My Go To YouTube Videos¦ Beauty

I know that YouTube videos play a MAJOR role in most girls lives. I know I started watching YouTube make up videos when I was only 14/15 and I have been HOOKED ever since! 

After a few years of obsessing over make up videos I found myself returning to the same ones over and over again, whether it was a night out look or a day time look or even an eyebrow routine, there were just certain videos which I felt captured my style perfectly! I thought I would make a list of all of my GO TO make up looks on YouTube so you could check them out too, I hope you love them as much as I do.

Night Out Look

If you haven't noticed already I am OBSESSED with all things Kardashian, and this makeup look is on point, of course the gorgeous Carli Bybel adds to it! I feel like this look is universal, if you dont know what look to go for for a night out then I promise you this one always works a treat. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdT5Goq0dbQ

Day Time Look

This girl is the image of Miranda Kerr it's uncanny! Her makeup is flawless and has really inspired me with my own daytime look!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0HpbASP7AM

Eyebrow Routine

I have naturally fuller brows and I feel this video is very helpful for those who too have fuller brows. I find that many of the eyebrow tutorials are people with more sparse brows and who over draw them to make them look fuller, so this tutorial is very useful if you are in the fuller brow club.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V00V_kNyoFs

Contour and Highlight

There are two types of contour and highlight techniques, they can be done with powder or with cream products, I personally like to do a mix of the two, but I did find these videos majorly important when I was learning how to master it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjVDSbrCYMs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aD4xKWA5LE0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fu1HQawc1GA

Lets talk about- Self Image

With all the Kendall Jenner's in the world today I personally feel that women, including myself have become more and more self conscious and have increasing body worries. I know from scrolling through my own instagram I see countless images of beautiful women, whom I admire for their bodies and of course their own willpower to work hard to get, and maintain their figures. BUT among of all these beautiful Gigi Hadid's and Cara Delevingne's, there are young women out there judging their own physiques and in-turn self hating.

I can honestly say I find a new fault with my body every single day. There is always something I don't like and I know I'm not alone in this. I feel like my life is like that scene in Mean Girls when they are all standing in front of the mirror talking about their imperfections and being honest I am just sick of it, we women should be bringing each other up not tearing each other down. EVERYONE is self-conscious about something. EVERYONE at some stage does not feel beautiful. These are the times when we should compliment each other make everyone feel as beautiful as they truly are. Love yourself for who you are and what you have because there's nothing (besides plastic surgery) that you can do about that. You are unique, there is one aspect of your body someone else envies and I can promise you that.

I speak from the heart with regard to this subject. As a teenager I struggled with bulimia, it was a long dark road which I now feel like I have learned a lot from and carry with me to my future along with life lessons I have now learned to love myself for who I am. It really does kill me when I see a woman 'fat-shaming' or 'skinny-shaming' another woman. Why do it? Why not focus on yourself? Try to make you the best version of yourself, that is what I am hoping to do.

Having said all this I am trying actively to try and improve my own personal body image. I know I may not have many blog posts, but I do have outfits I would love to share but I honestly am too embarrassed of my body and just would not feel comfortable posting solo photos of myself on my blog. I really need to build this confidence for myself because without it I know my blog will be short lived. To do this I am planning to COMMIT to a healthy lifestyle, this means healthy food, no counting calories or any of that stuff, just trying to lose half a stone before summer arrives.

This summer I am going on a J1 (student working visa) to San Francisco for three months. I don't want to feel uncomfortable in shorts, a bikini or anything like that. I want to enjoy the summer, be able to post instagram pictures of me in anything I want and not feel self conscious. I want this for me, I feel I deserve it, there's nothing I want more than to be healthy and fit and I know I can do this.

I am going to post a weekly food diary if anyone is interested or wants to come on this journey with me! I would love that!

 I include my last photo of my old self out on the drink getting wrecklessly drunk and not giving a damn what I was putting into my body! Onwards and Upwards as they say!

