MUA Power Pout Review

MUA is a makeup brand that is budget friendly while still giving you a product that is highly pigmented and long lasting! What's not to love :)

I recently purchased all six shades from the Power Pout range.They are €3.50 each and can be purchased at http://www.muastore.co.uk/index.php/mua-power-pout or they are also available in Superdrug. 

I'm not a big lipstick person so these are a great alternative as they act as a balm while still giving your lips that flush of colour and shine :) The colour range is great! They come in nude to dark berry tones with bright pink and orange tones in between. There is definitely a shade to suit everyone's preference :P  Each shade is nicely pigmented. They act as a kind of lip stain as well so when the shine wears off you will still have colour on your lips. I also liked the moisturising quality they have, which is needed with the colder weather on the way :) Below you can see swatches from all the shades:

I'v been favouring 'Irreplaceable' at the moment. Loving the bright pink colour it gives. 

The only fault I can find with these is the cap seems a little loose on them so they worry me floating around in my handbag...having said that I'v yet to find that they have destroyed the inside of my bag :P It's not a major issue by any means!

I would definitely recommend these to others. The price and the quality are great and they act as a lipstick and balm in one :) 

Who doesn't want a power pout after all ;) 

Catherine xx

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O.P.I Matte Top Coat Review

I'm loving the matte nail trend so I had to try it out for myself. I think it's a great look for autumn/winter and looks great with dark or nude shades.

There are a lot of different brands doing matte nail polishes but I went with a matte top coat which means that I can turn all my favourite shades matte :) I purchased the O.P.I. Matte Top Coat from Millies.ie. I tested it with a couple of different brands and then used some of the O.P.I. shades that I have to create something different. 

I prepped my nails by filing and buffing and used a nail strengthener as a base coat. I then applied a few different brands of nail polish in various colours to see how the O.P.I Matte Top Coat faired when paired with different brands. I used shades by Catrice and Bourjois and then applied the matte topcoat. I loved the end result :) You can use a cheap nail polish and create an expensive look with the O.P.I. Matte Topcoat :) 

I then used two different O.P.I. polishes to create a reverse manicure. I applied 'Barefoot in Barcelona' all over each nail and created a tip using 'Nein! Nein! Nein! OK Fine!' :) I think I need a bit more practice on this one but it's always fun getting creative! 

I love the O.P.I. Matte Top Coat! It's a great way to get the matte look without spending money on separate bottles of matte polish as you can use it with any brand of nail polish that you might already have :) 

Give it a go ;) 

Catherine xx

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Ab Exercises

Here's a list I'v put together of some ab exercises. I think using images is the best way to illustrate how to do them. There are so many so feel free to add to the list :) 

1. Sit-ups:

2. Reverse Crunch:

3. Bicycle Crunch:

4. Leg Raises:

5. Oblique V-ups:

6. Russian Twist:

7. Toe Touches:

8. Side Plank Hip Lifts:

9. Plank:

10. Leg Scissors:

Add some of these into your routine. Just do as many as you can :) 

Catherine xx

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The New Black - Ombré Nails

The New Black is a range of different nail kits that allow you to do some D.I.Y nail art :) They have a range of different sets including ombré nails, typography sets, nail & lip kits - to name a few. You will find a range of colours from bright neon to pale pastels. To see the full stock list you can check out their website: http://www.thenewblack.tv/#!Home/mainPage

I purchased two kits: Ombré - 'Find Your Cherry' and a typography set - 'The Weekly Journal'. 

I really liked the idea of the Ombré nails so I tested out 'Find Your Cherry' :) In the kit you get 5 different shades, some have glitter and others are just plain colour, that graduate in colour.

My nails would not be the strongest due to work so if I get 2 days without chipped nail varnish I'm pretty happy! :P I prepped my nails by filing and buffing them and trying to get rid of any ridges. I then applied a coat of Kiss Diamond Hard Strengthener to act as a base coat. 

I applied two coats of each colour and let it dry before applying a top coat. I think I got about 4 days out of the varnishes before I noticed any chipping which was great! Doesn't happen very often with my nails :P The colours are really nice and bright. I started with the darker colour on my thumb nail and worked that way with the shades but you could always do the reverse to change up the look. 

The Ombré nail kit cost €29.95 (if you look you might be able to get a cheaper online price). That may seem like a lot but when you break it down you're getting 5 different nail varnishes for about €5.99 each. The bottles are small-ish but the colour is really good so you could probably get away with one coat of colour on each nail. Getting 5 different colours means that you can use them in different ways. Obviously the colours are picked to give the ombré effect but you can always use one colour from the kit to do all your nails or you could use one of the glitter polishes over other colours etc.  

I really like these kits! It's such a fun and easy way to get creative with your nails :) I'll definitely be trying some of the other sets from The New Black :) 

Catherine xx

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RiRi Hearts MAC Review

Rihanna and MAC have teamed up for autumn and produced a collection with some of this seasons must have shades. Sometimes the collections are all about coming out with mad colours that you might dare to wear every now and again but this is one collection by MAC where I could safely say I would actually use everything they have produced - and use them for day and night! The colours are so wearable and great for this season! 

