Christmas Gift Guide - Shop Local, Shop Irish!

It is always important to shop local and support the businesses in our own communities but this year it just feels a little different. 2020 has hit us all with a bang and so many businesses across the country have been effected. I have put together a list of amazing Irish businesses that you can support this Christmas, there are so many more and I will be adding to the list over the next month and in the lead up to Christmas. I hope this helps you do your Christmas shopping with ease as well as maybe finding some brands you never even knew about!

Makeup

Bia Belle

Known for their beautiful tanning and makeup products, Bia Beauty was founded by Irish sisters Aoibhinn and Bláthnaid and their mother Susan in December 2017.

Blank Canvas 

Known mostly for their amazing brush sets, Blank Canvas also make some gorgeous makeup items, a personal favourite is the master series palette! 

Sculpted By Aimee

Sculpted by Aimee Cosmetics is an Irish makeup brand by makeup artist Aimee Connolly. The brand has found great success thanks to it's incredible products.

So Su by Suzanne Jackson

Founded by the amazing Suzanne Jackson, So Su has gone from strength to strength and has so many stunning products to offer. 

Luna by Lisa

Founded by blogger extraordinaire Lisa Jordan, Luna by Lisa has so many gorgeous products to choose from!

Skincare

Skingredients

Founded by the skin nerd aka Jennifer Rock, this skincare brand is based on pure science and has changed the game! 

Holos Skincare

Founded by the brilliant Niamh Hogan, Holos skincare  has nutritional and therapeutic benefits to the skin. My personal favourite product is their facial oil, omg it's amazing!! 

Nía Natural Beauty

Founded by Celia O Grady, Nia is a gorgeous Irish brand that specialises in natural skincare, bodycare and healthy living. 

Kinvara

Kinvara is a brand founded by Dr. Joanne Reilly who has issues finding products for her own skin so created a brand that's now loved by thousands. Personal favourite products is the Absolute Cleansing Oil. 

Oxmantown Skincare

Handmade by founder Amy Cahill in Stoneybatter, Dublin Oxmantown Skincare is inspired by nature and completely cruelty free. The brand uses recycled packaging and sustainable, ethically sourced ingredients.

Pestle & Mortar

Founded by the amazing Sonia Deasy, The brand is driven by the belief that skincare shouldn’t be complicated so she created a line of simple, highly effective skincare products.

Ella & Jo


Ella & Jo cosmetics was created by Charlene Flanagan Make Up Artist and Niamh Ryan Make
Up Artist and Skin Therapist. These women have created three incredible products loved by so many women across the country. 

Tanning

Bare by Vogue

Founded by Vogue Williams, this brand has skyrocketed over the last few years! 

Bellamianta 

Started by Linda in 2015, this brand has taken the world by storm! 

Vita Liberata

Founded by  Alyson Hogg, Vita Liberata is one of Ireland's most luxurious tanning brands.

Iconic Bronze

Iconic Bronze came onto the scene back in 2017 and has been slaying the game ever since!

Tan Organic

Founded by Noelle O’Connor, Tan Organic is made with 100% natural ingredients and has been hugely successful, my personal favourite is the self tanning oil. 

Beauty

Moxi Loves 

Founded by Pamela laird, Moxi Loves have a few products that are just genius and a perfect stocking filler for any beauty lover. 

Nima Brush

Founded by Niamh Martin, the Nima Brush sets are incredible quality and beloved across the country.

Rebeluna

Founded by Lauren Cleare back in 2016, Rebeluna are a powerhouse name in the Irish beauty market.

Herclutter

Store your makeup in style with a beautiful Clutterbox. 

Glamdoll

Founded by Andrea, a mam of three girls she set up glam doll because she couldn't find affordable, high quality products that were readily available in Ireland for her girls to build their own 'Glam Stations', so she created Glam Doll.

Candles

Clean Slate

Founded by Nicole Connolly, Clean Slate candles aesthetically pleasing, high quality and eco-friendly.

