New Years Eve Nails

Well New Year's Eve is finally here! It's goodbye to 2011 and hello to 2012 (if we survive that long and there is no end of the world!) I wanted glitter nails to ring in the New Year so here is my New Years Eve Nails! 

I first painted my nails blue with Barry M '294 Cyan Blue' which is a gorgeous light blue. It's very pigmented and only needs one coat on my nails.

Over the blue I painted a nail polish I picked up in Claire's Accessories. It's a fantastic multi glitter nail polish that reminds me of one nail polishes from the OPI Muppet collection 'Rainbow Connection'. For only €3.50 this is a brilliant substitute for the OPI version! It's perfect for New Year's Eve!

I hope you all have a brilliant New Years Eve and wish you all the best for 2012!!!

Larry xx

Boots Haul

My lovely sister as part of my Christmas present got me a Boots voucher (I was delighted!). I went to the Boots in Stephen's Green thinking I would pick up half price Christmas sets. None of the sets however really stood out for me. Here is what I picked up instead.

The first items I picked up were the Boots Vitamin E Cleanser €4.49 and Vitamin E Night Cream €3.79. (There is a promotion on at the moment so I got the two for €5) I have dry skin so I'm hoping the vitamin E will help my skin! I will do a review in a few weeks and let you know how I get on.

I'm also nearly out of Umberto Giannini 'Back Comb in a Bottle' so I wanted to buy another. There was a promotion on  Umberto Giannini products in which you could get 3 for €14. This is brilliant as each bottle usually costs €8.29, so it now works out about €4.60 per product saving nearly €11! I have tried  Umberto Giannini products in the past (click here) and find they can be either really good or not great. I LOVE 'Backcomb in a Can' but I don't really like the volume shampoo or the salt spray. 

I still wanted to try out other products so while they were so cheap I picked up another bottle of 'Backcomb in a Can' and two products I have not tried before 'Umberto Giannini Glam Hair Morning After Dry Shampoo' and 'Umberto Giannini Glam Hair Massive mousse' I will let you know how I get on with the new products!

I still had one Euro left on the voucher so i picked up a bottle of Barry M nail polish (minus the Euro it was €3.50). I have only ever tried the Barry M crackle nail polish so I'm excited to see what this nail polish will be like! I picked up a gorgeous blue in the colour '294 Cyan Blue' 

Have you tried any of these products? Let me know what you think of them!


Larry xx

A lovely Parcel!

Today I received a parcel from knightseclectic ! I entered a competition a few weeks ago and was DELIGHTED when I won! (I never win anything but had a rather lucky week that week winning a few competitions! ) From the lovely Lisa at knightseclectic I won a gorgeous handmade owl necklace (That she made herself! I'm very jealous of her talent!) and also a fabulous 'Chilli Pepper London' make up palette. 

How pretty is this palette? :) Inside is a mirror, 12 eye shadows, four lip glosses and two brushes. The eye shadows are beautiful. Six of them have a gold bird as well as the main colour. I'm nearly afraid to touch them they are so pretty! I was well chuffed with this palette! :)

It's so pretty!!

I also won this lovely HANDMADE necklace! It was in the a gorgeous little bag. I still can't believe knightseclectic made it!!

I would like to say thanks again to Lisa this parcel made my day! :) Make sure you all check out her page at:      http://knightseclectic.blogspot.com/ 

Larry xx

Happy Christmas !

Just want to say Happy Christmas to everyone! Hope you all have an amazing day! :D 

I have a crazy few days coming up so I don't think anything will be posted for awhile! Enjoy your Christmas! 

Larry xx

Essence Eyeliners

Essence is one of my favourite make up brands. Not only is it cheap and cheerful but it's amazing quality! I have been using this brand for years now and have so much love for it! In particular I love Essence eyeliners.

