Want- Cat Eye Glasses

I've had bad eyesight since I was 8, which had progressively gotten worse over the years. However, over the last Summer, I invested in contact lenses which has stopped my eyes weakening, the original goal of me purchasing the lenses. Even though I would be nowhere without my lenses, as they 'highlight' my eyes and allow me to sport gorgeous eye makeup (the cat eye is NOT a good look underneath glasses!), there is days when I couldn't be bothered putting contacts or when I want to wear glasses for the day. I always bought my glasses in a little shop in Vilnius, Lithuania, and I've been told the designs suit me, but the more I shop and look at fashion, I begin to crave glasses that are more me.

I love the cat-winged eye look, I do a little flick at the end of my eyeliner every day, so it's no surprise I've fallen in love with River Island's winged sunglasses and glasses. I love how they've kept the vintage red checked design on the glasses, but gave them a modern twist with balancing out the curve to slightly oval levels. They might seem like 'granny' sunglasses, however I find these incredibly modern and still vintage, and they are a pair that I think is worth investing in, and putting in your own glass to suit your eyesight, or even if you don't need glasses (lucky!) you could wear them as a statement.

I love how River Island did a pair of sunglasses to accompany the glasses- something that either rarely or never happens with most high street brands!- but kept them individual and unique. The sunglasses have a more practical look about them- they're black with a thick outline, giving a professional 'I-know-what-I'm-doing' look to them. They are quite large however, so I'm just worried if they don't make me look like I've got 'bug' eyes.

I'm in love with these two pairs and hopefully will be able to try them on in a River Island shop soon- it's time for me to choose a pair of gorgeous frames!

River Island, 13e

River Island, 17e

I've been doing some spring cleaning through my wardrobe  and opened up space for new Spring goodies! :)

These are all the clothes I had to put away in bags for either the charity shop or next year- I hate clothes that I don't wear cluttering up my wardrobe.

All ready for Spring!

Gaby x

Life, Lately #1

Every 3 months I'll be doing a Life Lately post- a summary of products, clothing and other bits and bobs I've been loving over the last couple of months. It will feature 3 makeup/skincare products, 3 pieces of clothing/shoes, and 3 random things like jewellery/chocolate bars and whatever else! I'm sorry if my blogging schedule is all over the place- Spring leaves my head full of anything but ideas.

So here it is- the things my life has been full of during January, February and March.

Kate Moss for Rimmel shade 05
With a gorgeous deep pink colour and beautifully pigmented finish, I love this lipstick to bits, and I've been wearing it every day.

Soap and Glory Scrub of Your Life
This is my first ever Soap and Glory product- I bought a travel size version as I thought the original was too expensive. I love a good scrub and this does the job brilliantly, and leaves a yummy smell.

Essence Liquid Ink 
I've been in love with winged eyeliner since last summer, but only now have I disovered a product that is perfect for the job and takes minutes to apply. The formula does crack and flake a little- however the thin precision brush allows a perfect wing.

Laura B Beige Courts
I only got these yesterday from Paul Byron, however I already love them to bits. They remind me of a softer version of the Jeffrey Campbell Darlings, which is why I got them.

Only Skinny Jeans
I love skinny jeans- I don't own any other type of jean. I got these over Christmas, and I love  love love them. They're comfy, go with everything and I fold the bottoms to give them a modern twist. I'll be wearing these forever and a day.

Leather Skater Skirt
I've been dying for a leather skirt, and finally I've got one. I bought it from Quiz clothing, and it has an elasticated waist, so it isn't loose around my waist, like most skirts are. I'll be wearing this repeatedly through summer- I love it so much.

Only jeans, my courts and the leather skirt.

River Island Sparrow Earrings+ Claire's Mirror Necklace
I've been obsessed with jewelry lately, especially this necklace. It's long and had a pretty Victorian-style pattern on the back, and a real mirror at the front, perfect for checking your lipstick on the go. These sparrow earrings are definately my favourite- they're tiny and bronze, and I wear them every day.

Dolce and Gabbana Wedges
These were on the catwalk during one of their S/S '13 shows, and I feel in love with them immidiately. They're perfection- nothing else has to be said.

We Need to Talk About Kevin
I watched this last night- it's an unreal movie. Both the making and the storyline are brilliant and really creative- I guarantee everyone sees this, however it's not for everyone. I did cry a little at the end, which is probably a little cold hearted as to how many actual sad scenes there is in the entire move.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post as much as I enjoyed making it.

I discovered that if you actually fiddle with settings and lightning on my camera, you can get some gorgeous pictures.

Happy early Paddy's Day!

Gaby x

My Daily Make Up Routine

I've been wearing make-up everyday since I started secondary school. It all started off with concealer to hide spots and mascara to enlarge my eyes, but as time went on it's spiraled into a big, hot sea of eyeliner pencils and blushers. In my opinion, I don't wear too much make-up, however I do know I wear quite a bit. The skill of makeup artistry is to create the illusion that you don't need make up, but also to emphasize the best areas of your face. 

