Saturday 31 May 2014

May Beauty & Non-Beauty Favourites ft. Lush, Benefit, MAC, Wet n Wild.

I usually see new 'Favourites' posts online and think "Is it into a different month already? That flew!", but I feel like this month was really dragging and I'm glad to be seeing the (proper) start of Summer 2014! I think May went by so slowly because it was the first full month at home while the majority of my friends were still doing exams. Cabin fever definitely set it and there's only so many times you can hang out with your cat/watch Mad Men before you need proper social interaction! This month was still (somewhat) eventful, though. I went to a College Ball in Kilkenny (Get Ready With Me post here) and as of yesterday, I am now employed for the Summer months! Now, all of my friends are home for 3 months and we're all reunited (cue Peaches and Herb reunited and it feels so gooooood).

I wanted to include a mix of make-up, hair, skincare and non-beauty related items in this post, whilst giving you a round-up of my month. I love blogs that give you a bit more of an insight into the person themselves - my life which sometimes revolves around more than just makeup (but not too often!). With June just around the corner, I'm hoping to have some more lifestyle/travel blog posts (documenting my trip to Italy - places to go, pasta to eat!) and have some summer makeup related entries. As always, any requests/questions/recommendations/feedback is always welcome via Twitter/email/whatever! My Twitter/Instagram is @DrnkTxtRmeo_ and my email is LongHairAndLashes@gmail.com :)

Start of Summer = any excuse to make your own flower headband. 1 sewing kit, 8 fake flowers and a whole lotta patience later... Wearing Flat Out Fabulous (MAC) on my lips with Magenta lipliner.


College Ball, Kilkenny.


May Favourites!


Because the foundation to pretty much any (good) makeup routine is an even better skincare routine, I thought I'd start with just that! I won't get too much into Mask of Magnaminty here because I reviewed it earlier last week (link here), but I thought I should mention that is has definitely been a favourite of mine this past month. I use this after the shower, once or twice a week depending on how bad my skin has been and it leaves me skin feeling so much softer and clearer. The minty smell always reminds me of the Mean Girls "all we've done is made Regina's face smell like a foot!" moment... Why must I always relate every life situation back to Mean Girls?
Similarly, I follow a cleansed face with the Tea Tree Water toner from Lush. It's a pretty basic (but nonetheless lovely) product from Lush and so I didn't really see it as warranting a whole review by itself. This toner is great for an oilier skin as tea tree acts as an antibacterial/antiseptic which works great for acne prone skin. I use this in the morning and at night, wipe away with a cotton disc and it soothes the skin, leaving it feeling squeaky clean and soft. This is my second or third bottle of this stuff and I loveeee it. Lush also offer other toners to suit a dryer skin type if Tea Tree Water isn't suitable.
Lush Tee Tree Water Toner, Mask of Magnaminty.

This. Product. Oh Lawwwwwwwwwwd. If you are not a firm believer in face primers, I'm pretty sure this one will convert you to the Stay Flawless club for the rest of your life. This is a twist-up stick primer which instantly made me want to try it. I'd read great things about this primer way back in October 2013 and decided to give it a go. I use this on nights out/occasions when I really want my makeup to last. It glides on the skin in a thin layer and doesn't resemble any of the more common silicone/pore filling type primers. I find that this helps with oil control and definitely prolongs the wear of my makeup. I'm currently scraping the bottom of the tube on this one so I will absolutely be repurchasing. Although pricey, I definitely think its worth it. It makes my makeup go on smoother, stay in place, last longer and I find that I don't have to use as much foundation with it. This stuff is like glue for your foundation and I LOVE it.
Benfit Stay Flawless Primer.

An oldie but a goodie. I've said numerous times before that MAC Mineralise Skinfinishes are some of my favourite products from MAC. Soft and Gentle is a permanent MSF in their range and suits a variety of skintones. It's a warm beige with a gold shimmer. I use this product on top of my cheekbones, cupids bow, forehead and wherever else I want to highlight. This is a more dramatic highlight but one that photographs beautifully and looks lovely for nights out. I also like to use it wet for an even more dramatic effect and it also works great as an eyeshadow. I've had this particular MSF for yearssss and I'm nowhere near finished with it - a fantastic multifunctional product that will last you for ages.
MAC Soft & Gentle Mineralise Skinfinish.


