Category Archives: Beauty

Holos – This is More

06 Wednesday Dec 2017

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Holos Skincare, based in Co.Wexford recently launched a new range to the brand. I was lucky enough to get to go to the blogger launch and find out about the new products. The This is More range has 3 products in the range:

  1. Multi-Use Plant Oil – €39.99
  2. Facial and Eye Serum – €41.99
  3. Get Better Butter – €37.99

The great thing about these products, they aren’t targeted for one area. They can be used in multiple areas, and I will explain this as I go through each of the products below. I was lucky enough to have been given the 3 products to try and will do a full review after I have tried them for a few weeks.

Multi-Use Plant Oil

This product looks amazing and has multiple uses including, makeup removal, hair oil, body oil and many more uses. It would be brilliant for travelling as one bottle can be used for all the above and more, and it also comes in a 100ml bottle so no issues with carry on luggage for travelling! It contains sweet almond oil, rosehip, calendula and cocunut oils, so it is definitely going to leave your skin feeling soft and clean. Unfortunately I am allergic to almonds, so I won’t get to try this one 😦

Facial and Eye Serum

Now that I am in my 30’s 😦 I definitely have become more conscious of lines around my eyes and I have gotten into a nightly routine of using eye creams. Normally from my experience most products for your face can’t be used around the eyes, as the skin is very sensitive in that area and also heavy products designed for your face aren’t gentle enough for the eye area. This contains hyaluronic acid, the new go to product for skincare :). 1 gramme of hyaluronic acid holds up to 6 litres of water, which is takes from its environment and absorbs into the skin. What I didn’t know though was if you are in a dry, air-conditioned environment it will pull this into your skin so try to have a window opened to ensure some moisture is coming into the room. This can also be used for scar tissue and dry patches, I know definitely get some dry patches during the winter. I can’t wait to try this product out and I will let you know how I get on 🙂

Get Better Butter

Another brilliant travel product, again in a 100ml container so fine for carry on, is the Get Better Butter. It is a buttery cream that can be used on your face, hands and more so along with the Multi-Use Plant Oil you would have two products that cover all the cleansing and moisturising that I can think of. This product contains Organic Shea & Cocoa butters and smells amazing! It also says that it can be used for Eczema & Psoriasis. I have suffered with my elbows over the past few years when on holidays in the sun, I get small blisters on my elbows, which when I return home my elbows go really dry. So after our mini honeymoon at the start of the moment I am suffering a little bit and will be trying this out on my elbows.

Click here for more details on all of the products from Holos!

Amanda xxx

*I was given these products at the Holos launch to try but views are all my own.

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Buff Day Spa – Dublin 

05 Wednesday Jul 2017

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A few weeks back I was invited to an open evening in Buff Day Spa. For any of you who don’t know the Buff Day Spa it is located on King Street, Dublin 2 (not far from Zara 😍). 

I couldn’t believe how big the spa was! It seemed to go on forever when I was going around on the tour, but my favourite part..the quietness. Considering it is just off Grafton St and on a pretty busy street you couldn’t hear anything. It swas quiet, and relaxing and strangely it felt more relaxing as you know you are so close to crowds of people.

Whilst I was there they did a few different treatments. I had a look at laser hair removal being done, something I have always considered so I really wanted to see what it was like. They have a new method of doing it, Super Hair Removal.

They also do micro needling and they demonstrated this on the night. Numbing cream is applied and you are left for 20mins for this to take effect. The face was then cleansed and a micro needle roller was used on the face. For anybody squeamish there is some blood… they then used an Image mask on the face for the skin to absorb. The idea of micro needling is that it is a controlled injury, so the skin then tries to repair itself. After the treatment the skin will be red and require a few days to relax and repair itself, makeup is not reccomended.

I am not going to lie, I don’t think this is a treatment for me. I met a few girls there who had the treatment before and raved about it and you could see the difference in their skin from it. I am a bit of a chicken and the micro needle roller scares me, but don’t let me put you off it definitely look into if you are interested in it! 

They gave us shots of the Image Collagen Shot to try, it actually tasted pretty good 😀

Buff Day Spa also do other facials and treatments, if your treatment costs more than €50 you can arrive an hour early and use the relaxation room and sauna, go on spoil yourself 😁, I know I will!

Amanda xxx

The Salon at The Shelbourne

02 Tuesday May 2017

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So a few weeks ago, I went to The Salon in The Shelbourne to get my nails filed and painted for my birthday. I was at a wedding fayre evening a few months back in the Shelbourne and couldn’t believe their prices (in a good way 😅) so I decided to make an appointment and see how it was.

From the moment you walk in the door you are treated amazingly. My coat was taken and put away, I didn’t have to sit around waiting for my appointment. I was brought straight in and got to the business of picking a colour. I went for Peach Daiquiri by Essie: 

The colour is really hard to photograph but I wanted something summery. The girl doing my nails was friendly and we chatted away and she had them done in no time!.

