Get lippy....

There is nothing nicer on a girl (or a guy but we are talking about girlies here so lets forget the boys for the time being!) then gorgeous kissable lips. Once your lips are kept soft and smooth, the nicer your lip products will be on and the more type of lip products you can actually use. I know my lips are quiet dry and I have to keep lipbalm at the ready all the time. If I don’t my lips get so sore and any lipsticks or products I use just look well crap.  

Your lips are as important as anywhere else on your face when it comes to exfoliating and moisturising. With so many lips balms out there, how do you know what one to choose? Well, I've given a little run down of some good brands, and also the little secret gem for lips I only discovered recently!

First up is Kheils. Kheils is a gorgeous lip product. I always try to stock up on this when I am in the UK or the States. You can get it in Ireland but it is cheaper away. This is available is clear or you can get flavoured ones either. Yummers! I also hear Kheils is a Lauren Conrad favourite.

Vaseline is a classic lip balm. This used to be the go to lip balm when I was younger but I have to say, I don't like it anymore. Vaseline is petroleum jelly and so it isn't fully absorbed into our lips, often there is a residue left. Also with Vaseline, if you use it too often, you can get little small black heads around your mouth because the product isn't absorbing into the skin. With all that said though, the Rose one is nice for a hint of colour on your lips. I use this if I have something on and I don’t want to wear gloss but just a hint of colour. I don’t however wear it all day long as my lip balm. 

E45 chap-stick is a great budget balm! No colour or flavour but very intense moisturiser. A definite if your lips need a real intense burst of moisture. 

The winner for me has to be Carmex. It is simply amazing. When you apply it first, there is a slight tingle to your lips! This is my favourite part because it feels like it is actually doing something!. It is available in different flavours as well – Strawberry (yum), cherry (yum), mint (yum yum yum) or original!

Now to let you guys all now about a product I’ve only recently found. I can’t believe I lived without this for so long. Lush do a gorgeous range of lip exfoliators. You may have used these already as they have been around for some time so I am definitely a little late with this one but good god do I love it. I’ve used exfoliators on my lips before and I have never really been too happy with them. This one though is .a different storey! It leaves my lips gorgeous and soft and it tastes oh so good. Available in different flavours (Bubble gum, Mint and Sweet vanilla kind of taste) you can choose one to suit you.

Luscious lips are fabulous and there are so many products to keep them looking and feeling super soft! Get a good lippy and get yourself into the habit of applying it as many times a day as you like and I promise gorgeous kissable lips will follow!

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BaByliss Big Hair review...

The faith of my hair has been decided by Babyliss! If you follow me on Twitter, you will have seen tweets expressing my excitement about the new Big Hair styler! When I got it I couldn’t wait to get home and try it out. I had read so many great reviews on it so I was very excited to find out for myself how brilliant it actually was!

I don’t really like when my hair is simply straight; I think it just looks so flat and dull. Whenever I get my hair done, I always love the blow dry because it has volume had and I especially love how nice my fringe looks. But of course I can’t do this myself when I try. It is impossible to manage my hairdryer and a big brush so this product seemed like a god send! After using it I can tell you that that it just what it is – a miracle worker for women everywhere!

It is a really large brush, that rotates in two directions while blow drying your hair at the same time! I divided my hair up into sections and so easily ran the brush through each bit! The finished result is just like you are walking out of a salon! It gave my hair a serious lift at the roots and I chose to very slightly turn my hair in at the bottom – don’t worry, only slightly! Once I was finished I popped a little hair spray in and off I went! The only word of warning I’ll say is don’t do it totally wet hair, let it dry about 80% or so before doing it.

It is an excellent product and is taking pride of place beside my Babyliss Heated Rollers! It is €60 (£40) – an investment for your hair I think! I’ve posted a video on my ‘Videos’ page to show you just how easy it really is to use!

Have you tried the Big Hair styler yet?

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Makeup of the day: Kim Kardashians wedding makeup!

So many people, especially girls, were waiting anxiously for the first pictures of the gorgeous Kim Kardashians wedding to be revealed! The Kardashian wedding was Hollywoods version of the royal wedding. This is one of the only picture I’ve seen where we get a proper glimpse at Kim’s makeup, and I love it! I think she looks absolutely amazing!

 I wasn’t too sure what to expect because as gorgeous as she is, sometimes she can overdo it with the makeup, but not this time. She has kept everything quiet natural for her big day! Her skin looks flawless with just a hint of blush on her cheeks. As for the eyes, it looks like Kim has gone for some liner and false lashes to finish the look.

I can’t wait to see what other photo’s we will see from the wedding and of course a proper look at the dress!! Sisters Khloe and Kourtney will also no doubt look gorgeous!

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It's beach time...

I think most girls will agree with me when I say the beach hair look is almost always a good one! Unless your hair is covered in sand and knotty – not such a good look but you get what I mean!  The sea salt in the water gives our hair a bit of texture and almost wavy when it dries. Unless you plan on going to the beach every day and washing your hair in the sea, it can be pretty hard to recreate this look. That is until now!

