LIFESTYLE | August Wishlist

FAVOURITES | November 2013.

I've got a wide range of favourites this month, some new, and some rediscovered, so let's jump right in!

My first favourite this month is Rimmel's Scandal Eyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Liner in Nude. I find this liner is perfect for any daytime make up look, as it's not as dramatic as black liner. The nude also helps open up your eyes, and helps make you appear more awake! Perfect for early mornings after those late nights! These go for €5.49 from any Rimmel retailer.

Next up is the Maybelline Great Lash Waterproof Mascara in Very Black. If there is one thing you should know about me, it's that I buy two things obsessively; mascara & lipstick! I just can't get enough! The thing I love most about this particular mascara is that the brush is quite small & thin, making for precision application. Ace! I've taken to curling my lashes, using this to set the curl, then going in with Benefit's They're Real to finish off! At €7.49, it's one of Maybelline's cheaper mascaras. 

In keeping with the things I purchase obsessively, my next favourite is, of course, a lipstick! It's 17's Stay Pout Lipstick in the shade Delinquent. Delinquent is a bright fuchsia pink and has great staying power on the lips. The formula is not drying in the slightest, and the finish keeps your lips looking moisturised! The entire Stay Pout collection is fantastic, they have a great range of shades and don't break the bank! The range is available from Boots, and retail at €5.69.

I've raved about Bleach London products countless times before (see here & here), but I'm not done yet! This month, I am loving their Super Cool Colours. What started as an innocent ombré with their Bruised Violet dye, turned into an all over colour in a matter of days! First time around, I diluted the dye with conditioner to get a muted, almost pink shade. A week later, I left the dye undiluted, and simply went for it! The result? A gorgeous, rich true purple! If like me, you want a quick & easy way to change it up a bit, then here is your solution. Simply shampoo your hair, towel dry it, and pop in your Super Cool Colour of choice. Et volià, you have transformed yourself! The dye lasts 2 to 10 washes, depending on your own hair colour, so it's not a huge commitment. They've got a great range of colours too! Can you tell that I'm totally in love with the Bleach brand yet?! I can't wait to try out some more of the colours! The Super Cool Colours retail for €6.79, and are available from select Boots stores & Boots online.

A couple of weeks ago, I posted my Ultimate Wishlist, and on said list was American Apparel's Denim Sherpa Jacket. Retailing for €135, it was, and still is, way out of my price range! Fear not, Primark has come to the rescue once more! They have a mid-wash denim sherpa jacket in stock, a dead ringer for American Apparel's one, and at €21, it's a fraction of the price AA are charging. Score! I honestly haven't stopped wearing it since purchasing. 

Last, but by no means least, we have the fantastic lads in One Direction and their 3rd studio album, Midnight Memories. Pegged to take top spot on all charts this side of Christmas, Midnight Memories is deserving of all the praise and success! There's not really much else I can say without gushing embarrassingly! Being completely honest, there is nothing about Midnight Memories that I don't like! I can tell it'll be on repeat indefinitely! One thing I will say, go for The Ultimate Edition. You can thank me later! Midnight Memories is available for download from iTunes, as well as in stores worldwide.

What are some of your favourites this month? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time,
Elle.

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BEAUTY | How I Care for My Hair

While blonde is not the most high maintenance colour I've ever been, quite a bit of care needs to be taken! I'm ashamed to admit that while I've been blonde for 9 months now, it wasn't until a recent foray into the world of bleaching that I learned how to properly take care of my colour/hair. This routine is relatively new to me, and I've been getting people asking what I've been doing differently, so this post feels very apropos. 

L-R: Bleach London's Sliver Shampoo & Conditioner, Primark's Own Brand Tangle Teaser, Aussie's Miracle Insurance Leave-In Conditioner, Carino Miracle Oil, Batiste Dry Shampoo in Cherry & Tropical. 

I begin by washing my hair in lukewarm water. If the water is too cold, you'll only lock in the shampoo and dirt, and if it's too hot, you'll scald and dry out your hair. No bueno! I then use Bleach London's Silver Shampoo & Conditioner, available from Boots.ie for around €6.69. These tone any brassiness and brighten the colour up. Try limit your use of shampoo to once or twice weekly, and use a hair mask once a week to keep your hair healthy (I swear by the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle). Avoid roughly towel drying your hair once you've finished washing, this is where frizziness and split ends are born. Gently pat and squeeze the hair from root to tip with a towel.

Before brushing, I go in with Aussie's Miracle Insurance Leave-In Conditioner (€5.79; Boots Pharmacy are currently doing a 3 for €13 on Aussie hair care), spritzing it all over my hair. This nourishes hair, makes it free from tangles, and protects against daily wear and tear. Ace! I brush through my hair using Primark's own brand Tangle Teezer (€1.50). While the shape is a little awkward to hold, I find it glides through my hair, with little to no fallout. I then slather some Carino Miracle Oil (Aldi's answer to Moroccan Oil; €3.99) from root to tip. This helps tackle frizz and softens the hair!

I have quite a lot of hair, and I find blow drying just makes it 10 times more unmanageable, not to mention frizzy. After years of experimenting with different drying methods, I've finally found one that works best for me, and leaves me with nice, subtle waves. I part my hair, then section each side in to 2 or 3 pieces, depending how thick I want the waves, then twirl the pieces around my index finger and leave to air dry. To avoid any mishaps during the night, I braid my hair in two and wake up looking like I've just stepped off the beach in California. I wish! I keep my hair looking fresh between washes by using Batiste's Dry Shampoo.

There you have it, how I care for my hair. What are some of your favourite hair care methods/products? Let me know, I'm always interested in trying new things!

Until next time,
Elle.

