Fools on Parade

Lately all I've been wanting to do is go out, take millions of photos on a disposable camera and find a way to create something so visually appealling with them that I cannot express my thoughts in words, bit deep but you get me? I've been scrolling through tumblr a lot lately just drooling over all of these photos. It makes me want to go out & explore all the places in my area that I've never been to before and just capture every moment. Cutting out the crap and just taking plain, simple photos of the environment and objects that sit in front of me. Creating art out of the everyday things that we, or should I say 'I' take for granted. I've been a fool for not realising the beauty of the things I see each day & so I thought I'd write this little rambly, chatty post for today to pretty much express my new found appreciation of everything. I've also only just noticed that all of the photos above are blue,  I guess I've been drawn to that colour today - cool!

I think I'll leave you with some songs to listen to that match my philosophical (if that's what you'd call it) mood:

Arctic Monkeys- Secret Door (title inspo) // Foals - Milk & Black Spiders

*all photos taken from Tumblr

Feelin' Feline w/ L'Oreal

Wow, it's been quite a while since my last post. Last week was definitely the most hectic my life has been in a while (I might do an update), so yesterday I thought I'd treat myself to a new product. As you may know from other posts of mine, I love love love winged liner & I always seem to be on the hunt for the perfect eye product! When I spotted the new L'Oreal stall at my local pharmacy I couldn't resist having a good ol' rummage through they're liners & ended up picking the 'Super Liner Perfect Slim' one! It cost me £4.99, which isn't too steep in my opinion plus the packaging is AMAZING!

The tip of the liner is super slim making it perfect for creating flicks, wings or lines of any thickness. It's also sooo easy to just glide on and go (rather than having to dip & apply). As far as I'm aware it's only available in 'Intense Black' but the pigment is great, it does apply pretty dark so I guess you need to be quite careful if you're in a rush! Lastly, it's really long lasting. It doesn't come off easily during the day, however wipes off like a dream with regular cleanser or eye makeup remover! It's a winner!

Have you tried this before? 

twitter // bloglovin'

They're Real!

Yesterday, I took part in the #bbloggers chat on twitter & read so many negative tweets about this product (whattt?). I received this as a Christmas present last year & ever since, I've loved it! So, I thought I'd get the magnifying glass out & do a little review (or investigation) on this 'Marmite'- like product.  To start off, Benefit have got it all right on the packaging side of things, the bottle is really lovely! However, for (a quite hefty) £19.50, you'd only expect to have the best bottle about! 

The formula, for me, is amazing! It's doesn't flake or crumble throughout the day (woo hoo!) & it's staying power is magnificent - making it perfect for if you have a busy schedule! The 'jet black' colour (which I'll admit I was a bit wary of) makes lashes stand out (result!). When I first received this I wasn't too sure about the wand, I've never been a fan of plastic wands & I initially thought that the bristles were quite stumpy, but I find that it works perfectly with the formula to create thick, voluminous lashes (what more does a girl want?)!

I have to say, I'll definitely be repurchasing this (& will probably gift this to friends too!) as I love it so much! So...yeah, I'm a fan!

Have you tried this product? What do you think?

twitter // bloglovin'

Brilliant Buys

I've been a little reckless when it comes to shopping these past couple of weeks. Last week I did a haul (that you can find here) on bits & pieces I picked up in Primark. So...yeah, I've gone a little mad on the shopping front (forgive me!).
I dropped into H&M on Saturday & had no intention of buying anything until I spotted these Wine Corduroys on the 'Sale' rail. I couldn't believe my luck because they were in my size (which is very, very rare) plus, they were reduced from £35 down to *drum roll please*, £7 (what a bargain!).
I also picked up this black cut-out dip hem dress. It was really hard to get a good photo of it because it is super long but I think I'll give a little post of it's own! It was £19.99 & I spotted it a month ago and decided not to buy it (I gave in!).

If you've been keeping up with my blog you'll know that I have developed a slight love for rings. I've been on the hunt for a pack of midi rings because they're so cute! So when I spotted these delicate little midi rings I just couldn't say 'No!'

Just received this, this morning but I also bought 'Submarine' by Joe Dunthorne on Amazon. I literally searched for this in every book shop (around me, obviously) & couldn't track it down so I had to give up the ongoing battle & buy it online!

So...yeah! That's my little haul!

Have you been shopping lately? 

Links: twitter // bloglovin'

Feelin' Zesty

Today's polish is a little more daring than usual. I've decided to go with a bold orange as the sun is starting to disappear (aww!) & I need something else to brighten my day! This is Tangerine Queen by Rimmel London & I have to say I love it!! I've always been a fan of Rimmel nail polishes as I find they're really long lasting, plus they have every colour a girl could ever wish for! The consistency is fab & it takes seconds to dry (what more do you need?)!

