauve 

On my eyes I used:

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Iced Mocha all over the lid.

I used Buck from my Naked Palette in my crease and under my lower lash line. Then just blended everything out.

To line my lips, I used the same Catrice Long Lasting Lip Pencil in Sweet Aubergina as I did last week. I then used Rimmel Apocalips in the shade Eclipse.

You'd think I could find ONE good picture of myself out of 30+ but no. Instead you can have one of me looking completely out of it whilst the sun was in my eyes. 

If I ever go missing, use this picture of me on the news:

Thanks for reading! :) ♥

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MeMeMe Beat the Blues Highlighter

I mentioned this in my Top Ten Tag post the other day but I didn't go into much detail because I it deserves a post of its own!

MeMeMe Beat the Blues Highlighter in Pear Pink is a liquid highlighter and Skin Illuminator.

It comes in a little bottle with a brush just like Benefit's High Beam. I don't have any picture comparisons but trust me, there is no difference between the two other than the price. High Beam comes in at €27.50 whereas Beat the Blues is a steal costing just €6.99.

When I use this, I tend to dot it onto my cheekbones with the applicator and then blend it along with either my finger or the brush I've used to apply my blush.
I also dab a little onto my Cupids Bow and sometimes the inner corners of my eyes.

Because it's a liquid highlighter, it's very easy to work with.

It blends seamlessly so you aren't left with a big chunk of it on your face, which can happen with some powder highlights.
I don't use highlighters that much for fear of looking like a Christmas tree topper but that's not a problem with Beat the Blues.
There's no massive pieces of glitter in this so it gives your skin a natural glow.
You also only need the smallest amount so it's going to last you ages!

Let me know if you like to use a highlighter when doing your makeup and what one you use.

I hope you enjoyed this review, thanks for reading! :) ♥

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NOTD: Miss Sporty - Grape Fit

Miss Sporty is a budget makeup brand targeted at younger teens. They do everything from nail polish to mascara and foundation.
I bought my very first black nail polish and black eyeliner from Miss Sporty at the age of 13... Oh the memories.

I saw my sister wearing this polish the other day and after trying it myself, I was really surprised by the quality and I knew it had to be a NOTD post.

As usual, my camera is showing this slightly more blue toned than it actually is. In real life, it looks very much like Essie Grenadine, only a little less pink.
Unfortunately, Miss Sporty don't print names on their polish labels but this is from the Clubbing Colours collection. I looked on the Boots website and the only colour that this could be is Grape Fit.

The pigmentation in this polish is crazy, one coat gave almost full opacity. I have two coats on in the picture but really, you could get away with one if you were in a rush.

It has a flat, wide brush that makes application very easy. It's not as thick as the Maybelline Super Stay polishes so it doesn't get on your skin.

This is also a Quick Dry  polish and unlike Rimmel's 60 Second polishes, it actually does dry within a couple of minutes.

As for wear time, I've had this on for three days without a top coat and there's not a chip in sight. I even washed my hair and they survived.

You all know my love for Barry M polishes but at €2.99, Miss Sporty will definitely be on my radar next time I go nail polish shopping!

Did you use Miss Sporty back in the day too?
Let me know if there's any other budget nail polishes I'm missing out on!

Thanks for reading :) ♥

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Top Ten Tag

Last week, I was tagged by the lovely Alina from Beauty with Charm to do the Top Ten Tag.
She was my Blogger of the Week last week so I'm sure you've already visited her blog but if not, go check her out! :)

I haven't done a tag in AGES so I'm looking forward to getting into this.

Foundation
L'Oreal True Match is my pick for the foundation category. I can't say this is my all-time favourite foundation because I don't yet know what that is! People tend to have very mixed opinions on this foundation. It's a very runny consistency but gives medium to full, buildable coverage. The shade range is amazing and even though I can never find W4, W3 is a good enough colour match for me for a drugstore foundation. I use a damp Real Techniques sponge to blend this in and it gives a flawless, even coverage.

Concealer
Rimmel Wake Me Up seems to be the concealer I've stuck with over the past few months so I guess it's got to be in this list. Again (and much like Alina) this isn't my holy grail concealer but it's hydrating, brightening and buildable so it does the job. I have very bad dark circles and I find this doesn't cover them unless it's layered over my foundation. I wouldn't use this to cover blemishes though as it has light reflecting pigments that will draw the eye to the area you're trying to hide!

