Wild Lashes

I recently bought four of these Boots 17 Wild Curls Mascaras. They were doing a special promotion where you could print off a voucher from their site that meant you got the mascara for €1.50, which is a steal by anyone's standards!

I figured for €1.50 it was worth a try even though I've never tried any 17 products before. The mascara comes in Wildest Black, Black, Waterproof Black and Brown Black. I bought one waterproof black and loved it so much I went back and bought another 2 of them and one Wildest Black.

I'll be honest I really wasn't expecting much as for me mascaras can be so hit and miss. I generally prefer defining mascaras with smaller tapered wands that give my lashes length and definition. I really can't stand big clumpy wands with loads of formula on them. This wand is on the smaller side and the formula is evenly distributed around the bristles, I can easily get into my inner corner lashes which is a must for me. I use one coat of this to give a really nicely defined look, a second coat is easily achieved as the formula doesn't dry too quickly and this gives a more dramatic/evening look without being really clumpy.  

The packaging is nothing special but I'm the kind of person that if the product works, and the packaging isn't annoying then it doesn't matter what it looks like. I use No. 7 Beautiful Skin eye make up remover to take of the waterproof one and it comes off very easily. It costs £6.29/ €8.94  in Boots so essentially I got four mascaras for less then the price of one. If you're in the UK/Ireland it's good to keep an eye on the Promotions section of the Boots website as they often have great offers like this on. Below you can see me wearing one coat of the mascara on top and bottom lashes. Oh and I've also curled my lashes first!

I'll definitely buy this again when my four tubes run out! I even got asked in work if I was wearing false eyelashes! So what do you think? What's your favourite mascara? Any recommendations for me?

Emma x

Under Dormant Trees, Under Bright Lit Skies

I'm pretty sure this has been the second or third day we've had a bit of sun so far in June and when I say a bit of sun it rained most of the day and the sun came out twice to quickly dry the ground before it rained again. We went out to get something for dinner during one of the dry spells today and grabbed some quick outfit photos on the way since we haven't had the opportunity to do it in absolutely ages! I really want to wear sandals and nice summer dresses, it's so sad having to wear Autumn/Winter clothes in June. Here's what I wore today.

Blazer- Charity Shop

Dress, Shoes and Bag- Monsoon

Belt, Rings, Earrings, Bracelet, Scarf and Brooch- Accessorize

Lipstick- Revlon Cherries In The Snow

Nails- Catrice Iron Mermaiden with Essie Shine of the Times on top!

I've been on a bit of an accessories splurge lately with the gift card I received from head office for five years service with the company I work for. I didn't want to blow it all on rubbish so I decided to invest in a leather bag, the one above. I loved this bag when it came in and because of it's hefty price tag, even with our staff discount I never thought I'd be able to buy it so that was one thing I really wanted to get and it's something classic in a neutral colour that I know I'll wear for years. I've only bought one summer dress this season for uniform in work and I feel so sad wearing it in the rain so I haven't bought any other clothes recently, it's just so hard to know what to wear when it's hot and sunny one minute and cold, windy and raining the next! 

I've also been a bit obsessed with over the knuckle rings lately. I really wanted to get a  few simple silver and gold ones (mixed metals is something else I've been into), but they were a bit expensive online for what they are so I just got a few thin rings in smaller sizes in work and they seem to do the trick. Also how cute is the belt bangle? 

My hair is a bit mad. I've been waiting to get it cut for a few weeks so I'm finally going to next week when I get paid. It's been so dry since I starting dying it a year and a half ago and that's why I decided to grow out the colour and hence the three inch roots! The last time I dyed it was at the beginning of October last year and it's really grown out a lot since then but I don't want to give in and dye it again. I've been really trying to get it healthy for a while now using re-hydrating and moisturising hair products. I'm actually going to do a  haircare video soon to tell you about the different products I've been using. 

How was your weekend? We went to see The Five Year Engagement yesterday. I was surprised at how I reacted emotionally to the film, it's just lovely, not at all what I expected. Jason Segel seemed to be playing an older version of Nick Andopolis which of course made me fall in love with him some more. 