Lets talk about Kylie Jenners Lips

Are they fake? Are they over drawn? Are they natural? What is the deal with KJ's lips? I have sat down and honestly just given her lips a little look over! Kylie and Kim have both come out saying Ky just over draws her lips and shes just so good at make up it looks natural blahh blahh blahhhh! And for awhile I was like yanno what? Fair play, well done KJ you're really good at make up! Teach me your ways! 
I have to say as an avid KJ fan I have tried to find similarities between us (as all weirdo stalker fans do) and I can honestly say the only MAJOR similarity was our lips! We both have/had a very small/barely there top lip an ok bottom lip nothing major whatsoever! 

So all of a sudden when KJ appeared with those lips I was like heyy where did they come from! I have looked up every tutorial under the sun! I have even tried to make up my own way to draw them on and for awhile I was like ya ok she obviously just has more help and they look more natural on her until I saw this photo of her, and i thought to myself there is no way she is only drawing on her lips, those things had become JUICY!

So there I was thinking what could the answer be? Of course Lip injection were the first thing that popped into my mind, but I am giving her the benefit of the doubt, she was 16 when these lips were first on the scene and lets be real, I can't imagine any doctor giving a 16 year old lip injections irregardless of who they are! So one day as I was trawling the internet I came across this company called Candy Lipz, (this all happened pre blogger time) and I was like woahhh I NEED THIS! Essentially its a lip plumper device company, I watched youtube videos of people using their products and it looked pretty good!

Of course your literally bursting the blood vessels in your lips and its not permanent but I started to think MAYBE this is what our dear KJ is using! And to top it off a few months after seeing this website they released a statement saying that they gave their product out in a swag bag which miss Kylizzle recieved! This particular brand is quite on the pricey side but I have seen other cheaper alternatives on amazon and Ebay for much cheaper if you just search 'Lip plumper'

This is just my opinion I obviously don't know Kylie at all so I can't say whether this is what she's using or not! Let me know if you think I might be on to something or if you think I'm wayy off, I'd love to hear other peoples opinions! x

Bitches Be Ballin

I know a lot of universities/colleges have their spring time balls coming up so I thought I would make a post on some of the dresses that have really caught my eye! 
A college ball is something that can cause MAJOR stress to you and to your purse, so relax, take a deep breath because help is on its way! 
Starting off with the most important part of going to the ball, the dress. This can make or break your night, because being honest there is no way you will have a good night if you personally don't feel good in your dress! AND PLEASE GIRLS NO VIRGOS LOUNGE!!!! We are SO over it!!!!
Here are a few pieces I have found online which I think are absolutely PERFECTION and are all under €100! Be warned they're nearly all ASOS

1.

To me this dress screams boho chic. Check out it out on Asos here

2.

This is something I wouldn't have noticed myself until my friend got it for our ball! I can vouch for it as being STUNNING on! Check it out here

3.

This dress is SO beyond anything I have ever seen! I think its so chic, so unexpected, no one would have it, i think soft waved updo natural make up and you would look absolutely UNREAL! Get it here for less than €30!!!!!

4.

This dress is so close to what they are currently selling in vintage shops EVERYWHERE! I am in LOVE! Can't believe it comes from (my favourite shop) Asos!! Definitely looks true vintage! Get it here

5.

The simplicity of this is just too much! Thats all I can say! Love it!! Get it here

6.

This is a piece no one in your class will have! I love it! Get it here

7.

Last but not least, please no one buy this dress!! I want this dress for my own ball and I have been lusting over it for weeks and weeks! And then it came on sale! And then I still hadn't enough money! I NEED it!!! I breathe it! I want it!!! Someone please get it to me!!! Dont get it here

A Christmas of Palettes

For christmas this year everyone was so generous and got me such AMAZING gifts! I wanna give a special SO to my boyfriend who got me the most beautiful presents! I am one lucky girl! 
I think the theme to my christmas gifts this year were palettes! I got quite a few different ones that I have coveted since forever and I got some that I haven't heard so much about that I cant wait to try!

First up is the original Naked Palette by Urban Decay. I have been lusting after this since the day it went on sale! I have Naked 2 and 3 but never got around to buying the original so I am so happy the bf realized I had something missing from my collection. 