Once she was finished she offered my tea, coffee, water or macaroons while I was waiting for my nails to dry. The bit I haven’t said yet this only cost me €15! I know some people might think this is expensive but compared to what I have paid around Dublin City for a file and paint this is pretty good. So far I have paid €10-€20 and the salon that cost €20 wasn’t a great experience.

My pretty nails again 😀

Here is a link to The Salons page with details of prices and packages (and a €20 blowdry!) Click here.

Thanks

Amanda xxx

I was not paid or asked to promote The Salon, I booked and paid for my own appointment and wanted to share the experience with everybody.

Karora Express Bronzing Mousse

10 Saturday Dec 2016

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A few weeks back Karora sent me some of their products to try. I first heard about Karora tan at my first blogger event last year. An Irish company that started off driving around Ireland and now has an office in America. 

I am lucky enough to tan during the summer and then I am the lovely pale of white during the winter that I can’t deal with and this is when the tan comes out! 
I tried the Karora Express Bronze Mousse a few times before doing this review. The mousse is a watery texture with a hint of purple in it. It is very easy to apply as the mousse is a light texture. The purple tint lets you know you have applied it to an area. Don’t worry it doesn’t stay purple! Nobody wants to go around looking like Violet from Charlie and the chocolate factory 😅.  

How did I get on?

The first time I tried the tan I left it on for 3 hours. The instructions on the packet say 1 hour for a light glow, 2 hours a deeper colour, and 3 hours a rich dark brown. The colour was good, but not  dark enough for me. So I did what I always do with 3 hour tans, left it on overnight and the colour was gorgeous. 

Any dark tan, disasters? 
Now I am not going to lie my hands were a disaster, but that was my own fault. My hands are very dry from the cold weather so I should have done a lot more prep! Any other time I used this tan my hands were fine. One thing I definitely love about this tan is I didn’t get the extra dark elbows. 

So how did the tan wash off? 

The tan came off very naturally. I had no build up of dirty looking tan anywhere, I didn’t have to scrub it off. It just seemed to get lighter everytime I showered.

Will I use the tan again? 

I will definitely use this tan again. It also smells quit sweet 😀

Hope you enjoyed the review.

Amanda xxx

*I was sent this product to try, my review is fully my own and not paid to promote.

Easilock Launch Event 

21 Friday Oct 2016

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I was recently at the Easilock launch event in the Cliff Townhouse in Dublin. The venue was gorgeous and I definitely need to go try it for dinner! Easilock hair extensions are now available in pharmacies around Ireland and I got to see some of the samples at the event. It is made from a fibre hair technology and is heat resistant so can by styled very easily. At the event you could get the hair extensions put into your hair and it looked very easy! 

I didn’t try them out as to be honest I have pretty thick head of hair and extra hair is definitely not a good idea. Everytime I go to the hairdressers’ they always comment on how much hair I have and how light it feels after a cut! There was a few things from Easilocks that I was very interested in, the celebrity range includes pieces to style your hair. I love the braid people have in their hair and Easilock do a braid headband that just sits in your hair!! 

Easilocks celebrity range

They also launched a homecare range for the extensions that can also be used in your natural hair. Shane O’Sullivan says that you should be buying a shampoo that looks after your scalp, something I never even thought of. I will buy creams for my face to keep my skin hydrated and (hopefully) younger looking but when it comes to my hair I buy whatever is on special offer in the supermarket. The Easilock homecare range includes shampoo and conditioner both of which are free from silicones, sulphates and parabens. 

I definitely think I will be investing and doing some research into was is best for my scalp and hair. I have noticed over the past few months my hair seems in a worse condition than normal and never looks great. I was blaming the weather but maybe it is the products I am using?

Amanda xxx


NKD Skn Preshower Tan

08 Monday Aug 2016

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I was kindly sent this product to try and here is a review for everybody to read. So I love the idea behind the NKD Skin preshower tan you apply it 10 minutes before your shower and the tan develops over the next 4-8 hours. I am so lazy with tan so I was very excited to try this, am I the only person who hates putting tan on? I always plan on doing it the night before I am going somewhere and then throw it instant on the next day instead.

I put it on 10 minutes before my shower and did I have a tan that night? I actually did 😍  It is a gradual build tan so you will need to put it on a few times depending on how dark of a tan you want.
Not bad for one application 

My only negative against the product is that you can get the fake tan smell after your shower. It is not very strong but I could definitely smell it off my skin but I had a shower later that evening quickly before I went out and the smell was gone. I will keep using this product as the colour is good and it is so easy to use.

The gel itself has a creamy colour to it so you can see where you applied it and I had no marks anywhere that I missed.

Here is a link to purchase and it retails for about £13.95, sorry I can’t find the euro price.

Hope you enjoyed that review 😊

Amanda xxx

*I was sent this product to try but was not paid to review.

April Favourites

06 Friday May 2016

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I am just back from New York (there will be loads of posts..apologies if I overdo it!) and I wanted to do a post on some of my favourite beauty products lately.