L’Oreals Playball range have a new product called “Play Ball - Beach Fizz”, and it does exactly what it says on the tin! Packaged in a gorgeous sea green bottle, the Beach Fizz is a salt spray for your hair to recreate that beach hair we all love! When I first used it, I was far too eager and I sprayed it way to close to my hair! It left my hair a little sticky and didn’t look as good as I had hoped. Once I relaxed a bit and used it again I got it just right and loved the way it let my hair!

You need to spray it from roughly 25 cm away (no I didn’t measure exactly) from your hair and as you spray, give your hair a little crunch. This helps create that wavy look.  You can use as much as you like to get the desired look.

I’ve been keeping the bottle in my bag so if I need a quick fix to my hair I just take it out and spray! I am definitely a fan of this product and plan on trying more in the Play Ball range. Priced at €15.99 it is not too expensive either. I highly recommend this and I will be bringing it way on my holidays for sure!

Do you know of any other products that gives you the beach hair look?

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It's so hot hot hot!!!

At the moment I’m doing hot yoga classes. For those of you saying ‘what the hell is that???’ Allow me to

explain…

Basically it is yoga in a room which is heated to 40 degrees. It feels like a sauna when you are in there and it can get very crowded meaning there is added humidity. It is this hot on purpose though!! They say it helps to detox and can help with any respiration problems as well. Try imagine how hot and sweaty you would be after a seventy minute class, multiply that by a hundred and now you may be close to having some small idea of what it is like – no I’m not exaggerating!

After a class the other day, I was really in a bad way. When I caught a glimpse of my face, I gave myself a fright! I was as red as a lobster, purple nearly, and when I looked a little closer my pores were HUGE, wide open from the heat. So I thought to myself. This is the perfect time to throw on a good face mask.

After the next class after I cleansed my face, did a little exfoliation with Dermalogica Microfoliant and I applied two face masks, Dermalogica Pore Refining and Skin Hydrating.  The next day my skin was amazing! Like seriously wow. So soft and looking great,( although I do have a little few spots on my cheek  - it is just the heat bringing any congestion out and I’d rather it out and gone in a few days then in and leaving my skin dull), but in general, my skin was just much fresher looking and my make-up has been sitting much better on my skin since!

So now not only am I getting a great workout and detox but it is also doing wonders for my skin. It’s a win win really, I couldn’t fault it!

Have you tried hot yoga?

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Tips for getting the perfect tan...

We all love when we have a little bit of colour, even if we just get a few freckles after a week holiday in the Spain, we are proud of it and regard it as our “tan”. In Ireland, we don’t get enough sun to give us anything more the odd freckle.  The odd sunny day here and there just isn’t good enough for giving us that golden skin we so desperatly desire! Thank god for fake tanning products! I know I speak for 90% of girls when I say we all feel great when we have a tan.

However the problem is finding the right tan. We all agree we like tan but getting one to suit our skin can be an ordeal at the best of times! Tanning products have evolved a lot over the past few years and thankfully for us, that orange hue is somewhat gone! I do say “somewhat “ though because even though tans have evolved,  the method  some people use to apply them has not!

I have a few very simple steps for anyone to follow to get the best out of their tanning experience!

Firstly, the golden rule is to exfoliate. We should exfoliate our skin on our body twice a week anyway but if you don’t, it’s a definite before false tanning application. Always exfoliate the night before you apply your tan for the best results!  Ladies a little secret to get the best exfoliation - do it on dry skin! Yes dry skin. Scrub yourself then get under the shower and scrub some more, paying attention to knees, elbows and ankles! After exfoliating, you have to give your skin some loving with a nice moisturiser. Apply generously and I promise your skin will be feeling gorgeous! 

Now it’s time for the actual tanning application. Choose your tan wisely. If you are really fair, then opt for a lighter tan, stick to natural shades for the nicest and most natural results. Always use a mitt or latex gloves to protect your hands.  Apply moisturiser on your knees, elbows and ankles and a little bit of Vaseline on your finger and toe nails to prevent getting stained nails! Take your time and make sure you cover all areas. Allow to dry and put loose clothing on and off you go!

Maintaining your tan is as important as applying it. Make sure to moisturise day every single day, twice a day if possible. After a few days, give your skin a quickie exfoliation. This will take a little bit of your tan off but it will stop it from going blotchy and snake skin like – never a good look!  

 Last but not least, remember girlies, tan can leave your skin looking a little dull, so get yourself a high lighter and apply down the front of your legs and  on your collar bones! Your skin will be gorgeous and the highlighter will give you a lovely glow, which is, after all what you were after when you started this process!

Tell me about your tanning disasters or tanning successes! 

