How I get rid of Skin Texture | the Secret Ingredient

Hi my loves,

I have a quick one for you today as this is a question I get asked quite a bit and it is something I suffer from myself unfortunately. The question I get asked quite regularly is how does my skin look so even and what would I recommend to get your skin like that.

Anastasia Beverly Hills 'Modern Renaissance' palette DUPE OR DUD?! | W7 Delicious Palette

Hi my Loves,

Let me tell you, I have a post and a half for you today and before we begin I want you to take a look at the picture below..

Banish Skincare Kit + Face masks | Your skin Saviors

Hi my loves,

Today I want you chat about my recent experience with skincare company Banish.

Bellamianta Self Tanning Tinited lotion | Yay or Nay (review)

Hi my Loves,

We are going to chat today about Northern Irish Tanning brand 'Bellamianta' - their medium Self Tanning lotion in particular.

I purchased this tan myself after hearing rave reviews from all these golden goddess beauty bloggers - so naturally I was like "I'll have whatever she's using thanks!" Whenever I would ask anyone what tan they were using Bellamianta's name kept cropping up and I know I'm late to the bandwagon with trying it but I was deathly committed to a another tan and couldn't drag myself away from it until I couldn't get my hands on it last week and had to try something new!

So lets start with the facts first:

Price: €20.00

Colour scale: Medium (olive/green undertone)

Foam/liquid: Dark tinted Lotion

Developing time: 2-4 hours

Lasting time claims: up to 7 days

Where to buy: Bellamianta & Cloud10, 

This tan contains no harsh chemicals, parabens, animal derivatives, alcohol, perfume, G.M.O's or Sulfates. (It's fantastic that it contains none of these things.)

Ingredients wise in this tan you will find fruit extracts such as Mango, Papaya & Goji Berry which work to 'help you get your signature golden glow'. You will also find Bergamot & Vitamin E which helps with firming, toning & anti-aging; Saccharide Isomerate which hydrates the skin making it great for dry skin types and then Shea Butter & Aloe Vera are also listed ingredients.

I picked up this tan in Vista Pharmacy in Naas as it was the closest place to me to pick it up. My snapchat followers will know that I made a rookie move of presuming that their Tinted Lotion & their Rapid Mousse were the same shade in terms of colour however please note that is not the case. Their tinted lotion is a medium colour tan where as their mousse is their dark tan. I will be popping back to get the mousse as a darker tan is more up my street but we can chat about that in another post.

How I like to apply all my tanning products is always before bed and then I'll sleep in a onesie (CUTE, I KNOW) - so I did the exact same with this tan as it states on the bottle that for darkest results leave on overnight.

 It applied smoothly and evenly, with the dark tint making it easy to see where you were applying the tan and it dried down quickly so I could get dressed - which is essential because I hate waiting around for tan to dry before you can get dressed.  

Now, we all know how it is going to bed with a fresh tan layer, the sheets may or may not survive to the tell the tale; however with this tan it does not transfer to my sheets at all and I'm majorly impressed by that! There is sometimes a very small amount of transfer on my onesie but we are talking barely noticeable.

There is also no nasty fake tan smell, this actually has a gorgeous fresh smell.

I like to wash my tan off then first thing in the morning and it looks VERY dark (dare I say almost orange-y) before I wash it off - but after my shower it turns out a lovely sun-kissed glow that looks very natural and I have no streaking or clinging to areas which can happen around my neck and wrists. As a dry skinned gal (mainly because I NEVER moisturize my actual body) I can absolute vouch that this tan is very suited to dry skin and it definitely does not make the worse or promote scaling - if anything I feel that my skin is MORE moisturized than before I tan myself. I also suffer from eczema on my legs and this has not irritated it or caused any flair ups which is extremely important for me. 

The really great thing about this tan though is how it fades. 

When I'm evaluating and reviewing a tan I don't just look at how it applies and looks straight off, it's very important to me how it wears and how easily I can get it off I need to.

This tan wears off so evenly and so naturally. There's no clinging to areas, no scaly patches - the colour just gradually gets lighter - this means you can add another layer on-top if you like without risking patching. If I decide by day 4 I want it gone it can be removed very gently with baby oil and a scrubby glove - no tearing at the skin, small circular motions will break it down and that is a dream to me.

Would I recommend this tan to you guys?

Absolutely.

I think that in particular this medium shade lotion would be amazing for brides especially as there is no transfer to clothing so it which means whites are relatively safe.

If you have dry skin I think this tan will tick the boxes for what you've been looking for in a tan; hydrating and moisturizing and no snake skin.

All in all it is a fantastic tan that really is very luxurious and stays true to it's claims which is a winner for me!