I love this shade, it's super bright and I think it would look really good against a royal blue or navy outfit to add a little 'pop' of colour! I'm not sure whether it suits my skin tone though, because as always I'm very pale, but 'Who cares?' - I love it!

For £2.99 I think this polish is a real steal, it's great quality & basically has everything I look for in a nail product - amazing!

Bold In Gold

I've really been loving gold lately; gold necklaces, gold rings & now gold eyeshadow. I never really bother with eyeshadow, but when I do I like to keep it subtle & I find that this gold shade by Barry M does the job perfectly! As you can probably tell from my previous posts I am a huge fan of Barry M products - I just think they're great quality and super affordable (everything I want in a brand!). As far as I can remember I bought this shadow in Boots for in and around £4.50 (which I think is reasonable enough). It's in the shade 09 & think it's called 'Tan', but I'm not sure. What I do know however, is that it is reallyyy shimmery & is quite heavily pigmented - brilliant! 

I've had this for roughly 10 months and have used it sparingly (because a little goes a long way) & I haven't even created the slightest dent - great! I also love love love the packaging! It's super sturdy and doesn't feel like it's going to crack or break any time soon & so does a great job of protecting the eye shadow (great if your clumsy like me!). 

Have you tried this product?

Lilac Lovin'

It's super sunny here in Ireland (for a change) & so I've grasped the opportunity to wear bright colours with both hands! I spotted this Barry M Nail Paint a while back in Boots for £2.99 and thought 'Why Not?' I never really bought bright nail polishes before that because as you can probably see I am very, very pale & thought that bright colours would exaggerate that, but BOY was I wrong!  

Rings // H&M - featured is this post │  Barry M Nail Paint // Boots - featured in this post

The polish is in 'Berry Ice cream' and is a lovely pastel lilac colour - perfect for sunny, summer weather. It has a glossy finish and much to my surprise it is super long lasting! I wore this polish throughout my exams and despite the furious note taking and revision plus all of the fidgety nervousness I experienced - It did not chip for a whole 7 days!!  For the price I paid I am more than happy with the quality of this polish and would definitely recommend  it to anyone looking for a brilliant, yet affordable nail polish!

(I also just noticed how much lilac is in this post - Ooops! I never realised I liked it so much!!)

Have you ever tried Barry M Nail Paint?

Rimmel | Lasting Finish Kate Moss Lipstick

I haven't posted in a while (a little while too long) & so thought I'd do a little post on a product I've been loving at the minute - Rimmel's Lasting Finish Kate Moss Lipstick in 08. I've never been one for wearing lipsticks or tints, I've always been a Vaseline or Chapstick kinda gal and so I was curious to see what lip colours would suit my complexion (plus I kind of wanted to brighten up my makeup routine!). I rummaged through all of the Rimmel lipsticks before choosing this one & I mean they have a fantastic range of different shades and formulas for fantastic prices! 

Shade 08 can only be described as a blue-toned pink shade and personally I think it looks quite berry-ish on the lips. I bought this thinking it wasn't going to be very pigmented, but I was surprised by the quality of it and discovered that a little goes a long way - amazing! On me this colour looks very natural - it happens to be a tiny bit darker than my natural lip colour and so just emphasises my lips a little. The finish is quite shimmery & dewy, it reflects light making the lips appear fuller and  it just generally adds a pop of brightness to my everyday makeup look during the summer.

The packaging of the product is sleek and durable allowing it to withstand the many obstacles & objects that are kept in your handbag. My only issue with this product is the fact that the shades aren't given names - a cute name would be much more memorable than a number & would make it easier to find a shade if it was recommended to you! For £5.49 I think this lipstick is brilliant (a real bargain!) & I will definitely be repurchasing this shade and some of the others in the future - I would definitely recommend this product!

Have you tried this product before?

Summer Break ☀

Saying as today is the longest day of the year I thought it would be nice to do something a little different from the usual... So here it is!
The summer break has begun for me (yesss!!) and as always I'm taking advantage of having to do nothing but lounge around all day, everyday - Great, right?! Not really! Every summer I seem to fall into this 'get up late, go to bed late' routine & it does nothing but prevent me from doing exciting, productive things. This year however, (queue the amazing plan that is not so amazing!) I have compiled a small list of little things (best to keep it simple!) I can do / work towards to make my break that little bit more exciting! It's not the neatest  - but I guess it's kinda cute & shows what a bit of boredom and sunshine can make you think about.

