Glossier Playdate

If you've been following me for any length of time you'll know I'm a big fan of Glossier. So when they launched their sister brand Glossier Play that focuses on "dialled-up beauty extras" with the belief that the best part of going out is getting ready, I was so excited to get my hands on the products and try them out. 

I was lucky enough to be sent a few products by Glossier, the Colorslide in the shade Critical Mass, Niteshine in Platinum Rose and Vinylic Lip in the shade Casino. I loved them all so much that I made  an order myself pretty much straight away. I went for two Glitter Gelées- Glass Bonsai and Firewalk, the Vinylic Lip Lacquer in Pony, the Blade sharpener, The Detailer multitool and the Colorslide eye pencil in Disaster Class. I've since been trying out different ways of wearing the products.

I saw a lot of negativity about the launch of Play, with people saying it wasn't very "Glossier" and slating the products for having too much packaging and that the glitter wasn't biodegradable. I've since heard that they are making changes to those things which is great as I think it put a lot of people off buying the products. What I really love about Glossier Play is that the products are so much fun to play with, I think they really nailed the colours and textures, they're easy to use and you get maximum impact with minimum effort. 

The whole collection, especially the packaging and typeface seems to have been heavily influenced by the seventies and everything Disco. It's obviously not going to be for everyone as bright colours, glossy textures and glitter isn't most people's bag, but having said that I think there is something for everyone whether it's the Pony Vinylic Lip Lacquer which as you can see below is a great neutral, or the Colorslide in Pretty Penny (a metallic copper) or Sparkle Shark (a metallic gunmetal grey) or the Niteshine highlighters which I think any makeup lover would adore. 

I used Disaster Class (a deep wine red) liner along my lash line into a wing shape and used The Detailer brush to add Firewalk Glitter Gelée on top. I then added Cloud Paint in Storm and Haloscope in Moonstone AND Niteshine in Platinum Rose on top and blended it out with the Real Techniques Setting Brush. As you can see it gives an incredible sheen to my skin, its definitely more pigmented than the Haloscopes but the formula is concentrated so you only need the smallest amount and it's easy to blend out with a brush or your fingers. I'm so obsessed with this product, it's almost a look in itself it's so eye catching! You could also add it to the Cloud Paints for some extra shine.

This is one layer of Pony Vinylic Lip, you can build up the texture and colour intensity by adding more layers but I wanted to let the glitter and highlighter be the star of the show so I kept the lips quite simple. If you're a fan of shiny lip products, these lacquers are so gorgeous. They smell amazing, they're easy to use and the colours are beautiful. The bright red shade Baby is next on my list. I love that you can wear them more sheer or really build them up for full on glossy glamour. They obviously don't last as long as a matte lipstick but they fade very evenly and they're so fun  and addictive to apply you won't mind topping up.

I've tried the Colorslide liners on their own too and they really stay put and don't smudge but you do have to work quickly if you want to blend them out as they really set into place. I'm dying to get a few more shades, I have my eye on Adult Swim and Early Girl in particular. You can get colourful liners like this from a few brands like Urban Decay and NYX and I think it's a great way to play with colour if you want to ease yourself into it.

If you hadn't gathered as much already, I'm a huge fan of Glossier Play, I think they've really nailed fun makeup products with the shade range, quality and pricing. Also on a side note, the Blade sharpener is an absolute must-have if you use pencils. It's so handy! They also do a set called the Playground which is one of each product in whichever shades you want for €59.

Check out this post if you want to see another look with the Glitter Gelée in Firewalk.


Glossier Invisible Shield Daily Sunscreen
*bareMinerals BAREPRO Performance Wear Liquid Foundation (Fair)
bareMinerals bareSkin Complete Coverage Serum Concealer (Fair)
*Clarins Glow 2 Go Blush and Highlighter Stick (02 Golden Peach)
*IT Cosmetics Brow Power Universal Brow Pencil
Essence Make Me Brow Eyebrow Gel Mascara (02 Browny Brows)
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion Anti-Aging
Glossier Play Colorslide Technogel Eye Pencil (Disaster Class)
Glossier Play Glitter Gelée (Firewalk)
Marc Jacobs Beauty Velvet Noir Mascara
*Glossier Cloud Paint Cream Blush (Storm)
Glossier Haloscope Face Highlighter (Moonstone)
*Glossier Play Niteshine Highlighter Concentrate (Platinum Rose)
Glossier Play Vinylic Lip High Shine Lacquer (Pony)

*Press Sample


I thought I'd add a few more photos that I've previously posted on my Instagram but are worth showing in this post so you can see the different ways I've worn the products.

