Christmas Cheer!

As it is officially December I can now start to feel festive! One of the best things about Christmas is the music. I adore singing along to my favourite Christmas songs. In Ireland we have a radio station called ‘Christmas FM’ that runs from late November to early January. The whole station is run by volunteers and all texts to the radio station go to a charity that helps the homeless. It’s a great way to give back at this time of year. You get to help a charity and hear your favourite Christmas songs, a win win situation! J 

For those of you who don’t live in Ireland you can listen live online at Christmas FM. Hope you enjoy it as much I do! Meanwhile here are two of my favourite Christmas songs and a very special Christmas song!

I love this song! I don't know why it's not more popular. Everybody thinks I'm making it up when I sing it!

I fell in love with this song when they used to play it when I worked in retail. I used to bounce around singing this when it came on! It helped me to deal with the angry crazy Christmas customers!

And finally to give some Christmas Cheer to all any animal lovers, this video is AMAZING! :)

Larry xx

Review: Avon Products

My boyfriend’s Mam sells Avon, so whenever I’m in his house I read Avon to keep me amused (while he watches football…) Before I started buying Avon I didn’t think it was good quality. However, I must say my mind has been totally changed now! There are some lovely products available. In this post I'll show some of my favourites.

I received Reece Witherspoon’s perfume ‘In Bloom’ as a gift. The bottle is so pretty! The lid of the perfume is a big flower that comes off when you spray. I found this very unusual and it really stands out next to my other perfumes. The scent is a light floral scent which is not over powering and very wearable. Reece Witherspoon said the following at the launch of the perfume:

“In developing In Bloom, I found myself drawn to the scents of my childhood in Tennesse. We had a great big magnolia tree in the backyard and it’s that beautiful white blossom that inspired the perfume. In Bloom is indicative of where I am in my life today. I’m feeling very strong and independent, and so happy, so full of life. The fragrance truly captures that feeling – it’s very sensual, very romantic and alluring.”

I am really impressed with Avon’s lipsticks. I do think they are quite expensive, but there are a lot of special offers when you can get them for cheap. I picked up two for €10 in a promotion. The first I picked was Avon Ultra Colour Rich Moisture Seduction Lipstick in ‘Fuchsia Fever’.

This is a Rich, ultra-creamy lipstick intertwined with ribbons of hydrating moisture. It also contains SPF15. I love the concept of this lipstick in that you can see the white moisture intertwined in the lipstick. The colour I picked ‘Fuchsia Fever’ is extremely pigmented and is a shocking pink. I love to wear this if I’m not wearing much eye make up. The lipstick also has a gorgeous scent. Brilliant buy for €5 as it worked out in the promotion.

The second lipstick I purchased in this offer was Ultra Colour Rich White Gold Lipstick ‘Platinum Pink’. This is a Rich, creamy moisturising lipstick infused with glistening pearls of gold that is very sparkly! It is called platinum pink but is quite a sheer pink. However, the sparkles in this lipstick are what really makes this lipstick stand out. It gives your lips a lovely sparkle without a very noticeable strong colour. This is good if you want a more neutral looking lipstick. I paid €5 for this in the promotion but don’t think I would spend its full price of €11 euro if I was to repurchase.

It's MUCH more sparkly in real life, photo does not do it justice!

Lastly I also picked up this make up palette for €3. Inside is four cream eye shadows and two lip glosses.

I don't usually use cream eye shadows, but I like to use the sliver/white colour as a highlight. It's a pretty palette for the price!   I will definitely keep buying Avon products! :)

Larry xx

November Favourites!

I love reading other bloggers monthly favourites posts. I think they are a quick and easy way to see what new (and old!) products people are loving. Here is what I have been crazy about this month. :)

I bought this bag in Penneys/Primark for €13. I really needed a big bag to use in London when I went to visit my parents. I LOVE this bag although my family roared laughing at it when they saw it >:( A guard in the Tower of London also told me it reminded him of a monster... Oh well the important thing is that I love it and proudly have it in my November favourites! 

My new Urban Decay Book of Shadows that my boyfriend got me for my birthday had to make it into my monthly favourites. I'm absolutely loving this and have been using the eye shadow every day this month! :) For a full review on this click here.

I bought this hair donut in Penneys/Primark for €1.50 and think it's fantastic! I like to have my hair up for work and this makes the perfect bun in seconds! Definitely a time saver in the mornings.

I'm really impressed with this nail varnish remover from Essence. Usually I would not be too bothered by nail varnish and just pick up anything but not anymore. This smells very pleasant! Yes a nail varnish remover that doesn't stink. It has a strawberry vanilla scent. It is acetone free and is designed to harden nails. A bargain at €1.49. I will definitely repurchase.

