Weekend Essentials - Back to Basics!

Hey everybody! How are all of you lovely people?? 

I thought I'd share with you today my "weekend away essentials". These are what I would consider the must haves for a weekend away or even for a holiday. I think these items (give or take one or two) would also suffice as a beginners essentials. So lets get into it! 

My first item is an ingenious one, and it comes from The Collection (formerly collection 2000). 

It's their Cover & Go Foundation and Concealer Duo. It's a lovely medium coverage foundation, available in three shades, and it comes with a little compartment in the lid that has concealer and a small mirror in it. This is great because I think its better to have as many multitasking products as possible! 

My next item is a mascara. I've gone with NYC Big Curl. But of course you can choose whatever one you like! This mascara has a huge want to give maximum volume - and very affordable. 

You could leave it at that if you wanted to be super minimalistic, but I've chosen a couple other optional must haves. 

I always use a setting powder for my foundation, I find it prevents it from rubbing off on clothes etc., and also gives my skin a smooth appearance. At home I use Essence Fix & Matte Loose Setting Powder, but loose powders can be extremely messy so aren't ideal for travelling with. I chose a pressed powder from The Natural Collection. These are the least messy and I really like the formulation of the Natural Collection's powders. 

Another optional that i've chosen is liquid eyeliner - classic cat eye never fails! You could also go for a kohl or pen eyeliner. I don't favour gel or cream liners for travel as they can be a bit fiddly with brushes and that. 

Finally something that I personally love to have with me is a lipstick. Generally a muted, your-lips-but-better shade does the job for me. If you're not a lippy person something that I always have x10 of in my handbag is a tinted lipbalm, perfect for a hint of colour!  

One other thing that is probably only relevant if you want to bring powder is a brush of powder puff. I have one from primark which is perfect size for traveling - and it's amazing for the price! Seriously love it, especially as its pink!

That's it for my weekend away essentials!Thanks for reading & I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know in the comments if you have anything you would add to the list. What is your number one item that you cannot live without no matter where you go? 

Find me all over the web - twitter, instagram & She Said Beauty (these can all be found in the sidebar too!)

Ta-ta for now! xo

My Wishlist: May!

Hey everybody, I hope you're all well!

It's time to do my wishlist again - already? Time's gone so fast!
I have a couple of items scratched off my April Wishlist, and on their way to me, but I've seen so many more things I'm lusting over since then.
I'm also due for a favourites post too, and there's so many new products I've discovered since the last one, exciting!

But enough waffling from me, on with the show!

Wishlist: May! with Wet n Wild, wef, srth

Stila Illuminating Powder Duo in Kitten - I've seen lots of reviews of this product, and after trying Benefit's High Beam highlighter, I think either a cream or powder highlight suits me better. Shaaanxo uses this in nearly all her videos and it gives a beautiful dewy finish, without being too 'in your face'. I have an E.L.F fan brush on it's way, so I'm excited to see how this works out!

NYX Powder Blushes - I have one in 'Natural' which I got in Spain, and I love them. I love the formula of them. They're super soft and perfectly pigmented. I've heard the darker browney shade 'Taupe' can be used as a contouring shade so that is definitely going on my list.

NYX Lipsticks - I have one of these on it's way from Cherry Culture, in 'Narcissus', along with some lip liners too. Their matte lipsticks are supposed to have a great formula that isn't too drying on the lips. And they come in so many shades. I've fallen in love with lipsticks lately so I'm definitely going to get more of them.

Milani Lipgloss - I'm going to admit it right now - I really want these mainly because they're dupes for MAC Lipglasses. I don't wear lipgloss that much but the one I have my eye on is a dupe for Nymphette by MAC, which looks fab on bare lips.

MAC Lipstick in Snob, Girl About Town - I've decided to bite the bullet and go for it, I'm thinking of asking a friend of mine who lives where there's a Brown Thomas, to pick me up a MAC lipstick. I love lipstick so much right now, I feel I should invest in at least one high end one. The two colours I'm deciding between are Snob and Girl About Town. I like the look of Snob moreso than Girl ABout Town as I think I might have a dupe for it lying around somewhere.


Wet 'n Wild Palettes - These are a drugstore holy grail in America, I hear so much about them everywhere. I have to find out a cheap way to get them to me, here in Ireland! 'Walking on eggshells' is the most popular palette as far as I know, but I'd love to try some new, bright colours.

Make-up Academy Matte Perfect Primer - Ever since I saw Hannah from Midnight Violets review this and compare it to Benefit's 'The POREfessional' I've been um-ing and ah-ing over ordering it from the MUA Website. I absolutely adore my Benefit primer but the price is what puts me off a bit. I only have a sample size so it runs out quite quickly too.

And finally..
L'Oreal Top Coat Confetti - Since I've gotten into painting my nails more and more often, and seeing as it's summer soon (yay!) I'd love this so I could do a 'Mini Egg Mani'. I've been collecting a couple more nail polishes recently and I've decided that I'll do a Haul Post of my new ones and also maybe a tutorial post on any interesting manis I do!


That's it for my May Wishlist! Thanks for reading & as always, take a peep at my twitter, instagram & She Said Beauty profiles, they can also be found in the sidebar!
Let me know in the comments what you think of the items on my wishlist! Have you got any of them? Have you invested in a more high-end product, if so, was it what you expected? 

Ta-ta for now! xo

Holiday, life decisions & new feature!

Hey everyone!
Sorry I've been away from the keyboard for a bit but I was on holiday in Spain (have you seen my pics on Instagram?), which was a-mazing!

I got to see some beautiful places and meet some new and awesome people. There was also a load of beauty brands over there that aren't available in Ireland or England, so it was nice to be able to get my paws on some of those things. PLUS I got a few new clothes too which I might post about later! The weather was mixed with the first day being rainy, but then as the week went on everyday was better & better. Overall I had a fantastic time, and it was nice to be able to relax and forget about my worries and college and all the rest!

When we came back it was back to work - no more sangria for me! And back to college too. Which brings me to what I really want to whoever reads my blog know, maybe it's just because I've had a weight on my shoulders for the past few weeks and I've finally been able to make the decisions I need to get it off there, that I'm in the second last week of my first year of my course and I've made the choice not to go back to it in September. I loved it at the start and I value everything I was taught, but it's just not me.

I don't know exactly what I'll do instead but it's definitely something to do with make up or beauty.
I was in a department store on Friday just looking around and decided to get my brows done by the benefit brow expert, I also got some information on what qualifications you need to have to work at one of the beauty counters and it actually sounds really fun! I haven;t discussed my plans with my family yet but I know they will be supportive of my decisions.
I've been looking into beauty schools around Ireland and eyeing up some 'one day makeup' courses, but who knows yet!

Sorry if it's a bit of a rant but I've been busy with sorting all this out for the last few days so that's why I haven't had time to sit down and do the posts I planned for when I was back.

Aside from all that, I have decided that, as I'm finishing up with college and have the opportunity to wear nail polish for more than 24hrs - working with food or in a restaurant doesn't allow nail polish, I am going to do more Nails Of The Day posts, with nail polish hauls & some tutorials too! Let me know if you think this is a good idea in the comments!

Keep an eye on my twitter feed & Instagram feed for news and updates!
You can also find me on She Said Beauty!

What are your 'on holiday must haves'? 
Have you gone in thinking you love something then changed your mind? Or are you loving what your doing in college/uni? 
Would you like to see NOTD, polish hauls & nail tutorials? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading - it's a big confidence boost to know people are reading my little blog, and it helps me show my passion.

Ta-ta for now! xo