With Love from,

Rebekah x

The Ordinary Skincare & My Skin Chats

Hi my Loves,

How are you all? I hope you're all having a lovely week!

I'm sure many of you have heard me moaning and complaining about my skin the past few weeks - after Christmas it just decided to play absolute havoc on me. I've not had bad skin for years and I've managed to keep it under control so to see it becoming bad again was extremely difficult for me, especially seeing as I take very good care of my skin, I eat relatively okay and get enough sleep and I had not changed anything at all. 

It had taken me years to get my skin to a good place so when I say I was very upset about my skin playing me, I'm being very honest. It seems so silly to people who have good skin or are used to having good skin to hear people giving out about spots and bad skin, they can't seem to understand but it is extremely hard dealing with bad skin and it really affects your confidence. It got to a point there recently where I wouldn't even want to leave my house or even go near a mirror I was that conscious about it and this might sound dramatic to some people but this is how it makes me  feel.

I am not a person however that cries about things and doesn't try to fix them so I went on a mission to over haul my skin. 

It turned out I had a slight allergy to eggs in the end that was causing my bad skin (typical) so I'm glad I got to the bottom of it. I still decided to over haul my skincare as my current products weren't enough to shift the issues the allergy had left me with like blocked pores, sore under the skin lumps, milia like texture on my forehead and redness, YES I literally got it all.

I had stumbled across a skincare company called Deciem a while back and had been intrigued by their products, especially their line of skincare called The Ordinary. The Ordinary is a brand that provides its customer with great skincare products, including amazing 'wonder' ingredients that cost a fraction of the price in comparison to their competitors. As a skincare junkie, when I saw they stocked products like Hyaluronic Acid, Retinol and Vitamin C (Vitamin C that was packaged CORRECTLY to maintain its properties) that were all under €10, I honestly nearly died. I couldn't believe my eyes - I just couldn't understand how these amazing products were so cheap! Not one of their products was over €20 and these products had ingredients you would pay well over €40 each for!!

So naturally, I placed a substantial order because I just had to test it out for myself - because if these products worked like they should my skincare game would be changed forever.

I am going to individually review each product I bought as they each deserve their own post but I will list to you what I have bought and tried:

• Lactic Acid 10% + HA 2%
• Advanced Retinoid 2%
• Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5
• "Buffet"
• Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2%
• Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA

Each of these products is amazing, I cannot say enough good things. 

My skin is finally nearly back to looking like itself again and even better in some ways too which I am over the moon about. I cannot recommend that you guys check out this brand enough. They have regimen guides on their website that you can follow to create your own regimen or if you have an questions message either the company or me. You can completely over haul your entire skincare plan giving you top of the range ingredients and benefits with this brand for about €40(ish) for everything and if that isn't a bargain I don't know what is!

You can purchase The Ordinary from The Ordinary website, TRND Beauty or Beauty Bay so whatever is your preference you have tonnes of options.

Once I have my singular reviews up I will link them here on this post - I was just so excited I had to tell you guys about it now!

With Love from,

Rebekah x

BLACK FRIDAY DEALS LIST (UPDATED HOURLY)

Hi my Loves,

Black Friday is upon us and you know what that means, prepare yourselves to shop!

I am not a big sales fan especially Christmas sales - I don't have time to be sifting through old season junk, plus I know how true sale clothes & items get treated - and I know the process for deciding what makes to sales!! Black Friday however is mostly about new & stock that would never usually make it into a sale getting reduced and I'm all about that!

I have been sharing like a lunatic any deals I have found on Snapchat (@rebekahwithlove) but I wanted to create a list too for those of you who don't have snap. I'll be updating this throughout today and tomorrow so keep checking back! Anything I amend will be highlighted so you can see it!

FASHION

Missguided: 

• 35% off for students
• 50% off everything (GOGOGO)

PrettyLittleThing:

• Up to 50% off everything

Boohoo:

• Up to 50% off selected items

ASOS:

• 20% off everything

In the style:

• 40% off everything (BLACK)

Misspap:

• 20% off Loungewear (BLACKLOUNGE)

My Bandage Dress

• 20% off (EARLYBIRD)

Pull and Bear:

• 20% off starts at 10pm

Bershka:

• Up to 50% off selected items

Stradivarius:

• 20% of coats and jackets

Zara:

• 20% off selected items

Ego:

• 30% off selected shoes (CASJ30)

Public Desire:

• 30% off all shoes (CYBER30)

Missy Empire:

• 30% off everything (EARLY)

River Island:

• 20% 8pm today -8am friday (BFRIDAY15)

Topshop:

• Up to 50% off selected items

Office:

• 20% off (WONDER)