What can I say really about this palette? It's simply amazing! The colours are perfect, they're very pigmented they blend well and I think out of the 3 naked palettes it has to be my favourite! I won't go in to too much detail about this palette as I am sure ye have all seen it or own it, its a warm-toned neutral palette with 2 matte shades and 10 shimmer shades, it really has everything! My favourite shades in this palette would have to be Hustle or Toasted! The only negative about  it is the fact that the magnetic closure isn't as secure as the other 2 naked palettes which have clasp closures! But thats a minor imperfection! My verdict- well worth the money 10/10

Second palette I got this Christmas was the bhCosmetics Galaxy Chic palette. This is something I haven't heard much hype about unlike the Naked Palettes. I've had other palettes from bhCosmetics in the past and loved them! I knew this one would disappoint! 

This palette consists of 18 baked shimmer eyeshadows. The colours really are something I've never seen before! Baked eyeshadows are much softer and usually much more shimmery than the usual pressed eyeshadows. Baked shadows are also great because they can be used wet (or with MAC fix +) and they give off an even better colour payoff! A lot of these colours have different colours going through them which I LOVE! The only negative I feel with this is that the colours do give a good payoff but only with constant build up, but to be fair the colours are worth it!! My verdict- 8/10

Next up is the W7 'In The Buff' palette. I have heard a lot about these W7 palettes to be dupes for the Urban Decay Naked Palettes (at only €7.99) and when I opened this I was so excited to test it out for myself!

This palette in particular is an exact dupe for Naked 2, so if your low on dolla and you are just in the market for a new eyeshadow palette then this could be the baby for you! It has 3 matte shades and 9 shimmer shades! The shadows are very well pigmented with little fallout (as expected with shimmery shadows) they also blend quite well! Is there any negatives to this €7.99 palette? Well for starters you might as well throw away the brush..seriously..you're NEVER going to use it! Secondly there is a gritty feel to one or two of the shimmery shades but nothing to cry over, they still look AMAZING! The main negative I would say is the packaging, I think they were trying to package it like the UD palettes but there's no mirror, and all the shadows are in this foamy base thing that I feel if you were really clumsy with it it could possibly end in disaster! My verdict- Great value, great shadows 9/10

In the same family as the previous palette the next one on my list is the W7 'In The Night' palette! Again retailing for only €9.99 it really is a bargain!

This palette has more smokey darker shades than the In the Buff palette and the colours are more vibrant! I think this palette will be great for nights out as I can be more adventurous with my colour choices! In this palette you get all 12 shimmery shadows, however the black only has really slight shimmer so that's a plus! Again like the previous palette the shadows blend well and are very pigmented! I would say this palette has the same negatives as the In The Buff palette, the packaging really lets the product down, but other than that it really is a super palette that I just can't wait to use over the holiday season! My Verdict- 9/10

Now last but not least, the next palette I got was something that I have wanted for SO LONG, I even had dreams about this palette! Unlike the others mentioned it is not an eyeshadow palette. This is the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour kit. My bf really is too good to me!

I honestly believe this kit really is worth the hype! The shades are all perfect! It comes with 3 highlight shades- 1 shimmery and 3 darker shades for contouring! A great thing about this palette is that all the shades are removable, so you can repurchase the ones you run out of and add them back in! The minute I got this I have used it, and every day since! I love it! The shades blend SO WELL together it's utter perfection! My favourite shade has to be the banana shade for highlighting and fawn for contouring! I honestly could not say one bad word about this product it really is out of this world! It gives such a flawless finish, the colours are pigmented they blend well theres not too much shimmer they are buildable! I cant say a bad word about it! My verdict-10/10

I hope you enjoyed this small broad review of all these lovely palettes I got this Christmas! If there is any palette in particular you would like me to do an in-depth review on then please don't hesitate to leave me a comment letting me know! 

Merry Christmas Everyone!! x

Liebster Blog Award

Thank you so much to Missdimplesblog for the nomination! In this tag I have to give 10 facts about myself and then answer 11 questions. I will tag all the bloggers I wish to nominate below! (must have less than 200 followers on their bloglovin account) I saw this tag going around and was secretly hoping to get nominated! I might as well make a start!

