A new business venture!

Hi everyone, 

So as well as working a full time retail job,and doing make up and eyelash extensions part time, I decided to take the bull by the horns and sign up to be an independent distributor of the amazing It works! line of products. Sure whats another job at this stage! 

I was contacted by an It Works! distributor to see would I be interested in joining her team and at first I was a total skeptic, thought it was a scam, which is what I think about most things I don't know much about! Once I did some serious research though (3 weeks worth!) ,I realised this was a company that was going places and I knew I wanted a piece of the action! It is so easy to join up and build your own business, I decided this was an opportunity that wasn't going to pass me by! 

It Works! specialise in a line of natural, botanical body and facial wraps which promise to tighten, tone and lift, with proven inch loss, and they also works brilliantly for stretch marks and the dreaded cellulite! It sounds too good to be true but it isn't! They can be used on any part of the body from tummy, arms, legs, neck, boobs etc! 

So far the It Works community and support has been amazing and so welcoming, which makes me sure I made the right choice with this. 

I have full product information and full gallery of before and after pics over on my Facebook page 

https://www.facebook.com/SkinnyWrapsDub

If you could all take a moment to like and share my page it would mean the world!

<3

Review: TheBalm cosmetics

TheBalm is a brand which I adore, yet it doesn't get a whole lot of coverage in the blogging world. I originally found a stand in Awear on Henry Street about 2 years ago, but it has since left there, and it can be found in MakeUpForever on Clarendon Street now. It is a small cosmetics range from San Francisco, with a nice tight edit of products and shades. The packaging is gorgeous and similar to Benefit with the retro pin up girls. I would liken the quality of the products to Urban Decay or Mac, yet the prices are so much more affordable! I have several products which I use daily, and here are my quick reviews on each of them. 

Hot Mama Blush

This is my all time favourite blush, without a doubt. It is a stunning rose gold toned blush with a gorgeous shimmer running through it, which gives a really healthy, radiant glow. It instantly perks up the face without making you look like a disco ball. This is a staple of my professional kit and love using it on clients as it suits almost everyone. It also lasts all day on the skin without fading. Perfect for a wedding! It is super soft and blendable and as it is slightly shimmery it means you don't need to use a separate face highlighter. This is €14.00 which I think is a brilliant price considering you get over 7g of product, my own one has lasted me 2 years of almost daily use and I haven't even hit the pan yet! This is a 5/5 product for me.

Mary-Lou Manizer AKA The Luminizer

To me, this is the ultimate face highlighter. It is a beautiful champagne coloured shimmering powder, which lights up the face to perfection. I love this on the cheekbones for a night out, but for everyday I love to use this on the inner corners of the eyes. It really wakes up your face and isn't over the top at all. I find it great for the days when time is of the essence and a quick 5 minute face is all I can manage. It also works great on the eyelids as a base shadow or eyebrow highlight. As it is so silky and blendable it never looks too harsh. This is another all round great product and one I will never be without.

Shady Lady Eyeshadows

I have two of the shades in the Shady Lady range, Mischievous Marissa and Shameless Shana (love the product names!) This is a range of eyeshadows to rival Urban Decay in the quality stakes. Super creamy and pigmented, these are a joy to use and every time I pull them out of my kit I wonder why I don't use them more often. 

Mischievous Marissa is a lovely beigey gold metallic shade which looks fab teamed with a matte brown shadow in the crease. Its a really good shade to have in your make up bag as it is a suit all kinda shade. 

Shameless Shana is a warm toned mid-brown shade with gold shimmer running through it. This is another great shade to own as it is so versatile and wearable, from day to night. These shadows apply and wear really well with no fading and are basically just really good shadows. 

So there you have my thoughts on theBalm. I have to say I love this brand and wish it was more widely available in Irish stores. It is however available on various websites including www.feelunique.com

*Apologies for the mucky packaging, Iv had these products for about 2 years! 

How to reach me

I am a make up artist specialising in bridal and occasion make up, and I am a specialist of Mink semi-permanent eyelash extensions. For any information or bookings you can find me on facebook, twitter and I also have instagram and pinterest accounts <3

www.facebook.com/MakeUpByRachelT

www.twitter.com/MakeUpByRachelT

Instagram: makeupbyrachelt

Pinterest: rachelt90

My Mac lipstick collection

I have something of an obsession with Mac lipsticks lately, I currently have 12, not including the couple I seem to have misplaced (where are you hiding Chatterbox??) 

(L-R) Girl about town, Impassioned, Candy Yum-Yum, Speed dial, Nicki Minaj Viva Glam, Snob, 

Morange, Reel Sexy, Creme D'Nude, Hue, Creme Cup, Betty Bright

They range from neon pink and orange to nude and everything in between. My two most recent acquisitions are Creme Cup, a gorgeous light pink nude which looks amazing with a strong smokey eye; and Betty Bright, a limited edition shade from the Archies Girls collection. This is a super bright coral/pink colour which will be stunning in the summer with a bit of a tan and loads of lashes. I also LOVE the packaging on this collection, I think its really fun and different, although I know a lot of people hate it. Oh well... haters gonna hate! 