Brooke and Shoals 

Founded by Alison Banton in Co Wicklow, Brooke and Shoals is a stunning candle brand.

Tipperary Crystal

Originally established as a Crystal brand over 4 decades years ago by  Joe Foley and John Meagher, the brand now produce an array of products including beautiful candles. 

The Handmade Soap Company

A stunning brand that produces handmade soap, hand cream and of course beautiful candles. 

Field Day

FieldDay was founded by Alix, from County Down who was inspired to capture and bottle the scents of our Irish countryside.

Books

The Aisling Books by Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen.

The wonderful Marian Keyes

Vicky Phelan emotional memoir.

The very talented Sally Rooney.

Enter Eleanor's world with Gail Honeyman

Perfumes

 The Burren Perfumery

The Burren Perfumery is a family company that aim to beat the best of the big brands with their quality perfumes. 

JO Browne

All products come in beautiful bamboo packaging which  not only looks great, but it also natural,  is also ecological and sustainable.

Water and Wild

Based in beautiful West Cork, this brand is inspired by the beauty that surrounds us, they  use only the finest raw and organic ingredients locally sourced. 

Inis

Based in County Wicklow, this brand is inspired by the beautiful Sea. 

Cloon Keen 

This brand "conjures a sense of timeless place and enduring culture through its lyrical and poetic scents". Doesn't that just sound absolutely beautiful?!

Love,

Erin X 

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Sunkissed Self - Tan Mousse Review - Ultra Dark

 I've developed a bit of an obsession with fake tan over the last year. I feel like everyone had this moment in their teens but it just kinda skipped me. Yeah I'd throw a bit of tan on for a night out or an event but otherwise I wouldn't bother. Now however I love having a bit of tan on all the time, makes me feel a bit better and a bit more put together (all silly and in my head I know, but still!!) 😂. 

Let's do a quick review!

PROS

• I picked it up in Boots for €7.99 which i thought was an absolute bargain!
• I has 200ml of product. 
• It's vegan, cruelty free and contains over 95% natural ingredients. 
• Its smells amazing. It's very difficult to find a tan that actually smells nice, this one smells like coconuts! 
• Its incredibly fast drying, not too fast that you don't have to blend though. 
• It has a great guide colour and the initial colour is a lovely medium dark tan which intensifies over a few hours to give a gorgeous dark colour. 
• It claims to last five days and while you'd want to be removing it by the fifth day, it does actually hold up very well. 
• I love the packaging, very simple but does the job, it's also 100% sustainable packaging.

CONS

• I don't actually have any cons.

OVERALL

It's a great tan for a great price! It does what it says on the label, doesn't contain any nasties as far as I can see, gives a great colour that wears away well and has 100% sustainable packaging. This is definitely one to try gals! 

Love,

Erin X 

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Dripping Gold by SoSu Tan Review

For well over a year now I've been hearing rave reviews about the Dripping Gold tan, so I was very intrigued by it. The reason I didn't get it when it launched was that I felt any tan over €20 would really want to be worth it so I sat back and waited for all the reviews to come in so I could make a more informed decision. I often find when new products launch to the market, everyone loves them and it's a 'must have', but I find it interesting to see if after a few months, people are still using it and whether or not they're still raving about it.

This after picture is directly after application, it continues to darken over the next few hours

So after waiting long enough, just before Christmas I bit the bullet and bought a bottle. I picked up the travel sized version in the shade medium to dark. I think it was about €14 in Penneys. I half expected to hate it because it is very hyped up and I didn't think it actually could meet my expectations. But it did. OMG it was love at first use!!! I even went back and bought the full sized version in Ultra Dark!  I usually hate lotions because they take forever to dry in and I guess I just have that many great experiences with them. Honestly I could write a whole essay as to why I love this tan.

Instead I'll give you the bullet points versions...