Glitter Gelée in Glass Bonsai and Vinylic Lip in Pony

Niteshine in Platinum Rose, Colorslide in Critical Mass and Vinylic Lip in Casino

Critical Mass and Casino

Vinylic Lip in Casino

Let me know if you've tried anything from Glossier Play, or if there's anything you'd like to try. What do you think about the brand in general?

Emma x

**This post is in no way sponsored, some products were sent to me as press samples and some were bought myself. I'm just a big fan!

Total Eclipse of the Halo

Anyone who follows makeup artist extraordinaire Katie Jane Hughes will have most definitely heard of the brand Bodyography, more specifically their famous Glitter Pigments. Some time last year I happened upon them in Sally Beauty in Dublin and vowed to go back and get some at some point. Then last week I went in to stock up on hair products and saw that the Glitter Pigments were on half price clearance, so I went a bit mad and bought six of them (I did give one to my sister though). I looked up swatches in the store and settled on Eclipse (a burgundy/pink), Halo (a silver diamond), Stellar (a rose-gold copper), Caviar (a smoky brown) and Bubbly (a yellow gold).

I tried out Eclipse first and applied it with my finger, which is the recommended way to use it as it gives the most payoff. I saw KJH using Halo in the centre of her lid so I tried that and I love how it looked. I decided to keep the rest of my makeup quite tonal again and used a mixture of Glossier Cloud Paint in Haze and Beam to create a pink shade for my cheeks and then a concoction of three lipsticks, Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk, Bite Beauty Meringue and Revlon Rise Up Rose. That day I actually went and bought Charlotte Tilbury Lost Cherry lipstick, I asked the sales assistant if I could try it on first and I really loved how it looked with the eye makeup, so I wore the exact same makeup the following day with my new Lost Cherry lipstick. 

I was recently sent a press sample of the bareMinerals BAREPRO Performance Wear Liquid Foundation and the matching Luxe Performance Brush (and a back up of my favourite bareSkin Serum Concealer. I've never tried a foundation from bareMinerals before but I've heard great things so I was really looking forward to trying this. I've tried it a few times so far and despite it being a full coverage, matte finish foundation I'm actually surprised by how much I like it on. I don't need to use powder and I find it looks better after it's been on for a while. I'll do a more in depth review with before and after photos once I've been using it for a bit longer. Has anyone tried it?

Also if anyone is looking for a good waterproof mascara, I can highly recommend the L'Oréal Paris Paradise Extatic Waterproof mascara. I was probably the least fun I've ever had shopping for makeup as I bought it to wear to me granny's funeral, but honestly it didn't budge and I really put it through it's paces! It's a bitch to remove but if you like a waterproof mascara, this looks amazing and doesn't move. It's a weird recommendation I know, but I thought someone might find it useful as I bought it in a bit of a haze.


*bareMinerals BAREPRO Performance Wear Liquid Foundation (Fair)
bareMinerals bareSkin Complete Coverage Serum Concealer (Fair)
*Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Wear Camouflage Concealer (010 Beige Porcelaine)
*IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Anti-Aging Waterproof Concealer (Light)
*IT Cosmetics Brow Power Universal Brow Pencil
Essence Make Me Brow Eyebrow Gel Mascara (02 Browny Brows)
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion Anti-Aging
Bodyography Glitter Pigments (Eclipse and Halo)
Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner
NYX Professional Makeup Epic Ink Liner
L'Oréal Paris Paradise Extatic Waterproof Mascara
*Glossier Cloud Paint Cream Blush (Haze and Beam)
Glossier Haloscope Face Highlighter (Moonstone)
Kat Von D Beauty 'Lock-It' Translucent Setting Powder
Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick (Lost Cherry)
Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat (Pillow Talk)
Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick (Pillow Talk)
BITE Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick (Meringue)
Revlon Superlustrous Matte Lipstick (Rise Up Rose)

*Press Sample

Emma x

Steel The Look

Last month I was scrolling through Instagram as you do and I spotted this look on Emma Stone by her makeup artist Rachel Goodwin. I completely fell for the colour combination of the cool silver eyes and deep berry lips. The look Rachel created was a proper glamorous red carpet look but I wanted to tone it down a notch for myself. She used a Serge Lutens eyeshadow palette that costs €130, but the eyeshadow I used was only €3.80. Surprisingly I didn't have any silver in my eyeshadow collection and seeing as it's not a shade I'll be wearing regularly, I didn't want to spend too much money on it. 

I decided to check out the offering in Penneys as I had a voucher from a recent press event. I didn't expect to find anything but as it turns out they had four different options. I opted for a Catrice eyeshadow which swatched nicely but ended up not being great on my eyelids, and this Essence Melted Chrome eyeshadow in the shade Steel the Look. The whole idea is that they have a melted metal effect. There are six shades altogether, I can't say how the others are but Steel the Look is highly pigmented and has a soft, buttery texture. I was so impressed considering how inexpensive it was. 