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Every girl has a girl crush right? Someone who we admire. Well I have a girl crush on Hilary Duff. Lizzie MaGuire was my guilty pleasure growing up. I’ve always had a soft spot for the Texas beauty. I don’t know what it is really, I just think she is gorgeous and always looks great. Her clothes are always gorgeous and her eye make-up in particular is always done to perfection. I heard only the other day that Hilary is expecting her first baby with her hubby. Not that Hillary will ever read this, but just want to say congratulations to the pair.

I have many other girl crushes as I’m sure you all do too. Lauren Conrad is high up there with Hilary and you got to love the Kardashian girls.

Is there anyone with me here? Who is your girl crush?

Lets all get naked....

The Urban Decay Naked Palette has changed my makeup life! Seriously. I know that makes me sound a bit odd and like I don’t have much of a life but if you have it you will defiantly feel the same. 

For those of you who don’t have it, allow me to explain all…The Naked palette is a beautiful selection of twelve colours. Ranging from gorgeous natural shades to intense sexy Kim Kardashian style shades. With only twelve colours, I don’t think I will ever need to buy any more eye-shadows again! I love natural colours, I think everyone does. These colours are perfect no matter what colour your eyes. You can do a range of looks from the palette from very subtle to dramatic. 

   My favourite for a natural day look is Sin, Toasted, Naked & Buck. For a more smokey look I prefer Dark Horse & Hustle with some Creep along the lashes and Virgin in at the tear duct to brighten the eyes slightly.

                  

             

To make it even better, you get a gorgeous brush and Urban Decays famous eye primer with it. It is a must for every girl’s makeup bag. I highly recommend it and I know you will all love it!

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Hello ladies..

Thought I would share with you all of my favourite products from July. There are a few oldies and newbies in there! Apologies for not having any pictures, getting a camera sorted this week so will have plenty of pictures for you all then. Let’s get started…

First things first…

The Naked Palette by Urban Decay. I have this since April I think, and it is my all time favourite palette (and I must warn you now, it will probably be in every months “Loves” blog!) If you have this you will totally understand where I am coming from, but if you don’t then you need to get yourself one! It will be an investment to your makeup and I promise you will not regret it! I will have a post expressing my love for this in more detail very soon!

Next up is Mac Springsheen Blush. Now, I have had this for ages and always loved it but it got buried in my HUGE makeup box and well, I kinda forgot I had it. A few weeks ago I was going through all my blush and I came across it. Completely rekindled my love for it and I have worn it every day since! It is a gorgeous gold/peach shimmer blush that makes your skin look glowing and healthy.

Bourjois Volumizer Mascara is the next item I could not have lived without this month. I am blessed with super long eyelashes and I am cursed with white skinny eyelashes all at the same time. When they are tinted, I look somewhat normal but I need a very volumizing mascara to give them some thickness. I’ve gone through many fab ones but this is my favourite at the moment. It’s super black (perfect for white lashes) and extremely volumizing. I love it!

Moving onto hair products, this month I could not have lived without my Tresemme Dry shampoo. I have always been a Batiste girl but a little while ago I tried Tresemme Fresh Start and I fell in love! It leave my hair so fresh, no white residue and it really gives your hair a lift, a lot more then most dry shampoos!

MoroccanOil. We all know how amazing this is and how super it is for your hair. I won’t go into all the details again because we all know. But just to add, I still love it and would be lost without it as I refuse to go get my hair cut. For now MoroccanOil is doing the job!

For my skin, this month I decided to try Vichy Aqualia Thermal Serum and Moisturiser. I have very dehydrated skin no matter what I do and my current moisturiser, I felt, wasn’t doing the job any more. I decided to try Vichy and see how I got on. I was delighted to find I loved it! The serum leaves my skin so soft and totally brightens up my complexion. I went for the light moisturiser as I can be a little oily, and I was not disappointed. I loved it and my skin has been looking very refreshed and mush brighter since I started!

That’s it for my loves this month! I think some of these will continue to make a presence in the future!

What products could you not have lived without this month?? Bella Beauty xxx

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Another beauty blogger???

“Does the world need another beauty blogger??” I hear you cry. Well, I’m going to say yes. The beauty industry is huge and growing rapidly! In my opinion, the beauty world needs as many people sharing the word as possible!  So many beautiful products and treatments out there and not enough time to spread the word! So an extra pair of hands to share this can only be a good thing..yes?

This is my first blog, so go easy on me ok! I thought to start out gently, I could tell you a little about me and what I want my blog to be for you! I am a beauty fanatic, literally, anything that looks beautiful, I want! Always have been like this growing up. I always wanted to work in beauty, so cliché I know, but it’s true! I was lucky at a young age to get a great job in a department store where I got to work on counters from Vichy to Lancome. I am a Beauty Therapist by profession and so I feel I have lots to share with the world about all things beautiful!

I hope to give you guys an in-siders view into the Beauty World, I’ll have tips on real skincare  issues, nails, massage, tan, make-up, hair and products I love and feel the need to share!

So….watch this space! I hope you enjoy what you see and come back for more! 

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