This is one of my favourite mascaras ever not just for this month! I have really small eyelashes and this actually makes them look long for once. Unfortunately you can't buy it in Ireland though. :( For pictures and full review click here .

As I work in a school I can't wear crazy colours so purchased this lipstick as an everyday simple lipstick. It's from the Kate Moss Rimmel range in the colour 08. It has a lovely scent and feels really moisturising on the lips. Perfect for those who want to have a simple natural look.

The colour is perfect to add colour to your lips without it being over the top or really noticeable.

Hope you liked my first monthly favourites! :)

Larry xx

WIN! Elf, Eyeko and MUA goodies!

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED!!!!

Very excited to announce my FIRST giveaway! J Here is what you can get your hands on!

1. e.l.f. Studio Holiday 32-Piece Eyeshadow Palette in the colour ‘Warm’

2. Two Eyeko Lip glosses in the colours ‘Mayfair’ and ‘Shoreditch’

3. MUA eye shadow in shade 24 ‘Pearl’

4. MUA blusher in shade 1

5. MUA Lipstick in shade 4

To enter you must do the following 3 steps! 

1. You must follow through Google Friend Connect. 

2. Leave a comment on this post with your GFC name and your email address 

3. You must follow me on Twitter .

For an extra entry tweet 
'Win ELF, Eyeko and MUA Goodies at whatlarryloves!! http://whatlarryloves.blogspot.com/2011/11/win-elf-eyeko-and-mua-goodies.html

Best of Luck to everybody! 

Competition closes on 11 Dec at midnight! It is open internationally so anybody can enter! 

Garnier BB Cream worth the hype?

The blogs went crazy a while back with the launch of Garnier's BB Cream. (Just in case you have not heard of BB cream, BB is short for 'Blemish Balm' and are a cult product in Asia since the 1950's.) I was super excited about this product and had extremely high hopes that it would be my new face product best friend. 

I have extremely pale Irish skin (ghost pale) so I was worried about forking out €15 on a product that would be to dark for my snowy skin. However, I discovered that Garnier were giving free samples of this product so I signed up to get my paws on them! A month later after totally forgetting about this my Garnier samples arrived! 

The packet consisted of a little box that folded out with three samples inside. The samples were in the colour 'light' which I requested. A £1/€1 voucher was also included. I am devastated to say however, that this product just is not for me. :( Despite the sample being in the colour 'light' it was still to dark for my ghostly skin. The coverage was very sheer and did not do much for the appearance of my skin. All in all it was more like a very light coverage tinted moisturiser. It did not succeed in my skin becoming 'perfected with even tone and boosted glow' or 'Blurs imperfections and smoothes fine lines.' This product is one that is dividing the blogger world. There are some who LOVE it and think its wonderful ad then there are others like me who think its pants! My advice would be definitely get your hand on a sample before you purchase.  

Blended on my skin. Very orange looking....

Overall very disappointed and felt it didn't live up to the hype! 

Larry xx

Dublin Haul

Oh dear.... so much for NOT spending money in Dublin. While in Boots I noticed that Britney’s 'Midnight Fantasy' was 50% off. I LOVE the smell of this perfume. A girl I used to work with always wore it and smelled fab! I have wanted it for ages but at €25 I never seemed to get round to buying it. However, at €12.75 I could not resist. :)

The perfume is described as 'Britney Spears Midnight Fantasy opens with the forbidden richness of Black Cherries fused with Framboise and Exotic Plum. In the middle notes, the seductive Night Blooming Orchid and mischievous Freesia flirts with enticing Velvet Iris. Finally, in the base unforgettable, magnetic, sensuous musk, amber and vanilla.'

This perfume is very sweet and would not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I just think it smells divine! I'm a big fan of sweet perfumes so I love Britney's range. I'm also a big fan of the design and packaging of the perfume, both the actual bottle and the box. It's a perfume that looks pretty in my room! I have sprayed the perfume loads of times in Boots and find that it has a really good staying power. The scent stayed with me all day without the need to reapply which is always a bonus as the bottle will last longer.

I also popped into Awear to return a dress that I bought that didn't suit. They have a sale on at the moment so I had a goo at the sale Jewellery. I find Awear fantastic for sale jewellery and once again was not disappointed. I picked up this very unusual chain. I just LOVE the details on it and think it will really brighten up a plain dress/top. It was reduced in the sale to €3, I'm not sure how much it was full price but other necklaces in that range vary from €15- €25.

My lips are really dry with the cold weather that we are having and need lip balm on them every day. Today like the eejit I am I left my Carmex at home. By lunch time my lips felt dry and horrible so I went into a random chemist to pick up something to sooth them. The first think I grabbed was 'Blistex Intensive Moisture' it’s designed to sooth the lips with ‘Intensive Moisturiser contains 5 penetrating moisturisers for serious saturation & a unique formula that soothes your lips with a deep down tingle.' The product also contains Shea Butter for extra moisture.