My skin felt terrible when I got back after the flight, it was all dried out and I was breaking out in spots. I decided to try the Declaré cleansing powder and Multilift contouring cream I got at the Declaré skincare event last month. I only used both products about 2 or 3 times but my skin feels smooth, soft and clean and all the dry skin is gone! The dried out skin was gone after using it once!

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The cleansing powder is also brilliant for taking off a full face of makeup, and just use a eye makeup remover aswell and you are makeup free nearly as quick as using a makeup remover wipe. We all know makeup remover wipes are terrible for the skin (I will admit I use them a lot more than I should!)

You just put a little bit of the powder in your hand and then add a few drops of water and mix until you get a foam.

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Another product I am in love with is the L’Oreal Mythic Oil, this is a radiance oil for colour treated hair.

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The bottom of my hair still has some colour in it from a bad attempt at a balyage a few years ago (not done by me) and my hair is quite dry out. The great hairdresser Kelsey in House of Colour is trying to get rid of as much of it at each cut I go for that it is barely noticeable now. Otherwise my hair is my natural colour, for the next year or two anyway before the greys takeover 😢.

I put about 2-3 pumps of this into my hair after washing and leave it for as long as possible before drying to get if time to soak into my hair. My hair feels great since I started using it. It doesn’t leave my hair dry and heavy with product but leaves it silky and shiny.

Hope you like these products 🤗

Amanda xxx

Look Fantastic Beauty Box – February

13 Sunday Mar 2016

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Another great month for the Look Fantastic Beauty Box. This by far is my favourite company to use as the products are all amazing. This month also included a copy of Elle magazine 😊

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So first up is my favourite item, the High Impact Brows palette, I was so excited when I saw this as I really wanted to try a new brow palette. It has 4 different colours for different hair colours. Love the colours, they are really natural and definitely my favourite product in the box. Retails at £18.99 so definitely made this box worthwhile getting.

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I never tried Bliss products before but I have heard a lot about them and can’t wait to try this out! I got a sample of the Grapefruit and Aloe body butter. My skin is so dry with the cold weather and I am expecting pretty good things from this!
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Next up I got a sample of the Monuspa Bali Massage and Body Oil. It contains apricot seed, sandlewood and rosewood oils, definitely going to try this out on my legs to get them soft and ready for summer!!

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I got a mini tub of Bed Head Manipulator, to be honest as my hair is quite long and thick I am not sure I will try this out but I will give it somebody who has shorter hair or hair more suited to this product.
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I also got a Lord and Berry lip crayon in colour, Intimacy ( I think that’s the colour) I haven’t really used a lip crayon before so definitely looking forward to using this and I will let you know how many hours it lasts!
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Also cute is Denman hairbrush I got on a keyring!
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Also I love that they put a quote inside the lid of the box, also love the boxes they are great for storage and so pretty!!
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Amanda xxx

Poor hands don’t like the cold!!

28 Sunday Feb 2016

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Anybody else suffering from dry, sore hands with the weather lately! I wanted to share my two favourite hand creams that definitely are making a difference and protecting my hands.

First up is the hand cream from the Holos range. Holos is a natural plant-based, aromatherapy range started by Niamh in Ireland. I was gifted the hand cream and it contains Rose, Palmerosa, Benzoin & Frankincense. I love this product, and as it is natural I feel comfortable putting it on my skin when it is dried out from the cold. It is available to purchase on the Holos site for €15.90 and selected stockist (list available here)

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Next up is the hand cream from L’Occitane. I bought the Rose cream, L’Occitane do a famous cream, however unfortunately I am allergic to almonds and almond oil seems to be new ingredient for a majority of skin care products. I love the smell of this cream and it is another product to keep my hands soft. It is available to purchase for €16.90 (click here)

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Having two products is handy, one at home and one at my desk in work.

Amanda xxx

A perfect product for perfect skin 😆

23 Tuesday Feb 2016

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I came across Ren skincare at the start of this year, I received a sample of it I think at Pippas Fashion Factory and I love it. The sample bottles are pretty good and range from about 5mls up to 15mls. After two weeks of using it I definitely felt like I could notice a difference with lines and my skin in general. Ever since then I have been pretty hooked and seriously stocked up on my Christmas list 😅.

I got a set for sensitive skin, stop being so sensitive. there was a large bottle of the evercalm cleansing balm and evercalm day cream moisturiser in the bag. It also included the evercalm anti redness serum and a night cream. This retails at £34.00/approx €50 on their site.

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Another one on my Christmas list was this set, it contained the below two products and I think it was about €21. It included the Glycolactic Radiance Renewal mask and the Flash Rinse 1 minute Facial . The mask is sold every 12 seconds so it definitely must be good!!
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This is the full size of the first sample I received from Ren and I can’t wait to start using it (trying to use one at a time) I found the Ultra Moisture Day Cream brilliant and this was the one that I noticed a difference to my skin in two weeks.

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Ren can be purchased on their own site (click here). You can also purchase it on Cloud 10 Beauty (click here). The best thing is both sites offer free samples also brilliant!!
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Amanda xxx