MUSIC | Monthly Playlist #9

1. Give It Up - Róisin O 

2. Dark Necessities - Red Hot Chili Peppers

3. Pop Style (Ft. The Throne) - Drake

4. Hotter Than Hell - Dua Lipa

5. Toothbrush - DNCE

6. Sober - Selena Gomez

7. Into You - Ariana Grande 

8. We Don't Talk Anymore (ft. Selena Gomez) - Charlie Puth

9. All In My Head [Flex] (Ft. Fetty Wap) - Fifth Harmony

10. Bitter Pill - Gavin James

11. For Free (Ft. Drake) - DJ Khaled

12. Something New - Set If Off

13. Yeah Boy - Kelsea Ballerini

14. Sometimes - Ariana Grande

15. Tears (Ft. Louisa Johnson) - Clean Bandit

16. This Is What You Came For (Ft. Rihanna) - Calvin Harris

17. Send My Love (To Your New Lover) - Adele

18. Best Fake Smile - James Bay

19. Right Hand - Drake

20. Formation - Beyoncé

What have you been listening to this month?

Until next time,

Elle x

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BEAUTY | What's In My Makeup Bag?

Two posts in one week? Who do I think I am?! This is a little bonus post because after next week, I'll be away until the middle of September!

I'm an over-packer. It's a sickness, I admit it. I may pack 4 outfits for every day, but I've learned my lesson when it comes to makeup. I normally pack two bags full for trips, and wear less than half of it. I like to have options, okay?! Knowing the climate in Orlando, I won't need a full face of makeup AT ALL!

For my skin, I'll need my Nivea Essentials Day Cream, and Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturiser, This is such a no mess, no fuss product. Perfect for those of us that aren't great at remembering to moisturize every day. Oops! I couldn't forget some Fix + and Strobe Cream. I know I'm not the only person who wants their highlight seen from space! I also popped in a mini Garnier Micellar Water for all my makeup removal needs!

As for the rest of my face, I've got my Anastasia Brow Wiz in Dark Brown and Essence Clear Brow Gel for brows. The Brow Wiz is perfect for travel, with it's built in spoolie! For eyes, I only need my trusty Rimmel Wonderfull Mascara. So this is maybe where I went a little overboard. Oops! When it comes to lip options, I've got MAC's Candy Yum Yum, Flat Out Fabulous, Velvet Teddy, and Russian Red, as well as two Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm in Audacious and Shameless. 
NYX Lip Pencil in Pinky, Fuchsia, Hot Red and MAC Lip Liner in Stripdown

And that's all she wrote. So maybe I haven't learned my lesson that well!
Baby steps!

Until next time, 

Elle x

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LIFESTYLE | What's In My Carry On?

Number one reason why I love this kind of post is that it reassures me that I'm not the only person who can't travel light. I would rather the sore shoulder than feel like I've forgotten something. Sue me! I'm off to Florida next week, so I thought why not pack my carry on with you guys! My bag is from Topshop last year, and the pompoms are from River Island and Penneys.

Right off the bat, I need the essentials; phone and purse. I never leave home without these, obviously! Next up, gotta have a good book and my Kindle. I've waited to start Blue Lily, Lily Blue on the plane, but it's killing me! I talked about the first book of The Raven Cycle in my July favourites, if you're interested. I also picked up Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige, which is a spin-off from the Wizard of Oz tale. I do tend to go through a lot of books, so the Kindle is great for saving space and my back! And of course, I can't forget my chargers.

This next lot is all the little things I can't be without; earphones, deodorant, gum, hand cream, lip balm, tissues. I keep them all in this little makeup pouch from River Island. I also have this cute notebook from Tesco. I'm a serial list maker so this is essential! And of course, no holiday would be complete without sunglasses. The first two pairs are from Penneys, and the second two are from Boohoo - here and here. The cases are also from Penneys!

Are you an over-packer like me? Or have you mastered the art of travelling light?!

Until next time, 

Elle x

Find me on:

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TOP 5 | Holy Grail Products

We're reviving the Top 5 series today, with my holy grail products. There are the products I'd need if I was stranded on a desert island with Zac Efron. Because why else would I need makeup on a desert island?!