Powder
I decided on Soap & Glory One Heck of a Blot as my favourite powder. You can read a lot more about this here but basically, it's mattifying, setting and non-cakey. I dolove my setting powders and I'll probably be repurchasing this very soon.

Blush
This is an item you'll surely recognise if you've been reading my blog for more than a day because I never stop mentioning it. Essence Silky Touch Blush in the shade Adorable is probably my all-time favourite blush. I'm not a blush person so I don't spend a lot of time or money on them. Essence Silky Touch blushes are around €3 but are buildable, buttery and so easy to work with. If you're new to, or scared of blush, give one of these a whirl!

Bronzer
Bronzing and contouring are never high on my list of priorities but the one product I've gone back to over the years is Rimmel Natural Bronzer. I have the shade Sun Glow which is probably definitely a little too orange for me but the product itself is buildable, easy to blend and comes in a good range of shades. Ultimately, I'd like Benefit Hoola Bronzer but do I really want to spend that much on my least favourite makeup-y thing?..

Highlighter
I'm a creature of habit and that applies to my makeup too. Since starting this blog, the one and only highlighter for me, has been MeMeMe Beat the Blues Highlighter in Pearl Pink. I won't go into too much detail on this right now as I have a full post going up on Thursday but this highlighter is a straight up dupe for Benefit High Beam at a fraction of the price.

Mascara
I feel like I don't even have to answer this category because you all already know what my choice is! In case you don't (how?!) it's Maybelline The Falsies Volum' Express Waterproof Mascara. Here's a full review of it. :)

Eyeshadow
This was a tough one but in the end, I decided on the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette. There's a lovely range of brown to purple nudes which are my favourite colours to wear on the eyes. There's a selection of matte and shimmer shadows and they're all incredibly buttery and pigmented.

Brows
This was an easy one for me. I've been obsessed with Benefit Gimme Brow to fill in and set my brows in the space of a couple of minutes. It's a brow gel that contains fibers which stick to the hairs so your brows look instantly full, thick and you can be sure they'll stay in place.

Lip Products
I switch between brands and finishes so much that I can never say I have one favourite lip product, all I know is I love lipstick! For now though, I've been loving NYX Matte Lipstick in the shade Tea Rose. You can see a review and swatches of this in my NYX Matte Lipstick post. This is just the perfect shade for everyday wear and I love it so much.

I hope you enjoyed reading all about my favourite products. I'm going to tag a few people specifically but if you want to do this tag then I tag you too! :)

I tag:

Kathleen from Squidgy Moments 

Chloe from Nurse Fancy Pants

Robyn from Robyn Rants and Raves

Danielle from LilliWhiteRose

Everyday Unicorn


Send me your links because I'd love to see your posts!

Thanks for reading :) ♥

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Blogger of the Week

This week's Blogger of the Week is someone I've been following forever. I just love her blog a lot so I would like you to check her out too. :) 

Anita from Anita's Beauty Spot

Anita runs a beauty and lifestyle blog. You'll find lots of beauty posts including reviews and recommendations as well as posts about mummy-hood and her general life. 

Anita has a nail polish line called Precious Polish which is full of high quality, homemade nail polishes. I have 2 Precious Polishes and I can confirm, they're awesome.

She is also an Oriflame consultant. You can find her Oriflame profile here, her Oriflame Twitter account here and her Oriflame Instagram account here. 

Here's a list o her social media links, I hope you check her out! :) 

Bloglovin'

Twitter 

Instagram

Facebook

Google+

Thanks for reading! :) ♥

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Realash Eyelash Enhancer

I recently received Realash Eyelash Enhancer* to test out and review.

This is the first in a series of three posts featuring Realash Eyelash Enhancer.
I'll update you guys in a month so you can see how my lashes have gotten on and again in three months time. I've never used anything like this before so I'm really interested to see what happens.

When my package arrived, it was in a gift box which was such a nice touch. It made me feel like I was receiving a little gift.

Realash Eyelash Enhancer is basically a mixture of a lot of oils, plant extracts, collagen and elastin and a few other strengthening ingredients which all help to promote and maintain the growth of your eyelashes. This product is great if you've undergone chemotherapy or are prone to losing your lashes.

