What I Wore: Penneys Bargains

This is only the second time I have ever done a what I wore style post. I don't really blog about fashion but it is something that I would like to get more into as I feel it makes me make more of an effort with clothes! I basically play it safe a lot of the time. I have my work uniform, my pjs, and jeans and a cosy knit look. I always stick to one of these which means my style can be a little boring. I have lots of clothes as I love shopping but sometimes I just can't be bothered! This coming year, 2015, I have decided I wanted to break out of that box and mix it up a little bit. There are only so many times you can wear Free Runs, tracksuit bottoms and a hoody when you are NOT at the gym. 

I like to call this a casual yet put together look. I love the layers and the colour palette of grey, khaki and tartan which are all very season suitable. 

God, I make an awkward model. This photos were a rush job taken the mother on my fab new Nikon camera that I got for Christmas. 

I am wearing a grey turtleneck pullover that I picked up in Penneys for €10. It's so cosy and thick and feels like better quality for Penneys/Primark. The necklace is this stunning industrial style silver 'knot' necklace also from Penneys. This cost €6. 

My fur collared gilet is from, yes, you guessed it! Penneys! I love it, I think it looks like its from River Island. €25. 

My tartan skort ( shorts that look like a skirt) is from Primark in Manchester. I can't remember how much it was but it was around ten or twelve pounds I think. Black tights, black boots that I also picked up in Manchester in a random shop and a grey satchel style bag from New Look complete the look. The boots were reduced to £30 from £60 and the New Look handbag was reduced to £15 from £30. I love a bargain! 

Let me know what you think of these types of blog posts and if its a yay I will do more of them I promise! :) 

xoxo Keep on blogging it beautiful 

My New Years Beauty Resolutions

1. To deep condition my hair once a week

After years of highlighting and colouring my hair it's dry and damaged and never grows last a certain length so I have made a resolution to deep condition it and give it a hair mask and some much needed moisture boost once a week. My poor hairdresser has her heart broke telling me to condition it, so I may as well start sometime! 

Anyone tried the Aussie 3 minute miracle for coloured hair? 

2. To start taking Perfectil

Perfectil is a vitamin for hair, skin and nails. It's supposed to make hair grow quicker than normal too and I have had a months supply of these for ages so I'm going to start taking these and see if they have any effects before I consider extensions! You take one tablet once a day with your evening meals. Folic acid is supposed to be great as well as zinc for encouraging hair growth. 

         

3. Moisturise, exfoliate and tan! 

         

I've been lucky to have been gifted loads of lovely tans and body butters this year. I love having a golden glow, and lovely soft, smooth skin it makes such a difference to your mood when you have a tan so I'm going to tan up once a week at least. 

So there you have it, there are three new beauty things I am going to commit to every week. It's such a shame to see all these lovely products put to waste so I will be making the most of them and sticking to my resolutions once a week. Fingers crossed by the end of it I will have long silky hair and smooth tanned skin - sure I'll be only gorgeous... Haha cringe! 

One more big change I will be making is embarking on a six week body transformation which will involve a health eating and exercise plan I will be sure to keep you all posted on my progress! 

That's all for now ladies, 

Keep on blogging it beautiful

Xoxo

My Makeup Wishlist

I've gone makeup mad lately and my collection has considerably grown recently thanks to recent additions of the Vice eyeshadow palette from Urban Decay and my Fuschia Pro Collection palette. That doesn't mean I have stopped lusting after makeup. The perfect luxury brand I am in love with this season is Charlotte Tilbury.

She is a top makeup artist and has produced such a gorgeous luxe collection that will jazz up any makeup bag and make any makeup lovers Christmas. It has a suitable price tag to match this luxury so come prepared! 

The three products I am after are as follows: 

The Dolce Vita set retails at €210 and is an absolute stunner. The golds and russets in the eyeshadow quad will suit our blue and green eyed girls. There is a wonderfully creamy nude lipstick, and apricot blush, lipgloss, looking, full fat lashes mascara and a linerpen. I haven't actually tried any of these products so I can't speak on their quality but I think that the packaging alone speaks volumes. What girl wouldn't want the glossy gold packaging peeking out of her makeup bag? 

