Stocking fillers 15 under €15.00

Festive season is just about to get into full swing (it just gets earlier every year).
Stocking fillers are getting more impressive every year meaning even if your on a budget you can still give a really fantastic gift.
I have chosen 15 products I think are really good value for money and are the most likely to return lots of smiles on Christmas morning.
I haven't placed them in any order or preference just randomly!
None of the links are affiliate, just link to help you find where to purchase.


Hot Water Bottle €13.00

Baby It's cold outside hot water bottle. Love the design of this one from Moss Cottage


Bioderma H20 Micellar Water Trio €12.00

Im an enormous fan of Bioderma especially the micellar water. This set contains all 3 types of the H20 water, sensibio, hydrabio and sebium. For only 12.00 its great value and a clever gift as you dont need to know skin type before you buy. You can pick these up from most Bioderma stockists but I cant imagine they will last for very long!

Roger & Gallet Hand cream bauble €7.00

This hand cream is not only packaged beautifully as a bauble you can hang on your tree but its not gimmicky at all its really lovely hand cream its just an added bonus that its a bauble too. It comes in 5 different scents. I have it in Fleur De Figuier and it smells just divine. the best news is this is only 7.00 so you can definitely aim to pick it up in all 5 scents and have a Roger & Gallet tree theme.
These are available from selected Pharmacies and Mark & Spencer.


Pixi Holiday Glow Tonic €13.00

This is one thats from the wishlist. I have had it on there forever but never seemed to get as far as actually getting it into the basket. I have a good feeling about it this time though. This is 100ml of the pixi glow tonic and is retailing for only 13.00 (since writing this it may have moved from my wishlist to a delivery van!)You can pick this up from cloud10beauty or go with M&S add a few more bits and pick up one of the Beauty Advent Calendars for yourself!

Cleanse off Mitt €5.95

Simple and massively effective the ultimate practical stocking filler, a crowd pleaser that can be used over and over again. Plus your skin will definitely thank you on this one. Lower end of the budget at only 5.95. Buy them here. 

Harry Potter Playin Cards €9.99

Essential for the Christmas Day game, with the added magic of Harry Potter. Available from Littlewoods


Cadbury Selection Box €4.20

A tradition! Its not really Christmas without a selection box and Im a Cadbury girl. These are in Tesco at 3 for 5 so probably the right time to stock up.
Swear I only bought them for photo purposes though.....


Initial decorations €6.95

These are just beautiful from Marks and Spencer you can choose an initial for each of the family.
These are on 3 for 2 right now. I have just bought us all one for the Christmas tree.
Buy them here 

Roald Dahl Cups €12.00

I am in love with these cups! Who does not love Roald Dahl?
 BFG has always been my favourite Roald Dahl book so thats the one on my wishlist.
 At 12.00 these are a bargain I genuinely thought they would be closer to the Bombay Duck pricepoint. You can get these from The Stables Birr.

Lush Sleepy Body Lotion €8.95

This is the Cult Sleep lotion that everybody with a not so sleepy toddler has heard of. Whether its coincidence or a magic cream were trying not to look too much into that but since we have started using this our toddle has started sleeping FOR THE FULL NIGHT  IN HIS OWN ROOM ( sorry for shouting but thats big news!) Its a gorgeous lotion to help anybody who feels they need a little help to relax at bedtime and makes your skin super soft too. A staple for many years to come in our house and so It is the perfect stocking filler. The prices are in sterling on Lush website so Ive just done a quick conversion for a 95g pot available here .

Beatrix Potter 3 DVD Set 9.00

I am a book lover like Roald Dahl earlier I love Beatrix Potter. I spotteed these DVD's in Penneys and couldnt resist. Santa brought John all the books last year so he is already familiar with the characters.

Tipperary Crystal Polar Express Tree Decoration €12.00

A great Christmas gift, these decorations are a lovely collectible and each year when you put up your tree you remember who gifted it to you. Tipperary Crystal have a really large selection of decorations but I think this one is particularly nice.

Bubble T Bath Pearls € 11.00

I have to be completely honest these are only here for the nostalgia. I had no idea you could still buy bath pearls! I loved these when I was young. Present to bring you back in time for a while! from Debenhams

Tipperary Crystal Christmas Candles € 13.00

Tipperary Crystal also do a lovely range of scented candles. Theyre packaged in a lovely box and the candle itself is in a really nice glass tumbler.
They come in 3 different Christmas scents Berries, White Christmas and Winter Spice.

