Real Techniques Kabuki Brush

Real Techniques Kabuki Brush

If you saw my post last week on the Real Techniques Duo Fiber Collection, (you can see it here!) you may remember I mentioned ordering the Kabuki brush from Real Techniques too. I ordered the set and kabuki brush from My Pretty Face Place which sells RT brushes along with lots of other lovely bits for a lot cheaper than other places and their shipping is reasonable too.

Left: Full Brush, Right: Brush Open

I bought this brush mainly because I wanted more powder brushes as I previously only had one, but I got this one specifically because of it's small size, perfect for carrying around in my bag as I hate carrying massive brushes around with me. They just take up too much space!

As you can tell from the photos the brush can be used the way it is which is a nice fluffy soft brush great for applying powders and blush or it can be opened up, which turns the brush into a flatter, thinner brush which is great for contouring with. 

Can I also add that when you open the brush up and close it again, that it makes a really lovely satisfying clicking noise so you know the magnets have locked it back into place. This doesn't matter really - I just really love the noise it makes! ha ha!

The brush itself is really soft and feels lovely on the skin. It does a great job at buffing powders into the skin for a flawless finish. 

I got this cheaper than it usually sells for I think it was €7 (ish) from My Pretty Face Place which is a great price, considering I've seen Boots and other sites selling it for €15! 

Over all its a lovely brush to have, maybe not an essential but I really like it and like I said it's great for carrying around for touch ups especially if you have a smaller bag, and it's unique and great that it's a 2 in 1 brush so you can use it for powder and contour/blush so it reduces the number of brushes you would potentially have to carry for touch ups!

Have you tried this Kabuki brush or anything similar?

Real Techniques Limited Edition Duo Fiber Collection

Real Techniques Limited Edition Duo Fiber Collection

I'm a serious make up brush hoarder. I have so many that it's now boarding on the ridiculous. It all started a few years ago when I ordered my first brush set, which funnily enough was from Real Techniques as well, it was their eye starter kit. I still have it, and love it but then I got obsessed with Sigma brushes and I have a lot of their brushes and that's mainly what I've been using the last few years, I love them and use them on a daily basis.

Lately though I've been really annoyed with only having one powder brush and decided I needed a new one. So I decided I was going to get Real Techniques Limited Edition Duo Fiber collection for myself, I had been eyeing it for ages. So I ordered the set along with RT's Kabuki brush from My Pretty Face Place, which is a really great website. Bear in mind, they are based in the US - It turned out cheaper to buy the set from them with postage costs than it would to purchase the set from another site I use a lot that's based only down the road so to speak. Yes I had to wait a little longer but they arrived in or around a week after I placed my order, so it worked out brilliantly! 

Top: Duo Fiber Face Brush, Middle: Duo Fiber Contour Brush

Bottom: Duo Fiber Eye Brush

In the set, (which was €16.99 on the site) you get 3 Duo fiber brushes, you get a face brush, a contour brush and an eye brush. The bristles are made from taklon meaning they're really soft and with these brushes you're supposed to be able to create soft layers and add texture.

Duo Fiber Face Brush

The Face brush for me is the star of the set. It's super soft and feels wonderful against your skin. It picks up the just the right amount of powder that you need to set your make up. I love to use this with heavier coverage powders like my Maybelline Super Stay 24 hour powder, it makes it look a lot more natural without messing with the amount of coverage it gives. It's great with any kind of powder and also nice for blush, but this I prefer to use it with powders.

Duo Fiber Contour Brush

This brush has been a godsend for me, it's really changed the way my contouring work looks. It gives much more control due to it's size and shape, and the bristles are flexible yet still firm enough to be able to lay down your contour powders and blend them in seamlessly. Like the face brush, it seems to pick up the perfect amount of powder that you need so that you don't go overboard. I think this brush is also a good size for using with highlighters too.

Duo Fiber Eye Brush

The last brush included in the set is the eye brush. It's a nice addition to have to the set, but I personally think that another face brush would round the set out better because the other two brushes are so good. I like the eye brush too, but compared to the other two brushes it's a bit meh. It's a good brush, and I like to use it for blending out the edges of my eye shadow with it rather than applying with it. My main gripe with it is that it's a little too big for my eyes for me to use it for crease work, but it gets the job done for blending and in my opinion you can never have too many blending brushes!

So over all I really like the set, especially the face brushes! It would be great if the brushes were available to buy individually because I'd definitely pick up another of the face brush.

Do you own the Limited edition set? I'd love to hear what you think of it!

Sunday Social #3

Hey lovelies! So it's time for the Sunday Social again, you seem to be liking these posts so I'm going to carry on with them for the time being. As always let me know what you think of these posts as all feedback is welcome!

Before I answer this weeks questions - just a quick note to say that there won't be a My Week In Pictures this week as I've just moved house and haven't got many photos to share, but I'll be doing one next week when things settle down!

This Weeks Questions - Fun Beauty Questions!