Wonder glow and the light wonder foundation are next on my list of beauty arsenal for anger perfect luminescent skin. Beauty bloggers and makeup artists alike have been raving about Wonder Glow, a soft focus beauty flash primer that is designed to make your skin look lik it does in candlelight. 

Last but certainly not least is the Filmstar sculpt and highlight duo. A gorgeous bronzer and a shimmery  champagne highlight will be the winning combination to sculpt your face. 

All Charlotte Tilbury products are available in Brown Thomas. 

What's in My Makeup Bag

Hey ladies, I just decided to do a super quick post on what is inside the makeup bag I carry around with me on a daily basis! So here we go...I literally just tipped it out so this shows what I carry with me when I'm out of the house. These are my basics and my must haves if you will.

Starting from left to right I have my Natural Collection Face Powder in Translucent which is only  €2.49 in Boots. Next I have Rimmel 25 hour stay comfort serum foundation in the shade 103 True Ivory. It says it is a skin perfecting full coverage foundation which I whole heartedly agree with! Retails at €8.85 in Boots. Next up I have my mini Hoola Bronzer I got in my Best of Benefit set. Above that is the w7 brow palette, I got this at a blogger dinner hosted by Cat from bigblondegirl.blogspot.ie it is from the Cosmetic Outlet. I always use the darkest shade of brown with an angled brush to fill in my brows. It's silkier and easier to use than Inglot matte shadows I find. Below that is Vaseline in their limited edition birthday tin, it's the rosy lips one. I tend to get dry lips when I'm out and about so I usually have this or my Balmi with me! 

Next up is my Mac Creme Sheen lipstick in Creme Cup, my perfect pinky nude lipstick. I also have the Rimmel wake me up concealer for under the eyes and to high light also. 

Rimmel accelerator mascara, lip liner in Tiramisu, mini lipgloss from Fuschia are in the top right corner. Below that is my Weleda hand cream. It's very moisturising. I also love the Human Kind hand cream available on Cloud 10 beauty as like my lips my hands get dry when I am out and about. 

Finally I have a black kohl eye pencil  from Collection at Boots, and  Burts Bees lip balm in Apricot Shimmer. 

I have Rimmel lip liner in Tiramisu and Burts Bees lipbalm on in this picture below. 

I usually always carry the Blank Canvas lined in winged it but I must have left it somewhere today! Im wearing that in the above photo too, I love a winged out eye! I don't carry eyeshadows around with me as I have lots of palettes which would be too bulky. 

Hope you enjoyed having a little snoop of what's inside my makeup bag. 💋

Christmas Wishlist

I have been so blessed, lucky and spoilt this year with a colossal amount of goodies at the Christmas Blogger dinner and the most gorgeous pressies off my boyfriend and family and friends for my 21st birthday that when I am asked what I would like for Christmas I almost feel like saying I don't want anything! There are however a few little things that I would never dream of treating myself too but wouldn't say no if someone surprised me with them. I always spend more on others than I would on myself with my only exception being the odd splurge on myself maybe twice a year if that, so I don't feel bad making a Christmas wishlist :) 

A decent camera is something that I have wanted for absolutely ages. This one from Argos or something similar would be the perfect accompaniment to all the travelling I hope to do in the New Year. 

I have been craving this stunning long line faux fur biker jacket from River Island for so long, hopefully I will get reduced in the sales as its €113. 

I would never buy good quality jewelry for myself, it really is something that someone else should buy for you I feel. I love the quote on this Alex and Ani bracelet, there are loads of other lovely charms and sayings as well. This is €30. 

I spotted this beauty of a necklace and these stunning bangles on stella and dot's website here http://www.stelladot.eu/shop/en_eu/jewelry

The bangles say Love, always or blessed. 

I really like this necklace as well. Both retail at €49 each I think. Hopefully this Christmas list gives you an idea for presents for your mum, sister, girlfriend, partner or friend! They are all presents a girl would love. 

 

Lippie love

I am definitely a girl who loves her lipstick. A defined lip certainly adds another dimension to your face while a bright colour pop lip lifts an outfit like nothing else. Here are my three favourite lipsticks in no particular order...

1. Mac Toying Around from the Playland collection 

This lippie is a colour like no else that I have seen. It has an almost neon quality about it but without tipping over into tacky territory. It's like a bright bright coral, it's absolutely stunning and would look equally fantastic on someone with a darker skin tone. 

