Shu Uemura Paddle Brush - Review & Giveaway!

So lots of recent trips to the salon to get my hair in order.  It was the summer, so beachy, slightly messy, boho hair, slightly too long hair (that really needed a tidy but what odds) was just fine.  And as it also kept catching in the crook of my elbow every time I bent my arm, and was therefore driving me berzzzzzzzzzerk, it was time for the chop.  Although I hate cutting my hair.

Keep reading!  The important bit is coming up!

Babylis Pro Perfect Curl v Babylis Curl Secret

L -> R: Babylis Pro Perfect Curl, Babylis Curl Secret

I recently purchased the Babylis Pro Perfect Curl and I've been using it away for a couple of months.  I have to say, I absolutely love it.  I used it on my mother and she loved it so much I promised her I'd get one for her for her upcoming birthday.  Unfortunately, all the salon services / trade stores that I searched were fresh out of the Pro version, so I did some research into it and decided that, for her use, the consumer version, called the Babylis Curl Secret, and available in Boots and a few other places, would do the trick just as well.

To prove this to myself, and because I'm a product geek (!), I went ahead and purchased the Curl Secret and gave it a whirl to test its efficacy.  For natural curls, it is every bit as good.  I'll get to the geeks stuff shortly (difference between temperature and timer settings), and some how-tos for creating different looks with these tools - but first up, let's do a quick review of these products.

2013: The Year in Review

I started out this post thinking I'd do a recap of the products that I discovered this year and loved, then realised, nope, Make Up For Dolls has come a long way in the last year, and I wanted to do a recap, not in a boasty way, but just as a reminder of some of the highlights - things I got up to, things I posted about, stuff that was fun and different and interesting!

Of course the absolute crowning moment for me this year was the creation of my very own red lipstick, following on from a lot of researching and back-and-forth on the subject with the fabulous folks at Cosmetics a la Carte in London.  Read all about it here.  Go on.  I'm not remotely excited about this one, still, a year on :-)

As for the rest?  Well... read on!
 

Bridal Survival Kit - review

Carmel and Oonagh at Galánta Events, an Irish Event Planning/Management Service business based out of Waterford are clearly doing well, as they've won the Best in New Business/Enterprise Award at the FAB Waterford Women in Business Awards in 2012.  I noticed their call out, some time back on a recent Irish blogger site, looking for guest contributors, and while I had my hands sufficiently full with my own posts at the time, a few clicks later I found something that caught my eye - a product they've put together called the Bridal Survival Kit.  Being involved closely with brides, I contacted them and asked them if they'd be interested in me reviewing it.  So they agreed, and kindly send me one in the post.

Chanel... in Black & Blue

Nope, this is not about bruises!  The black is for the ladies (and is already out).  The blue is for the gents (and is out this week)...

How I... Store & transport my loose powders

This one is more about how I store and transport my powders around in my kit bag...

How I... store my nail varnishes

This is one of my favourite “how I” posts, because it really speaks to my inner OCD child: how I store my nail varnishes.

How I... store my foundations

Foundations are tricksy little feckers.  If your'e like me and have a lot of these, then you really need to use them up before they go off.  "Off" foundations can contribute to bad skin or spots.  Or "off" foundations may simply be inconsistent in terms of pigmentation, or they may have oxidised, or could oxidise on your face, when they didn't before.

I need to keep a reasonable range of foundations for my kit, on top of which I'm always trying out the latest and greatest foundation for myself, or for the blog.  So I use a very simple trick to extend their shelf life, as well as to keep them all in one place...

How I ... do my makeup

This one is more of a "where I" than a "how I" :-) but without getting hung up on a choice of interrogative pronoun, and in continuation of my "how I..." series, this one is a quick peek at my personal makeup station and features a mini-review of the Make Up For Ever desktop rolling makeup case.