Most of the plans are achievable (except for number 4 - but I guess it is possible!) so I can't see why I couldn't tick them off. Hopefully I'll make the most of the free time I have (whether I will or not is a different story...) but I'll keep you posted on how the list works out for me!

Also, saying as I'm feeling the summer vibes I'll leave you with a couple of songs that I listen to that make me think of summer & sun;

Vampire Weekend - A-Punk // The Drums - Let's Go Surfing // Vampire Weekend - Holiday

I swear, Vampire Weekend just make the best 'feel good' summery songs - give them a whirl (if you haven't already!) & tell me what you think or if you've made any plans for Summer!

Summer Scent | Benefit 'Laugh with me LeeLee'

June has arrived and the sun has arrived along with it (which has sparked this little post). I thought I'd write about my favourite perfume for Spring/Summer. I received Benefit's perfume 'Laugh with me LeeLee' as a gift last year and I haven't stopped loving it! It has a lovely light, fresh smell making it perfect for those hot sunny days when stronger perfumes can be too overpowering.

I use this perfume regularly and don't carry the bottle around with me but it does happen to keep it's smell all day (so there is no need for constant topping up!- well, unless you like your perfume to linger!). I prefer to have a light perfume as sometimes I find that strong perfumes can become sickening throughout the day, this perfume is great for people similar to me as it does not change over time and the scent remains the same from the very first spritz (woo!)! Benefit products are always presented beautifully and the packaging of this perfume does not disappoint. It just looks so cute and looks really pretty just sitting in my room (and will continue to even when it's all gone!!).

Favourites

I've been bogged down with a flu recently and today, I built up the energy to switch on the laptop and get the camera out to do a little favourites post (woo). It's pretty cloudy outside so the lighting wasn't great for the photo - but I mean, at  least there's something there to visualise!

So, I'll begin with the TRESemmé Cleanse & Replenish Deep Cleansing Shampoo. I'm one of those people who feel the need to wash their hair nightly (this isn't exactly the best thing to do... I know) but I hate having to use dry shampoo or talcum powder as I feel it weighs my hair down and adds another element to my morning routine, ugh. This shampoo smells sooo good and lathers really well, it contains vitamin C and leaves my hair feeling silky soft and free from product build-up.

Next up is the 'Toni&Guy Iron-It Heat Defense Spray'. As well as washing my hair daily, I also blow dry and straighten my hair. This heat protectant by Toni & Guy smells really good (it has a musky scent to it) and is quite small which makes it perfect for travelling or for just saving space in your room! It also does a fine job of keeping my hair straight all day and it didn't cost me all that much!

'Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Lip balm' is also a favourite. It keeps your lips moist all day as the formula is quite oily (so I'd avoid this product is you don't like shiny lips or if that kind of thing irritates you). The first thing I noticed was the smell - It is amazing (everything I've mentioned seems to have a really good smell!) it smells well...cocoa-y, that shouldn't come as such a surprise as it is called the 'Cocoa Butter Formula'. Also, the packaging is pretty cool - it's not shaped like your average lip balm, it's quite flat and oval shaped making the application easier!

If you read my H&M post here you'll know that I purchased a pack of gold rings. I'm not really one for wearing rings, but I must say I absolutely love these - they're so simple and go with literally anything. So, I can wear these with whatever, whenever as they are not too dressy for the day or too casual for the night! (result!)

I bought the Maybelline Master Drama Kohl Eyeliner in Brown a couple of months ago and have used it everyday since! It's so soft (almost like a gel) and so I find that it is best applied using a brush... Its perfect for drawing a cat-eye effect and lasts all day long - so no topping up needed! The colour is also pretty strong so it doesn't take long to build it up to the strength you like, making this perfect for if you're in a rush or lazy ( like me!).

This next product featured in my boots haul post here. It's the 'Staytime Concealer' by Seventeen. I honestly didn't have high hopes for this product, it was cheap and I guess I expected the price to be reflected in the quality(in other words I expected it to be crap!). However, my judgements were so wrong and this product is literally a lifesaver. I got it in the shade 'Extra Fair' and it is an exact match to my skin tone - meaning i don't have to bother with all the fuss and blending of foundation! It's full coverage so a little goes a long way and it lasts all day! Brilliant!

Last but not least is Two Door Cinema Club's album 'Beacon'. I was reluctant to buy this album at first as I loved 'Tourist History' so much! I was scared of being disappointed as I didn't think their next album could get any better (surely they couldn't top their first, could they?). But recently I bought tickets to go to a music festival at the end of the month & it turns out they'll be playing, so I bought it and ...boy, was I wrong (again)! The album is amazing, I've practically had it on repeat everyday while I revise for my exams... so if you liked the first album and haven't bought 'Beacon' already I highly recommend you do ( and soon!).

