#LushChristmas

Heya guys :)

So the lovely people at Lush invited me to their Christmas blogger/vlogger event last week. It was my first blogger event ever and I was pretty awkward hahaha. The whole evening was fabulous though, they had adorable little Christmas nibbles set out and the smells from all the products was just heavenly!

Here's a little OOTD because I loved it so much and I'm unhealthily obsessed with maroon at the moment! 

We got a little peak at the Christmas range for this year and let me tell you, it will not disappoint you at all! Some old favourites like Snow Fairy are back as well as a new favourite of mine, Yog Nog soap. Literally this soap is amazing. You might have seen Zoella's video where she actually licks the soap and trust me,  I really wanted to but I would not recommend licking soap at all :P For me, the soap smells like a caramel latte, it has such a smooth texture as well. If you're looking for a festive soap, I would definitely get some Yog Nog!

Another product I absolutely loved was First Snow dusting powder. It's new to the range this year so don't fret if you've never heard of it before! I heard it being described as it being like Elsa from Frozen had just walked past you and I couldn't agree more. All you have to do with this is lightly powder your skin wherever you want a little shimmer to reflect off the lights around you. It's perfect for Christmas parties or just for fun if you feel like it! First Snow shares the same fragrance as Celebrate body lotion and I found it smelt like the orange creme sweet in Roses, one of my favourite Christmas scents!

When we were leaving, we got a lovely little gift bag full of Christmas goodies that I'm so excited about. The bag everything came in is adorable and I can't wait to use it for Christmas shopping :) 

The first thing I got in my bag was the Golden Wonder giftbox. It's wrapped so beautifully I haven't had the heart to open it yet!

The box has 100g of Gold FUN and the Golden Wonder bath bomb. Both of these items are limited edition Christmas products. The gold fun is so amusing I love it so much!

This little guy is a gold lustre filled blob of fun. It has a play dough-like texture that is great for kids and you can make fun shapes like stars out of it! The scent is a sweet honey-like scent that I just love! You can use it for bath, body, hair or in the shower so it's a fabulous 4-in-1 product :)

The Golden Wonder bath bomb is the second product in the giftbox. This bath bomb is one of my favourites because there's a little surprise waiting when you put it into the bath! It is full of uplifting orange, lime and cognac oils with a scent that I can't help but say is just like a fruity drink or cocktail.

The second gift I got is the Jingle Bells gift box. The box is so festive! It is covered in little Christmas bells and the lid even has some bells on it so you can mess around with it after you've used all the bath bombs!

The first product in this box is the Golden Wonder bath bomb and I've already described what it is like above :) 

The second product in the box is  the mini Comforter bubble bar.

I love the Comforter,  the berry scent just relaxes me as soon as I smell it. All you do with this is crush a little bit of it (I use about half) under running water and get into a bubble filled bath full of fruity scents

A new Christmas product that I think is the cutest thing Lush has ever created is the Christmas Hedgehog bubble bar.

Look at how cute it is! The green prickly part of this little guy is made of shea and cocoa butters, you can literally feel how smooth it is. It is so moistourising for your skin and the smell is so inviting. The only word I can think of to describe the scent is Christmas but this little guy is just too cute not to get!

The Luxury Lush Pud path bomb looks like a mini disco ball! It is lavender scented which I love becuase I adore nice relaxing baths :) It will turn your bath a million different colours and I can't wait to try it out!

Another new addition to the Christmas line is the Drummers Drumming  bubble bar. I have had so much fun with it already because it is basically a hand-held drum. This strawberry scented bubble bar is good for at least three baths! All you have to to do is swish it around the water until you are satisfied with the results!

 
A returning favourite of mine is the  Magic Wand  bubble bar. You use it in the exact same way as the Drummers Drumming bubble bar except this time, your bath will be full of a delcious vanilla scent.

The 2014 gift guide (inspired by story telling, the city of gold and German techno nordic pop)...from stocking fillers to secret santa gifts and luxurious main pressies! All come in amazing, beautiful boxes and packaging.