1. L'Oreal True Match Foundation 

True Match has actually replaced Maybelline's Fit Me as my favourite drugstore foundation. It just ticks all my boxes! It is a medium coverage formula, but can be built up to full coverage very easily. The formula is super blendable, as advertised, and feels lightweight on the skin with a dewy finish. The shades are separated by skin tones - Warm, Neutral and Cool, with 32 shades between them. I do go between three shades, in and around the 5 to 6 region. Mainly because the actual shades I use can't be found in Ireland. Bummer! True Match Super Blendable Foundation can be found in Boots and most pharmacies, and retails at €14.99

L-R: 5N Sand, W5 Sand Beige, W6 Sun Beige

2. MAC Soft and Gentle Mineralize Skin Finish
This product started my love affair with highlight, and I haven't looked back since! Soft and Gentle is a warm, peachy champagne shade. The coverage is buildable, it can be semi-sheer or super opaque. Just depends on how you like your highlight. I personally go for the glow-worm look! While you'd think the finely milled glitter would be a bit overkill, it actually makes the skin look naturally luminous. Soft and Gentle retails at €31.50 currently, and can be found at MAC counters or on Brown Thomas online. 

3. Wet n Wild MegaLast Lipsticks

These are some of the best drugstore lipsticks around. Wet n Wild came to play! The formula is comfortable on the lips, even with it's matte finish. As for pigmentation, these lipsticks are opaque with one swipe. The colour range is huge, and the line is full of dupes for lots of high end lippies! To add to this all-rounder, they are super affordable too. Perfect for anyone starting a makeup collection, or a kit. They retail at €2.99 and stands can be found in Penneys, Dunnes and pharmacies nationwide.

L-R: Bare It All, Mauve Outta Here, Spiked With Rum, Sandstorm, Mochalicious

4. Benefit Hoola Bronzer
This is the only product I use for powder contour. I honestly can't look past it. It's such a universal shade, it suits all skin tones. The tone of the bronzer itself has a good balance, it's cool but not muddy, warm but not orange. It blends out nicely, and the coverage can be built up, depending on your taste! Hoola retails at €34, from Benefit counters.

5. Maybelline Fit Me Concealer
I don't have a lot of dark pigmentation in my under eye area, so I love using this concealer just to brighten rather than conceal. The Fit Me concealer has a light to medium coverage, and works best if you have light dark circles. The formula is lightweight, creamy and blends out like a dream. It doesn't cake, and with a little bit of setting powder, there's no creasing. What more could you ask for?! The concealer retails at €8.99, and can be found on Maybelline stands in Boots and pharmacies nationwide.

What products make the cut for your Top 5?

Until next time,
Elle x

PS: I just created a Snapchat account for this blog; elleblgr_blog. Head over there for blog updates, random life things, and who knows what else!

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FAVES | July 2016

What better way to jump back into blogging than with a favourites post?! As it's been so long, I'm just going to focus on the things I've been reaching the most for lately! Let's jump right in!

First things on the agenda are Makeup Geek eyeshadows. Could you say love at first sight? Uh, duh! These shadows are buttery, super pigmented and easy to blend. They're such good quality, there's a huge colour range, and with a price point of $6/€5.94, they cannot be passed up. My current go-tos are Frappe, Cocoa Bear and Americano. Don't get me wrong, these shadows know how to hold their own, but together, they create the most perfect brown smokey eye. I DIE! Makeup Geek can be found here; on their own website, or here on Beauty Bay.

L-R: Frappe, Cocoa Bear, Americano

L-R: Frappe, Cocoa Bear, Americano

Ardell Wispies and Demi Wispies might actual be my favourite lash of all time. Bold statement, but I'm willing to make it. Both styles are lightweight, and so easy to apply. The thin band means you can go without liner if you're not feeling it. What's not to love? The original Wispies are long, fluttery, and perfect for any glam look. The Demi Wispies are a little shorter, more graduated, making them ideal for every day wear. I buy mine from Penneys, for €5. I find they're best applied with Duo Glue (€5.50), also available from Penneys!

Next up is Gerard Cosmetics Hydra Matte Liquid Lipstick in 1995. It's widely known that I'm a sucker for a matte lip. Add in my new love for liquid lipsticks, this one was bound to feel right at home in my collection. The Hydra Matte formula does exactly what it says on the tin. While it does dry down matte, it's still hydrating and super comfortable on the lips. 1995 is a rose-toned mauve; total 90s vibe. Perfect shade to make the transition from Summer to Autumn! Gerard Cosmetics can be found here, and here, costing $20/€11.90.

