The Road To Happiness

How many of you have ever just felt so low and so angry that everything just gets you down or irritates you? Welcome to my world. Everyday, small insignificant things really wind me up. It could be messing up my eyeliner or more recently the gym being packed. These things infuriate me so much and for what reason? I have no idea. So, if you have ever felt this way then lets make a pact to change this for 2013.

Let me start by going over a few things that have happened this week just so you can get an idea as to why I am annoyed.

So some of you may know about my plans to move to Canada and how my boyfriend is already out there, if you read my New Years Resolutions Post. Now that has all changed. Due to some major stupidity on behalf of two companies (whom we will be suing) my boyfriend is no longer over there and is back here with me (yippee!) or so I thought. This week has been super stressful and I've been driven nuts over this Canada thing, that I have been the moodiest person EVOHR. I have taken everything out on my boyfriend and this needs to change for his sake and mine.

We are still hoping to get out to Canada and should have no problems to be honest but the most stressful thing is time. I am fed up living here and from what I have heard from my boyfriend, Canada is the place for us. Career wise and lifestyle wise. I feel the reason I have been so angry is the fact that we waited so long to get him out to Canada and once he was out there things felt great, we felt like things were happening and going to plan and now it feels (to me) like we are back to square one.

Now let me explain why I am so annoyed about being here in Ireland for possibly longer than intended.

I currently feel like I am in a downward spiral that is hard to come out of. I have suffered with depression and anxiety before and I still have social anxiety to a certain extent. As I have mentioned before, I am not the type of person that likes to go out and get hammered. I much prefer nights in or going out for meals or to the cinema, or dancing as I have also mentioned. As I do not enjoy drinking or partying till all hours, I find it difficult to fit in sometimes. If you are Irish then you may understand this, every celebration is based around drinking. Someones birthday? Drinking. Someone dies? Drinking. Someone sneezes? Drinking. You catch my drift? The majority of people my age (20 soon to be 21 :])enjoy this and I find that if you don't like going out getting drunk these people find you weird.

This is beyond annoying. I am not boring nor am I a "weirdo" simply because I like waking up in my own bed and knowing how I got there, thank you very much.

This is where I start to feel the anxiety kicking in. I'll be honest, I do not have a tonne of friends as I am the type of person that if your not a true friend to me, your gone. A bit harsh? Why keep people around that don't make you happy? The past year I have found out who my proper friends are and I intend to keep them around. These friends, however, do enjoy going out drinking which is fine and I enjoy going out with them but I always feel terrible at birthdays and any type of social event. I start to feel awkward around people, like I have nothing in common with them, and almost like they are bored of me.

I also get a bit anxious heading to town on my own, or even to the gym. I have this strange fear that everyone is watching me and I need that to stop. So before this post becomes even more rambly and confusing, lets get to the point. What steps can I/you take to change these feelings of anxiety and anger?

Step 1: I would recommend going to the gym, or at least going for a long walk to clear your head, endorphin's and all that.

Step 2: Saying yes to things more. This is something I definitely have to work on as I constantly say no to things because I am terrified of meeting new people. *Must say yes, must say yes!* Zoe from Zoella actually has an amazing post on this already so I shall link her here.

Step 3: Talk to someone. I have major trouble with this and I am the time of person that will keep things in until I explode out of frustration. Let it out.

Step 4: Eat well. I always find that if I start slacking off and eating junk I feel a hell of a lot moodier than usual. So I try my hardest to eat better or at least make healthier choices. Another fave of mine is green tea, I love it! This is where the gym also brightens my mood.

Step 5: Try not to take things too seriously. You only have one life so you may as well enjoys it! :)

My apologies for this awfully rambly, and nonsensical post, I need to clarify my thoughts a bit better from now on. *Slaps wrist I do hope this was helpful in some way or at least gave you an insight into the type of person I am. Either way I hope you all enjoyed reading. :)

Review: Two Faced Matte Eye Palette

DAY: L-R Tufted Suede, Chinchilla, Coffee Bean

CLASSIC: L-R Velveteen Bunny, Pebbles, London Fog

FASHION : L-R Fresh Linen, Vintage Violet, Midnight

First and foremost, please excuse the swatches. I have only just noticed the leftover swatch from the shadow insurance on my hand. All of these shadows are completely matte.

