Quarterly Favourites #4

I can't believe I'm writing my last Quarterly Favourites of 2014.
I've only got a few items to talk about because I'll have my 2014 Favourites post up soon and there's no point overlapping everything.

Ziaja SenSitiVe Soothing Day Cream with SPF 20
I've been using this day cream for a few months now and I'm really enjoying it. It's a thick formula but completely non-greasy and very lightweight. It contains no perfumes, silicone or mineral oil and has been working so well on my sensitive and reactive skin. It has an SPF of 20 which is another bonus. I've also been using the SenSitiVe Firming Night Cream which is thick yet lightweight too. It's been really helping any dry patches on my face. They're both non-greasy and sink in so quickly. My only problem is the screw on lids because I'm forever missing the thread and dropping them. For €7, they will both be staying part of my skincare routine for quite a while!

W7 Absolute Lashes Mascara
I'm going to be giving this mascara it's own post so I won't say too much about it.What I will say is it lengthens and separates your lashes, holds a curl and doesn't flake off. I've been using this every day since I got it and I love it.

Blank Canvas F22 Foundation Brush
The first few times I used this brush I really wasn't impressed but after giving it chance, I completely changed my mind. At first it just wasn't doing a good job at blending but once I found a technique that worked (stippling then buffing), I knew I'd never look back. I usually use a Real Techniques Buffing Brush for my foundation but I recently went back to it and it just doesn't compare to this. The bristles on this brush are soft and dense and give a flawless finish. If you're looking for a new buffing brush, I highly suggest giving this a try.

Nuxe Reve de Mile Lip Balm
I got this lip balm at the end of November because my lips were in a serious state. Between dryness and them splitting open if I moved my mouth too quickly, I knew I had to get something! I'd heard so many people go on about this lip balm so I decided to fork out the €12 and get it. It's a thick matte formula that you can apply day or night and it will still be there hours later. After one day I could see such an improvement and by the end of day two, my lips had never looked better. If you need something to rescue your lips from the effects of winter, this is your guy!

Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Medium Custard
We're all well aware of my battle with concealers at this stage so it's probably no surprise to see that I caved and splashed out on the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer. This is such an amazing product. I've only been using it for a couple of weeks but I'm hooked. It's high coverage, doesn't crease and will not budge. It works wonders under my eyes to cover up darkness. I don't think I'll ever be able to go back to a drugstore concealer after this.

Let me know what your favourite products have been over the past few weeks and if you like any of the ones I mentioned.

Thanks for reading! :) ♥

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Irish Beauty Bloggers Secret Santa Extravaganza 2014: The Big Reveal

First off, I just want to give a massive thank you to Aisling from TotalMakeUpAddict for organising this whole thing. I don't know how she did it but I know I wouldn't be able to if it was down to me!
We were all given a budget of €20 (not including postage) to spend on our Secret Santa.

When my Secret Santa present arrived from Leanne of Blather and Beauty, I was seriously blown away with what I received.

As you can see, I was really spoiled. I love everything I got. The jewellery is so me and that bag though... I love the tree ornament, it was such a sweet idea, it will be popped up on the tree each year from now on! :)

Thank you so much Leanne, you clearly put a lot of thought into my gift and it hasn't gone unnoticed.

The person chosen for me to buy for was Zoe from MySteppingStone. From some serious snooping, I learned that she really loves skin and hair care.

I picked her presents based on that but I made sure to get her things that I've actually used in the past so I knew she'd like them.

I can't wait to go through everyone's posts and see what they sent and received!

Thanks for reading :) ♥

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NOTD - Barry M Christmas Tree

Barry M have two gorgeous glitter polishes out at the moment. There's a golden one called Jingle Bells which I've been wearing since last week and a green one called Christmas Tree which is in today's post.

I've been wearing Christmas Tree over Raspberry.

I think these are a perfect combo, Raspberry is a very deep red shade and the green and silver flecks and strands of glitter give such a festive look.

If you aren't too into glitter, or want a slightly more sophisticated nail look, you can pop this on your ring finger and thumb nail.

I'm all about tacky in-you-face glitter manicures, especially at this time of year, so I put two coats on all my nails.

This polish has chunks of red glitter in it which doesn't lay very flat on your nails and I found it catching on things. The little stars can also snag on things so I've been putting a couple of coats of the Barry M topcoat on to make sure everything is smooth.

Sorry about the lighting in these pictures but it's ridiculously dark all day at the moment!

Let me know if you have this polish or if glitter isn't your thing.

Thanks for reading! :) ♥

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Stocking Fillers with So...? Fragrance

So...? Fragrance were very good to send me a couple of their Christmas gift sets recently. They were actually my first experience with perfume when I was younger so I felt very nostalgic when they arrived for me.