I use these products more or less every day, maybe leaving some out on lazy days. None of them are expensive, and most of them are Essence- a brand I love love love. Everybody's skin is different, so just because it works for me, doesn't mean it will work you.

I start off with foundation. I use Essence's Soft and Natural shade 02 sand beige. I've raved about this in past blog posts and complained about how it was discontinued. However, I found a bottle of this in a nearby pharmacy, and was reunited with my to-die-for product. The secret of this is to blend it out really well, as it can leave streaks. It's got a medium-full coverage, so it's brill for concealing imperfections. I use my fingers to do this, however I will be investing in a good kabuki brush in the near future.

Even though my foundation is good for coverage, I tend to use a concealer on top to hide any bits it didn't catch. I use Essence's Coverstick shade matt sand for this, however it dries out the area under my eyes horrendously, so I tend to spare it there, even though that's where I've got horrific purple-blue bags and red dry patches. It works quite well with spots and covering up discoloured areas, and it is quite creamy so I simply blend it in with my fingers.

Eyes are next. I spend forever at my eyes- getting the shadows to blend properly and the eyeliner perfect. I line my bottom waterline with NYC kohl pencil in 004 Pure White and use Jet Black for my top waterline. Next, I take Essence's Quattro palette in 05 Be Mine and use the third shade for my crease, creating a cat shape as I blend. I take the white highlight colour and add it under my brow and my eyelid, to create depth and highlight.
Then, I move on to eyeliner. I use Essence's Smokey Eyes brush to do the trick, however it isn't that good for blending. I recently started using Essences Precision Ink- Leanne Woodfull's favourite eyeliner. I do a winged eye as it's so pretty, however I keep the wing small. Lastly, I brush on several coats of L'Oreal Million Lashes, a mascara that is great for separating out lashes and for giving a natural look.

I fill in my brows using Essence's Eyebrow Designer shade 02 Brown, a wonder product as it allows you to brush out your brows using the comb that comes attached to the cap. The pencil itself is unbelievably soft and blends really well.

Blusher is next, and I love Essence's Soft Blusher in shade 20 Babydoll. It's a light, softly pink colour that blushes slightly and highlights in one step. I apply this to my cheeks, sides of my forehead and sides under the jaw. Avon's Blusher brush has been doing the job for me since the summer, however it isn't that great at blending.

Lastly are the lips. Palmer's Original lip balm keeps my lips soft and hydrated, a product I did a review on as well. For a lip shade, I'm currently loving Kate Moss for Rimmel shade 05 lipstick- it's a deep pink that looks absolutely gorgeous and because it is really pigmented, lasts ages.


Gaby x

I'm sorry for the absence of posts- I've been going through a super stressful time lately and have had no inspiration whatsoever. On the bright side, I'm back!

I love good photography and pretty photos that I can relate my life to- it's one of the things that keep me going. I'm not taking any credit for these photos, they're just random pictures I've found online.

                                   My wrist for Self-harm Awareness Day March 1st 2013 :)

I did this myself- it's not that good or anything, not even finished, but I will be hanging it on my wall when it's done :)

                  

I hope you like! :)

Gaby x

My Top 5 Essence Products

More than half of all of my makeup products are Essence, and I've been a faithful fan of Essence for only a year, ever since I purchased one of their lipsticks and mascaras. Since then I've treated myself to more or less most of their products and from blushers to nail polishes, I can safely say Essence is a brilliant brand- it's unbelievably cheap, their products are of high quality, and the range of color is exquisite. I've chosen 5 of my favourite products,  all of which are under 4 euro, so if you're feeling adventurous whilst shopping, give Essence a go if you haven't already!

#5: Sun Club Oil Control Paper

This is a skin saviour is you have oily skin and don't fancy bringing powder around all day. In the pack, you get little sheets of paper that you press over your face to absorb the oil and give your skin a matt look, doing the job of a powder, but without that cakey look if you accidentally put on too much. Some drugstores have different versions of this product, for example Superdrug have powder on the little papers as well, which is really unnecessary as the powder is the wrong shade and makes me look orange, so I use this instead! You can use them as often as you like, the only downside is that it does take off your foundation a little each time you use it.

#4: Eyebrow Designer shade 02 Brown

I picked this up in the Christmas sales, and I've been loving it ever since. It's a really soft and bendable product that darkens and shapes the brows. I like my brows quite full but not too dark, and this does the job amazingly and lasts all day. The original name of this colour used to be 'Brown' but they've changed it to 'Dark Brown', however I'm unsure if they discontinued and replaced the 'Brown' shade or just renamed it.

#3: Lipstick shade 53 All About Cupcake

I raved about this in my 2012 Favourites blog post, and I'm at it again. It's an unbelievable product-it moisturizes, tints to create a gorgeous colour and lasts and lasts. I have an obsession with this shade-it's not too pink if only one coat is applied, gently tints and gives lips a glow. If it's layered over, it gives a more bright pink- it's a colour I've been wearing through  Spring religiously.

