Electric Picnic Checklist

For those of you fortunate enough to be heading off to Ireland's biggest music festival this weekend, I thought I would write up a quick checklist/survival kit to help you all with your packing. 

These essentials have been derived from my experience of 'The Picnic' last year and I will be eagerly re-packing them all tomorrow to do it all over again this year!

1. Tickets & Money. (Most importantly)
2. Rucksack, Tent, Sleeping bag, Camping mat, torch.

3. Phone & Camera (Fully charged)
4. Clothes for all seasons.(It is Ireland after all!)

5. Wellies & Knee-high socks.

6. Raincoat & scarf.

7. Hat & Sunglasses/suncream
8. (Girls)~ MakeUp, face wipes, toothbrush/paste & dry shampoo.

9. Neurofen & plasters. (Just incase!)
10.Snacks & Alcohol! (No glass) (Coolbox optional)

* Very important to bring a care free attitude & sense of humour as the festival is jam-packed with random fun-filled & mucky moments! :-)

The most important thing to remember when going to any camping festival is not to take anything you can't afford to loose ~the less you have,the less you have to worry about! 

If you do happen to forget something it's not the end of the world, the campsite is well kitted out with shops, food/clothes stalls, ATMs and phone-charging stations.

Wishing you all a brilliant & safe weekend!

Leah x

Platinum to Ombre!

Sporting platinum blonde hair for almost 10 years now, I recently decided it was time to give my poor hair a break from the bleach & choose something a little different to change up my look.

Having become so attached to my blonde locks over the last decade, I just couldn't face saying goodbye to them for good so after scanning through numerous hair magazines~ I finally decided to opt for a brown/blonde ombre blend.

The Ombre style has been a huge trend in the world of hair lately and rightly so given the many advantages over a Platinum Blonde:

-A much softer look.

-Lower maintenance having no obvious roots every few weeks! 

-It compliments darker eyebrows & features.

-You can go a shade darker with your tan/makeup.

-Less damage to the hair.

-With a 2-tone colour you can change up your look using different hairstyles to excentuate either the brown or blonde colour.

                            Before & After photo

Left: Before (Platinum) Right: After (Ombre)

I booked into RoCo Hair, a prestigious hair salon in the heart of Derry city. 

It boasts chic & stylish interior with a relaxed vibe. Their client care & skills are excellent. I would highly recommend the salon.

(Looking nervous pre-application & pre-coffee haha)

*The salon provides a complimentary hot drinks & fair trade treats menu which is a lovely addition to your treatment.

                      -The finished result!

*Considering I was quite hesitant about the change, I am pleasantly suprised with the end result. 

I feel it is a more natural look and better suited to my skin tone & features. 

I may need to have the brown section done a few more times due to it washing out prematurely with my hair being so blonde, but I'm pretty confident the ombre is here to stay~at least for the winter months!

Thanks @ RoCo Hair.

Have you braved the ombre trend?

Leah x 

Mary Lou~Manizer!-The Balm Cosmetics

After hearing rave reviews, I'm excited to say I have finally managed to get my hands on this product!

'Mary-Lou Manizer' is a shimmery highlighting powder from 'The Balm' cosmetics and I have to say I absolutely love it! 

Being a highlighting addict I have tried and tested countless brands, I thought I had found my holy grail product in 'Mac's Soft & Gentle' which I do love but I have to say the Mary~Lou Manizer has exceeded my expectations & may have just acclaimed top spot!

Retailing for €20 from The Balm, Makeup Forever & Amazon, It boasts flirty packaging with a clever criminal description ;)

The product itself is a pressed powder compact with a small mirror attached.

As you can see from the swatch above it is a beautiful shimmery champagne shade & super pigmented.

Apply under the brow, above the cheekbones & cupids bow for a gorgeous summery glow to the skin.

Hope you enjoyed this review, feel free to ask any questions!

Leah x

Healthy Summer Smoothie!