The first gift set comes in five different scents. RRP €6.95

I received So...? Kiss Me which is a very girly scent but not sickly. You can also get the gift sets in the scents So...? Sinful/Eternal/Exclusive/Superstar.

In the box, you get a 30ml bottle of perfume, a 50ml body lotion in the scent of the perfume and a lip balm.

If you're stuck for something to get for a young teenager, one of these sets would be perfect because it's totally budget friendly and looks a lot more expensive than it is.
I think anyone between the age of 13 and 16 would really appreciate this.

The second gift set contains three 75ml cans of Body Fragrances. RRP €4.95

In this set you get So...? For Me, So...? In Love and So...? Rock Me.

These body sprays are great if you are looking for a small extra present for someone or if you aren't comfortable letting your child wear perfume but they're going through that cool grown up phase. I think any young person over the age of 12 would really like these, who doesn't like a good body spray?

All of these sets can be found in Shaws Stores and most pharmacies so you shouldn't have to search too hard to get your hands on them.

I hope this post helped you out if you were a little stuck for gift ideas for your neice or you needed something for that one cousin you see twice a year and you aren't quite sure what they're into.
You can never go wrong with gift sets, especially at those prices.

Thanks for reading :) ♥

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The Christmas Tag

Danielle from LilliWhiteRose recently tagged me to do The Christmas Tag. Go take a look at her blog if you don't already follow her because she's seriously amazing.

I love Christmas but I find it very hard to get into the festive spirit because I dwell on the bad things that happened during the year (and lots of other stuff that really shouldn't be thought of at such a happy time of year) but once I'm in it, I go Christmas crazy.

Hopefully this tag will help me get into the Christmas zone!

1. What is your favourite Christmas movie(s)?

The Polar Express is my favourite Christmas movie and we all watch it every Christmas Eve.
I also really love all The Santa Clause movies, Home Alone 1 and 2, Deck the Halls and The Grinch. The Snowman is a serious favourite of mine but it reduces me to the foetal position every time.

2. Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning?

Christmas Morning!! I get up around 5am and go wake up my brothers and sister. We then have to wait an age as my dad has the key to the sitting room and he does everything super slow before we're allowed to go down and see what Santa has left us.

3. Do you have a favourite Christmas memory?

I don't think I have one specific favourite memory... Almost all my Christmases were full of happiness and I just like the feeling that you get when you think back on the great times you had with each other.

4. Favourite Christmas Food?

St. Stephen's Day dinner is my favourite, my mom takes the leftovers and serves them with mash and home made chips. It's the one time of year I actually eat potato (even if that's in the form of chips). I also love Christmas Cake!

5. Favourite Christmas Gift

I've received some amazing presents over the years, all of them greatly appreciated but my very favourite gift is probably a teddy my mom got me quite a few years ago. It's a big bear holding a little baby bear and we refer to it as "me and you".

6. Favourite Christmas Scent

Cinnamon candles and pinecones.

7. Do you have any Chritsmas Eve Traditions?

We all settle down and watch The Polar Express and then bring down each others presents, leave them under the tree and leave out some treats for Santa. Then we all go up to bed and gather in one of our rooms (we alternate every year) and my dad reads us The Night Before Christmas.

8. What tops your tree?

A star

9. As a kid, what was the one extravagant gift you asked for but never got?

I don't actually remember the present but I know instead of what I asked for, Santa brought me a Barbie typewriter and I was thrilled with it.

10. What's the best part about Christmas for you?

I just love being with my family. I love buying presents for everyone. I love watching everyone open their presents. I love the giddiness surrounding the whole day. It's just a wonderful feeling and I hope it will feel like that for my kids when I have a family of my own.

I tag: 

Everyday Unicorn
Cat from Big Blonde Girl
Yaz from Glitter Mama Wishes
Alina from Beauty with Charm

Thanks for reading! :) ♥

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Festive Berry NOTD

Before we go all in with red nails and gold glitter, I wanted to try out a slightly different festive nail look using purple polish and silver glitter.

I recently bought yet another Barry M polish in the shade Berry Cosmo.

This is such a lovely purpley wine colour and the name makes me feel like getting in the party mood.
It lasts around the usual four days with a little bit of wearing at the tips when worn by itself.

To glam things up a bit, I applied one coat of Holo Silver by Precious Polish to each nail and then sealed everything in with Jessica Brilliance topcoat.

Precious Polish glitter polishes are great because the glitter lays flat and doesn't catch on things. I only put on the topcoat to prolong the wear time.

I think this is a great combo and it's perfect for this time of year.

I'll have a slightly more traditional Christmas nail look for you all next week.

What's your favourite festive nail polish colour?

Thanks for reading! :) ♥

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