Nailed it | Essie Fifth Avenue

Essie Fifth Avenue

Everybody loves a good red nail polish and Essie's Fifth Avenue is a great bright, tomato red colour. A great choice for summer, Fifth Avenue has quite strong orange undertones and would look lovely on warmer skintones. The formula is fantastic and is opaque after just one coat. In the photos, I applied two coats just to ensure the colour was even, but it probably wasn't necessary. Essie nail polishes can vary in price so I recommend shopping around. I bought mine from Beautybay.com, where Essie is around €9.50 (link here). 

Do you have any favourite red nail polishes? 

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L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil

L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil 

A while ago, I posted about the L'Occitane Delightful Almond Gift Set (post here) and decided it was about time I did a follow-up post on the Almond Shower Oil. If you would like follow-up posts on the rest of the set, let me know. 

As I mentioned in the original post, the shower oil was the primary reason that I picked up the set as I had great things about it and was desperate to try it out for myself. I have been using the shower oil for about two months and I have to say it definitely lives up to the hype it receives in the beauty community. 

The Almond Shower Oil creates a light lathering foam when mixed with water and washes away easily. I have found exfoliating gloves the best thing to use with it (such as these), as the oil is not nearly as effective when used with a regular shower poof. Using gloves also helps reduce product wastage, which is important as the shower oil is not the cheapest. 

I have quite dry skin and find that the shower oil helps add some moisture back into my skin without feeling greasy or too heavy. I tend to still apply body lotion afterwards but if your skin isn't as dry as mine, you could probably get away with just using the shower oil. The shower oil also works fantastically as a shaving cream. 

Finally the scent of the shower oil is divine. It has a flowery, almond scent that is subtle and feminine. The scent lingers on the skin, but is not overpowering and won't interfere with your perfume. 

Overall I recommend the L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil and will definitely repurchase when I run out (which won't be for a while as a little goes a long way). The Almond Shower Oil is quite pricey at about €22 for 250ml (available here), however, I have no regrets about buying it. 

Have you tried the Almond Shower Oil? Do you think it was worth the money? 

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MAC See Sheer Lipstick

MAC Lipstick in See Sheer

Today I thought I would share a new favourite lipstick with you today, MAC See Sheer. See Sheer is described on the MAC website as a 'grapefruit pink', however, I think it lends a little bit more red than pink. I probably would describe it as a sheer coral-red shade. As I have quite a pale complexion coral shades can sometimes look slightly off, however, the amount of red in See Sheer makes it the perfect coral for my skintone. See Sheer is part of the lustre range so it has quite a glossy finish, which I like as I rarely bother wearing lipgloss. It isn't drying on the lips, which is a major bonus. 

Swatched

If you are looking for a good lipstick for the warmer months, I definitely recommend taking a look at See Sheer. I know it will be gracing my lips almost daily this summer. MAC lipsticks retail for €17.50  (link here). 

Have you any favourite coral lipsticks?

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Clarins Summer Bronzing Compact

Clarins Summer Bronzing Compact 

I have already shared the Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balms from the Clarins Splendours Summer Collection (post here), however, the real star of the collection has to be the Summer Bronzing Compact. 

I am sucker for pretty packaging and you really can't find packaging much better than this. The Aztec inspired patterns are simply stunning. The compact feels pretty sturdy and has a huge mirror making it a great choice for travel. The huge compact means you can use a big powder brush for application, which I particularly like to do with bronzers (I use the Real Techniques Powder Brush). Furthermore, with 20g of product, you definitely feel like you are getting value for money as it will last forever. 

The bronzing compact is quite pigmented so it would be easy to go over the top. The colour also lends a little bit on the warmer side. However, so long as you aren't too heavy-handed when applying the bronzer, it shouldn't be a problem. In the centre of the compact, there is a lighter, shimmery colour. The rest of the bronzer is matte, which is a plus as sometimes shimmer in bronzer can be a bit much. 

