Dia daoibh!


So today I'm here to talk beauty brands, non Irish brands that is. A lot of people want what they can't have and this is no exception when it comes to makeup! There were (and still are!) lots of fantastic brands mainly in Canada an the US that were not available here in the Ireland or the UK...  until now. Over the past year this has changed and we're now beginning to see some foreign brands creep into the European market.
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Many of you know Wet n Wild is one of those brands. It has gradually been introduced into Dunnes Stores across Ireland this month. I shrieked with delight when I first came across it, and like many other beauty bloggers, "had to" pick up a few bits. Below is what I picked up so just let me know if you would like a closer look in the form of a review. Wet n Wild is a very affordable cosmetic brand with an array of nail polishes, eyeshadows, face and lip products. When I say affordable I'm talking prices ranging from just €1.99 for liners, lipsticks and eyeshadows to €6.69 for the larger eyeshadow palettes


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Tarte Cosmetics is another brand that will shortly be hitting the UK online market via QVC in March 2014 (which means it will also be available to us Irish folk!) I was thrilled to hear of this news through EssieButton's video >HERE< Tarte are renowned especially for their blush products and Essie herself constantly raves about their selection of award winning Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush range. This is one brand I am exceptionally excited about! If you happen to be reading this from the US, PR or Canada you can avail of 20% off your first online order when you sign up to their >Newsletter<  GO!!
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So for now those are the brands I am lusting over and happily adding some products to my wishlist now that they are available to me! What brands are you currently lusting over or would you like to have in Ireland that are currently unattainable!?

Slán!

If you'd like to catch up on my prevous Nupo Posts including my initial weigh in, just click >HERE<

Dia daoibh!

Most Nupo products mentioned were very kindly sent to me for reviewing purposes. All opinions above are completely my own, 100% honest thoughts on the products and I have not been paid to trial the products

If you'd like to catch up on my prevous Nupo Posts including my initial weigh in, just click >HERE<

Dia daoibh!

So I'm one week down on the Nupo plan. Let's get the important stuff out of the way and reveal my current weight after a week of just shakes!

Yay!!! I'm down 7lbs or another way of saying it is half a stone! I'm thrilled with my first week of results. Now obviously this will be the most extravagant of all my weekly weigh ins but nonetheless, a brilliant result if I do say so myself! I have to say though, the latter part of the week was challenging...

Two or three people mailed me on >Facebook< asking if I was cutting out all drinks other than water. I did, bar coffee, but even that I have altered and cut down on. I now have my coffee with fat free milk and a sweetener (which I used anyway) so calories are minimal.

Exercise wise, again was very minimal. I walked home from work a few days and Bulmer (my pug!) a few times but no excessive exercise was done, so I definitely but my weight loss down to diet.

Day one was fine getting to grips with everything and tasting the various flavours of the shakes, bars and soups was exciting. 

On day two I did have a thumping headache in the afternoon even though I was drinking my 2-3 litres of water. Withdrawals from food maybe!? Also on day two I struggled to finish my lunch - the vegetable soup but forced myself to. 

On day three I didn't end up getting all 3 meals in which is a no no. Work was hectic and I had forgotten my afternoon shake. After work something came up and I didn't get home until the evening. I learned my lesson there that I have to keep a bar or shake mix on me at all times if you want to stick to a strict Nupo only diet.

Towards the end of day 3 and on day 4 I noticed something peculiar. My breath stank! I have heard that this is due to Ketosis occurring (when carbohydrates are reduced in the diet) and the body begins to burn fat. I also came to the conculsion that I much prefer the shakes ice cold and added ice cubes to it. 

By day 5 I was getting a bit sick of the same flavours and textures, I couldn't face another shake and again although I had all 6 meals I didn't finish them all. At this point I had given up on the soups (which I really just don't like) and just stuck to the shakes.

Day 6.... really missing food. I was out and about that day and snacked on a Mint flavour chocolate Nupo bar but when I got home that evening, the idea of a shake sickened me. I needed food..... stat. I cooked the below which adds up to about 200 calories.

Slán!

Nupo products were very kindly sent to me for reviewing purposes. All opinions above are completely my own, 100% honest thoughts on the products and I have not been paid to trial the products.

Dia daoibh!

Part 2 of the new skin releases to Irish Lidl stores, is the Osiris Avisé CC Cream. Similar to the Osiris Avisé BB Cream which I reviewed >HERE< this is priced at €2.99 so it won't leave a huge hole in your pocket. It comes in two shades Natural (which I tried) and Tanned. It has SPF15 along with UV Protection.

This is the first CC Cream I have ever tried so I have nothing to compare it to bar it's big bro BB Cream! This is much lighter in consistency than the BB Cream which is quite thick. I find this does a good job at evening out the skin tone but does not add much coverage - a strange claim. For this reason it's ideal for under your foundation.

Below are pictures of the CC Cream in action on it's own.

The above products were sent to me from the brands PR Team for reviewing purposes. All opinions above are completely my own, 100% honest thoughts on the product. 

Dia daoibh!

Today I'm going to review a new BB cream to hit the Irish shelves in Lidl. Introducing Osiris BB Cream available from Lidl as of today for a mere €2.99. (I have reviewed the CC Cream version >HERE<.) As with most Beauty Balms, this can be worn alone or underneath foundation. From my experience, this has a light coverage which is why I personally prefer to use it as a base to give my lighter foundations and extra layer. Worn alone I found it to be too sheer for my taste although it's consistency is quite thick.

This is marketed as being an "8-in-1" BB Cream...... what that claims is skeptical but one plus is that it has an SPF of 15 - another great reason for it to be used under your foundation.  It is quite moisturising and because of that it does take quite a while to set and stays almost tacky for a while after application. It

 stayed dewy on my skin, lasted pretty well throughout the day and wears evenly.

You may be able to tell from the picture that a downside to this is the shade. I wore the Light shade and found it to be a touch too dark; a common occurrence in BB Creams (and foundations for that matter!) It's not overly dark, so again, works perfectly under a little foundation/concealer.

Overall it's a decent BB cream, especially for the price of €2.99. It's moisturising, applies & blends out  nicely and lasts well throughout the day.

Below are some more from the range available from today, the 27th January 2013 while stocks last.

Slán!
The above products were sent to me from the brands PR Team for reviewing purposes. All opinions above are completely my own, 100% honest thoughts on the product.