Gift Guide 2014 - Beauty and Grooming

I think that there are few things as lovely a surprise and wonderfully decadent as beauty or grooming products as gifts. Especially when they are things you would never justify buying for yourself. High-end cosmetics and skincare are a nice gift idea for people already obsessed or even those not yet converted. Particularly skincare, taking care of your skin is important for everyone and the sooner you get started, the better. Christmas also means cute gift sets and special edition products.

Here's the stuff I picked out after a lengthy trawl all over the internet.

There's a mixture of types of products here. I didn't want to go down the route of "for him" or "for her", "for dad" or "for mam", etc. I personally think there's something a wee bit...condescending about that? Like, I don't know what your mother would like, if your sister wears makeup or if your brother likes to smell like fancy bath products. Obviously there is some traditional gendering present or insinuated but I didn't want to impose it on others. So, instead, I present things I thought were cool to do with as you please (or don't). The only thing I would say is that when it comes to skincare, men and women do have different needs and would suggest buying the prescribed sets for the indicated genders...even if your male friends are well jealous of your Eve Lom moisturiser.

Makeup suggestions come from a range of brands and price points. The Topshop Smokey Eye Kit has since sold out online but is available in stores at £22.00 and is not only sweet because it comes with an eye palette, mascara and kohl but also is sold in a box which makes it perfect to give as is or easier to wrap. The Nars lip pencils are not only dreamy colours but pretty damn good value at £32.00 for five high end lip products. And, while the Charlotte Tilbury palette may seem pricey at €50.00, it's the ultimate luxury palette in screen siren shades and uber-gorgeous packaging. More wallet-friendly options under twenty quid are the Etude House lipsticks, The Balm face palette and the super-sweet novelty lip glosses from Urban Outfitters in the shape of a mince pie and gingerbread man. Another inexpensive idea is the eye makeup keyring from H&M which makes for a really cool stocking filler and the nail polish cracker set from Urban Outfitters which I'd like as a pleasant change from ones with crappy plastic toys inside. My last pick here is the exceptionally gorgeous brush set from Bobbi Brown which is less affordable, more drool-worthy.

I've chosen two makeup bags/wash bags which really could be unisex - more so in the case of the Herschel wash bag and less so in the case of the ASOS makeup bag. I think both are simple but cute enough to also work for a range of different people and age groups in your life.

The remaining items are all grooming or skincare. The Eve Lom kit is a stunner, packed with awesome skincare, while the Clinique Good Skin for men is less aesthetically pleasing but equally effective. Speaking of stunning, the Baylis and Harding set is a steal with an amazing weekend bag and five products for under forty euro! This a seriously good deal and won't go remiss in anyone's life - whether it be a slightly out-of-touch dad in need of a little chic in his life or a boyfriend looking to make his wardrobe a little more grown up...or a Colette in love with the bag. The L'Occitane Shaving Tradition set is less good value but equally chic and adult - a serious touch of luxury for a dude in your life. More luxury is present in the form of the Laura Mercier Ambre Vanille bath set. It's one of my favourite scents for good reason and this set is pure decadence. Lastly, RJR John Rocha at Debenhams are offering these lovely little manicure sets and making the mundane seem wantable.

So, see anything you want...I mean any good ideas for gifts...heh...heh.

Worth the Hype - Current Makeup Favourites

Being home has meant little overheads and much accumulation. Said accumulation has produced some new makeup favourites and some serious revelations. Makeup is as seasonal as clothes amd  I'll post on my Summer cosmetics routine soon as the weather recently has been so unbelievably warm and face-melty that it's entirely relevant. But, for now, I just wanna talk about new things for Summer that I've been trying and loving. 

(And just so y'all know - anything marked like so * has been sent to me - this is something I'll be more conscious of doing from now on)

Scent.

Chupa Chups Love Trap - Mam randomly picked this up for me as it reminds her of perfumes I wore as a teen. It's quite like Anna Sui perfumes or Touch of Pink by Lacoste. Sweet, floral, girly, light. Really a perfect summer day smell and, surprisingly, a nice slightly more mature version of those higher end scents.

Skin.

