TMI Tag

I've seen this tag going around YouTube, but as I don't make videos, a blog post will have to do ;)

1. What are you wearing? I'm just out of the shower, so my pjs and fluffy polka dot housecoat!
2. Ever been in love? Yup.
3. Ever had a terrible breakup? Not terrible... but I felt terrible for doing it!
4. How tall are you? 5'1" or 5'2"
5. How much do you weigh? can u not
6. Any tattoos? Four... and I want at least two more!
7. Any piercings? Just my ears. I had my lip done too, but I took that our two years ago.
8. OTP? Zoe and Alfie. Literally the cutest couple!
9. Favourite show? Home And Away
10. Favourite bands? Westlife, Snow Patrol, The Script, to name a few.
11. Something you miss? My family.
12. Favourite song? It changes a lot, but at the moment 'Waiting For A Star To Fall', by Boy Meets Girl. My all-time favourite is 'Flying Without Wings' by Westlife.
13. How old are you? 26. *gulp*
14. Zodiac sign? Aquarius
15. Quality you look for in a partner? He has to make me laugh, he has to be caring and he must have a big......... you know....... heart :)
16: Favourite Quote? I have loads, but one is 'you can have it all... just not all at once.'
17: Favourite actor? Daniel Craig!
18: Favourite color? Light pink.
19: Loud music or soft? Soft.
20: Where do you go when you're sad? Listen to music or blog.
21: How long does it take you to shower? Around half an hour! Even when I go for a 'quick shower', it's at least 25 minutes!
22: How long does it take you to get ready in the morning? It really depends on how much time I have. I can be ready in 15 minutes, but I can take over an hour if I have the time.
23: Ever been in a physical fight? When I was like 6, a girl on my street hit me so I went into my mum's house and hit the girl with a broom... haha!
24: Turn on? Men in suits. Good lord.
25: Turn off? Arrogance.
26: The reason I joined Youtube? To like/comment on other videos

27: Fears? Losing the people I love.
28: Last thing that made you cry? Leaving my family I think.
29: Last time you said you loved someone? Today
30: Meaning behind your Youtube/Blogging Name? I love polka dots and I'm a princess? ;)
31: Last book you read? It was a short e-book thing called Raveled By You, by Clarissa Wild... very good ;)
32: The book you're currently reading? None.
33: Last show you watched? 8 out of 10 cats. I rarely watch TV, only a handful of shows!
34: Last person you talked to? My fiancé.
35: The relationship between you and the person you last texted? He's my boss, haha.
36: Favourite food? Pizza... so cliché!
37: Place you want to visit? Rome, Hawaii, Switzerland, America... and more!
38: Last place you were? Visiting my sister in law in the holiday home she's staying in :)
39: Do you have a crush? Yeees
40: Last time you kissed someone? Today.
41: Last time you were insulted? Aaages ago!
42: Favourite flavour of sweet? Orange!
43: What instruments do you play? None.
44: Favourite piece of jewellery? My engagement ring, or my gold ring from my parents!
45: Last sport you played? Are cleaning and tidying sports? ;)
46: Last song you sang? Waiting For A Star To Fall.
47: Favourite chat up line? Did it hurt when you fell from Heaven? because I think your legs are broken.
48: Have you ever used it? Hell no
49: Last time you hung out with anyone? Tonight!
50: Who should answer these questions next? Sarah needs to!! And anyone else who wants to ;)

eBay Eye Makeup Brushes

As a girl who is slightly obsessed with makeup and beauty, I'm constantly on the lookout for new makeup brushes to add to my collection - a girl can never have too many brushes! Who doesn't want a flawless finish when it comes to makeup? Everybody does, but let's face it... nobody wants to spend a fortune on makeup brushes.

I was browsing eBay recently and came across these beauties, which were being sold by one of my favourite sellers. I ooh'd and aah'd over them for ages before clicking on 'buy it now'. Obviously, I didn't want to buy something crap (am i allowed to say that here?), but I took the chance and bought them. The bristles are synthetic, and the brushes have black wooden handles and silver ferrules (the metal part, don't you know? teehee) and the set cost me a mere €4.50. I was expecting good brushes, but nothing fantastic. What I wasn't expecting, was the AMAZING quality of these brushes. I actually think they're the best brushes out there, but I can't be sure of that as there are loads I haven't tried.