PROS

• It dries in quite quickly, quicker than most of my mousse formulas 
• It gives a beautiful colour
• It is long lasting, usually get a solid 4 days before I notice it wearing away
• It doesn't have a very strong tan smell
• It doesn't destroy my sheets
• Cruelty Free, Paraben Free, Vegan Friendly 
• The formula contains lots of skincare benefits, Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Goji Berry and Chamomile

CONS

• While I love the look of the packaging, sometimes I find it a little hard to actually get the product out without making a mess.
• It can be tough to scrub off 

OVERALL

If you haven't guessed by now, I really like it. It's my favourite tan at the moment and I can't see that changing anytime soon. I'd give it 4.9/5, only slightly loosing out on full marks because I think the packaging could be made just a little bit better. Overall though, I'd happily recommend it to everyone and will without a shadow of a doubt be repurchasing again.

Erin X

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Isadora Cover Up Foundation & Concealer Review

Isadora is a brand that absolutely adore, I don't think I've tried a product that I haven't liked. The Cover Up Foundation was sent to me in PR ages ago and I'm only getting around to reviewing it now. As you know by now if you're a regular on the blog, this year I'm doing a no beauty buy and have been falling back in love with some of the makeup in my collection that I haven't used in a while. I've been trying to finish up this foundation for the last month and I think I'll actually be sad when it's finished because I have loved using it. Anyway, enough of me gushing, on with the review.

Here's what it claims to do according to the Isadora website...

• Creamy, elastic texture
• Moisturizing and energizing formula
• Satin-like, full coverage foundation and concealer in one.
• Full coverage concealer and foundation in one

Here's what I think.. 

PROS

• It definitely gives great coverage as you can see from the before and after photo.
• It's easy to apply, easy to blend
• Doesn't feel too heavy on the skin
• Makeup applies well over it
• Cruelty Free
• Vegan Friendly 
• Fragrance Free
• The packaging is a dream, it's a tube with a pump!

CONS

• It starts to break down around my t-zone after about 6 hours, even when it's powdered. Nothing a little touch up wouldn't fix, but still worth mentioning.
• There are only 9 shades available.

OVERALL

The foundation comes in at around the €20 mark depending on where you're buying it. I think it's well worth it, it feel like a high end foundation bu at a more reasonable price. I really love this foundation and would give it 4.9/5. I would definitely go and purchase this myself, couldn't recommend it more! 

Have you tried this foundation? What do you think of Isadora products that you have tried? 

Erin X 

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Makeup Revolution Conceal & Define Foundation Review

After getting on so well with the Makeup Revolution Conceal and Define concealer, I was so excited when they released the foundation version!  

It claims to : offer lightweight yet buildable coverage, be oil-free, have a creamy formula that gives a demi-matte finish,  creates an even, airbrushed complexion. 

Packaging : The foundation is in a glass bottle with a doe foot applicator! It's essentially modeled like a giant concealer tub. It's quirky and different and I don't mind it, although it wouldn't be the most hygienic. As you know, pumps are my favorite! 

How does it apply : It applies really evenly with either a brush or beauty sponge. I didn't have any issues with other cream or powder products going onto of the foundation.

Coverage : It is definitely a full coverage foundation. While it claims to be leightweight, I would have to disagree. It's not super heavy but you can definitely feel it on your skin, it almost feels chalky. 

Long lasting : I found it to be very long lasting, it didn't seperate at all, although a few times I noticed it sort of balled up. This I think is more down to my skin type than the foundation itself. I noticed when blending it out that the shade got paler (which I find bizzare as most foundations that change shade would oxidise and get darker. I've never come across a foundation that actually gets paler. As a result making the foundation too light for my complexion. 

Who does it suit : I have dehydrated skin with some dry patches and I found it was actually quite horrible on me. I definitely wouldn't purchase it if you have dry or dehydrated skin. If you have oily skin though, it would be worth testing it out.

Shade Range: The shade range is fantastic with 50 different shades available on beauty bay and Superdrug.

Value for money : The foundation comes in at just over €12. The packaging is sturdy, you get 30ml of product and it's a decent formula if it suits your skin type!

Positives : It's affordable, easily available throughout the country, long lasting and gives great coverage. It's also vegan, cruelty free and paraben free. 