Hollister

• 25% off everything (31308) - THURSDAY ONLY SO FAR

LASULA

• 35% off everything (BLACK35)

H&M:

• Up to 50% off selected shoes & bags

Vavavoom:

• 20% off (Black20)

BEAUTY

Love Makeup:

• Spend £40 or more get 15% off (treat15)
• Spend £80 or more get 20% off (treat20)

Cloud10beauty:

• 20% off everything (BLACK20)

Beauty Bay:

• Up to 30% off selected lines

Makeup Forever Ireland:

• 15% off all stock (BF15)

Charlotte Tilbury:

• Buy one get one free on Nocturnal cat eyes to Hypnotize eyeshadow & eyeliner sets

Arnotts:

• 20% off Keihls

Tarte:

• 25% off (FRIYAY)

Lime Crime:

• Up to 85% off site wide

Cult Beauty:

• £5 off when you spend £50 (BLACK5)
• £15 off when you spend £100 (BLACK15)
• £30 off when you spend £150 (BLACK30)

Colourpop:

• Free International shipping till 6pm GMT

Debenhams:

• 10% off beauty
• 15% off perfume THURSDAY ONLY

Anastasia Beverly Hills:

• 10-60% off items 

JOUER:

• 25% off site-wide (FRIDAY)

Gerard Cosmetics:

• 45% off site-wide (GIVE45)

Lilly Lashes:

• 15% off (BLACKFRIDAY)

iikonn lashes:

• 40% off lashes (BLACKFRIDAY)

Sigma:

• 25% off + free worldwide shipping

Makeup Revolution:

• Up to 80% off site-wide

Foxy Locks Extensions:

• 10% off (FoxyBlack10)

SOSU:

• 20% off everything from 10pm (SOSU20)

Crown Brushes

• 25% off everything (Makeup25)

GADGETS

Sudio Sweden:

• 25% off all headphones starting Thursday evening

Boots:

• £40 off the InStyler Max, was €120 now €80.

Look Fanstasic:

• 25% of Foreo skin brushes (starts friday)

Abbott Lyon Watches:

• 30% off everything (BF30)

Happy shopping!

With Love from,

Rebekah x

iWhite instant teeth whitening kit | Review

Hello my loves,

Today I going to share my thoughts and feelings on the iWhite instant teeth whitening kit.

I decided to review this because so many of you asked me questions all about them when I put up some pictures up on snapchat! I also get asked regularly how I keep my teeth. I have personally used this kit 3-4 times myself now so I feel that I can really give you guys a true and accurate review! 

So let's get straight into it!

Where to buy: iWhite.ie or boots.com

Price: €29.99

Product breakdown:

Basically what this product is, is a home whitening kit that says it can take your teeth up to 8 shades whiter. In each box you get 10 pre-filled trays that you will be using on your top and bottom teeth for 5 consecutive days. The trays aid the whitening of both the front and the back of your teeth. The trays themselves are like gum shields and you keep them in your mouth for 20 minutes at a time. These are sold in chemists so they are totally safe to use at home and they are 'clinically proven to be both safe and effective'.

My thoughts:

So firstly, I really like the ease of this product. The fact that the trays are pre-filled eliminates mess and makes the whole process easier - so there's less of a chance that will skive out of doing them. However, keeping them in your mouth for 20 minutes can be a challenge - and do careful to not swallow any of the over flowing liquid!

After 5 consecutive days I have noticed a difference each time I've used them! My teeth are pretty white; they are slightly off white, some worse than others and that is down to my tea habit. To be honest I don't think they've ever gone the whole 8 shades whiter - I would say maybe 4 shades whiter on my teeth but each time I've used this kit they have certainly been whitened and they felt extremely clean which I loved, staining on my back teeth was also reduced. I also have overlapping on my front bottom teeth that can get quite stained and I always find that this kit does the job at removing and fading a lot of those stains! Another thing that loved about this product was the fact that it did not increase the sensitivity of my teeth. I have super sensitive teeth and these did not irritate that  at all which I am very happy about!

I just want to note that sometimes people forget that products cannot work magic, and if you have very badly stained teeth you are not going to get sparkling white teeth from any SAFE product on the market . If your teeth are heavily stained from years of coffee, cigarettes or red wine (or all of them combined!) that is a job for a dentist and a professional teeth whitening session if you want beaming pearly whites. I'm not going to sit here and claim that a product can lift highly stained teeth - but if you just want to brighten up your discolored teeth or kick some stains then I think that this product will work for you and you're going to love it like I did.

