Friday 27 December 2013

A perfect palette ?



I'll throw it out there , I am genuinely in love with this little palette from Laura Mercier. 
This is the palette that does it all it you can create a perfect smokey eye, add a pop of colour and finish it all off with a slick of gloss. 
I can't help but gush over this palette , admitedly I hadn't used anything from Laura Mercier before but I am now itching to try more and I'm especially eyeing up another second skin cheek colour. 
In the Laura Mercier Colour-to-go in natural nudes comes with four eye shadows to create an easy going smokey eye , two cheek colours and a lip gloss.  
  
I hear you exclaim all this in one little palette?  Yes it's true. 
This palette is great for travelling or popping in you're hand bag rather than carting everything but the kitchen sink. 
The bad news is that I can't seem to find these palettes in stock anywhere else online so I'd defiantly recommend snapping one up if you see it around. 

Laura Mercier colour-to-go palette - natural nudes  £31.00  



Thursday 26 December 2013

Merry Christmas





HAPPY CHRISTMAS BOYS AND GIRLS, HOPE SANTA WAS GOOD TO YOU ALL !! 

Just a quick little post to say happy Christmas and just let you all know whats going down in the world of Feed the sharks ... 

1) I will be blogging a lot more and giving feed the sharks a lot more attention . I am looking into a blog re-design so if anyone knows of anyone? lemme know 

2) I will be the first to admit that I have being a little lack on the beauty/blog front, in honesty I've just had too much work and struggled to get back into a groove ! 

3) I'd love to know what posts you guys fancy seeing? or any  tips for  getting back into blogging? again lemme know below ! 

4) Finally thanks for all the support and those of you who follow it does make my day :) 

If you do wanna follow it's super easy 

on either Bloglovin or have a chat over on twitter @brigid_farrell 

so there you have it and I'll see you all tomorrow (if I haven't turned into a Christmas pudding) 

Tuesday 24 December 2013

The Ultimate unwind






First things first I've not had much time to blog recently apart from two that went up the other night but they are getting assessed for my course so really I've not had any time. 
When I've not been doing uni work I've been at work no rest for the wicked eh? 
I've finally got some free time and a pamper evening is definitely on the cards which leads my nicely onto today's post :)

I offer you some tips for a perfect pamper and a good nights sleep in time for Santa's arrival.

I love having a lovely hot bath when it's cold and I'm tired as it's a great way to relax. I love to use the Life Ultimate unwind body wash which just smells divine! I then pop a little bit of lavender oil in the bath to boost the relaxation.
For me bath time is truly a time to unwind so I tend to stick on the face mask and catch up on a book .
After the bath I like to banish technology from our bedroom and light a candle or two ... currently I'm using the St Eval candle company tranquility candle but another favourite is Neom tranquility 
 Whilst I'm pottering around and catching up on some reading I spray my pillow with the Neom pillow spray and enjoy a cup of sleepy tea.
My favourites are either the Clipper Snore & peace infusion or Pukka night time tea.
Finally if I'm feeling really restless I'll pop a teeny bit of the badger sleep balm on my pulse points and breath in the floral scent.
I really love this balm and find it really does help me to drift off to the land of nodd... I did a blog post a while back about it here--->http://feedthesharks.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/badger-sleep-balm.html



Sunday 22 December 2013

Eat and be merry


We are officially in the festive period and therefore all diets go down the toilet. 
It's a perfect excuse to have a few extra mince pies and that chocolate bar that's in you're handbag. 
I love to bake my friends and family treats as little gifts and one of my go to bakes is a calorific Caramel shortbread. 
If you're still watching the calories then look away because this is not for the faint hearted. 


250g plain flour, 75g caster sugar , 175g softened butter , 100g butter, 100g muscavado sugar , 1 can of condensed milk and 200g milk chocolate.



1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees and grease your chosen tin, we used a big cake tin because we couldn't find anything else :)
2. For the shortbread rub together 175g butter, 250g plain flour and 75g of caster sugar in a big bowl. Then using a spatula press into the bottom of your tin. You then need to prick the base and pop in the oven for 20 minutes. Allow to cool.



3. Now for the best bit ... The caramel .   Measure out 100g of butter and 100g of muscavado sugar then pop into a pan and melt. Pour in a can of condensed milk (save a little bit for yourself as its very yummy!).
Bring to the boil , stirring constantly and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Stir for about 5 minutes or until thick.
Pour over the shortbread and allow to cool .



4. Your nearly there , for the topping melt some chocolate and pour over the caramel/shortbread base.
Leave to set and cut into pieces .






Thursday 19 December 2013

Why do you wear make up?

A friend of mine recently said that now she has a boyfriend she doesn’t see the need to wear a lot of make up when we go on nights out. These left me thinking why do so many of us wear make-up or more to the point why do I wear make - up?   Believe it or not I’ve even had people suggest that I’m a Barbie doll because of my love of all things beauty and that I am abandoning the feminist ‘fight’. What rubbish!