Negatives : The shade got paler when I blended it out, I noticed it clings to dry patches and feels chalky on the skin.

Overall : I have had in interesting journey with this foundation, as my skin concerns have changed since buying it! Initially my skin was quite oily around my t-zone, now however it's extremely dry and dehydrated. When my skin was on the oily side, I really enjoyed using the foundation either with a brush or beauty sponge. Now that my skin is dry however it looks awful on the skin. I'm only using it now to use it up and I definitely won't be repurchasing. However, if you have oily skin, it is very mattifying and might be worth giving it try.

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Wonder Water Facial Tan - Dripping Gold by SoSu

A couple of months ago I picked up the Wonder Water facial Tan by SoSu in Penneys and I've been using it on and off ever since. I don't typically tan every single week, I do it when I have an event, a night out or a special occasion. Since Christmas though, I've been tanning a lot more than usual so I said I'd give the Wonder Water facial tan a go since I'd heard such rave reviews on it. I bought mine in Penneys when it was on offer for €7, but it's usually €12.95.

My first impression was very positive, I never tan my face so wasn't sure what to expect. I was a bit afraid I'd end up looking like an Oompa Loompa. 😂 But it all went to plan and when I woke up the next day I was delighted with how it turned out and since then, it's been my go to!

Positives

• It's very affordable at €12.95 and I have seen it on a flash sale for €5 on the SoSu site a few times before.
• It applies evenly, no streaks or patches.
• It fades evenly too.
• Makes the skin look beautifully tanned and healthy.
• It's infused with Vitamin E.
• It doesn't feel drying on the skin at all.
• It's cruelty free, paraben free and vegan friendly.

Negatives

• If you have large pores like myself, sometimes it can clog them. I've only noticed this twice but still worth mentioning.

How to Use?

1. Clean and moisturise your skin. 
2. If you have blonde hair, make sure you use a hairband to completely cover your hair, otherwise the tan will stain your hair.
3. Use a big fluffy brush (I use a powder brush) and spray the brush a few times (I do it 3 times approx).
4. Apply to your face as if it was foundation.
5. Let it dry and watch yourself turn into a bronzed goddess!

Here's a before and after pic for reference...

If you're looking to buy it, you can get it from www.sosubysj.com or pick it up in any Penneys/pharmacy that stocks it. 

Have you tried it? What did you think?

Erin X 

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No Beauty Buy Year... 3 months in!

So, I’m officially three months in and to be very honest, I’m really surprised I’ve managed to make it this far. I definitely thought I’d have given in and bought something by now but I haven’t!! I have managed to get through three months and not buy any makeup, tan or skincare. This may seem like an easy task to some but I’m a makeup/beauty addict and this is probably the longest I’ve gone without buying makeup in literally about 10 years.

So here I am three months in, what have I learned? will I continue? how’s it going so far?

January

Well it’s certainly more difficult than I thought. The first month was probably the worst because all the new year sales came out and I found it hard to watch Instagram stories and YouTube videos of bloggers/influencers reviewing products. Towards the end of the month, my personal life got very busy and distracted me a lot so it started to get a bit easier. My housemates moved out and I took over the lease. This was super exciting because it meant I could throw myself into the world of interiors and redecorate the house a little bit. Beauty and makeup were the last thing on my mind to be honest.

February

I was still distracted by the house for the first week or so but then some fabulous launches came out and I was straight back to wanting to buy all the makeup! I decided to remind myself why I was doing the no beauty buy year, which was to mainly stop adding to my overwhelming beauty collection, used up what I have and appreciate all the beautiful products that I currently own. I saw LJ from @anythingbutmarizpan doing a #shopmystash challenge over on her Instagram and decided to jump on the bandwagon. Basically, shop my stash is where I pick out products at the beginning of the week and then I can only use those products for the entirety of that week. It has really REALLY helped me enjoy my own makeup collection again.