Tips:

I have read previous reviews from people claiming that the teeth whitening did not last and to be very honest if that happens, that is nothing to do with the product and totally to do with your lifestyle. After and during teeth whitening courses I would always recommend that you use a whitening toothpaste to aid your results and to prolong them. I have two favourite whitening toothpastes and they are the iWhite teeth whitening toothpaste and Colgate Max Expert White toothpaste. I get either or from Boots and these are the only two whitening toothpastes that I've ever found to actually work!

  I also recommend drinking anything staining with a straw. I try to drink my tea, my coffee even my red wine with straw!

Another thing I want to add is that sometimes people can think that discoloration on their teeth is staining but sometimes ( especially if you notice staining on the surface of your back teeth) it can actually be where enamel has begun to wear away. So do keep this in mind if you notice teeth whitening kits or toothpastes having no effect! 

I feel like this is turning into a dental lesson!

Product rating:

I would rate this product 4/5.

I am deducting a point because I wish that they took my teeth a shade or two whiter, but I do understand that I probably have long standing stains that might actually need some dentist action. You also have to keep in mind that the box does say 'up to' so I will depend on how badly your teeth are stained.

I would recommend this product as personally for my teeth it does a good job! But as I mentioned above these are not for heavily stained teeth if you want a wham bam blinding white smile! 

I hope you guys found this review helpful!

With Love from,

Rebekah x 

My Ride or Die makeup products | Jaclyn Hill Tag - favourite products of all time!

Hello my loves,

The other night I was in bed watching Jaclyn Hill's newest YouTube video (If you don't know you Jaclyn Hill is I'll link her channel >> here !) and basically the video was all about her Ride or Die makeup products. I was so inspired when I watched it, I was like "OH MY GOOODDD I have to do a post on this tag"!

So I gave myself a week to properly think long and hard about my Ride or Die products - so basically makeup products that I could not live without; say if they discontinued them, I'd probably die or If I was going away on holidays I would definitely bring with me because I know that I can always rely on these products to be bomb.com, products I've repurchased a few times!

 I love makeup and I'm always trying out new products because I am a makeup junkie and I enjoy finding and testing new things - but even have my trusty reliable's that I return to and repurchase again and again.

After much deliberating, here are my Ride or Die makeup products:

(I'll try to chronological like face, eyes etc.)

This will be a long post, so get yourself some tea and snacks!<3

Primer:

L'Oreal Paris Revitalift Magic Blur Instant skin smoother finishing cream 

Now that is one LONG name - I just refer to this as my L'Oreal skin perfecter haha! This primer will smooth out any lines or pore that you have and give you a totally seamless and matte base. I use it on my t-zone area, chin and anywhere I have lines that need filling!

I wear this sometimes even on no makeup days to smooth out pores and my skin looks beyond flawless. Every time I forget to use this before my makeup I see a huge difference, I feel my makeup sits better and lasts long with this product. Plus it has added skincare benefits so it's an all round winner in my book!

Foundation:

Makeup Forever Ultra HD foundation

This was a hard on to pick, I'm not going to lie. But when I laid it out and thought about it, I kept coming back to this baby. This makeup has been created to make you look flawless on 4K television so if it can do that, it can sure as hell make you look amazing in your normal life and it does just that.

I always get compliments on my makeup when I wear this. It gives a gorgeous satin finish to the skin and it has bulidable coverage so can take you from day to night - which I adore. A little bit goes a long way too. I also adore their shade selection; there is a shade for everyone. Makeup forever work with undertones so you will get the foundation colour AND undertone colour that will match your skin perfect - it has never been so easy to find your perfect match.

Concealer:

Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless complete coverage concealer

This was an easy one for me because I have gone through 3 bottles of this! I always struggle with finding good concealers because I have dry under eyes and everything basically creases for me - but not this concealer! It gives amazing coverage, enough to hide my serious eye darkness and veins - but it does not look heavy or cakey in the slightest - it just looks airbrushed. I also have an issue that a lot of chemist/drugstore concealer have pink undertones and that is just a massive no for my yellow - olive skin tone, so I really appreciate that they have a 'warm' shade selection in their concealers for use yellow skin tones!

My favourite tip is to blend my concealers out with a damp sponge for a flawless finish.

Setting Powder:

Coty Airspun Loose translucent powder

I was introduced to this by a gorgeous makeup artist (@merrydollx is her insta handle) when she did my makeup before and since that day I have never looked back. This is my holy grail powder, it is the only powder that doesn't cake on me and make me look like a mucky mess. If you have dry skin you will love this powder. I have other more expensive powders and they all just go creepy and disgusting under my eyes after an hour or cause my foundation to separate, this one never does that.