I have to say I'm quite impressed with this lip balm. My lips felt so much better by the end of the day. It does however have an awful 'hospital' smell if that makes sense?! It is also very small so it would not last as long as a tube of carmex. Moisture wise I think it might be a winner but value wise Carmex would have to win. 

Hopefully I will be able to stop myself buying anything the next time I'm in Dublin.... Hopefully :-/

Larry xxx

Perfume Surprise

One day in Boots smelling the perfume, I came across an Ed Hardy Perfume I really liked. (I can’t remember the name of it… sorry!) However, looking at the price I nearly fell over in shock €60!!!! I sighed and sprayed it on me and continued shopping. I headed over to Marks and Spencer’s as I had to get clothes for work. (snooze!) Its no surprise I took a detour through the beauty section. By chance I decided to smell some of the perfumes and to my amazement I came across a very similar perfume to the Ed Hardy one in Boots! 

This perfume is called 'Adored' and is so similar to the Ed Hardy perfume! Both perfumes have a citrus fruity smell which I really love. The only negative thing about 'Adored' is I find that the smell doesn't stay too long on the skin so you have to reapply throughout the day. It was a great buy at €8 however! :) 'Adored' was also in a special offer if you bought a perfume you could get another for half price so I picked up 'Bohemia'.

                                       

Unfortunately, I don't like 'Bohemia' as much as 'Adored'. I think I was drawn by the pretty bottle! Bohemia is a blend of lemon, blueberry, bergamot, lily of the valley, mimosa, cedarwood, amber and vanilla. Its nice but not wonderful. I would not buy again and I'm raging I didn't get a second 'Adored'. Oh well at only €12 for both of them I cant complain too much! 

Larry xx

TK Maxx Bargains

TK Maxx has become my go to shop for beauty bargains! Its doesn't help that I have to walk past it on my way home from work...  Anyway here is what I picked up:

I have wanted to buy Ecotools makeup brushes for ages but have never seemed to have got round to it. However, when I saw these beauties in TK MAXX for €3.99 I had to pick them up! The brushes cost about twice that in boots so I was trilled with this little bargain.  The brushes I picked were the Bamboo Deluxe Concealer Brush and Bamboo Eye Shadow Brush. Both brushes are super soft and feel really sturdy to hold.  Each brush has a highly sustainable bamboo handle, 100% cruelty free talkon brushes and recycled aluminium ferrule. Ecotools are designed to be 'earth friendly brushes that shows respect for the planet'. I'm VERY pleased with this find :)

Concealer Brush 

Eye Shadow Brush

I also picked up some lovely Eyeko products. I have been dying to try Eyeko since I saw them featured on Thunder+Threads. I picked up a set for €9.99 that included 'Graffiti Eyeliner Pen', 'Line and Shine Duo Colour Pencil for the Eyes' and 'Liptastick Glossy Lip Pen'. 

                                   

The  'Graffiti Eye liner Pen' is very black which I like. As it is a pen shape it makes lining the eyes much easier than using a normal eye liner.

The 'Line and Shine Duo Colour Pencil for the Eyes' is fantastic for adding some colour to your eyes. It comes one end in 'Electric Blue' and the other in 'Teal'. 

The 'Liptastick Glossy Lip Pen' has to be my favourite Eyeko product. The colour (Hot Lips) is amazing. It's very pigmented and glossy. I love the fact that it comes in pen form for easy application yet you don't have to sharpen it. All you have to do is twist the bottom, this will push up more product.

Swatches

I hope TK Maxx keeps up these brilliant beauty bargains!

Larry xx

2True Benefit dupes??

 Ever since Glamour magazine gave away free mini Benefit cheek and lip tints I have kept my eye out for similar products. While in Superdrug in the Omni I came across a brand called 2true which attempts to recreate Benefit's best selling Bene Tint and Posie Tint. The Benefit versions cost €33.50 each!! So how does 2true for €2.00 a bottle hold up?

The first Cheek 'n' Lip Tint is a copy of Bene Tint. It's a rose tinted colour exactly like Bene Tint. The scents are different but the colour is very similar. The 2true tint dries faster than the Benefit version so you have to blend faster. 

2true on the left, Benefit on right

Formula very similar 

At first glance the 2true 'Blush Pink' looks quite different from Pose Tint. The pink is a lot brighter very very pink. It also appears to be a lot thicker than Pose Tint.

          

         2true VERY pink on Left , Pose Tint on Right

However, when the two are swatched beside each other and blended they begin to look quite similar.

2True on Left, Benefit on Right

Overall I do think Benefit is the better product but at more than €30 more expensive than 2true I think I will stick with my lovely 2True bargain. For €2.00 this product is amazing! 

Larry xx