March

I spent most of the month on holiday which was amazing! I thought that this would be my biggest test of the year. I usually buy loads of stuff just before holiday, the first reason is because I like to give myself some pre-holiday treats like a new face mask or tan lol. The second reason is because I like to buy small travel sized bits and pieces and may “need” something. This time though I was well prepped, I did my #shopmystash holiday edition and realised that actually I have loads of makeup and definitely don’t “need” anything new. I’d about 10 tans to use up, loads of skincare that I could depot into travel bottles and plenty of makeup to see me through the holiday. I was also expecting the holiday itself to throw me off course because I was stopping in America and we all know how much I love a trip to Sephora. But I managed to ignore the cravings and keep my blinkers on. The rest of the month was actually easy as I threw myself into my #shopmystash challenge!

So that’s how’s it been thus far, a quarter way through the year. I’m actually thrilled with myself that I’ve managed to stick with it. I’ve learned that I had become the type of consumer to just buy everything and anything, I was literally like a magpie anything shiny and it HAD to be mine.

One interesting thing that I did notice is that my trips to Penneys/Primark are very different now. I hadn’t really noticed but every time I went in, I went immediately to the beauty section. I’m a big fan of the P.S beauty range (Penneys own brand of makeup) and they have new releases and products all the time. My local Penneys also stocks Essence (one of my favourite brands of all time) Catrice and a few other big brands. So, it was strange going in and trying to ignore the beauty section altogether. Now though I don’t mind too much going over and having a look but I think that’s also because I’m three months in know that I can definitely go a bit longer so I feel a bit stronger (I sound like a proper addict 😂). This all sounds so stupid because its only makeup at the end of the day but any fellow beauty addicts will understand me (I hope).

I’m definitely going to stick with the #nobeautybuy for as long as I possibly can and I’m excited to see how far I can get with it. If you’re interested in my rules for the challenge and how it all began you can read this post HERE. 

I’ll check in again in about 3 months’ time, until then you can follow me on Instagram for daily/weekly updates!

Erin x

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2020 Goals

2020, I am very very ready for you!

I wanted to share a few of my goals on here, partially to keep me accountable and partially for me to come back and visit throughout the year and remind myself. I do have more goals set for myself but they're a little too personal for on here, but here's a list I don't minding sharing.

I really want to get back into reading. I love reading, actually. I hate starting a new book but once I'm into it, I'll be up to all hours reading. I really enjoy how a book can help you escape your own reality and travel into someone else's life and world, it's magic in a way. I have a few books on my to read list and I'm making it my mission to have them all read by this time next year!

I want to write more. I actually really love writing, whether it's about beauty, lifestyle or personal pieces like this, I enjoy it so much. Again I have an issue with actually starting but once I do, I'm off like a rocket. I want my blog to become a blog again if that makes sense. I was quite turned off blogging/social media this year. I very nearly packed it all up only a short time go. But in my heart of hearts, I knew I wasn't finished with it just yet. I know I say it all the time but I want to be more consistent with my content, hell I want to be more consistent with my life lol. I want to get through the 100's of makeup products that I own and used them up. I recently did a quick stock take of my makeup and the numbers were INSANE. I own over 60 foundations....I ONLY HAVE ONE FACE AND I DON'T EVEN WEAR MAKEUP EVERY DAY!!! Absolutely ridiculous! I'm actually going to be doing a #NoBeautyBuy for 2019 and you can read all about it "Here".

With my blog (and by blog I mean this site, YouTube, socials etc) I want to see growth again, I haven't really seen growth in about 2 years. This is 100% my fault. Yes, the algorithms are getting increasingly difficult but I don't do myself any favours and only get annoyed then when I don't see growth. I just got a ringlight for Christmas, a new camera and microphone for my birthday (thank you James) so I've no excuse. I actually love the process of blogging and making videos and creating content for Instagram etc so I wanna do it a lot more in 2020.