2. Sleek lipstick in Fuschia 

I lost this lipstick on a nigh out and haven't yet replaced it but I absolutely adore it. It's such a strong pigmented lipstick but it isn't matte at all, instead it is quite moisturising and contains vitamin E. This is a strong Fuschia pink colour and it looks fantastic for a night out, maybe not an everyday colour unless you are someone who wears bold lips all the time. It's fantastic value as well only €6.99. 

Here is the colour swatched, it doesn't show how creamy and gorgeous it is in the swatch however: 

3. Mac Creme Cup lipstick 

This is my go to nude lipstick. It's a light shade of pink but it is stunning on when paired with a smoked out eye. I love Mac lipsticks, creamy, long wearing and pigmented. What more could you ask for apart from a cheaper price tag perhaps. 

What are your favourite lipstick colours? I find if you are a makeup artist it's important to have a classic red, a nude, a pink and a plum lipstick in your collection. Let me know in the comments below xx

No7 Hydration Mask for Very Dry Skin

               

My skin was feeling in serious tlc the other day what with the biting wind and change in temperature winter is the time to start really looking after your skin. My Makeul was flaking off in dry patches and it just looks terrible, one of the girls at the no7 counter told me that my skin was probably dehydrated. 

Aside from getting the h20 into me, I decided to purchase the Beautiful Skin Hydration Mask from no7 for dry/very dry skin. I love how it looks in the bottle, all fluffy like marshmellows or something. I cleansed thoroughly before using this and then applied the mask all over my face. It's texture is like a thick cleanser. You are meant to wipe it off after ten minutes but I decided to leave it on all night as my skin was in particularly bad shape. It melted into my skin. Just showed how badly I needed it, you could see my skin practically drinking it up! 

The next day my skin felt smooth and soft and I have noticed also since I started using the Beautiful Skin moisturiser for dry skin my makeup has been applying and staying on a lot better. Watch out for those no7 vouchers and you will get €6.50 off skincare. This retails at €16.25. 

I'm a big fan of no 7 skincare and have been using this soft and soothed cleanser for years. It is ideal for sensitive skin. Give it a go! I don't think you will be disappointed...

My top 3 favourite fragrances

Are you looking to buy a fragrance for a special someone this Christmas? These are my top three fragrances that most women will love. If you like a floral, fruity scent then these are for you. 

1. Jean Paul Gaultier Classique Eau de Parfum

This has notes of rose and vanilla, it's a gorgeous sensual scent and the bottle is stunning. I got the 100 ml perfume from my boyfriend recently for my birthday. It's a strong scent at first but very wearable and I always get compliments on it. The 50 ml retails at €79 and the 100 ml for €103, so it's expensive but one of the most popular fragrances. 

2. Valentina by Valentino 

Wow, I love this perfume. It is so feminine, with notes of strawberry and vanilla it is quite sweet but gorgeous on. The bottle is so girly and tasteful, it would be the perfect accompaniment to any girls dressing table. The 30 ml is €57 and the 50 ml is €76. 

3. Boss Ma Vie fragrance 

This is a new offering from Hugo boss for women. It's a gorgeous floral fruity scent. It's a very light, everyday scent and once again it has vanilla in it! Possibly my favourite perfume ingredient. It has hints of rose also in its heart notes. 

The 30 ml is €48, the 50 ml is €68 and the 75 ml is €86. Scents don't come cheap.

They are also doing a fabulous Boss Ma Vie gift set which includes a 30 ml of perfume, shower gel, body lotion and a little makeup purse with three makeup brushes inside, this retails at €85. It would be a lovely present for anyone. The gift set was reduced to €41 for Black Friday and I am kicking myself that I didn't pick one up they were flying off the shelves. 

*All prices stated are from Boots.ie website. I work for Boots but have not been paid in anyway to promote these fragrances. I just really, really like them. * 

Festive favourites

        

Number 1. Favourite Festive Food

My mum's roast dinner wins favourite food never mind favourite festive food hands down! It's amazing, but all the extra Christmas trimmings makes it even more amazeballs. She makes sausage stuffing and extra crispy roast potatoes done in goose fat with roasted veg - it it divine! 

Number 2. Favourite Reindeer

I'm just gonna say Rudolph because he is the original!