Maxfactor Facefinity Primer * - I'd been rotating between using the Porefessional and Aloe Vera as my go-to primers up until now. The Porefessional is lovely to apply but doesn't extend the wear of my makeup overly and the Aloe Vera really suits breakout days and minimal makeup days better. But this is the perfect everyday, longwear primer. It applies smoothly and the formula is quite soothing to the skin. I love that it has a pump to make application ultra-easy and the SPF is always a bonus for me.

Dermalogica Sheer Tint - As a general rule, I only wear BB creams. I just don't want too much coverage or to feel or look as though I'm caked in makeup. I find that even tinted moisturisers look too thickly applied to my eye on my skin. Another general rule for me is that higher end bases are too heavy and I rely entirely on drugstore brands generally. This, however, is a large exception to those rules. The colour match is great and it gives me enough coverage to even out my skin tone without feeling uncomfortable on the skin or covering my freckles.

Shiseido The Makeup Concealer - I'd been searching for a new concealer for a while. In summer, if I'm wearing makeup at all, I tend to just apply a little BB cream as a concealer instead. Then I fell for Mam's Clarins concealer and what it did for my under-eye area. After coveting that for some time, she handed this to me. I love Shiseido as a brand - the sleek, slightly dodgy packaging and all. This concealer is exactly enough coverage. If I feel I need to wear at least a little makeup to something - a little of this, brows and mascara and I'm ready to go. It's great for both blemishes and under-eye and doesn't crease or flake as it's super-moisturising.

Rimmel Match Perfection Silky Loose Face Powder - All that needs to be said here is that this needs no topping up and looks as though you're wearing no powder at all - it competes easily with much more expensive, finely milled powders.

Eyes.

Clinique High Impact Mascara - For me, I rarely use dramatic, clumpy mascaras. I just want to give my natural lashes a boost but look as though I've barely touched them. This is great for that and it doesn't run all over the place despite watery, hayfever-prone eyes.

Sleek i-Divine Bad Girl Palette - These colours are so great. There's a neutral end for light Summer day looks and the purple, blues and greens are awesome for colourful night looks. The rich lighter green is a dupe for a Chanel shade in a quad they had out for this Summer except better. Yeah, you heard me. Better. It's more pigmented and applies the way you wish the Chanel would. The applicator that comes with it is utter shite, however, so bring a brush along if you plan on using the palette.

Benefit They're Real! Push-up Liner - I was wary of this product. Wary it couldn't be that good. But it's easy to use, dries slow enough to fix if mistakes are made and stays in place enough when dry not to do that annoying transferal to crease of the eyelid thing. Thank God. Note: In extreme heat as the other day, it moves a little but melted less than the rest of my face.

Brows.

Billion Dollar Brows Hint of Tint Gel and Brow Gel * - I'll definitely be writing on raising your brow game soon but for now, note that these guys rock. I use the hint of tint alone for minimal makeup days or to finish more dramatic already filled-in, bushy brow looks and the clear gel for looks somewhere in the middle. Neither do that horrible crispy thing and the mascara-like applicators are great for precision. Much love.

Lips.

Eve Lom Kiss Mix - Very expensive? Yes. Worth it? Totes. At €20, it's about four times the amount of lip balms I normally buy but it works so well and it's so sleek and luxurious looking. And I LOVE how it feels. Handbag staple.

Etude House Etoinette Crystal Shine Lips - The cutest thing ever? Hells YEAH! The nicest nude-pink shade? Definitely. But mostly...SO CUTE. I just look at it sometimes.

So, have you guys tried any of the above? Do you want to?

Drawing on ma face.

Boredom in classes led to my drawing on my arms a lot as a kid. This urge to not only doodle but to doodle on yourself when less than stimulated followed me into adulthood. And the result of major internet usage over the past few years is that I cannot merely do one thing at a time. The insane range of things we can access at any moment in time and my lack of self-restraint has combined to make me gorge on the daily. I watch a movie while reading a manga or I watch tv while internet window-shopping and drawing on my face etc etc etc.

Drawing on your face? What ARE you talking about? - You may be thinking loudly at me through your computer screen.