In saying that though, one of my big goals for 2020 is to get healthier. Healthier in mind, body and soul. I do need to lose weight. This was one of my goals last year and I did manage to lose about a stone and a half. I did that by cutting dairy and soy from my diet after learning that I was intolerant to them. I also feel like chocolate wasn't agreeing with me so I cut that out in July and I'm all the better for it. I want to continue to be good with my diet and avoid any and all slip ups if possible. I want to use my gym membership. I'd love to get to a point where going 3 times a week was just part of my routine. I want to also use their wellness facilities too such as the sauna, steam room, jacuzzi etc. I'm paying for it so I might as well. I'd love to set a goal like the women's mini marathon and do that. I think having a fitness goal with a timeline would be useful.

I wanna get organised again. I used to pride myself on always being so organised but I guess I got too overwhelmed in the latter half of the year and didn't have as much time as I'm used to and fell out of being organised. I used to start every day with a to-do list and do everything in my power to clear it. I could probably count on one hand the amount of to-do lists I've made over the past few months. I wanna be more productive, I need to I think in order to stop feeling so overwhelmed all the time and start feeling a bit prouder of myself on the daily.

I packed my 2019 full of adventures, I went to Paris, Orlando,Vegas,Greece and Berlin last year. I think I want 2020 to be a little bit quieter. I want to spend time with myself and those that deserve my time. Honestly I just want to be more unapologetically selfish and take back my life a little.

I'll leave you with a list of 5 things that I hope to achieve by this time next year...

1. Women's Mini Marathon
2. Use up 50% of the makeup products I have
3. Read 10 books 
4. Start doing yoga classes regularly
5. Lose 1 stone

Lots of love,

Erin x

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No Beauty Buy 2020

I have been a beauty lover all my life, but I became some what of a beauty addict over the last 5 years! It's now gotten to the stage where I've forgotten the majority of my collection because there's just so much of it and ultimately it's such a waste. I'm spending a fortune and not even getting the use out of the products!

Background
I think the addiction actually stems from most brands nowadays dropping new releases every two weeks! It can't just be me that's overwhelmed by the sheer volume of makeup launches the beauty industry has seen over the past few years. It used to be a big deal when a band was bring out a new collection, now it's just another Tuesday.

Recently I was going through my makeup, reorganising everything and I was kinda surprised by how much I've actually accumulated. I did a quick stock take and was shocked by the numbers. I have over 60 foundations for example...why??? I ONLY HAVE ONE FACE!!! That's more than a new foundation every week for a year. SO this has spurred me on to do the no beauty buy challenge this year. A few other people are doing it too, @anythingbutmarzipan being one of the biggest inspirations to me, she is going to do it for the whole year.

Reasons I'm Doing #NoBeautyBuy

• To test myself and see if I can resist and learn some self control again when it comes to makeup and beauty.
• To save some €€€.
• To use up/ significantly reduce my current collection.
• To properly use my makeup and start doing full reviews again.
• I am quite impulsive when buying makeup and I want to become more critical of new releases, deals etc.
• Learn to enjoy what I have currently.

Rules & Exceptions

• If I run out of a product, I must use up any backups or samples before buying.
• I cannot buy any new products unless I genuinely need them eg. if I run out cleanser or another essential item.
• I am only focusing on makeup and skincare as I am already quite good for using up shampoos, body washes etc. 
• If I do need to replace anything, I will do my best to find a product that is very good value and do research on the product before buying (something I haven't really been doing recently).

Being totally honest, I don't know if I can do this for a whole year, I certainly have enough makeup but I think I'll run out of skincare quickly enough. I think if I was to do this #NoBeuatyBuy every second month I'd still see a big reduction in the products I own and still make a decent saving. I know I'm going to America this year and I just can't imagine limiting myself on that trip as I'm not planning any American holidays after this one for quite a while. SO while I am going to be very strict on myself, there are a few cases where I will allow myself to spend and enjoy new products. I'll do my best to give an update at the end of each month I do this and if I post about it on Instagram I'll be using #NoBeautyBuy and #Chasingrubychat so it'll be easy to follow. 

Have you ever attempted a #NoBeautyBuy challenge? Would you ever consider it?

Erin X 

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