So Sue Me Lash Collection Review

November 13, 2017April 3, 2019 cosmeticsjunkieeLeave a comment

Hello makeup lovers!

I hope that by now those of you who are eyelash wearers have taken advantage of the amazing So Sue Me Lashes available online and from Primark (Pennys to the lovely Southerners). As I sit here peeling the amazing band off my eyelashes I can’t help but gush with love for these eyelashes – finally there is an expensive looking pair of eyelashes at an extremely afforable price.

If you have been living under a rock the past few years and you don’t know who or what So Sue Me is then definitely give her a quick Google.

You will find that she is an extremely well known Irish blogger and a writer by the name of Suzanne Jackson. Her blog is award winning and thrilling to read! Not only that but I think I stalked every second of her engagement and wedding – STUNNING!

Anyway, enough about how fabulous she is, this is about her sexy ass, fluffy ass lashes.

There is an amazing variety of styles so there is something to suit everyone. With several collections of lashes under her belt she is quickly becoming the go to for lashes to pick up. I have traded in my trusty House of Lashes ‘Iconic’ lashes (£14) and my Lilly Lashes ‘Mykonos’ (£30) for these beautiful bands of hair. With several styles of 100% Human Hair, Luxury 3D Silk Lashes, 3D Fibre Lashes and the ultimate Wedding Lash created for her wedding (obsessed) there really is something for everyone.

The 100% Human Hair Lashes consist of premium lashes have been designed to give your eyes a more striking effect. They are more on the natural side however, striking enough to still make a difference. When I have used these lashes – not that they advertise this -but I have gotten up to around 10 wears, so long as they are properly taken care off after usage.

The Luxury 3D Silk Lashes offers a fuller, fluffier look and you can get up to 20 wears with them! Click the YouTube link to SoSue’s Look Book video she created to showcase the styles from these two ranges – https://youtu.be/eIVyL2ywdJ8

NAI, due to the success of these lashes almost a year to the date So Sue introduced a collaboration with Primark where she designed lashes exclusively with them. These. Are. My. Favourite. I am in love! I nabbed this ph

oto from the Lash Queen’s instagram to show you how BEAUTIFUL these lashes are. I honestly cannot believe they are only £5!

I have been wearing these lashes for awhile now and I used to be so in love with Eyelure but these really take the cake! My favourites are the style ‘Dubai‘ – I am on my 8th wear and they look nearly brand new. They are the perfect amount of fluffiness and fullness that you expect from a lash. They aren’t too full that you look like you have a black eye but full enough that your eyes look bitchinnn’ no matter what. Dubai are my go to ‘I’m running late’ lash as they hide any horrible attempt at eyeshadow.

I have to admit, So Sue has me spending all the £5 notes I have been trying to save as every time I go in I stock up.

I highly recommend these lashes as not only are they seriously affordable but they are so easily applied. The band on them is thick enough that they look full but are still nice and light on the eyes therefore the band sticks to the lash easily. They don’t come with eyelash glue however, lash glue can be easily bought separately. I use Duo Glue because it’s the tits however, So Sue also has her own lash glue (Duh, of course she does…).

To sum up, there are so many styles to choose from and they last ages so such a great investment – unless you are like me and rip them off after one too many ~~glasses~~ bottles of wine. I once had a glass of water beside my bed for the hangover dry mouth and accidentally put the lashes I ripped off into the glass and drank it the next morning. On that note… So Sue Me lashes are amazing. Buy em. Let me know if you buy them, what styles you got and what you think of them!

As always, thanks for reading!

Amy xo

Maybelline Tattoo Brow Review

November 10, 2017April 3, 2019 cosmeticsjunkiee3 Comments

Hello all my gorgeous readers!

I hope you are all having the time of your lives sniveling your red noses and wiping weeping eyes in this piss poor freezing weather? Sames. So in order to cheer myself up I went and had a little spree around the shops to get some lovely new products to try.