Swatched 

Overall, I am really impressed by the Clarins Summer Bronzing Compact and expect it to a firm favourite during the summer months. The Bronzing Compact is limited edition as part of the Summer collection and retails for €35 (link here and here). 

Have you tried the bronzing compact or do you have any bronzers that you would recommend? If so, I would love to hear about it in the comments below. 

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Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balm

Clarins have released some great collections in recent years and when I saw their Summer Collection, I knew I wouldn't come away empty-handed. Lately I have been obsessed with lip products and the Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balms immediately caught my attention. They look slight crazy in the packaging, but are actually wearable tinted lip balms. The lipstick pigment is in the centre and is surrounded by the balm, which applies clear. Their consistency is definitely more comparable to a lip balm to a lipstick. They aren't drying on the lips either, making them a great option to have in your handbag if you want a bit of colour. I love the packaging of the lip balms. It is sleek and simple in a luxurious way. I also love the way the colour is on the bottom so you can easily tell what colour it is. 

Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balm in Crystal Rose

There are four colours in the Summer Collection, two of which I picked up. The first one I chose is Crystal Rose. I love pink lip shades and this is a beautiful rose shade (surprising I know). I think this is a great colour choice year-round and can see myself getting a lot of wear from it. 

Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balm in Crystal Berry

The second shade I bought was Crystal Berry. It looks kind of wacky in the bullet but the blue applies clear. I have really grown to like berry shades recently and Crystal Berry is definitely at the purple side of the berry spectrum. Bit of an odd choice for a summer collection, I think I will get more wear from this shade in the colder months, saying that summer in Ireland is normally pretty cold. 

Swatched 

These shades of the Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balms are limited edition and retail for €21. I picked mine up from House of Fraser (link here). They are also available from Debenhams (link here and here).

Have you tried the Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balms?

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NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base

NARS Pro Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base

"This lightweight primer creates a seamless canvas that keeps cream and powder colour looking brilliant, fresh and just-applied all day. No smudging, no creasing, no caking, no looking back. Ophthalmologist tested. Dermatologist tested."

Despite loving the Too Faced Shadow Insurance (post here), I recently decided to try the NARS Pro Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base. I have enjoyed everything I have tried from NARS and after hearing good reviews about this, I decided it was worth a shot. I picked mine up from House of Fraser (link here). 

The primer is whitish in colour, though it blends out easily and isn't noticeable. It has a bit of a thicker texture than the Too Faced Shadow Insurance or the Urban Decay Primer Potion. In terms of staying power, I have been really happy with its performance, helping eyeshadow stay creasefree and vibrant for hours. I tend to pair it with a Paintpot (post here) to increase longevity.

The one negative I have with the primer is the packaging. It has a doe-foot applicator and I prefer a tube that you squeeze the product out of. I feel its more hygienic and means you can use up every last bit of product here, which could be a problem here. Saying that the packaging isn't awful and it wouldn't put me off the product. 

So far I have been really enjoying the NARS Pro Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base and would recommend it if you are looking for a good eyeshadow primer. 

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MAC Brick-O-La Lipstick

MAC Brick-O-La Lipstick

I picked up MAC Brick-O-La lipstick a little while ago after seeing Essie Button raving about it (post here). I'm not really one for nude lip shades and love vibrant colours so this was right up my alley. Brick-O-La is a bit of a unique red shade, almost a mix of a red and a berry shade. 

Brick-O-La swatched 

Brick-O-La has an Amplified Creme formula, which delivers pigmented colour without been drying on lips. It leaves a nice creamy sheen on the lips. It's not particularly long lasting, though I don't mind topping up every few hours and layering with a lip liner can help improve longevity. 

MAC lipsticks retail for €17.50 and I picked Brick-O-La up from House of Fraser (link here).

Have you tried Brick-O-La or do you have any other favourite red lipsticks?

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