1.  How old were you when you started wearing makeup?
I was around 11 when I started wearing eye shadow to school and maybe around 14 when I really started wearing it. I do however remember being obsessed with it when I was little and my oldest sister and my mum used to give me the odd lipstick or nail varnish all of my own to have!

2. What are your top 3 favourite beauty products?
This changes all the time. Right now it would be my Naked Basics palette which you can see my post on here, Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer which is always a firm favorite and Inecto's Pure Coconut Glossing spray which I talked about here.

3. What is one make up product you don't leave home without?
I never leave the house without some form of powder in my bag. It's usually Maybelline's Super Stay 24 hour powder or MAC's MSF Natural depending on how my skin is acting.

4. What is your daily beauty routine?
When I wake up in the morning I brush my teeth and cleanse my face with a Micellar water, I then wash my face with a cleanser and moisturise well. I leave my moisturiser to soak into my skin while I style my hair - which I usually straighten. Then I do my make up, check my hair and put on perfume - I feel completely naked if I'm not wearing perfume! Then at night I remove my make up, have a shower or bath and wash my hair. I use a cleansing face wash while in the shower to get rid of any last traces of make up because I find it works better. I moisturise my whole body well after I get out of the shower especially if I have used a scrub. Then I blow dry my hair ready to style the next morning as I find it holds better if left overnight. It sounds like a lot when I write it down, but I have the simplest of routines!

5. What is your favourite hair/makeup product that you have discovered in the last year?
I'm going to cheat and choose one for both. For hair its Inecto's Pure Coconut Glossing Spray, it's worked wonders and my hair is so manageable now. Make up wise it's Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer - it's one of the few products that gets hype that truly deserves it!

So there you have it! My third week of the Sunday Social! As always let me know if you take part, I'd like to see your answers and I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend! 

Nivea Express Hydration Primer

I've not had the best relationship with primers. There have been a few that I've thought were ok but never liked them enough to re purchase them. I haven't used a primer in my foundation routine for a year or maybe more, but a couple of weeks back I picked up Nivea's Express Hydration Primer for half off the usual price and I grabbed it as I had wanted to try it since it was released.

I picked up the normal/combination formula (the blue lidded jar) because my skin is odd - massively oily on my forehead/t-zone and very dry everywhere else!

This primer is supposed to provide long lasting moisture and also act as a primer for your make up. It has a creamy yet gel like texture to it. It's very strongly scented, quite a floral scent, which I happen to really like - which is surprising because usually I prefer face products to have no scent.

I have to say that I have really been enjoying this! Once applied, it absorbs quickly into your skin and leaves it feeling very hydrated, smooth and very soft! I also find that it holds up to it's claims of having long lasting moisture, my skin feels hydrated and comfortable all day even under make up. It keeps my drier areas of skin nicely moisturised while helping to keep my oilier areas more controlled.

As for how well it works as a primer it's pretty good! I usually notice my foundation wearing off on my nose and chin half way through the day and usually have to do something to fix it. With me it is inevitable that this will happen in these areas you put oily skin and the fact that I constantly touch my face together and there will be wear.

 I'm finding that with the primer underneath though that even though my make up starts to wear off in these areas that it isn't nearly as bad as it normally would be - and the one day I was really testing this out where I made myself not touch my face at all (that was seriously difficult by the way!) everything held up a lot longer than usual. 

Overall i'm really liking this and I think i'll be repurchasing it once it's run out. I think that it's a little expensive here in Ireland at between €6 and €8 wherever I've seen it, but now that I have tried it I don't think that the price would put me off getting it again! I also love that it's in pot form so i'll be able to scrape every last bit out of it! 

What primer are you using at the moment? If you've tried this one what are your thoughts on it?

Liebster Award #4

A few weeks ago I was nominated by Marianne from Blog Of Hearts for a Liebster award! I've been nominated for this a few times now and think this is the 4th time maybe I'm not sure!

I didn't get a chance to get the post that I wanted up today written as I was super busy today, but rather than not post I decided to answer Marianne's questions as I've been meaning to get around to posting this for a few weeks.

As I've done this award before I'm not going to tag anyone in particular - which is cheating! But I tag anyone with under 200 followers who would like to do this! If you do decide to do the tag, you need to post 11 facts about yourself, along with answering the questions the person who nominated you has left for you.

11 Facts About Me

1. I'm actually from Manchester in England and moved to Ireland when I was 9.
2. I haven't lost my English accent at all and get confused when people ask where I'm from because I've lived here so long!
3. Some day I would love to own a sheep and a pig as pets!
4. I love to write and I wrote a novel when I was 14 - though no one has ever seen it! ha ha
5. When I get angry I cry, it's very annoying and it makes me look insane!
6. I am weirdly obsessed with Winnie The Pooh and have been since I was very little.
7. I spend way too much time on Twitter and Snap chat when I should be doing other things!
8. My favourite band is Paramore and I have a girl crush on Hayley Williams - she's amazing!
9. My favourite song is Fall Out Boy's Of All The Gin Joints In All The World - it has been since I was 15 and I don't see it changing now!
10. I'm a bit of a gamer - I'm obsessed with the Sims and I play GTA alot and I'll play anything I can get my hands on.
11. Gerard Butler is my ideal man!