They're eye brushes, but I'm sure you can use them for anything... although saying that, I'm not going to sit there and apply foundation with one of these ;) They are, however, amazing for eyeshadows (obviously) and concealer. I've used them for powder and liquid, and they're brilliant. I've yet to try creams, but I imagine they'll still be amazing. Upon arrival, the brush hair has a kind of 'factory' smell (so hard to describe!). I washed mine with warm water and baby shampoo before the first use and they smell lovely now.

Here are the brushes and how I use them...

 Flat Top Eye Brush

After applying my usual foundation, I love using this brush for stippling my Collection 2000 liquid concealer around my eyes and on any blemishes that the foundation didn't cover. Afterwards, I lightly tap the brush into my powder, and pat it over the liquid concealer to set it. I'm sure you could use it to apply eyeshadow to the lid area too, but I already use my MAC 242 shader brush for that.

 Angled Top Eye Brush

The bristles of this brush are slightly angled, so I like to use it mainly in my crease area to apply and blend out eyeshadow, and to apply a highlight to my browbone. I've also read that some women like to use these angled brushes for contouring the face. I'll give it a go, as I've yet to master the art of contouring!

Round Top Blender Brush

This is a really fluffy brush, so it's perfect for blending. I actually think it's BETTER than my MAC 217 blending brush that I lost. It's so soft!

 Tapered Top Eye Brush

This is another brush I use for applying eyeshadow to the crease area, and also dabbing my highlight to the inner corner of my eye. I also use it to lightly smudge out shadows on the upper and lower lashline.

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I'm in love with these brushes! So far, none of them have shed, and I've just washed them for a second time. I'm definitely going to buy another set, because as I said, a girl can never have too many makeup brushes! I would highly recommend them; they're without a doubt the best brushes I've ever tried! You can buy the set here. Is the voice on your shoulder telling you to buy them? Listen to her, she's speaking sense!

Essence 'Cotton Candy' Lipstick

Essence 'Cotton Candy'

I picked this beauty up two weeks ago while out shopping with my sister-in-law. It's a stunning Barbie pink colour, and the tester tube caught my eye right away. I swatched it on my hand and fell head over heels in love with it. The lipstick only cost me around €2.79. It was definitely less than €3 anyway. That's one of the reasons I love Essence; it's so affordable.

I love the packaging, it's very pretty and simple. I really feel like the 'e' etched into the side of the lipstick adds a touch of class to the product, making it look more expensive than it actually is. The colour of the lipstick on the lips is so beautiful and pigmented. However, I find it only lasts a couple of hours before starting to come off. My Lipcote worked a treat with it though, making it last for hours on end. It's not a drying lipstick, although it tends to enhance dry areas of your lips (if you suffer from dry lips). If anything, I would say it's a little bit moisturising. I find that buffing the dry areas of my lips with an old toothbrush and applying some lipbalm a little while before applying lipstick, helps with this problem. The lipstick smells really nice... there's nothing worse than an awful-smelling lipstick going on your lips.

This lipstick is worth the price; so pigmented, and there's a good little selection of colours to choose from. If you're looking for a long-lasting lipstick, this is not the one for you... unless, like me, you use a bottle of Lipcote too. Despite the lasting power and enhancing dry patches, I'd still recommend this lipstick if even just for the price, pigmentation and packaging!

Ratings out of ❤❤❤❤❤

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Lasting power: ❤❤❤

Colour: ❤❤❤❤❤

Price: ❤❤❤❤❤

Pigmentation: ❤❤❤❤❤

Packaging: ❤❤❤❤❤

***

Have you tried this lipstick yet, or any others from the range?

Rediscovered Beauty Products | Nivea Visage Oil Free Moisturising Fluid

Have you ever gone through your beauty things and thought 'oh my god, I forgot I had this!'? Silly question, we've all done it. I was going through a huge box of hair and face products (leave-in conditioners, moisturisers, tans, hair dye) and came across this Nivea Visage Oil Free Moisturising Fluid. I remember loving it, it was my ultimate favourite moisturiser until I discovered Simple's Light Moisturiser, then tried that and loved it. When I found this in my beauty box a few days ago, I'll admit I got a bit excited. I've used it since then at night and in the morning under my makeup. It's so much better than my Simple Light Moisturiser.

