MUA Undressed Palette

When I was packing for Manchester I knew I didn't want to bring too much makeup with me. I still went a bit overboard as per usual but I only ended up bring two eyeshadow palettes. Instead of bringing my much loved Naked 2 palette I decided on one of MUA's newest offerings Undressed*. This palette has been compared to the Naked palette and I can see why as it's full of gorgeous neutral shades. For a drug store product I wasn't expecting too much at first but this has quickly become my most reached for palette throughout the month of July. It contains 12 round eyeshadows a mixture of extremely pigmented light and dark shades perfect for daytime and night time looks. I'm been using the second shadow from the left as a base and one of the darker shades as a crease colour. It's great to have all these amazing shadows in the one place, this would of probably done me for my whole trip but I couldn't leave my Too Faced Neutral Eye palette behind. I haven't used the latter once since I got here so maybe I should of left it at home.

At £4 this is an absolute steal, I loved it so much I picked up the Heaven & Earth palette in Manchester yesterday. It's similar to Undressed in the fact that it's full of neutral shades but probably more for daytime looks. I shall let you know in due course how I get on with this one.

Have you tried the Undressed palette? What's you thoughts?

Laura<3

Summer Must Haves/Essentials #2 - Makeup products

 Sadly I've been delayed doing follow up posts in this series, I've just been unbelieveably busy lately what with Manchester and everything. If my scheduled posts work you should be reading this while I'm enroute to the airport tomorrow. I'm going to try and pop up some posts while I'm there but I don't know if it will be possible yet. I may turn this series into products I've been loving during the Summer it would probably make more sense that way. Lately I've been reaching for alot of the same makeup products as some are old favourites and I know there reliable.

 For primer I've been using Too Faced's Primed & Poreless, I find this to be alot like Benefit's POREfessional maybe even better. I got it in a gift set a while ago and I loved it so much I bought the full sized tube. From what I can recall it wasn't as pricey as Benefit's offering so I'd recommend giving this a go. I ran out of my favourite foundation Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua which I need to repurchase possibly in the airport. In it's place I've been using two foundations, Vichy Dermablend Corrective foundation (Nude) and the Bourjois 123 Perfect  (Vanilla). Both wouldn't have the lightest coverage but I haven't had the best skin this Summer, for me their necessary. I've been using 123 Perfect all over my face, whilst sticking some Dermablend on problem areas, I find it does the trick without looking like I'm wearing too much makeup. For my undereye area I've been using  the Bobbi Brown Corrector which I love. I can't remember what I was using before this. I got it as a birthday gift from the some of the girls in work in February. I've only hit pan on it now but I'll be repurchasing it when I run out. I've been rotating between two powders during the Summer months, MAC's Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Light Plus and Rimmel's Stay Matte powder in Transparent. I've been using the latter the most as the price point is certainly more affordable. The Mineralize Skinfinish has been making appearance when I'm going somewhere fancy. When my skin has been looking somewhat decent, I've been using Garnier's BB Cream Miracle Skin Perfector for Combination/Oily skin*. This has been nice when I want a minimal makeup look with no hassle. I've done a full review on it here. With this product I've been using the same powders that I use with my foundations. I've had a new found love of blush lately I've been using one in particular alot over the last few months. Smashbox's Blush Rush in Pose is a gorgeous matte rose pink shade, great for everyday. I bought this on sale ages ago and it's become a permanent product in my daily makeup routine.

For my eyes I've been going for a quite natural look, alot of brown eyeshadows have been using which is nothing new for me. One palette that I've been grabbing for alot over the Summer is my Too Faced Natural Eye palette. This was a gift from my Mom's trip to New York. I think I got sucked into the hype surrounding the Naked palette so I forgot about it for a while. It contains nine neutral eyeshadows which takes me from day to night so I really only need this in my bag to create a gorgeous eye look. I haven't been using any eyeliner at all lately since I ran out of Loreal's Carbon Gloss liquid liner. Someone has to remind me to pick that up when I'm in Mancheser. I miss it in my life. For mascara I've been using No7's Fanomenal Lashes which is the best mascara I've tried in along time. I know alot of products from this brand can be a bit hit and miss but this is definitely a product I'd recommend buying. It gives you the nicest fluttery lashes without clumping which is a major pet hate of mine. I know alot of people use waterproof mascara over the Summer but unfortunately they just don't seem to work for me.