Marianne's Questions

1. What is the best thing about blogging?
For me it's getting to speak to people reading my posts. When people leave comments or talk to me on twitter it's great to know that people are actually reading what I write - it's the best feeling and I've made a few friends because of blogging too!

2. What is the worst thing about blogging?
I haven't come across it yet myself, but there can be a lot of negativity towards people towards bloggers. I see it all the time, so what if someone looks different or is bigger or skinnier than usual? Pardon my french - but fuck it! I think it's ridiculous when people give bloggers abuse, its easy to be nasty when you're hiding behind a keyboard!

3. Do you have a signature scent? If so what is it?
My signature scent is Marc Jacob's Daisy, so much so that if I'm wearing something different people notice! ha ha!

4. What was your favourite beauty product of 2013?
I did a post on this, I had so many! It's definitely Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge though. I love it so much I feel like I never shut up about it!

5. If you could take a vacation somewhere, money and time no object, where would it be?
Easy - Paris!

6. Have you mentally changed much over the last 5 years?
I have to say that I really have, and it's mainly down to what other people have put me through. I've come out of a really bad relationship that began when I was 18, and I'm not the same person that I was. I'm weaker in a lot of ways, but stronger in others. But this is life and shit happens!

7. Do you have any bad habits?
I touch my face alot, that one annoys my dad he always gives out to me for it! I also bite my nails.

8. Who is your style icon?
I'm not huge into fashion, but I love the way Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Watson dress!

9. Lipgloss or Lipstick?
Lipstick, gloss annoys me!

10. Are you currently obsessed with any TV series?
Yes, Pretty Little Liars is my favourite I was a bit late to the party on that one, I only started watching it in November but I'm all caught up now!

11. If you could be reborn in any era (50s, 60s, 70s, etc) which would it be?
I have two eras I would have loved to be around for! The 20s and the 80s! I don't know which I'd choose between the two though!

My Questions To You

1. If you won a large amount of money in the lottery, what's the first thing you would spend it on?
2. If you didn't blog about beauty/fashion etc, what would you blog about?
3. Do you have any hidden talents? If so what are they?
4. Have you set yourself any goals for your blog in 2014?
5. What was your favourite beauty product in 2013?
6. Do you have a guilty pleasure? If yes, what is it?
7. What's your favourite film?
8. Favourite food?
9. Tell us a surprising fact about yourself
10. If you were to go on holiday/vacation right this second, where would you go?
11. Tell us a joke :)

I really like doing tag posts like these, especially Liebster awards and the like because the questions are different each time.

Just a heads up that my posts may be a little screwed up for the next week or so as I'm going to be busy moving! So I'm hoping to get a few posts scheduled but bear with me if there's a lack of posts or lack of response from me here or on Twitter, I'll get back to you all as soon as possible!

If you do this tag and answer my questions be sure to leave a link to your post below, I'd love to see your answers!

Current Foundation Routine With Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge

My skin has given me a lot of trouble over the years. It ranges from being very dry to very oily and spot prone. To top it all of its also sensitive and very red. So needless to say I've struggled to find a foundation routine that suits all of my skin's problems. The last few months however I've found a routine that not only makes sure redness and blemishes are covered well, but also keeps oil at bay and doesn't disturb or show up any dryer areas. 

As you can see from the photo above - in which i'm wearing no other make up than foundation, concealer and a touch of powder - I end up with flawless skin and you really wouldn't know from the picture that my skin is awful underneath!  I thought that it was time to share my routine as it may help others who are unfortunate to have skin like mine!

A few months back, I bought myself a Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge as I have always wanted a Beauty Blender but could never in a million years justify paying €20 on a sponge! After reading reviews online and convincing myself that I really needed to try it I took the plunge and ordered the sponge and instantly I understood why other bloggers were raving about this Beauty blender dupe!

Top: Dry sponge  Bottom: Damp sponge - it nearly doubles in size!

It's perfect for use with all bases, and I use it with my foundation and concealers and I honestly can say my foundation has never looked so good before, I can honestly say this sponge is what has changed how well my foundation routine works for me.

The sponge seamlessly blends foundation and leaves your skin with a really natural finish and it's hard to tell if you're wearing any make up at all. There are different sides to the sponge which is pretty handy as it cuts out the need for a ton of different tools for your base. The rounded edges are great for all over application of foundation, the flat edge is great for concealing larger areas and can also be used for contouring, and the pointed tip is great for getting into small spaces like under the eyes and around the nose.

