LASIK Update - two weeks on

So its been 2 weeks since my LASIK surgery and I just thought I would give an update.

In terms of overall effect, it's amazing. It is phenomenal to go from being legally blind to just being able to wake up and see without any glasses or contacts.

My right eye when seeing on its own is quite blurry. The doctor told me sight fluctuates for about a month so it may change, but if it doesn't I may have to get a 'touch up'. Apparently a touch up is not as complicated as the flap is already created so there shouldn't be as much a problem with this as there was with the surgery. My left eye is perfect though, and with both eyes open, my sight is great.

In terms of comfort levels, I've really had no problems. For the first week or so my eyes were a little dry when I woke up but once I used drops, the dryness went away. Its my last day to use artificial tears today but I'm already finding there's not really much dryness anymore.

The only discomfort I find is that every now and again I find tv lights and computer lights to be a little uncomfortable, but this is normal as eyes are supposed to be sensitive to light for a while. Sunlight doesn't bother me too much but since I live in Ireland, there's not too much sun.

I haven't been driving at night so can't comment on any kind of starbursts or halos but when I start driving, I will update you.

The most irritating thing for me has been not being able to wash my own hair for 2 weeks and also no makeup. Tomorrow I'll be allowed resume these activities again and so can start going back about my normal life. I feel like its only then I'll be able to notice the real difference but I am so excited to see whats in store for me and how much simpler my life is going to be.

Have any of you guys had LASIK? I'd love to hear your experiences.

XOXO,

B

My LASIK Experience

Hey everyone, 

Apologies I've been gone for so long but as I've said in my last post I have been busy with finals and was in the USA. About a week ago I got laser eye surgery (LASIK to  be specific) and thought it might be a good idea to share my experiences with you guys in case any of you were interested or considering it yourself.

So my whole journey to eye surgery really began when I was 8 and was told I needed to wear glasses. I remember being really upset by the fact I'd have to wear them for the rest of my life. Fast forward about 5 or 6 years when I discovered contact lenses. I was hesitant to try them at first as I was concerned they'd cause damage to my eyes but quickly got over this concern and had been alternating between glasses and contacts ever since. Really the majority of time I was out of my house I would wear contacts, and I would wear glasses all the time when I was staying in. My eyes apparently didn't produce a lot of tears when I wore contacts so they would become irritated after about 8 hours of wearing them and I was told that realistically I shouldn't be wearing them for more than 6 hours at a time. For the past year or so, contacts were irritating my eyes more and more, and it just became a hassle to put them in, so last summer I decided to look into getting laser eye surgery.

The first stage for laser surgery is to choose your surgeon. My optician recommended a doctor who was top of his field and I did my own research and found no negative reviews, so I decided to have a pre-op consultation with him. This consultation is very important as it determines whether or not you are a candidate for laser surgery. There are various reasons why you would not be a candidate such as too high a prescription, dry eyes, etc. Despite the fact that I had terrible eyesight (-7.00 in contacts), I was a candidate. I was told that I was not suitable for LASEK but was suitable for LASIK as I had very thick corneas and a high prescription. I decided not to go ahead with the surgery last summer just because I was very busy at the time and felt I hadn't researched enough about it, but this summer I decided it was time. 

I was absolutely terrified going into the surgery. I am one of those people who likes to know exactly what is going to happen so I had done a lot of googling and watching youtube videos. They both reassured me and made me even more worried at the same time. After my research I was very concerned about suction loss (which I will explain later), and so I asked about this during my preop. The surgeon told me not to worry as this only happened to 1 in 100 people and wasn't really much of a problem if it occurred. I had to check in for surgery an hour before the actual surgery would take place. On arrival, they gave me a valium which is part of standard procedure to ensure you are not too nervous going into surgery. I was hesitant to take the valium as I had read about people taking it being completely out of it, but let me just tell you, it didn't have any effect on me whatsoever. They offered 2mg, 5mg and 10mg. I took the 5mg but would recommend for people to take the 10mg to calm themselves.

