General Life Update

Soooooooooo................. I've been a really bad bad blogger recently!!!!

To be honest, theres been alot going on and major changes to my life, and I haven't really had a chance to blog!

However I promise from now on, I will try to blog much more regularly! I've so many blogs to put up, many more ideas! So bare with me.

I just thought I would bring you guys up to speed of whats been going on in my life.....

• Started a strict new low fodmap diet in order to try get my Crohns symptoms undercontrol
• Went away on holliers to Kusadasi in Turkey for a fornight
• Been sorting out college so I return tomorrow to finish my final year in Medicinal Chemistry

So yeah, I've been preoccupied but I'm now baaaaaaack :)

Love,

Zow

Haul #2: Yankee Candle Noob

So whilst on a trip to Swords with the Mum and Nan set on a mission to get wallpaper and paint..... I ended up coming home instead with some Yankee Candle goodies!!!

I was in Homestore & More and for this month, all their Yankee candle range is on half-price!!! I have never ever bought a Yankee candle product before but my friend is obsessed with them, so I thought I would get a few to see what the hype was about! As I never had one I decided to pick up a few wax tarts for 75c each (how could I pass that up), to see sample a few different scents before investing in a large jar candle! 

So I picked up four wax tarts in Baby Powder, Vanilla Satin, Mango Peach Salsa and Vanilla Lime.

 

 

Bargain Yeah???? But the plot thickens.... as a Yankee candle noob, I just picked these up thinking they were cute little candles but when I got home my sister laughed at me. I didn't realise that infact they weren't candles at all but scented wax that needed a burner to work!!! I was gutted that I couldn't try one out straight away! So I went and bought a burner for 9e in B&Q. The burner is actually really nice and fits right in with my room.

 

So far I've only burned the Baby Powder Wax Tart, it took around 10 minutes for the tart to melt into a liquid. The room smelled lovely all day, I love the smell of baby talc. I'm so excited to try the rest of the tarts out!!!

 

Baby Powder Tart melted and burning bright

Q. What is your favourite Yankee Candle Scent????

Haul #1: Mini Impulsive Buys

Hey all,

So, I thought I would do a mini-haul blog, I promised myself I wouldn't buy anything new this week because I'm trying to save a few coppers for my holidays which is in 6 weeks now HOORAY!!! but as you can see it didn't work as well as I had hoped :P but I wasn't too bold as you will see... So lets begin...

Ed Hardy's Love and Luck Perfume by Christian Audigier:

So technically I didn't buy this perfume (SCORE) but was a gift from America. I was never the biggest Ed Hardy fan before, my sister had the Born Wild perfume and I hated it, it just wasn't me at all, but to my surprise I really like this one. Its not what I typically would go for, I love sweet smelling scents and this is definitely not sweet.  Its kind hard to describe, I would say its a fruity citrus floral smelling scent.  Its really refreshing and not too strong, nice for the summer.  I would definitely use this during the day!!!

No7's Natural Blush Cheek Colour:

So I picked up this blush in the shade Candy Pink the other day in my local chemist which was reduced to a fiver and its retailing at 13e in Boots at the moment, how could I say No?  Its a bright pink colour which a great colour pay-off, its quite pigmented! Its quite a bold colour but I love it! It reminds me of MAC's powder blush in Dollymix.  Possible dupe I hope so!! I haven't used this yet so I'll get back to you's on it!

Rimmel London's Waterproof Gel Eyeliner:

Eyeliner is a must in my books when it comes to finishing off a look! So I seen on my merry way that Rimmel have just released a NEW waterproof gel eyeliner and its on special at the moment for 5.95e (normally 7.95e). I'm currently in the transition from using liquid liner to gel liner! (Its so much easier putting on liquid).  My all-time favourite eyeliner has been Rimmels Exaggerate liquid liner, so I've high hopes for this one. Its very cute, its only small with a small brush built into the lid of it, the brush doesn't look the best but looks can be deceiving!!!! So who knows?? I'm going to do an eyeliner review on this soon after using it so stay put! 

Redken's All Soft Velvet Whip:

So my final buy of the week was Redken's All Soft Velvet Whip. Rumour has it that this gem of a hair product it being discontinued!!! So I had to rush out and see if I could get my hands on one!  I've used this product for years after my hairdresser recommended it for my poor over-processed hair. My hair is never is good nic, due to my poor health and hair straightners. This is kinda a leave in conditioner, with thermal protection properties.  It keeps my my hair feeling super soft and shiny!!! A little product goes a long way. I'm gutted that this product is going to be gone soon!

Q. What was your last impulsive buy???  

Much Love

Zobo

xxxxx

My One Month Nail Challenge

So I've set myself a little challenge, here it goes! As you can see from the picture below, I've ridiculously short horrible stubby little nails! Haha I've bitten them for as long as I can remember and never ever had long nails.

Due to the lack of nail-a-ture, I very rarely wear nail polish cause it just emphasizes how bad they really are!