The way I like to use the sponge is by firstly applying primer if I'm using it, sometimes I skip this step, currently I'm using Nivea's Express Hydration Primer - a new purchase for me and one that I'm really enjoying! I then dot foundation on my face, I'm currently using Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in shade 51. Then with the damp sponge, I stipple (bouncing the sponge off the skin) the foundation into my skin, when i come to my jawline I use the rounded edge in a kind of rolling motion to make sure everything is properly blended. This step takes less than a minute with the Real Techniques sponger rather than 5+ with my hands or a brush.

Next I take my under eye concealer which is Maybelline's The Eraser in the light shade. I apply it directly from the tube to my under eye area then taking the angled flat edge of the sponge I again stipple the concealer until it has completely blended into the skin.

Lastly I take the best concealer in the world which is Collection's Lasting Perfection Concealer and I place it over any blemishes or redness (which I always have around my nose) and again like the last two steps I just use the stippling motion until the concealer has blended in. I finish things off with a dusting of whatever powder I'm using and then apply blush and then do the rest of my make up. 

And that's all I do, it takes 2-3 minutes with the Real Techniques sponge, and I'm left with skin that looks pretty much perfect, which I have never had with any other method I've used to apply my base make up with before. I also find that wear time seems to be better when applying base products with the RT sponge over brushes, I get through the whole day only having to reapply powder to my t- zone if I get oily but everything else is fine. I'm so happy with the sponge that after the first few times I used it I ordered a spare in case my original wore out or got lost - I will always have a back up one of this ready to go!

I honestly can never see myself using my fingers or brushes again, and that is saying a lot as I loved my Sigma F80 and F84 for applying foundation but since this amazing sponge came into my life my old favorites have been shoved aside.

I have never tried the Beauty Blender so I cant compare the two to each other, but I'd urge you all to try Real Technique's version first as it really is a little gem and also it's a fraction of the price at between €5 and €7 depending where you get it from, it really beats shelling out €20!

Have you tried the Real Techniques Sponge yet? Or does anyone know how it compares to the Beauty blender?

My Week In Pictures #8

I'm finding it a little odd that this is my 8th instalment of MWIP. I originally thought that I wouldn't keep it up because I didn't think that anyone would be interested in reading this kind of post from me, but they're becoming among the most read posts that I publish so here we are 8th time around for another break down of what I did this week!

This week I finished my course of injections for my vitamin deficiency, and while I'm not doing back flips and feel amazing, I've felt a little improvement in my energy levels, which is fantastic! So I've done a little more this week than I've been doing and it felt great to be out and about again! Only downside is that even though I've been out a little more than usual - I forgot to take photos of most things so I only have a few to share this week.

Top Row L-R: Out for a walk on a frosty morning, Ice in tractor tyre marks, Breakfast with Dad.
Middle: The lunch that turned into evening drinks with my friend Jacinta.
Bottom L-R: Warm chocolate cake and cream, A surprisingly yummy weight watchers microwave Chop Suey meal, Things I've bought this week - Real Techniques Kabuki brush, Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water, L'oreal Eye Make up Remover & Inecto Coconut Body Scrub.

So really I've posted a MWIP that's mostly photos of food - I need to remember to take more photos of things other than what I'm eating! 

I did pick up a few bargains this week though. I'm obsessed with skincare lately and went into the best chemist in the world Cara Pharmacy, they're a chain of chemists here in Ireland - not sure if other countries have them or not.

 I went in to get some more of L'oreal's Micellar Solution I swear by it and have been using it religiously for six months or so now, I was about to pick it up off the shelf but spotted Garnier's version of it, I'm presuming it's new I've never seen it. The pricing was so weird though! The L'oreal Micellar was €4.10 for 200ml and the Garnier one was €4.09 for 400ml! I go through this stuff really quickly so I thought that I'd try the Garnier one instead! I also spotted L'oreal's Gentle Eye Make Up Remover for €2.95! Bargain!

I ordered a Real Techniques Kabuki brush last week from My Pretty Face Place, they are based it the US but I was so surprised at how fast this got here - it didn't even take a week! They sell RT bushes, eco tools and more for a lot cheaper than other places and shipping is really reasonable too. It worked out cheaper for me to buy from them with shipping included than buying from a site that is literally based 2 towns over from me - crazy! So I ordered one of the Limited edition Duo Fibre sets from RT from them too, but I'm still waiting for that to get here.

That's about it for what I did this week! In other news, I started to take part in the Sunday Social last week, which was fun to do and I'll be taking part again this week. That post will have gone up today before this one so if you want to check it out you can do here, also let me know if you like my Sunday Social posts or not, I know some people like those kinds of blog posts and others don't so I'd like to know what you think. 

Also I'm really active over on Twitter these days and thought I'd mention it in case anyone wants to get in touch with me you can get a quicker response from me there, so you can click here for that! You can still get in touch with me all the usual ways too, I'm always happy to hear from you all! 

