My Favourite Highlighters

I love highlighters and have tried so many, today I have chosen my top fav's!

Urban Decay Naked Flushed Palette

This contains a bronzer, highlighter and blush my favourite from the three is the highlighter.

It's a pinky/irredesant powder and it's great for daytime, it gives a gorgeous, dewy glow.

Buff Icing Sugar in Layer Cake

This is amazing, again it's highly pigmented and has golden/pearl sheen to it. A little goes a long way, I've had this for a year I'd say and there is still loads left. It gives a luminous glow and it's multi use so you can use it anywhere you want to highlight, it's gorgeous as an eyeshadow to placed on the center of your eyelids

Sleek Face Form in Light

This palette is brilliant and great value again it has a bronzer, highlighter and blush. I prefer this hilight for daywear as it's nice and subtle but gives a nice healthy glow to the skin not too much for daytime, just the right amount. The rose gold blush is also amazing and one of my favourite blushes. 

Mac Mineralize Skin Finish in Soft and Gentle

I think everyone has heard of this product I would safely say it is in every makeup artists kit. It can be used sparingly all over the face for a light dewy finish or I find it even better for precise highlighting of the cheekbones, down the center of the nose, cupids bow, the inner corner of the eyes and brow bone. It is a pale gold/shimmery powder and really gives luminous finish to the skin.

Estée Lauder Illuminating Powder in Topaz Chameleon

This is my favourite highlighter with tan it's absolutely gorgeous on and gives such an amazing sun kissed look. This is defintley a night time product, it would be way to intense for the day. Apply it to the center of the legs, collarbone and shoulders for a fab glow. I would only wear this with a tan if you're on the pale side I wouldn't recommend it. 

Estée Lauder Double Wear Brush On Glow

I love this for under my eyes, I don't find this great on its own as a concealer so I apply my regular concealer first then use this over it to highlight, it has a really nice brightening effect and is perfect for under the eyes. 

Buff Sheer Glow in Movie Star

This is a liquid highlighter and can be used in a few different ways. First you can apply this before foundation to give a lit from within glow, mix it with your favourite foundation for extra dewiness or apply after your foundation to whatever areas you want to highlight and set with a translucent powder. I find this has also lasted me ages, BUFF have changed the packaging since I first bought this. It provides a pink/shimmer luminous glow, I love this product.

Have you tried any of these? Which are your fav highlighters?!

Thanks for reading,

Zoë x

Cocoa Brown Lovely Legs Spray

 

I'm a big fan of the Cocoa Brown range, it's so reasonably priced and every product is actually brilliant. I have used more expensive tans in the past and the 1 hour tan is by far the best I've used so I wanted to try out Lovely Legs spray to see if it would live up to my expectations and it certainly did. 

Lovely Legs is a leg makeup which means you will get more coverage than you would with a regular developing tan, it's basically a foundation for your legs. Spray onto a tanning mitt and buff into the skin. It covers any imperfections you may have like freckles and red marks and it even covered a bruise I had, it leaves a gorgeous matte even finish. It's so quick and easy to use it's great if you have decided to go out last minute and don't have much time to spare. It says on the can that it may transfer onto clothing but I personally didn't find that. It literally takes just a few minutes to apply and dries almost instantly and you're ready for off! 

Some leg makeups I have used before can look orange but this defintley is not and it looks so natural on, I got caught in the rain while I had this on and it was still flawless. It has the signature Cocoa Brown scent which I love and it washes off with warm soapy water. 

It costs €7.99 for 75ml and a bottle is lasting me ages and the best part is it's Irish, I can't wait to see what other amazing products Marissa Carter comes out with next! 

This is my new go to leg makeup, I LOVE it! It's available almost everywhere and can be ordered online at Cloud10 Beauty. 

Skincare Routine for Sensitive/Dehydrated Skin

Characteristics of sensitive/dehydrated skin:

Thin epidermis

Easily irritated

Broken capillaries 

Small pores

Sunburns easily 

Red/Patchy 

Overheats, prickly feeling

Premature wrinkles

Here is a typical routine for sensitive/dry skin however you can have sensitive/oily skin which would require a few different products if you would like me to do a skincare routine for this just ask but today I will be recommending products for sensitive/dry skin.

Cream cleanser, La Roche Posay Toleriane Dermo cleanser is brilliant for your skin type it's contains glycerine which will help hold moisture in your skin.

Alcohol free toner, again La Roche Posay Physiological Soothing Toner will help calm and soothe your skin.

Moisturiser such as Toleriane Fluid by La Roche Posay.

Eye Cream, Avène Soothing Eye Contour Cream.

The following are some extra steps that you can do to really help your skin:

A hydrating mask can be used once a week the Hydraphase Intense Masque by La Roche Posay is brilliant for holding in moisture and relieving sensitive skin.

