NYX Makeup Setting Sprays - preview

I have written before about makeup setting sprays (I have a couple that I use) and NYX have now released their very own Makeup Setting Sprays - two of them in fact, (1) a matte finish and (d) a dewy finish.

My favourite yellows

I have been waxing lyrical about yellows lately (here, here and here) - I am somewhat obsesseed!  And someone asked me why, as it's not a colour you'd get asked to use very often on Irish faces.  I actually love yellow - I think it's striking and unusual, but it's hard enough to get a decently pigmented one that translates from pan to face, and that lasts, so I'm always on the look-out...

Sleek Rio Rio Palette - review

Sleek Rio Rio palette

Another palette from Sleek, another winner!  I really can't praise Sleek eye makeup enough - I have quite a few of their palettes and frankly, they're brilliant.

Rimmel Wonder'Full Mascara with Argan Oil - review

Having heard amazing things about this latest release from Rimmel, I was keen to try out the Wonder'Full Mascara for myself.  I'm a fan of Rimmel mascaras, my favourite mascara of all time was their Sexy Curves (sadly it now seems to be discontinued).  I needed a new mascara like I needed a hole in my head, but hey, all in the name of research, right?!

Bourjois Liner Clubbing Ultra Black - review

Another drugstore (Superdrug) purchase, this time the turn of the Bourjois Liner Clubbing in Ultra Black.  I'd left my beloved Dior liquid liner behind on a recent trip "up north" so I purchased this one to do me for the evening that was in it.  What did I think?  So-so...

Sleek Waterproof Black Mascara - review

Mascara is my can't-leave-the-house-without-it cosmetic, so here's yet another mascara review (and there will be many more, I can assure you!).  I believe that by defining your eyes with a little wiggle of the good ol' black shtuff you can instantly transform your naked face into a more polished and sophisticated You (appearance-wise anyway).  Boom (yes I said it) - suddenly you look a little less raw and a little more like you mean business.  Or think you look like you mean business.  It doesn't make any difference to my kids whether I look like I mean business.  But it matters to me :-)

This Friday I'm reviewing the Sleek Waterproof Black Mascara (I have noted that they have also launched a waterproof mascara in clear, which I would definitely be interested to try out over a black base - Clarins do one of these and it's the shizzle). 

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream - review

There are a few of these in the range of BB Creams from Garnier, this one, the Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream is the "one-size-fits-all" varietal (there's also one for oily skins, sensitive skins, older skins, etc).  At only €14 for a 50ml tube, this was worth a go I reckoned.  Oh how wrong was I...

essence Road Trip Collection - preview

I do love essence for it's cutie-pie packaging, fun names, imaginative launches, and let's not forget the wonderfully inexpensive prices!  This summer's trend release is called Road Trip and the products behind the release are duo usage or mini products, smaller, handbag-sized versions just perfect for bringing with you on a short trip away, an overnight, an emergency stash in your car's glove compartment, whatever...

Garnier Ultimate Blends : The Sleek Restorer with Coconut Oil and Cocoa Butter. Its Gorgeous!

June's blog swap is with the lovely Cindy from Girl With The Skew Earring.  I love Cindy's blog and have been a long-term reader (you'll find her here!).  Looking at her blog archives it seems that she started out just a few months before me, August 2011 to my November 2011, but Cindy's blog, and writing, to me, always had such poise and maturity, along with a good dollop of fun and realism, and I always thought she was an veteran blogger.  You'll also spot that the swap is somewhat late - I've had a full-on 'flu and I've been trying to take things easy, so I managed to persuade the lovely Cindy to have this swap first week in July instead.

Read on for Cindy's post - it's about how she got on with the Garnier Ultimate Blends haircare range (I want to buy them now!), and please go and take a look at my post on her site when you're finished...

Catrice Liquid Gold Topper - review

Oh my giddy aunt I love Catrice, I really do.  Bargains like no other and very impressive quality.  This week I'm raving about the Liquid Gold Topper in Jungle Treasure from Catrice's LE Glamazona line (look here for more information).

Shimmery molten gloriousness.  In a nutshell. 

Budget Gel Topcoats: catrice vs essence - review

Editor's Preamble: First post by the lovely Emer for our Funky Fridays with Emer series, which will occur every two weeks :-), featuring two fantastically cheap drugstore branded gel topcoats...

Firstly can I just say how honored I am to be allowed to pen my humble ramblings for Makeup for Dolls, I'm a huge fan!  Also I would also like to point out that neither a beauty expert nor scientist I be so please bear with me :)

I was delighted to try out these gel style top coats, mostly because I love beauty on a budget and if I can find something that I can do cheaply at home rather than pricey trips to the salon, then I'm all over it.  Also because I've found that I rarely even bother applying nail polish anymore - with my lifestyle it's chipped, dented or 'smooshed' (yes that is the technical term) within hours.  And that's after waiting over 30 minutes afraid to scratch my itchy nose in case I damage it, along with the usual trick of immersing my shivering digits in icy cold water.  And a top coat.

But hurrah, these gel-style top coats are the business!  Okay, they are not quite as durable as a "real'" gel top coat, nor are they as glossy, but to be honest I wasn't really expecting them to be.  But they do a damn good job nonetheless...

Oilatum Natural Repair Creams for Face & Body - review

Oilatum Natural Repair Face Cream & Body Cream

aka Face & Body Moisturisers from Oilatum

I love these little gems.  I love the fact that they really work, that they're available in pharmacies, that they're really not expensive at all.  They get a huge amount of love from bloggers and MUAs, and I can see why.

Catrice Arts Collection - preview

Catrice LE Arts Collection - campaign visual

Catrice's new LE Arts Collection takes its impression from the opulence of the three eras of art nouveau, baroque and art deco:  the spirit of each period is reflected in the corresponding make-up palette.

My Favourite Base Eyeshadow - and it's only £1!

Of course this is a subjective post.  I have a lot of base shades that I use on myself, in class, on brides and others.  In general, I don't favour a dead white base, unless my client is extremely pale.  I have found that really pale warmer tones are nicer (by warmer I mean those with a little bit of gold, or amber, or peach) as a base.

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.

Sleek Pout Paints v OCC Lip Tars

I know this post is a little late (ok ok very late, I have been meaning to publish it for over a year now!) but how and ever, better late than never...

For anyone who doesn't know, OCC (Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics) are a cruelty-free all-vegan cosmetics store who make a bunch of different cosmetic products and tools - but their pièce de résistance are their Lip Tars.  Ostensibly a pro product, these are great for anyone who likes to play with makeup.

Sleek Makeup (a drugstore/budget makeup brand that I absolute love) have released (oh, back in 2011 I believe) their version - called Pout Paints.

Here follows my compare-and-contrast.

essence trend edition for summer 2013: guerilla gardening

Guerilla Gardening is essence's summer trend-based makeup collection release, featuring botanical shades of both bright and dark green, earthy browns, bright pinks and intensive reds.
 

Sleek Magnitude Mascara Review

Sleek Magnitude Mascara

This stuff is a.mazing.  And it costs €6.  Six quid!  It's a two-step mascara designed to lengthen and voluminise lashes.  And boy does it.

 

New fragrances from Essence

Drugstore brand essence has released three brand new budget fragrances in April and these are available in-store (Dunnes and Penny's and pharmacies nationwide), together with the already popular first six fragrances by essence.  These will be available in two sizes, 50ml (€7.99) and a mini 10ml handbag-size (€3.49).