So I'm now off to get into the last season of Breaking Bad and relax for the rest of my Sunday! What have you gotten up to this week? : )

Sunday Social #2

I'm back with my second Sunday Social post which you can find out more about by going to one of the host blogger's blogs  Ashley Lately or A Complete Waste Of Make Up.  This post was pretty well received when it was posted last week so I thought I would take part again this week! Be sure to let me know what you think of these posts! This Week's Questions ( They're all about the number 3!)
1. Top 3 Favourite kinds of food   I have two answers for this if it's specific types of Cuisine I'd go with Chinese food, Indian food and Italian food. If it's meant to be specific food I'd choose Garlic potatoes, (I have an awesome recipe that everyone seems to love!) Pizza and my Dad's Cheese on Toast - no one can make it the same way he does! ha ha! 2. First 3 things you do each morning
I usually immediately get up and get a drink because I'm always parched in the mornings! Then I'll have brush my teeth, have a shower and get ready for the day. After that I plan out what I need to do for the day, be it writing blog posts, taking pictures or doing other boring day to day errands. 3. Last 3 things you do at night
I wash my face, brush my teeth and then try and wind down by either listening to music or reading. 4. 3 TV shows you NEVER miss
I'm not a massive TV watcher, but I do love The Walking Dead, Pretty Little Liars and The Vampire Diaries. I know it's supposed to be 3 but The Originals has to get a mention because it's really good and also because it's a Vampire Diaries spin off I can include it! Ha ha! 5. 3 places you want to visit
Funnily enough, I was only talking to my friend about this the other day! Number one on my list is without a doubt Paris - I've wanted to go for as long as I can remember! Second is New York, preferably at Christmas time and lastly would be Australia just because there's so much to see there! 6. 3 people you can always count on
My friend Jacinta, we were always close but have become even closer lately. She's always there for me and lets me be me which is great. My Dad, because he's just the most amazing person in the world.We had a tough time growing up because my Mother made things difficult for us (that's a whole other story!) If it wasn't for my Dad I think myself and my siblings would have turned out crazy. He's an exceptional man and  I love him so much and no one will ever be as special as my Dad is to me! Lastly I'd choose myself, because it is true that ultimately we need to count on and trust ourselves because our lives are our own and we can't count on others all of the time! Hope you enjoyed this! If you decide to take part let me know and leave a link in the comments section if you'd like! I would love to read your answers to this week's questions! 

Sleek Blush Collection Swatches

I was getting ready this morning and searching around for the latest Sleek blush that I bought because I wanted to use it, Can you believe that I wanted a change from Rockateur? I didn't think it was possible either! 

Anyway I was digging around my blush drawer for it and I noticed that I own a few more Sleek blushes than I thought. I then thought hey I don't think I've done a post on any of these, turns out the only one I have done a post of was Rose Gold, a very long time ago! So here's swatches of the Sleek blushes that I own, hopefully it will be useful to some of you who are after some of these.

Antique

Antique is the most recent Sleek blush purchase for me. It's a really strange shade, but so beautiful. I'd describe it as being a muddy pink brown shade. When I say muddy it isn't a bad thing here! When applied to the cheeks the pink in the blush comes out more, this shade is so flattering and has become one of my favourite blushes!

Coral

Coral is exactly that, a lovely bright coral shade. I don't find it orange toned at all and on me at least it comes off exactly the same on the cheeks as it does in the pan. I need to be careful with this though because it's so bright it's easy to over do it with this one. I haven't got much wear out of this yet as I bought it at the start of Autumn last year but I'm going to be breaking this out over Spring and Summer - I think it's the perfect shade for the warmer seasons!

Pomegranate

I am so in love with this blush! Perfect for Autumn and Winter, Pomegranate is a lovely berry shade with plenty of shimmer through it. It look scary in the pan but is just so gorgeous on the cheeks! If you're going to buy any Sleek blushes this is one of the ones that I would say is a must to have!

Rose Gold

Rose gold was the first Sleek blush I purchased. I can't say enough good things about this blush, and along with Pomegranate, I think everyone should own this shade above any of the others! It's just the most lovely pink/peach shimmery shade and apparently a NARS Orgasm dupe. Mine is a little old now and I definatley need to buy a new one because I love it so much!

Suede

I bought Suede because I had heard great things about it being great for contour on paler skin. It didn't work for me as its too orange, but with a light hand it's a pretty nice neutral blush. I use this shade the least but it's still lovely none the less.

Hopefully this will be helpful if you're looking to get a few Sleek blushes! They're such great blushes, great shades and they are among the most pigmented of blushes I've ever tried - especially great as they are under a tenner! 

What Sleek blushes do you have in your collection? What ones are your favourites?

Inecto Pure Coconut Glossing Spray

You know when you've bought something new to try out on a whim, you're a bit indifferent to it. It may work, it may not. You try it. All of a sudden a beam of light comes down from the sky and you hear angels singing? That happened to me when I tried out this coconut glossing spray - well not literally, I'm not crazy I swear!