First up on the list is the Maybelline Tattoo Brow which is available from the likes of Superdrug or Boots or even online. Before you read any further I have also made a YouTube video on this product which was a First Impressions so if you would prefer to watch instead of reading then please feel free to watch it instead! https://youtu.be/QIUCJnGiZpM

This product is the first of it’s kind from a drugstore brand which I think is amazing and really innovative. SO, I was so excited to find out how it worked and the end result but before I get into my thoughts let me give you the run down on what it’s supposed to do.

Advertised as a light tint this product retails at £12.99 and comes in just three shades – Light Brown, Medium Brown and Dark Brown. I chose the shade Medium Brown to try because I am a kind of in the middle colour with my hair. The Light Brown shade to look at seemed like it could end up a little gingery so I opted for Medium. If this products continues to sell well I would love to see them introduce more colours for more hair colours. The Dark Brown is in no way dark enough for black hair and there isn’t anything available for those with really fair eyebrows that want to keep them really light. That being said, the colour Medium Brown is fairly versatile and would cover a majority of hair colours.

At first thought £12.99 seemed expensive for something drugstore however, after first use I realised just how little you need to use so it will last for ages. As you can tell if you watch my video, I struggled understanding the instructions on the box and reeeally should have done my research before playing about with a tint. That is only because I can be a little bit silly sometimes, I am sure normal people can understand quite clearly that for a tint you leave it on for 20 minutes and if you want it to last the 3 days that it claims then you leave it on for 2 hours. Whatever way it was written on the box I honestly just couldn’t believe a tint would have to be left on for that length of time.

HOW TO

The brush itself scared me because my brows are really thin so I scraped a little off with an angled brush and applied it that way. You can of course just apply it straight from the applicator but I like the way an angled brush worked as I could do little brush strokes. As I was putting on I was absolutely shitting myself thinking about how it was going to come off as it is advertised as a peel off.
I have to say once the product was on it felt shamazinggg. It felt like I had an eyebrow mask on, so cooling and felt really fresh. This isn’t advertised as a benefit but it’s an added bonus! It was very easy to apply and really is quite dummy proof.
I left it on for 20 minutes and before I knew it my alarm was going off to tell me the time was near to peel the product off. I was genuinely terrified that it was going to take the 5 eyebrow hairs I have off with it but I was SO pleasantly surprised at how EASY it rolled off the skin and brow hairs. The first time I used it I used a spoolie brush to lift the product which worked perfectly. The second time I just used my fingers to peel it off and worked much the same just a little more on the fiddly side.
I can’t explain how satisfying it is peeling this off. Like, buy it just for the pure satisfaction of peeling it off. In saying that, I was one of those children that dipped their whole hand into PVA glue just so it could dry and I could pick it off… just me? Surely I am not the only one. Anyway, once I peeled it off I could definitely see a colour underneath and it looked amazing! Even though the packaging said that for it to last 3 days you have to leave it on for 2 hours my tint lasted 2-3 days. If you are going to use this product I would suggest the first time you use it to leave it on for 20 minutes first to see how strong the colour lasts then up to the 2 hours the second time.

THOUGHTS

I can see why this product is good to have and I am really glad that I bought it however, I pay around £11 for a thread and tint in Superdrug which lasts me nearly 3 weeks so I find it hard justifying paying more for something that lasts only 3 days and that I have to do myself. I probably wouldn’t repurchase it but as I say it looks like the product itself is going to last for ages.

All in all it’s a very easy to use product and it definitely delivers – it won’t go down as a gimmicky product that doesn’t work that’s for sure. It does do exactly what it says on the tin and would come in handy if you miss your brow appointment or have the fear of anyone other than yourself touching your sacred brows.

I am glad I used it and my brows, even though they needed waxed at the time still looked great afterwards – I was pleasantly surprised by how well they turned out especially considering they looked bleached beforehand they were so pale!

