Tuesday 24 September 2013

L'oreal does nudes...

'A tailor made nude lip look:shades for every skin tone.' 

I really do love L'Oreal lipsticks they have an extensive colour range, different formulas and finishes and they last reasonably well on the lip. I must say after seeing the adverts for the new Colour riche collection privee:nudes range , I was excited. I have so many red and pink lipsticks that I just want to find a lovely nude.

In the UK the new limited edition collection features 6 'nude' shades that have been customized and chosen by 6 of the L'Oreal 'because you're worth it' ladies. Each shade is paired to suit that particular spokeswomen's skin tone- The 6 lucky ladies are Julianne Moore,Frieda Pinto,Doutzen Kroes,Eva Longoria,Cheryl and Lida. 



I opted for the Doutzen Kroes 'nude' as she probably has the nearest colouring to myself. Firstly I love the packaging it's slick, matte and looks a lot more expensive than £9. This lipstick is super creamy and melts beautifully onto the lip and strangely smells like Parma violets.
Now in the bullet this lipstick looks an almost Barbie pink rather than nude which was the first disappointment, secondly the colour just didn't transfer onto my lips. Instead it left a sheer , frosted slightly pink - pretty yes , what I wanted? well not exactly.
The formula is bang on I just wish the colour was a little more pigmented.
You can indeed see the lipstick in this photo but I did put about 4 coats on 

 If this collection has tickled you're fancy you can pick it up from Boots for £8.19 and it is on buy one get one free at the moment.

Sunday 22 September 2013

Experimenting with coconut oil



A few weeks back I picked up some coconut oil for purely culinary uses , not only does it taste really good but it has rather a few health benefits.  It's a healthier form of fat and is better than using an olive oil at high temperatures as olive often oxidizes. It is also been proved to help boost the metabolism and control weight (try 1 tbsp each morning - slowly building up to 4tbsp a day).
I had heard a lot about how coconut oil had a number of beauty benefits but kind of shrugged them off - that was until today when I deciding to do some experimenting.

THE MAKE UP REMOVER  :  
For this experiment I put on a thick winged eye and some foundation and well put the coconut oil to the test. I began my warming the oil and then applied it to my face, paying particular attention around the eye. I then took the oil off with some cotton pads - simple as pie! 
Results:  Sure enough as the oil broke down the make up removed. Almost like the Emma Hardie cleansing balm just a whole lot Oilier . I did also have to neaten things up with a little Bioderma but the majority was removed. Now I'm not saying I'd completely ditch my regular cleanser but I would defiantly use it perhaps once a week as it left my skin feeling nourished. 



THE SHAVING OIL:
If anything was going to work it was going to be the shaving oil and boy it did not disappoint. I think this ones pretty self explanatory. 
Results:   What I really loved about using the oil is that the water simply bounced off so that the skin was left moisturised whilst I cleaned my razor. The razor also glided over the skin rather than catching on dry patches- I honestly can't say how many times I've cut or scared myself whilst shaving. This is something that will defiantly be added into my body care regime. 

THE SUGAR SCRUB: 
Mix 2 tbsp of coconut oil+ 2 tbsp of sugar + 2tbsp of shower gel = a oil,scrub gel hybrid.
Results: This was a delightful little scrub that has left my skin feeling nourished,healthy and glowing. I have honestly never felt my skin so smooth after using this and the shaving oil. Dare I say this may replace my Soap and glory breakfast scrub (if only it didn't smell so good.)


So next time you're in the supermarket why not pick up a jar of this and give it a whirl ? if all else fails it's really good with pancakes or roast potatoes - shouldn't work but it really does .
I picked mine up from Waitrose for about £6.99 and I know Tesco do one as well. Alternatively Holland&Barrett have an extensive range .






Friday 20 September 2013

Autumn Cooking #1 - Pear and Blackberry crumble tray bake

Not only do I love Autumn make up , I absolutely love Autumn cooking - I love the way you can whip something up which can warm and comfort the soul(cheesy !.)  With this I thought I'd do 4 weekly posts which feature some of my favourite dishes. 