I picked up this spray after randomly spotting it in a local chemist, it was only €4.99 and I had used the last of my John Freida 3 day straight and thought yeah I'll give it a go!

According to the bottle, the Glossing Spray is infused with pure coconut oil to reduce frizz and leave your hair with a healthy gloss. It's also paraben free which is always a plus!

You spray onto damp hair, bush it through (I use my tangle teaser to brush my hair when it's wet - this spray seems to help detangling too!) and then you style your hair. 

It leaves your hair feeling super soft, smooth, frizz free and not to mention - it smells amazing! It also leaves a really nice shine to your hair and doesn't leave any oily residue or leave a greasy feeling to the hair.

For extra shine it says to spray on dry hair, I spray a little onto my hand, rub my hands together and pull the product through my hair and it really does a great job adding even more glossiness this way!

I haven't seen this same spray from the same brand anywhere else, but you can get it on Amazon here or on Chemist Direct (who ship to Europe with really reasonable shipping charges) here. There's a whole range of pure coconut products available that I'm really interested in trying out!

I've also seen a similar spray in boots. Can't remember the exact name off the top of my head but I'll find out and update this post with the name and price of the boots version when I find out!

I only bought this spray last week, I fell in love with it instantly. I swear by it now and I'll never go back from it! My hair is so much more manageable and feels great! And surely its better for your hair to be spraying coconut oil on it rather than god knows what is in other styling sprays/serums?

If you tried this glossing spray or something similar - what did you think? Have you stuck with it?

NOTE: Hey guys! When this post went live (it was sheduled!) I noticed that the picture quality was bad, my new blog design is screwing with picture quality once posts are published - bear with me and i'll have it sorted soon!

Sunday Social #1

You may or may not already be familiar with the Sunday Social. I wasn't until earlier today, when I saw Katie from He Calls Me Grace posting about it. I was really curious so I clicked my way over to the bloggers that host the Sunday social to take a look and decided I'd have a stab at it! 

This Weeks Questions:

1. What is the name of your blog? How long have you been blogging?

My blog's name is Molly's Beauty Spot. One of my nicknames is Molly, it's less of a mouth full than Mairead is so I decided to use that instead! I've been blogging on and off since 2011, however I'm becoming more of a regular blogger these days! 

2. Why do you blog?

I blog because I love to write, always have. It just also happens that I love everything make up and beauty and when I discovered that beauty blogs exist I thought - hey! I want to do that! So I did! :)

3. What is the first blog you ever followed?

I'm not sure but I think it was The Sunday Girl if it wasn't the first it was one of the early ones I followed!

3. What is your favourite post you wrote in 2013?

It isn't an amazingly well written post or anything but I'm picking my Beauty Box Swap as my favourite, because I just really enjoyed doing the swap it was my first one and kind of a big deal for me!

4. What are your blogging goals for 2014?

To keep up blogging more regularly, I'm really enjoying it! To vary my posts a little more, post the odd recipe and if I can find the courage to do OOTD posts, though I'm not decided on that one yet - I'm not too good at fashion! Also to be more involved with other bloggers, they're a great bunch of people!

5. Top 3 favourite blogs to follow?

There's so many I love to read, but my favourites are Fluff and Fripperies, A Girl and A Beauty Blog and new blog (new to me anyway!) that I've been enjoying reading Hay Sparkle.

I think this is a really nice way to get to know other bloggers and for people to get to know you too! There are a ton of people that take part every week and it's a great way to find new blogs to read as you can link up your post so others can have a look! If you're as curious as I was, you can find out more about the Sunday Social here.

Make sure to let me know if you take part! 

My Week In Pictures #7: Still Poorly, New Blog Design, Hitting 100 Followers On Bloglovin'!

Top row L-R: New phone cover, Odd snapchat faces!, Cute Pug cushion.
 Middle: New Blog Design!
 Bottom Row L-R: Cutest Cafe in the world, Reading Twilight again, What I bought this week.

I've had a pretty boring week again this week, on account of still being ill! I'm ill from vitamin injections I'm getting to fix why I'm ill in the first place!I've had a break from them over the weekend which has been nice but I'm starting my last week of them tomorrow, so the relief is sadly short lived! They make me sick to my stomach and dizzy and headachy, but it'll eventually fix me being exhausted and sick 24/7 so I can handle it! Moral of the story - it seems I have to be sicker first before I can feel better!

Aside from doctors visits and being sick, My lovely daddy brought me for breakfast one of the mornings after I had one of my injections because he knew I was feeling crappy. We went to a little cafe that's always been there as long as I can remember, but I'd never been in! It's the cutest little place ever! And the food was great too!

I also ventured into town one day and had a look around the shops. I picked up a couple of things, This coconut glossing spray I randomly found in one of the local chemists. It was under €5, so thought I'd give it a go - and I love it so much! I'll be posting about it soon! I also picked up Nivea's Express Hydration Primer for €4 instead of the usual €8 I always see it for. I've wanted to try it for ages! I've used it a couple of times and it's ok, haven't used it enough to form a proper opinion yet!