Blush:

Nars Orgasm blush

I feel like this is so clique but I don't care because this is my favourite blush by a mile. It's actually one of the only blushes I ever wear. It is the most stunning peachy pink with a gorgeous gold shimmer in it that just helps it melt into your skin and give you a really healthy glow, a glow that doesn't look clown pink or orange. I have seen brands do dupes of this blush but they don't seem to get the gold glitter part right, the dupes of this always end up going patchy or the glitter doesn't melt in naturally with the skin. This is a great every day blush and I feel it suits most skin tones. If you only ever buy one blush - this is my suggestion!

Bronzer:

Too faced chocolate Soleil bronzer

This was another easy one because this is the only bronzer that I have ever trued that has actually worked out for me. Until I purchased this bronzer, every single other one I tried either was way to orange or just went mucky on my skin; by the end of some days I would look like I'd fallen into muck, it really turned me off bronzers for a while to be honest. This bronzer however is everything that all those other bronzers are not - it smells like chocolate firstly, it's a gorgeous true toned brown - not a scrap of orange in sight and it blends out like a dream because the powder is so finely milled - I have NEVER gotten the mucky look form this bronzer. this bronzer also works great as a contour shade if you're in the market for a contour shade.

Highlight:

Mac Mineralize skinfinish in 'soft & gentle'

Another Holy grail for many people but that's because its so god damn good! It's a gorgeous peachy champagne shade and it is just so pigmented. It gives you a gorgeous glow without giving you chunks of glitter all over your face which is a massive winner in my books. It's also a natural enough shade for light to medium skin tones for it to actually look somewhat realistic (you can obviously amp this up at night by adding an extra layer). You could definitely be a happy woman with just this as your only highlighter - it is 100% my most used highlighter!

Brows:
Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade (my shade is ebony)

I'm going to be honest, before Anastasia's Dipbrow came into my life, my brows were nothing special - I would actually describe them as disgraceful! Because I have such dark hair I always struggled to get a brown that was dark enough but didn't have red undertones. My eyebrows are just slightly off black but there is zero warmth to them so a warm brown eye brow pencil basically looked like I'd gone at mine with an eyeliner. It just looked awful! So after searching for ages I heard about this dipbrow and over 2 years later I have not looked back once. I use this every day I do my makeup in conjunction with Anastasia's duo ended brow brush #12 and that combination is what I owe my good brows to. This product is a holy grail status for me.

Mascara:

Too Faced Better than Sex mascara

This one was another easy one. I have never had a mascara do to my lashes what this mascara does. I know lots of mascaras claim to be false lash effect (and I sometimes wonder what false lashes these marketing people wear to be honest..) but this mascara actually makes you look like you have fake lashes on. I have had people numerous of times ask me am I wearing false lashes when I have this on. It thickens and lengthens while also separating (the latter to a lesser extent). The best way I can describe this mascara is like a push bra for your eyelashes - one of the extremely push up ones! I would be happy to leave the lashes and wear this on a night out, and that is a bold claim!

Eyeshadow palette:

Too Faced Chocolate bar palette

This was a tough category as I am a living breathing eyeshadow junkie. I am firmly under the impression that you can never have enough eyeshadow palettes and that no two brown shades are the same - I have fought with my own mother over that statement many a time!

This is a palette that will honestly suit everyone from a skin tone and eye colour point of view and will also suit both makeup artist and beginners - it's just universal. That is why it's my ride or die - you can create day looks and night looks entirely from this palette without having to dip into other palettes. This is a perfect palette to bring on holidays or weekends away as it will be all you need! The shadows blend like a dream and there is a nice variety of both matte and shimmer; also, it smells (and tastes - don't ask haha) like cocoa powder!

Eyeliner:

Inglot cosmetics AMC gel eyeliner #77

This is the blackest of the black eyeliners I have ever tried. It glides on smooth and lasts until I want to take it off - and honestly even after that sometimes it's that long lasting! It never smudges. This is what I will use to create my winged liner and I also use this in my waterline. I always use gel liner in my waterline as kohl pencils tend to just cry out of my eyes. This is makeup bag essential. 

Lipliner:

Huda Beauty lip contours ('Bombshell' is my ride or die!)

Pic source - www.allure.com

I thought I loved Mac lip liners with no competition, UNTIL, I picked up one of Huda's Lip contours and my god I was like 'eh Mac WHO??'. These pencils are 1 million times creamier and long lasting, with no dry crackly feeling - there is no comparison, these are the best lip liners I have ever used. Bombshell is my favourite shade and it is the perfect peachy shade. I wear it with most nude lipsticks but also by itself too. It's my go to every day colour. I promise you, you need these lip pencils in your life, they are worth every cent.