Calming face mask every second week, I like Yes to Cucumber Calming Face Mask.

Throughout the day if you feel your skin getting tight or prickly carry La Roche Posay Thermal Spring Water in your handbag and mist on your face to help relieve that feeling. 

These are products that I have personally used for sensitive skin and found really good if you don't want to use these products look out for products with Aloe Vera, Cucumber, Lavender or Chamomile as these will all help calm and relieve the skin. 

If you have very sensitive skin you may not be able to wear foundation without having a reaction however most good skincare ranges now have a foundation or BB cream that is specifically designed for intolerant skin.

If you want a bit of coverage during the day Hydreane BB Cream by La Roche Posay is a great choice as it provides coverage, it soothes and protects your skin throughout the day and has an SPF 20. If you want something with a bit more coverage Toleriane Teint Fluid Foundation is brilliant and is non comedogenic with SPF 25. 

Eyebrows

Eyebrows are so important when it comes to framing your face. Here is a few pics of good and bad brows, you can see what a difference they make. 

            

Make sure you go to a professional to get your brows done they will know exactly what shape will suit your face. 

Until next time

Zoë 

Skincare Routine for Dry Skin

Last week I started off with a skincare routine for people with oily skin this week it's all about dry skin and coming into Winter dry skin is more prevalent. 

These are the characteristics for dry skin:

Thin epidermis

Tight or barely evident pores

Feeling of tightness 

No shine to the skin

Flakey or dry patches

Dull complexion 

You need to use the right products for your skin type below is a typical daily routine:

Use a cream cleanser such as Vichy Pureté Thermale Cleansing Milk this contains vitamin E and glycerin, perfect for dry skin.

Alcohol free toner again Vichy Pureté Thermale Soothing Toner with glycerin is a great choice for calming the skin.

A nourishing moisturiser is best for dry skin I love the Manuka Honey Skin Lotion from Holland and Barrett it leaves skin so soft and smells gorgeous and leaves a healthy glow.

At night I would recommend the following products:

Eye cream, I love The Body Shop Vitamin E Eye Cream, it really hydrates the skin around the eyes and helps fight fine lines.

Clarins Santal Face Treatment Oil for Dry/Extra Dry Skin. This is AMAZING you will see and feel a difference from the first time you use this. It makes your skin feel more hydrated and gets rid of that tight feeling you get from dry skin. It also helps fight fine lines. It's pricey at €39.50 but you only need a small amount to see results so it will last ages. It also makes a great base for makeup.

Night cream, at night it is important to use a rich night cream for dry skins, during the night your skin heals and restores itself, this Rose Otto Night Cream just melts into your skin and is perfect to apply after any facial oil. It is also available from Holland and Barrett. In the morning your skin will feel so soft.

If you want you could skip this and just use the Clarins Facial Oil and your regualar moisturiser for night.

Once a week use a cream exfoliator to remove dead skin cells like St. Ives Apricot Face Wash. Be careful to avoid the delicate eye area and neck. The skin is thinner is those areas and exfoliating them may cause aggrevation. If you have broken capillaries (common with dry skin) you will want to avoid those areas too. 

Every other week use a hydrating mask to pump moisture into the skin. I love Boots No7 Hydrating Face Mask.

That's skincare covered when it comes to looking for a foundation for dry skin it can be a nightmare, choose the wrong one and you could be left with your foundation sticking to dry patches making your skin look worse.

When it comes to foundation look out for the words cream or moisturising they are the foundations for you e.g Teint Luminesse by Lancôme, Bobbi Brown Moisturising Foundation or Max Factor Whipped Creme Foundation.

I hope you found this helpful and if you have any questions just ask!:-)

Zoë

Boots Time Delay Radiance Booster

             

                                  

  

        "Brightens and tightens to instantly boost skin radiance, skin looks younger by the day"

Im into anything that claims to brighten my skin and make it look healthy seeing as I have been slacking on the whole 2 litres of water a day lately so when I seen this on the shelf in Boots I said I would give it a go. I apply it after I cleanse and tone, it feels a bit sticky at first but if you massage it into your face and neck it quickly soaks in to leave your skin feeling super soft and leaves it more awake looking. It defintley does brighten my skin and has a gorgeous fresh scent. 

It contains hylauronic acid to promote firmer looking features, it does make your skin feel tighter but in a good way. I use this in the morning before makeup and at night. 

I've been using it for a few weeks and I do see a difference in my skin it defintley does look brighter and my complexion looks a lot clearer too! I will be buying this again at €10.49 it's a great price and a little goes a long way. 

I would defintley recommend this product...love it!