I, of course, mean putting makeup on. 

I've not been drawing on my face with pens...much...

Putting on makeup is the female (generally - boo, repressed, strict gender roles), adult equivalent of drawing on your arms. Which is funny because on a daily basis I wear very little makeup. Not only because I'm lazy and don't care enough to get up earlier but because I have this weird thing where I only consider myself as attractive as I can be with minimal intervention. By this I mean that I feel hideous if I don't look passable sans hairstyle and makeup. Totally makes sense....And isn't a cycle of self-blame and disgust. Heh. I'm fine, seriously...But, basically, my wearing makeup generally means I was bored or procrastinating or both. If you meet me dolled up you can assume this to be the case.

The other day I caught myself unable to watch an entire episode of Dark Angel (despite the gorgeousness of early 2000s Jessica Alba and my loving the show) without needing to do something else at the same time. So, I started putting on makeup. Mostly I was playing around with eyeshadow which I normally never wear.

The following is the result of that evening. The above was just me being self-indulgent. Enjoy.

Smokey neutral eye + natural lip and flushed cheeks.

Products:

Benefit Porefessional Primer

Maybelline Dream Pure BB in Light

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge

Oriflame Translucent Pressed Powder

Estee Lauder All-Over Face Powder Quad - Used as a blush (it's a light pink)

Mac 168 Blusher Brush

Philosophy Divine Illumination Love at First Light Skin Luminizer in Honey Gold 02

Clinique Eye Pencil in Brown Sugar 104 - Used to fill in brows and line eyes

IsaDora Triple Eyeshadow in Sandy Sky 06

Rimmel Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara in Black

Ecotools Eyeshadow Brush

Smokey coloured eye + gothy burgundy lips

Products:

All are the same except:

Rimmel Colour Rush Mono Eyeshadow in Iris 350

Rimmel Soft Kohl Kajal Eyeliner Pencil in Jet Black 061

Catrice Baroque Glamour Lipstick in Purple Silk C04

Graphic cateye + peachy lips

Products:

Same once again except:

IsaDora eyeshadow repeated with only the white shadow used

Seventeen Superlash! liner in Black

Topshop Lip Bullet in Joyride

Heh, I totes know about makeup and shit...

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (Plus a Giveaway)

Lol. I'm only messing. There's no murder, murderers or murdering in this post. There is, however, perfume.

A particularly common Christmas gift is some sort of fragrance. Many of us will have experienced this first- hand very recently. The attitudes towards gifting perfume are summed up by the following exchange in Father Ted.

Dougal: Perfume is the ideal woman present, isn't it?

Ted: Yes, well that's why God invented perfume, so you don't have to put any thought into it whatsoever.

Now, of course most people actually gift perfume with the best of intentions. However, as I have discussed before, it is a tricky gift to give. Perfume is quite personal and terribly subjective. Most people don't stray much from their favourites. In fact, for the first five or six years that I used perfume, I stuck rigidly to one at a time. So much so that Armani Code is sixteen year old me to my friends and Daisy by Marc Jacobs is first year of college. If I wear either now, it freaks Daniel out a little.

Since then, I've come around to having between three and four perfumes on the go at any one time. Still, I would only trust my mother to pick a new scent for me - no one else in the world.

My rule of thumb is; unless they already wear it/said they wanted it, don't buy it.

My mother was my educator in all such things. She always has the most beautiful perfumes and calls the new 'it' scents. My early perfumes were hand-me-downs or inherited and taken on as my own. As a family, we have run through quite a few scents, as a result of Mammy's passion and knowledge. I decided to gather all that was in the house; unfinished, out-grown, forgotten, old, new, gifted and chosen.

It turns out we have a shit-ton. It's a bit mental, really. So, I've decided to rummage through it all and do some reviews.

Here goes.


Men's Scents.

Chanel No. 5
This cologne has such a powdery scent that it makes me think of talcum powder. It's rather gentle and a little sweet. Not really my cup of tea.
3.5/5

Gucci Guilty
A traditional aftershave scent it has a minty undertone. It's very pleasant and I love that the packaging looks like a hip flask.
4/5

Calvin Klein Man
A traditionally masculine scent it has notes of liqourice. There is nothing particularly unpleasant about this cologne but it, again, does not suit my tastes.
3.5/5

Intimately Beckham
A fresh and light scent, it is warm and smells like a nice bath.
4/5


Celebrity Scents.

