March Favourites

It's been a while since my last favourites post, I only like to do them every second month so that I can try out a product for a decent amount of time. There's been loaaaaads of things that I've been loving lately and I can't wait to share them with you all! So let me know in the comments what you've been loving recently whether that's a beauty product, film, an event you went to or a happy memory! 

Erin X 

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No7 Beautiful Skin Facial Cleansing Brush Review

I wanted to try the No7 Facial Brush Cleanser for the longest time and always put it on the long finger as I had my ALDI Facial Brush Cleanser. I didn't really see the point in having two. However Boots had an amazing deal on, usually the facial brush is €34 and I ended up only paying €11.50! What a bargain!!! So is it any good?

I've had the facial brush for about 3 months now and I use it two to three times a week, I usually use it after I remove my makeup. You'd be surprised what's left on your skin, so I always double cleanse! With the mechanism itself you get one brush head that you can remove and change when necessary. The brush heads are sold separately in Boots. You get two brush heads in a pack for €11. As I said I'm at the 3 month mark now so I'll be changing my brush head soon.

It comes with batteries which I was delighted about. There's nothing worse than getting all excited about something and then realising it needs batteries and you have none! The brush fits really comfortably in your hand and has a little button to press to turn it on. Press once for a medium speed and twice for the brush head to spin very quickly. Personally I only really use the first speed as I find the second speed can be a bit harsh on my sensitive skin. I like the fact that the brush head spins, the ALDI one vibrates and you have to move it yourself.  The bristles of the brush are lovely. Nice and soft but still you get a good exfoliation with it.

I always use a gel cleanser along with it, currently using the Image Stem Cell cleanser and they're a match made in heaven. I start with wetting the bristles with water, adding my cleanser to the bristles and then cleansing my face. I only keep the brush on my face for about 45 seconds, moving it in circular motions.

I do prefer it to the ALDI brush even though I really like the ALDI brush. As I said above it costs €34 but No7 constantly have deals on and keep a hold of those €6.50 of No7 products and you'll get a great bargain like I did! I really like having the cleansing brush as part of my skincare routine, my skin always feels squeaky clean afterwards!

Have you tried the No7 Beautiful Skin Facial Cleansing Brush ? Tell me what you think in the comments!

Erin X

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Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mammies of the world and especially to the very best mammy, my own! To mark the day I filmed a video with my mam and we had so much fun! It was so interesting to ask her some questions and discuss them. I just found the list of questions when I searched for 'Mother Daughter Tag'. I really enjoyed filming it and I hope you enjoy watching it! Let me know in the comments what your plan for the day is!

Erin X 

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Shiseido Ibuki Cleanser Review

I had never tried anything from Shiseido before trying this cleanser and it certainly made a great first impression of the brand. I received this as part of goody bag at an event and I was delighted with it. It was a big decent size and lasted me ages.

This cleanser is from the IBUKI range. It's a cream cleanser that foams up when you add a little water. It is fragranced but doesn't make my sensitive skin react in any way. It smells beautiful, fresh and somewhat floral. I'm not big on skincare that has an overpowering scent to it but this is actually beautiful.

The Pros

• It gives you a really squeaky clean feeling
• It doesn't leave a greasy residue
• A little goes a very long way, a pea sized amount will do your entire face
• It feels super rich and luxurious
• It suits all skin types
• You can use it both morning and night
• It does it's job!

The Cons

• I actually don't have anything negative to say about this cleanser except maybe the price is a bit steep. It's €38.50 for 125ml. However I do think it's worth it and it will last you absolutely ages.
• It's difficult to find online, your best bet is to go into a store and find it, I've seen it in Debenhams and Shaws. The only place I seen it online was on feel unique! 

Overall
I personally love using it with my electronic cleansing brush as it lathers up really well and leaves my skin super soft and smooth. This is definitely a cleanser that I think is worth the money and lives up to the hype. I definitely will be repurchasing it as some stage.

SO have you tried this cleanser? Or anything else from Shiseido's skincare range? Tell me your thoughts in the comments! 