Now lets begin by talking about my need for matte eye-shadows. I adore them. I have hooded eyes so anything shimmery tends to accentuate that a little too much for me, so I tend to steer more towards matte shadows. Don't get me wrong, my favorite eye-shadow from MAC is Satin Taupe which is a shimmery delight, but for everyday I prefer matte. That is where this palette shines. I purchased this palette from ASOS as mentioned in my previous post and so far I am delighted with it. All of these shades are neutral colours and so wearable that its hard not to love it.

The palette comes with nine matte eye-shadows, separated into three looks. Day, Classic, and Fashion. Each look also has a corresponding card which shows you where to apply each shadow to create the look. I think this is a great idea because if you are ever in a rush or stuck for ideas for an eye look, you already have three ready to go right in your hand. Handy, no?

All of these shadows are pretty good pigmentation wise, tufted suede and chinchilla are a little on the sheer side. It also describes midnight as a black but it comes across as more of a grey shade when swatched. I personally found the lighter shades, velveteen bunny and fresh linen to be the most pigmented of them all. My go to look is a contoured eyelid and winged eyeliner, so these paler shades suit me perfectly for making my lid lighter and then deepening the crease up with something like coffee bean. Perfect. Again, I believe this palette retails for around €36 euro which is pretty expensive, but considering the quality of the shadows I think its worth it, for me anyways.

I am not really sure what else to say about this palette other than I love it. I use it pretty much every day and even on nights out. So if you have a little extra cash and are looking for a few matte shadows, I would recommend this palette. :)

Review: Two Faced Shadow Bon Bons Palette

I have always been interested in trying out some Two Faced products but I never got the chance. Two Faced products are not readily available to me and the only place I know that sells them, is a two hour drive away. So, when I was contacted by Stellar Magazine who informed me I had won one of their competitions, around €1000 worth of vouchers for ASOS I jumped at the chance of picking up some Two Faced palettes. I picked up three, this palette, the matte eye palette and also a flirty one I believe? I gave it to my Aunt though so I cant quite remember.

This palette comes with twelve eyeshadows, some matte some shimmery/glittery, the two faced shadow insurance in "Candlelight" and also a LashGasm mascara. I quite like the colour selection in this palette. Neutrals with a few colours thrown in such as a pink and a purple. I cant quite remember the price but I would guesstimate around €30-40.

L-R Vanilla, Cut The Cake, Framboise, Coffee Bean

L-R Peach Fuzz, Hot Cocoa, Candy Rose, Lovey Dovey

L-R Nude Beach, Cinnamon Sugar, Marzipan, Licorice Latte

The quality of these eye shadow's are quite good. Most are very pigmented with the exceptions of Marzipan, Hot Cocoa, Peach Fuzz and Licorice Latte. My favorite would have to be Coffee Bean which is a rich dark brown colour. Its very pigmented and I use this to fill in my brows as its a pretty good match for me. I find some of the more glittery shadows to be a bit flaky at times and I would recommend using a base with them.

The eye-shadow primer that comes with this kit is also really good. Its pretty much the exact same as the regular shadow insurance except this is a gorgeous, luminous gold shade. It blends out easily and really keeps my eye-shadows in place all day.

I love this mascara. Its amazing! Its super black, doesn't leave lashes clumpy and it really holds your curl. The brush is a plastic one which I usually prefer as bristle ones are I bit messier I think. This is a great kit over all, maybe not worth the price tag but what can you do?

I hope you enjoyed and if you have any requests leave some comments down below. :)

Another mini haul...

I was recently shopping again, (I have a problem) and I decided to pick up a few bits from Boots.. (They seriously need me as a representative or something at this stage!) and also from Penneys/Primark.

Real Techniques Core Collection: I have been wanting to pick this product up for an absolute age! I already own the Real Techniques stippling brush and I love it. It applies my foundation perfectly and its just amazing overall. After watching Pixiwoos videos (for about two or three years now) I was delighted when Samantha launched her own brush range. I just knew they had to be good. Watching Sam and Nic's tutorials made me crave the buffing brush. Whenever they would use this brush to apply their foundation they would look flawless. I needed this in my life. I had spotted the core collection (a collection of base brushes) months ago but I could not justify the €28.99 price tag. In the end though I decided to bite the bullet and just go for it. I am so glad I did. I have only tried the buffing brush and the contour brush that comes with the kit and I adore both of them.(It also comes with a detailer brush for concealer or lipstick and a flat foundation brush) The contour brush is perfect for getting really sculpted cheeks, something I love doing. The buffing brush also lives up to my expectations of being perfect. I can honestly say that I would highly recommend this kit especially to anyone who is starting out in makeup as there is also an eye kit you can pick up for around the same price.

