Nars X Glossybox

When I heard Nars were bringing out a limited edition Glossybox I knew I had to get one! I was lucky enough to have Alison at home on the morning it went on sale and she managed to bag one for the two of us! 

It's the first time I've used Glossybox and I have to say, I'm impressed. Okay, the box did cost around €55 including shipping but it was so worth it! They were ordered on Monday the 16th and we got them a week later, Monday the 23rd. I thought it would take a lot longer to be delivered and I had to come home sick on Monday so it was a really nice surprise to wake up to.

The box came with a little leaflet overview of what was inside and the price of the full-size product. All of the products inside the box were sample-size but they were still a pretty decent size.

The box contained five sample-size products including the Audacious Mascara, Larger than Life Eyeliner in Via Veneto, the Multiple in Orgasm, a Blush in Orgasm and a Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien.

The mascara is new to the line and claims to  provide extreme volume, extreme length and extreme control.  The wand looks like it would get your inner lashes pretty easily so I'm excited to try this out!

The Larger than Life Eyeliner claims to last for twelve hours and is smudge proof. I don't tend to go for pencil liners but I'm sure I'll try this out over the Christmas period.

The Multiple can be used as a blush, lip colour, a body shimmer and many more. I was so excited when I found out it was in Orgasm because it is my favourite Nars shade ever.

It wouldn't be a Nars box without this cult classic. This blush is the reason I discovered Nars in the first place. I was over the moon when I found out this was going to be in the box!

The last item in the box was the Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien. I've never had a Nars lip pencil before but I love this shade and I will definitely be using this soon!

Overall I love the box, without shipping the box would've cost around €75 (even though Nars don't sell sample sizes) so it was definitely worth it for the price. It's also a really nice way of trying out some of their bestsellers before properly deciding if you want to buy it for yourself. 

Will I ever subscribe to Glossybox?

I honestly don't know but this one-off purchase was definitely worth it for me.

Have you ever gotten a monthly subscription box before?

Is it worth it?

Did you manage to grab one of the Nars boxes?

What did you think of it?

Let me know in the comments below!

Ciara,

xoxo.

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twitter.com/Alison_Kellly

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July Favourites

July is coming to a close and I'm trying not to think about the stressful year ahead. I have been on holidays for the majority of the month and I won't be home until late August so this month's favourites are a mix of food and beauty!

I love Rimmel lipsticks and this shade is definitely one I always have on hand! 077 Asia is my absolute favourite! It is a beautiful pinky-mauve colour that is perfect for day-to-day makeup!

Revlon Colorstay is definitely a full coverage foundation. I use the shade 350 Rich Tan when I'm on holidays because it is the perfect shade for when I get a tan or when I use fake tan!

Traditional Irish Sweet Shops are popping up all over the place and I am in love with Aunty Nellie's! I know they have two stores in the country, Cobh and Greystones, although they may have more. I just love candy sticks and rhubarb & custard sweets that I have definitely been a regular throughout the month of July!

Tan Organic is my favourite fake tan. I posted a review back in April, from reading that you'll see why it is my favourite. This time around I used a mitt to apply it and I have to say, I prefer the look when I don't use one!

I only use a sponge to apply my foundation because I find it so much easier to blend! Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge has to be my favourite. It is so easy to wash (I didn't have time to wash it today!) and it doesn't soak up my foundation as much as other sponges have!

Last month it was The Vampire Diaries, this month it's The Originals. The Originals is a spin-off from The Vampire Diaries and I love it. Klaus is one of my favourite characters from the show and it's full of good looking actors. That is a perfectly good reason for you to start watching it on Netflix!

Although July wasn't as sunny as it usually is, I had a great time! 

What were your July favourites?

Let me know in the comments below!

Sorcha Guilfoyle-Donaghy was the winner of my birthday giveaway!

I sent the prize off on Friday and she should be receiving it on Monday, congrats Sorcha!

Ciara,

xoxo.

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It's been a year...

As embarrassing as it is, here's my first post on Sparkle Of Pink.

My Very First Post

I have been a blogger for a year now and I have to say, it is one of the best decisions I have ever made! I love blogging so much! I have an excuse to buy more makeup, I get to blog about what I love and I have gotten to meet some amazing people through blogging! 

To celebrate my year of blogging, I'm doing a little giveaway! Everything in the giveaway was bought using my own money, except for the Wet n' Wild lip gloss and eyeliner which I got at the Irish Blogger Conference. These two products are part of the giveaway because I know I will never use them and I should give them to someone who will!

The giveaway has some really nice things I have picked up in shops over the past few weeks!

                                    

You can enter the giveaway below and on my Facebook page!
The giveaway is open until Thursday July 23rd 2015 and is only open to residents on the island of Ireland.