Smoothies are one of my favorite sips to make during the summer months. 

Most mornings, I will whip up a quick & healthy smoothie for breakfast or post workout.

Below is my 'go to' smoothie consisting of a good balance of natural fruit & protein to kickstart the day ahead!

*Ingredients as per one person 

(Just double up ingredients for 2 or more people)

- 1/4 glass of Soya or (Almond Milk)

- A handful of Porridge Oats. (Can also use protein powder)

-1/4 glass if pure Orange Juice.

-x1 squirt of Honey.

-x4 desert spoons of Natural/Greek or Frozen Yogurt.

-x1 desert spoon of Peanut Butter.

-x4 Large Strawberries (Can also use frozen fruit)

-A half of a Bananna.

**Optional add x4 Ice-Cubes to make extra cold.

Start Smoothie machine on high power for 30-40 seconds.

- And Voila! 

Enjoy :) 

Leah x

Face Of Ireland

Hi all,

I have some very exciting news to share!
I am delighted to say I have been selected as a Finalist for the Face Of Ireland competition this year. 

*Face Of Ireland is an Ambassadorial search to represent Ireland along with supporting various Irish charitable causes.

The Cause: 

This years chosen charity is 'Join Our Boys' - A very touching case involving 3 beautiful young brothers: Archie, George & Isaac Naughton from Roscommon who all have a terminal illness called Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. The goal is to raise as much support and awareness as possible in the hope that a cure will be discovered for the condition. The campaign has already gained immense national support with communities pulling together to hold regular fundraisers in aid of the boys trust. 

Proceeds will also go towards helping the family financially, as they will soon need a new wheel-chair accessible home along with expensive equipment which the boys will sadly require in the near future.

I feel honoured to be apart of this competition and will do my utmost best to promote, support and raise awareness on belhalf the Naughton family.

The Competition:

My entry into the competition initially started with an online application from which to my suprise I was short listed for an interview. The interview was held in Bewleys Hotel in Dublin last month where I was delighted to be selected as a Semi-Finalist. 

The Semi Finals which included 14 stunning girls took place on Friday 16th May and what a night it was! 

The Face Of Ireland team were on hand with a warm welcome as soon as we all arrived at the venue The Red Cow Moran Hotel at 9am. Firstly CEO Brian Cunnigham gave an informative talk on the background of Face Of Ireland and the various charities it has helped throughout the years.

We all began to bond easily throughout the day which was lovely, I absolutely love meeting new people and have already gained new friends among the Face Of Ireland family.

We were then called individually to the board room where we were interviewed by a celebrity judging panel including Leah Egan (Fair City) Jay Dolan (The Voice) and Aoibhe Devlin (Irish Fashion & Beauty Blogger). 

Slightly apprehensive upon entering the room, my nerves immediately disappeared as the interview commenced. The judges were absolutely lovely giving smiles of encouragement throughout and providing a relaxed atmosphere. 

A well earned lunch then followed along with Hair & MakeUp, it was such a treat to be on the other side and have it done by someone else who I will did a fantastic job! 

Lastly and most importantly prior to the actual show, we had our onstage rehersals where we were given guidelines by the team regarding, catwalk, composure and personality on stage.

At 7.30pm excitement mounted as our family, friends and guests began to arrive to be greeted with an exclusive champagne reception.

The show kicked off at 8.30pm with host Mr.Ireland/Mr World 2010 Kamal Ibriham who kept the night upbeat and interesting having some light-hearted fun with us onstage aswell as projecting a few more serious questions in relation to the prize role.

I thoroughly enjoyed my onstage interview and finished it with a self-written poem.

I enjoyed watching the other girls just as much, each one had something interesting and unique to share in their interviews.

When the Interviews drew to a close, the judges left to deliberate only to come back onstage 10 minutes later with the result...

To my absolute shock & excitement my name was called out first, it was a very surreal moment and I was overwhelmed to see my family and friends cheering and bouncing full of pride in the audience.