Betty Bright

Girl About Town is one of my favourites and most used, a super pigmented Amplified finish lipstick in a gorgeous magenta shade. It looks really nice when patted onto the lips for an easy bright lip that is low maintenance, but it really comes into its own when applied full on. It looks amazing paired with a matte neutral eye and minimal rose gold blush (I highly recommend TheBalms blush in Hot Mama) The staying power of this lipstick is unreal, it literally lasts all day as it really stains the lips and needs a good remover to shift it. 

Girl About Town

Another favourite is Hue, which is a really nice simple nude shade which works really well across a variety of looks from a simple every day look, to a full on night time smokey eye. A staple in my make up bag and my professional kit, I find it works well across many different skin tones. I have gone through many of these and Il soon be due a new one. 

I could talk for hours about lipstick but I think this is enough for one day! I'm going to feature Betty Bright in an upcoming look so watch this space/face....

My eyebrow obsession, with a review of Mac Fluidline Brow Gelcreme

If anyone knows me at all they will know of my obsession with eyebrows. I have absolutely terrible eyebrows that refuse to fill out into the Brook Sheilds brows that I wish I had. This is due to the fact that I hacked at them with a crap tweezers when I was a clueless teenager and ruined them forever. My usual go-to eyebrow product is Mac Eyebrows in Brunette, which is a twist up brow pencil that is a perfect match for my brows and which is so simple to apply. I go through one of these pencils approximately every 4 weeks since there is not a huge amount of product and the fact I use it so enthusiastically.  This works out very expensive at €17 a pop but its ok cos they can be returned for Back to Mac to get a nice free lipstick. This helps ease the pain slightly. 

Image via http://www.allurabeauty.com

A new product that was recently released as part of The Stylish Brow collection from Mac, is Fluidline Brow Gelcreme. This comes in three colours, Dirty Blonde, Redhead and my shade, Deep Dark Brunette. It is a fantastic product which is super pigmented and long wearing. It applies really smoothly and works well at setting any stray hairs too. I use this with a small angled brush from Sigma. It can be a bit much for every day wear as some time and care needs to be taken while applying it as mistakes to the shape will be obvious, but for night time it is the perfect product to finish off a look. It is a great product which I can see myself getting lots of use out of, I just wish it wasn't limited edition! 

Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel Review

Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel is a fairly recent addition to my skin care routine and it has quickly become a favourite. It retails for around €23.50 if memory serves me right. I am always on the lookout for a new cleanser to try out and when I came upon the review of this product by www.etcllymlrs.com I knew I had to buy it. I had been going between using Lush's Ultrabland, and Vichy Normaderm Micellar water but I kind of felt something was lacking. From the first use of Pure Melt it was love.

 It is the nicest cleanser I have ever used. it begins as a thick gel which turns into an oil when it is massaged into the skin and then turns into a milk when rinsed with water. It works exceptionally well removing eye make up, it even makes removing the dreaded Benefit They're Real mascara a joy. There is no need for a separate eye make up remover and I don't even feel the need to use toner with this cleanser. 

Since I have begun using this I have noticed my skin being much softer and clearer with less breakouts, which makes it a winner in my books. 

Review: Butter London Lippy in Trout Pout

Today I am going to talk about Butter London Lippy in Trout Pout. I have only really read about Butter London online, as it is not very widely available in stores in Ireland. I know the nail polishes are a bit of a cult blogger favourite and when I heard they were releasing lip colours I was very intrigued. So you can imagine my delight when I stumbled upon a display of Butter nail polishes and the coordinating lip colours in the new Avoca store at Malahide Castle.

Image via www.dermstore.com

I was immediately drawn to Trout Pout for its coraly pink colour which is gorgeous and extremely wearable. It was €17 which I think is a fair price, because it is stunning on! Its really full coverage colour, not like the usual sheerness of gloss. It's the perfect colour for wearing with a smokey eye, or for when u don't want to wear a fussy lip colour. It applies like a dream and wears really well, for about 3 hours which is like a lifetime on my lips! It comes packaged in a really sleek tube with a doe-foot wand which is my favourite type of lipgloss applicator. There is also a matching nail polish colour, Im not the type of girl that matches her nails to anything due to the fact i get gel nails done every few weeks so dont really paint my fingernails, but I can still see the appeal of a matching polish as it is such a nice colour. 

As far as lip products go, this is definitely one of my better purchases!! 

Overall I am very impressed with this product and I see myself going back for more colours.

I will update this post with swatches and a picture of me wearing this, as it has to be seen on to show the true loveliness of it.