Number 3. Favourite Day of Christmas

I really like the weekend before Christmas when we do the Twelve Pubs thats when I feel like it starts to get really festive! I also like Stephen's Day and New years Eve when we meet up with loads of family, karaoke and wine are usually the orders of the night! Always really good craic to be had. 

Number 4. Favourite Christmas Song

Fairytale of New York is always good for a sing song, the original by the Pogues. I also love All I Want for Christmas by Mariah Carey. When I was little, I wanted to be the girl who sung it in Love Actually - I was obsessed with her glittery beanie! 

Number 5. Favourite Present

This year I got a car for my 21st birthday and my birthday is a few weeks before Christmas so I won't be expecting anything big! That was definitely my favorite present, I also got a laptop a few years ago which I was not expecting so that was lovely. When I was younger I was such a book worm and used to get so excited getting the collection of Harry Potter books or Lemony Snicket novels. I remember one year I got some sort of weird cat baby doll that I was OBSESSED with, and of course Baby Born even though they bought me a boy instead of a girl. 

Number 6. Favourite Festive Film

That's a tough one! I adore all of the Home Alone movies, Love Actually although I have watched it to death, the Grinch...I really like A Christmas Carol because it is about the true meaning of Christmas and makes you think about those less fortunate. We also always call my dad a Scrooge as usually he is the first to complain about us wanting to put the Christmas lights and tree up 'too early.' 

Number 7. Favourite Festive Cracker Toy

I like getting those plastic fish that you lay in your palm and whether the tail or the head moves it is supposed to tell you whether you are a fickle person or not...I'm a sucker for those things. 

Number 8. Favourite Cracker Joke

Ugh, just no. I hate cracker jokes they are so cringy, they are the type of jokes my Dad always makes that are only funny to him and no one else. I don't think I have ever heard a funny one.

Number 9. Favourite Christmas Decoration

All we have on our tree this year is lights, haven't got around to decorating it but I used to love all of the homemade decorations we used to have on it when I was a kid. My mam has really nice Newbridge Silverware decorations so I like those. We also have some gorgeous decorations from when we lived in Budapest, they are great for something different. 

10. Favourite Christmas Candle Scent

I adore any mulled wine, cinnamon ones. I have a cranberry and orange one which I love. I don't have a particular candle I always burn though, which I am surprised since I am a huge candle fan!

11. Favourite Christmas TV Advert

It has to be the Boots ad, where the mum who is a nurse comes off her late Christmas shift and its Stephens day but her daughter has come home to surprise her from travelling and all the family come over to make it Christmas day for her. I get a tear in my eye every time I see it. So cute!

12. Favourite Festive Tradition

Christmas Eve night - wrapping presents, visiting family, opening one present which is always cosy pjs and slippers and then heading to bed and the anticipation of Christmas Day. 

My Blogging Experience (How To Start Your Own Blog)

It's been just over a year since I started blogging, and probably a year since I have been blogging properly. I set up a Facebook blog page way back at the very end of August last year and then promptly put the settings on private and forgot about it for two or three months. I was a bit nervous about putting myself out there on the internet but I needn't have been worried as the experience has been 99.9% fabulous!

If you are looking to start a blog you can host it on BlogSpot or Wordpress. To be honest, I am the most untechy person when it comes to design and layout of a blog and it really takes a lot of playing around with the widths, colours, themes and dimensions to make it get to a semblance of how you want it to look.

The hardest part is coming up with a name! If I could go back I probably would change my blog name as it is a bit of a mouthful but I think I have come so far now it would only be confusing the change it.

It's important to have a Twitter presence if you want to get into blogging, be it beauty blogging, fashion blogging, food or travel blogging. An online presence on all social media networks is important it will also give you more 'traffic' or viewers to your blog. Attaching labels to your blog will also help people find your blog as it is more likely to come up in a search engine like Google, this is called 'search engine optimisation'.

I was lucky to come across a guy called Paraic Cullen who designed my blog header for me which was a big step as I believe it was then that it became a proper blog. He did a fantastic job, he has experience in digital marketing but is also a fantastic graphic designer as you can see from the job he did.

 

He was very professional, friendly and easy to deal with. He was so thorough and really came up with a strong visual that I think suits my blog down to the ground. He is busy at the moment doing a Masters he has informed me, but if you are interested in hiring him to create a blog header email me at bloggingitbeautiful@gmail.com and I will try and put you both in touch.