Here's a cool video...I'm a little obsessed as you might be able to tell...

Emma x

June Glossybox/ May Review

My June Glossybox arrived on Monday exactly on time. This month's one is a lot better than last months but the April one is still my favourite of the three I've received so far. 

This month's box included two full size products, a Glossybox Blush Brush valued at £15/ €18.50/ $23.50 (I'm not sure where they're getting this price from as I've done some research and it doesn't seem to be on sale anywhere, but I'll update you on that in my review next month), the other full size product is a HD Brows Precision Tweezers valued at £19.95/ €24.70/ $31.30. The three other products were samples. A 1g BM Beauty Summer Warmth Bronzer which is £2 worth of product. A 20ml Green People Sun Lotion and Tan Accelerator with SPF15 which is £2.60 worth of product and lastly a Vichy Dermablend Ultra Corrective Foundation Cream Stick starter kit with 6 1g samples of each shade, assuming you use a maximum two of the shades for your skin tone this is £3.15 worth of product. 

Therefore June's Glossybox has a total worth of £42.70/ €52.90/ $67, which is the most yet. I'll let you know next month how I get on with everything, but I'm already very impressed with the tweezers!

*****

Now for the reviews of last month's products. I'll start with the Lolita Lempicka perfume samples. I received the L'Eau en Blanc and the Eau de Parfum. 

With most perfumes I can spray them once and know if I like them or not. With others they grow on me as I wear them throughout the day. One of my favourite perfumes Burberry Weekend was one such "grower" which means I'm not quick to judge on first sniff. However my first impression with both of these perfumes was "yuck". It's hard to review a perfume because scents are such a personal thing and I find my sense of smell is so sensitive that I have to really try out a scent before I commit to buying it and even then it's rare that I can commit to any larger than a 30ml bottle of perfume.

On second and even third sniffing I found the scents did grow on me. I definitely preferred to Eau de Parfum, the only way I can think to describe both scents is as grown up versions of teen perfumes. The Eau de Parfum is quite musky whereas the L'Eau de Blanc smells like Parma Violets to me. I don't like either enough to pay the €45.90 they cost. I think I'll stick to my Burberry Weekend that's €16 on offer in Boots!

You can see below that the samples weren't even filled to the top, they were less than half full. I really think this is a cop out as most make up counters will give these out for free if you ask nicely enough. 

Okay so now for something a bit more positive. I loved the Noble Isle shower gel. It smells divine and the little bottle is perfect for travelling with. Having said that at £20 for a 250ml bottle I think I'll stick with my Soap and Glory Clean On Me for £5.50!

I'm still undecided about this Uniq-One 10-in-1 Hair Treatment. It seems to be available in hair salons in a few countries which you can find on their website. I put in into damp hair and let it air dry, it's supposed to do ten things all at once but I didn't notice a difference as the sample was only big enough for two uses. For €14 I'd be willing to buy this to try it out properly as the sample wasn't really enough for me to be able to tell if it works for my hair. It would really have to make a noticeable difference for me to switch from my beloved Kérastase. It smells amazing though! It's quite a strong fragrance and I can see that that may not be for everyone but I loved it. 

These Eldora Lashes are beyond ridiculous! I held them up to my eye and I don't even know how I'd be able to see wearing them! They retail for £3.90 from the Eldora UK website and after having a look they seem to have a huge selection including individual eye lashes, fashion eye lashes and ones made with real human hair! To be honest after using No. 7s eyelashes I don't think I'd be bothered trying another brand, they're just so easy to wear and with the Boots €7.50 off No.7 vouchers they are so inexpensive and look incredible. 

When you subscribe to Glossybox they ask you to fill in a Beauty Profile in which you say your skin type, hair colour, scent preferences, where you buy products etc. which is why I was rather surprised to receive this Acne Treatment Mask from Murad. I had been wanting to try Murad products for a while as I've heard a lot of positive things about them. However I think giving someone who has 'normal' skin a mask for Acne is a bit ridiculous, especially since they have a lot of other products for other skin types. This is where attention to detail in these Beauty Boxes really makes a difference. It would make far more sense to give a sample of a product aimed at 'all skin types' or 'combination skin' to cover more bases.