Erin X 

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Dr Paw Paw Original Balm Review

I have heard so much hype about this lip balm over the last year or so that when it was in a goody bag from an event  was eager to try it. Before I jump into the review here's a little background on the company. Dr Paw Paw is a British company, that was created after the owner was on holiday and used a lip cream that had a fruit extract in it. When he came home he couldn't find anything like it so he created one himself. Pretty cool huh!

Anyway onto the review, the lip balm contains Carica Papaya ( helps in aiding skin repair), Aloe Barbadensis leaf Juice (Helps retain moisture) and Olea Europaea fruit oil ( anti inflammatory) and basically all the good things that is needed. What I found particularly interesting is the fact that it's a multitasking balm, it can be used on skin, hair, nails and lips and more.

Uses:

• Cracked lips/heels/elbows/skin
• nappy rash
• Cuticle balm
• Shape untamed hair
• Condition hair

I personally have only used it on my lips. There is so much hype about this balm that I was expecting it to work wonders. Did it? Kind of. What I mean is that I had unrealistic expectations, as I always do with hyped products. It did really help my cracked lips overnight which I was very pleased with. I like the fact that it's solid until you apply it onto lips. It doesn't feel overly greasy. It's not fragranced and overall it does it's job. I still do prefer my intensive lip balm from Blistex but only just.

You can pick up the Original Balm from Dr Paw Paw in Boots, Superdrug and most pharmacies. It costs €8.99 for a 25ml tube. Have you tried this out before? What did you think? 

Erin X 

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Blank canvas Cosmetics Master Series Palette Review

This palette has gotten so much hype that I was very skeptical about buying it. I always feel that products that receive as much hype as this palette did, are actually quite often a bit disappointing. However I was very pleasantly surprised by this palette and I'm really quite impressed.

This palette costs €34.99 but I bought mine on Black Friday and used an additional code so it cost me somewhere around the €20 mark (what a bargain). The palette consist of 12 eye shadows, 11 mattes and one shimmer. There is a mix of both warm and cool toned eyeshadows, however the warm and cool tones actually work together really well. In terms of pigmentation, all shadows bar one cannot be faulted. The colour payoff is phenomenal, all except 'GODDESS' unfortunately. It's a pity too because it's the one shimmer shade and if it was more pigmented, this palette would be perfect in my opinion.

I find the shadows really easy to blend and they all compliment each other so well. I've created quite a few looks over on my Instagram (@chasingrubychat) with this palette and since opening it, I've honestly used at most days I wear makeup. It's just perfect for everyday and so easily built up for a night time look. My favourite shades are 'Carmin' 'Cocoa' 'Hickory' and 'Corruption'.

The palette also comes with a double ended brush. As Blank Canvas Cosmetics are mainly a makeup brush brand, you can be sure that the brush included with the palette isn't a flimsy one. In fact it's really rather brilliant. On one end is the E40 and on the other end is E41, both can be both separately too.  The E40 is a flat ended brush, perfect for putting the eyshadow in place.The E41is a fluffy blending brush, ideal for blending the eyeshadows together in the crease. I think this was a brilliant brush to compliment the palette. The packaging itself is really good too, not only does it look pretty, it has a decent sized mirror in it and while it's made of cardboard, the palette feels very sturdy.

Overall I really REALLY love this palette, it's become my everyday palette and one of my all time favourites. I really can't say enough good things about it! Have you tried this palette? What did you think?

Erin X 

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Bee-utiful Highlighter Review

I'm back with another beauty post and today I'm looking at a highlighter created by two ladies in transition year from Tipperary. They've created Bee-utiful as a mini company. I love this and wish my school allowed us to do mini companies. Anyway onto the review...

Let's start with packaging, I really like it. It's cute, it's light and the perfect size in my opinion. Who needs a massive big pan of highlighter? You'll never get through it especially if like me you've loads of highlighters. It also has a small mirror on the inside of the lid. So I was really happy with the size, it's also a really handy size for travelling too. And how cute are the little gems!

