All about Base : Note BB cream

I've been really wanting to try Note luminous moisturising foundation for a while now so when I finally found a local stand I was delighted. I'd also seen a couple of good reviews about the BB cream  and the prices were so reasonable I picked up both. I'm not exactly sure but I think they both came to under €25. I am not one for BBcreams more of a get me the fullest coverage foundation that exists kind of gal.
My hopes were raised a little higher when the girl serving me asked had I used it before followed by telling me that I would love it and that it's amazing!
It comes in 3 shades , I bought shade 1 . I'm a nc20 in Mac and this is a great shade for summer but might be a touch dark in winter so I'd say it's a 20/25 for shade.

I can't say I know a huge amount about BB creams, I bought and used the garnier one a few years ago when it came out and it was fine I had young skin and it was like a glowy tinted moisturiser.
This isn't like that it's a complete game changer for me. I cannot believe how much coverage and longevity I can get from something that isn't foundation!
I would class it as a medium to full coverage but it's so light and comfortable on my skin. I've been having no issues with any flaky skin and It's so natural and healthy looking.
I tried a few different ways to put it on hands, silicone sponge, regular sponge,  f20 etc but in the end I found my duo fibre stipple brush was the best way to apply and it gives a really natural light coverage of the BB cream.

One of the days I was wearing it I was going somewhere that I really needed it to last with coverage for me so I dusted some mineral foundation over it and it lasted beautifully.
It makes a couple of promises which in my opinion it absolutely delivers on.
1. Evens skintome and enlightens ✅
2. Diminishes imperfections and removes appearance of dull skin ✅
3. Helps to conceal fine lines, yes and my lines are a bit more than fine! ✅
4. Healthy looking skin in one step 😀✅
Along with all of this it has SPF 15, I genuinely think my sun damage level on my face would be really high (it's not I had a skin analysis with Bioderma recently, post coming soon) if it wasn't for SPF in foundations.
This is the base to choose for sunny summer days when you want seriously good coverage and staying power without using anything too heavy.
I've been really impressed with anything I have tried from note so far I'm hoping to pick up a few more bits from the range really soon .
If your looking for a local stockist they post regular updates on their Facebook and reply really quickly too  https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1641655356147324&ref=content_filter
   I will have a full post soon on the luminous moisturising foundation coming in the next week or so. 

Mega Blank Canvas brush guide : eyes

June  is my birthday month and my lovely hubby said he would treat me to some new brushes for my present. I recently bought the F20 brush from Blank canvas and absolutely fell in love it's my go to foundation brush now and so I want to expand my collection. Blank canvas have such a huge range of brushes I got a bit overwhelmed about where to start looking and after hours of googling I decided to put all my findings together and hopefully it will help someone else when they're picking out there brushes.
As the range is so big I have split into a 2 part post this one is eyes and next will be face.
I have tried to fit in as much as possible not all of the brushes are herebut hopefully I can add to it as I add to my collection;)

E03- use for lip liner or highlighting inner tear duct.

E10- use for blending shadow into socket or under lower lash line, great for smaller eyes comes in synthetic & goat hair.

E23- short pencil brush used to smudge under eye shadow for smoky eye.

E24- flat shader used to pick up shadowsnd apply colour before blending.

E25- round top blending brush use to apply & blend shadow.

E26- use for all over application of shadow & for precision blending.

E27 - mini detailed brush use for precise placement and shadow blending.

E28 - ultra fine eyeliner brush use with cream or gel liner.

E32- Tapered brush for applying shadow into crease and blends seamlessly.

E34- vegan blending brush, flat brush use for applying & blending outer corner of eye and along lid.

E35 - vegan flat shader use for placing and shading on lid.

E36- use for contouring or concealer.

E37- pencil brush use to smudge shadow or liner for smokey eye.

E38 - brow finishing brush use with powder or gel to define your brows.

E39 - bent eyeliner brush use with cream , gel or powder to line your eyes.

E40 - flat brush use for placing and shading shadow.

E41- silky soft tapered brush excellent for blending in crease.

E44- a flat multi use brush, use for defining brows, applying shadow on lower lash line and for lining eyes with shadow.