When it was time for surgery I was brought into a little room where numbing drops were put into my eyes. This was a really odd feeling that I do not know how to describe. I was then brought into a slightly bigger room which had two huge machines. The clinic I had my surgery in uses intralase procedure (i.e. the flap is created with a laser as opposed to a mechanical device), and so one of these was the laser for the flap creation, and the other one (the eximer laser) was the one that actually does that treatment).  I lay down on a chair that reclines all the way and had my head secured by an inbuilt pillow sort of thing on each side. The nurse cleaned my eye area with antiseptic and put some antiseptic eye drops in my eyes. Then it was time.

I was moved under one of the machines and told to look up at a little red light. This was just to focus my eye on one area so the suction could be applied. After the procedure I was shown what exactly the suction is. It is a little plastic ring that they push gently onto your eye and is attached to a needle. When they have placed the suction ring, they release the needle so that it 'sucks' onto you eye. Having read about others experiences, I had no idea what to expect. Some say the suction feels like your eye being sucked out of your head and others say its like someone pressing the palm of their hand on your eye. What I experienced was absolutely nothing to be worrying about. It literally just felt slightly more forceful than the pressure I would put on my eye wiping off my eye makeup (keep in mind, I'm not exactly delicate taking my makeup off). If you press your finger firmly on your eye, that's what it feels like. However, there was an issue when it came to my suction (yes I was one of the hundred he was talking about...probably worse to be honest). When I was moved under the laser that creates the flap, they lost suction. I became nervous, worrying about the pain that I had read about when they have to reapply suction. It was a bit more uncomfortable the second time but I think that was because the numbing drops were starting to wear off and that my eye was swollen from the first suction. The surgeon applied suction again, but once again my eye lost suction. At this stage I was freaking out, not knowing why it wasn't working. 

The surgeon then decided to move onto my second eye (the right eye), before he tried the first one again. The second eye worked no problem the first time. When the crap is being created, I did not feel any change in pressure from when the suction was originally applied. Some people say your vision is lost during flap creation but I could see the whole time (obviously it was blurry considering how bad my sight was). When the flap was made, I was moved back under the first laser. The surgeon taped my eyelashes back but didn't even use that horrible clamp thing you see in photos of laser surgery. I could then feel him using an instrument to fold back the flap. There was no pain or discomfort at all. I was then asked to focus on the red light again, so the actually laser treatment could be done. All I will say for this is prepare yourself for noise. It sounds like a firing squad. I couldn't really feel anything though except a slight hot sensation at the end. I could however smell my eye burning which I found very odd. The surgeon then applied some drops in my eye and closed my flap over. He then placed a plastic patch over my eye to keep me from rubbing it.

Then it was time for the left eye again. To my dismay, once again suction was lost and so the doctor decided to hold off until the following week to try again as he said it was unlikely to keep suction as my eye was now quite swollen. Because of this, mixed with the valium I would say,  I came out of the procedure very upset which probably scared off any patients waiting to go in. I was brought into a pitch dark room with a reclining chair and told to wait there for 20. The salt from my tears really began stinging my eyes and it was not a comfortable 20 minutes. This was probably my own fault for crying though to be fair. After 20 minutes, I was brought back in to see the doctor so he could check on the eye that worked, which seemed to be doing well. He scheduled me in for the second eye for the next week. 

To be honest I don't remember much for the rest of that day. I was so distraught about having only one eye done that I wasn't really focused on pain or anything. The eye that wasn't done was actually more irritating than the one that was done because of all the swelling. I was told to go home and sleep for 2 hours which I did. I then dozed on and off for the rest of the day because I was so tired. I was given eye drops to use which I will explain later. The next day, I was brought back in for my post-op consultation and told that my right eye was healing well.

Let me just say the days leading up to my second attempt had me sick with worry. The right eye was recovering well and I found it fantastic how well I could see. But this was overshadowed by the fact I was extremely dizzy from having great eyesight in one eye and being legally blind in the other. I had to go and buy an eyepatch for one eye so that I could keep myself balanced. 