Anyway, that’s quite enough about my brows and lack of reading skills when it comes to instructions. I hope you enjoyed reading/watching the YouTube video and if you have also tried this product then please comment or send me a message somewhere in social media land to let me know your thoughts.

Cheerio xo

Beauty Must Haves

September 19, 2017April 3, 2019 cosmeticsjunkiee3 Comments

Whether you are a barely there make up wearer or a Drag Queen there are a few styles of products that everyone must have in their make up bag.

My make up bag changes with whatever beauty counter has had a free gift on, so every month I have a new multi coloured bag to pull all of my unnecessary lipsticks out of. Obviously, I am more of a self confessed beauty lover and may have more than many when it comes to make up. Even so, I still have my ‘Desert Island’ products that I would never be without. This isn’t so much a ‘these are the exact products you must have’ post, more of a ‘you need something like this’ post.

Let’s get started…

Primer. I am sorry, but I couldn’t bare to touch my face without having at least something separating my skincare from my makeup. You wouldn’t put a coat of Dulux on without priming your wall first, so treat your face with the same respect! I have an ever growing collection of primers however, so long if you have one in your makeup bag, then you’ll have amazing long lasting make up all day long! A few old faves of mine range from the Nyx Born To Glow Illuminating Primer to Make Up For Ever Hydrating Primer. I use these two religiously considering I have extremely dry skin and love a drop of radiance. If you are more oily can I suggest Rimmel London Stay Matte Primer or Nars Pore & Shine Control Primer as I have used both on clients with oily skin and the feedback has been excellent. Happy priming!
Liner. I don’t care whether it’s a pencil, liquid, gel, powder or cream based product you owe it to yourself and to your eyes to purchase a perfect liner. I personally am a fan of liquid and gel, I own very few pencils. The pencils I do have are for enhancing eyeshadow looks however, for that perfect feline cat eye you have to have a fabby liner to help you along the way. I have gathered a disgusting collection in my time so far as a makeup artist. I can’t stray from Mac Blacktrack Gel Liner as I have tried them all on the market and this is the only one that takes the cake, guys. Liquid liner on the other hand, I have a few favourites for different reasons. My advice is pick the style that’s easiest for you to use and then perfect it! My tried and tested liquid liners are Maybelline Master Ink Matte Liquid for those that perfer a pot, Charlotte Tilbury Feline Flick or Kat Von D Tattoo Liner for those that prefer a pen style.
Red Lipstick. Yes, you. There will come a time in every woman’s life where she will all of a sudden need to go from day to night and god forbid all you have is a bunch of rolled up tissues and an empty bottle of Diet Coke in your handbag. You will praise the day your read this article and you went and purchased an emergency red for such an occasion. I always have a red lipstick in the zippy part of my handbag, even in bags I am not using that day! I have a red stashed in every handbag just incase the need for it arises. I like to have a variety of my reds in different levels of intensity as I don’t always want to look like an emoji. For those of you who are shaking thinking about a red lipstick, why don’t you invest in a stain like The Body Shop Lip & Cheek Stain in ‘Red Pomegranate.’ Not only is this product the tits, it’s multi functional and a bargain at £8. It gives you that ‘your lips but better’ effect without going full of Marilyn Monroe.

For those who like a middle of the road, Goldilocks perfect style of red I can all but suggest Charlotte Tilbury again with her Hot Lips range in the shade ‘Tell Laura.‘ This is a gloriously fabby, orangey red which is seriously flattering against most skin tones. If something a little less bright is your bag Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy in ‘Envious’ is a universally loved shade. It gives just enough coverage on the lips without going overboard.

Myself on the other hand, when I wear a red my GOD I wear a red! As if you can’t tell that already from my profile picture… which by the way is Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Lipstick in ‘Fire Starter.’ I am usually a Mac loving Ruby Woo, So Chaud wearing big red lip wannabe superstar. If you are looking one red lipstick to rule them all make it Ruby Woo, Mac. Countless times it tops the charts as the best red in the beauty world. If it were a singer it would be Ed Sheeran.