The Irish Blog Awards are also coming up soon and I would love if you could nominate me! It would be amazing and only takes a few seconds :)

Nominate Me Here!

If you've been here for a year, thank you for sticking around! If you just dip in and out of my blog, thank you! If it's your first time checking out my blog, thanks for taking the time! Thanks to all of the companies and brands that have worked with me during the past year and I look forward to working with you again!

Here's to the next year!

Ciara,

xoxo.

Twitter: twitter.com/ciarakittyk

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11 Things You Didn't Know About Me

I've been tagged by Coral over on http://coral-lawson.blogspot.com.es/

The only rules for the tag are to answer the eleven questions your tagger has asked and to tag ten other bloggers to answer your eleven questions!

Here are the questions:

Have you ever had any pets?

Sadly, no.

What do you think is the best quality in a person?

That they can be comfortable with who they are around you.

What kind of movies do you like?

80s teen movies. Pretty In Pink is such a good movie!

Do you prefer sweet or savoury foods?

Sweet, I have a massive sweet tooth!

Can you play any musical instruments?

Yup, I can play the guitar.

What do you like most about blogging?

Being able to talk to other bloggers about the things I love!

How long have you known your best friend?

Four years.

Do you wear glasses?

Yes, but only for school.

Flip flops or sandals?

Hands down, flip flops.

What is your dream camera?

Canon  Eos 5D Mark III.

What are your top five tv shows?

The Vampire Diaries

Criminal Minds

Pretty Little Liars

Saved By The Bell

CSI Cyber

The blogs I am nominating are:

https://hanhharris.wordpress.com/

http://www.ohheythererachel.com/

http://mammarazziblog.com/

http://nourishmeclean.blogspot.co.uk/

http://pinkfrenzymissl.blogspot.nl/

http://cominguprosestheblog.com/

http://www.prettylusciousthings.com/

http://www.zoewithumlauts.com/

http://www.drainedbeauty.co.uk/

http://beautystyleandcharm.blogspot.ie/

My questions are:

What is your favourite music genre?

Do you have any summer goals?

What is your favourite film?

MAC or Nars?

Contouring or Strobing?
What is your favourite season?

What is your favourite Disney movie?

What is your dream handbag?

Can you drive?

Where is your favourite place in the world?

How long have you been blogging?

There you go, eleven things you (hopefully) didn't know about me before!

The Irish Blog Awards are also coming up soon and I would love if you could nominate me! It would be amazing and only takes a few seconds :)

Nominate Me Here!

Ciara,

xoxo.

Twitter: twitter.com/ciarakittyk

Instagram: instagram.com/ciarakittyk

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Facebook: www.facebook.com/sparkleofpink

June Hits and Misses

Happy Independence Day to everyone in America! Fourth of July also means the start of a new month, I used so many new products and tried new things in June. Some of them I loved, others not so much.

I have listened to this album all month. Probably because of the concert last Monday but you have no idea how much I love this album! It is definitely my favourite album of the summer, probably even the year! Wildest Dreams is fab. The tour is fantastic and Tay is perfection.

I have tried to cut back on fizzy drinks this month because they're not great for my skin and they definitely do more harm than good! V Water is amazing! I love the pomegranate and blueberry flavour, it is much better than any fizzy drink! The pomegranate and blueberry V Water has vitamin C, E, Se and Zn in it which is good for you as well.

I've blogged about this lipstick before. I am in love with Barry M's Palest Lavender lipstick. It is the perfect pastel shade for summer and I have been putting it on whenever I get the chance!

Inglot's makeup base is great for keeping my makeup on throughout the day, even during the mini heatwave we've had!

Seen as it's summer, I decided to dip-dye my hair before I get it cut at the end of summer. I used Bleach London's bleaching kit before I tried out a few of their temporary colours. Washed Up Mermaid is the first I have tried and I love it! It has almost washed out now but it was a really cool turquoise colour for the past week!

I got this as a present and it is at least two shades darker than me!  Maybelline Fit Me Anti-Shine Stick (Shade 130) I use it to contour and I love how easy it is to blend!

I have finally found a foundation that matches my skin tone! When I was in Inglot, I asked them to match a foundation to my skin tone, one that is suitable for dry skin! I probably got the palest foundation you could - AMC Cream Foundation in LW 100. 

I am 100% addicted to The Vampire Diaries. It was so good. I have binged on the show in the last few days and I cannot wait for season 7! If you haven't watched it yet, you need to! You have no idea what you're missing!

I had one major miss this month. After seeing so many bloggers and YouTubers rave about Twinings Salted Caramel Green Tea, I just had to try it for myself! I don't like it at all. I don't know whether it was a bad batch I bought or whatever but I couldn't taste the caramel at all. I could definitely smell it but I couldn't taste it, even a tiny bit. So Twinings Salted Caramel Green Tea was definitely my miss on the month!