The day of the second surgery, I was a bundle of nerves. I was significantly more worried than I was the last time. All I kept thinking to myself was that this may not work, I may be stuck with one eye that can see and one eye that can't. Do they make special glasses for this? Will I need to use a contact in one eye? Everything possible was going through my head.  They were running an hour behind with surgery which was making me even more agitated. Once again I went into the room with the lasers and had my numbing drops. I was told this time they weren't using antiseptic drops in my eyes because that could cause loss of suction as they can leave a greasy residue. 

This time I was shaking quite badly I was that nervous. Once again, I was told to look at the red dot so they could place the suction on. I was moved over to the other laser and after what felt like forever, they lost suction again. I felt devastated. I really thought it had worked. The doctor told me they were 90% of the way there when it lost suction. He then said 'ok last try', which didn't really help my nerves to be honest. I asked him could he count down how long was left until the flap was created while the suction. He agreed and FINALLY it worked. I let out the biggest sigh of relief. It was finally done. I didn't even mind having to have the flap lifted or the laser used just because I knew it would work.

I had the biggest smile on my face when I was moved into the dark room again as finally, I had my laser surgery done and dusted. This time I paid more attention to pain etc as I knew I wanted to write this blog post. To be perfectly honest, what I felt like was that there was a bit of diluted shampoo in my eye. This only lasted from the time I was put in the dark room until the time I got home (which was about an hour in total). By the time I was to head to bed for my nap, the pain was gone. I could feel absolutely nothing for the rest of the day.

In terms of eyedrops, they are very important. For the first 2 days I needed to apply antibiotic drops and anti-inflammatory drops every 2 hours. On the second day, I had to introduce artificial tears every two hours. After a couple of days, the antibiotic and anti-inflammatory drops were to be 4 times daily and the tears still every 2 hours. I am told to stop these drops (other than the tears) after a week, and that the artificial tears can be used as long as I feel I need them.

I feel like this has been a very long post so I will write a part 2 as to my recovery next week sometime.

I hope I didn't put anyone off the procedure too much. Really I was an exception to the rule and it should usually be much simpler than what I went through. If I didn't have the suction loss problem I would say it was a walk in the park. 

If anyone is thinking about getting it done, please don't hesitate to contact me, I'd be delighted to help and happy to give recommendations for any of you in the Dublin area.

XOXO,

B

Quick explanation as to why I've not been posting

Hey everyone,

For those of you who have been following my blog, sorry I haven't been posting recently. I've had some major technical problems with my computer and haven't been able to log in when I eventually get my internet up and running. That problem has been sorted now thankfully.

However, I am currently on study leave for my finals and have been so busy studying that I just don't have time to post. After my finals I'll be going to America for a few weeks so will definitely be blogging about the new products I pick up (I'm so excited to try some new things). I'll also have some news in June that hopefully will provide for some interesting blog posts for you guys.

Hopefully I'll get some posts up before I go to America anyway but for now, thanks for bearing with me guys, haven't given up blogging just yet!

XOXO,

B

Empties

So I've been accumulating a fair few products recently, so thought this would be an ideal time to make an Empties post!

The first was Tresemme's Instant Heat Tamer: not much to say about this. Haven't noticed any crazy differences to the quality of my hair but it does the job and it smells nice!

Victoria's Secret Instant Bronze Body Spray: Not one bit happy to be out of this. Its perfect for those nights you've spontaneously decided to go out and don't have time to wait for a tan to develop. Much more natural colour than any Sally Hansen instant tan. Has a nice bit of shimmer in it too and smells like coconut..SO delicious. Will definitely be stocking up on this again next time I'm near a Victoria's Secret.

Lorac Behind the Scenes primer: Best primer ever. I've gone through a sample size and full sized one of this and have another full sized one open at the minute. Have a separate post on this if anyone's interested.

Benefit They're Real Mascara: Absolutely love this but it dries out so fast. Am now on my second one of these but it's drying out quite quickly too. It's not cheap so I better try something else once I'm done with this tube.

Benefit Bad Gal Lash: This was my holy grail mascara until They're Real came along. Its a great mascara for volumising your lashes and looks fantastic over a coat of They're Real. Won't be repurchasing this soon though since I have a few like it at the minute.