Novelty Socks € 7.50

You cant really have a stocking filler list without socks! These ones are for the men, I think they are just the right amount Christmassy. From Debenhams

Have you any must have stocking fillers I have missed out on? Let me know in comments 

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/

All about Base : Catrice HD Foundation

This weeks All about Base I'm talking about Catrice HD liquid coverage foundation €7.95
This foundation gets really good reviews so I definitely had to give it a try. I bought this from Inish pharmacy and have been using this foundation for a couple of weeks now and I won't beat around the bush it was love at first sight for me. I ordered it from Inish Pharmacy and got a Blank Canvas F20 brush along with it.
This is the perfect brush to apply this foundation it spreads and buffs it in perfectly, the Real Techniques buffing brush is a good second option.
My first impressions of the foundation was the really expensive high end feel of the packaging.
It comes in a really heavy glass bottle and has a dropper to dispense product. For me this makes it really clean so it's a big thumbs up.

It's a full coverage foundation easily comparable to the coverage you get with Estée Lauder Double Wear. (I measure most foundations against this one !) It has a beautiful finish totally flawless and in between matt and glowy but never flat. It's easy to apply very fluid ,  You only need a small amount of product as it buffs out really well. This surprised me because with cheaper foundations you normally need to use a lot more product. It lasts a full working day about 10/11 hours without reapplying and without primer.  I have shade 020 rose beige and it's the perfect match for me, I'm a Mac nc20 or double wear "tawny" . I genuinely can't fault this foundation I've been wearing it almost every day and have even chosen it over some of my high end foundations for nights out. It also photographs beautifully if you were looking for something for such an occasion.

I have been using the liquid camouflage concealer under the foundation , this is really really amazing concealer that I highly recommend and at only €3.95 it's practically free 😉

I also use the Catrice Prime and Fine mattifying powder on my Tzone to finish € 5.49 it's a nice powder that does it's job but dosnt leave a powdery cakey surface behind.

Have you tried any of these Catrice products?

All about Base : Double Wear Vs Double Wear Light

Welcome to the second post of my new series all about Base. If you haven't already take a read of last weeks post featuring BellaPierre Mineral foundation .
I have been threatening this post for so long as it's one I've searched many times myself. I am a long time user of Estée Lauder Double Wear it's my go to foundation if I want something that goes on covers everything and stays on, but I could never shake the feeling that I absolutely needed to try Double Wear Light to see what it was all about. These foundations are not exactly budget offerings and so I did search a bit before buying and so it's only right that I pass on my thoughts on them so somebody else can search for it.
This will be a different type of review from me as I totally adore double wear and always go back to it so this isn't really about if I like the product or not it's more about me showing the differences so you can make a choice between them.
I'm going to bullet point the comparisons but if anyone wants more detail feel free to ask on any of my social media (I've just joined Facebook I'll put a link at the end, let's be friends!)

• Double Wear has glass bottle packaging while Double Wear Light is plastic squeeze tube. 
• Double Wear is full full coverage while Double Wear light is medium to full coverage. 
• Double Wear has a much larger shade range than Double Wear Light. 
• Double Wear does last longer than Double Wear Light but the light version lasts a full working day anyway. 
• Double Wear is much more fluid than the light version which is a creamier texture. 
• Double Wear can be a little drying while the light version is a lot more hydrating. 
• Double Wear gives a matt finish while the light version is dewy , I have never had to powder double Wear but definitely need a powder with light. 
• I like double Wear for a special occasion or a night out but I prefer the light version for daytime Wear as doing what it says on the tin it's lighter and more comfortable for everyday Wear. 
• Double Wear is good value for money it lasts ages for its €44 I've gotten up to a year from a bottle, double Wear Light on the other hand about €40 dosnt seem to stretch as far I use much more of the product and get only about 2.5/3 months from it, to be fair on its own for daily Wear that's not actually bad but for comparison with the original it's not wonderful. 

I really like both but in conclusion it's definitely the original Double Wear that wins out for me , I'm unsure if I will ever repurchase the double Wear Light as even though it's good I have used other daytime foundations of the same quality without the €40 price tag. Use your money instead to buy the original Double Wear you won't be disappointed and I'd be surprised if you weren't converted after using it! 

If you do want to ask anything else about either product find me on 

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