Now on to my favourite part, LIPS. I've been surprised this Summer as I haven't experimented with as many lip products as I usually do. Five have stood out for me during the last few months so I guess I'll talk about them. I have a tonne of MAC lipsticks but I've only been reaching for one in particular. Syrup is a gorgeous everyday shade which I don't feel is talked about enough. It's a sheer but buildable dark pink shade, not usually what I'd go for but I like it. Next I have two Maybelline products, the Colorsensational Popsticks* and SuperStay Tint Gloss*. I've start off with the latter, if your looking for a lip colour that long wearing this is your man. Once you put this on it does not budge for a good few hours, I don't find it to drying either. If your like me and you don't pull off bold vibrant lips too well, I find applying a bit to the centre of my lips and dabbing it on helps. It gives you a much more wearable shade in my opinion. If a hint of colour is your idea of a perfect lip, I'd try the Colorsensational Popsticks. There's alot of shades to choose from, I've been loving Pink Lollipop in particular. I know these don't have the best colour payoff but I think there great for the Summer and they smell delicious. I've been loving the last two products I'm going to mention for an age now. I always make sure I have them tooked away in my bag. Nuxe's Reve de Miel lipbalm and Korres lip butters are equally moisturising and life savers when your having a dry lip moment which I tend to get alot over the Summer months. If I'm just having a lazing day I'll use Reve de Miel and if I'm going out Korres Jasmine lip butter which is my  favourite one at the minute. I've tried a couple of other shades which you can see a review on here. Without a doubt I'd call Jasmine my "my lips but better" shade.

What makeup products have you been using throughout the Summer? I'd love to hear your favourites?


Laura<3

Essence Snow White Collection

I love Essence, all their products are affordable and I've always been happy with past bits I've picked up from them. They are also forever bringing out gorgeous on trend Limited Edition products. This month sees the release of the Snow White collection which consists of a selection of polishes, gorgeous glitter topcoats, a emery board and some cute nail art stickers. I love this film so of course it was given that I would pick up some bits. I'm jetting off to Manchester tomorrow so I was reserved and just picked up three little gems. I bought two top coats of which there are three to choose from. I went for 01 Evil Queen (huge purple discs ) and 03 Prince Charming (mixture of gold and silver glitter with large blue chunks). I fell in love with them both, I couldn't resist. I love their names aswell, definitely stays through to the movie. Out of the two, I probably prefer Prince Charming it's just too pretty and would add a bit of sparkle on top of any nail colour. I'm using it with OPI's I Have a Herring Problem from the Holland Collection. I like the Evil Queen topcoat but I find it trickier to apply so it can get a bit time consuming. I paired this with my favourite OPI Holland Collection polish, Pedal Faster Suzi! If you want to apply a topcoat in a hurry I'd go for Prince Charming. The next item I picked up from the collection wasn't going to break the bank at €1.29, the nail caught my eye right away. On one side there's Snow White and on the reverse, the Evil Queen. I just thought that this was adorable and I was on the lookout for a new nail file anyway.

What do you think of the Snow White collection? Will you be picking anything up?

Laura<3

St Tropez Spraycation Swords + Little Giveaway (Closed)

My friend Sinead and I took a little roadtrip on Saturday and headed to St Tropez Spraycation in Swords. The pop up itself was smaller than I expected, but we both found it nice and cosey. All the gorgeous St Tropez products were all laid out for the public to come up and test them out, while learning a bit of background information on them. Jules looked after Sinead and I, he was so nice and had so much knowledge on all things tan related. I was due to get my spray tan done on the day but unfortunately I wasn't too well that morning which was a shame as I really was looking forward to it. Sinead on the other hand had never got a spray tan done so she was my little guinea pig and let me know all about her experience and we took a before and after shot. She loved how the tan looked very natural and it only took fifteen minutes to do, which is great if you were tight on time. While Sinead was in getting her tan done, I was talking to the lovely Nicola who told me her five St Tropez Summer Must Haves, St Tropez Gradual Tan Everyday Body Moisturiser (my favourite), Perfect Legs Instant Tan, Rose Skin Illuminator, Naturals Radiance Self Tan for Face and their Wash Instant Self Tan Lotion. All these products sounded amazing so I definitely have them on my wish list especially their Naturals Radiance Range. When leaving we were given a St Tropez shopper with two minis and a St Tropez pen which was such a lovely idea for those who haven't tried out any products from the range yet. Today was the last day of St Tropez Spraycation from what I heard it was a great success all round so I hope it comes back again next Summer.