The Telegraph recently did an article estimating how much the average women spends on beauty in her lifetime- it’s around £18,000 in case you were wondering! Is this because we feel we must in order to please those around us, is it clever marketing or is it something deeper? Is it because we compare ourselves to the likes of Kim Kardashian who is famous for her fantastically contoured make up style? Is it that we are constantly told that having wrinkles or blemishes is unattractive so we buy the most expensive anti-wrinkle cream in the hope that it will work?

 No I don’t buy all of that. For me it isn’t about pleasing those around me , I live with my boyfriend and I’m more than happy for him to see my naked face and I’m certainly not that girl who has to have her face on to go to the shops. I’m happy not to wear make –up. It’s just that I feel more comfortable and confident with make up on. It’s something I am interested in; it doesn’t mean that I am giving into anybody else rather I can wear what I want because I am my own person! It’s about me!


So I leave you with the question why do you wear make-up? 

The rise of Counterfeit cosmetics

The rise of counterfeit cosmetics.
Anybody who knows me will tell you that I love all things beauty related. Be it a new high end foundation or a latest release from Urban Decay.  I would say I was a little bit of a collector but this doesn’t come cheap. What drives me raving mad though are those retailers’ often on eBay and Amazon who try and exploit this obsession by selling fake and frankly dangerous products.  

Online retailers are seeing growing numbers of counterfeit cosmetics being sold on their websites.  These cosmetics may look legitimate, with nearly identical packaging but be warned what’s inside could be very dangerous indeed.  Often these counterfeit goods contain ingredient’s that will at best aggravate the skin but at worst due to high levels of lead poison both the body and the brain.

These counterfeit cosmetics are so disgustingly convincing, they have slick selling pages and plenty of positive reviews. I know a bit about make-up and I have fallen for these scams so what chance does a young teenage girl starting to buy make up have? They are being tricked into using the little
 money they have to buy a product that could do them a great deal of harm.

I can completely see why people try to find a cheaper alternative; I mean who really wants to pay thirty odd pounds every time their foundation runs out. But it is disgraceful the way that these fake companies feel they can con people into buying their goods.


So my advice is to hit the drugstores instead.  Many of the brands you find in Boots and Superdrug are owned by the same companies as the high end brands and contain the same formulas.  You might not get the packaging but you won’t get the rashes or poisoning either.

Sunday 15 December 2013

The Marmite foundation


Nars sheer Glow 


I call this my marmite foundation because it's one of those that splits a crowd. Some love it, some hate it . Me I just sit in the middle one minute I love it, the next I hate it. 
I've put off doing this review because I just couldn't decide how I felt and yet 5 months later I still can't. I really want to love it because so far Nars has never let me down. 
First things first I'm sure this isn't the right colour for me but it's the one the woman matched me too.
 Let's get it out of the way I like many others hate the packaging, if I'm paying £30 odd I want a pump! 
I was lucky enough to get given this one in a local Space NK so it's worth asking about but I notice they've started selling it online, maybe because of Christmas? 

This is where I start to get a little bit confused, I don't think it's a sheer foundation instead the coverage is more around the medium but it does even the skin tone and hides blemishes. 
What I do really like about this foundation is that it does give the skin a beautiful glow. 
It isn't dewy nor is it matte it just gives a healthy glow from within. 
This foundation also doesn't have any SPF in so it's great for flash photography especially around the festive period. 

So you know what I think I'll stick with it and see what happens maybe I'll edge of f the fence soon enough.

p.s It's only ten days till Christmas!!!!! :D 






Monday 9 December 2013

Winter warmer #4 Christmas Markets

Christmas markets are great , you can buy a whole load of unique and quirky gifts whilst eating amazing foods and having fun. 
This weekend my family and I toddled along to the Lincoln Christmas market . 
It's a lovely way to get in the festive mood and pick up some gifts.  
The Lincoln market was one of the first German style Christmas markets. Walking around you're nose is opened to a number of different scents, you see gifts you just hadn't thought of before  and there's always a good fudge stand or two ! 
I spent most of the day eating and playing on the fun fayre instead of buying gifts ... OPPS! 
Instead of yacking on about the market I thought I'd show some of the pictures I took. 







I have such a weakness for these !and I acquired a taste for roasted chestnuts 




Feeling a little camera shy


Lincoln really is a beautiful  city  and has some of the most remarkable sunsets 




Apologies that this was a rather picture heavy post but I hope you enjoyed it all the same. 
I'm off to York next weekend  for some Christmas shopping,more markets and hopefully lunch at Betty's. 

What's your favorite way of getting into the festive mood?
comments below 

Saturday 7 December 2013

"Life's too short to wear boring nail polish"



Ciate mini mani month advent calender: 




Originally I wasn't planning on buying the ciate advent calender because it honestly thought it was a novel but for some strange reason I couldn't get it out of my head ... it took over - slight exaggeration! my sister and I decided to go halves and we would share it in the festive spirit. 
Side story aside I love the little calender, it's like your getting a little present everyday. 
The calender comes with 17 mini paint pots in a selection of different colours, from nudes to brights then over to the sparkles!  You also get 4 caviar blends, glitter, sequin pot, funnel and a mini luxe treatment. A little bit of everything to create a number of different looks over the party season. 

