February 2015

Posted on February 11, 2015

5 affordable makeup dupes for high-end products

There’s nothing worse than setting your eyes on a new lippy, falling in love with it and then realising that it is way over your normal lipstick budget. ‘Steal or splurge?’ is the question I find myself asking when I’m trying to decide how badly I really need –or want – that €35 lipstick.

While some high-end products are well worth the splurge, others shouldn’t even cost half as much as they do. I’ve put together a dupe list for some popular makeup products out there for the days that you don’t think that €35 lippy is worth it!

1. Maybelline Eye Studio Colour Tattoo 24hr Cream Shadow in Creamy Beige & MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Groundwork

I own both of these products, and I can honestly say that if you put each of these on a different lid, nobody would notice! The two colours are very close to the same shade. The one thing about the Maybelline is that it tends to crease, so be sure to use an eye primer.

With Maybelline, you save €13.35

2. L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara & Diorshow Mascara

Both L’Oreal Voluminous and Diorshow have a similar brush. The shape helps separate the lashes and add some length to them. But, the award-winning Diorshow has a clumpier formula so it dries out much quicker than Voluminous.

With L’Oreal Voluminous, you save €14.01

3. Rimmel Kate Matte Lipstick in Kiss Of Life 111 & Mac Ruby Woo

Both lipsticks are super saturated in colour and make you stand out almost immediately. MAC’s idea of matte is very different compared to Rimmel’s. Ruby Woo is extremely dry, while the Rimmel lippy is slightly more moisturisng. Revlon Matte Red Lipstick in Really Red (€10.69) is another dupe for the infamous Ruby Woo.

With Rimmel, you save €12.51

4. Sleek Brow Kit & Benefit Browzing Kit

Benefit Browzing Kit and Sleek brow kit are so identical, it makes me laugh! From the packaging, to the compact mirror and the little tweezers, these two products are pretty much two peas in a pod! However, the Benefit kit comes in three shade, while the Sleek kit comes in four.

With Sleek, you save €24.01

5. Smashbox Halo Highlighting Wand & No7 Skin Illuminator

Both of these highlighters have a glimmery brightening effect on the cheek bones. The Smashbox Highlighting Wand is easier to use because of it’s packaging. The No 7 Illuminator has a wider brush, but it leaves that overall radiant look on the face – No wonder So Sue Me always looks so glam!

With No 7, you save €18.75

If you have any more dupes to add, feel free to comment below!

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Top 6 concealers under €10
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The festive season is upon us, so in my world – and in many other people’s worlds – the annual pre-Christmas splurge has already begun. It is time to start digging into our savings and start shopping for gifts. Unfortunately, that means we can’t really spend as much on ourselves…
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Many women don’t have the confidence to wear a red lippy: some think they’re far too bright, while others would rather stick to a safer option. But, a good red lipstick can easily transform your look and give you that extra va va voom! Here are the five red lipsticks…
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Posted on February 9, 2015

Makeup tips for Valentine’s Day

Makeup/ Tips

The first thing that springs to mind for a Valentine’s Day look is the red lip: a defined and sultry red lip. But what comes after that? Not a lot of people get that far!

When it comes to Valentines Day makeup, your look should be three things: subtle, but not invisible, sexy, but not slutty and effortless, but not lazy. These three things combined will surely give your date something to admire and who knows, they might even get you another date 😉

Tip #1: Subtle, but not invisible

Like any other day, your face should not look like it’s caked with makeup. There’s nothing attractive about having foundation streaks across the face or under your jaw line. Keep your base light and natural and when choosing a blusher, use a colour that is close to your natural skin tone.

Steps:

Cleanse, tone and moisturise the face.
Prep it with primer.
Apply foundation and then a bit of concealer on the areas that need extra coverage.
Use a light bronzer to contour cheek bones.
Add a pop of colour on the cheeks.

Tip #2: Sexy, but not slutty

The iconic 50s look of the winged liner and a red lip always gets a few heads turning. When done correctly, a winged liner just oozes of sexiness. The red lip just tops that off! Be sure to take your time when doing your winged liner, a small mistake can cost you more time. And to make your lipstick last longer, make sure you blot, apply your lippy (using a lip brush) and then blot again. Blotting helps the colour get right in there!