Thank you to the team at Lush who invited me to their lovely event :)
#LushChristmas

This ia not a sponsored post.

Wet N Wild Brow Kit Reveiw

Wet N Wild is an American drugstore beauty brand that launched in Ireland this year. I knew about the brand from watching American Youtubers and was so excited when I heard they were launching in Ireland!

The product I was most excited to try out was the Brow Kit in Ash Brown. After hearing numerous raving reviews about the kit, I couldn't wait to try it for myself.

The kit contains a wax, two brow powders, a pair of tweezers,  an angled brush, and a mirror. The powders alone are phenomenal! The powders are really pigmented and the wax keeps all the hairs in place which is fab :)

I find the tweezers good for when you're on the go, they are quite small and hard to use with precision but if you have time on your hands, they work perfectly. The brush is quite the same. It's good but rather small. If you have another angled brush, I would definitely use it rather than wasting time using a brush that is tiny. However, if you don't want to invest in a full-sized angle brush, stick with the one in the kit!

 The kit comes in two colours, Ash Brown and Dark Brown. As I have light eyebrows I bought the ash brown kit and use the lighter of the two shades as it is as close to my natural eyebrow colour as it gets! 

 The Wet N Wild Brow Kit is available in selected Penneys and Dunnes Stores nationwide. The kit retails at a reasonable €3.99 which is very affordable and the quality is amazing for only €3.99!

                                               Have you tried the Wet N Wild Brow Kit?

                                                           Did you love it or hate it?

                          Do you have any recommendations on what brow kit I should use next?

                                                 Let me know in the comments below :)

xoxo,

          Ciara.

5 Quick and Easy Hairstyles

Heya!

The past week has been so busy! I had test after test in school so I didn't have any time to post. Having little spare time did benefit me in some sense though. I had a tiny amount of time each morning to do my hair as I got up early to revise and left very little time to do my hair and get dressed each morning. As a result of this, I decided to do a quick tutorial on each hairstyle I used this week :)

On Monday, I went for the classic high pony look. All you have to do to achieve this look is hoist your hair up at the crown of your head and secure with a thick elastic band. Similar to the picture, I added a cute bow to my hair after I had tied it up.

On Tuesday I felt particularly lazy and went for a side-braided look. I don't particularly like 'slicked back' hair so I aimed for a messy braid look. I started by spraying some dry shampoo into my roots, this helped me achieve a high volume look. I use batiste, I just love the brand as it's reasonably priced and does not have a lingering smell. After I had done my simple braid, I pulled each hair segment out a little to make it look purposely loose and messy. The great thing about this is that you can re-do the braid throughout the day - even without a mirror!

I hit the midweek slum on Wednesday and just decided to pile my hair onto my head, literally! I went for a messy bun look on Wednesday. Before I piled my hair up, I teased it with a comb to give it extra volume. Leaving a few bits down to help frame my face. I gathered all my hair up onto the top of my head and twisted it until all of my hair was into the bun. Then I fastened it with a bobbin and voila! I was ready to head out the door.

I took this pic during the summer *sigh* Anyway, I plaited my hair before I went to bed on Wednesday and slept in those plaits. When I woke up on Thursday, I took the plaits out and messed my hair up a bit. When my hair was nice and messy, I moved my middle parting to the side so the front of my hair looked more voluminous.

On Friday, I went au natural and left my hair the way it naturally is. I brushed through my hair quite quickly and fluffed it slightly from the roots so it wasn't dead straight.

All of these hairstyles took less than five minutes and lasted throughout the day! 

Have you already tried any of these hairstyles?

Do you have any other styles I could try?

Let me know in the comments below!

xoxo,
          Ciara.

Revlon ColorBurst Crayon Matte Balm

The Revlon Matte Balms are my favourite lip product out there at the moment! The balms are creamy, pigmented and long lasting. I can easily get 3-4 hours out of these without fading or feeling I need to reapply! The balm itself doesn't feel hydrating but they keep my lips soft and silky throughout the day. These balms also have a minty scent which I love! It is not a strong minty scent, it is a soft minty scent that I absolutely adore!