As the title says, it's a fluid. It sinks into skin so quickly and doesn't leave any residue. It's so light, you wouldn't think it moisturises but it really does. I have slightly dry skin (it's gotten so much better over the past few years!) so this is perfect. Sadly, I only have a third of the bottle left. What's even sadder, is that this moisturiser has been discontinued. Ugh, I hate it when that happens. Why do they discontinue everything that people LOVE? I read that it was discontinued due to low sales, but I highly doubt that's the reason - it's amazing. It was cheap in price, I can't remember how much, but I was shocked at how good it was for the price. I love my Simple Light Moisturiser, but I'm looking for something else to try. I don't like getting stuck using just one product. Mainly because my skin will probably get too used to it and it won't work for my skin anymore, or else like this situation... being discontinued.

Somebody suggested I try the Nivea Visage Oil Free Day Cream, but honestly I think a fluid is better than a cream. I might give it a try anyway (who knows, I might have it in my beauty box, I'll go check! - okay, no joke, I just checked and I have the Rich Moisturising Day Cream. Can you say 'hoarder'? haha). I've looked for the fluid online, but can't find it. I can only imagine that if I do come across it, it'll be more than tripe the price!

Have you tried this Nivea Visage Oil Free Moisturising Fluid, and did you like it?

I'm so not looking forward to finishing the bottle... :(

Liebster Award | Facts About Me

I've been nominated for the Liebster award by the beautiful Chloe from Chau Belle! ♥

The Liebster Award allows new, up and coming bloggers to widen their audience, and meet new people (and let's face it... who doesn't love meeting new people?) If you're tagged, you must do the following...

♥ Link back to the person who nominated you - Chloe!

♥ You must state 11 random facts about yourself.

♥ Answer the 10 questions that your nominator has asked.

♥ As a nominee, you must nominate 10 other blogs (with less than 200 followers) for the Liebster Award

♥ Make up a set of 10 questions, and set them to your nominees.

Oh, and there's only ONE rule; NO TAG BACKS!

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♥ 11 random facts about me... ♥

1. I now work in retail, woo!

2. I have a freckle on my left cheek, in the exact same spot my mum has one on her left cheek.

3. I still think about my old dog, Suki, a lot. She died from cancer years ago.

4. I have so many necklaces. I'll never get to wear them all!

5. The only TV shows I watch are Eastenders, Pointless, Countdown (I think I'm actually 90 years old) and 8 Out Of 10 Cats. I watch Home & Away too, but online. I could live without TV - I'd rather read!

6. When I eventually own my own house, I want lots of white furniture and decor.

7. My current favourite song is 'Waiting For A Star To Fall', by Boy Meets Girl, from 1988. Ah, the year I was born... 26, damn.

8. I'm literally the world's biggest procrastinator.

10. I would love to have the balls (or boobs... which I do have) to make YouTube videos of myself. But I just can't. It's a tough community.

11. I used to worry about what people thought of me, but I've come to realise that I am my own person and I'm not here to please anybody else. These days, I don't let it bother me if people dislike me.

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♥ These are the questions Chloe set to me and her other nominees ♥

1. What's your least favorite thing about the blogging community?

Honestly, I don't think I can pick just one thing. I hate the competitiveness. I blog because I love blogging. I'm not too bothered about views or followers. On saying that, I'm so so grateful for the views and followers I do have. I blog when I want to because I feel it lets off steam for me... it's like therapy. When it comes to the blogging community, I also hate plagiarism. I've come across a few blogs, one in particular, where the writer takes a lot of other people's stuff and passes it off as their own. Another thing I hate is nasty comments. I've seen a few on some blogs, but luckily, I've never had one *touch wood*. Let's not jinx it, right?

 2. If you had any money to buy one materialistic item, what would it be?

BMW 520d M Sport. Come to me.

3. Money or Love? Let's all be honest here!

Love, hands down! You can have all the money in the world and still be unhappy.

4. Biggest thing you regret in 2013?

Honestly, I'm racking my brains trying to think of one regret, and i just can't think of one. I bet one will come to me at 3am, and I'll wake up like, 'oh yeah, I regret that!'. Haha

5. Most amazing thing that happened to you in 2013?

Can I say that it was being so overwhelmed with happiness when I got to spend my mum's 50th birthday with her, my 8 brothers, my fiancé and some family friends and cousins? If so, that was pretty damn amazing. An unforgettable night ♥

6. 5 things you cannot live without?

Do my cats count as things?

- my cats, fiancé, family and family pets... they're my things, and I count them as one thing ;)

- Samsung Galaxy 3 8.0 Tab... seriously

- music

- food

- bed

7. Favorite platform? YT, Twitter, FB, Blogger, etc?

Eek... I always change my mind. I love them all, but for different reasons. At the moment, I'll go with Facebook! Or Instagram... 

