May Favourites

Well, horrendously late as this may (heh) be, here's my May Favourites 2015! There's been lots of beauty products that I've liked but I've limited myself to only mentioning the ones I'm truly loving for now, I'm sure the rest will pop up in some other guise or another. In fact, my favourites this month are mostly cultural in nature; music, anime and television. And then there's the appearance of an absolute pillar of beauty in Dublin.

Ore Monogatari (My Love Story is the official English title) is the only anime this month. I often feel I've run through all the anime in the genres I like and I didn't think I'd like this one at all. But something made me give it a go anyway and, damn, if I was wrong! Charming, funny and very sweet, it tells the tale of Takeo, a giant mountain of a teenager who frightens women and girls but is adored for his physical prowess by other boys. His scary appearance belies his very gentle and kind nature. In fact, he's prone to saving strangers on a regular basis without expecting any kind of compensation. When he saves the beautiful Yamato from being groped on the train, she falls in love with him almost instantaneously. Best of all, she loves him, not in spite of how he looks but for it. She genuinely finds him handsome. Cannot recommend this enough, it'll make you happy.



On a very different end of the spectrum is Outlander, which has featured on my favourites before (I think) but has since come back and finished for the season. I was dying for every episode which I find less and less common a trend. If you haven't seen it, go now! It features time-travelling, period drama, beautiful Scottish landscapes (and a particularly beautiful Scottish man) and lots of intensity. The major thing I've taken away from it is that "mo chroí" (my heart in Irish and Scottish) is defo my new favourite pet name.



Then there is the music. I've been going mad for Sorority Noise, a kinda garage rock, fuzzy sort of band that very much remind me of early Weezer. And, again with the opposite ends of a spectrum thing, I'm digging the new EXO album, "Exodus," and its repackage so hard. The danciest, slickest thing I've heard in ages, it's got crazy-on point styling and ridiculously good choreography and MVs.





As I said, I've limited myself with the beauty favourites, so I have just one make-up, one skincare and one service favourite. The make-up pick is Topshop's Cream Blush in Head Over Heels (£7.00). I already spoke about it in my post on their 5 Years of Topshop Beauty Collection but it's basically a really pretty, natural shade that is light on the skin and blends easily and beautifully. The skincare item that I'm mad for at the moment is Caudalie's Polyphenol C15 Anti-Wrinkle Eye and Lip Cream (€36.66*). It's immediately soothing and feels just wonderful on the skin. That it doubles up for eye and lip is especially useful for travelling.

And the service favourite is Tropical Popical, a Dublin nail salon that is quirky, fun and well-established. I dropped in at the start of the month on a Saturday and, luckily, snagged a drop-in appointment. I'd just gotten my hair cut and, while I liked the result, the hairdresser announced there and then that he was cutting six inches off. I'd been thinking about getting rid of a bit for a while but it was around seven years of growth gone instantaneously and wasted on the floor. I'd felt like I couldn't really say no, given how quiet the salon was and how yerman was acting like I was being silly just for questioning him. As I say, I liked the result, I was just a little fragile and taken aback. Which is why the kindness, professionalism and charm of Tropical Popical and their staff made me feel loads better. I got the mini-mani which is reasonable at €15 and I would highly recommend! Great experience all around.

So, that's what I was feeling in May. I'd love to hear about what you guys were into!

(* Press Sample. All opinions are my own.)

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Bigger Lips

Lips have become the focal point of the face in recent months. These things go in cycles. For a while there, it was brows. And even that was a repeat of a eighties beat which was a repeat of a fifties beat... As are plump lips - Angelina Jolie started the pout envy for much of this generation.

With the rise in cosmetic procedures at earlier ages and the normalisation of the process, being enhanced is increasingly easier. Or, you can jump on viral bandwagons like the Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge to use little cheats for a similar effect. If you want to go down a less invasive, in the former case, and less potentially harmful, in the latter, there are tips and tricks that anyone can use to exaggerate the look of their lips.

Admittedly, I'm rather fortunate when it comes to lip size - my sister has a rather (un)charming nickname for them that I'm loathe to repeat here - but often, it's a case of changing the shape a little, or drawing the eye to the right spot. Making them poutier or more rosebud-like. Whatever your tastes dictate. So, here are some tricks I implement into my make-up routine when I feel like boosting the beestung vibes.

1. Exfoliate!

I suffer from terribly dry lips and, as I have a terrible habit of biting and picking at them, they can get chapped. Sloughing off some dead skin helps the lips look healthier but also makes lip colours apply much more smoothly. I wouldn't suggest doing it too often - give your poor mouth a break! - but maybe once a week or so.

This lip scrub from Lush is a favourite! It tastes like sweets and a teeny amount goes a long way so it'll take ages to get through it. This particular one was from their limited edition Valentine's Day line so it's no longer in store but there are several others including Bubblegum and Mint Julips (both £5.50).