 So I've decided to TRY not bite them for the next month and see if they actually can grow(cause they only ever seem to get shorter). I'm really going to try but I do it subconsiously now so it may not work out! But I'm going to give it socks!  I plan to update my blog each week with a progress report!

Q. Any tips for breaking the habit???

Wish me luck!!!!!

 Love Zobo

xxxx

Whats In My bag ????

So I was asked to do a "Whats in my bag", blog which happens to be a firm favourite amongst bloggers!  So here it goes...

 So I've been using this one recently the most, its from Paul Boutique which my besties got me for my birthday last October. It's absolutely huge, much bigger than my other Paul boutique bag, which was hard to believe! You wouldn't believe how much stuff you can fit in this bad boy! (I dunno if its a good thing or a bit of a hindrance :P)

So here's what I always carry around with me pretty much all the time! The bag is kinda empty at the mo!

My Purse:

So I never leave the house without my purse (no surprise there!). I'm using this River Island one at the moment which my friend got me as a Kris Kindle present. I mainly just use it to keep my bank cards, ID and many many many loyalty cards in!  Nothing really special or surprising here!

My Orange Marc Jacobs Bag:

Next is my lil orange magical bag of tricks!!! I keep some of my medication in this lil bag. I need to keep this on me all the times. Seems like a lot eh? I suffer with an autoimmune disease called Crohn's disease and its not very pleasant to live it, so I just need these on me to try keep it under control :)

The Filofax:

Next is my Pink Filofax. This personal organizer keeps my entire life on track!  God I wouldn't like to see my life without it! NO LIE Its great for keeping all my college assignments and work due dates in, also for my hospital appointments and tests! Its also great for lil things like budgeting and just generally keeping my life running as smoothly as possible. Bit of a scatter brain at the best of times to be honest.

Keys and Savings:

So I always have my bunch of keys with me which contains my car and house key and a random bunch of ancient key rings I've had since I was around 10! Also I have my credit union account book in my bag, I never really carry this around with me, but I'm making a special effort to save as I'm going away on my Summer holidays in August and back to college in September, trying to build up the funds!!!!

Make Up and Jewellery:

Nowadays I generally don't tend to take a lot of make-up out with me!  I used to always take everything and more with me on a night out and NEVER ever reached for it, the only thing that happened was it would smash or spill all my bag, which only leads to a sad Zowie :( So now I only really bring the bare essentials for the day, which is generally just the lipstick I'm wearing for touch ups! In my bag at the moment I'm carrying around MAC's Angel lipstick, its a pinky-nude colour which suits my pale skin tone. I also have various jewellery in my bag, which I tend to throw into after a night out cause I hate sleeping in it.

So thats basically whats in my bag!!! Hahaha theres nothing out of this world or special in it to be honest!  I hope it wasn't too boring!  I was asked to do it so there ya go! So yeaaaaaaah buddy!

BlogThis!

Location: Baile Dúill, Baile Dúill

MAC 'Haute and Naughty Lash' Mascara

Okay, so I'm a big sucker for big lashes.  A good mascara is a beauty product I definitely couldn't do without. Most of the time, I just don't have the time to do a full on beauty regime, so generally a lick of mascara and I'm on my merry way :)

I've always been a firm fan of Max Factors' False Lash Effect (and I still am), but lately I've found a new mascara which I think rivals it!!!! (YES I just say that!)

(Left): Little brush [Lengthing]                (Right): Big brush [Volumizing]

I was introduced to Mac's Haute and Naughty Lash Mascara back in February and I haven't been able to put it down ever since.  Its by far the best mascara I've ever used. I never ever splurged out on a mascara before because I think there are plenty great cheaper drugstore ones, but I was convinced to get this and I'm so glad I did, and I think its definitely worth the extra few euro's.  Its £18 but I think I paid 23 euro for it. Its a two in one mascara, with the small brush aimed at lengthening lashes and the big brush used for adding volume.  I find the mascara gives me a fuller set of lashes without clumping.  People have even asked me was I wearing fake lashes when I wasn't.  What I also like about this mascara is, you can tailor your look with it! You can get a natural look with adding just one layer or two, but you can keep adding layers for a more dramatic effect!  The choice is yours!

Before (No Mascara, didn't curl my lashes either)

Big difference?? No???

So what do you guys thinks? Huh?

Love,
Zobo
xxxx

Q. So whats your favourite Mascara?

Revlon "Colour Bomb" Review

Just thought I would do a real quick review.  I get bored very easily with my hair colour so lately I've been using Revlons "Nutri Colour Creme 3 in 1" bombs (I have 3 colours so far). They are really good for people who have damaged hair like myself but like to change their colour or keep it fresh.  These bombs satisfy my cravings for colour change without having great consequences on my poor hair. The colours aren't permanent but fade nicely after a couple of washes.  The colours have a 3 in 1 system which means that it, refreshes colour, gives a lovely gloss and shine to your hair!  After using these my hair feels silky smooth and looks like I've just got my hair coloured in the hairdressers from the shine and gloss on my hair! 