Smashbox Lipgloss in Aura: I love this. One of my favorite lip glosses ever but it's so expensive. I got this mini one in a set of Smashbox glosses and loved it so much I purchased a full sized one. It's a perfect everyday peachy pink shade bit little bits of glitter in it. Not the longest lasting gloss but it does have a lovely formula.

Bourjois Liner Pinceau: This was the first liquid eyeliner I ever tried and I haven't changed since. Lasts all day, works well with my sensitive eyes, and is a really pigmented black colour. The brush is really long and thin making it perfect to sit along the lashes when applying. It doesn't dry out quickly either, I find myself having to replace it because its gone past its use by date rather than because it has dried out. Fantastic eyeliner, haven't found anything that replaces it.

XOXO,

B

Dior 5 Colour Eyeshadow in Rosy Tan

So I made a bit of an expensive makeup purchase a couple of weeks ago, splashing out on the Dior 5 Colour Eyeshadow palette in the shade Rosy Tan. I'd been eyeing this product for months, and the very nice sales assistant was very persuasive, telling me it was the perfect palette for my blue eyes and blonde hair.

First of all, the packaging is just beautiful and so compact.
    

    

Unfortunately, I broke a fundamental blogger rule and used it before taking photos, so I'll have to insert a photo taken from CafeMakeup to show you it in all its glory.


    

The palette includes (going clockwise from left) a very slightly shimmery true pink, a warm deep shimmery brown, a lighter warm brown with a very subtle shimmer in some lights, a silvery glistening brown, and in the centre, a beautiful frosty champagne colour.

My favorite shade is the highlight colour in the centre. The pigmentation is unbelievable, and if you add it to your tear duct it really opens your eyes. I have even used this as a cheek highlight. Another favorite shade is the silvery brown. It is very soft and fantastically pigmented. I was a bit disappointed with the deep brown as it doesn't go on as deep as it looks in the pan.

    


Overall, this palette is perfect for me in the daytime. The pink really brings out my blue eyes, and the other shades subtly define and highlight my eyes. Personally, the shades are not dark enough for a night look for me, as I like quite a deep crease but would be perfect for someone looking for a more natural evening look.

XOXO,

B

Lorac Behind The Scenes Primer- Holy Grail!

I came across my holy grail eye primer about two years ago. Prior to finding it, I had been using Urban Decay's Primer potion, but this was causing my eyelids to dry out and making them flaky. I had bought a Lorac eyeshadow set, which came with a free sample of their primer, and I decided to try it out to see if it was any better than the Urban Decay one.

The primer is slightly thicker than the urban decay one, and is flesh colored when you squeeze it out but goes on clear. I don't have oily eyelids so haven't really had much of a problem with eyeshadows lasting but I did have issues with creasing. This primer fixed that creasing problem, and my eye makeup has lasted 16 hours with it on. The thicker formula was more moisturising on my eyes than the Urban Decay one, so my flaky eyes were quickly cured.

I believe this eye primer is very underrated in the beauty community, and so I just wanted to give it some love since I've gone through the sample, and am now on my second full sized one. I couldn't do without it. It is a shame, however, that it's not available in Ireland so I have to stock up on it in America, but it lasts so long I don't need to restock very often.

Have you found any good eye primers? Let me know!

XOXO,

B

NO 7 Cleanse and Care Eye Makeup Remover

As I've said before, I'm unfortunate enough to have quite sensitive eyes. Last year, the weather caused the skin on my eyelids to become quite flaky (not very pleasant) and this led to my usual method of removing eye makeup (Boots baby wipes) to sting my eyes a little bit. I went into Boots and had a couple of ladies at the counters advise me on what to use and a few recommended the NO 7 Cleanse and Care eye makeup remover, which claims to be suitable for sensitive eyes.

                 

When I used this for the first time, my eye makeup came off quite easily but it left a bit of an oily residue which I didn't like but was willing to deal with. The next morning I woke up to a terrifying sight when I looked in the mirror (and no that wasn't just because I wasn't wearing makeup haha). It looked like I had been in a boxing match with my eyes having been repeatedly punched. They were extremely red and swollen. I had never seen anything like this with my eyes before. The new eye makeup remover was the only thing I had used differently in my routine and I had no allergies, so there was only one place to put the blame.