I also started reading the Twilight Saga again, for what must be the millionth time by now? I never get tired of these books and I needed a hit of lovey doveyness! I've also been playing The Sims way too much this week, and also have been abusing Snapchat to annoy my friends by sending as many snaps of myself pulling as many odd faces as I can - I've had to amuse myself somehow! ha ha! 

I also put my downtime to some good use too, and I updated the design of my blog! It had been pissing me off for the longest time, and I'm delighted with it now! It's made the quality of photos on my old posts dodgy though, so if anyone has any solution to this please let me know! 

Also in other blogging news - I hit 100 followers on bloglovin' this week and it's still going up! I've also had a jump in GFC and Twitter followers too! 

It's so amazing and has me so awe struck really at how much support I'm getting and it just seems crazy to me! So thank you everyone who has followed me in any of the places I have mentioned. It makes me really happy to see that people are interested in reading my little blog!

 I'm planning a giveaway to celebrate! I may wait until I hit 100 followers on GFC to make the giveaway go live though, which I'm not too far away from! It'd be a real celebration then but - we'll see! It's going to be a good one though! ;)

Also I'm super excited to be taking part in The Secret Valentine's set up by Laura from Tease Flutter Pout and Victoria from Vickie Blogs. Basically a bunch of bloggers are involved and we have each been given somebody to buy for! The swap is obviously Valentine's themed and it's secret!  I have been assigned my person and I'm really looking forward to putting a box together for her - and I'm also looking forward to receiving a surprise myself too! It's so exciting to be part of this! Keep an eye out for posts in the near future if you're interested! 

So that's my week summed up! What did you all get up to this week? 

FOTD #5: Under The Weather

I've been taking a break from wearing any make up the last week or two on account of my skin being awful and being ill and just not wanting to put any on - I think we all feel like this when we're ill! 

Today I got up, had a shower got dressed and decided that I was going to make an effort today, even if I wasn't going to leave the house, I thought putting something on my face may lift my spirits a little! Also I've bought a few things lately that I really want to try out and a few more products that haven't been getting enough love!

Eeek! Eyebags!

I saw Nivea's Express Hydration Primer on sale for a little over €4 instead of near €8 so I picked it up! I usually skip primer but my skin is like an oil producing machine lately so I used this before my foundation. I used my Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge to stipple on my foundation, (Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum) I applied my two favourite concealers Maybelline The Eraser for under eye area (though it's helping very little on my really pronounced eye bags these days!) and Collection's lasting Perfection for redness/blemishes in the same way with the RT sponge. I dusted a little of MAC's MSF Natural all over my face with a large powder brush and finished off with Sleek's Blush in Antiqued.

I then moved onto my eyes. I primed my lids with Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer potion, then taking My Naked Basics palette (which I posted about here!) I applied the shade Faint on the outer half of my lid and into my crease, and blended the edges with Naked 2. I then dusted W.O.S from my crease to my brow bone and then placed Venus in my inner corner and on the inner half of my eyelid to brighten things and make me look more awake. I then lined my lower lash line with Faint and then applied L'ancome's Hypnose Doll Eyes mascara, I also used Rimmel's Scandaleyes eyeliner pencil in Nude on my waterline to make my eyes look less red - it works a treat!

Sorry for the not great photos guys, I can't find my camera and took these on my phone. The new design/layout of my blog makes the photos massive so the bad quality is super obvious! It also makes my large eye bags at the moment very obvious - so unflattering! Ha ha!

It's amazing how much more human making an effort when you're not well can make you feel! Not a complicated FOTD by any means, if you've seen any of my previous FOTD's you'll know I favour easy no fuss make up, though my choice in shadows is still on the neutral side of things I'm finding myself picking out the darker shades in palettes over the lighter ones these days - which is a massive change for me!

What kind of look do you go for when you're feeling under the weather?

Sleek Vintage Romance Palette

I'll get to talking about Sleek's Vintage Romance Palette in a moment, but first! If you're a regular reader of my blog, you may have noticed that I've changed things up in the blog design department!

 I've hated the look of my blog for ages and I was going to get one custom designed but I came across a pre made one that I really liked. I still need to tweak a few things to get it just the way I want it to be, but it now has the nice clean, simple look that I have wanted my blog to have for the longest time and is just perfect really! I may change my mind again but for now I can say I'm so happy that everything finally looks more put together!

I know that I'm a little late to the party posting about Sleek's Vintage Romance Palette now, seeing as it was released in the middle to the end of last summer. I've had this palette since September and I'm now really only getting into using it.

I love Sleek's eyeshadow palettes, and have been a fan of them for a good few years now. You get 12 very pigmented shadows that are buttery smooth in texture and really easy to work with, not bad for around the €10 mark.  Also the palettes themselves are sturdy enough to travel with and they also contain a decent sized mirror.