Onto the actual product. It's a cream highlighter that appears quite silvery on the skin. It has a distinct scent that's absolutely gorgeous, not overwhelming, just the perfect amount. I find the best way to apply it is with a small brush, that way you get more of a 'pop' with it. In saying that though, it's extremely pigmented, if you're going for that 'I wanna be seen from outer space' look and let's be real who isn't when they're applying highlighter.

I prefer the look of it when it's only slightly blended, otherwise it looses a little pigment and can appear a little glittery. So I tend to only slightly blend it and allow it to melt into my skin. Once it's applied, it feels very comfortable on the skin. As it's a cream product, I usually set it with a little translucent powder so that it's not sticky and doesn't run.

One thing that really intrigues me with this product is that it's kind to the skin. Some of the ingredients include Beeswax, coconut oil, castor oil, silver mica powder, zinc oxide and lavender oil. With so many products on the market, it's lovely to have a homemade highlighter that I know is good to my skin.

The highlighter costs €5 and only €3.50 for students! You cna contact the girls on their Instagram which is @Bee-utiful. All in all,I'm a big fan and I'm so proud of the girls from Bee-utiful. I can see big things in their future and wish them all the best! 

Erin X 

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Feeling Lost

Hello everyone!

It's been a while since I've done a personal post here. Recently I've been feeling very lost, overwhelmed, inadequate and all over the place. If you watched THIS video you'll see that I've been struggling a lot with college this semester. I have one module in particular that kicking my ass, no matter how hard I try or how many hours I put in. Recently I was told by a someone who previously did my course and now teaches it, that this is by far the worst semester and that fourth year isn't as difficult. Which was nice to hear in one way as I know it can't get much worse than this but still just proves the difficulty of this semester.

I have also had a few family members fallen ill since the start of the year which was quite a shock and put a lot of things in perspective for me. I've been trying my best to get good grades, have a social life, see my family, spend time with my boyfriend, visit my friends, eat well, try and incorporate fitness back into my life, blog, make videos, keep my social media updated daily, run Tipperary Hour, try to find a summer job and so much more.

All in all, I'm exhausted and overwhelmed which has led me to feel really inadequate about everything. I just feel like no matter how hard I try, nothing is ever good enough. I'm always one step behind. In reality I know I've a lot on my plate and just need to put it all in perspective and stop being so hard on myself. But I can't help it. I pride myself on always being organised and lately I just feel all over the place. Now you're probably thinking, I could just give the blog and my YouTube channel a break until things calm down with college. But I love blogging and making videos, they keep me somewhat sane and I like the routine of them.

All of this had led me to really evaluate my life and made me focus on what I want out of life, where I want to be in 10 years time, what I'll do when I finish college and have to go out into the big bad world and be an actual grown up. The problem is I've asked myself questions and I have no answers. I have no clue what I want to do when I finish college. I've no clue what I want to focus on. I love blogging and doing YouTube and as much as I'd love to make that a career, I don't think that's realistic. I think to actually make it as a blogger/YouTuber is so so difficult these days and it's only getting tougher. Also I'm not quite sure I'd like to be my own boss anymore. I always thought I would want to be self employed but after working for my mother for nine months and seeing the real side to being self employed and having a company, I can see very clearly that it's not all it's cracked up to be.

So with blogging/YouTube crossed off my list, I've no idea where that leaves me. I'm not particularly great at anything. I'm a jack of all trades but master of none as they say. I'm not afraid of hard work and if I found something that I was super passionate about I'd go after it 100% and give it my all. I just don't know what my 'thing' is. I don't even know how to go about finding what my 'thing' is. I feel like all my friends have their shit together and are on a path to a real career and while I'm so genuinely delighted that things are working out for them, I can't help but feel really left behind.

I feel like I'm having my quarter life crisis a few years early. I don't really know where to go from here, I don't know how to progress or how to stop feeling so lost in life. I'm sure everything will work out in the end and I'll end up wherever I'm meant to be but at this very moment in time...I'm lost.

Erin X 

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