I wanted a very easy, pared back look so I applied a tiny bit of the Pür On Point eyeliner in black just lightly along my top and bottom lash line just to make it look more full. I applied Urban Decay Primer Potion and then the eyeshadow with a flat brush to give as much colour payoff as possible. I then decided to try it wet to see if it intensified the colour so I spritzed some of my Lancôme Fix It Forget It Setting Spray onto my brush and it amped up the metallic look of the eyeshadow some more, it doesn't work with every eyeshadow and I often forget to do it but when it works well it can make such a difference. I also went a bit more into my inner corner than I usually would as well as along my lower lash line.

The eyeshadow is such a statement by itself so all I did was blend it out and add the IT Cosmetics Superhero mascara. I've been using this mascara for a few months now and it packs a lot of punch. I loved it at first, then it started to smudge on me after a couple of weeks and now it's stopped and I love it again so I'm not sure what the problem was. You can get a lot of impact from just one coat which I really like, two coats will give you proper going out eyelashes. It's the mascara I go for when I want big eyelashes in a hurry. 

One of my all time favourite base products, the IT Cosmetics CC Cream has recently come back into my life (as a press sample) and I had forgotten how amazing it is. If you want to know more, you can read my full review here. I used the IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Anti-Aging Waterproof Concealer for a few weeks now and I didn't think I'd like it at all at first but after playing with it a few different ways I'm a big fan. It's quite similar to the Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Wear Camouflage Concealer in that it has a sticky texture. I find it best when you use a tiny amount and dampen a small complexion sponge and dab it onto your skin. It also stays in place all day. The less you use the better, you can always build it up if you need more. 

I kept my eyebrows fairly natural with just a small amount of the IT Cosmetics Brow Power Universal Eyebrow Pencil and some Glossier Boy Brow. I've really been loving using the IT Cosmetics pencil. It's great for when I want to fill in my eyebrows quickly. It's universal shade however one of my fellow Irish bloggers has black brows and she said it's slightly too warm toned for her so I'd definitely try it out first if you're looking to buy it. I finished with a touch of Glossier Cloud Paint in Dusk to give just a hint of colour on my cheeks, I didn't want anything too strong to take away from the eyes and lips. The closest lip shade I could find to the one Rachel Goodwin used (Surratt Beauty Lip Lustre in Très Chic) was Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in Disturbed. It's one of their comfort mattes and I toyed with the idea of adding gloss as the Surratt Beauty shade has a high gloss finish but I preferred the look of the matte lipstick paired with the glittery eyeshadow on myself. 

I finished the look by adding a little bit of Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter to my cheekbones, the middle of my nose and cupids bow. I bought this back in September and I really didn't want to love it as much as I do. It's like no product I've ever tried before. I'd describe it as a multi-purpose liquid illuminator. You can use it under or over your base as a liquid highlighter, or you can mix it into your foundation for an all over glow. I've also been mixing mine with my Glossier Cloud Paints and it gives the most gorgeous sheen on my cheeks. This is definitely going to be repurchased once it's finished. 

As you can see I took photos in daylight, in artificial light and with a flash to try to capture just how gorgeous this eyeshadow is in reality. I don't think any of the photos do it justice, so if you're near an Essence stand, I'd encourage you to have a look at it in person. I took a little video which you can see below in the hopes that you can get a better idea of how sparkly it is. Obviously there's no great intricate technique to this look, its fairly easy to achieve but I think you'll agree it's such a statement. I was initially a bit wary of wearing it out of the house but I quickly reminded myself that it's only makeup and it's supposed to be a bit of fun. Take a look at the recent video Violette (the Creative Director for Estée Lauder) made using silver pigment, it should give you another option of how to wear silver on your eyes. I think it would be great for a Christmas/ New Year party. 

Would you wear this look? 

Emma x

Full Product List:

*IT Cosmetics CC Cream in Fair
*IT Cosmetics Brow Power Universal Eyebrow Pencil
Glossier Boy Brow in Brown
Urban Decay Primer Potion Original
*Essence Melted Chrome Eyeshadow in Steel the Look
*IT Cosmetics Superhero Mascara
PÜR Cosmetics On Point Eyeliner in Black
*IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Anti-Aging Waterproof Concealer in Light
*Lancôme Long Time No Shine Setting Powder in Translucent
*Glossier Cloud Paint in Dusk
Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter in Shade 1 (Fair)
*Urban Decay Vice Comfort Matte Lipstick in Disturbed

*Products marked were gifted or bought with a press voucher
(All brands are Cruelty-Free except Lancôme)