Ciate have really come up trumps with the packaging , I really like the little quotes on the calender doors yes some are incredibly girly but you know some are actually a little bit inspiring ...  I really do love this calender , the colours look amazing my only teeny gripe is that I wish they hadn't put which polishes you get on the back . I want a surprise!

Yes advent's started but hey you could just catch up on the days you missed , or you could buy this as a little treat to yourself but personally I think this would be a nice gift for any Nail lover. 
If you do fancy snapping this up it's still available at Selfridges, Asos and Space Nk  for £42 or you could ask Santa very nicely :) 
I also remember last year seeing this in the boxing day sales but I think you'd have to snap it up quickly and I can't guarantee they would do it again this year . 


Have a nice weekend :) 



Monday 2 December 2013

Mavala Tree angels



Beauty products are slowly taking over Christmas . With the likes of Benefit and Ciate doing advent calenders, Liz Earle baubles and Lancome crackers.  
It combines two of my favourite loves beauty and christmas and I have fallen hook line and sinker for all this merchandising but I've been rather good and only picked up the Ciate calender and these super cute tree decorations. 


How can you not say these little polishes aren't cute ?  
I picked up the shades black diamond and gold diamond and they are perfect for the festive period. 
The black diamond is an opaque greyish black with fine silver glitter and the gold diamond is a clear polish with gold glitter running through. The gold looks lovely on it's own but for a nice festive twist I think it would be beautiful teamed with a red or berry shade. 
The polishes applied really well, gave a strong colour pay off and only needed two coats.  
For me \I am usually put off glitter polishes because they are a pain in the bum to remove but these wiped off with a slick of remover .
 This left me very very happy! 

Thumb round - Gold diamond alone, black diamond alone, gold diamond over a black polish and black diamond over a black polish. 
At £4.50 these would make for a lovely tree decoration or as a little stocking filler for those we love.  
They are definatly something worth considering for girlfriends, bestfriends, sisters and mothers . 
Just a little warning they aren't the easiest of things to find but if you go on the Mavala website you can find a shop that stocks these near you . 

In the run up to christmas I'm going to do a gift idea post every Monday so keep ypur eyes peeled ;)  



Sunday 1 December 2013

winter warmer #3 - Candles

It's offically Christmas season! 
I opened the first door of my Thorntons calender , we bought the tree and we will be decorating that tonight ... 
So for today's winter warmer I thought I'd do a little post about one of my favourite things ... CANDLES . 
Now I'd be lying if I said I don't burn candles all year round but come winter I love having cosy scents and them flickering in the background.  Here's a little insight to some of my top picks for Winter. 

The sweet :



Lily-flame Comfort and joy -   I really love Lilly flame candles , there affordable , smell amazing ,have a massive choice and a good burn time so all in all a perfect candle brand.  Comfort and Joy definatly lives up to it's name one sniff and I smile . The website says it smells of ginger bread but for me it smells like chai latte either way it's delicious. 

Wax Lyrical Gingerbread-  Who said candles need to cost a lot? I picked this little cutie from Tescos when doing the food shop.  It's not strongly scented but it does leave a nice gingerbread smell in the house. To be honest I couldn't say no to the little fella on the front.

Gingerbread lane reviver oil -    If you hadn't guessed I love the smell of gingerbread, it's one of my favourite festive smells(just wait until I bake gingerbread then the raving begins).  This little oil is from the Gingerbread shop in grasmere-The lake district. It's perfect for popping on pot pourri or in a burner. 


The comforting:


St Eval candle company JOY - I'm lucky enough that theres loads of little independent home boutiques near my house which means finding lots of new candle brands, it's not so good for the old bank balance.   I have a couple from the St Eval candle company but JOY has to be my favourite it's beautiful and fresh- perfect for scenting the bedroom. This scent is based on mimosa and it is delightful. 

Yankee Candle Fireside treats -   I'm gunna need a new one of these as mines nearly all done. A smokey vanilla this is so comforting and definatly reminds me of making smores around the campfire in Canada. It's got a bit more substance than your usual vanilla candle. 

Flame homeware hot toddy -  This sweetly spiced candle lifts the room and really does smell of Christmas ... I'm even left wanting some mulled cider by simply sniffing it ... 


And the extra mention...

I thought I'd just give a little mention to this little Christmas candle idea that you may fancy copying... We already had a big lantern with a candle in so I just added some Cranberrys to the bottom so it looked a little more festive. 
We also have a real tree so the pine scent is filling the room as I type this!  I love real trees <3 



Hope you've all had a lovely weekend and are getting prepared for the festive period 
What are your favourite christmas scents?  Lemme know below :)