Sinead pre and post tan!

GIVEAWAY TIME!

On the day I was given an extra goody bag so I've decided to have a little giveaway for you guys.

Rules
You must be a AllMadeUp21 follower via GFC or Hello Cotton. Use the one that's easier for you and let me know in the comments below how you follow my blog.

To be in with a chance of winning here is what you have to do. Comment below telling me your favourite St Tropez product or if you haven't used anything from the brand then tell me what product you'd like to try.

UK and Ireland Only! Giveaway closes at midnight on Monday 23rd July 2012 which gives you a week to enter. I'll be in Manchester then so I'll be announcing the winner when I'm back on Monday 30th so stay tuned.

Good Luck!

Drum roll please and the winner is....


Roxii

Congratulations I'll email you shortly and send out your prize!

Laura<3

Slimming World Update #3

I'm into my fourth month of Slimming World, time has certainly flown by since I started back in April. I'd never in million years have thought I'd be doing so well this far down the line. Since I've started the program I've lost 3st 2lbs, this month I've lost 10 pounds which for me is seriously incredible. I couldn't be happier and to be doing so well after three months has motivated me alot to do even better. I think this was my big downfall in other weight loss programs as I just didn't have this at all and only ever lasted a month at most.

Since my last update I've definitely been trying to squeeze in some extra bits of exercise here and there when I can which I haven't done before. Sure I walk everywhere but as my brother told me if your not breaking a sweat your not exercising. I've fixed this now by going out jogging with him on a daily basis, let's just say I'm absolutely wrecked the next day but hopefully it pays off. It's great to have the support of my little brother as I doubt I'd do it on my own otherwise. I haven't started going to the gym yet but after talking to lots of people I'm going to go soon. I think it will add that extra something to the program that I need. As everyone know weight loss does slow down after the first few months so I'm going to have to add something different into my routine shortly. I've been doing a lot of clothes shopping recently, I've been able to get a size smaller which I'm so thrilled about. Even though I've been trying to save over the last few weeks it's become a bit of a fail when it comes to retail therapy, when there's a nice dress I just can't help myself. In exactly a week from today I'm heading to Manchester for nearly two weeks. I'm really excited for my trip and I can't wait. I love Manchester it's such a lovely city, I've been there twice already but there is some things I still want to do and see. I'll be doing a PR Internship for five days while I'm there which will definitely be interesting. I've picked up some new work clothes lately which I love. I may do a few  scheduled outfit posts while I'm away so you can see them of you'd like. For my time off while I'm there I have a couple of exciting bits planned. I'm going to Morrissey on Saturday 28th in the MEN which I can't wait for, it's sure to be a amazing gig. I've been to the arena before for Taylor Swift two years ago and it's such a great venue. I'm also *fingers crossed* going to an Olympic football match in Old Trafford. I'm big into football so this is another thing I'm very excited for. Of course I'm going to be doing a spot of shopping while I'm there seeing as everything is so much cheaper compared to over here. I already have my eye on a few bits in Zara, I'm in love with their shoes so who knows I may treat myself over there. While I'm in Manchester, I will be missing a week of Slimming World which I was kind of worried about but you can book holidays during the year so it wasn't an issue. I haven't missed a class since I started so it will be weird come Tuesday evening I'll probably be thinking I should be somewhere else. I'm sure I'll be fine during the week and hopefully there will be no glitches.

Until the next update:)

Laura<3

Magazine Freebies - August Issue

In Easons during the week I picked up three magazine, Elle, Marie Claire and Harper's Bazaar. As I said in my previous magazine post I would never pick up these usually but there were some gorgeous freebies this month. I couldn't let them get away could I?