These are all available from Clonaslee Pharmacy https://m.facebook.com/ClonasleePharmacy/

Beautiful Irish Brands: MONDSS

Today's Beautiful Irish Brands is spotlighting Jane McTernan and her brand MONDSS.

In MONDSS Jane has created an innovative product designed to fill a gap in the market. Jane has told me that before the creation of MONDSS she had previously tried to wear tissues under her arms to prevent perspiration marks on a warm day, now when I heard this I thought I have actually done this too! If like me you have tried this you will know that It does not work very well and so after searching in pharmacies and online for a dedicated underarm wear product Jane found out that no such product existed and so in a very entrepreneurial manner set about creating one. 

Jane came up with the name MONDSS as she wanted link her products with girls best friend diaMONDS with the most amazing tagline of  'Women Don't sweat, they sparkle'. The word  MONDSS is also a catchy short word that Jane hopes to achieve 'SPANX' status with where they would be universally associated with underarm wear! 

MONDSS are exclusively available on www.mondss.com and cost €9.99 for a box containing 10 mondss which is enough for 5 wears.

As always with my Beautiful Irish Brands series I have tried out MONDSS so that I can review them for you.

When I first saw MONDSS they really reminded me of odd shaped plasters that just looked slightly more breathable. The rules with MONDSS are simple, your underarm should be clean, dry and free from hair. You can wear them alone or with roll on deodorant so I tried them both ways for review purposes. I don't sweat that much but in some clothes it doesn't take much to give you a gigantic sweat patch so for my testing days I strategically chose silk tops that are awful for creating patches and deodorant stains etc. They can really only be worn underneath clothes with t-shirt length sleeves or longer.  I found the MONDSS really simple to apply as there is a diagram in the pack that is easy to follow. 

At first you could feel it under your arm like wearing a plaster and my initial thought was I wouldn't be able to wear this for very long. I was really pleasantly surprised when only about 2-3 minutes later It was as if I had nothing on I couldn't feel It at all!

I was worried that there would be a little whiff without deodorant as Its something I wouldn't even walk around the house without wearing normally. I wore the MONDSS all day and tried to do as much activity as possible, I did my weekly shopping, played with my dog and did lots of housework. 

The MONDSS really kept any odour that was there locked in and my top was kept completely free from any patches. I did feel more comfortable wearing them with deodorant on but I didn't notice a difference in odour just a mental reaction I think. 

I was really impressed with MONDSS and think they are a really clever solution to combatting sweat patches and could become a staple for interviews and any special occasions. 

Get yourself a pack of MONDSS and lets help Jane achieve 'SPANX' status with her innovative Underarm Wear. 

Beautiful Irish Brands : Dreamdots

Hello Everyone, Welcome to the second post in my new series! As always in my Beautiful Irish Brands series this post is about more than a simple review this series is about spotlighting the Brand so first we will meet the lady responsible for bringing us dream dots. DreamDots are the brainchild of entrepreneur Donna Ledwidge who has already has huge success in the business world from owning her own salon at aged just 21 in 2004 to creating other brands Stickcons- rhinestone shoe kit and as co-developer of wow-brown tan.

How do you go about creating a product like this?

“I suffered with acne when I was a teenager and although I got it under control in my early twenties I would continue to get severe breakouts every few weeks. I decided my next brand would target this problem”. Quote from DreamDots creator Donna Ledwidge. 
DreamDots are an emergency overnight patch designed to calm, clear and heal breakouts.They are CE, BSI and FDA approved and are also Vegan and cruelty free. 
It is said that dreamdots can be used by everyone and as part of any skincare routine.

So down to the review part. I received my pack of dream dots a few weeks ago and like many other bloggers I have spotted chatting on twitter I was actually hoping to have a breakout so that I could get the chance to test them! So after about a week of waiting I got myself a whopper of a spot, the only problem was it wanted to stay underneath my skin as one of them spots that just stays huge,angry, red and hurts like hell at all times. So I was thinking Its not a proper spot yet so It wont work but It was really sore so I said I'd go with it and hope for the best. The dream dots are like small round clear stickers, there is no fussing with them you just peel them off the backing and press them on the spot. The only thing you need to do is cleanse the area before and after and wash your hands after contact. I never felt anything having the patch on was completely unnoticed. I was delighted the next morning as the dream dot had completely taken away the sore, tight feeling that I had. It had reduced pretty much all of the inflammation and made It so this once angry whopper of a spot was completely unnoticed with a little concealer. I used the dream dots on this again the next night and by the following morning It had completely dissappeared. 
I am just recently married (March) and for a few months before I was constantly reading articles about your must haves for Bridal emergencies. Dream Dots should be on top of all of these lists! It is honestly the most useful thing that Brides, Grooms or anyone could have in an emergency Kit a serious problem solver that actually works. 
Well done to Donna and her Dream Dots team on such a fantastic and innovative product. 