Steps:

Prepare eye makeup with a neutral eye shadow.
With a gel or liquid liner, draw a line from the outer corner of your eye towards the brow.
Create the winged effect by bringing the line back to the center of your eye lid.
Slightly thicken the line and then fill in the gaps.
Set with black eye shadow.

Tip #3: Effortless,but not lazy

I can’t think of a time or place where you can’t rock beach wave curls! They give off that ‘I woke up like this’ look, without making you feel like you actually did just roll out of bed! They’re effortless and sexy at the same time, and the best part is: you don’t even need a curler to pull of this look, straighteners work just fine!

Steps:

Starting from the back of your head, grab a small section of your hair.
Twist the hair around your fingers until you get to the top.
Put the rolled hair in between your straighteners and hold for a few seconds before releasing.
Repeat the process all the way through and then spray your hair with holding spray.
Run your fingers through the curls to break them up

Hope you found these tips useful! If you have any suggestions, feel free to speak up! Also, don’t forget to enter my Valentine’s Day giveaway, as you’ll be in for a very lovely treat if you do win! 🙂

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Win!!! A Valentine’s Day Gift Set & More!!!
10000
And the winner is...... Orla Murphy! Congrats, please check your FB mail :) With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, myself and Irish beauty brand Green Angel, have decided to join forces for a Val’s Day giveaway. Whether you have plans to exchange pressies with a special someone or not,…
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Is it just me or does anyone else think that having a strong red lipstick game is a prerequisite for a successful February? Well if it is just me, then let me try and convert you..... I honestly think there's nothing worse than seeing someone desperately fail at trying to pull…
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Posted on February 8, 2015

8 types of men you should avoid dating

Dating

I can’t sit here and say that every single one of my exes were idiots, because that would be a lie. But there were certainly one or two – okay maybe three – four max, that I would gladly give that title to.

If all the years that I’ve spent being in either a serious relationship or in a confused situationship, has taught me anything, it is this: there are just some guys you need to steer clear of.

These are the type of men who add absolutely no value to your life – dead weights, is what I call them. All they do is waste your time, energy and emotions – and there’s nothing worse than wasted emotions, right?

So if you want to avoid listening to ‘I Can’t Make You Love Me,’ while scoffing down the unwanted chocolate you found at the back of your press from last Christmas, then here are some of the men you should stay away from:

The eager beaver

He puts pressure on you to meet your parents, he drops random hints about moving in together and you are still unsure about whether or not you had much of an input on having sex with him for the first time – oh it’s all coming back now, isn’t it? The eager beaver doesn’t really care who he is with, as long as he has SOMEONE. He is just in a rush to settle down and find a woman to take care of him – and then he’ll probably have someone else on the side. Spare yourself the heartache and move on.

The unreliable one

He always says he’s going to take you out, you always hear him talking about how he’d like to spend a weekend away with you. But these things never actually happen, do they? If his actions aren’t matching his words now, don’t expect things to be any different a few months down the line. He’s good at talking the talk, but he ain’t very good at walking the walk. The unreliable one needs to be reminded of where the front door is.

The one who can’t keep his pants up

We all love sex. There’s no arguing that. But if he wants to get dirty between the sheets at every second of the day, then how can you ever trust him to be loyal when you’re not around? Or God forbid, you have an injury and are unable to perform as you normally would? Exactly. Three or four times a day? Absolutely fine. But wanting it all day every day is never a good sign, and it may also call for some professional help.

The one foot in and one foot out kinda guy

He uses his past as an excuse to not fully commit to you. Yet, judging by his track record, his previous relationship don’t seem any different to the night time visit arrangement you have with him now. He is just trying to have his cake and eat it too and is using ‘heartbreak’ as a way to avoid having a real relationship with you. This kind of guy needs to take both of his feet and keep them out. #ByeFelicia

The one who always seems to be short on cash

If it’s not ‘I forgot my wallet at home,’ it’s ‘there has been a delay with my payment.’ Either way, you are starting to wonder whether he even owns a bank account or not. The one who always seems to be short on cash is a pro when it comes to excuses and me thinks him and Mr. Unreliable up there should get together some time.

