The One Eyeshadow Lookbook.

If you follow me on Instagram, it would probably seem that the aim of my FOTD posts is to put as many eyeshadows onto my eyelid as possible. While that is great fun altogether, truth be told ain't nobody got time for that - certainly not me on a daily basis. The "one eyeshadow look" is a personal favourite of mine and is so easy to achieve given the right products. These are just some my favourite things to use when I want to achieve a quick and easy smokey eye that looks like I put tonnes of effort in but secretly spent 5 minutes sloppily applying. I think this is perfect for a lazy student like me who would prefer an extra 20 minutes in bed, someone who isn't super confident in their makeup application skills/simply doesn't like fussing around with loads of different eyeshadows or, for those moments when you get a text planning a last minute night out with your gal pals. You can easily take one or even two of these products (if you're really feeling extra fancy) instead of an entire eyeshadow palette. I'd suggest adding a wing/smudging some kohl pencil around the eyes, tonnes of mascara and maybe even lashes and you've got a really well put together eye look in no time. 

Lush Christmas | Fairy Dust.

It feels like it has been ages since I mentioned anything Lush related on my blog. Their Christmas 2015 products have been out for quite a while, but I'm really only getting around to playing with some of them that I picked up last time I was at home. Something that I'm pretty sure is new to their lineup this year is Fairy Dust; a cute dusting powder with the famous Snow Fairy scent. I'm a massive fan of the Snow Fairy shower gel ("we've seen your empty posts, Grace, we know" I can hear you all saying) so if you like sweet candyfloss-esque products and haven't tried Snow Fairy yet I suggest you run to your nearest Lush and buy in bulk. Being such a big fan of SF, I'm only delighted to see more products with the same scent, especially post-shower products. Last year they had a little massage bar in the scent of Snow Fairy and it was deeeee-lish. Anyway, back to Fairy Dust.

NEW | Kiko Cosmetics.

Moving to France and having two Kiko stores 5 minutes away from me is a dangerous thing. In my recent trip I saw they had quite a few new bits; their 2015 holiday collection was released, along with an expansion into their permanent lipstick and liner range. I picked up one thing from each bit... all for blogging purposes, of course. 

 

Empties | November 2015.

Time for another empties post! I've had a lot of these empty for quite a while but only got around to photographing them whilst I was home 2 weeks ago for midterm. Since being in France I've used up a couple of other bits that will warrant another empties post soon - my bedroom is currently a shrine to empty packages. Sigh. 

Gotta Glow.

Is it socially acceptable to start talking about Christmas makeup yet? No? Good thing I'm a highlighter freak all year round then, so. However, I did feel it apt to chat to ye about some of my recent favourite highlighters that I've accumulated in my collection since tis the season to shine bright like a diamond and be seen from space... at least that's how I like my highlight, anyway. I don't think I've spoken about any of these products on my blog before, although I've featured them all briefly on my Instagram and have been really enjoying these since I got them. Of course, I still love my Soft and Gentle and Lightscapade, the usual suspects, but it's nice to see some other highlights from other price ranges every once in a while, right?!

Urban Decay Vice 4 | Review/3 Looks, 1 Palette.

Guys... GUYS. Where do I start? It's no secret Urban Decay are one of my favourite brands, and I always look forward to seeing what they come out with for the holla'dazeee (Book of Shadows, Vice Palettes etc.) and this year was no different. I already own Vice 1 and 3, with the latter being my favourite of all the palettes they'd released... until now. I didn't think they could top the stunning jewel tone and burgundies in Vice 3 but I was wrong. Let's just say I'm VERY excited about Vice 4 and I think a lot of you guys will be too. I will say overall this is not a neutral only wearers palette, if that's more your thing then I'd look to the Naked Palettes (with their latest offering being Naked Smoky) but if you like a bit of colour to mix in with your neutrals, like some glittery jewel tones, duochromes (hurray!) and overall colour then this will make a beautiful palette for Christmas time. 

Starting off with the packaging - it's absolutely stunning. You don't have to be a makeup lover to appreciate that a lot of thought and effort went into this design which mimics an oil slick and looks almost holographic, shifting colour as you move the palette in different lights. I love the layered detail and shattered glass effect, it's just overall super aesthetically pleasing. It also comes with a little pouch to keep the palette/makeup bits in which and a synthetic duo-ended brush which are nice additions... but it's what's inside that counts, right? 

Clarisonic Mia 2 | Review, Experience, Recommendations.

I’m sitting writing this blog post in Frankfurt airport, having just come out of Duty Free. I’ve had the Clarisonic Mia for about 5 months now and was reluctant to write this review for a few reasons; all culminating around the fact that I wasn’t even sure if I liked the feckin’ thing or not. I think it’s important for me to state that this was sent to me for review consideration, and you all know that regardless of whether I’m sent a product or not, I like to review everything as if I had bought it myself, sure in the knowledge that that’s potentially what someone reading this might do. The reason it’s taken me so long to write this is because it was very hard for me to recommend something that was €100+ when I hadn’t fully formed my opinion on it, and I wanted this review to be as detailed as possible, because gurl, das esssspensive. Now, the reason I mention Duty Free (and what made me want to write about this) is because I just bought myself a brand new brush head for my Clarisonic (they’re €24 and need to be replaced every 3-4 months, by the way) and I felt that if I was going out of my way to buy a replacement brush head, then it’s a pretty good sign that I do actually love the thing.

Everyday Face | Urban Decay Naked Skin.

I have a handful of foundations that I absolutely love and will always go back to, and that handful is very hard to infiltrate... So, when Urban Decay's Naked Skin foundation made it into that handful I knew it was a big deal. I thought I'd share my current everyday face routine with ye since it's all coming from the UD range (something that rarely happens with me and base routines - I generally mix and match everything) and the foundation/concealer duo is particularly lovely. I've been using this combo for the last month and a half and I am in luuuurv. These products have been hyped up online for so long, I can't believe I only got around to buying them this summer but, alas. This is my routine for a polished and put together "every day" face that covers a multitude but still looks like "skin" - I hate to use such a wishy washy term, but Urban Decay did a seriously amazing job on these products and the whole "skin-like" finish.  

  

Overview | H&M Beauty.

I have always seen a few nail polishes and lip glosses pop up in H&M but up until recently it was never something I would call a "beauty collection"... That is, until I wandered into a H&M in city centre Strasbourg and was amazed at the massive section dedicated to all things makeup, skincare, hair care and beauty. I decided to pick up a few bits from across the collection to see what they had to offer. I'm not sure how readily available all this stuff is across H&M stores worldwide, but I heard tales of their beauty section popping up in Dublin so it might be worth having a goo if anything here interests you!

Although I only picked up a handful of things from the makeup section; don't be fooled. The H&M Beauty Collection has foundations, concealers, an array of powders and blushes (cream formula, too), eyeshadows, cream eyeshadows, glitters, lipsticks, lipliners... you name it! It also has plenty of palettes, makeup brushes and bags, body creams and hair products.