The balms come in plastic “twist-up” packaging, and the first thing I noticed is the super creamy consistency.  The product glides onto the lips with such ease, and the finish is a velvety matte, as opposed to dry looking.  I find that matte lip colors will often emphasise dryness in the lips, but these don’t at all.

All in all, I would definitely recommend these lip products! My favourite is No.215 - Shameless. It is a deep purple colour that may not suit some but it is perfect if you are going for an edgy look on a night out or going to a concert! 

The balms retail at €10.99 in Boots and are currently on a 3 for 2 offer (You get the cheapest item free)!

Have you heard of and/or tried the Revlon Matte Balms?

Love 'em? Hate 'em?

Do share! :) 

         xoxo,
                   Ciara.

Back to School Skin Routine

Heya guys!

So if you haven't already gone back to school/college, you will be soon! I've been back for a week now and it feels like I never left! Although I love seeing my friends, I don't love the workload at all!
Another thing I hate about school is the 'Back to school breakout', it happens to all of us. The stress and daily life of school takes a toll on our skin and causes spots and breakouts.

I'm not allowed wear makeup to school so I can't cover-up. Sad - I know! I do however, keep up a skin routine that helps keep my skin clear!

You should wash your face at least twice a day. That can be just a splash of water and a dab of moisturiser in the morning and then a proper wash at night or vice-versa. I prefer to do the full routine at night because I have more time to spare.

The three golden words in facial care are; Cleanse, tone and moisturise (In that order too!). Sadly, I have dry, sensitive skin so all the products I use cater to my skin. However, most of the products I use will work on most types of skin!

To start off, I wash my face using a face cloth and lukewarm water. Then I use the Yves Rocher Pure Camille Deep Cleansing Gel. The face wash is suitable for all skin types and can be used on a daily basis! After using the face wash I rinse my face using the lukewarm water and start on the toner.

For the toner, I use the Simple Kind to Skin Soothing Facial Toner. I dab some of the toner onto a cotton pad and gently rub it all over my face and neck. Simple specialises in products suitable for sensitive skin and I love their products as it does not dry out my skin at all!

Lastly I moisturise my skin using the Garnier Moisture Match - Goodbye Dry Ultra-Hydrating Rich Cream (The pink one). I literally adore this stuff! I was sceptical at first as it's hard to find a moisturiser that actually works on my skin and it really worked from the start. If you have dry skin, I would highly recommend using the pink garnier moisture match!

I do this routine every night and it really helps to keep my skin clear!

I hope going back to school isn't too bad for everyone!

                                                                                        xoxo,
                                                                                                  Ciara.


The Yves Rocher cleanser is available from yves-rocher.co.uk for €7.58.

The Simple toner is available in Boots store or online at boots.it for €4.29

All the Garnier Moisture Match moisturisers are available in Boots stores or online at boots.ie for €7.99.

Essence Fluorescent Top Coat Review

Hey guys!

Recently I bought the essence "glow in the dark" top coat nail varnish.  To be honest, I bought it without high expectations as it wasn't too dear and was claiming to do big things. If you expect the nail varnish to glow as soon as you hit the lights, think again!

As a top coat, it's not transparent in the bottle. It's a creamy white and it also contains a slight shimmer. The varnish drys matte on nails, I'm currently going through a matte nails phase so I love the finish on this top coat! It is easy to apply however, I found it took some time to dry. The recommendation on the bottle said to apply two coats after using a different base. After the first coat, it dried quite quickly but, after the second coat, I couldn't really do much for the next half an hour without smudging the nail varnish.

The glowing part, was a slight letdown. Honestly, don't expect much! In the bottle, it glows, but not that much. If it's held under a light, the nail varnish really starts glowing! I applied the top coat at night time thinking the effect would be better, it really wasn't! I found that if I held it under a light for a few moments, it did glow! Unfortunately the glow only lasted a few minutes.

I really like this nail varnish as a top coat, regardless of whether it glows or not!