First up Blackberries , now I personally think at this time of the year you may as well pick you're own ( look below for my top tips for blackberry picking) 

The berries at the front are frozen NOT mouldy haha 

What you will need : 

  • 25g S-R flour
  • 25g unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp demerara sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 3 tsp ground almonds 
For the sponge :
  • 175g S-R flour
  • 175g unsalted butter
  • 175g demerara sugar 
  • 2tsp cinnamon 
  • 3 eggs 
  • 2tbsp elderflower cordial
  • 200g peeled and chopped pears
  • 200g blackberries(I soaked mine in 2tbsp of amaretto)
  1. Heat the oven to 180C/160C(fan) and grease you're chosen tin
  2. Put flour,butter,sugar,almonds and cinnamon in a bowl and rub together until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Put this to one side as its the crumble topping. 
  3. For the cake: cream together butter and sugar. 
  4. Add the flour,cinnamon,eggs and elder flower cordial and beat until combined. Gently fold in the pears,blackberries and amaretto into the mixture. 
  5. Pop into the tin and sprinkle with the crumble topping. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. 
  6. Allow to cool and serve 
Inspired by this recipe



Bridgey's top tips for blackberry picking:
  1. Firstly be careful , blackberries after all do live in brambles and it is not unlikely to find the odd nettle. Longs can be a god send especially as you might have to climb over some brambles.
  2. Secondly if you are planning on picking some blackberries take along a container - in fact maybe just always have a spare in the car or a poo bag at this time of the year. worse comes to worse use a coat pocket (and yes my Barbour jacket now has a lovely blackberry stained pocket) 
  3. Now nobody wants pee flavoured blackberries so don't pick to low to the ground.  On that note make sure you wash you're berries before consumption. 
  4. However you can freeze you're blackberry booty but if you do don't wash them before freezing. 
  5. Finally don't be greedy when picking as the chances are someone will love blackberry picking just as much.
So I do apologise that this was such a long post but honestly these taste amazing especially with a dash of cream or custard. 
Don't wanna miss out on this little series follow feed the sharks on bloglovin






Wednesday 18 September 2013

Lets get to know one another ...

A while back I did a 20 things about me post. I thought I'd do a similar one for a few reasons 1)  I want to make a lot more effort with this blog and well I thought if you're reading this blog you'd like to know a bit about me. 2) I love posts like this. 3) I'm intrigued to know any of you're beauty hints and tips :)


Excuse the odd photograph just rather like the eyeshadow haha 





General : 

1) 21 going on 22 , recently graduated with a 2.1 in History(this is my proudest moment to date!). Now going onto my MA in journalism.

2)  I love food , I love to cook , bake and mainly eat. About 3 years ago I had the best seafood linguine ever in the South of France - I continue to search for anything remotely close.

3) I love being outdoors and it breaks my heart that I don't live by the beach any more.

4) 2013 has been an amazing year so far .

5) My favourite TV shows are midsummer murders( I prefer the John Nettles episodes), Great British bake off and Downton Abby .

6) I am engaged .

7) Although I hate that I don't live near all of my best friends I do love that when we do see one another nothing has changed .

8) I have a very interesting taste in music and love going to see live music. IN the past few years I have being lucky to see Bruce Springsteen, Foo Fighters and Beyonce.

9) I love to paint and find art galleries incredibly relaxing.

10) My friends joke that when I am older I will have a house full of pets - so far I have a hamster, rabbit, 2 x guinea pigs and the family dog.  Thankfully only the hamster lives with us at the moment.

Beauty:

1) YES I am a natural blonde !

2) My skin is normal to dry

3) My favourite perfume is Chanel Coco Mademoiselle

4) Kate Moss is my ultimate style and beauty icon ( remember that one)

5) The sea air is great for you're skin - my mummy told me so

6) I could spend hours in Sephora or Space NK

7) In my eyes a red lip is a timeless classic - my go to lipstick would be MAC ruby woo

8) Since putting the straighteners down and using less heat my hair has never felt better

9) My top tip - clean you're brushes regularly , I'm a big fan of Dr. Bronner

10) Currently my favourite make up brands are Nars, Chanel and Revlon

So there we have it 20 facts about your's truly.  I hope you enjoyed this little post . I'd love to hear any of you're beauty hints and tips?  Anything you're mum,gran or friends passed onto you?

Comment below or give me a tweet @brigid_farrell

Sunday 15 September 2013

my summer in Canada #2

So you will have by now guessed or picked up on the fact that this summer I spent two months in Northern Canada. I worked as the head of cooking and as a counseller for 9 year old girls.  Although I loved being in Canada and I can truly say it was one of the best summers I've ever had - it certainly wasn't easy !
I thought I'd do a little bit of a pro's and con's list to the experience because quite frankly I've struggled to describe how fantastic this experience was. I also thought this was a great way of putting it into perspective for any one interested in doing something similar .