Long Lasting Eye Pencil

This is a fantastic eye pencil. It's pigmented, strong and long lasting. It's very creamy and doesn't scratch. Best of all you don't need a sharpener as it just twists up. For only €1.99 this is amazing value. Essence describe it as 'the star product among the eye pencils: due to the innovative rotary mechanism the long lasting eye pencil can be applied especially precisely and guarantees a long-lasting result. matching the season two new trend colours provide the eye make-up with extra depth and sensuality.'

Essence Eyeliner Pen

This is a great product for those who are new to liquid eyeliner. Essence describe it as 'original Japanese mascara gives this eyeliner precise definition. ideal for on the go.' As it's in the shape of a felt tip pen it provides more control for those not used to liquid eyeliner. I find this eyeliner easiest for a 'winged' look as the top of the pen is a point (so I can control the thickness of the line better than other liquid eye liners.) Again it's long lasting and is highly pigmented.

Liquid Eyeliner

This eyeliner is almost a cult product. So many beauty bloggers list this as one of there top products and claim it's better than many of the high end liquid eye-liners. I was devastated to learn that they had changed the formula and the packaging. This resulted in the loss of an amazing product as the new eyeliner is not impressing bloggers!  I have not purchased this new bottle as I have been so put off by bad reviews. It was with great relief I read on Viva Adonis's blog click here! that Essence have realised there mistake and the original liquid eyeliner is coming back in March!  

This eyeliner is true black which I love. It's really long lasting and the size is perfect for application. If you see the old version I'd advise you to snap it up!

If you have not tried Essence eyeliners yet I would definitely recommend you try them out! 


Larry xx

Astor Lipstick

I was in my new favourite bargain shop 'Dealz' the other day when I came across this lipstick for the bargain price of €1.49. I had never heard of this brand before but seeing as it was only €1.49 I decided ah sure I might as well!

'ASTOR has been creating high-quality cosmetic products for 60 years, enabling every woman to express her beautiful best in any situation. Passionate about beauty, we feel uniquely attuned to women’s beauty needs and try to offer them real responses.  Ever since its creation, ASTOR has wanted to help women look and feel beautiful, and experience how beautiful it is to be yourself.'

At the moment Heidi Klum is the face of the brand and they are also against animal testing. 

So what do I make of this brand? I picked up this lipstick in the shade 018 'Candy'. The packaging is a bit strange bright yellow. (you will definitely see this in your make up bag or among other lip sticks!) The lipstick itself is a glossy pink shade that is sheer glossy with a bit of sparkle. It also has a lovely scent (like sweets) that I really like.

Overall I really like this lipstick. It's perfect for everyday use as it enhances your natural lip colour and gives a bit of gloss. It feels very moisturising and feels more like a lip balm than a lipstick. It's very similar to 17 Mirror shine on Lipstick. 


Not bad for €1.49 ! :)


Larry xx

Avon Candy Land Lip Balm

My lips are in bits with the cold weather we are having. They are in constant need of lip balm to keep dry sore lips at bay. My ultimate best lip balm has to be Carmex but when I saw these cute lip balms for only €1.30 I had to give them a try.

I picked up Avon Candy Land Lip Balm in the colours 'Lollypop' and 'Candy Apple'. They are currently on a special offer at €1.30 (They are normally €3.30) They are designed to 'Give your lips a treat with sweet flavoured lip balm' 

'Lollypop'

'Lollypop' is a shocking pink colour and smells like sweets. 'Candy Apple' is very green almost Kermit the Frog green. Don't worry though they both appear sheer on the lips. Candy apple smells gorgeous and reminds me of the smell of apple drops sweets.

'Candy Apple'

Moisture wise they are ok. (They are no Carmex though!) Lips do feels moisturised after application but this wears off very quickly. I do like the smell and packaging but the moisture does let the product down. I will probably throw it into my handbag however to keep for emergencies as I'm ALWAYS loosing my Carmex!

Larry xx

Essence Circus!