You apply it at night just like a liquid eyeliner for three months and you should be left with some brilliant results. After the three months, you pop it on once or twice a week to keep your lashes healthy.

Right now, my lashes are quite thick but lacking in the length department so I'm really interested to see if this really can deliver what it claims!

big thanks to the dog hair on my lashes right here

I'm not setting my hopes too high because I've already got pretty good lashes so I'm not expecting miracles! 

I've been using this since last Sunday and so far so good. Of course, I did a patch test before applying it to my eyelid but fingers crossed it will continue to go well. 

Let me know if you've ever tried Realash or any other eyelash growth products. 

Thanks for reading! :)

*I received this product and have been asked to write a post on it. All opinions are and will be my own in all related posts.

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FOTD #2

Today's makeup look is very simple but one of my favourite looks to wear during the Autumn.
It's almost the same as last week's post, only this time I'm using a dark berry lip.

 

You'll begin to notice that I tend to use the same products for my base each week. I'll just list them instead of adding a description as well so you don't have to keep reading the same thing every Friday.

L'Oreal True Match Foundation in W3

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer in Soft Beige

Soap&Glory One Heck of a Blot

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder

Benefit Gimme Brow in Medium/Dark

Maybelline The Falsies Mascara

Essence Silky Touch Blush in Adorable - Wearing a dark lip can really wash out your complection so I like to use a pinky blush to bring a little colour back into my face

Catrice Long Lasting Lip Pencil in Sweet Aaubergina - This lip liner is a purple shade that goes really well with any dark, berry lipstick.

Rimmel Kate Moss Matte Lipstick in 107 - I think every woman and her dog has this lipstick but if you don't, it's a very dark berry red matte lipstick a.k.a the main reason for my existence.

Again, I am the most un-photogenic person there ever was but here's a selfie:

Thanks for reading! :) ♥

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Maybelline Master Smoky Shadow Pencil

I love wearing winged eyeliner but I'm really not very good at it. I'm also much more of a subtle smudged liner kind of person on a day to day basis.
When I was in Belfast I decided to get the Master Smoky Shadow Pencil by Maybelline.

I got the colour Smoky Black but they also do a brown, navy, grey and violet pencil. I really want all of them!

It's a thick double ended pencil. On one end you have a jumbo pencil liner and on the other end, a soft pointed sponge. 

To use this, you just draw a line on your eyelid and use the sponge to smudge it out as much as you like.

I find it slightly difficult smudge it near my inner corners as the sponge makes the line very thick. I usually have to go in with a q-tip to clean the line up at the end but that really doesn't bother me.

The pencil is soft and easy to apply. It's so easy to smudge out and you can create as light or as dark of a line as you like. 

I picked this up for £5.99 in Belfast but it retails for €9.29 in Boots here which is a little ridiculous. 

Price tag aside, I really love this product. It's so handy and great if you're not keen on a full gel liner look. 

Let me know if you have this or if it would be sometinhg you'd like to try.

Thanks for reading! :) ♥

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NOTD: Essence - English Rose

Today's NOTD is an Essence nail polish in the shade English Rose.

This is a bit of a weird choice for me seen as I absolutely hate Essence polishes with all my soul but this one is so pretty, I've made an exception.

The main reason I love this shade is that it's very similar to NYX Matte Lipstick in Tea Rose. It seemed to be a big hit with all of you so I thought I'd show you this polish too.

shoutout to the red food colouring on my index fingers cuticle

I can best describe the colour as a "dusty rose". It's not your standard pink, it's got an almost brown undertone.

Essence polishes last two days max on my nails. Before they relaunched the polishes last year in new bottles and with a different formula, I used to get about three or four days out of them. 

They retail around the €2 mark so if you need to quickly find a polish to wear for an occasion or if you're 13 they're great but don't expect your nails to last through a hair wash or even a quick shower. 

The one good thing about the new bottle shape is that they changed the brush too. 

It's a wide dense brush similar to that of Essie.

To make this last more than a day, I use my old faithful Barry M clear polish before and after I apply English Rose. 

I absolutely love this colour and I think its a perfect shade to help to transition from bright to dark polishes as the weather changes.

What do you think about Essence polishes? 

Thanks for reading! :) ♥

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