8. Favourite videos to watch on YouTube?

Hauls, makeup storage/collection, tutorials... and funny cat/baby/dog videos, haha.

9. Weirdest food you ever ate?

Mushrooms. I literally cannot deal with them. The look, smell, feel, TASTE. Eurgh.

10. A fashion trend you hate? On Men/Women

On men... printed trousers. Please step away from them, guys, they're truly awful.

On women... um, are tights as pants a trend? If so, that. Just don't.

I tag:
Georgina at Through The Brown Eyes
Alex at Hydrangea Girl
Sarah at Little Miss Petite
Kailyn at ForeverKailyn
Ana at We All Think Differently
Sarah at Sarahx

Okay, I cheated and tagged 6... forgive me! ;)

My questions for my nominees...

1. What's your favourite time of the year?

2. Light, bright or dark nail colours?

3. If you had one place you could be right now, where would it be?

4. Have you ever been in love?

5. What's your must-have beauty product?

6. Heels or flats?

7. What is your dream job?

8. Would you ever do a bungee-jump or skydive?

9. What's been your funniest moment?

10. Favourite meal of the day?

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Hair | Must-haves & Wants!

It's no secret I'm a huge hair care lover. If you saw my collection of shampoos, conditioners, masks & hair tools, you'd probably shake your head in disbelief. Really, who needs 15+ shampoos at one time? Me, apparently. I don't have a huge amount of must-haves, but the ones I do have are frickin amazing. I've reviewed most of them already, but I thought a post to bring them all together would be perfect. Let's get into it, shall we?

❤ Must-haves ❤

Soap & Glory Glad Hair Day shampoo - one of my absolute favourite shampoos. Not the cheapest, but well worth it.

Carino Anti-breakage Intensive Treatment - Definitely one of the best hair masks I've tried. Leaves my hair so smooth, shiny and very manageable. And such a bargain at €2.99!

L'Óreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil - I've run out of mine and I keep meaning to repurchase it. It's the most amazing hair oil I've tried, and I've tried so many of them out there.

Avon Moroccan Argan Oil Leave-in Hair Treatment - For me, this is the best treatment for stronger and healthier hair.

BaByliss Curling Wand (2285U) - With this, my curls last all day (with a light spritz of hair spray), and loose waves take over my hair the next day. It's definitely my favourite curling wand!

Hair Extensions - I think hair extensions are probably the easiest way to add length and volume to hair quite quickly. You can find a huge selection at BestHairBuy*, and at truly amazing prices. The best type of extensions to go for are Remy hair extensions, which are 100% human hair. This means you can wash, dry, curl, and straighten the extensions. I must mention, I've also dyed my extensions before, and love how they turned out! I was 99% sure I did a blogpost on it to link here, but a quick search on my blog tells me I never did a post about dyeing my extensions. I love hair clip-in extensions for adding a glam look and lots of volume for a night out. I've been looking to try more extensions (other than clip-ins), something that means I won't have to clip in my extensions every time I want some volume or length.

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❤ Wants ❤

Micro link hair extensions - As I want to try other hair extensions, these look perfect. They can last 3-6 months with good care, and there is no glue or heat involved. They don't seem damaging at all. There is a huge selection of micro link hair extensions here, and some have up to 50% off right now. You can get different lengths and weight, so I think I'd prefer longer and heavier! As they're human hair, you can style and dye them like your own hair. It's best to dye darker, rather than lighter.

Enrapture Amplify Jumbo Waver Hair Styler - this looks so amazing. Can you imagine how voluminous your hair would be after using it? Want!

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I don't have many 'wants', mainly because I'm happy with what I have already!

What are your hair must-haves and wants?

*Sponsored post

Birthday Gifts & Haul

I love these kinds of posts; seeing what people got for their birthdays and what they bought. I guess you could call me nosy? Haha. I was spoiled on my birthday, and was so thrilled to spend it with my family. I was away from my fiancé, but I still had a great time. Plus, he spoiled me before I went and when I got back.

This is what I got for my birthday... I'm so happy with everything. It was stuff I asked for, and really wanted.

I got this beautiful perpetual calendar from my sister-in-law. It's the perfect size and fits in perfectly with my shabby chic living room decor (another update coming soon... I know.) This calendar is from Littlewoods.