I was then joined by the other 3 beautiful winners Racheal Clarke, Lisa McGowan & Tara Gannon.

I feel very privilaged to have been chosen as a Finalist in this fantastic competition with such a worthy cause at heart. I am really looking forward to the National Grand Final in October where the 4 of us girls will be joined by the Winners of the other regional semi-finals in a bid to become the Face Of Ireland 2014.

Thank you all for reading,

#keepmoving #keepmarching #joinourboys

Leah xx

Bridal Party MakeUp!

I thought I would share a Bridal Party which I had the pleasure of working on recently.

The lovely Grainne was a very easy canvas and she opted to go for a vintage MakeUp look on her special day to compliment her beautiful features.

I created a flawless base with subtle contouring, a soft ivory & brown 'cut-crease' eye with false lashes. The finishing touch was a classic matte red lip to match her fabulous ruby red shoes.

     The Trial

       The Trial Photoshoot            

   

   The lovely Bridal Party (Not forgetting the Groomsmen) 

*(Contrasting with the beautiful Bride, I created a flawless base with slightly heavier contouring, a smokey eye (with false lashes) and finished with a vibrant pink lip for her 3 lovely bridesmaids.)

   The Beautiful Bride

The happy Newly-Weds!

               

*Photography is by Pamela Bloe.

I thoroughly enjoyed working with this Bridal party, they were a lovely bunch of ladies!

All the very best for your future together Grainne & Dave xxx 

Leah x 

My MakeUp & Brush Storage Set-Up

Having an abundance of MakeUp can often lead to a mass of clutter on your dressing table and leave you struggling to find your go-to products in a hurry. 

There's alot to be said for an organised stress-free MakeUp set-up so I thought I would do a quick post on how I store my own personal MakeUp & Brushes & hopefully give you some ideas's!

 

                                            My Personal MakeUp Station 

                                         Muji Drawers

I purchased these acrylic drawers above are from Muji Online and are a duplicate for the significantly more expensive *Clear Cube*. They have a 5 drawer, a 3 drawer and a 2 drawer to choose from. 

The 5 drawer & 2 drawer are quite shallow (perfect for Lipsticks/Eyeliners/Lipliners whereas the 2 drawer is slightly deeper allowing for bulkier products such as Foundations/Bronzers/Blushers. 

The added bonus is that they are see through allowing you to see straight away where everything is!

                                        Aycrilic Lipstick Holder

I purchased this acrylic lipstick storage holder from Amazon which holds 12 Lipsticks and also 3/4 bottled products. I use this to keep my go-to lipsticks and everyday primers on display.

*In the top picture you will see I have stacked a Muji 3 drawer ontop of a 2 drawer and then the aycrilic lipstick holder ontop.

                                    MakeUp Forever Brush Holder Case

 

These brush holders from MakeUp Forever are ideal for storing all your favourite brushes. It has a wide capacity which allows for a significant amount of brushes and also has an interlocking clasp for closing to protect and keep your brushes sturdy while on the move-I've had mine for years!

                        DIY Brush Holders

For all you creative people out there, an alternative option to store and display your brushes, is to buy some plastic/glass jars and fill them halfway with some beads or dry rice (to give stability) and just pop your brushes in (as above)-Simple & budget friendly! 

I hope these tips were helpful :) 

Leah

x 

A simple 6 step 2-toned eye makeup look!

Step 1. Prime the eyelids and brow bone. 

Step 2. Using a flat eyeshadow brush, apply a highlight/champagne colour all over the lid up into the brow bone and into the inner corners of the eye.

Step 3. Using a tapered brush, apply a matte mid-tone brown above the crease and also take this colour down along the bottom lash line with an angled brush.

Step 4. Using a pencil brush apply a matte black pigment into the outer third of the crease. 

Step 5. Using a matte light brown colour, blend inbetween the crease and brow bone as a transition colour (this will eliminate any harsh lines) 

Step 6. Line the upper eyelids and inner rims with a black gel liner and add two coats of mascara.