I have a love/hate relationship with MAC eyeshadows but these 2 never fail me. Texture (left) is a great warm brown with orange undertones and subtle gold shimmer. I feel like this isn't the most exciting eyeshadow MAC has to offer but is definitely a staple in anyone's makeup bag. It works great all over the lid, in the crease, or as a transition shade to help blend darker shades on top. The shimmer is very subtle when buffed into the crease and makes it really easy to blend other colours over it. The orange undertone also makes it amaaaaazing on blue eyes, just sayin'
Plumage is a tricky one to describe. It's a dark, murky almost mouldy teal colour but it is fantastic. The texture is fantastic - very pigmented but blendable. I love to use this instead of a black to deepen up a blue or green look and its also a great alternative to black liner pushed along the top of bottom lashline. The blue/green undertone is a nice change from black and gives colour, without being a bright turquoise. Again, probably not the most exciting shade among the vast range at MAC, but a great one to own!
MAC Eyeshadows: Texture (left), Plumage (right).
                                     

Cinnamon Spice by Wet n Wild has been a go-to colour of mine all month. I wore it to the College Ball and pretty much everywhere I get the chance. Even in May I'm still reaching for a dark(ish) lip. I reviewed the Wet n Wild lipstick range here and added some MAC dupes for this shade if you'd like to check that out! I love to pair this with Whirl or Brick lip pencils from MAC.
I feel like this is sliiiiightly cheating because I haven't had this lipstick for the whole month of May. However, I've been wearing it non-stop and know it will be a continued favourite for the summer months. Flat Out Fabulous is perfect. It has the right amount of pink and purple, isn't too warm or cool toned and is still bright without being pastel or neon. It's very flattering with minimal eye makeup and is a great summer shade. Although its a retro matte formula, I don't find it to be half as drying as Ruby Woo but stays put all day. I'm not joking about the staying put thing - this lasted a job interview and a (celebratory) burrito. It means business. I know this has become a really popular shade since MAC added it to the permanent retro matte collection and I can certainly see why! This colour looks amazing with Magenta lipliner by MAC.
Wet n Wild Cinnamon Spice (top), MAC Flat Out Fabulous (bottom).

MAC Flat Out Fabulous (retro matte).

Flat Out Fabulous (left), Cinnamon Spice (right).


The struggle to find a decent heat protector is real. Or at least, was real. I bought the TRESemmé Keratin Smooth on a whim in Boots and it was pretty inexpensive. I saw the word keratin and just kinda went for it. It smells nice, doesn't leave my hair sticky or crunchy and comes in a spray bottle so I don't have to mess around with heat protecting serums or balms. The main reason I like this, though, is because it isn't too heavy and doesn't weigh my hair down. I can use this when my hair is wet, before I blow-dry it but, most importantly, I can use it when my hair is dry (before straightening/curling) and it won't leave my hair looking greasy! 
Next up for hair is my beloved Bonacure Fibre Force treatment. I actually had a girl tweet me and tell me that she bought this online after reading my review and seeing that it really worked! I LOVE this stuff and you can read more about that here. I'm still using the whole range and will be repurchasing a second tub of the treatment soon! I'm pretty sure that last time you saw this mentioned on my blog, I compared it to the second coming of Christ. That is all. 
TRESemmé Keratin Smooth, Schwarzkopf Fibre Force treatment.

Now that it's coming into summer I thought it would be nice to include a perfume/fragrance that I love to wear around this time of year. I'm useless with scents and don't mean to sound like that person but all I can say is "it's beautiful... go smell it!". Vera Wang Princess is a really popular one anyway, so I'm sure I don't have to describe it to anyone in much detail. Its light and floral without being too overpowering and I've been wearing it constantly this month.
Vera Wang Princess.

I thought I'd finish up with some completely non beauty related type stuff. So, my boyfriend and I have gotten into the really terrible habit of visiting Candy Lab (Temple Bar) any time we're in Dublin. Sweet tooths surrounded by the sickly smell of American sweets is a terrible mix but, in the wise words of Scotty P: "no ragrets". I'm honestly not a huge fan of American chocolate (Cadburys gal at heart) but their sweets/candy is amazing... probably too amazing. Jolly Rancher, Red Vines and these weird taffy sticks by Willy Wonka (which Grace didn't get a chance to photograph before her and her boyfriend had devoured 2 in a row) are personal favourites. Death/diabetes by artificially flavoured everything... No ragrets.














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