Quick Pick: Original Source Shower Gels

There's nothing better then having a shower first thing in the morning to perk you up, or one after a long hard day to help you wind down. I love me a good oul shower gel. And I like to have a few different scents on the go at any one time. I'd never tried any Original Source products before so when I saw these on offer in Tesco, into the shopping basket they went.

They have a few choices, but I settled on Lemon and Tea Tree and Vanilla and Raspberry. I can't say enough nice things about these! They were great value at around €1.50, they both smell fantastic (reminiscent of Loop the Loop ice cream, and those little red and white strawberry flavoured hard sweets!), they foam up really nice, and even after drying my skin off I can still smell the scent of each. Plus, they're vegan, which is always wonderful! 

Are you a fan of Original Source products? 

Til next time,

Toodles,

Rimmel Day 2 Night mascara vs Collection Supersize mascara

One makeup product I never like to spend a huge amount on is mascara. In my very humble opinion most are very similar, and dry out far to quick to fork out anything over €10. But nevertheless I love trying out new ones. So today I have reviewed two reasonably priced (even if one is slightly over my usual budget!) little gems.

First up is Rimmels Day 2 Night. The 'science' behind this double wand idea is one gives your lashes length for day time while one the other gives extra volume for night time. It's a nice idea, two mascaras in one, but does it work?

Well I'm happy to report back, yes it does! The length side really does give the appearance of longer lashes, while the volume side also does what it says on the tin (provided you don't go to heavy handed with it). It drys pretty quickly, and doesn't flake throughout the day. At €10.19 in Boots, it's definitely worth a try :)

Volumising 

So next up is a slightly cheaper product, with no 'two fancy wands', yet it left me pleasantly surprised. I picked up Collections Supersize mascara on a whim as part of a deal in Boots. I didn't have great hopes as it retails at €3.99 but boy was I wrong.

It claims to give 'fat lashes'. That's what we all want, right?... I don't know about fat, but this definitely gave me volume and a little lengthening with any clumping at all. It's also possible to build up layers on this without ending up looking like a spider who fell into a bottle of ink. I highly recommend picking this up even if you aren't on a budget. Collection have gotten it right again.

What mascara would be your all time fav? Which ones do you repurchase again and again?

Til next time,

Toodles,

The Body Shop Colour Crush Shine Lipstick Review

Sometimes when you're used to the same lip colours it can be hard to venture out into different territories. People tend to stick to the safe colours they know. Yet it can be nice to try out new tones. So here is a lipstick you can do this with, which is still sheer enough to not shock you too much!

 I managed it get my hands on three of their shades from this ten shade range. My only qualm with these is that each shade doesn't have a name, but rather a number. However, I can get over this due to the quality of the product. Straight away I noticed the lovely scent. It thankfully isn't that waxy lipstick smell we're all too familiar with, but a much more subtle, sweet smell.

Although these aren't necessarily colours I would normally pick, a swatch on the back of my hand soon showed me just how pretty these all are. They have a lovely wash of colour. I love the shimmer in these too, but this definitely won't be to everyones taste.

I was surprised at how long these lasted, and you don't even need a mirror to reapply these which I found incredibly handy on the go. Their also quite moisturising so that gets a big thumbs up from me as I feel a lot of lipsticks can draw moisture from your lips. At  €12.95 each they're a little more than I would spend on a lippie of this kind, but they are certainly a nice treat! :)

Til next time, 

Toodles,

Quick Pick: Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

Sometimes we don't want to read a big massive review on a product. We just need to know is it good, and what it costs, right? So I'll have the odd blog under the title of 'Quick Pick' doing just that!

I've seen lots of reviews on this cleansing water already, but I felt like adding my two cents. I've never been this impressed with such an affordable, simple cleanser.

It literally does what it says on the tin. It cleanses the skin very gently, and leaves it soft and not feeling tight. I also use this to clean off eye makeup. I have used this on myself and many others and have had no complaints or reactions. Many have asked what it was, and where surprised when they found out it wasn't a more expensive brand! It isn't often you find a product that suits everyone, but I firmly believe this will suit most! Plus at €4.19 in Boots right now, it's an absolute bargain which will last you ages :)

Til nest time,

Toodles,

Cheaper Brands, Fabulous or Fail? Enter: Creightons

I'm an absolute sucker for a bargain. I might not really want that top, but it's a fiver, how could I not buy it?! In general I try to rein it in a bit more with makeup and beauty products. I probably will wear the €5 top, however I probably won't use the €1 orange lipstick. With that being said, how will I ever find brilliant new products if I don't take a chance every now and then? So begins this blog....

While in Dealz the other day, randomly browsing, a pretty pink stand caught my eye. At first I thought "Wait a minute... isn't that? No they don't sell that brand in here. Do they?" On closer inspection I realised what I was seeing was in fact a very (very) similar packaged product to another glorious brand available in Boots (see what I did there?). Anyway, you can judge yourself just how similar Creightons line is.