4. Spoolie brush. You have just got to trust me on this. When I used to talk about a Spoolie Brush pre-Cara Delevigne I would get laughed out of the place. Well, how you like me now?! A bigger bushier brow is the first thing my clients draw my attention to (as if I didn’t see…) is their brows. ‘Oh, forgive my brows I am getting them done next week’ or ‘I know, there’s hardly anything there I shaved them when I was 5.’ All I can say is, brush those hairs into place and it’ll be like your face has changed in an instant. The best thing about this post is that if you dont’ want to spend money on a brush you can buy a pack of disposable mascara wands and they will do the exact same thing! I do however float between Make Up For Ever Double Ended Brow and Eyelash Brush and Mac 204 Lash Brush. If you currently skip this step, please I am begging you – even if you have 3 hairs, do it! The difference is crazy.

5. Bronzer. Ah duh, who doesn’t love to transform themselves into a gorgeously, glowing glamazon who looks like they have lived in Dubai for the last decade? I know I do. Not much I can say for bronzer, to me bronzer is kind of like pizza in that even a bad one, is still a good one and you can make do with it. I like having small compact ones that I can take around with me, preferably one with a mirror (vain much?). Bronzer is great on the eyes too so don’t forget how multi functional this product is too! My current favourites are Mac Give Me Sun, Make Up For Ever Pro Bronze Fusion 20M and Chanel Soleil de Tan for those cream/gel bronzer lovers. Nyx’s Make Up Matte Bronzer is a great alternative for those on a budget (or for those prone to smashing bronzers… guilty).

6. Setting Spray. Yes, this may be extremely unnecessary for some and I thought so too until a few years ago, a lovely girl at Urban Decay talked me into getting a setting spray. I owe her. A lot. Setting spray changed my whole makeup game… not only does it feel refreshing AF, but sprays genuinely help the longevity of your makeup. WHY wouldn’t you want that? Again, I used an extreme variety of setting sprays however, that’s now mainly down to the fact I am enjoying collecting them. I like to look at them all on my shelf. It’s very satisfying getting to the end of a makeup application and dusting a decent bit of spray over your face to help lock in all that effort.

I use setting sprays to dampen my beauty blenders before application and my brushes before I use certain eyeshadows. Obviously, I can use good old H2O for that but why would I when I have an array of sprays?

First up, I love the Mac Fix Plus however, as setting sprays go it doesn’t set much? To me it just adds a little hydration and takes away that powdery cakey look from foundation. Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray is always a firm favourite and the first spray I ever bought (thank you lady). Make Up For Ever

once again getting a mention for their Mist & Fix Setting Spray, a spray that both sets and hydrates – DING DING DING – Winner! Basically every counter and brand have a setting spray on the market so my advice is pick a brand you love and try out theirs. Your skin will thank you.

Now, that’s quite enough from me. This post is now longer than the majority of essays I have written for school but with a far nicer content! Please comment and let me know what your must have products are because I will more than likely head out and buy the damn thing!

Also, let me know if you end up with anything I mentioned and tell me how you get on, I would love to hear.

Thanks,
Ciao Bellas xo

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Much Ado About Nothing

September 15, 2017April 3, 2019 cosmeticsjunkieeLeave a comment

Guten Tag WordPressers,

I have nothing of interest to actually say and no end game of writing. I just haven’t posted in awhile and don’t want my little tiny following to keep themselves up at night wondering about my well being. Don’t fret petals, I’m right here.

So, it’s a Friday night and nearly 10pm. Most females my age are out partying with friends celebrating the end of yet another week while I am lying in bed. A place that I have been since 6pm. Sad, isn’t it? The truth is Joel (my glorious other half) is at an Ulster Rugby match with the boys and I thought I would take tonight to be extremely productive and look after myself. Instead, knowing full well my Personal Trainer of only 3 weeks might kill me, I ordered a pizza. I ate it in bed with a Diet Coke and watched Bridesmaids. It was excellent and I have absolutely zero regrets (LIE).