Liquid lipstick:

Lime Crime Velvetines Matte Liquid lipstick ('Bleached' is my Ride or Die)

Okay, this was up there with how hard I found to pick an eyeshadow palette - possibly even harder. I picked bleached by Lime Crime for a few reasons - Lime Crime debatably makes one of the best, if not THE best liquid lip formula. Their colours are not drying and they are totally pigmented, the colour selection is also beyond amazing; from nudes, to red, to gold, they have it all. Bleached is the most gorgeous peachy nude, perfect for everyday but also amazing with a smokey eye at night. I love to pair this with the Bombshell Huda Beauty liner. I could safely say I would be happy to wear this combo every day.

Phewwwww, see I told you all that would be a long one!

I hope you all enjoyed my Ride or Die round up - it was a big challenge for a makeup junkie like me!

I want to know what YOUR ride or die makeup products are! Once you've finished reading leave me some of your products in the comment section - I love reading people's all time, all star products!

With Love from,

Rebekah x

Morphe 35U eyeshadow palette review & swatches

Hello my loves,

I promised myself I would be really good this month & post as much as possible on my blog - so far I think I have been doing quite well and I plan on keeping this up<3

Today's post is all about my new Morphe 35U palette! 

Direct palette link: here

So I think we all know by now I'm a pretty neutral makeup person; I'm not usually one for the wild colors. That being said, I really want to incorporate more color into my look - spice it up at little! I'm always envious of the Instagram girls, or actually even all the beautiful Inglot makeup artists that I follow that rock color on their eyes so amazingly!

I felt that something my makeup collection was really lacking was a colored eyeshadow palette. I think everyone should have at least one coloured eyeshadow palette in their stash if they love makeup, even if you don't want to create crazy looks, colored shadows are amazing for adding accents of colour for a pop. If you are a makeup artist I would nearly call this palette a kit essential.

This was my first ever Morphe palette and Morphe was actually the first brand I thought of when I was scouting for a colour palette - as I'm not a huge color wearer I didn't want to fork out a bomb on. I've always heard rave reviews about their palettes but for the price point (I got my palette for €21 from Beautybay.com) I did struggle to believe that it would be as good as the hype I had read. I've purchased multi shade bargain palettes when I was younger and just getting in to makeup and I was never very impressed with the quality.

With this Morphe 35U palette however I most certainly not left disappointed.

At €21 (this will vary depending on exchange rates) for the palette each shade works out at roughly 0.60 cent - I KNOW RIGHT?!! For that price you are getting very generous sized pans which is very impressive.

That's a bargain I can't even believe I'm typing especially since it rivals products I have spent over double on. It is a 100% shimmer & satin palette - you can buy a total matte one but look, I love me some shimmer and I knew for pops of color I would prefer shimmer.

The swatches below are one swipe on dry skin:

 I couldn't even believe the pigmentation I was getting out of one swipe and when I took the pictures I was just so impressed. Each shadow is buttery - some were slightly more powdery than others but absolutely nothing that a primer wouldn't sort, and they all blend out like a dream. I really expected this to just be a slight up on drugstore shadows but I was absolutely wrong, this is comparable with both Anastasia Beverly Hills and Makeup Geek.

You get a fantastic color selection in this palette, you basically get the rainbow and then some! Even if you aren't a huge color fan, there is plenty in here to keep the neutral lovin' gal/guy happy - the browns, bronzes and blacks are gorgeous.

 My only tiny criticism is that a few shades were quite similar (I cannot tell the difference between any of the black shades to be honest) when swatched but honestly that doesn't phase me considering the price.

If you need a color shadow palette in your life (this palette would also be amazing for Halloween coming up, I'm planning on using this for a Harley Quinn look) or you are just sick of the basic neutral palettes and want something to get those creative juices following, I high recommend this palette. It is worth every penny and more.

As mentioned above I got this palette from beautybay.com - which is perfect for Ireland, UK, European and international customers but if you live in the USA you can order directly from morphe.com

Have any of you tried any of Morphe's other palettes? Let me know below what ones and what your thoughts are!

With Love from,

Rebekah x

Beauty Blender VS Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge

Hello my loves,

Today I'm going to do a little comparison post between the Beauty Blender and the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge (that is a MOUTHFUL!). Before I begin, for those who do not know both these products are sponges you use to apply makeup to your face. A sponge is my favourite way to blend the foundation into my skin. I will apply my makeup roughly with a brush to place where I want it and then I will use my sponge to blend it out over my skin. This ensures there are no brush stroke marks and the finish is totally even. The sponges also help to absorb any excess makeup from your face so you avoid the dreaded cakey face.

(For the purpose of the post I will be referring to the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion as the Real Techniques sponge.)

Real Techniques Sponge

The Real Techniques sponge is the Orange sponge and that is the only colour you can buy it in. You can pick one of these up from most Boots and Superdrug Chemists and online. I actually have seen this particular sponge in most chemists & pharmacies I have been in. It retails for roughly €7.99.