#2: Coverstick shade 03 Matt Honey

I love a good concealer- one that is my shade, creamy, covers all imperfections well and lasts. I'm on my second stick of this, and there is even times when I use it instead of a foundation and it makes it look like I've no makeup on. It's a saviour for blue-purple circles under my eyes that I wake up every morning with. Unfortunately, this shade has been discontinued.

#1: Soft+Natural Foundation shade 02 Sand Beige

This fully deserves the number 1 slot: it's amazing, to say the least. It matches my skin tone perfectly, does the job of a concealer, lasts ages, is a doodle to apply- you can never go wrong. I did run out of this around Christmas time and purchased Essences clear + matt version, which doesn't compare. However, I do think they have discontinued both products as they're not shown on their website, but both of them are still available in some shops in Ireland- it's just a matter of finding them.


I recently hit 1,000 views on my blog which is amazing! Thank you so much for reading- you're at the start of an amazing journey with me!


Gaby x

10 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Me

I'm a new blogger, so obviously you don't know me that well. Here's 10 things you should know! :)

Ava and myself making faces as usual

#10: I strongly dislike superstition, and I'm not religious.
It's just my opinion, I think believing in things that probably aren't there is a little waste of time, but each to their own.

#9: I've been in love three times.

#8: I can't be left unsupervised around a bottle of Shloer, a pack of Double Stuff Oreos or a tub of Ben and Jerry's.

#7: I hate it when people can't pronounce my name properly- if you can't say Gabija (my first name), say Gaby! (my nickname). All hell breaks loose when the school secretary tries to say my full name on the intercom.

#6: I'm a cat person.

#5: My addictions are Facebook, pictures of Jeffrey Campbell shoes, writing and fashion.

#4: I love baking, even though sometimes the outcomes are disastrous.  Examples include Christmas Cake, chocolate chip cookies and cheesecake :(

#3: I am actually a really weird person, but when you get to know me, my weirdness can be overlooked (sometimes haha).

#2: I love looking at the sky- the pretty clouds, the bright colours, and when the stars are out. One of the happiest moments in my life include seeing a shooting star (I said, I'm strange).

#1: Even though I'm useless at getting up early in the morning, it's actually my favourite time of day, because everything is so quiet and peaceful (yep, more weirdness..)


My blog is close to an amazing 1,000 views! Thank you so much for reading it, and please follow it as it would make my day! Just add the URL of my blog to your reading list on Blogger if you're on Google, and click follow.

Gaby x

Review: Elnett Diamond Hold Hairspray + Palmer's Cocoa Butter Lip Balm

I've been meaning to test this hairspray out for ages, as it's probably one of the most used products a hair stylist owns, not to mention it is the most strong product from the Elnett hairspray range, hence the title 'diamond'. I got the travel size bottle, as I only wanted to try the product out, and paid around 3 euro for it.

The biggest challenge for my hair is to hold curls. No matter how long I hold the hair in the wand, no matter how strong the styling product is, the curls wouldn't stay. So I decided that the only fair way to test this hairspray was to curl my hair and spritz it on to see it's true holding power.

When I first spritzed it on, my hair literally froze in place and didn't budge. The gorgeous smell swirled around me as I admired my curls in the mirror. There was no matt hairspray feel on my hair, it still felt light, but secure, and I didn't have to pin any hair away from my face, which I really liked.

However, the product isn't immune to Ireland's crappy weather. Strong wind and a little rain ruined my hair, but the curls stayed, even though they were loose and had separated. 

I decided to try the hairspray out on a ponytail with hair wound around the elastic, something that never works for me as the hair around the elastic always goes loose. The Elnett worked its charm and the hair stayed, keeping me happy. It holds backcomb well too, proving to be quite a strong product. Brushing it out was a piece of cake, there was no tugging or pulling as usually strong hairsprays really glue your hair together and make it a night mare to brush out, but Elnett made it look like the lightest of hairsprays had been applied.

All in all, I would definitely repurchase this hairspray as it is really light, yet strong. It's something that is worth investing in, even though the price of a regular sized bottle can be quite high, its a miracle hold product that would keep your hair in place, without the need of too much application.

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Lip Balm

I picked this up just the other day- my lips had been dry, chapped and sore for a couple of days and I realized I had no more Vaseline left, but I decided to try something new. I chose Palmer's Cocoa Butter formula lip balm, because it was cheap at 2 euro and my sister had used it before and loved it, so I wanted to try for myself.

It's really rich and thick, almost like a lip butter in a stick. It healed my sore lips just after 3 layered applications, and my lips were soft, moisturized and plump again. It feels really cosy on the lips, almost like a lip blanket. I highly recommend you give this a go- I'm glad I did.

Gaby x