The hardest part about blogging sometimes is keeping up with it. I used to post three times a week, averaging twelve posts a month but as life has got more hectic with college and work it has been hard to keep up with the blog. That is where scheduling comes in! Unfortunately since my laptop broke I have been trying to blog on a tablet so I am only getting used to using the Blogger app and still don't know how to schedule on the iPad but I will get there.

Its also hard to know WHAT to blog about. I suppose I have always been interested in makeup, I studied an  ITEC makeup course which you can read about here  at My Makeup Artist Journey so it made sense to start up a beauty blogging. I felt a bit limited at the start so I decided to branch out a bit into health, fashion, fitness and lifestyle posts a little bit. A blog can be about anything interesting to you.

Blogging has brought me such fantastic experiences from meeting inspirational people and attending amazing launches and receiving lots of fabulous products to try out. You have to put a lot of work into it so don't just expect to start receiving free makeup!

Its important to build up a readership and gain their trust. You wouldn't want to feel like you were conned into buying a product that was actually total crap so why would you do that too your readers. Its okay to give a bad review as long as it is totally balanced and not biased. No product is going to be 100% amazing, well not many are anyway.

If I could go back I would make more of an effort to attend events that I was invited too. Yes I have to juggle two part time jobs and college and blogging but at the end of the day these events are where you will meet lovely people to network with, build contacts and break into the media/beauty industry if that's what you are interested in.

I attended the Christmas Blogger Dinner after working a ten hour shift, and then had to leave early to leg it for the last bus home and on to a 21st birthday party, its important to try and fit it all in even if it means lack of sleep once in a while. It was totally worth it, I met Chloe, Beth, Karen, Donna-Marie, Lisa, Elaine, and Emma and lots of bloggers I interact with on a daily or weekly basis that I had never met in person before. It was so nice to have a little chat about blogging but more importantly get to know the person behind the blog.

Attend all the events you get invited to, tweet your thanks to companies who send you products or who sponsor launches, build up relationships with bloggers - you can learn from each other and the whole reason I love blogging is because its like a little supportive community. So get involved! A good way to start blogging is by doing a blog challenge and writing about something new everyday.

Hope you enjoyed reading about my experience and my tips, I obviously am not an expert but I know a lot of people would like to start blogs and it is hard to find out how to do it :)

Let me know if you have any more questions and I will try my best to answer them in the comments below xx

 

Travel Size Beauty Essentials

One thing I hate is packing, even if I'm going on holidays I just despise having to whittle everything down to fit in my suitcase or even my beauty bag since I am the most indecisive person in the world so I decided to compile a little guide of what are my go to products for travelling to make it a little bit easier for you all! 

                          

First off when you are going on a weekend away having different lip options is always good but who wants to haul around different colour lipsticks and lip liners AND lip glosses? This is why I love these mini lip glosses from Fuschia. They pack a powerful colour punch and there is a variety of colour choices, bright pink, a deep plum and a nude shimmery pink. They have a gorgeous menthol smell and are very moisturising. They are also tiny and will fit in the tiniest of clutches! 

Primers can be important if your on the go all weekend like I will be on my weekend shopping trip to Manchester. You want to be browsing the sale rails not re touching your foundation! My go to primers are Urban Decay eyeshadow primer potion in the travel size and a teensy cute Smashbox photo finish primer which I got as a free sample. 

                            

Your base is arguably the most important part of your beauty arsenal and I will be bringing away with me and trying for the first time Dior Star foundation in shade 10. This is where beauty counters or tiny plastic tubs are your friend. You can decant any product into them. Beauty counters are also worth asking for samples which are great to bring away with you. Luckily I work in Boots so samples aren't hard to come by! Rimmel wake me up concealer is also a must for me, it doubles up as an under eye concealer and a highlighter for me. It also gives great coverage. 

     

I am loving this Wet n Wild Mega Glo Illuminating powder in Catwalk pink. It doubles as a blush and a highlighter. You could probably use it for eyeshadow as well. It's a great multi purpose product which are your friend when travelling. 

