Summer holiday makeup essentials

 I'm recently back from the gorgeous island of Malta. Hopefully,  I will be doing a travel styl blog post over the coming week about my time thre. It really is such a gorgeous place and I will definitely be back. I'll also of course be including some tips on what you definitely should remember to pack if you are going to Malta or elsewhere this summer. Here's a quick sneaky snapshot below of what the view from our fabulous hotel was like:

                    

On this holiday I really wanted to pack as light as possible where it comes to makeup and clothes as I really never end up using half of what I bring normally. I think I really succeeded when it came to picking out multi tasking makeup so I decided to share with you what my summer holiday makeup essentials are this year. All products are budget friendly so that will leave more money for cocktails ;) it's a win- win! 

           

Starting with face products I couldn't go abroad without my hands down favourite foundation budget or otherwise. Rimmel 25 hour lasting finish seriously is the holy grail for me when it comes to long lasting high coverage foundation that won't break the bank. Usually this is about €9.99 in Boots but when I picked it up it was on special at only €4.99! I use this foundation everyday and it includes an spf 20 perfect for your holidays so I really don't know why I didn't bulk buy a few. You will also see I have a sample size Hoola bronzer and a sample size of Boi-ing concealer from Benefit. These both came from a Best of Benefit gift set I bought a Christmas and they really do come in handy for holidays. If you are going away I would really encourage asking the girls on your local makeup counter for any samples. Last but not least for the face products is Maybelline 24 hour super stay powder. Now I can't say this full survived the heat but it definitely mattified my skin to a certain extent. I would recommend for an even cheaper bargain buy get Rimmel's Stay Matte powder. 

The eyes are the windows to the soul... You can't go on holidays without a way of keeping your brows on fleek either so here are my top three eye products. I'm such a Bargain hunter, I went into my local chemist the day of my holidays and found Eyelure brow ink. It was reduced from €9.99 to €5.50 I couldn't resist especially since I was yet to try any Eyelure brow products. I got the shade Blonde and I think I may have been converted from using brow powders! essence superfine eyeliner pen is my new favourite for doing eyeliner flicks! So much less messy than gel liner and only about four euro! I will definitely be repurchasing. Max factor masterpiece glamour extensions is my go to mascara of the minute, I have a bit of a thing for mascaras as my one beauty product that I can't live without so I have virtually tried them all. This one erases the need for false lashes and even though it isn't waterproof pretty much doesn't budge in the heat unless you stick your head under a hot shower! 

It's all about those lips for any smiling holiday selfies. I limited myself to three lip products which I got on great with. From the left is my second favourite pinky nude lipstick (Mac Creme Cup is my fave but need to repurchase as its all gone sad face) I bought this lipstick in Finland it's from a vegan brand as far as I know called We Care colours but you can take whatever pinky nude lipstick you prefer and to be honest I would recommend a matte over a cremesheen finish. The pH matchmaker gloss from Physicians  Formula also took a trip with me. I just love the science behind this product and reviedd it before if you just use the search bar to find my review. It gives a lovely non sticky colour pop pink lip. Last but not last my favourite lip liner in shade Tiramisu by Rimmel.

This is my ultimate recommendation for a holiday makeup must have. Or just a must have in general? This teensy tiny trio of colours from Wet n Wild comes in at the bargain price of €4.49 and I have been using all three colours on my eyes and reaching for them over all the Urban Decay, Inglot, Fuschia, Naked palettes I own! This is called Walking on Eggshells and Wet n Wild have stands in Dunnes Stores and other department stores. I really recommend you buy this. Another huge plus is the gorgeous shimmery link which is the lid colour also works fantastically as a high lighter which means one less product to bring with you. You can see the shades better below. 

Here are some photos from when I was away so you can see how I went from day to night makeup with these products. 

Hope this post helped if you have any questions about any of the products featured or Malta please feel free to let me know! 

Xx

 

   

    

Chest and triceps training plan

So yesterday, Monday was meant to be leg day. I do a three day split of weight lifting workouts but they have all got mixed up lately as I haven't been consistent and then just when I was getting consistent I was hit with food poisoning the day before yesterday and had to go home from work early yesterday with severe stomach pain. Safe to say there would no gym for me, thats why it is important to know your limits. I decided to upload my chest and triceps workout plan as the final part of my three weight workouts. The others are Back and Biceps Training Plan  and Legs and Shoulders Training Plan just click on the links to have a read.