What were your favourite products of the month?

Let me know in the comments below!

Sparkle of Pink turns 1 this month, keep your eyes peeled for a little surprise!

Ciara,

xoxo.

Twitter: twitter.com/ciarakittyk

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Gerard Cosmetics Review

I ordered five Gerard Cosmetics lipsticks about three weeks ago and they arrived a few days ago! After all the hype from beauty bloggers and youtubers alike, I caved and bought some when I saw a 50% off code online!

I paid €42 for the five, €8.40 each. The lipsticks are usually €16.66 each, close enough to what a MAC lipstick costs. 

After I ordered the lipsticks, I noticed that they had slightly overcharged me and it took four different employees to finally figure out that the mistake was on their end and they refunded me the money. They were fairly prompt with sorting out the issue but I do not find calling something 'Love' or 'Beautiful' is professional at all.

My first impression of the lipsticks was pretty good, I liked the packaging because it is just like the  MAC packaging but on closer inspection, it is made from really cheap plastic, something you wouldn't expect from the price! The lipsticks also smell like crayons, there is no scent to them. For €16.66, that's really bad. Even drugstore lipsticks have a scent to them so it's obvious Gerard Cosmetics are trying to cut corners!

The five shades I got are 1995, Nude, Lilac Moon, Rodeo Drive and Underground.

1995 is a matte, nude brown lipstick. The formula for this lipstick is pretty good, I didn't find it too drying but the longevity of this lipstick is a different story. I haven't worn it out yet but I did put it on purely to see how long it would last. The lipstick lasted about two hours before I had to reapply it and I only had a drink during that period, I didn't do anything that would make the lipstick wear off.

I bought Nude for my sister so there isn't much I can say about this shade. I did swatch it and it's a really nice creamy matte lipstick!

Lilac Moon is the perfect pastel colour with a creamy finish. Again, I put this lipstick on to see how long it would last and I was so sad to discover it lasted less than an hour! I love pastel colours though so I will definitely be wearing this during the summer!

Rodeo Drive is a medium shade with mauve undertones. This lipstick also has a creamy matte finish and it does not dry out your lips! If you're unsure of which Gerard Cosmetics lipstick to buy, Rodeo Drive suits most skin tones so you cannot go wrong with this shade!

Underground is another lipstick I bought for my sister. The only thing I can say about this lipstick is it is a very close dupe to Limecrime's Cashmere! I cannot wait for you guys to see the look my sister creates with this lipstick for the 1989 World Tour on June 29th!

Do you own any Gerard Cosmetics products?

Did you have a similar mishap to mine?

Let me know in the comments below!

Ciara,

xoxo.

Twitter: twitter.com/ciarakittyk

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Beach Beauty Essentials - Blogger Collab

With summer right around the corner, the weather is going to get better which can only mean one thing, BEACH DAYS!

I love the beach so much, except when sand gets everywhere ☹

Get beach ready with my top five beauty beach essentials!

Sun cream is a must! You need to protect yourself from the sun. For obvious reasons (Ireland doesn’t get that hot in the summer at all), I normally use factor 20 but if you’re in a hot country, use at least factor 30! I love Ambre Solaire clear sun cream because you’re never left with any white streaks around your body.

I always have lipbalm in my bag. During the summer it is even more important to protect your lips from the sun because nothing is worse than burnt lips! I love Carmex, it is literally my favourite lipbalm ever and it has SPF 15 in it to protect your lips from the harsh UV rays.

I usually wear minimal makeup to the beach because it's the beach, there's no need for a full face!

BB Cream is a great way to get minimal coverage to cover any blemishes and hide dark circles. Maybelline’s Dream Fresh BB Cream is perfect for the beach because it has SPF 30 in it so you don’t have to use sun cream on your face.

Mascara is the only other makeup I wear to the beach. Maybelline’s Colossal mascara is waterproof and the volume it adds to your lashes is amazing!

You cannot go to the beach without aloe vera gel! Just in case you do get sun burnt, it is always handy to have a bottle of aloe vera gel in your bag to soothe your skin straight away. I have always used Hawaiian Tropic aloe vera gel and don’t think I’ll ever use a different brand because I love it so much!

When you’re heading to the beach this summer, don’t forget your shades and have a great time hanging with your friends!

My Beach Beauty Essentials are part of a huge summer-themed blogger collab! Be sure to check out all the other posts below and let me know what you bring to the beach in the comments !

livinprogress.blogspot.com

royallyrouge.blogspot.com

justmematti.blogspot.com

simplefootage.blogspot.com

being-georgia-rose.blogspot.com

Ciara,

xoxo.

Twitter: twitter.com/ciarakittyk

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