Halle by Halle Berry
A sweet and citrussy scent which is light and fresh with powdery notes this was a real surprise and show-stopper. I have never owned any celebrity perfumes of my own but my sister receives them on a regular basis from friends. I'm so impressed by the quality and lovely coppery packaging. My mother uses another two scents by Halle Berry and both are also pretty - clearly the celebrity to smell like.
4.5/5

Christina Aguilera Inspire
A light, powdery daytime scent, it is very traditional and harmless. Not much to say for or against this one.
3.5/5

Kate Moss Velvet Hour
Light but kind of musky and very subtle - again I was pleasantly surprised.
4/5

Curious by Britney Spears
Floral and sweet it is unremarkable and unoffensive.
3/5

Earliest Scents.

Anna Sui Sui Love
This is one of the first perfumes I ever used and was more grown-up than I remember. It is sweet with a hint of musk and is diverse - it could easily be worn during day or night.
4/5

Anna Sui Secret Wish
It is very sweet and floral with something dark underneath it all. I can't believe I forgot how delicious this is. It's going back into regular use.
4.5/5

Touch of Pink by Lacoste
Powdery, light and sweet this perfume was a favourite for a long time. I couldn't believe how much of this perfume we actually had left - 4 bottles which were almost full.
4/5

Dunhill Desire
Dark and musky but still not particularly strong - it didn't leave much of an impression.
3.5/5

Very Irresistible by Givenchy
A very traditional scent which is, for me, slightly pongy and doesn't smell expensive. Not a fan.
3/5

So...wild?
This scent really surprised me. It's a drugstore/pharmacy brand unlike all the others which are high end and yet it was surprisingly nice and quite subtle. It's also lasted very well as I must have been in my early teens when a girl in my class gave it to me. However, this sweet scent is somewhat unremarkable and doesn't last on the skin well despite being strong at first.
3/5

Touch of Sun by Lacoste
Very fruity, uncomplicated and pleasing.
4/5

Discovered Unused Perfumes.

Polly Mixture by Ted Baker
I think Anna got this as a gift at some point and I want to steal it! Sweet and very floral, it's just lovely.
4.5/5

Beautiful by Estee Lauder
No idea where this came from but, frankly, it can go back there. It's pongy, old-fashioned and unremarkable.
2.5/5

Andy Warhol 
Again, the origins of this is a mystery but it has always intrigued me. I guess some part of me knew it'd be horrible and, so, I'd never tried it before today. What a disappointment! And it's packaged so awesomely. Pongy, unremarkable and cheap-smelling.
2.5/5

The packaging is cool though.

Clinique Happy Heart

Along with a gift set of Touch of Pink I found one of Happy Heart. Powdery and sweet, it is very pleasant indeed.

4/5

Samples.

Roses de Chloe
Must. Have. This is one of three samples I found among all our perfumes and I LOVE IT. Flowery and sweet it is rather traditional but ever so lovely.
4.5/5

Down Town by Calvin Klein
Citrussy and powdery and just enough of everything.
4/5

Versace cologne
I guess it's just called Versace? No other name on the bottle. It's so cute, non? Musky and traditional but just right.
4/5

My Currents and All-Time Favourites.

Armani Code, Lacoste and Daisy have remained constant favourites over the years which I return to again and again. New loves are Amore Mio Forever and L'Occitane's Cherry Blossom. I'll get around to doing a full review of both at some point.

So, there you have it, analysis of a crapload of perfumes! Hopefully, this will help inform you in buying perfume as a gift or give you ideas for a new scent to try.

And, as a bonus, I have a giveaway for y'all, my dear lovely readers - A Closer by Halle Berry set with perfume, body lotion and shower gel. All you have to do is be a follower of the blog, like me on facebook and comment below. Competition will close at midnight on Sunday the 12th of January. It's that simple. Good luck! x