The shape of this sponge is basically egg shaped, with a piece removed - what I'm trying to say is that the base of the sponge has a flat edge also.

Beauty Blender

This is the pink sponge. You can actually buy this in a variety of shades - red, nude, black etc. and you can get these from Boots.co.uk (I haven't seen this in any in-store Boots or chemists), Beauty Bay, Cult Beauty, Sephora and the Beauty Blender website. They retail from roughly €20.
This is sponge is just totally egg shaped, it has no edges.

Similarities

• Both sponges need to be used damp. Never use either dry - they will totally absorb all your product (bye to your expensive foundation!). Run both of these under the tap until they swell & fill with water and then squeeze out all the water to give yourself a damp sponge.
• Both need to be used in a patting motion when applying your makeup. you don't drag these across your skin, you bounce them over your skin to blend your makeup in seamlessly.
• Both can be used to blend other products such as contour, blush etc into your skin.

Differences

• Once dampened, the Real Techniques sponge swells considerably bigger than the Beauty Blender - this can be good in the sense you cover more space when blending, but it can make it hard getting into awkward areas like around your eyes.
• The Real Techniques sponge tends to absorb more product than the Beauty Blender - you can tell that this is the case right from when you are dampening them, it is harder to get the water completely out. You will also notice when you are cleaning your sponges, it is very hard to remove all the products stains from the Real Techniques sponge.
• While they both look like they are made out of the same material(?), there is actually a difference in texture between them. My current Real Techniques sponge is not as bouncy and solid as my Beauty Blender. This is very hard to explain without showing it physically but when you squeeze your Real Techniques sponge hard while it is damp you will see you can leave finger print indentations but this won't happen with your Beauty Blender. I notice that this particular material doesn't allow for as seamless a blend on your makeup in comparison to the Beauty Blender.
• The flat side of the Real Techniques sponge is actually a very handy addition to the sponge - it makes it easier to blend contour under your cheekbones or your nose contour. The flat side of this sponge is very handy for applying the 'baking' technique under your eyes or under your contour.

Conclusion

So out of the sponges which would I choose? 

If I had a choice, money no object, I would pick and recommend the Beauty Blender based on the points above. I feel like the overall application and finish it gives to your makeup is second to none. HOWEVER, considering the price of the Beauty Blender; I would expect it to do all this indefinitely. 

For the price that it is, I feel the Real Techniques sponge is very good competition. Yes, I do find it can take longer to get the same effect as the Beauty Blender, but it is possible to achieve a very similar result - considering it is even less than 1/2 the price of the Beauty Blender I think it is a very good addition to anybodies makeup bag - it beats out any other of the cheaper brand sponges I have used by a mile!

I hope you all found this helpful!

Any questions, leave them below <3

With Love from,

Rebekah x 

Colour Correcting 101

Hello my loves,

This post has been promised for a while so I am so sorry I haven't gotten around to getting this up sooner! A lot of you were really interested in the topic when I posted about it a month or two ago so I am here now to bring you what you all wanted! This post is going to be an in depth 101 on the concept of colour correcting that you can refer to whenever you need help colour correcting.

Before we begin we are going to need to go all the way back to school. 

To understand colour correcting properly you need to understand the colour wheel which you would be familiar with if you studied art...

Credit: http://blog.canvascorpbrands.com/tattered-tangles-color-me-cards-book-tags/

In Colour wheel theory; complementary colours are colours that lie directly across from each other on the colour wheel e.g. Red & green or Yellow & Purple.

Typically speaking in complementary colour theories, once you combine two complementary colours you will get a grey scale (neutral) colour.

This exactly what you will use colour correcting for.

You want to identify your problem area e.g. redness on your cheeks and pick the shade (in this case it is green) that will neutralize it. 

The aim of colour correcting is to give you a neutral base that is even in pigmentation or colour.

So I think I have shoved enough theory down all your throat for one post! I just think that it is good to know the background of what you doing, if you understand something I feel like it is then easier to comprehend and put into practice, especially if you see it from a practical point of view.

Different products are used for colour correcting. There are concealers, primers, powders, cc creams but they all work to correct colour issues. Concealer is the one that is going to give you the best coverage and will allow you to target a few different colour issues through using a few different concealer shades whilst primer or CC creams are good for targeting one widespread colour issue like rosacea.

Next I am going to talk you through what specific concealer colour is best for each issue, please reference the colour wheel above to visually understand and see for yourself what I am talking about if you get confused!

Green

Counteracts/Neutralizes: Redness

Ideal for: Rosacea, scars & blemishes

Green concealer is perfect for covering angry red blemishes or healing spot scars. If Rosacea is your issue I would recommend using a green primer and then applying some green concealer where you notice it is still quite red.