The nail varnish is 8ml, it costs around 2.50euro (can't remember exactly). What do you guys think? Will you try this top coat or do you know about a better one? Let me know!

Thanks for reading,
                                 xoxo
                                          Ciara.

Summer Trips

Heya guys!

I've just come home from my summer holidays! They started out in Kusadasi, Turkey then I ventured onto Schull in West Cork, followed by Cobh, Cork and I'm finally home in Dublin.

I left for Kusadasi mid-July and I spent a fantastic week there! Our flight was delayed an hour and a half leaving Cork so we didn't get to our hotel until 5, almost 6am and breakfast finished at 10am so we only got 3 hours sleep the first night. We spent the first day exploring the town and relaxing by the pool. The weather was absolutely stunning but I don't understand how people can actually work in the  heat! For the remainder of the week, I went to Long Beach, Ladies Beach, Ephesus and just explored what the town had to offer.
Most people recommended Long Beach as it was 15km of beautiful sandy beaches but the water was quite stoney and it took about 40 minutes to get to. Ladies Beach was only a 10/15 minute drive and I definitely preferred Ladies Beach over Long Beach! The water was stunningly clear and I literally spent hours in it. Ephesus, an ancient city was beautiful. Only 10% of the city has been uncovered and it already takes two and a half hours to walk through. It was so fascinating to see all the ruins but then see how the whole city would have looked in its day as the tourist office had a 3D model at the start of the tour.
The shopping in Kusadasi was pretty fab. All the shops were in what the locals called "Bazaars" - I would call them market stalls. They ranged from Turkish souvenirs to clothes, shoes and bags. I loved the shops and spent a fair amount of time in them. Although the men in the shops did scare me at first.....
By the end of my week in Turkey, I didn't want to leave, I loved spending time by the sea and beside the pool but I did notice how sunburnt I was getting - even with factor 50! So when I flew back into Cork the following Sunday, I was glad to be home!

The following morning I had to get up bright and early to catch a bus to Schull, to spend a fortnight with my family - who I hadn't seen in five weeks. Schull is a cute village in West Cork. It only has one street with shops - Main Street. It's a real holiday village though. I've been going since I was a baby and my summer wouldn't be the same without a trip to Schull. The majority of the two weeks was spent on the beach. I alternated between a small, sheltered beach called Ballyrisode and a larger, surfing beach called Barleycove. I loved the water until the last two trips to the beach. On my last trip to Barleycove, I was bitten/attacked by sea lice, they sound as horrible as the looked! I noticed these teeny tiny black things start sticking to me and I though seaweed. How wrong I was! After a couple seconds they started to hurt and I got out of the water straight away! I got over it though and was left with spots where they had stuck. On my last trip to Ballyrisode, we arrived just as the tide was beginning to fall so the water was slightly sandy. I didn't mind and jumped right in for a swim. The swim was lovely until I was going back in and got stung by a jellyfish! Not gonna lie, I cried, it was the first time I'd ever gotten stung!
Other than those two mishaps, I really enjoyed Schull and can't wait to go back next year!

After Schull, I went to Cobh, a town about half an hour from Cork City and in the heart of Cork Harbour. I love Cobh, it's like a second home to me! I spent some of the week shopping in the city and the rest of the week in Cobh. I love walking along the water routes and being so close to the sea. For my last couple days in Cobh, Cobh Peoples' Regatta was taking place. It happens every year and the highlight of the regatta fir me, is the fireworks on the Sunday night. I've seen the fireworks every year since I was little but for the last few years I've missed out on them as I had to be home beforehand. I made it my mission to stay and see the fireworks this year and I'm glad to say I succeeded. I saw the fireworks at 10pm on Sunday night and then I drove back home to Dublin. The fireworks symbolised the end of my summer as I had to start work the next day and school next week...... SOMEBODY HOLD ME PLEASE!

Although the thought of going back to school is a bitter one, I thoroughly enjoyed my summer and would't have changed it one bit!

I hope everyone had an amazing summer,

                                    xoxo
                                            Ciara.