- And Voila! A quick but effective eye makeup look!

Product list:      Urban Decay Eye Primer

                            Mac 'Nylon' eyeshadow

                            Mac 'Charcoal Brown'

                            Mac 'Cork'

                            Mac 'Neru'

                            Inglot Gel liner in # 77

                            Maybelline Colossal Volume Mascara in Black

Hope this was helpful!

Leah x 

            

Supporting Cancer Awareness.

Hey Ladies :)

Today I have been nominated by friends to post a MakeUp-Free photo to help raise Cancer Awareness. Sadly this disease is becoming rapidly common and causes so much pain & heartbreak among many people around the world. I think this small gesture which has gone viral on social media is a great idea to raise awareness and show support for cancer patients.

*(A very cold night's farming, haha!)

Also like many others, I am making a Cash Donation direct to the Irish Cancer Society.

I urge fellow Bloggers & everyone else this to do your bit for Cancer no matter how big or small, every little bit helps and it will be greatly appreciated by the many people affected by it.

Leah x 

Lipstick of the week!

Being a Lipstick fanatic I must own at least 50 colours and Russian Red is most definately my go-to red lip! It's an amazingly pigmented blue-toned red and looks great on almost any skin type. It goes on easily, has great durability and is not too drying on the lips which I find with some other Mac lipsticks.

I've managed to convince a lot of my friends to get this lipstick and they all love it!

What's your favourite Lip colour?

Leah x 

Benefit Beams!

Swatches:

Being a massive fan of highlighters, I have tried and tested many brands, these Benefit Beams are my top pick for liquid highlighters. They are very light-weight, easy to use and give a beautiful natural glow to the cheekbones. 

They come in a 13ml bottle and last forever-I have mine for well over a year now and still have loads left! 

High Beam:

High Beam is probably the most popular of the beam family and is an irredecent pink liquid highlight which gives a gorgeous dewy glow to the skin. 

This works well on all skin types and is more sheer than shimmery and find it's the most natural of the 3, great for everyday use. (As you can see I use it a lot!)

Sun Beam: 

Sunshine in a bottle! This golden bronze highlight gives a luminous sun kissed shimmer to the cheeks. It is best suited to medium skin tones or during the summer whilst you have a tan.

Moon Beam:

Moon beam is very similiar to High beam except is has a yellow based apricot tone. Also where the High beam gives quite a pastel sheer glow, this gives a more warm peachy glow to the skin. This again is suitable for all skin tones.

*All the Beams come in a Nail polish type bottle with a brush applicator attached.

Use after foundation but before powder, just apply 2 or 3 dots along the top of the cheekbones, under the brow bone & Cupid's bow. Blend in with fingers using a tapping motion.

TIP: For a more dramatic evening highlight, use a same toned powdered highlighter ontop of where you placed the liquid!

Happy Highlighting! :) 

Leah x 

3 VALENTINE MAKEUP LOOKS!

With Valentines day just around the corner, I thought I would do a quick post to show a few of my MakeUp ideas. 

Whether your a loved-up lily or a single pringle, we all like to feel good about ourselves even if it is one of the most controversial holidays of the year.. Any excuse eh ladies hehe! 

                              Soft Romantic

A soft and delicate look! A flawless foundation base with subtle contouring teamed with a soft ivory & brown cut-crease smokey eye, plenty of mascara and a matte berry lip.

                                   Fun & Flirty

               

 

A bright & bubbly look! A dewy foundation base with strong contouring & highlighting, subtle lilac shadow with winged liner and a fuschia pink lip.

                           Sultry Seductive 

                  

And last but not least for the more daring- A sensual & alluring look!

A flawless foundation base with soft coral blush, strong arched eyebrows teamed with dark rusty gold shadow to frame the eyes. Finished with false lashes & a deep plum lip.

I hope you enjoyed these ideas and maybe even give one a go.. 

Whatever you get up to this Valentines, have a great day! 