I would strongly advise against getting this eye makeup remover. It is not good for sensitive eyes despite what it says. I had to take a day off college because I looked that horrendous and it actually took about 3 days for my eyes to go back to normal. Now the only use I have for this bottle of blue oil is to take the glue off my false eyelashes when I take them off. This really was a terrible product which I certainly will not be buying again.

What eye makeup removers do you guys like to use?

XOXO,

B

Victoria's Secret Scent Splash!

Hey guys, sorry it's been a while since my last post, haven't been feeling the best for the last week. Anyway, despite the fact that the weather has been icy cold recently, I am in a ridiculous summery kind of mood, which has lead me into busting out some fresh summer scents. Nobody is better at doing these kind of scents than Victoria's Secret so thought I would tell you about a few of them.

    

The first is their Luscious Kisses fragrance mist which is described as a coconut and passion flower scent. I've never smelt passion flower so don't really know what it smells like but what I can tell you is that this scent makes me feel like I'm somewhere tropical drinking a pina colada. You can definitely smell the coconut in the fragrance along with something fruity. Despite being a fragrance mist, it is quite strong and lasts all day. I've had a couple of friends say it's too sweet but I think it smells delicious.

    

    

The next scent I wish to talk about is their Romantic Wish fragrance mist which contains freesia and cucumber. I love this. It smells so fresh and delicious and everyone I'm around asks me what I'm wearing. You can definitely get the notes of both freesia and cucumber upon spraying. This is a perfect spring/summer scent if you just want something light.


    

    

The final scent I'll talk about today is Pink With a Splash Pretty and Pure body mist which is described as containing jasmine and pink lemonade. I don't know if I can get either of these notes particularly well. It does give both a sweet and floral scent but I just don't get those particular notes. It is a nice sweet and fresh scent but it doesn't last very long at all. I would recommend the first 2 scents over this one.

    

    

What scents are you guys loving at the minute?

 XOXO,

B

Diaries of a Fair Lady- Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation

So as I've said in a previous post Makeup Forever Face and Body foundation is my go to foundation, being the only one that matches me. Well the stockists of Makeup Forever in Dublin (FACE2 on Clarendon Street) are always out of this product. After Christmas, I was running very low on this foundation and thought I had a spare bottle in my drawer. Well, I didn't...so I went in to buy another bottle. They told me they were out of stock and that it would be a whole month before they got it back in. (Note that they have still not contacted me...very poor customer service).This sent me into a panic as I had no foundation that would match me. In my frenzy, I ran into Brown Thomas searching for a shade that would match my pale complexion.

One of the samples I picked up was Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation. The lady at the counter was very nice and advised me to pick up shade 2, which as their palest shade. It looked slightly yellowy in the packaging so I asked did they do shade 1, to which she replied that it had been discontinued since nobody had that pasty of a complexion...I'd beg to differ!

    

I heard fantastic things about this foundation so was very excited to try it. I was a bit disappointed. It clung to all my dry patches and made my pores look very pronounced. For a 'luminous' foundation, I thought it would give my skin a healthy glow but it just made me look like I had very dull, dehydrated skin. Saying that, my skin was very dry at that time due to the cold weather but I have tried it since and it still doesn't look great.

    


In terms of colour, it went on slightly too dark and yellow for my skin and oxidised a touch more so that it really wasn't a good match for me. I could get away with it if I added a touch of bronzer on my neck and chest but for the hefty price tag (about 50 euro or so) this was not what I was looking for.


    

I also found the smell to be very strong and chemical like. I would't have minded this if I loved the product but for those of you sensitive to scents, I'd suggest giving this a try first.

Overall, I was quite disappointed. This may just have been due to the fact that I had such high hopes for it. For those of you with a normal skin tone, I'd say you could definitely find a colour to match you and if you have normal to slightly oily skin this may look great. For me, it just didn't work.

Have any of you guys tried this foundation? What did you think?

XOXO,

B

Liebster Award!

First of all I would like to say thank you so much to Adi from Coffee. Beauty. Life  for nominating me for this award.