Blank Canvas E25 Round Top Blending Brushes are the real deal. These babies blend shadow like a dream. It's no wonder I have THREE of them. Plus, I'm a firm believer that you can never have too many brushes! The E25 makes the tiresome job of blending feel effortless. You'll wonder how you ever survived without one! They retail at €7.90. You can get your own here.

My last favourite of the month is a book called The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater. "For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She doesn't believe in true love, and never thought this would be a problem. But as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore." I'm not going to lie, this story took a while to grip me, like 5 or so months. But once I gave it a second chance, I just couldn't put it down! While the summary promotes a love story, a romantic element is minor undertone. The story, loosely based on real Welsh folklore, is packed full of psychics, ghosts, and the paranormal. I'm just itching to get my hands on the next installment! The Raven Boys is available from Easons for €11.70, or on Kindle. A little addition to this one; Good Reads. I love this website for finding new books, and keeping tabs on books I've read and want to read!

What do your July faves look like?! 

Until next time, 

Elle x

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LIFESTYLE | Don't Call It A Comeback

Or do, I guess. That's what this is, right?!

I seem to have a love/hate relationship with this blog. Things are great for a while, a honeymoon period if you will, then we break up for two years. Oops!

It wasn't my intention to be gone for so long, and if I'm being honest, I really missed it. But life got in the way, in the form of a 9-5 job, and blogging got lost for a little bit. I can't promise that this is going to be a full time thing again, let's not get ahead of ourselves! I just want to be able to say that I gave it a proper shot. At least once.. Or twice!

So, I guess this means you can expect at least one post a week for the foreseeable future. Wish me luck!

Until next time,

Elle x

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FAVOURITES | October 2014

It honestly feels like only last week that I posted my September Favourites. Where is the time going, and can it stop going there please?! 

First product of this month may have secured itself a place on my list if all time favourites! As you can see above, I'm talking about the LORAC PRO Palette. It's a gorgeous palette, full of wearable, neutral shades and a couple of curveballs! I find it so hard to pick a favourite shade, they're all so beautiful! There's also an even keel of matte and shimmer, 8 of each. The shadows themselves are highly pigmented, and have a lovely, buttery feel to them. Only downfall? It's not available in Ireland. Boo! At the beginning of the month, I posted a more indepth look at this palette, you can check that out here!

I've been loving experimenting with Halloween makeup looks so much this month! Halloween is a great time to get crazy with your makeup, you can just pass it off as a costume. What's not to love about that?! Snazaroo is great quality paint, and they do a great Special FX wax, perfect for creating scars and wounds. Plus, you can't forget the blood, no Halloween costume is complete without it! I got this fake blood from a Halloween store for €1, and the Snazaroo Gel Blood came in a set with the wax!

This concealer, Maybelline's Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles in Light, has been my go to this month! It's super lightweight, gives good coverage, and is very blendable. It is warm-toned, so I would 100% recommend this concealer for anyone who loves yellow-toned bases! Don't get me wrong, I'm sold on it as an everyday concealer, I just prefer it for highlighting.

 Peaches is a gorgeous peach blush, with subtle brown undertones and a matte finish. It's got a nice, silky-smooth texture, and blends easily with zero fallout. MAC Sheertone Blushes are great because the coverage is so buildable. You can create a pretty, natural flush, or go for a more intense colour - depending on what you're feeling that day!

Maybelline Color Tattoos are so versatile, they can be used as a base, or as an all over lid colour. This particular shade, Barely Branded, is a pearly, warm-toned oyster colour, with a frost finish to it. I love it as an all over lid shade, especially on days where I feel like wearing minimal makeup! It's subtle colour isn't too stand outish, but the shimmer let's people know you mean business! 

What have you been loving this month? Let me know below! 

Until next time, 

Elle x

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BEAUTY | My Go To Fall Make-Up

With the weather unable to make it's mind up recently, I find myself stumped at what to do with my face. Not anymore! Today, I bring you my go to look in 5 simple steps, using only 5 products! 

BEAUTY | Top 5...

With the dreary, cold weather brings our need to make everything darker; our wardrobe, our hair, and even our lips! There is just something about darker lipstick that can't be worn in the summer months. Today's Top 5 is my Autumn/Winter lip colour faves!

MUSIC | Monthly Playlist #8