Zoë x

No7 Instant Illusions Rapid Radiance Balm

                                    

I have been using this for the past few months now and I love it! It smells absolutely gorgeous and leaves skin feeling so soft and hydrated. It's more glowy than shimmery if you know what I mean!

This is a multi use product(bonus!) here are some of my fav ways to use it:

Wear alone after moisturiser for a radiant glow

Apply before foundation for an illuminated look to skin

Mix with your foundation for a gorgeous dewy finish

Dab on cheekbones after foundation as a hi light

Apply to the centre of your legs over a tan for an amazing sheen to your legs

It cost €22 for a 30ml bottle and if you have a €6.50 Boots No7 Skincare voucher you can get it for €15.50 even better! It seems to be lasting me ages too. I like the packaging and the fact it has a pump because you can control the amount of product that comes out. Overall I would defintley recommend this product. 

Zoë

Skincare Routine for Oily Skin

Each week I am going to write a post on what is best to use on each different skin type. There is typically 5 different skin types:

Oily

Dry

Sensitive 

Combination

Normal

First up is oily skin.

If you aren't to sure which skin type you actually are I will list the characteristics of oily skin below:

Thick epidermis

Sallow skin

Open pores

Pustules(spots filled with pus)

Blemishes

Comedones(black heads)

Milia(white heads)  

The following is a typical routine if you have oily skin:

Start the day off by using a wash off gel cleanser. Neutrogena/Clean and Clear.

Toner with witch hazel/tea tree, Boots Tea Tree and Witch Hazel Toner.

Moisturiser with mattifying effects to help combat shine, Vichy Normaderm.

Eye gel, Boots Cucumber Eye Gel. 

Once/twice a week exfoliate avoiding eyes and neck.

Steam face once a week.

Use a deep cleansing clay mask once every two weeks, white clay masks are especially good as they help draw out impurities.

Hydrating Face Mask will also be beneficial, even though you have oily skin you still need to hydrate you skin. Use this every other week.

When it comes to makeup look for oil free foundations. If it is oil free it means the foundation is water based and will be more suitable for your skin. Keep an eye out for products that say non-comeogenic this means it won't clog your pores. I will list some foundations that are all oil free and good for oily skin.

Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation. Light to medium buildable coverage.

Vichy Dermablend Foundation. Medium to full buildable coverage.

Lancôme Teint Idole. Sheer, buildable coverage.

Estée Lauder Doublewear. Full coverage. 

If you are on a budget here is some good alternatives all oil free, however I think it is a good idea to invest in one good special occasion foundation and if you only use it whenever you are going somewhere special like a wedding it will last ages.

Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation.

Maybelline Super Stay 24 Hour Foundation.

L'oreal True Match.

You will need a powder to set your makeup and help eliminate shine throughout the day, Rimmel Stay Matte Powder is great or Maybelline Matte Maker Mattifying powder.

If you have oily skin you may have scarring and blemishes so a medium to high coverage foundation will probably be more suitable for you. However it is good to give your skin a break and try something lighter for daytime that's when Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation would be a great choice. 

Next week I will be talking about dry skin. Let me know in the comment box if you found this helpful and if you have any questions please ask. :-)

Zoë x

Lifeless Hair to Healthy Hair in 6 weeks.

Hey everyone! This post is all about haircare and maintaining healthy, shiny locks. I started dying my hair when I was around 15 so that's 10 years of constant colouring to my hair. Nevermind all the straightening and curling I have put my hair through. My hair is naturally wavy/frizzy so if I don't blow dry it or straighten it, it just looks a mess. 

I always use good shampoos, intensive treatments and hair oils but it was still dry at the ends and lacked shine. I have balayage at the moment so that would of course dry out my ends. I'm planning on getting rid of that in the coming weeks though! 

So I decided I would try and not use any heat on my hair for 6 weeks and see would I notice much of an improvement.

I have been using Redken All Soft Shampoo for dry/brittle hair, Nioxin Repair Hair Masque and Mane 'n' Tail Spray Therapy. Every other week I used my own home made moisture rich masque a mix of coconut oil and olive oil. I have already done a post about that if you're interested in reading it you will find it further down my list of posts. I leave it to dry naturally and then put in some Kerastsae Ultime Elixir. 

The 6 weeks is up so I booked in for a wash cut and blow dry, my hair feels way softer and defintley looks a lot shinier. Below I have a before and after picture, my hair in the before pic looks terrible :-( the colour photographed really weird the flash was on and it just made my hair look really copper for some reason but you can defintley see a difference in the texture of my hair and shine. It grew too I got around 2 inches taken off and it's now still the same lenght as before.

I'm going to try and go another 6 weeks and see how I get on! I bought all the products I used on http://www.petermark.ie/ and if you purchase two bottles of any haircare product you get 20% off. 

Happy Friday :-)

Zoë