When I first heard about weight training I was like but why would I want to work out my chest, I don't want big manly pectoral muscles...it's vital to work out every part of your body and to be honest I would possibly even give your boobs a boost! Triceps are probably my weakest muscle as my triceps are essentially bingo wings so they are a part of my body I really want to work out. Below are the following exercises I do for chest and triceps. I'm going to leave out what weights I do them on as it is important to figure out your weight capabilities for yourself. I would definitely start light and work on your form however.

Lower the bench into lying down position for a flat bench dumbbell press 4 sets of 8 reps. I do this with dumbbells as I am not strong enough to do a benchpress with the bar yet.

Incline dumbbell press 3 sets of 10 reps - so the bench is in seated position for this.

Cable Flys '21s'  so you do 7 reps of upwards cable flys, 7 reps of across the chest cable flys, and 7 reps of downwards cable flys then repeat this 3 times. Its hard to explain the exercises but I hope to include some pictures of video in the future on my blog so you can fully understand but for now Youtube is your friend.

Tricep pulldowns 3 sets of 12-15 reps using the cable machine machine again.

Closegrip Dumbbell press 3 x 10 reps You will be back on the bench for this.

Overheard press 3 x 10

Hope these workouts help, let me know if you have been following any of them in the comments below!



 

BioDerma SkinScience Launches in Ireland

Recently I had the pleasure of attending BioDerma's skincare launch in Residence members club just off Stephen's Green. BioDerma was not a brand I had previously heard a whole lot about but I was absolutely delighted to go along as I love hearing about new skincare brands and this brand certainly has something to suit everyone.

BioDerma concentrates on four skin concerns and they have the complimentary skincare collections to suit them. Sensibio AR concentrates on those with sensitive skin, the AR stands for anti-rogeurs or anti-redness so would also be recommended for those suffering from rosacea. The Sébium range is focused on those with oily or acne prone skin. Photoderm is focused on skin protection from the sun and finally Atoderm is aimed at those with atopic skin issues such as eczema, severe dryness or psoriasis.

We were of course lucky enough to receive a goody bag with four products from three of the four ranges to try out. I received the Sensibio Anti Redness BB cream, the Sébium pore refiner and the Photoderm Bronz spf 50 tan enhancing mist.

I was excited to try the BB cream as I can never find one that is light enough to suit my skin tone. Unfortunately this BB cream was still a little dark, however in the name of tried and tested I applied my Mac prolongwear concealer on my cheeks and then stippled a light amount of this BB cream across my cheeks, nose, forehead and chin blending them together. I was really impressed with the luminosity and dewiness of this BB cream, it really does look like your skin but better. You can have a better look at what I mean in the picture below.

 

While I don't have oily or particularly acne prone skin I tried the Sébium pore refiner serum on a mark that a blackhead had left on my skin and it definitely made it less noticeable. This is also marketed as a perfect base under makeup and since I have recently run out of primer I might just try use it as such!

 

The Sensibio micellar water is a new favourite of mine. You must have been living under a rock at this stage not to have heard of the magic micellar which really is the lazy girls saviour to makeup removal. It markets itself as gentle enough to use around the eyes and best of all you don't have to rinse this off! For better skin it is recommended to remove your makeup with this, and then cleanse with your regular cleanser but one step is better than none. It really does get rid of even the toughest to remove mascara. Best of all the price points for all these products are not too extravagant.

 

I can't wait to try out Photoderm Bronz on my holidays in Malta...it claims to provide skin protecton of spf 50 and enhance the tan. It says its not oily or sticky but I did spray it on my hand to test this and it seemed quite oily however not sticky. It also smelled gorgeous, so I will be excited to try this out.

 

All BioDerma products will be available across the country in mainly Lloyds pharmacy and Sam McCauley pharmacies. If you want to find a stockist in your area comment below and I will let you know your nearest stockist for your county.

 

That's all for now ladies

 

xox