This gorgeous white lantern is from my fiancé. The doors are of course glass, and I love the design. The lantern is so girly and delicate, and adds a beautiful touch to our fireplace. It is actually quite big, which I love. The candle inside is from my mother in law (as well as some really cute cat pyjamas... purrfect!) The lantern and candle came in so handy when our electricity was out for 30 hours with the storms. It was so nice snuggling up and playing games with my fiancé by candlelight!

The best birthday present... Samsung Galaxy 3 8.0 tab! Long story short, my fiancé was going to get me this, then my oldest brother started dropping little hints that he himself had got it for me. I told my fiancé not to get it for me in casse my brother did... turns out my brother did get it for me! I have to admit, I screamed a little when I tore back the wrapping paper and saw 'Samsung' in the corner. I may have shed a little tear when I hugged my brother... I'm so lucky to have such an amazing family. I've been glued to this since I got it, it's seriously the best thing ever. And how cute is the case from eBay? It's pink with white polka dots on the outside, and comes with a stylus, screen protector and screen wiper.

The huge LOVE photo frame and necklace hanger are from one of my younger brothers. I stayed with him for a night before we both travelled to stay with our family. I fell in love with the shop (Present Time) and chose these two things to buy. I couldn't get over the fact that it was so cheap. The LOVE frame is cream in colour, and quite big. Again, fitting in perfectly with my shabby chic decor. It was reduced from €10, to €5. €5!!! Bargain! I'd have happily paid €10 for it. The necklace hanger was only €3, I literally still can't believe it. Present Time is officially my new favourite shop. My brother told me he would buy me something, but I couldn't decide what I wanted (I travelled with a bag, so carrying stuff home would have been risky, and there wasn't much free space in my bag!). Instead of me buying the frame and necklace hanger, he paid for them. Sweetheart!

I got all of these gorgeous bits from my mum, along with some money in a card. I'm thinking of putting the hanging set of frames in my bathroom, as I feel it looks very nautical with the 'rope'. However, it's currently hanging in the hallway and I love how it looks. Now I just need to find some pictures to put into it! I LOVE the Home Sweet Home mug, it's so pretty and quite big... perfect for the morning cup of tea! The huge Hello Kitty mug is adorable, but I find it's shaped a bit oddly. I don't think I can drink out of it, so I'll most likely use it for makeup brushes, or little flowers. I'm a huge incense lover, and these Guardian Angel incense sticks smell beautiful. The Hello Kitty salt and pepper pots are too frickin cute, but the salt one broke before I even left to come back home. We've taped it together, and are not using it for salt. It will be cute standing on a little shelf, but we'll definitely be using the pepper one.

I got this beautiful bracelet and 3 gorgeous pairs of earrings from my dad. I'm not a huge fan of gold. In fact, the only jewellery I own and wear is one gold ring my parents got me a few years ago. However, I do love how all of these look on me, and the silver pair.

The teacup candle (and plate), Nordic tealight/votive holder and mirror tray are from a local shop in the town I grew up in. The tealight holder and tray had 20% off as they were Christmas stock. The teacup candle cost €4.99, the tealight holder cost €2.40, and the tray cost €4. The rim of the tray is metal, so very sturdy. Total bargains! I currently have a Yankee Candle votive burning in the tealight holder... a Christmas votive candle. Man, I need to move on, it's February ;)

I got this gorgeous raised-heart jar from TkMaxx after seeing it in Zoella's haul video. I fell in love with it! This cost €6.99, and I'm currently using it for cotton pads in my bathroom, as it's pretty big! I'll probably change up the uses for it as time goes on. My fiancé thinks it would be cute with a tealight in it. Can you tell we love candles? We do.

I got this in a charity shop for 50cent, and it's currently holding a glass which holds our toothbrushes. It could be cute for a bar of soap, but we don't use bars of soap.

This isn't a 'haul' item, as my mum gave it to me, but how cute?! Apparently, it came with a nail set to soak off acrylics or something like that. She never used it for that (she doesn't wear acrylics, or fake nails for that matter, haha). It was just used for nibbles, and has a couple of chips as you can see in the picture. Still, I love it *grabby hands*. 

 My mum picked me up this cute little photo frame, how adorable?! This will go on my kitchen window sill! :)

Hope you enjoyed my birthday gift and haul post!

I might have a birthday post coming soon with pictures...

Also, I want to say a happy birthday to one of the best little brothers a girl could ask for. Jody, I love you more than life itself! xoxo