Pros- 

  • You are able to experience a new culture whilst earning some dollar and you can truly explore without feeling like a tourist. 
  • SUNSHINE!! Canada is a beautiful country and Camp Timberlane is a perfect example of this - based around a massive fresh water lake, camp was literally like the Parent trap (when Lindsay Lohan was cute) .
  • For me it helped boost my confidence , self esteem and helped me decide what I want to do with the rest of my life.- dramatic huh?  James and I are even saving our pennies to possibly live in Canada 
  • This gives you an opportunity to make amazing friends not only with your fellow staff but also the campers .  You also get to do and see things you perhaps wouldn't have the chance to do at home. 
  •  It's one of the best feelings to hear you've done a fantastic job :) 


So one of the biggest misconceptions of working in a summer camp is that you are just having a jolly good holiday and yes you get to have fun and chill - it is still a job at the end of the day. 

Cons- 
  • It is literally a 24 hour job , you  have to watch the kids constantly and a great responsibility is put onto you're shoulders - one of our directors did say 'when the child is at camp you become the parent.' 
  • You don't get a huge pay check and it is very very expensive to fly out etc...
  • It is a long time away from family and loved ones . 



Wednesday 11 September 2013

The new skincare additions

Literally every time I'd go into boots ,I'd pick up Hydraluron put it into my basket and swiftly put it back on the gleaming white shelf. I just didn't seem to be able to decide if I actually needed this much hyped product?
However last week I noticed Indeed labs was on reduction so finally Hydraluron and his beautiful brother eysilix were welcomed into my home. 

Hydraluron- moisture booster with the purest Hyaluronic acid (£24.99 at Boots)

So what does it do?
'increases skin hydration from below the surface with an ultra-high-quality hyaluronic acid that holds up to 1,000 times it's weight in water.'  
Hydraluron aims to reinforce the natural moisture of the skin, plumps the skins tissue and aids visibly radiant and youthful skin. 
So I was skeptical at first but you know my skin just feels so good now it does have a radiant glow, my make up and moisturiser both sit more comfortably on the skin and those horrid dry patches aren't as scaly. 



Eysilix- Instant eye rescue (£24.99 at boots)

'The first ever 10 peptide eye cream that instantly lifts,reduces the appearance of puffiness and dark circles while targeting fine lines,wrinkles,crows feet and tired eyes.' 
So under eye circles are one of my major issues of concern - I've struggled with eye creams and concealers but it still looks like I've got 6 BIG suitcases under my peepers. Yet at £24.99 this little bad boy has made me feel that little bit more at ease with the way my eyes look. I really do feel as if my under eyes have lifted , puffiness reduced and the dark circles are slowly disappearing. Now I know the under eye problem will always be an issue but I do feel a little bit more comfortable after using Eysilix.

So are these indeed labs offerings worth the hype? YES!!! to put it simply

Have you tried any of the indeed labs products? lemme know what you though :)





  

Sunday 8 September 2013

Making it last with Smashbox

L-R Photo finish lid primer , Photo finish foundation primer and Photo finish hydrating eye primer  

With my graduation and grad ball being this week, I knew there would be a lot of photographs and videos taken and I'd want my make up to look it's best for as long as possible. Primer is a step I often forget about and yet get frustrated that my make up hasn't lasted all night. Smashbox is a brand I'd heard a lot about especially after a friend purchased the blemish control primer I figured it was about time I gave it a go.  
This little try me kit consists of three of Smashboxes biggest sellers. 

Photo Finish lid primer-  
Out of the three this was my least favourite of the set- yes it glided onto the eyelids beautifully but I just found the colour was just a little too dark on the lid and I just prefer the Urban Decay Primer potion. Saying that my eye shadow did last well all night. 

Photo Finish foundation primer-
WOW! I am seriously impressed with this little bottle of goodness. An oil free silicone based primer which leaves a soft matte finish . My skin felt amazing after using the primer. I'm not usually a fan of a matte finish but I found this kept a subtle glow whilst minimizing shine. Whats more you literally only need a pea sized amount to cover the face. 

Photo Finish hydrating under eye primer-
Billed as your 'concealer's BFF with 10 under-eye benefits' and boy it really is I love it especially as it brightens dark circles and keeps concealer put for the rest of the night ... perfect!!!

I strongly urge any one to try this kit , at £14.00 you can't go wrong available at Boots and Smashbox

and a cheeky little graduation picture ;)

Tuesday 3 September 2013