Benefit | How To Look The Best At Everything

I've had this little makeup kit lying around in my room for quite a while. It's the 'How To Look The Best At Everything' set by Benefit and I must say the packaging is so cute (it looks like a little book!)!  As you can probably see, the set is in 'Medium' which is bad news if you are a pasty white chick like myself but perfect for those blessed with sun kissed skin (or those who like to opt for the orange face, white neck look). The set includes sample sizes of;

The POREfessional (7.5ml) - I must say, this is my favourite product ever!
'Hello Flawless Oxygen WOW' Brightening makeup (7ml) in 'I'm so money' honey
'Boi-ing' Industrial strength concealer in 02 & 03 
'Hello Flawless!' powder cover up in 'I'm cute as a bunny' honey
Plus, you get a little brush!

On top of the cute packaging and amazing products, the kit includes a 'Tips & Tricks' booklet attached! It gives tips on applying concealer, foundation and powder making it fool-proof!

I haven't used much of the foundation or concealer as the shades are too dark and they appear orange on my skin (which is never a good thing) but the application is smooth and the quality is brilliant! I would definitely purchase a full bottle of the foundation in a lighter shade as well as lighter shades in the concealer as both products live up to the hype! I am also planning on repurchasing 'The POREfessional' as it is sooo good and keeps my makeup on all day! (result!)

Have you got a favourite Benefit product?

H&M

Yesterday morning I popped into Specsavers to grab some contact lenses (because yes, I am blind as a bat!).  I received H&M's new 'Summer Season' catalogue (with Beyoncé on the cover!!) in the post earlier that morning and so wanted to go for a little browse on my way out to see what they had in store. As I am lucky enough to be going to a music festival later in the month I wanted to buy some jewellery to go with my outfit. And so I did! I ended up making the very tough decision to buy earrings and a pack of rings (I was also going to buy a gold chain but came to the conclusion that I would never wear it).

I bought a set of 9 rings - I don't have many rings and these were only £3.99 so I thought Why Not? I love how they vary in size and because they are plain they will go with practically anything! I also purchased a pack of earrings and ear cuffs - I have developed a slight love for hooped earrings recently (I don't know why) as well as earcuffs as I feel they give an edgy element to any look and are pretty much effortless to put on (no fiddly earring backs... result!). These cost me £4.99 which I guess isn't bad considering they are good quality and don't look like they are going to break or snap anytime soon!

A quick side note for any fashion lovers... the H&M Life page on the H&M website is amazing for seeing any new trends or updates from your favourite style icons. Plus, it's updated daily to keep you right up to date on everything going on!

Thanks! x

Haul│Boots

Today I went on a little trip to boots. I had a list of things I wanted to buy in my head but I was distracted by the glowing cosmetics section (as always). As I am constantly on the lookout for good 'fair' coloured foundations, I had a peek at some of the brands I normally don't bother with.  I found this 'Miracle Matte Foundation' in the shade soft ivory, it was priced at £5.99 and so I thought 'Hey! Why not?'. I also just ran out of my Revlon PhotoReady Concealer but couldn't find it anywhere in Boots so I thought I'd pick up this 'Stay Time' Concealer as a slightly cheaper alternative and give it a go! I also bought my first Barry M nail polish today (woop woop)... I decided to grab 'Ice Cream Purple' and 'Peach Melba' as I don't usually wear bright nail polish and thought that it would be a nice change for the spring.

April Wishlist

April Wishlist by rachaeleeno featuring burt s bees

DIY | Half Moon Nails

Yesterday, I was just casually surfing the internet when I came across a couple of simple nail designs that I loved! I spotted this one and decided to go all out and do a DIY! The best thing about this look is it's sophisticated style -  it's suitable for dressy nights out, in the workplace or sitting at home. You can mix and match your favourite colours to suit your mood, clothes or situation. 
Let's get started...♥

Begin by choosing two contrasting colours;

Above: NYC- Bowery Black

 Above: NYC - Pinstripe White

Start by choosing the colour of the 'Half Moon', I decided to use  NYC - Pinstripe as it is bright and stands out against the black

Wait until your 'Half Moon' colour dries. 

Once dried, paint the surrounding nail in the other colour of your choice, I decided to use NYC - Bowery Black. 

When completed, neaten the curve of the 'Half Moon' and apply a second coat or top coat of your choice, this will ensure long lasting colour. 

Have fun trying this simple, 

fun look.

♥