If you are looking for the perfect Christmas Nails Essence Limited Edition 'Circus Circus' might be exactly what you are looking for. It's the perfect Christmas red with one side and a gorgeous red glitter on the other. This is perfect as you can make up to three colours from the one nail polish. 1. Red. 2. Glitter. 3. Red Glitter.

This nail polish also comes in purple with purple glitter and black with gold glitter. The Circus nail polish are €3.99 each. If the black and gold takes your fancy you would probably better off buying the small individual nail polishes in black and gold glitter which are €1.29 each. (This will save you more than a euro!) Unfortunately you can't get the red or purple glitter in the small individual nail polishes so you will have to buy from the circus range!

The Red side

Red side with the glitter side on top

There is also a lip topper which I'm also very keen to try. It's described as adding glamour to any lipstick! I will have to buy this! What are your thoughts on the new Essence range?

Larry xx

How to make your own Christmas Wreath

I decided to make a Christmas wreath for my Mam. This is so easy to do and only cost me about €2. (In shops they sell for ridiculous prices!) This only took about ten minutes to make and I had most of the pieces to make it already at home. Here is how to make it in a few easy steps! :)

1. Get a wire hanger and bend it into a circle shape.

2. Gather some ever green tree branches and some holly

 (I just hacked a tree in my garden!)

4. Wrap the branches around the hanger and secure with cable ties.

4. Finally add some decorations and a bow!

5. Finish adding the decorations and trim the edges and your finished!

You can use the top of the hanger to hang it on your door!

 Hope you like it!

Larry xx

Revlon and Soap and Glory Bargains!

I have tried to stop buying so much cosmetics but with so many great bargains out there I can't seem to stop... :( Here is my latest bargains!

I picked up this gorgeous Revlon nail polish for €1.49 in the new shop in Ireland 'Dealz'. They also have Sally Hanson and Rimmel bargains all for €1.49!! I think they are all old colours but there are still some gorgeous items. I love this Revlon nail polish in the colour 'Galaxy'. It's perfect for the party season. I painted it over a Nails Inc polish in the photo below.

I'm sure you are all sick of looking at this by now, but here is the bargain 'Soap and Glory Big Splendour' set. This set is reduced from €81 to €30 (which works out as €3 for each item and a huge vanity case!) I raced down to my local Boots for 9 o' clock to get my hands on a set for me and one for my sister. I couldn't believe how BIG they were! It was a struggle to carry them! 

The products come in a huge pink vanity case and included inside are:

• Clean On Me™ Creamy Clarifying Shower Gel - 500ml
• The Righteous Butter™ Body Butter - 300ml
• Pulp Friction™ Body Scrub - 300ml
• Face, Soap & Clarity™ Fresh Facial Wash - 150ml
• 25 Off Your Face™ Cleansing Wipes
• Heel Genius Foot™ Cream - 125ml
• Hand Food Hand™ Cream - 125ml
• Mist You Madly™ Fragrant Body Spray - 250ml
• Sexy Mother Pucker™ Lip Plumper In Candy Gloss - 7ml
• Calm One, Calm All™ Bubble Bath - 500ml.

 My 'Face Soap'  came with a big chunk of the product  missing... hhhmmmm  :(

   

I have only used a couple of Soap and Glory's products in the past so I am very excited to try these items out! I will do a review in about a month to let you know how I got on with the products. Hurry up to Boots if you want one as they wont be around for long!!

Larry xx

My Christmas 'Jumper'

I have searched high and low for a Christmas jumper this year. I really wanted one! Preferably a lovely tacky one with a cartoon Santa/reindeer. I was devastated not to get one of the Penneys/Primark ones in time. Sigh. Maybe next year... However, while in Penneys today I came across a T-shirt that made my lack of Christmas jumper less painful! Ok so it's not a Christmas jumper but it's the next best thing! 