This means that I haven’t scrubbed off my tan, painted my toenails, moisturised my entire body head to toe, put on the expensive face mask I bought, ran my new hair mask through my hair or let’s be real here, showered. *EDIT: the boys have just come home and i’m compromised – I look like a hag and have pizza sauce on my white top. I was so chill, now I’ve been banished away back to the bedroom (as IF that’s a problem).

Having fled the living room where I had resided to edit some videos, listen to music with my fancy ass candles lit in my zen atmosphere I am now at the scene of the pizza crime feeling very naughty – in fact, I am away for a shower for my sins. BRB.

Ok, I am back with dripping hair but I had a fantastic time in the shower. It was scalding and I have successfully burned away take out guilt. Back to avocado and lettuce tomorrow!

Where was I…?

Oh, yea – I was talking about nothing. I hope all the fun girls my age with a life don’t have too bad a hangover tomorrow morning (lol jk) while I am in work painting faces tomorrow. Oh yea, work tomorrow – I best be off – I definitely need my beauty sleep considering I still look like Ursula the Sea Witch.

MWAH.

Peace Out xo

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My Thoughts On Instagram Trends

September 3, 2017April 3, 2019 cosmeticsjunkieeLeave a comment

I. Love. Instagram.

I love that I have a medium to use to promote my makeups, etc and only people that are interested will actually look at, maaaybe even click that little heart button to show me some love. Unlike Facebook for example where normally no one gives a shit.

HOWEVER, every so often some horrific trend comes out of Instagram which is absolutely ridiculous. Here’s a short list of the absolute worst in no particular order.

Squiggle Eyebrows

What. The. Fuck?

Yes, yes, it’s very creative and not bad to look at but I just know where this is going to go… it’s transcend if it hasn’t already from Instagram to YouTube and I swear to GOD if someone comes to me for a makeup appointment and asks for this I will actually quit, there and then. This isn’t even the worst photo I could find, I could just about bear to have this on my post. It’s been traced back as far as blogger Promise Tamang and I really need to have a word with her to see if she’s aware of what she has started. I go onto Instagram for inspiration and to share my work with others – this I will not be sharing.

2. Squiggle fucking Lips

screen-shot-2017-09-02-at-12.25.32 The eyebrow trend has really only taken off within the last few weeks and already we have moved onto Squiggle Lips. Can we just get a grip here? I refuse to speak too much about this because this is most ridicularse thing I have ever seen come from a trend. Squiggle lips? Are you kidding me? I have only just got to grips with taking the time to use concealer to perfect my overdrawn pout. I can understand the appeal of doing something funky with the ends of brows but not this. NOT THIS PEOPLE. Also, I have just realised she has squiggle eyeliner too. Give. Me. Strength.

3. Leech Facials

NOPE. Can’t even bring myself to attach a photo to this point but Miranda Kerr, I am looking at you for this one. Unless them damn leeches can reverse time or turn me into a unicorn I ain’t putting any of them near my face!

4. New Post

Not exactly a beauty trend, but still something that pisses me off.

IMG_9943-576x1024

Attention Instagrammers! Can you please stop taking screenshots of your own account and scribbling out the picture you uploaded while writing over the scribble NEW POST. I don’t understand this? If people are following you and you have just posted, unless they have blocked your sorry ass aren’t they going to see it pop up on their page anyway? Pointless.

I am unsure why this grinds my gears so much – I just don’t get it. Is it effective? Should I be doing this..?