 In Harper's Bazaar there was a Neom Organic Hand Cream. This was the priciest magazine of the bunch at €6 but I'd heard so many great things about the brand I caved and bought it. There is two scents to choose from, I went for Inspiration Violet, Chamomile & Cedarwood. At first I wasn't too gone on it to be honest but I've gotten use to the scent. It is quite nice but wouldn't be something I'd go out buy after I finish this one. The handcream itself is lovely and sinks into the skin right away, I'll probably bring this on holiday with me and use it up. The lovely Mila Kunis is looking gorgeous as always on the Elle cover. I loved her interview in the magazine it was such a great read.  A St Tropez Gradual Tan Everyday Body Moisturer mini was included with this magazine. At 75ml, it's definitely not too shabby a sample either. I got a full size of this as a gift ages ago and I love it, I've been using it so much over the Summer. As it's a gradual tan, I just pop it on at night before bed and I wake up I have lovely natural glow what more could I ask for? Last but not least I picked up Marie Claire. Whenever I get this magazine I always skip straight to the beauty pages. I have so many I want that moments, I usually end up with a wish list the size of my arm. There was a choice of three Avon mascara with this month's magazine, I went for Super Shock Max which I've yet to try. I hope I made the right decision has anyone tried it? Come to think of it I've hardly ever bought everything from Avon, I need to fix this soon I think.

Have you picked up any of these magazines?

Laura<3

Garnier BB Cream Miracle Skin Perfector for Combination to Oily Skin

I''ve never got sucked into the hype surrounding BB cream. Since they first came on the scene I wasn't one of the people who rushed out to the shops to buy one. I like wearing foundation that has a medium to full coverage so I just thought they weren't going to be for me. Don't get me wrong I've seen so many great reviews on them, but one thing always stood out for me there didn't seem to be one catering for girls like myself that have combination/oily skin. I was contacted a while ago and asked did I want to try out a new product from Garnier, I wasn't told at first what it was going to be so I thought why not. At my door arrived their new BB cream that's especially for people with combination/oily skin. I decided one evening after work to give it a go, I wasn't expecting too much but I was so surprised at how great this left my skin looking. I got the lighter shade of the two available and   it's the perfect match for my skin tone. I do have visible pores on my nose, this does diminish the appearance of them slightly so I'm not wary about them as much. Coverage is a big deal for me, it was one of the issues that stopped me from trying BB creams at the start when everyone first went mad for them. Garnier BB cream has fairly decent coverage and is quite buildable also. When applying the product I put two 5 cent coin size amounts on the back of my hand, using my Real Techniques buffing brush I lightly buff this into my skin which gives a gorgeous natural finish. If I have any blemishes I apply a few dots of concealer where needed. I don't usually use powders over the top, only when I want it to last that little bit longer like when I'm going to work for a full day or when it's sweltering out. When I do want it to be long wearing, I use either Laura Mercier's Mineral Powder or Rimmel's Stay Matte, both work amazingly well with it. Of course I use the latter more as it's much more affordable. My favourite blush to use with this is MAC's Pink Tea, it gives a hint of pink to the cheeks perfect for this look. I can see myself rocking this combination all through the Summer, it's so easy to achieve.

Now for the damage the price, €14.99 isn't too bad at all considering I've been using mine so much and it still feels full. I'll be buying this again once I run out simply because I've never used something that feels so light and looks so nice on my skin. I also like how the new packaging as it's makeup bag friendly. The original Garnier BB cream came in a big tube which I guess would be more difficult to carry around and must of taken up so much space.

Do you like BB creams? Will you be trying Garnier's new offering?

Laura<3

St Tropez Spraycation

Keep next Friday and Saturday the 13th and 14th of July free in your diaries, St Tropez Spraycation is coming to Dublin's Pavilion Shopping Centre. Being the first event of it's kind in Dublin, I'm sure it's going to be great. On the day the beach themed pop up will be offering complimentary spray tans with their celebrity tanners on hand to answer any questions you may have. You'll also receive luxury samples of St Tropez Wash Off Body (50ml) and Gradual Tan in Medium/Dark (50ml). This is a great way to try out their products if you haven't gotten to chance to already. Over the last month Spraycation weekends have been held throughout the UK and they've gone down a storm.

