Rimmel London Wake Me Up Foundation

I recently bought this to replace my Rimmel London Match Perfection Foundation. I wanted to try something new and I read a few good reviews of this foundation. Rimmel often surprises me. I think back home in the States we get the "less" exciting products. But I gave Rimmel another shot once I moved to Ireland (I didn't have much of a choice) and I'm glad I did. They have a wonderful range of products and consistently coming out with new products. Most of great quality. Read on for more on this foundation :)

My Go To Makeup Routine/What's in My Bag?

I don't know why I haven't done one of these posts sooner. I guess it just never occurred to me until now. Looking at all this stuff in my bag makes me feel silly. I feel like I should have less. Truth be told...this isn't all of it. Just the highlights of my everyday makeup. And even then I can't keep to a minimum of 10. I like to have choices. Lots of choices. I've parred it down to 22 items. Lord... Read on :)

Top 10 Beauty Buys (Tagged by Charlotte from Makeup by Candlelight)

The wonderful Charlotte from http://makeupbycandlelight.blogspot.co.uk/ asked me to participate in this: Top 10 Beauty Buys. Please check out her blog and the other blogs she tagged to participate! They are all truly wonderful! 

Revlon Lash Potion Mascara vs. Rimmel London Scandal Eyes Retro Glam Mascara

Who's Gonna Win My Vote?

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, Boots had a 2 for 15 euro deal on Revlon products and I was quite intrigued by their newest mascara: Revlon Lash Potion. I had originally went into Boots to see if they had the new Rimmel London Scandal Eyes Retro Glam Mascara (and they did on offer for 5 euro). I'm not usually at mascara crazy person. I generally just have one or two that I alternate but I think the packaging is what attracted me to the Lash Potion (it's just really pretty). Advertising and packaging often gets me. As my dad would say, "They saw you comin' a mile away." Anyway, I came for the Retro Glam (which also has a lovely advert) and left with 2 fairly new mascaras that claim amazing things. Big lashes, with the typical promises of volume & length without the clumping, flaking, and all those other irritating things that can happen with less than desirable mascaras. Let's see what wins my heart most... :)

Rimmel SalonPro and essence Anti-Split Review

Rimmel Salon Pro

I recently purchased Rimmel Salon Pro nail polish in Disco Fever and Rock 'n' Roll. Disco Fever is a purple almost on the verge of magenta purple with a very slight shimmer. And Rock 'n' Roll is a very nice classic red. It's not too orange or too dark. Rimmel promises that your nails will be chip resistant for up to 10 days and it has a gel like finish. I usually have a hard time believing such promises. But so far, 3 days into the polish, I am chip free. I know that may not be a miracle for some but for me...I usually get a chip or too the next day even after making sure my nails are "polish" ready. Maybe I'm just really rough with my hands? Anyway, so far I am really impressed. The polish glides on smoothly and is quite opaque. You can definitely get away with only using one coat.

Overall, I would purchase again and definitely recommend it to those interested. 

Essence anti-split nail sealer

Essence is a brand that I have only encountered while living in Ireland. I don't think I have ever seen it in the States. Needless to say, I have only recently began purchasing essence products. The brand is definitely aimed at a younger market, say those in their early teens, and because of that I avoided the brand as I instinctively associate that sort of branding with poor quality. Honestly I couldn't have been further from the truth. Essence products are very affordable and the quality is quite good. I've picked up a few polishes here and there but mainly bought a load of nail "enhancers" (at least that's what I'd call them). I particularly find the anti-split nail sealer to be a great product. Over the last year or so my nails have become weaker and they split and break off like crazy if I'm not diligent. I picked the product up on a whim not expecting much. But truth is when I wear this either as a base coat or on its own my nails don't split like they normally would and it seems to have lasting power. So if you're having problems with weak or brittle nails I recommend you pick this little gem up. It'll cost you very little: somewhere around 3 or 4 euro.