How I... store my pigments

Messy things, pigments.  Seriously messy.  Especially when you buy an expensive, limited edition, hard-to-get, now discontinued, highly pigmented stupidly opaque crazily hot pink one.  And spill it all over your mother's brand new cream carpet.  Not that I *ever* did that, of course.  So how do I store 'em?

How I... store my brushes

Another (mainly) picture post - this time how I store my brushes (and a sneak peek at the brushes I use!)

How I... store my MAC palettes

I'm planning a series of posts, showing how I store makeup, tools, etc

Today's post is on my MAC palettes.

Drugstore Challenge: full makeup kit and brushes for €160?

An entire kit and all brushes...

This is a long enough post but one I've been meaning to publish for ages as I'm continuously being asked to recommend "inexpensive" makeup that people can get in their local pharmacy or online.  Read on if you want to find out how to have an entire makeup kit for €160.  Before you choke - this as an entire set of everything, including brushes and products!  When you consider that you could easily drop this at a high-end cosmetics counter for two or three items, it's worth a read!

Cheap-ass v Fancy-ass? Shiseido v Lidl in the Battle Of The Cotton Pads

The humble cotton pad / cotton round...

Today's post was written in two halves - by both myself and my friend @MontyC.  It's a review of something we all use and need; for makeup removal, for toning the face, for refreshing the eyes, for nail polish removal... the humble cotton pad.

Givaways! Prizes! Free Makeup!

Giveaway time!  Freebies galore!!  Prizes!!!  Competitions!!!!
If you're not in, you can't win!!!!!
And other annoying overly-effusive declarations, spoken in the most irritating accent imaginable, punctuated by multiple exclamation points!  Whohoo, yeah, baby!

So, I've been doing some reviewing (hey that kinda rhymes!) and even though it's been a quiet (on the blog front) few months, due in no small part to mania (on the home/work/fun front), I can confirm that my stats are looking good and I'm happy.  While I appreciate some of the figures below may be considered small fry to some, I'm happy with then and to say thank you to everyone who follows me and reads the stuff I write... and so I wanted to have some giveaways.  Not just one or two, but five, five freebie prize giveaways for absolutely nothing - just so say thanks!

Blog Posts: What to write about

Snapshot of some of the stats Google Blogger provides for a particular period of time
(these are for this week)

I took a look at my viewer stats this morning to see if I could get some inspiration on what to write about today.  I have a few posts started, but nothing near completion (or even near where they should be for editing down).  So instead I took a trip down memory lane on my postings in the last fiften months.  It was an interesting trip and revealed to me what people read the most.

If you're a blogger, or an aspiring blogger, perhaps this might prove useful.  If you're a reader, then maybe you'll discover some posts you haven't seen before!

MUA Makeup Academy Nail Constellation (Nail Caviar dupe)

MUA Nail Constellation

This is basically another dupe for Ciaté's Caviar Nails from MUA;  a further - even cheaper - alternative would be to visit a good craft store and purchase micro beads; because that is all these are, in essence. (that said, the little funnel-lidded pot is very handy for pouring these onto your nails).  As far as I recall these cost me less than £3 each, and as far as I know they're on sale for £2 each at the moment.

Shu Uemura False Eyelash Applicator

Shu Uemura False Eyelash Applicator

These look like a great idea, but they're not for me.  They're not bad, they're just not for me.

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curlers

A continuation of the "Shu week" (overflowing into the second week!) and we're looking at the Shu Uemura lash curlers;  a truly iconic piece of kit.  And there's a reason why they're so lauded (and so good)...

Burgundy Part I

Burgundy: the "in", trend colour of this season, there's a bunch of "burgundy-esque" offerings (clothes, accessories, handbags, shoes, makeup, nail polishes, you name it) ranging from oxblood to wine to cranberry to plum.  I personally favour the more dirtied-brownish-red "old blood" ;-) end of the spectrum in my burgundy than the maroon-purple end, but that's just me.

Tomorrow's post will feature burgundy makeup, but today's post is a departure from makeup for a day to drool over some lust-have burgundy offerings in the shops/online at the moment...