Ten facts about me:

1. I don't really like chocolate..(no one kill me) 
2. I am fluent in Irish
3. I am addicted to online shopping
4. I can dislocate my shoulder..(gross I know)
5. I am studying to be a primary school teacher at the moment
6. I used to have the biggest obsession with Miley Cyrus, I used to look up her latest candid pics and always try to recreate them, I admit I also once googled 'How to sing and look like Miley Cyrus' ... I was like 19 no big deal haha
7. I am 21 years old
8. My brother has a degree in journalism...and I'm the one writing a blog haha
9. I love being in Love
10. There is not one flavor of crisps that I don't like!!

Questions

Where were you born?

I was born in Ireland in County Cork

Describe yourself in 3 words

Outgoing

Ambitious

Optimistic

What is your guilty pleasure?

I am obsessed with keeping up with the kardashians! I binge watch it for hours on end when I'm in bed! After watching (i am so sad) I then try and google outfits they wore and try to recreate them hahaha! I also tend to binge watch YouTube videos at night!

What quality do you appreciate most in others?

Honesty

Good sense of humour

Kind, caring, loving

(I don't expect much haha)

What do you hope to accomplish one day?

I hope that one day I have a successful blog and that I graduate from college with a masters in education psychology 

Three things you cant live without

Boyfriend 

Family/Friends

Shopping

Who are your favourite bloggers?

Carli Bybel

BeautyandtheBlog

Thepersianbabe (YT blogger)

Why did you start blogging?

It's kind of something I always wanted to do. I had a blog on weebly for a year but then deleted it because I couldn't focus on it! I noticed that sometimes famous bloggers would 'discover' a new revolutionary product and everyone would be like 'oh did you see that she discovered this new product?' and I'm there like 'I've had that in my collection for over a year' things like that annoyed me, that I sometimes found a product that I loved and no one else knew about or talked about and then 5 months later a famous blogger finds it and everyone loves it! I kinda wanted to prove that this happens (pathetic I know!!)

If you could live anywhere on earth where would it be?

New York Citaaayy

What would be the first thing you'd do if you won the lottery?

I'd probably ask my mom to help me to decide what to do (she's a financial adviser/accountant) She'd know what I should do! Of course I'd give some to charity some to my family, save some and spend some, but she'd tell me how much I should put towards each! (I'm not that good with money..it burns a hole in my pocket)

What did you want to be when you grew up?

All I ever wanted to be was a fashion designer! Until I realised I wasn't artistic and then I decided I wanted to be a teacher! I was always back and forth between them

Hope ye all enjoyed! I tag anyone who wants to do this!

Bloggers I nominate

1. Girlybliss

2. PassionsandPreening

3. angelaah91

4. Novellette

5. Fuurin-Diary

6. TheNextChapter

7. Ayre

8. DaintyDitsy

9. LoveAndPerfection

10. MadeUpAboutCurls

eBay purchases: Earrings

I love me a little bargain! If I ever see a trend that I love I always look for it on eBay before I go out and spend a lot of money on it, normally its jewellary. I really wanted statement earrings to wear on a night out! I was inspired by these pictures of Carli Bybel, however her earrings are from Ludora Boutique, and although they are beautiful and she does provide a discount code, I find them still pricey for what they are. So I went online and this is what I got:

I got these beautiful green, blue and orangey earrings here for £1.91. They are absolutely stunning on! I am obsessed! Every time I wear them I get so many compliments. 

I bought these beautiful pink and silver stud earrings they are absolutely stunning, small and elegant. Get them here I only paid £1.00! Steal!!

I got another long pair, I have to say that I did like them more when I saw them online, not so much when I got them! Oh well I'll find a time to wear them at some point! If you like them you can find them here for only £2.55

Last but not least I got these babies! I love these so much! Nothing like I've ever seen before! Like the rest of the earrings mentioned above these were amazing value for just £0.63. Like them? Get them here.