Rimmel Wake me up Foundation: I was on the hunt for a darker foundation as I have been wanting to start tanning like a mad yoke! As I am so fair my regular foundation just would not do. I have heard great reviews about this foundation from people such as Zoe (Zoella) and Tanya (Pixi2woo). They both love this foundation and claim it makes their skin look amazing (which it does) so I decided it would be a great one to try out. It cost around €9.95 I believe in my Boots and the only downside would be the colour range. There was literally four shades for me to choose from. In the end though I picked the shade "True Ivory" which looks as though it will match me once I am tanned. One other thing I am slightly worried about is I detect it has some light shimmer in it, which would be the reason it makes you all glowy and nice, but as I have combination skin I am worried it might make me look oily.. Never a great look. Once I have started using it more I will have a better, more in depth review for you all.

Essence Waterproof Liquid Liner/Catrice Waterproof Liquid Liner: OMG. Amazing. I think both of these cost me around €1.49 in Penneys and my god they are fab! Such amazing quality for so little cash! Both liners are black, waterproof liquid liners. Liquid liner is my favourite to use as I have oily eyelids and it does not smudge or move on me unlike gel liners. These liners are super waterproof and I still have a small amount left on my hand three days after swatching them! (Yes I wash.)They are just that good. Up until I had discovered these liners, the L'Oreal Linear Intense liner was my all-time fave. That retails for about €9, and the nib is also quite flimsy compared to these two. I usually end up messing my liner because I find the nib too long on the L'Oreal one but the Catrice and essence ones have shorter, stiffer tips which are perfect for creating that cat eye effect. Amazing!

Essence Long Lasting Eye Pencils: I have an addiction to anything turquoise or blue. I love it. When I spotted these two Essence Pencil liners I just had to have them. I swatched them in the store and I thought that they were really pigmented for again, around €1.49. The two shades I picked up were 17 Tu Tu Turquoise and 09 Cool Down. I have not tried them on my eyes yet but I will add in a picture of the swatches down below.

Rimmel Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipsticks

One of my favorite makeup items has to be lipstick. I adore the stuff. Mac, Revlon, Sleek any brand of lipstick will catch my eye and I will have to try it. I recently stumbled upon these Kate Moss for Rimmel lipsticks on one of many ventures to Boots. (I should be their mascot at this stage). I had heard some great things about these lipsticks from reading other blogs or watching reviews online. So, naturally, I was interested. There are nine shades in this collection but the first two I picked up were 05 and 20.

05 is the most natural of the three colors I own. Its what I would describe as a cherry pink colour. Its super pigmented as you can see from the swatches above. 20 is a bright fuschia pink which I love wearing on nights out if I don't feel like going to heavy on my eyes. Again this is a very pigmented lipstick. 04 has to be my favorite out of all three. It is a dark plum color, very vampy and very on trend at the moment. I don't actually follow trends and when I find one I like I usually wear it until I move onto something new. Vampy lips has to be one of my all time faves. I find these dark colours to be more flattering on my skin tone as I am very fair.

As you can see from the swatches, all three are pigmented. They are also not matte, but not too glossy either. None of these have any shimmer in them, which is a plus for me as I hate shimmery lipsticks. They retail in Boots for around €7 which I think is bargainous considering the quality. They are also €11 cheaper than a MAC lipstick. BARGAIN. Rimmel also have other Kate Moss lipsticks in red packaging. These are matte lipsticks which I have yet to try.

So if you find yourself wandering around your local pharmacy/drugstore (or boots in my case)pick up one of these lipsticks and I guarantee you will not be dissapointed.