Top Row, L-R: Pretty in Paris, Meet in Madrid, court in Cannes*, Lust in LA*, Romance in Rome, Propose in Prague.

Bottom Row, L-R: A vow in Venice*, Marry in Monte Carlo*, Honeymoon in Hollywood, Bliss in Barcelona, Forever in Florence, Love in London

I love how Sleek have started naming the shadows in their palettes now, it makes it so much easier to write about them! The shadows are all mostly shimmery with one totally matte shade (Propose in Prague) the other matte shades have small flecks of glitter running through them. It would have been nice to have a few more completely matte shades but I knew buying this that Sleek palettes are almost always mainly full of shimmery shades, that's ok though because I love shimmer shades it would just be nice to have one or two more lighter matte shades for blending purposes.

As you can see every shade is highly pigmented, these are swatched on bare skin with no primer so they're even better on the lids with a good primer! I've marked my favourite shades with an *asterisk above, but all in all each shade is really lovely in its own right. It's a really lovely palette and all the shades work well together.

I think I have somewhat of an addiction to Sleek's eyeshadow palettes! I wish they were available in shops here in Ireland, the only place I can get them is online and though there's tons of reviews on blogs I still never know if I'll like the palette or not until I get it into my hands so it'd be great to see it before you buy rather than buying blind, so to speak! Regardless of this, I've never been disappointed with any of Sleek's palettes and really recommend them to anyone, especially if you don't have a ton of palettes already and are looking to expand what you have for a reasonable price, these are an excellent option!

I think after the Storm palette, the Vintage Romance palette is my favourite Sleek palette! What's your favourite palette from Sleek?

My Week In Pictures #6: A Slow Week, Resolutions Update And Being Poorly

FromTop, L-R: Weight loss progress! My dogs looking seriously guilty after they all found a muddy puddle to roll around in! A beautiful Orchid (my favourite flower!) My new make up area

From Top,L-R: Two new pairs of Jammies for under a tenner in the sales, Lemon and lime water, How i'll be spending my Sunday afternoon - catching up on reading blogs and eating chocolate!

Firstly, please forgive that i've used a few of my own Snapchat photos in this MWIP post, but they were in my camera roll and were two of the highlights of a very boring week!

I've had a pretty slow week this week on account of everyone being back to work after Christmas and just being ill and exhausted. I've spent most of the week lounging around on the sofa trying to get rest and a little extra sleep, though I can never seem to sleep during the day, it just seems weird to me to be asleep when its bright out and when there's things I should be doing! I'm starting a two week course of injections for Vitamin B12 deficiency on Monday as my levels are seriously low and have been for years but it went undetected, so fingers crossed that they fix a lot of problems I've been having health wise! Honestly if all they do is fix my energy levels I'll be so happy.

Speaking of health, one of my resolutions this year is to get on top of my eating, I've decided the best way to do it is start off slowly, and add new things in and take things away gradually, because every other time I've tried to get my diet in order I've taken on too much all at once and it never works. I've read a few places that doing it slowly and gradually is more likely to make you see a healthier diet as a habit and not as a "diet" so that's the approach I'm taking. The first change I'm making is to cut out fizzy drinks. I'm a serious Coke drinker a habit I picked up from my ex, funnily enough I hated the stuff before I met him! So I'm trying to drink more water, and I get bored of it pretty easily so last night I made a jug of lemon and lime water hoping the flavour in the water will help me drink more! Plus its supposed to be cleansing, make you eat less and I could do with the extra Vitamin C!

As for updates on other resolutions, I've not broken any! But I haven't exactly jumped into any of them either! Though I have kicked myself into applying for a Childcare course which starts in March, I'm really hoping to get it as m job search is still turning up absolutely nothing. I've had a few interviews, but it's making me so discouraged, I think it's my anxiety that's failing me when it comes to the interview stage of things. So I'm thinking maybe going in a new direction and re-training in something I'm interested in and good at will boost my confidence, who knows? But it's worth a try!

On the blog front, I've a lot of ideas and I'm planning on doing another giveaway soon. I'm not fully decided on what I'll be giving away yet, I have a few ideas but if there's anything you'd love to see as a prize in a giveaway leave a comment and let me know! I really enjoyed doing my last giveaway, though it was only a small one I want to do a much more exciting one this time around because I know how to run one now! 

Before I go, this week I built myself some shelves and I'm sort of using it as a make up storage/vanity area, and I was looking at the Muju acrylic type storage that they have on eBay. I know a ton of bloggers and you tubers use this type of storage but to any of you that have the same kind of set up, is it really worth investing in it? I really want to organise my make up better and am thinking of getting something along the lines of the Muju storage. What I have at the minute is ok, ( you can see it in the photos above) but I just want to have everything laid out better. If anyone has any posts about how they store their make up leave a link in a comment because honestly, I'm obsessed with getting my make up area organised at the moment!

I hope you have all had a good week, and aren't finding getting back to normal a pain after the holidays!