This Betty Boop T-shirt was only €7. I only noticed when I was taking the photo of it for this post that it actually said KISSmas not Christmas... (Not really liking that part) However, I think I can look beyond that! They also have a Sponge Bob T-shirt that says 'I love presents' also €7. For those of you who like me didn't get a Christmas jumper this might be a cheap substitute! Hurry up to Penny's though as I'd say they won't be there for long! 

While on the subject of Christmas I also got a lovely Newbridge Silverware Christmas decoration off work today! Delighted with it! It's a little dove which I think is gorgeous. We had a carol service today in the school so I'm in a very festive mood now! Roll on Christmas! 

Larry xx

My New Nail Polish Holy Grail

One of my pet hates is waiting for my nail varnish to dry. I just don't have the time or the patience. There have been many of times where I have given up and just taken the nail varnish off  as it was taking FOREVER to dry. Two nail polishes I bought recently are Essence 'Blue Addicted' and 'Time for Romance'. These are two gorgeous colours but take a few coats to build up their colour and hence take aaagesss to dry. I decided to put these nail varnish to the test with Essence 'Nail art Express Dry Drops'. 

I picked this bottle up in my local chemist for €2.29 in an attempt to cure my drying time dilemma. The bottle is designed with a dropper in the lid. As your nail varnish is drying you drop one or two drops to 'dry your nail polish within 60 seconds'. I was very doubtful of this but went ahead and painted my nails anyway. I first painted my nails black and put the drops on my nails. The drops felt very greasy on my hands but made the black dry very quickly. (Not quite the 60 seconds but i was impressed.) Now the next part was the real test... it was time for the glitter. 

I painted over the black in  'Blue Addicted' and 'Time for Romance'. Both the glitter nail varnishes usually take forever to dry but after a few minutes after the drops they were nearly dry. I was amazed. It usually took 20 minutes for them to get to that stage! 

I am very impressed and will definitely be using this more in the future!

Larry xx

Umberto Giannini Hair Products

Umberto Giannini 'Backcomb in  Bottle' is a product that caught my eye a few months ago. I read loads of reviews in magazines and had to get it! I picked it up while boots were doing a 3 for 2 offer on hair products. I also picked up 'Umberto Giannini Glam Hair Ditch The Dirt Volume Shampoo' and 'Umberto Giannini Glam Hair Grunge Glamour Tousled Salt Spray' each product was about €8 but with the 3 for 2 it worked out much cheaper. All products have amazing packaging which I adore. They look very pretty in my bedroom and Bathroom!

First up is Umberto Giannini 'Backcomb in  Bottle'. There is many mixed reviews on Blogs about this product, however, I have to say I LOVE this product. After many trials and errors I have found the best way to use this product for me is give it a good shake, turn your head upside down, spray , and then rub in quickly with your hands! It gives my hair amazing texture and 'poofs' it up. I'm not sure that's it's as good as backcombing but I love the effect of it. A quick blast of hairspray will make it last for the day. I will definitely buy this again!

Next I bought 'Umberto Giannini Glam Hair Grunge Glamour Tousled Salt Spray'. I have a body wave in my hair at the moment to give it a bit of volume. My ridiculously straight hair however is nearly back straight but when I spray this on my hair I do get some waves. When the product ran out I simply filled it with salt and water and got the same results! As a result I will not be repurchasing and would recommend for you to try salt water in a spray bottle before you purchase this!

Lastly I picked up 'Umberto Giannini Glam Hair Ditch The Dirt Volume Shampoo'. I had such high hopes for this shampoo and unfortunately it did nothing for my hair at all! (Well it made it have a horrible texture but volume wise it did NOTHING!) It's such a shame as I really really wanted to love this shampoo! 

The reviews for all these products differ greatly to each person reviewing them. Some people love them others hate them. What I would recommend is that you buy travel sizes of these products (which are much cheaper) to begin with and if you do like the product buy the full size. I think at €8 it's a lot of money for a full size bottle that you might not like!

Larry xx