I've used this mask a few times when my skin has felt particularly in need of a deep cleanse. However as it's not aimed at my skin type I don't feel like I can properly review it. It contains ingredients to comfort and calm irritated skin, protect and heal skin and antioxidants to prevent damage so I suppose that's something most people need. I wouldn't use this on dry skin as it might overwhelm it. At $37 it's out of my price range anyway so it's probably good that I wasn't mad about it! Oh and because it contains sulphur it doesn't smell great either. 

Finally I got a Glossybox compact mirror. I guess these are always handy to have with you. 

All in all seems like there were more misses than hits in this box with only one product I would really fork out the money for. However sometimes it's good to try out new products and not like them, it makes you appreciate the products you do use and confirm that you're using things that are worth the money you pay for them. I'm excited to try out the products in this month's box so check back next month for that post. 

Emma x

A Little Chat

I wanted to do a special post just catching up and telling you what's going on in my life at the moment because there are a few things I wanted to share and I didn't want to just tag it onto the end of a post about something else. Don't worry it's nothing bad!

So first of all my blog is officially 2 years old! I can't believe I forgot about it again this year, I guess I was just busy gearing up for the Forbidden Fruit and enjoying my week off work to remember. Oops! Maybe next year, if I'm still around! 

In other exciting news, I'm going to Paris in November! Donnacha and I are going with Kate and Eric for a week including a trip to EuroDisney! I can't wait to recreate this with Kate...

Has anyone been watching Mad Men this Season? ( kinda spoiler alert so if you haven't seen it you may not want to read the next sentence). We just finished it and for me it was the best yet. Episode 12 made me fall to pieces, I think I cried for a half hour. But I'm very much looking forward to Breaking Bad starting next month! We've also been watching Homeland, we're only 4 episodes in and I'm hooked already.

I've seen some really great films recently too. Young Adult was incredible, Charlize Theron was so damn good in it and made me hide behind a cushion with cringeyness!  Womb which was the creepiest film I've ever seen. True Adolescents with Mark Duplass which I really liked. Some Days Are Better Than Others with James Mercer from the Shins was a cute indie film.  Also Everything Must Go with Will Ferrell which is such a a change from what he usually does, I love him anyway but especially in Stranger Than Fiction so I love seeing this acting side of him. 

Out of all the films I've seen recently Take This Waltz was my favourite. It's directed and written by Sarah Polley (who I love). I really can't recommend this highly enough. It's got the adorable and lovely Michelle Williams and Seth Rogen like you've never seen him before. I was seriously shocked by how amazing this film is, it really gets into you.

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I've also seen some great films in the cinema including Beauty and the Beast in 3D, Jeff Who Lives at Home (the latest Duplass brothers film) was really good and it has Jason Segel so you can't really go wrong with a bit of Nick Andopolis, Prometheus and the gorgeous Moonrise Kingdom which was the most darling film. As you probably already know I'm a huge Wes Anderson fan, what blogger isn't really? The kids in the film, all of them were such good actors and I just loved the set design as usual! 

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Another viewing recommendation I have just in case there wasn't enough there is The Staircase. This is an 8 part documentary about the death of a woman in North Carolina. That is all I'm saying because the less you know about this the better. If you can get your hands on it it's a great documentary if you're anything like me and are interested in true crime. 

My internet recommendation is for this tumblr. I hadn't heard of the 'Nancy' comics until I saw some scans from it on tumblr and I'm now obsessed! It's unbelievable how much I can relate to a cartoon drawing of a little girl. If you like Calvin and Hobbes you should definitely check out Nancy!

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As for music, I've been loving Real Estate recently, I can't stop listening to this song...

I've also been filming a bit for Cock and Bull TV, here's one of the videos I helped out on recently, it's a great song too! 

Lastly I just wanted to talk quickly about how my blog content has changed a bit recently. Well not really recently but more like the past 6 months maybe. I was a bit worried some of my readers may not be interested in posts about make up or beauty products but then I realised that it matters more that I write about what interests me otherwise I'll get bored and won't want to do it anymore. The way I see it any style blog is the exact same as a beauty one, it's all about the look that we create for ourselves and about our personalities and how we feel on a given day. 