They're were a few different products there, but I decided to pick up the 'Squeeky Clean Body Better Body Lotion' and the 'Movie Matte Photo Finish Moisturiser'. At €1.49 each I didn't exactly have high hopes but I've been pleasantly surprised with things I've bought in Dealz before. This time was no exception.

 I'm very picky when it comes to moisturiser. My skin can be quite sensitive and I have reacted badly to skincare products before. Also it's incredibly combination with quite an oily t-zone, but dry cheeks prone to redness. Needless to say I was quite anxious when trying this! It claims to give 'camera ready skin that is kissably soft'. Straight away I loved the scent, so we were off to a good start. It's a very fresh, almost fruity smell. Although it looked quite thick in the container it melted into the skin with ease, and immediately my skin felt much softer. I used this for a week straight, both day and night. On my first try, my skin felt quite tight after but this seemed to be a one time thing! Even after sleeping, my skin still feels moisturised the next morning. I'm definitely a fan of this, and will continue to use it. With 100ml in the jar I feel it will last a long time too!

In my eyes, body lotion is body lotion. I've never really come across one that has 'blown my mind' so to speak. But the promise of evoking 'my inner siren with irresistibly soft skin' was to much to pass up :)

Again it goes on it make some fairly big promises 'deeply conditions and moisturises your skin, leaving it touchably soft and kissably smooth all day long'. Sure what more could a girl want?

It has the same beautiful scent as the face moisturiser which was a plus. The formula wasn't quite as thick however a little went a long way. My skin did indeed feel softer, and surprisingly even after a few hours I could still smell the scent on my arms. It may not have lasted all day long, but it absolutely lived up to it's €1.49 price tag.

Overall I'm very impressed. It goes to show that a massive price doesn't necessarily mean a quality product, just as cheap can be more than just cheerful. If nothing else, the packaging is amazing! Do you trust cheaper products, or do you stick with certain brand you know? 

Til next time,

Toodles,

Sleek 'Face Contour Kit' and 'Corrector and Concealer Palette' Review

Oh deary me it has been far too long..... I'm talking again today about one of my favourite affordable makeup brands, Sleek Makeup. As much as I love them, they do have a tendency to be quite a hit and miss brand. However when they get it right, they get it really right.

Contouring is an absolutely intricate part of makeup since Kim K showed us exactly how her makeup is done. Realistically, the amount of product used to create her look isn't going to fair very well in the average persons day to day makeup, however there's no harm in doing a more understated version of said effect. Our pale Irish complexion can be very tricky when it comes to this, so I generally prefer to use a powder product with a light hand. Enter Sleek...

This kit comes in 3 different colours. I, of course chose Light :) You get a lovely matte contour powder along with a complimentary highlighter. I was very impressed with this palette from off the bat. (I swatched the products quite heavily here so they would show up well in the photo)

The contour colour works well with my whiter than white complexion provided I build the product up slowly. The highlighter gives a beautiful glow, and the tone is gorgeous. I brush this across my cheekbones, down the centre of my nose and put a little on my cupids bow. As a little goes a long way, this is an absolute steal at  €6.49 in Boots.

Of course for the perfect complexion you cannot be without a good concealer! And of course Sleek do a palette to cater to our blemish covering needs.

These come in a variety of 5 different shades, and surprise surprise I've gone for the palest again! In the palette we have a correcter, a concealer and a setting powder. I really like this palette. The corrector and concealer give a nice amount of coverage with feeling too heavy on the skin, and the powder sets them just nicely with being cakey.

As someone who has quite a bit of pigmentation and redness in their skin, concealer is an absolute must for me. I carry this everywhere for quick touchups, and am very impressed by its staying power so far. Again at €6.40 in Boots right now you really can't go wrong!

Til next time,

Toodles,

Are you paying to work as a make up artist?

With fees being cut constantly and artists feeling like they have to reduce their rates it's probably time to really examine why you may feel no better off despite working your arse off!

Gone are the days when we got paid to work on editorial, weren't asked if we could reduce our rate due to 'budget issues' or worse still, could we do it for free for the exposure. I mean, why not! Father Christmas pays your bills and the honey monster puts food on your table... doesn't he?!

So let's get on with what it is actually costing you to do a make up, I mean, it's only make up right? It falls off trees and lands in that big ole make up kit of yours?! Another pressie from Father Christmas I have no doubt.

Let's start with the nitty gritty, the stuff clients like to forget about:

Public Liability Insurance & Car Insurance – let's average this to around €550 per year, just for sh@ts and giggles. This would mean your public liability Insurance and car insurance was basically costing €1.50 per day.