Recommended products: Sleek Colour Corrector Palette / NYX Colour Correcting Liquid primer / NYX HD concealer /  Barry M Flawless Colour Correcting primer / Lancome Touche Eclat Neutralizer  / Becca Backlight Targeted colour corrector  / L.A. Girl Pro Conceal HD concealer

Orange/Peach/Salmon

Counteracts/Neutralizes: Blueness

Ideal for: Dark under eye circles, bruises or veins. Also gives olive skin tones radiance.

Orange concealer is great for hiding under eye darkness and visible veins. As a guide lighter skin tones should use a lighter peach or salmon shade as it will be easier to blend out and medium to dark skin tones require the pigment of a true orange shade to cover their darkness concerns.

Recommended products: NYX Dark circle concealer / NYX Colour correcting Liquid primer / Lancome Touche Eclat Neutralizer / MAC Studio Conceal & correct Duo (orange & ochre) / Becca Under eye brightening concealer OR Becca Backlight Targeted colour corrector / L.A. Girl Pro Conceal HD concealer

Yellow

Counteracts/Neutralizes: Purple 

Ideal for: Any area that needs brightness & radiance also can help dark under eye circles.

Yellow is a great all over corrector to give your s.kin some life back into it - that's why it is usually included in highlighting and contouring palettes as your highlighter and brightening shade. Light skin tones will find a yellow can help to reduce and brighten under eye darkness.

Recommended products: Sleek Colour Corrector palette / NYX Colour correcting liquid primer /

Benefit Lemon Aid concealer / NYX Full coverage concealer / NYX HD concealer / L.A. Girl Pro Conceal HD Concealer

Purple

Counteracts/Neutralizes: Yellow

Ideal for: Pasty, dull or sallow complexions

This is a hard one to identify for most people. If you have sallow skin you will notice that even if you are pale skinned you have a yellow under colour shining through. Asian skin tones can have a strong yellow undertone. Purple is also used to add life to your skin also and will counteract any dullness in your skin.

Recommended products: Sleek colour Corrector palette / NYX HD concealer / Becca Backlight Targeted colour corrector /  Barry M Flawless brightening primer / NYX Full coverage concealer

Pink

Counteracts/Neutralizes: Dull skin

Ideal for: Anyone who wants to add radiance and brightness particularly fairer complexions. Covers age & sun spots on fair skin tones.

Pink or rose shades are perfect for adding brightness to fair skin tones especially those who find the yellow is too obvious. They help to counteract dullness around the nose and mouth  and to give a brightness back to your skin. Pink can also cover light dark circles under your eyes, but it will not cover as well as a peach or orange concealer.

Recommended products: Sleek Colour corrector palette / NYX Colour correcting liquid primer / MAC Prep + Prime Natural Radiance  /  MAC Prep + Prime Highlighter 

Blue

Counteracts/Neutralizes: Orange

Ideal for: Covering freckles & hyper-pigmentation

Have you ever done your face fake tan and it looks a little more orange than you anticipated? A blue concealer or primer can tone down that orange. If you have freckles or sun spots that bother you blue concealer will also help cover these.

Recommended products: Sleek Colour corrector palette  / NYX Colour correcting liquid primer 

Red

Counteracts/Neutralizes: Green

Ideal for: Covering tattoos, fading green bruises & dark under eyes with a strong green tone on medium, dark or deep skin tones.

Red concealer is amazing for covering tattoos as there is a strong green tone going through tattoos, particularly noticeable as they age and fade. 

Recommended products: Becca Backlight Targeted colour corrector / Sephora + Pantone Universal correct & conceal palette

Above in my recommended products in each section I have mentioned the Sleek Colour Corrector a few times - this is because kits are my favourite all round colour correcting products. I like that they give me most of the colours, it's handy to have them all together! I feel everyone should have a colour correcting kit in their makeup bag.

The single products are good if you have a specific issue that needs correction. So in my case I always have a peach tone concealer pot on hand to cover my dark circles!

What step do I incorporate colour correcting concealer?

In terms of colour correcting concealer I always apply them AFTER my primer and BEFORE my foundation. 

Once I have lay down the colour correction shades I blend them in lightly with a beauty blender sponge and then apply my foundation over the top. I cover all my usual areas with my normal skin tone concealer then. It sounds like a lot of makeup but if you blend each step out with a beauty blender you DO NOT feel or look like you are wearing a lot of makeup, I promise.

There you have it - that is my concealer 101 lesson!

If I left anything out or you have some unanswered questions, please leave me a comment below and I will of course get back to!

With Love from,

Rebekah x