Leah :) x 

             

     

SAMPLES FROM MY MAKEUP PORTFOLIO!

Hey guys,

I thought I would do a quick post and share some examples of my work with you all.

Below is a random mix of Occasion/Evening, High Fashion & Special Effects Looks I have created :)

OCCASION & HIGH FASHION LOOKS:

SPECIAL EFFECTS:

Which is your favourite Look? 

Leah x

MY CURRENT SKINCARE PRODUCTS/ROUTINE!

It goes without saying that beautiful healthy skin stems from the inside out, therefore eating a well balanced diet with lots of fruit & vegetables and drinking bucket loads of H2O is key to a glowing complexion!

However due to circumstantial factors beyond our control such as hormones, weather, stress etc we can always benefit from a helping hand-Hoorah for skincare products!!!

Below are some products from my current skincare routine (I tend chop & change brands regulary as I love trialing different products)

*Bare in mind some of these may not be suitable for all skin types- 

(I generally have normal/sensitive skin.)

BIODERMA CREALINE H20:

 

Wearing Makeup almost everyday as part of my job, a good MakeUp Remover is a key element to my skincare routine. 

Bioderma is by far the best one I have come across to date and is suitable for All skin types! It has the consistency of water, is fragrance-free and is very gentle on the skin & eyes. 

Just apply to a cotton pad and your Makeup wipes away like a dream! This is a permanent fixture in my skin care collection and I will repurchase forever more amen.

It is very cost effective considering a 250ml (approx €20) should last around 3months with everyday use.

ROC SKINCARE (CHRISTMAS SET): Cleanser, Toner, Scrub & Moisturiser

I am really enjoying everything from this set so far and use them in the morning and at night. (I only use the scrub twice a week)

They are all really gentle on the skin and do their job effectively. They are suitable for All skin types and as they are drugstore products are all reasoably priced.

*I have to say I find the HYDRA+ Nourishing cream a little too rich for my skin (more suited to a dry skin type) I would probably replace this with the HYDRA+ fluid next time which is quite light weight and more suited to a normal skin type.

SIMPLE FACE WIPES:

Feeling Lazy?! Definately not recommended for daily use but we all need that quick fix now and again, whether it be after a long day at work or returning home from a night out (slightly intoxicated)-

These Simple face wipes are my go-to quick fix! Enriched with vitamins they are kind to the skin and effectively remove Makeup whilst leaving the skin feeling hydrated. €4.99

EYE CREAM: 

Having pretty sensitive eyes I find this eye balm very soothing and cooling on the skin.

It contains multi-vitamins and is great for relieving tired eyes. 

I do suffer from quite dark under eye circles *panda eyes :( * and I find this doesnt eliminate the problem completely but it does reduce it somewhat-After only a few days of use my under eye skin was definately brighter and more hydrated. A great base for concealer and a good bargain product at only €4.99.

MONTAGNE JENNESSE SAUNA MASQUES:

These creamy clay drugstore face masks are a steal at only €1.99!

They are an absolute treat for the skin- Apply to a cleansed wet face then sit back & enjoy its self-heating and aromatic properties.

They come in a luxurious selection of Hot Chocolate, Fudge, Red Hot Earth & Dragon Fruit. (Mmmm) 

Skin feels thoroughly cleansed and nourished afterwards.

Enjoy 1-2 times a week for 15mins, remove with a warm face cloth, then tone & moisturise as normal.

Caution: Although they sound delicious, I advise you to refrain from licking them off your face! Hehe :)

CARMEX LIP BALM: 

Being a Lipstick fanatic and wearing it almost everyday, my lips tend to get very dry. CARMEX is a lifesaver! It soothes, hydrates and protects. It promptly restores chapped/cracked lips to their former kissable glory and contains a promising SPF 15. 

I personally find it works much better than Vaseline or any other lip balms I've tried and is just a small investment of €3.99

What are some of your current skincare products? 

Leah x