Car tax – lets say €300 a year, €0.82c per day.

Makeup Brushes – If you start with a very basic make up brush kit, you know, the kind you might buy when you're studying, you're probably talking 12 brushes and you'll probably pay around €95 for a decent enough set. Of course, if you are working the industry it's very likely you have multiples of each type of brush, often amount to anything from 50 to 100 brushes in your brush kit, an average of about €12-25 per brush? Pretty expensive eh? Yep, you get the picture.

Petrol – at an average of of about €1.52 a litre, so that job that's 'just down the road' (30 miles away) is going to add up pretty sharpish!

Training / workshops etc. - yep, they cost money too! And a decent one isn't cheap! You're talking anywhere from €1000 for a basic course up to €8000 for a really extensive one. 

Advertising / Social Media - Don't even get me started on this! Advertising on a well known bridal site for example can cost anything up to €900 for the year. Not to mention various bridal fares and events you might showcase at. As for social media, how time consuming is that? Just getting your name out there on social media is a full time job in itsself! 

Makeup – Now this is the tricky one! So I have based my pricing on brands which are inexpensive (for example Sleek Makeup) and brands which are more expensive (Mac Cosmetics) as a general guide to prices*. Then I worked out the average.

 * I am of course aware that there are artists using brands which are much, much more expensive than this listed which would easily render their price per face at least double of even triple what I have listed. So remember, this is a very basic guide!

Foundation – 30ml average size

average price €10 - €19 (€14.50)

average amount of faces approx 20

Cost per face = low end - €0.50

Cost per face = Mid range - €0.95

Average Cost per face = €0.73

Concealer (face) – average price €4 - €13 (€9)

average amount of faces approx 20

Cost per face = low end - €0.20

Cost per face = mid range - €0.65

Average Cost per face = €0.45

Concealer (eyes) – average price €8 - €13 (€10)

average amount of faces approx 20

Cost per face = low end - €0.40

Cost per face = mid range - €0.65

Average Cost per face = €0.50

Powder – average price €10 - €22 (€16)

average amount of faces approx 40

Cost per face = low end - €0.25

Cost per face =mid range - €0.55

Average Cost per face = €0.40

Blush – average price €6 - €16 (€11)

average amount of faces approx 100

Cost per face = low end - €0.06

Cost per face = mid range - €0.16

Average Cost per face = €0.11

 Eye shadows* - average price per shadow €4 - €11 (€8)

Average number of shadows used per eye make up approx 3

Average amount of application per eye shadow approx 100

Cost per face = low end - €0.04

Cost per face = mid range - €0.11

Average Cost per face = €0.08

*This of course does not take into account the ridiculous amount of shades, textures etc. of shadows any artist will have in their kit. Again, we are going all out basic on this.

Eye liner (Gel) – average price €7 - €11 (€9)

average amount of faces approx - 100

Cost per face = low end - €0.07

Cost per face = mid range - €0.11

Average Cost per face = €0.09

Mascara – average price €5 - €11 (€8)

average amount of faces approx - 30

Cost per face = low end - €0.16

Cost per face = mid range - €0.36

Average Cost per face = €0.26

False Lashes – average price €2 - €11 (€7)

average amount of faces approx - 1

Cost per face = low end - €2.00

Cost per face = mid range - €11.00

Average Cost per face = €7.00

Lip Pencil – average price €3 - €11 (€7)

average amount of faces approx - 50

Cost per face = low end - €0.06

Cost per face = mid range - €0.22

Average Cost per face = €0.14

Lipstick / Gloss – average price €5 - €12 (€9)

average amount of faces approx - 30

Cost per face = low end - €0.16

Cost per face = mid range - €0.40

Average Cost per face = €0.30

Low End Cost per face = €4.44

Mid Range Cost per face = €15.06

Average Cost per face = €10.06

Remember, I haven't taken into account puffs, sponges, mascara wands, loose pigments, glitters, brush and tool cleaner, skin care – cleanser, toner, moisturiser, cotton wool, cotton buds, airbrush equipment and make up, make up case/trolley and bags and the list goes on...

Recently I quoted for a job which was 'just a few hours' and was asked to reduce my rate. The 'few hours' was actually 10 hours and I had 15 faces to do, yep, 15! I got a train there and back as I had no car at the time, the train cost me €28 return. I had a big ole heavy kit to carry which meant I had to get a taxi, from my house to the train station (€8 going to the train station and €8 returning), then another taxi from the train station to the job (€6 to the job and €6 back to the station).

So I think we can safely take it that in all, that job I reduced my rate for actually cost me at least €206. Yes, you read that right! €206!

So I ask you all, next time you consider working for free, at a reduced rate or for next to nothing because 'it's a friend of a friend of a friend' please think of your cost, not to mention your bills, you career and your dignity!