As you can see from the packaging it's very girly and pink and shiny :P All the things that attract women to products! Well played MAC, well played :) 

I am an eyeshadow and blush nut so I purchased the two eyeshadow quads and the duo blush. You can never have enough brown/nude/dark shadow shades I think :P and these are a great addition to anyone's makeup bag! You can play with the colour combinations and get both day and night looks from both palettes. 

All the shadows in the below pictured 'Her Cocoa' quad are shimmer shades. The are all based on nude and gold shades. The second shade is hard to see in the shot but it is a nice base and highlight colour :)

Her Cocoa Eyeshadow Quad

The 'Smoked Cocoa' has two shimmer and two matte shades. It's great for achieving a smokey eye look.

Smoked Cocoa Eyeshadow Quad

In both eyeshadow quads the colours are highly pigmented and go on really easy. You don't have to work hard to build up a good colour :)

The powder blush duo comes with a bronzer and pink blush. They can be used separately or you can swirl your blush brush to get a nice bronzed look with a hint of pink :) The compact also comes with a mirror so it's great for the handbag :P 

I'd love to get more pieces from the collection! Like I said before, everything in the collection is so wearable and definitely worth the money :)

You can pick up some of your own RiRi <3's MAC at Brown Thomas and online 

Catherine xx 

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Millies Beauty Room Review

Millies Beauty Room is an Irish site where you can find big brand names that may not be available to you if you are living in a smaller town. They stock beauty, skincare and hair products. 

I placed an order with Millies Beauty Room and my experience was great :) Shipping is 3.49. I think this is pretty reasonable considering the fact that they state your order will be with you in 1-2 days! They were true to there word on this claim. I placed my order on Saturday 12/10/13 so my order was not shipped until Monday as I ordered at the weekend. I received everything Tuesday 15/10/13 :) I also received e-mails as my order was processed to let me know what stage it was at. 

I ordered two small things so they arrived in a padded envelope and were all wrapped in bubble wrap so nothing was damaged. I ordered the HD Brow Eye & Brow Palette - Vamp and the O.P.I Flash on Matte kit.

Unfortunately the O.P.I Flash on Matte kit was out of stock at the time of shipping. They wrote me a nice hand-written note explaining what had happened, apologizing and inviting me to get in touch with them if I had any problems. I was sent a single Matte Top Coat 15ml bottle along with O.P.I 'Spark De Triomphe' as a complimentary gift to make up for not getting the two pots of shimmer dust that come with the kit :) To be honest I only ordered the whole kit to get the Matte Top Coat, which I received, so getting an extra nail polish was a great bonus as the bottles of O.P.I polishes are not exactly cheap :) and the colour I was sent will be great for Christmas :) 

I would definitely order from the site again :) Delivery was very fast and everything arrived in perfect condition. 

Check out there site: http://millies.ie/ 

Catherine xx

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Professional Beauty Show, Dublin: Make-Up Haul

I headed to Dublin for the Professional Beauty Show in the RDS this week :) I love make-up so I was in heaven :D There was some great offers at the show so I had to take advantage! 

What's in the bags you say :P

The Crownbrush stand was my first stop. It was very busy!! Definitely one of the more popular stands :) I picked up some brushes, the Studio Deluxe Brush Set and the 28 Nude Palette. You can check out there website for more products - http://www.crownbrush.ie/ I don't think the photos on their website does their products justice, especially the palettes! They are fab in reality :)

Crownbrush :)

I picked up more palettes and brushes at the Fuschia stand :) I got a contour, blush and eyebrow palette along with an offer they had of any 5 brushes for €20. The palettes ranged between €10 - €15! Bargain! :) 

Fuschia Palettes

Fuschia Brushes

Then I got talked into getting a Helen-É goody bag which came with their famous Skin Smoother which claims to be suitable for any skin tone so it takes all the guess work out for people who find it hard to find the right shade of foundation. http://www.helen-e.com/cosmetics/face/skin-smoother-single-helping.htm Can't wait to test it out! It also came with an eyeliner, lipgloss, eyeshadow pot and pink bag. For €10 I couldn't turn all that down :) 

Helen - É

I stopped at the O.P.I stand :) If you bought 5 nail varnishes you got a top or base coat free so I went and picked out 5 shades that i thought would be good for autumn/winter and got a free top coat.

O.P.I Nail Varnishes

I got some sleep-in rollers for short hair :) The set comes with a dvd, kirby grips, a canvas bag and of course the rollers! 

Sleep - In Rollers

There was also bags and other accessories at the show. I passed by a stand full of satchels so stopped for a look and walked away with a really nice brown satchel :) Love a nice satchel :D They make such nice day-time bags. The brand of this one is HT London fashion. I thought it looked more expensive than what it was. I really like the lining of the bags :)

Can't wait to try everything out :) 

Catherine xx

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