The Liebster award is passed on through bloggers with under 200 GFC followers and helps to 

promote their blogs. So here are the rules:

1. Those who are nominated must link back the person who nominated them. 

2. Once nominated you must write 11 random facts about yourself.

3. You must also answer the 11 questions from the person that has nominated you.

4. Come up with 11 questions to ask the 11 people you have nominated for the award.

So let's get started!

11 Facts about me:

1)I have quite an addiction to chocolate...I even get bad headaches if I'm deprived haha

2)I am terrified of needles

3)I love a good Nicholas Sparks book (and movie!)

4)Reality shows are my guilty pleasure...I watch nearly all of them

5)I like to think I can rap...I can't

6)I am in my final year of uni...SCARY!

7)My favorite number is 8

8)I used to be quite OCD

9)I love pilates and yoga

10)I really miss the tv show Brothers and Sisters

11)I hate being in really crowded places

My questions from Adi:

1)Your idea of a perfect Sunday: Lie in until about 12pm, and stay in my pjs watching romcoms or reality shows. (Yes I am quite lazy haha)

2)Your favorite music artist: I actually don't have one! I go through phases! At the minute I'm liking Hunter Hayes and Colbie Callait

3)What's your current favorite beauty product?: YSL Le Touche Eclat foundation (review coming soon!)

4)One thing in your life you just cannot do without?: My family and friends, they keep me sane :)

5)Your favorite colour: I love aqua blue, such a cheerful colour I think haha

6)For a night out, what would your outfit be?: Depends where I'm going. If its to a pub, jeans and a nice top and some heeled boots maybe. If its to a club, some form of dress (it involves no thinking) and heels

7)Your sun sign: I had to google that, but I have realized it is the same as star sign. I am a virgo!

8)Nail polish- bright, dark, neon or natural?: Depends what time of the year but I'm a fan of red nails or French manicure all year round

9)Your favorite scent (perfume): At the minute it's Jo Malone English Pear and Freesia

10)Piercings or tattoos?: I've none! As I've said...I'm terrified of needles

11)After 5 years where would you like to see yourself?: Well at the minute I'm trying to decide what direction to go with in my career but I really don't know yet. I'd just like to be really happy!

The 11 brilliant bloggers I've nominated:

1)Tales From The Kingdom

2)Beauty is Perfection

3)Aoife's Beauty Blog

4)Glamorous Glitter

5)Not your average

6)Fuchsia Forest

7)Blogging My Days Away

8)Emilie The Hackett

9)Little Miss Lifestyle

10) I Fell into yesterday

11)Deceptive Beauty

Questions for my nominees:

1)Why did you start blogging?

2)What's your all time favorite movie?

3) What was the first beauty product you ever bought?

4)What is your job/what are you studying in school or college?

5)What's your favorite song at the minute?

6)Who is your favorite blogger?

7)Are you a summer or winter person?

8)What perks you up when you're in a bad mood?

9)Do you sing to yourself in the car/shower?

10)What TV show do you love?

11)What's your favorite thing about yourself?

Please link me to your post when you're done, I would really love to read your answers!

Thanks again to Adi, I really enjoyed doing this post :)

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer Review

So I am well aware that everyone and their mother has been reviewing this product lately but when I'm buying a product I often read a ridiculous amount of reviews before purchasing just to make sure its extra good. So...I don't think one more review on this product is going to be too bad!



I'd been eyeing up Rimmel's Apocalips lip lacquer ever since the promo came out a while back. I was looking for a great long wearing red lip colour that didn't cause dryness and this product in the shade Big Bang looked perfect. However...it didn't come out in time for the event. (I did find another great product instead though, so check out this post to see what it was : http://bellissimabeauty18.blogspot.ie/2013/01/glossy-vixen-revlon-colorburst-lipgloss.html

Anyway, my urge to splurge didn't end after the event. When the product finally came into Boots, I was out on the prowl straight away. I had heard of all the great 3 for 2 offers in the UK but my Boots unfortunately wasn't as kind, so I just left with one. They were out of the Big Bang shade so I went for the shade Apocaliptic instead. This is a very bright pink with orangey undertones, that could cause it to be mistaken for a red shade. The shade is definitely not one for the faint hearted. I don't think I could wear it as an everyday colour but I already have it ready to go for my next night out.