I didn't want to miss this so I'll be there on Saturday with one of my good friends so I hope to see some of you there too. It must be said Sinead loves her tan a bit more than I do. I sometimes get afraid that it may make me look a bit on the orangey side but lately seeing as it's the Summer I've been using it more. I've been using the St Tropez Gradual Tan Everyday Body Moisturiser in Light/Medium, I got it as a gift from a friend last Christmas and I love how it gives a lovely natural glow to the skin. I'm really looking forward to seeing the other products St Tropez have to offer from their range next week. I'll be sure to take some photos at the event and pop them up so you can have a look at what it was like. I'm hoping the weather is nice as it will make such for a lovely atmostphere.

Who will I be seeing at Spraycation in Dublin?

Laura<3

June Favourites

During the month of June I've been on a spending ban, with Manchester only a little while away I'm trying to save as much as I can. My boyfriend and I have planned to do so much over our 10 day trip so of course money is a necessity. All month I haven't bought any beauty products (par one or two essentials) so alot of my June favourites are rediscoveries.

I wish this brand was easily available in Ireland. If it was I'd definitely stock up on more bits from the Pink Chiffon range. The scent is heavenly, a mixture between sweet and fruitly. I got this as a birthday gift from a fellow beauty blogger Chie, who knows how much I love Bath and Body Works. This body lotion has quickly become one of my favourites. I'm half way through the bottle and I'll be so disappointed when I run out. The size of this product is also perfect for travelling, it will certainly find it's way into my Manchester travel bag.

My lashes have been looking a complete mess lately, lets just say I won't be using false lashes for a long time. My Nana surprised me with this at the beginning of June and it has been a complete lifesaver. The mascara adds so much volume to my lashes, it doesn't even miss the teeny tiny ones. The brush is different to others as it has a mixture of short and long bristles but this mascara is amazing, I can't find a fault with it. Fanomenal Lashes is definitely my favourite mascara from No7, I love it!!

I've been trying to lay off my straighteners for a while in favour of my natural wavey look which is going quite well. I'm not going to lie now and again I do revolve back to using my straigheners. I always use heat protectant though and this month I ran out mine, luckily I came across VO5's offering while I was going through my haircare products. I like this as it's more of a light spritzs and doesn't drown my hair like some sprays can. This is one of the better heat protectants I've used in a while. From what I can remember it wasn't too expensive I think I bought it in Superdrug. This also has a really nice scent which can be said for alot of  VO5's productsThere's alot of decent products in their styling range, I love Give Me Texture which enhances my waves.

I hate talking about feet they creep me out but this is a product I've been using alot this month. Seeing as the weather has been gorgeous, my boyfriend and I have been going on long walks anytime we can. When I get home I'm always wrecked but so have my feet and sometimes I think we tend to neglect them. So I've been using the Liz Earle Foot Spritzer, I spray both feet twice and pop on a pair of fluffy socks.  It contains menthol so it has an instant cooling which is really nice on my feet after a good long walk or a hard days work. I can't remember for the life of me how much this was but I'll definitely be repurchasing this when I run out.

My Mom got Too Faced's Natural Eye palette for me when she went to New York the Christmas before last. I love this palette, it contains nine neutral shades that all make the perfect natural eye look. As you can see Push Up is my favourite, I use it all over the lid with Erotica in the socket everyday and I love it! If I was going away for a weekend away I'd bring this with me as it has the perfect selection of shadows to get me from day to night.

I actually tried the Nuxe Reve de Miel hand cream at their event and I instantly fell in love with the stuff. I went to my local pharmacy the next day and picked one up. It is rather price at €12.30 but it comes in a nice size tube which is ideal for my handbag. This handcream has a really unique scent which I love, I could sit around smelling it all day. It's a thick hand cream but it sinks into the skin instantly. I've been using this alot especially after work as it leaves my hands nice and soft.

Last but not least I have another haircare product that I've been loving this month. I straighten my hair quite a bit so my hair does go quite flat and lifeless. I'm not the biggest fan of dry shampoos so when I first tried John Frieda's Luxurious Volume Anytime Volume Refresher* I was a bit sceptical of it. I had no reason to worry as this stuff is brilliant. Firstly the product doesn't have the stronge nasty scent that some dry shampoos have which is a plus. It gives my hair a much needed lift and adds I nice bit of volume. This product absorbs oil so it would be classed a dry shampoo but I use it just to get a nice bit of body in my hair. I lift up bits of my hair and spray this at the roots, it does leave a light powder but it's easily blended in. One of the many things I like most about Anytime Volume Refresher is that it doesn't leave your hair looking ashy which alot of dry shampoos can. It also comes in a skinny can which does come in handy as it's the perfect size for my handbag.