For me looking after my skin is one of the most important things because of my family's history with skin cancer and I get excited trying out new products and using old faithful ones again and again and I want to share my tips with people and not just keep them to myself. I enjoy deciding what lipstick I'll wear when I'm getting ready each morning or what way I'll do my eyes. For me make up and and clothes go hand in hand, every morning I think about what I'll wear that day and then decide on my make up or vice versa. I'm excited to have this passion because it makes me want to write.

It also struck me when I was at the Museum of Style Icons last week how important make up and beauty products were to icons such as Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe and how without they're signature "looks" they wouldn't be remembered like they are today. 

Every reader won't be interested in every single post a blogger writes but as long as you're true to yourself and your interests and you don't compromise then you can't go wrong! 

So after that monstrosity of a post please tell me how all you guys are, have you any film/music/tv anything to recommend to me? I'd love to know!

Emma x

Leopard Nails

I never wear false nails. Well actually that's a lie, I've worn them once before when I won a box of them but that's as far as my experience goes. I picked up these leopard print ones in Accessorize during the week just because I thought they looked fun and I love leopard print (but mostly just in moderation). 

I'm not a fan of fake nails on me because I feel like I can't use my hand for anything when I'm wearing them. The only reason I got these was because I had a gift card plus staff discount so they were very inexpensive and also because they weren't too long. I dislike having my nails long in general because they always break at work and I also find them a bit gross and unhygienic, having said that they can look amazing! 

These are press on nails so they are incredibly easy to use, like you could put them on in the car or on a bus if you had to. I think press on nails are such a great idea if you're in a hurry and are going out and don't have time to paint your nails. I know this print won't be to everyone's taste but I think if you were going out they could be a great statement accessory to a simple outfit. 

They retail for €7.90/£5 so they're around the same price and even less expensive than most high street press on nails. I'd definitely save them for a special occasion next time!

What do you think? Do you ever wear false nails or do you hate them? Personally I prefer the ritual of painting mine, I find it quite fun and relaxing! These were a nice change though!

Emma x

Forbidden Fruit Weekend

The weekend before last I attended Forbidden Fruit festival in the grounds of the Irish Museum of Modern Art. You might remember the posts I did about last year's festival here and here. This year instead of taking photographs and helping out I was filming the live acts.

This was my first time filming at a festival and getting up close to the stage and the performers so I was a bit nervous about how it was going to go but I had a really fun time and apart from a run in with a grumpy photographer it all went pretty smoothly.

I didn't get to take many photos this year unfortunately and also it was raining and really gross for the first two days so there wasn't much to look at, but you can get an idea of what it was like below. The photos include my own and some from fellow camera operator Mark and my bff Niall.  Enjoy!

Ok there's a bit of a story behind this. When Katie and Ashley were over visiting in March we all went to a gig in Whelan's and when we got home Donnacha mentioned in passing to me that James Vincent McMorrow was there. What he didn't know was that Katie is mad about him and was of course devastated she didn't get to see/meet him. So we were skyping a while ago and Katie wrote us a note and held it to the camera but she write it backwards so we "could read it" which of course didn't work so we were making fun of her a bit and Donnacha wrote the note above which reads "Katie is mud" as in dum (without the B) backwards and so it was a bit of a running joke. Then we told her we were filming some of J V McM's set at Forbidden fruit and I told her we would find him backstage and ask him for a photo with the Katie is mud sign and so Donnacha spotted him on the second day and ran over and asked him and he obliged and of course when we posted it on Facebook for Katie she almost died with excitement. Whew!!

New Order

My  handwritten camera position list

Beirut

Wilco

I got to see Death in Vegas, Deathcab for Cutie, Beirut, Real Estate, New Order, Wilco, Andrew Bird, James Vincent McMorrow, Cast of Cheers, La Galaxie and Austra.

I'll let you know when the videos are up so you can take a look at my handy-work if you like!

Emma x