The product has a doe foot applicator which makes applying it very easy. The product is also extremely smooth and goes on like a dream. Word of warning though, it is extremely pigmented and so, a little goes a very long way.



I was really very impressed with the wear of this product. It lasted a good 5/6 hours (it may last longer but that was all I had it on for) and was fine with drinking and eating. After a while, its glossiness faded but it still left a lovely stain just as pigmented as when it was applied.


Overall, for the value of this product, it is amazing. I'm always skeptical about products with this much hype but I really had nothing to fear. It reminds me very much of NYX Xtreme Lip Creams, which unfortunately we can't get in Ireland, so it was definitely a fantastic replacement for me.

XOXO,

B

Redken Shine Brilliance Shine Flash 02 - Buyer Beware!

I received Redken's Shine Brilliance Shine Flash 02 in a Birchbox last year, but had lost it before I got to use it. It resurfaced at the bottom of a bag last week and I was very excited to give it a try.
Redken describe this as a spray which "illuminates hair with brilliant sheen and a silky feel. Weightless formula gives a light, clean application to all hair types".

               

I sprayed it in my newly washed hair as I was about to go out the door and the first thing I noticed was the horrible scent. I'm usually not very fussy with scents, not really caring what my hair products smell like but this really was not pleasant at all.

As for the effect of the spray, it really didn't make any difference to my hair whatsoever. There may have been a very slight shine but I don't think I would have noticed except for the fact I was really looking for it.

The scent alone would have put me off buying it but the fact it's pretty much useless has cemented my dislike for the product. I have even noticed that there is an error in the spelling of the product on the bottle (notice it says 'brillance' instead of 'brilliance'). Save your money guys!

Mac Primped Out Eye Look Bag in Drama Taupe

So this Christmas, Mac came out with a large range of sets as they do every year. I got given the Mac Primped Out Eye Look Bag in Drama Taupe as a gift and was super excited to see what was inside!

               

So the gift set comes in a really cute little green/turquoise cheetah print box. Inside it includes a little makeup bag of matching print, an eyeliner, an eyeshadow duo, a mascara and a brush.

           

The first thing I'll talk about is the eyeshadow duo. It includes the shades Filament and Black Tied, both of which I think are permanent colors so can be bought individually. However, only one of these I would buy on its own. Black tied is a beautifully pigmented black shade with silver sparkles in it. It would a fantastic shade for eyeliner or if you're brave enough, a dark smokey eye would look amazing using this. The second shade, Filament, was very disappointing. It looks like a beautiful shimmery silver in the pan but when swatched it literally just shows up with no pigment other than silver glitter. I definitely would not wear this on its own but it would probably be nice put on top of a matte shade to make it shimmery.

      
         
                L-R: Filament, Black Tied, Engraved eyeliner

The brush is a 275SE Medium Angled Shading Brush. It is a nice soft brush that I think would be best used in the crease. It is good but I don't think I would purchase in full size.



The mascara is Mac's Opulash in 'Bad Bad Black'. I have terrible eyelashes (blonde and short) so there are very few mascaras I am wowed by. This is a nice mascara, nothing amazing but it is good. It's very black which is always a good thing and is a nice big brush which I generally like. It really reminds me of Benefit's Bad Gal Lash which was a favorite of mine for years. It creates a decent bit of volume and I'm sure would look fantastic on someone with nice eyelashes. It does however transfer a little bit after wearing it for a long time so if you have oily eyelids, it may create panda eyes.


The eyeliner included is Mac's Powerpoint eyeliner in Engraved. This is fantastic. I'm pretty picky about eyeliners but this is one of the best (maybe even the best) I have ever used. It is a very black colour and is very very pigmented. It goes on like a dream and is beautifully creamy. (See swatch above with eyeshadows). With other Mac eyeliners, I usually have a problem putting them on the waterline but this one went on very easily. it is waterproof and stayed on the waterline all day and didn't leave that horrible smudgy look under my eyes. It can also be blended out to create a smokey feel if you wish to do so and it sets really well. It alIt seems similar to me to the Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliners, but I actually think this is better. This is my standout product of the set      

Overall, it was a decent set. It was 58 euro, which I think would be worth it if the Filament eyeshadow was replaced with something you could wear on its own. It did however, introduce me to the Powerpoint eyeliner which I would never have bought otherwise, so that on its own made me happy.