2. Moisturise

Next, you need to get in there and care for your lips after being so rough with them. Apply a lip balm, preferably a nice rich one, and leave it to sink into the skin.

I have a few favourites but my holy grail lip balm is the Eve Lom Kiss Mix (€20.00).

3. Highlight

You might already be highlighting like crazy but one of the places people often forget to implement it is along the cupid's bow. It has major impact, drawing light and the eye to the lip and extending the size of the lip just a smidge.

Currently, I've been digging the Glow Pot by Topshop in the shade Polished (£9.00). It's creamy and blends nicely. It's glowy but not outrageous for day-to-day use or lighter make-up looks.

4. Colour

At this point, you can start to line your lips. However, if you're going for a more natural look, merely apply colour. I went for this pretty rosy lip crayon by No.7. This one is from a multi-pack I bought around Christmas, so it's a mini but you can buy the regular in a range of shades in store (€11.75).

5. Shine

I'd never been a huge fan of lip gloss...until I realised it isn't all that goopy stuff that magnetically attracts your hair to your lips and glues it in place. Again, it's all about attracting light and attention. Instead of applying a coat over the entirety of the lip, only pop a bit on the centre. This will make them look plumper...



6. SPF

...which reminds me. This lip gloss by Hawaiian Tropic (currently €4.99) happens to also have an SPF of 25. Don't forget the sun protection for your mouth! The skin there is more sensitive and needs caring for as well.

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Admittedly, you're not going to get the same effects as Botox here but it makes a difference without costing a bomb, hurting you or being invasive. And several of the steps will maintain the health of your lips as well as making them look better - always a bonus, right?

Before

After

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5 Years of Beauty at Topshop

The fact that Beauty at Topshop is celebrating its fifth birthday this year makes me feel really old. When it was released, I was in second year of college and living with a best friend rather than in university accommodation for the first time. My other best friend and I had made the annual student night at Topshop a tradition and when I saw the lipsticks that newly graced the store displays, I went a little mental. I only bought two but considering I barely wore make-up even to dressy events back then, it seems rather a unique incident.

Since day one, I have loved the range of colours, the quality, packaging and price point. A Topshop lipstick feels expensive, even though it is not. The nail polishes have regularly offered my colour of the season. And the rainbow of eyeliners have allowed me to mimic catwalk looks as I learned about make-up and how to use it.

The capsule collection to celebrate 5 Years of Topshop Beauty is a gorgeous collection of their most iconic and in-demand pieces. It is made up of five essentials: the Matte Lips, Cream Blush, Magic Liner, Glow Pot and Nails. The lips come in five of the best-selling shades, Rio Rio, Innocent, Beguiled, Nevada and Ohh La La, offering a range of tones from nude to pink, peach to orange-red and vampy blood-red. The Nails come in five shades also (sensing a theme here?) with one glitter (Adrenalin), one metallic (Heart of Gold) and three opaques (Green Room, Boy Next Door and Parma Violet). The blush, highlighter and eyeliner only come in one shade each but all of the products are sold in special rose-gold packaging that immediately suckered me in.

While none of the products were new or new to me, I hadn't tried some of the shades so I grabbed a Glow Pot, Cream Blush, nail polish (Parma Violet) and lipstick (Rio Rio).

The Glow Pot (Polished, £9.00) was the first I had owned rather than borrowed and it has become my go-to highlighter since purchasing it. I don't wear highlighter often, only when wearing make-up for an event, but I do pop a bit on the tip of my nose and in my cupid's bow now and then with minimal make-up. It's not too in-your-face, which I like. The consistency is great too. The only really issue is that it can be a wee bit tricky to get out of the pot.

The Cream Blush (Head Over Heels, £7.00) is the perfect pop of colour for daily make-up. It's very  pretty and light and only needs fingers for application - though you can blend it out with a brush if you like. Again, consistency is smooth and it's a really nice size for popping in a bag.

As I said, I've always been a fan of the Nails polishes. Parma Violet (£6.00) is a really pretty pastel purple and I really like it but I've been wearing polishes with better formulas for so long now that I had forgotten that these can be a little tricky to apply. Bonus though: they smell like nineties nostalgia in a bottle.

Again, the Lips are products I've loyally enjoyed for years. Generally the matte finish can be difficult for me with my habit of biting and destroying my lips but with a layer of balm underneath, the colour actually spreads quite nicely. I've been after a shade like Rio Rio (£8.00) for a while now and really like how it looks - I feel like it makes my eyes look very blue.

But, really, it's all about that packaging! So, so gorgeous. For those of us more obsessed with design than make-up, it's a real draw.

At the end of the day, these products are great value, pretty, good quality and cruelty free. They appeal to girls and women of all ages alike and are totally accessible. All major bonuses and reasons to support the brand in my eyes.

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