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.

find me on:
Twitter
Tumblr
Instagram @ellebolger
<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11156851/?claim=gpqdvdthmub">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

The Twilight Saga: The End of an Era.

Before anyone goes off on one about Twilight, let me explain myself. I am a fan. Yes, you may say that Harry Potter is a million times better, I agree. But, I also think Star Wars is a million times better than Harry Potter. However, you should never looked down on someone, or tease them for liking what they like! You can say what you want about the books/movies, but the fanbase is undeniable. It's like anything that people have a problem with today; Justin Bieber, Mitt Romney, The Next 3 Star Wars movies. There are going to be people that are excited about it, & there are going to be people who can't get behind it. Like everything in life, you have to take the good with the bad! Okay, enough of that, on to the review! (There will not be spoilers!)

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2.

Brought back from near-death by Edward (Robert Pattinson) after childbirth, Bella (Kristen Stewart) begins her new life as a vampire and mother to their daughter, Renesmee (Mackenzie Foy). When the Volturi are led to believe that Renesmee was not born as a vampire but, rather, turned into one in violation of their code, the Volturi set out to destroy the child and the Cullen clan. The Cullens band together with vampires from around the world to stand united against the Volturi.

Having waited close enough to four years for the movie to released, it's safe to say that yesterday was spent in pure anticipation! I am by no means a 'twihard' (I hate the term, and I don't really no why!), but I always enjoy when movie adaptations of books that I've read come out! I was in the exact same frame of mind as I waited for The Hunger Games & Perks of Being A Wallflower to be released, and will be as I wait for The Great Gatsby to come out. I love books, I love movie adaptions of books, I love seeing my favourite characters brought to life! The Twilight Saga is no different. There are aspects that I love, & there are aspects I wish I could change (don't worry, I already have the remake saga planned out, we should be fine!) I'm rambling, let's talk about the movie..

Arriving to the movie theatre almost an hour before the movie started was both a blessing & a curse! We bagged the perfect seats, we just had to wait patiently for the movie to begin. One thing that occurred to me while waiting, Twilight brings in quite a varied audience, something I'd never really noticed before! Young, old, female, male, people from every walk of life! It's amazing! The lights dimmed & the inevitable squeal was heard (I have to admit, my mother could be heard over EVERYONE else!) The previews played and the excitement in the room was tangible!

Now, I've already said that this would be a zero spoilers blog post, so I'll just say it was spectacular! The cinematography was so well done, and the soundtrack was unbelievably well suited to every scenario! If you are a Twilight fan, and have been keeping up with gossip online, you know there is a surprise ending. I will say this, any scenario, any possibility that you may think of, it will not come close this twist! Be prepared, bring tissues, a hand to hold, anything!

For those who mightn't have interest, or will be dragged to see it by a loved one, I still think it's worth a watch. However, for those Twilight fans who have followed the stories so closely, Breaking Dawn: Part Two is the perfect ending to the much loved saga!

until next time,
Ellen.

Current playlist:
Sway - The Kooks.
Breathe Me - Aiden Grimshaw.
Troublemaker - Olly Murs.
Cold - Aqualung & Lucy Schwartz.
Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Tears For Fears.
Don't Dream It's Over - Crowded House.

find me on;
Twitter
Tumblr
instagram: @ellebolger

Things My Dad Taught Me.

I saw this trending on Twitter & it really got me thinking about all the things that my dad has taught me over the years! 140 characters isn't enough, so I thought it deserved a blog post!

Anyone who knows me , knows that my dad is basically my hero! I've looked up to him my whole life, & I've always been a 'Daddy's Girl'. My mother always said I had my dad wrapped around my little finger from the second I was born! Because we're so close, he has imparted some of his wisdom on me over the years!

Things My Dad Taught Me:

• Life is an episode of Criminal Minds waiting to happen.
• Restaurants/bars/tattoo parlours with blacked out windows are shady - don't go in them!
• Wind, it's killing half the country. (credit for this one goes to my grandfather!)
• Doing your best is all you can do.
• Specsavers would give Mojo (our dog) glasses if he went in - your eyes are grand.
• He is in the process of teaching me to drive!
• If you have your family, your health & music, you're doing pretty okay.
• There's nothing wrong with letting your freak flag fly. 

I will leave you my most favourite quote from the man in question!

I'm like a swan, Ellen, graceful on the surface, but paddling like fuck underneath

Current Playlist (i'm going to feature some songs that i'm currently listening to at the end of each blog post!)

This Kiss - Carly Rae Jepson

Ghost Me - Stay Golden

Shiver, Shiver - Walk The Moon

Big Mouth Strikes Again - The Smiths

If These Sheets Were The States - All Time Low

Stutter - Darren Criss

Ho Hey - The Lumineers

Until next time, 

Ellen.

where else can you find me?

here are some other social networking sites that I can be found on! come say hey!

Twitter
Tumblr
Pinterest
Last.fm
Instagram: @ellebolger

welcome to my blog!

This first post is going to be pretty inconsequential, let's look at is an introduction! 

Where to begin? Let's see: my name is Ellen. I'm eighteen. I was born and raised in Waterford, Ireland. I adore sunshine, music, fashion, and adventures. i am surrounded by the best people in the world. my family and friends are the greatest. I will consider my life fulfilled if I have traveled the world! 

That's basically all you need to know for now!

This is my first proper blog, although I do have a tumblr account, it's not really the same! This will be less pictures and more thoughts, or at least I plan for it to be! I will mainly be posting my daily musings, book/movie/music review, recipes that I love, fashion and beauty pieces, and other random tidbits that my brain conjures up!

Join me on this magical journey, won't you?!