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