5. Contouring with Ridiculous Objects

I mean, as a Make Up Artist I get especially peeved when customers open their eyes and give you the stare while asking ‘Can you contour me? I want to look like Kim Kardashian.’ Contouring has become something widely known now and regular people ie. not MUAS are able to use it at home albeit some still find it a challenge to complete. With that in mind why are there now people using spoons, credit cards, fucking fidget spinners and all sorts to draw on their faces with for contouring? ENOUGH. Brushes are there for a reason. Using a seriously straight edge like credit card will only make you look like a bad Madame Tussauds piece of work.

spoon Stop it. Just stop it.

6. 100 layers

I am pretty certain this has died? I wasn’t overly annoyed by it until Jenna Marbles took it to the extreme and spent like 9 hours painting on 100 layers of nail polish, 100 layers of lip gloss, 100 sprays of fake tan (SRS) and put on 100 eyelashes and all the other wacky shit she did. jenna-marbles-100-coats-video Even so, we have got to be done with this.

7. Household items as beauty blenders – marshmallows, etc – NO.

8. Using your iPhone back as a palette – SERIOUSLY YOUNG PEOPLE? You may as well just stick the middle finger up at those less fortunate who don’t have the things you have. Are you really that flimsy with your belongings?

9. So like, is everyone a Unicorn now? We get it. They are unique. You are NOT.

I love how all these people always post ‘No negativity please’ like they already know it’s dumb.

Gone are the days of cute makeups, glam makeups and subtle makeups – now the trends got me like Gordon.

giphy

Lipstick Lover

September 3, 2017April 3, 2019 cosmeticsjunkieeLeave a comment

Namaste people,

As any of my whole 12 or so followers might know I am partially (completely) addicted to lipstick. Yes, makeup is my profession and I am around it constantly however, I am genuinely weirdly in love with lipsticks. It doesn’t matter what type of lippy – matte, satin, cream, matte liquid, frosted, lip stain, gloss – ANYTHING. Even a damn balm – LOVE.

Sometimes I will legit zone out of conversations thinking about things like ‘oh God, her lipstick is nice… should I ask her what it is? I can’t be rude and not listen to her. Oh wait, I’m not listening to her.’

My friends great me with ‘Hey, how are you? My lipstick, before you ask is Mac Creme d’Nude.’ I actually once sat on Face Time to my friend Jenna and made her count my lipsticks with me… I think she liked me a little less after that conversation. My collection has grown considerably since that video call as it would take hours to go through them all now. I blame my clients (jk. i love you and you feed my makeup habit.) everytime I book someone in for a Bridal trial I think I suggest a new lipstick that I don’t have yet just so I can go and buy it. I know, I have a problem.

I stand in work for example and I mean, I work there are so am fairly familiar with every lipstick on my counter. I still end up swatching the same 20 lipsticks halfway up my arm that I swatched a few days earlier. I stand and look at them, shake my hand under a light to see how they glisten. My hand is always so dirty looking – I can’t help it. At least it’s dirty with pretty colours.

I don’t know why I love it so much I mean there’s so many articles of makeup that I absolutely love but lipstick always takes the cake. Lipstick completes every look! When I’m doing makeups I know it looks good but there’s always something missing and it’s until the lipsticks goes on that it really looks good. If you scroll through my camera roll on my phone, I wouldn’t be surprised if there are around 500 screenshots of lipsticks that I have seen on Instagram, Pinterest, etc and am waiting to buy. My lipstick shopping list is more in depth than my actual grocery shopping list.

I’m now away to sit in my little beauty room and rearrange them all into my new beautiful acrylic containers.

I know right, typical female who loves makeup… it’s groundbreaking. I’m expecting a call any day now about my book release from a publisher.

I once queued outside Debenhams (before I worked there) for a Limited Edition MAC Lipstick…

I Require A Dress

August 13, 2017April 3, 2019 cosmeticsjunkieeLeave a comment

Hi readers,
So for me, one of the best parts of my week is waiting for the order to arrive that I ‘accidentally’ placed at some point during the week. I have a little bit of an obsession with shopping if you see some of my other posts or know me personally.
‘Oh, Joel I didn’t mean to add my entire wish list to my basket. Oh well… may as well wait until it arrives.’
There is something borderline orgasmic about opening a package from somewhere like Missguided or ASOS and bursting through that cellophane to feel the fabric lying within. Feeling it to see if it’s how I imagined it would be when I fell in love with it through my phone screen.