Hoola bronzer in this miniature size and this they're real mascara bought came in my Best of Benefit set which is offer of the week in Boots until tomorrow btw! 😉 here is a quick pic of the set and what it contained: 

I am a convert to the they're real mascara, I dont think my lashes have ever looked so long or separated. 

Lastly is skincare. You will need a good quality rich moisturiser if you are flying anywhere and to rehydrate the skin after too many late nights/wine. I have the mini Dead Sea rich moisturiser and the gentle cleansing facial wash. I received both of these at the Christmas blogger dinner (blogged about the night in the below post) in my goodie bag and can't wait to use them! The moisturiser has already got a whirl and it's gorgeous! 

                               

You can still tan while travelling with this Cocoa Brown travel set. It contains Chocolate Oil free moisturiser which looks very like their Gentle Bronzer product when you squeeze it out of the tube. It also contains 1 hour tan and Tough Stuff their famous exfoliator. I have always been a fan of their packaging and this set is great because everything is 100 Mls or less so there will be no hassle getting this through in hand luggage! It also comes in handy zip lock see through bag. You will be the envy of the airport! There is no mitt supplied so don't forget to bring your own. This retails at €9.99 in Penneys.

I hope you enjoyed reading my travel must haves...let me know what you NEED to pack on your makeup bag in the comments below! 

Xoxo blogging it beautiful 

      

     

The Christmas Blogger Dinner

On Saturday night I had the privilege of attending the annual Christmas Blogger dinner hosted by the gorgeous Lisa of Pink Sugar. She completely out did herself with the organising.

 We met up in Oscars Bar for a drink before our meal in Bel Cibo in Smithfield, and at long last I got to catch up with all of the fabulous ladies who I blog with in our little community! Unfortunately as is the way with all these events I didn't get to chat with everyone but delighted I got to meet Karen from Beauty Baggage for the first time, Elaine from Ruby Laine Makeup, Emma Sheehan from Mastering your Makeup, Chloe from Nurse Fancy Pants and Beth from Beth Young Makeup and Donna Marie Cullen. Loads of fantastic ladies turned out dressed in their glad rags, and after a glass of wine we were all chatting like we had known each other for ages. 

Lisa had super cute cupcakes with our names on the packaging from Jens couture cakes and they marked everyone's places at the tables, it was such a cute touch but mine got a bit bashed when I had to leave the fun and let it for the last bus! 

It was interesting to see how different everyone actually was in person compared to how you imagine their voice when you read their blog! Some I got totally wrong! Cough, Emma Sheehan haha she has no more a Waterford accent! ;) also the gorgeous Sinead from The Beautiful Truth comes across kind of serious in her blog posts but in person she is so cute and sparkly and like a Christmas elf! Haha I sound like such a weirdo but just trying to describe how it can be totally different how people are and how they come across online. 

I was so shocked at the generosity of all of the companies who donated for our fantastic goodie bags stuffed full of products ranging from Karora tan, REN skincare, Fuschia makeup and lots of Wetnwild goodies! There is actually so much stuff I literally have only gone through about a quarter of it. Safe to say I won't have to buy myself any beauty goodies - well eyeshadows or lip products for a long, long time! 

I also have to say a big thanks to Paul from the Cosmetic Outlet for donating the wine! Huge thumbs up and won the hearts of all of us bloggers. 

Here's a cheers from myself Niamh Martin from Nima Brush, my former makeup tutor! Donna Marie Cullen, Chloe and myself :)

Lisa went too so much trouble for us all, she really is a Wonder Woman and she should get a job as an event manager, I think I would have had a melt down with the work she put into it. Some woman for one woman! She even did a raffle for everyone on the night, Preen, the salon she works for were very generous donating prizes and even though I didn't win a raffle prize I won this gorgeous Fuschia palette and some lip products. Eek! 

It's called their pro collection and features fabulous a range of matte and shimmery shades, neutrals and brights. 

I'm wearing bisque on my lid and chocolate brown and taupe on my crease in this pic, and NyC expert last lip lacquer in Big city cherry on my lips. Mascara and liner are benefit they're real. 

I can't wait to play with all of my products! I wish I could show you them all but I will bit by bit over the next few months in reviews and tutorials. So watch this space as I unveil lots of goodies and use them in my December makeup challenge. Follow me on Instagram to see the photos everyday : katiejanewheeler 

Xx happy blogmas everyone ! #CBD14