What made it into your favourites for June??

Laura<3

June Empties

Another month has just flown by ridiculously fast. If you think about it half the year is gone already which I find hard to believe. Seeing as it is July I thought I'd start off with my June Empties post, I'll follow on with my favourites during the week. I didn't finish too much this month but it's enough to justify doing a empties post I think. Like last month I'm going to seperate the products into categories again as I feel it reads and looks better.

Firstly I'm going to start with shower products I've used up. Two of the products come from The Body Shop and Lush, my favourite shops for shower products, everything smells so yummy. I've had this pot of Lush's Creamed Almond & Coconut Smoothie since Christmas, I've been trying to make it last as it got discontinued. I really don't know why it was as I do believe it was pretty popular. They replaced it with Ro's Argan Body Conditioner which honestly doesn't compare at all and smells horrible in my opinion. Creamed Almond & Coconut Smoothie had a amazing gorgeous scent and left my skin feeling so soft. I don't think there's anything like it in Lush at the moment which is disappointing. Another product I finished during June and loved is The Body Shop's Chocomania Body Scrub. If your not eating chocolate like me for whatever reason you should definitely give this a sniff. It's an amazing scrub too and this size product lasted me a two months or so. For me the only downside is the price, it's the price €18.95 which is rather pricey for a scrub. I know Hollister's Laguna Beach Body Mist isn't necessarily a shower product but I thought I'd squeeze it in here. I tend to use this straight after I have a shower so it makes sense to be included. I've this bottle forever probably a year now and I love this scent. It stays on the skin much longger then some body sprays I've tried. I didn't particularly like the body lotion in the same scent so I gave that to a friend. The next time I'm in Hollister I'm going to pick up another spray maybe in a different scent, I think there's two others to choose from.

Another Lush product I finished last month is the Brazened Honey face mask. I really like how this product leaves my skin looking fresh and bright. The way this mask looked kind of put me off to start with. If you've used this before you'll know what I mean but if you haven't I'll just warn you and let you know it's not the most attractive colour. After trying this I really want to try some more Lush masks. Let me know your favourites. I've been ditching the wipes lately in favour  of cleansing waters.  I feel like my skin has definitely improved since I stopped using them. This month I finished up No7's Beautiful Skin Cleansing Water for Normal/ Oily skin. I love this stuff and I've already done a post here. The only problem I had with this product is that the bottle isn't big enough. I tend to fly through cleansing waters for some reason and run out in no time. I had a few No7 vouchers floating around and I repurchased this yesterday, I can see this being a welcome addition to my skincare routine. The last skincare product I finished during June is Origins GinZing Eyecream. I've only started using eyecreams lately, I just never thought I needed them before now. After a closer inspection in the mirror  I realised I did and I bought this. Origins GinZing Eyecream doesn't do much for fine lines but it definitely brightens up the under eye area. This is actually a good little product when I remember to use. Again the only thing stopping me repurchasing this anytime soon is the price. I think there's so many alternative products out there at the moment.


I only finished two makeup products this month, the first of which is MAC's Lingering Eyebrow pencil.  The shade, Lingering is the perfect shade for my brows and it fills them in nicely. This reminds me of the electronical windup pencils you use to get in school and it snaps the exact same too which really annoyed me. I think I finished it up so soon because it just kept breaking. I want to repurchase this eyebrow pencil again so I'm hoping this one was just a part of a bad batch. I think for the price it shouldn't be breaking all the time. Did anyone have the same problem with it? Another makeup product I ran out off is my favourite eyeliner, Loreal's Super Liner Carbon Gloss. I saw such a amazing review on this product and I wanted to try it for ages. A couple of months ago I finally bought it and I love this eyeliner. It quickly became a part of my everyday makeup routine. It has such a nice applicator which applies the liner beautiful. I was so disappointed when I ran out this so I'll be definitely popping into Boots the next time I'm out shopping.

 Do you do monthly empties post? Have you tried any of the products I've finished this month?

Laura<3