Let me know if you've tried this or any of the other Holiday sets!

XOXO,
B

Beauty Tag

Was thinking it would be a nice idea to do something a bit different today. Was browsing through a couple of tags and thought this one was nice. It was taken from the lovely Glossed Beauty at www.glossedbeauty.com. Hope you learn a bit about me here, let me know if there's any other good tags you've come across

1. Is your hair naturally curly or straight?

Currently it's wavy! It has been both straight and curly at one stage though..thanks ever changing hair!

2. What is your natural hair colour?

It's a dark blonde/light brown colour

3. Do you dye it yourself or go to a salon?

I get highlights at a salon

4. How often do you wash your hair?

Every other day :)

5. Do you wear the same hair style every day or change it?

It's nearly always down but I like a variation between curly and straight!

6. Do you do your own mani/pedi or go to a salon?

Usually my own. If I'm in America though, I get my nails done in a salon coz its such good value

7. How often to you change your nail polish?

I'm a terrible nail biter so it chips really quickly. If I am wearing nail polish I'd change it every few days

8. Do you polish your toes in the winter, too or just in the summer?

I like a good french pedicure all year round.

9. How long does it take to put on your makeup?

I will honestly take up as much time as I'm given. If I'm in a super rush, I can do a full face of makeup in 5 minutes, but it can take me an hour on a night out if I'm giving myself pampering time!

10. What do you do first? Face or eyes?

Face!

11. Do you "collect" makeup or just buy what you need when you need it?

I say to myself I just buy things I need but I don't think I'm fooling anyone.

12. How often do you wear false eyelashes?

Rarely...I wear contacts and my eyes are super sensitive so I don't like putting anything on that would make them more irritated

13. Do you do a full face of makeup every day?

If I'm just lazing around the house I won't wear any makeup, but if I'm going out I do.

14. Do you wear makeup when you are home alone (or with family)?

Nope! I have acne prone skin so like to have my face clear of makeup whenever I can.

15. Will you leave the house without makeup?

It sounds bad to say but I rarely do.

16. How many high end products do you have?

I'd say 70%  of my makeup is high end. I do, however, like drug store mascaras and lip products.

17. How often do you wash your makeup brushes?

I am terrible at washing them...really only every couple of weeks..eek!

18. Do you plan your OOTD every night or decide when you are getting dressed?

When I'm getting dressed.

19. How often do you change your handbag?

I use the same handbag for college every day, but otherwise I just grab what goes best with my outfit.

20. What time do you get up & go to sleep?

Depends on my college timetable 

21. How often & when do you workout?

I use the treadmill about 4/5 times a week for 20 minutes

22. Left-handed or Right-handed?

Right

23. How tall are you?

About 5'7

24. Do you speak a foreign language?

A little bit of French...and an even smaller bit of Irish

25. How many pets do you have?

I've one doggy!

26. How often are you on Blogger?

A couple of times every day!

27. Do you read the comments posted on blogs?

Yes! 

28. Do you keep a list of products to try as you see other posts?

I do indeed, its through reading these posts that get me buying products

29. How did you come up with your blog name?

I tried looking up various words for beauty/beautiful and liked the sound of Bellissima. It also is a play on my name!

30. What kind of camera do you use for photographs?

Fujifilm Finepix

31. How often do you clean your house? (Daily, weekly, other)

I still live at home so my parents do most of the cleaning (lucky me) but my room is cleaned about once a week because I rarely have time to do a good clean

32. What is your favorite colour?

I love Tiffany Blue

33. What is your favorite beauty/fashion magazine?

It's not specifically beauty/fashion but these are a large part of it...Nylon! I love the way it includes a decent bit of alternative style

34. Do you swear?

Not very much

35. What are you doing with the rest of your day?

It's 8pm now so just relaxing and watching TV!