First Haul of 2013: Fitness Items

Speedo swimming cap:€3, Goggles:€7
Adidas Swimsuit:€33, Towel:Penneys/Primark
Sports Bra:€19.50 from H and M, Joggers:€29.95 from H and M
2 pack of tshirts:€12.95 H and M, Navy and green sports tank: from Penneys €3
White socks/Navy Tank: from Penneys both €3
Asics Runners: Elvery's for €130


So as you may know from my New Years Resolutions post, I have decided to join the gym. What a great excuse to do a little shopping eh? I was in dire need of workout gear as quite frankly I have never owned any before. (I am so unfit). After a quick swim yesterday morning I decided to pop into town and see what I could find. I had already picked myself up some swimming gear from Elvery's Sports. They were having a sale on at the time so I picked my self up a swimming hat, goggles and of course a one piece. I find one pieces way more comfortable for swimming, but I love bikinis for lazing around by the beach. (Not that I am ever at the beach..)

I popped into H and M as I was having a mooch in there on my break one day and noticed they had a few pieces for the gym. I picked up a blue sports bra which I adore. It is so comfortable and keeps everything in place *winks. I then found a pair of what I call joggers (type of lycra legging things..) I tried these on and they are so comfortable as well. Way to go H and M. :) I also wanted something to wear over the sports bra so I picked up a twin pack of t shirts, just plain white and then a gorgeous black and maroon one.

Next stop was Penney's/Primark. The first thing I picked up were plain white ankle socks. I then found a plain navy tank top and a lycra tank top which was reduced to €3. Penney's also had new water bottles out so I picked up a cute mint blue one which will come in so handy for the gym. It has measures on the side so you can keep track of how much water you are drinking. (Something I really need to do haha)

Next stop was Elvery's again. I needed new runners as I don't own any and you cant wear converse to the gym! Or can you...? I was interested in getting a pair of Asics ones as I had heard they were the best for your feet. In Elvery's they have this system where they can check your feet and help you pick the best shoes suitable for you. I decided to get this done and found out I was in desperate need of insoles. (Wonky feet)These should help improve my walking and make everything much more comfortable for me.

Chuffed with my purchases I headed home to try everything on together and I loved them all. The runners are my favorite purchase and I didn't even need to break them in. They feel like your walking on cushions. I will be going to the gym every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and swimming on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. I am so excited to get started at the gym as I have currently just been swimming everyday. I desperately need to get in shape as I am so unfit it hurts (literally). I will keep you up to date if that's something you all would be interested in, I know its something I thoroughly enjoy reading about.

Thanks for reading guys :)

Botanics Hydrating Night Cream: All Bright

This is the night cream that Jesus himself would have used. Its absolutely fantastic. I discovered this product a few months ago while having a rummage through Boots (again?? I never leave this place). Its packaging was what caught my eye first. The packaging from this range is gorgeous. White with either pink, blue, purple or green plants on it, depending on the range.

This night cream is from the All Bright brightening range from Botanics. There is also a mattifying range, a range for youthful skin, a calming range etc. So many to choose from. I decided to pick this one up as I really liked the idea of brightening my skin (and I ran out of my night cream..). Its a pink colored cream and you really only need the smallest amount. I have had this tub for months and only now can I see the bottom of it.

The consistency is thick but it sinks in super fast. The one thing I noticed about this night cream was that when you first apply it you don't get that really moisturized feeling, but when you wake up you will notice a massive difference in your skin. I don't personally notice that my skin is "brighter" but it does feel so soft its unbelievable. I really highly recommend this product, I'm not sure how this would work on sensitive skin though simply because of the brightening ingredients. This is not to say that the ingredients are harsh, just simply my opinion.

I have really been enjoying the Botanics range and I also have another product from them that I will be reviewing shortly so stay tuned. I think this range is reasonably priced as most items are around the €5 to €6 mark. I have also seen a range for your body from Botanics and I really want to try it out as my skin gets super dry in the winter months.

I highly recommend this product and I will most likely be purchasing many more products from them,(and stocking up for Canada :])

Botanics All Bright Night Cream

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation

Have you ever tried a foundation that you just absolutely love? Me neither, until I found this one! I had never read or seen any reviews of this foundation but when I was living in Galway I spotted this in Boots. I was mostly excited when I discovered it came in a super pale shade, which you may or may not know I am super fair. Snow White has nothing on me. I was interested to see would it match my skin tone so I purchased it. It retails for around €9.95 in boots, which I think is actually quite reasonably. A little goes a long way with this foundation.