Dream Dots retail for €14.95 for a box of 24 dots. 
You can buy direct from www.dreamdotsforspots.com

Or from pharmacies across Ireland. 

Have you tried dream dots? Please leave a comment I read and reply to all. 
I recieved the dream dots as a pr sample this has in no way influenced my review.

Beautiful Irish Brands : NIA Skincare

Hi everyone

Welcome to my new post series Beautiful Irish Brands. There is an amazing array of Irish beauty brands in the market right now and I want to put a spotlight on some of the best. I am so excited about starting this series and I hope you will love it too. Every week I will post and review a different brand starting today with nia.

Nia was founded by a lady named Celia O'Grady.The goal of nia is to create 'natural, easy and cost effective solutions that will integrate mind and spirit'.
All nia products are hand made in Limerick  and the brand believes that it is important to eliminate peoples contact with as many chemicals as possible. Following this all of the ingredients used in nia products are Natural and where possible organic. Nia balms are the first 100% Natural formula of their kind and here comes the science bit!!  they are formulated like a cream but without using water so they dont need emulsifiers, preservatives or chemicals which also gives them a longer shelf life in turn making them better value for customers :)
For my testing section of this post I have tried out some small pots of Just Balm and Intensive Restoring Facial Moisturising Balm. I have been sent these as samples and as always put a * next to them, opinions are honest and my own.

Just Balm* were told is a fragrance & steroid free moisturising balm aimed towards treating ecczema, dermatitis and psoriasis to name a few. I myself suffer from a horrible skin condition called pompholyx eczema on my hands where at any time for unknown reasons my fingers swell up and all of the skin turns scaly dry cracks and becomes very painful. When I read the info card that I got with this I knew exactly where to test this out. Im very aware of what I use on my hands because Im not sure what sparks off the eczema. I was happy enough to trial this as I am a bit of a believer in Natural things not causing as much harm as chemical filled counterparts. This balm felt more like a souffle to me It was really light and fluffy and melted into my skin. Once it is on it sits on the skin like an oil for a while before it dries. Its the type of product that you need to use when you have a little time for it to sink in  rather than applying it on the go. After a few days of trialing this It definitely gets the thumbs up from me It was very gentle and really improved the dry skin on my hands especially underneath my rings. I can imagine that this would be the perfect product to use for babies with eczema or other dry skin conditions because it is unfragranced and so gentle. I would most definitely not only purchase this for myself but also reccommend others with dry skin conditions to try this out too. 150ml retails at €12.95.

Intensive Restoring Facial Moisturising Balm* we are told this is a blend of natural butters, oils and herbs for the care of dry,sensitive and irritated skin. This balm like the Just balm is in texture more like a souffle light and fluffy.It has a very earthy smell  which is not unpleasant. The facial balm is less oily on the skin and the first time that I put it on my skin sucked it up very quickly as It was a little dehydrated oops! It says to use the balm morning and evening however after the initial day I did find It was slightly too moisturising for me during the day and so I used it as a night time treat instead. I also loved how gentle this balm was on my skin while it gave great hydration. The facial balm retails at €24.95

Nia has also got a great range of other products one especially that caught my eye was the Hot Oil Massage Candle R.R.P. €19.95. I love relaxing and de-stressing and this looks like such a fun way to do this the fact that you can relax with the aromas of the candle before your massage has me sold and this item has made its way onto my wishlist.
All of the products are available on www.nia.ie and there are a list of stockists on their website.
Well done to all at Nia for creating such a Beautiful Irish Brand.
I hope you have loved reading as always please leave a comment.
Clare x