So today in spirit of the European Cup with Ireland playing tonight, I decided to put Copper (740) in my hair. The colours come in a bomb shape with a pump or in a tube like below, I would defientely recommend buying the bomb as its easier to monitor how much dye your using and also its much better value for money with 12 applications versus just 4 in the tube.  The reason I bought the tube is because they didn't have the bomb in Copper.

 

My hair is a medium brown, so I didn't expect drastic changes, they do give a lovely natural hint of the colour to dark hair.  On lighter hair colours, they come out MUCH more vibrant. Also in natural light the colour also becomes a lot more vibrant than in doors.  In my hair they give it a multi-toned look.

 

Medium Brown

After..  Ta Da..

This was my first time using this colour I normally use Marron (513) or Fire Red (600).  I think these are great to put in for a night out on the town just to freshen up your hair!!!!

If I wanted to keep my hair this colour, I would put it in maybe once every 2 weeks!!! They are really easy to use and only takes 5 minutes!  If you got the bomb shape, you can get 11-14 applications from it depending on hair length, and retail at 11.99e in Sallys Hair supplies (with Trade card) or 20e (with no trade card). Bargain or what????

Q.  So whats your favourite Hair Colour Products???

Urban Decay 'Build Your Own Palette' Review

So as a major Urban Decay eyeshadow fanatic, when they released a customizable palette I just had to get it!!!!  Urban Decay have re-released their single eyeshadow, they now come in 68 amazing shades with five different finishes (Duotone, matte, satin, shimmer and sparkle) and have been reformulated for better overall quality.  To be honest, I never seen a problem with the old version of the eyeshadows, but in Urban Decay we trust.

I was a bit weary of buying the palette at first as many bloggers commented on how expensive they were, but when I seen that I could buy shades from the old 'book of shadows' palettes (in peticular bordello and last call)  that was the deal breaker for me.

So I popped along to Debenhams the other day and picked up the' build your own' palette.  The palette is retailing  at 17 euro (but I got it for 15 as there was a discount on all beauty products that day).   The packaging of the palette is extremely stylish and sturdy (very like the naked2 packaging) to keep the eyeshadows safe from smashing in your handbag.  On the inside, the palette comes complete with one exclusive eyeshadow "Walk of Shame", a mini karma shadow brush, a big mirror and five other empty spaces, where your can add your own Urban Decay eyeshadows.

The packaging

Inside the palette

So now it was time to start filling the palette.  The eyeshadows themselves come in their own chrome pot, unlike MAC shadows designed for palettes. This idea is pretty nifty as the shadows can be popped out of their packaging, and placed in the palette, then if you change your mind, you can pop the shadow back into their original chrome packaging and carry them around as singles. 

NOTE: As you can see from my photos, I tried to pop them out the WRONG way and ended up scratching the shadows, which happened down to sheer excitement, they can be easily popped out by pressing the back of the eyeshadow forward and not prized out by using any blunt object which happened to be next to you.

The eyeshadow removed from the pot

So my next job was to pick the shades that I wanted to put in my palette, which is much harder than you think! So many colours, so little places! I decided as I already have the naked palettes, to veer away from the browns and maybe start collecting some more pinky shades! I remember getting my sister the "Book of Shadows III: NYC" palette for Christmas a few years, and I fell in love with the colours in it, especially a shade called 'Bordello' and 'Last call'..... much to my dismay she managed to lose the palette and when i went to buy one, they were retired and I was gutted, so when I went to the shop I seen they they had released shades from retired palettes I had to get them! 

The Colours

So I ended up filling my palette with Walk Of Shame, Freelove, Scratch, Bordello and Last Call with one space left to fill.

Walk Of Shame soft pinkish-peach matte

Freelove golden vibrant peach

Scratch rose gold

Bordello pale mauve w/ gold microglitter

Last Call metallic sugar plum

Swatches

The overall quality of the eyeshadows are amazing, they are highly pigmented with a great colour pay-off, I swatched the colours so you could see for yourselves!

No Flash (L-R): Walk Of Shame, Freelove, Scratch, Bordello and Last Call

With Flash (L-R): Walk Of Shame, Freelove, Scratch, Bordello and Last Call

The Bottom Line

Over all I can't fault the eyeshadows, the fulfilled my expectations and so much more!  The only downside is that there are only 6 spaces in the palette and if I was to buy another one, I would have two "walk of shame" shadows. I found that the karma brush wasn't as good as the one that came with the naked palette but thats all I can fault. Many people think that it is very expensive retailing at 17e for each eyeshadow (17 x 6 = 102e) and 102e to buy and fill the palette.  Yes you could buy the pre-made palettes for half the price and twice as many eyeshadows, but my arguement against that is.... you pick each shadow in the palette, therefore you would use them all!!! I know no matter how much I love the book of shadows palettes, there are always a few colours I never use! Plus the eyeshadows are huge in comparison to the shadows in the pre-made palettes (at least double the quantity).  I know for sure, even when my palette is full, I will carry on and continue to buy the singles cause they are just amazing!!!

Q. So whats your favorite shade???? what last colour should I get to finish off my palette???

Much love,

Zow 

xxxxx