So after I had purchased this foundation (it cost me nothing, thank you boots advantage card!)I immediately went home to try it out. I purchased it in the shade Light Porcelain. At the time I was using the MAC Matchmaster foundation in number one I believe, and I thought that it matched me pretty well, until this. I am much paler than an nc15 from MAC so I found it hard to get any foundations from them that matched well. MAC make very yellow foundations and should consider making them in paler shades as I love their formulas.

I was pleasantly surprised when this actually matched me amazingly. I tested it using a mirror in front of a window and you literally could not see it on my skin. Brilliant! Its a very light foundation as you might be able to tell from the swatch (I pumped out a little too much..) but you can build it up. I don't find this foundation to be heavy at all. I have combination skin and this does work well on me although I would not recommend this for people with oily skin as it is very dewy. I am usually not a fan of dewy skin and much prefer a matte finish but lately I feel dewy skin makes me look less dead. Always a good thing!

So, if like me you are super pale or even if you aren't, I highly suggest you hot foot it to Boots and try this out! You will not be disappointed.

Review - L'Oreal Caresse Lipsticks

Basically, I am in love with these lipsticks/balms. I am not too sure about when they were released but I do know that they are amazing! They are available from Boots and many other pharmacy's. They cost around €9 but I have seen them for around €7 in some places. They are great quality, amazing pigmentation, and they come in gorgeous colors. As you can see from the picture above I own two of them, the paler pink is called 01 Fashionista Pink and the coral/pink one is called 04 Rose Mademoiselle.

The formula is creamy, it almost feels like a balm on your lips, yet the pigmentation makes them looks like lipsticks. I am not a huge fan of glossy lips as I hate the texture but these really do feel great on, not sticky at all and they almost feel hydrating! I would highly recommend checking these out as you will not be dissapointed.

New Years Resolutions

The new year has just begun and as you all know this calls for New Years Resolutions. I for one have a habit of making up ridiculous ones that I will never in a million years stick to. This year is different. I have decided to change just a few things in my life in order to become a better person, feel more confident and just become happier overall. As I have not been posting on this for some time (slap on the wrist*) most of you may not know that the end of 2012 was particularly tough for me.

From September until December I changed many many things I left my job working in a nightclub, I moved out of the apartment I shared with my boyfriend, and I moved my ass down to Galway.

What was I thinking..?

I hated Galway with a passion, more than anywhere else. I was alone, I was bored in my job(I was working in a cafe), I missed my family, I missed my (real) friends back in Athlone and I missed Paul. My reason for moving? The year previous I was meant to move down to Galway but due to circumstances I could not. This affected me so much. I felt I was missing out and I needed to be with my friends (other friends who were in college in Galway). My boyfriend, who is so understanding told me I should just go and move down there and finally get it out of my system. Thank god I did because it made me realize that number one, I have an amazing boyfriend who will no doubt look after me always, and number two I learned who my real friends are. Learning this has made me feel so much better in myself.

I am a twenty year old woman who is going on ninety! :) I dislike drinking and partying until all hours unlike other twenty year olds do. This always made me feel out of place as I am more interested in movie nights and pampering myself than going out getting hammered. I love going out with my real friends though as they love to dance! Nights out with them are not about who can get drunk the fastest, they are about having fun, which is exactly what I need!

Something else which happened in November of last year was my boyfriend finally getting his visa to Canada! We had been waiting so long for it to come through and for him to finally get over there and start working. I am so happy for him in every-way, he is such a hard worker and he never lets me down. I miss him more than anything in the world but I know that soon enough we shall be back together again as I have applied for my visa and I should be out there by April. :)

Now that I have finished rambling you may be wondering about the title of this post, New Years Resolutions. My new years resolutions for this year are to start swimming and going to the gym more. I will be getting a gym membership on Thursday and it will take off from there. My reason for this is I need to de-stress. I am very highly strung at the moment and I need a way to vent. Therefore what better way to do that than letting my anger out on a treadmill. Two birds one stone eh?

My second resolution is to start blogging more frequently. Yes I know I am constantly saying Ill start blogging more and I never do but now that I have my new camera (Thanks babe :D) I can start taking better blog pictures and doing more reviews. I would also like to do personal posts from time to time, mostly just about things going on in my life or topics I feel strongly about. I feel this will also be another great way to vent my feelings and keep me sane.

I also need to tidy my room but that wont happen :/

I guess I will end it here so, this is getting pretty lengthy already. I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas and a fantastic new year. I hope 2013 is even better than last year! :)