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FAVOURITES | October Beauty 2013

Having neglected this blog for just under a year now, I had the sudden urge to jump back in. What better way to reintroduce myself than a monthly favourites post?! On top of that, there has been a change in name! inthetwilightofmyyouth has become ellebglr. Something easier to remember, no doubt!

A lot of my favourites this month are products I've purchased because so many beauty bloggers have raved about them & their greatness! I have a huge fear of missing out, hence my need to try EVERYTHING! Luckily, I fell in love with them all, so my spending wasn't in vain! Let's get started...

My first beauty favourite is something I have lusted after for quite some time, it's MAC's Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft & Gentle. This product is quite popular, which was evident when I went to purchase it this month! I managed to get the last one in stock, only after the sales assistant searched a little harder. Phew! All the hype that surrounds Soft & Gentle is rightly placed! It is such a fantastic highlighter & I fear I may never use anything else! It goes on the skin so smoothly, it's like it was meant to be there! I honestly don't think I could rave about this enough! The Mineralize Skinfinishes retail for about €28, and can be purchased at Brown Thomas, and any MAC retailer.

Next is another coveted item. Sleek Make Up's Blush BY 3 in Lace is a trio of blushes in various shades. Sleek is currently only available online in Ireland, but hopefully, we'll see it stocked in stores here soon! I was lucky enough to be able to travel to Portugal this month, & a trip to Sephora is where I managed to get my hands on this product. The Lace palette contains 3 blushes; one orange, one iridescent pink & one true pink. As you can see below, the pigmentation is quite bright, but can be blended out to be more subtle! I've struggled for some time to find a good quality blush (without splashing out on high end ones, for fear of them not suiting), but at a mere €13, this palette has something for everyone! While I think I'll be saving the orange & iridescent pink for S/S 14, the true pink is perfect for giving a 'just in from the cold' glow without having to brave the winter chill!

Giving into the hype once again, at the beginning of the month, I purchased the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in the shade 'On And On Bronze'. Once again, the hype is well placed! The Colour Tattoos are so very versatile; they can be used as a shadow base, an all-over lid colour, or as part of a smokey eye look. What more could you want? Granted I've never been a fan of cream shadows, I am a changed woman. They are long lasting and surprisingly easy to work with! So much so, that I have plans to buy several other shades too! On And On Bronze is a great go-to colour for the Autumn/Winter season, and at €8.99, it won't necessarily break the bank!

The last of my beauty favourites is by far my most favourite, possibly of all time. It is, of course, MAC's Rebel lipstick. Rebel is a deep fuchsia-toned berry, and is from MAC's satin finish collection. Before purchasing Rebel, I went through an intense matte lipstick phase, but I've seen the light! It looks great with a smokey eye or as a statement lip. Also, I've seen it suit so many skin tones, which is what's so fantastic about it! It currently retails at €19 and can be purchased from Brown Thomas, or any MAC retailer.

I only have one skin care favourite this month, and that is KIKO's Cleansing Eye & Lip Make Up Remover. This was quite a spur of the moment purchase while I was in Portugal. I'm not usually one to buy skin care, or beauty, products without having done my research beforehand, but on this particular occasion, I made an allowance. Before my trip, I had purchased Nivea's Gentle Eye Make Up Remover and was quite pleased with it, so this purchase seemed a little excessive. KIKO Cosmetics are relatively unheard of in Ireland, but they have several stores throughout Europe. You can peruse all they have to offer here. What sold me on it, besides the pushy sales assistant, was the fact that it was also a lipstick remover. I may have given her all the tools for the sale, as I was sporting the remains of the night before's lipstick, but it was something I was seriously lacking. I tend to wear quite pigmented lipstick, so this is a godsend after a long day! It does exactly what it says on the tin, and for €4.10, at least I no longer have to resemble the Joker!

This favourite is one that I have been waiting to rave about. If like me, you get bored with your hair easily, here's your solution; BLEACH LONDON. At the beginning of this month, Bleach released an at home colour range with Boots Pharmacy. In the range, available at Boots Jervis St & Liffey Valley in Dublin, Boots Half Moon St in Cork and at boots.ie for the rest of Ireland, there is a Total Bleach Kit, White Toner, DIY Dip Dye, 12 Super Cool Colours, as well as a range of colour care & styling products. Everything retails under the €10 mark, & if you spend over €25, you can pick your order up from your local Boots store completely FREE of charge. Ace! As soon as the products went online, I had my order in, a Total Bleach Kit, Toner, a Sliver Shampoo & Conditioner, as well as a Super Cool Colour in Bruised Violet. While the bleaching of my hair didn't go to plan (my own fault, I should have purchased way more than one bleaching kit!), I cannot speak highly enough of the Bleach range. I felt no discomfort whilst bleaching my hair, the kit comes with everything you could need and the instructions were simple & easy to follow! The Silver Shampoo & Conditioner are my saving grace at the minute, as my hair is several shades of blonde (oops!), and honestly, my hair has never felt better after a bleaching! I'm saving Bruised Violet for when my hair is a whiter blonde, but I can only imagine it's as great as the rest of the range! Not only is the range on top of it's game, but the Bleach team are wonderful to boot! All my questions and queries were answered on their twitter, and I was really assured that I was making the right choice in dye! While I am singing their praises, may I point you in the direction of their very comprehensive Bleach Bible. I studied this before I even thought of bleaching my hair, so I could ensure that my locks were in tip-top condition. It's a must read for anyone who might be a little apprehensive about bleaching in any way, it calmed all my fears!

That's it for my beauty related favourites for this month! I planned to included my fashion, as well as other favourites in this post, but it's already longer than I intended for it to be! So look out for that post soon! What are some of your beauty favourites for this month?

Until next time,
Elle.

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