The one with zero ambition

He barely made it through school, and he now spends his days sitting in front of the telly watching sports. He has no idea where his life is going – not that he even cares – and he doesn’t seem to be having any positive influence on your life. As the saying goes ‘a man who can’t commit to himself, can not commit to anyone else,’ I’m pretty sure that says it all.

The one you can’t seem to read

He sends you ambiguous messages and says things that you never fully comprehend. You think he is interested in you, but you still have your doubts. Chances are, the guy is just stringing you along for his own amusement. If he really wanted to have some sort of relationship with you then he would make an effort and you wouldn’t be trying to decipher his messages at 2 o’clock in the morning!

The hot and cold kinda guy

Today you have his undivided attention, and tomorrow you’re wondering why you haven’t heard from him all day. If you’re wondering why you’ve suddenly stopped hearing from him, then that is probably because somebody else has his attention. I don’t know about you, but I’m not very good with sharing my men.

If you have one of these men in your life, then you already know what to do…… hope you all have a good evening 🙂

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Posted on February 8, 2015

Win!!! A Valentine’s Day Gift Set & More!!!

win

And the winner is…… Orla Murphy! Congrats, please check your FB mail 🙂

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, myself and Irish beauty brand Green Angel, have decided to join forces for a Val’s Day giveaway. Whether you have plans to exchange pressies with a special someone or not, you could still treat yourself – or a friend with this divine gift set!

~~So what’s in it?~~

~~This beautiful gift set has two products in it:~~

~~Seaweed Bath & Shower Gel with Lavender and Mandarin 200ml~~
~~Seaweed Body Lotion with Neroli and Chamomile extracts 200ml~~

~~As well as that, I’ve also decided to throw in a little extra for you:~~

~~Seaweed Body Lotion with Chamomile & Neroli 50ml~~
~~Seaweed Bath & Shower Gel with Lavender & Mandarin 50ml~~
~~Seaweed Facial Toner with Linden Flower & Cucumber Extracts~~
~~Seaweed Cleansing Lotion with Vitamin E & Thyme Extracts~~

~~So if you want to indulge yourself in a relaxing bath or treat a loved one to a tension relieving shower then this competition is for you! To be in the chance to win, you must do the following:~~

Like both Enhance What’s Yours & Green Angel on Facebook.
Follow @enhance_whats_yours on Instagram.
Follow @FilomenaKaguako & @greenangelskin on Twitter

~~Keep in mind that those subscribed to Enhance What’s Yours have a better chance of winning – gotta look out for my loyal fans first! Good luck everyone 🙂~~

~~Terms & Conditions:~~

You must be a resident of Ireland. If you are under 18, you must get consent from your parents to enter the giveaway as the winner will be required to give me their address in order to have the prize sent out to them. There will be one winner, and that person will have 24hrs to claim their prize otherwise another winner will be chosen. Giveaway ends on Sunday 15^th February at 9pm.

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Posted on February 4, 2015

Healthy peanut butter cups

recipes

This 3-ingredient peanut butter cup recipe is to die for! These chocolatey treats are thick and gooey (in a good way) and just melts in your mouth at every bite. They also taste much better than the store bought versions and as always, they’re much healthier too!

Ingredients:

2 tbsp natural peanut butter
2 tbsp 100% cocoa powder
2 tbsp coconut oil

Directions:

Line a baking tray with 9 paper cases and set aside.
Melt one tbsp of coconut oil in the microwave and then add the cocoa powder.
Mix until you have a smooth chocolatey paste.
If the mixture is too runny, you can add some more powder.
Once the mixture has a smooth consistency, add one spoonful to the bottom of each paper cup.
Put in the freezer for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the peanut butter and the remaining coconut oil in the microwave.
Once you have a smooth paste, you can remove the chocolate layered cups from the freezer and put a spoonful of the melted peanut butter on top.
Put back in the freezer for about 30 minutes or until everything is frozen.
Enjoy!

P.S They taste much nicer than they look

Let me know if you decide to give this recipe a try! xx

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