The sad part is that more often that not – the items are disgusting. Like actually U.G.L.Y. It’s a different kind of stress when you don’t need the clothing or are just buying things willy nilly but, I have a rugby dinner ball to go to this Saturday and I have actually nothing to wear. I know in my last post I talked about going shopping in charity shops and not wasting money on things I don’t need but – EXCUSE ME I NEED A DRESS. I ordered what looked like a beautiful mint green dress from ASOS and I was so confident about it. When it arrived and I ripped apart that cellophane, my soul fell through the floor. Never in my 26 years of life have I never had a more horrendous item of clothing come across my door. Even those God awful satin pink trousers my mother used to force me to wear were better. Ugh. I wonder if I could fit into them…

So I’m in dire straights, I have no idea what I am looking for and at this point I will wear ANYTHING. I have no time off before the ball so I am relying on shopping online. I am currently browsing websites looking for something fabulous to pop out – like, what is it that’s so hard about online shopping when you need something and so easy when you don’t?

It’s not like I am refusing to wear dresses that I already have it’s just that I have found that I really like eating, anyone else this way? I can’t fit into the dresses I have as I’m a little rounder than I was when I got the others. I broke my ankle a year ago and i’ve gotten so lazy from that having to sit down all the time.

I know, I know… First world problems. Anyway, if any of you see a dress send me it ok thanks.

Au Revoir,

Amy xo

@cosmeticsjunkiee

Bargain Bin Baby

August 9, 2017April 3, 2019 cosmeticsjunkiee1 Comment

I don’t mean the title of this to sound as homelessly charming as it does however, I am a bit of a self confessed dumpster diver. One of my favourite things to do is take a trip down little streets and hit the local charity shops and retro vintage stores. When I say I hit them , I really don’t mean it in the ‘Look at me, I’m alternative and my scarf was 80p from Oxfam’ – I genuinely spend my entire paycheck on makeup as it’s my number one passion and if someone on YouTube tells me I need something, I’m after it (Here’s looking at you Jamie Genevieve…)

I’m not some rich bitch who is looking for a kitsch little purse to match her Vivienne Westwood pumps. I have the odd night out and in an attempt to a. look nice and b. wear something that isn’t black my first thought would be to look through the charity shops first. There’s something thrilling about finding a little gem hidden in the rack among the moth ball infested coats that look like your Great Aunt might wear. Would it not be the worst thing to go into your favourite high street shop and panic buy a top that you only really half like and that costs you 6 hours worth of work? To then casually drop by somewhere like Oxfam and find a little beauty for £2. Not only have you saved yourself around £48 but you’ll have contributed to charity AND not even feel as bad if you only wear it once.

Now, I don’t shop exclusively in charity shops. I shop in Topshop and River Island and online with retailers like Missguided, etc but I LOVE going into charity shops too. I think it’s great to find a balance between them. I like to get my statement pieces, like my jeans and things I wear all the time brand new but I can’t help but want a cheeky little bargain from the charity shops. One of my all time favourite cardigans I got in St Vincent de Paul in Newcastle, Co. Down about 6 years ago and I snuggle into every now and then – it’s so comforting. There is something thrilling about the fact that someone else’s trash is my treasure. There’s an ornament chilling on my shelf that cost me £1.50 and I LOVE it.

Anyway, I didnt really have a point – just that I love bargain hunting and in fact I’ve talked about it that much now that I’m going to have to go to Red Cross Vintage for a nosy. Last time I bought a bag that had a little sachet of glitter hidden inside – it was magical. That was a good day.

Ciao Bellas,

Amy x