Blink & Wink: A Beauty Retreat In The Heart Of Dublin City

Last week I was contacted by Blink & Wink, a new beauty salon on Dawson St to pop in store to try out one of their treatments for myself. Although they offer eyebrow threading, waxing, tweezing and tinting as well as lash extensions, I opted to try a facial from their Novexpert range. 

If you saw my recent post where I was in search for a new Winter moisturiser, you'll know my skin has been dry of late and in need of a pick me up. My lovely beauty therapist Ramona talked me through the different facials they offer and explained that although there are three set options on their menu, they tailor each according to the client's skin type or needs. I really appreciated that- often times I've opted for a treatment that may not have been 100% suited to me but had to go with what was available, I prefer this bespoke approach to each treatment. It makes more sense. 

Next, Ramona assessed my skin and based on that, began my treatment; a mixture of the Repulp mask plus added Vitamin C from the Novexpert range. My eye make-up was carefully removed (impressively so actually- I'm giving Benefit's They're Real Liner another go and that is a pain to take off), cleanser was applied and massaged in. Following that, an AMAZINGLY scented exfoliator was used, which I thought was cherries-scented but is apparently raspberries. Yum. That felt gentle on my skin but was working to smooth and resurface. Once my skin was thoroughly cleansed, the repulping mask was then applied and left for a few minutes. 

The room was peaceful with a relaxing atmosphere and on a side note- Ramona has the most soothing voice ever. She should go into business making those tapes that help you get to sleep. Coming back to reality; after the mask was removed, toner, moisturiser and eye cream were applied. 

My immediate first impressions afterwards were: 

1) My skin no longer had that tight feeling it had previously. I tried squishing my forehead together to see if I could feel it but no, gone! Hurrah! 

2) My skin looked…better. Healthier, with a bit of a glow and more plumped up. I couldn't stop looking at it in the mirror when I got home, which sounds a bit egomaniacal but it was just nice to see my own face looking so well. It was a subtle difference but definitely noticeable to me. Each facial on the menu is designed to target a specific problem, rather than be purely for the sake of relaxation, as some spa treatments often are. My problem was that I needed to rehydrate my skin and that was definitely achieved, with the added bonus of leaving me relaxed and stress-free.

3) I really liked the products used. Novexpert are a French skincare brand created by a team of doctors and because of that their products are based on medical research, are suitable for sensitive skin and long term use. Their anti-ageing range is unisex and certified 100% natural in origin. And again, they smell amazing. I need to get my hands on the Vitamin C exfoliator and serum- I think they suit my skin type well.

The Cosmetics 27 range (last photo) is for more mature skin. You can also buy the Novexpert products in gift wrapped sets if you're looking for a good Christmas present for the skincare fiend in your life!

4) I thought the pricing was really very reasonable. All of their treatments (bar the eyelash extensions) are approx. 30 minutes long, the idea being that you can nip in on your lunch hour, get a quick pick-me-up and still have time for a sandwich afterwards. I LOVE that idea and if I had a job where I actually got an hour for my lunch break, I'd be all over that. Alas, I do not. That aside, the facials range from 30-45 euro, which is incredibly competitive based on similar salon prices.

5) I also loved the decor. The salon is small but compact and gives an air of luxury that is very welcoming. 

I really enjoyed my experience in Blink & Wink and I will definitely be back. I have my eye (pun intended) on the semi-permanent lash extensions as a treat in the new year and I will be needing another fab facial as well. You can check out more from Blink & Wink on their Facebook page HERE. 

Does the idea of a quick skincare treat appeal to you? Something to help keep your skin in tip-top shape on the run up to Christmas perhaps?

XX

Rita Ora For Rimmel: Pop Art Top Coat

Lookit, I've no grá for Rita Ora. For one, I couldn't name one of her songs for you (my transition into an auld one is complete with that sentence alone), the only things I know about her is that she used to go out with Calvin Harris, has an awful range of clothing with Adidas and has these Rimmel nail polishes to her name. I'm only interested in that last one. I really liked her pastel polish range that was out a while back but as I'm fearful I may be killed in an avalanche of bottles of pastel nail varnish that I already own, I left those be. This Pop Art top coat caught my eye in a Boots 3 for 2 splurge though- you can't say no to free. Plus I'm a sucker for anything related to pop art, so here we are. 

Pop Art is comprised of multicoloured circles suspended in a clear gel, for that Lichtenstein dotty effect. I like it because it looks like there's something fun but potentially complicated going on on my nails, which is great for me as I'm useless at the old nail art. It's easy to apply; you have to place the circles rather than brush them on and it dries fairly fast. I haven't tried taking it off yet although I can predict that that will be no barrel of laughs. 

I'm wearing it here over a new No7 polish (Persian Blue) that was sent to me. I've been wearing that base shade all week and am loving it, so much so that I didn't want to take it off and Pop Art was a nice solution to that- kind of like changing your entire nail look without any effort at all. Nail art for the lazy. At last! You could of course wear it over any shade, I'm looking forward to trying it over a few of the aforementioned pastels actually.

Pop Art is €5.49.

Is nail art your thing? Are you currently laughing at my inabilities or is the easier option something you'd go for too?

XX

Beauty Gift Ideas Christmas 2014

OK, so the market is saturated with make-up palettes, gift sets, new perfumes and various other pretty things to entice the beauty lover amongst us this Christmas. Here's my picks from what is a fairly varied selection to help with your own present shopping. The names in pink are a link to sites where they can be bought or viewed for further information. 

Nars Virtual Domination Cheek Palette

Nars do cheek products really well. This one contains four blushes; Miss liberty (a highlighting blush), Deep Throat, Sex Fantasy and Final Cut (both limited edition). There's also the famous Laguna Bronzer. This'll set you back about €56.

Bobbi Brown Warm Glow Eye Palette

This Limited Edition palette contains rich, bronzed metallics, rose golds and deep browns in a faux-croc case that's part of the "scotch on the rocks" Christmas collection. As with the rest of that range, this is apparently inspired by the late, great Lauren Bacall and you can tell- it's seriously old school Hollywood glamour and will be perfect for the festive season. It's £58 sterling though, so you may want to save this for someone you really cherish ;)

Hourglass Ambient Blush Palette

You may well have spotted this limited edition beauty on many blogs of late and with good reason. Hourglass are a much sought-after brand and their blushers in particular are well loved. In this palette you'll find Luminous flash (champagne rose blush fused with a luminous light powder for a subtle glimmer), Incandescent Electra (cool peach blended with incandescent light powder for a radiant glow) and Mood Exposure (a soft plum with mood light powder to brighten the complexion). Again, this will set you back a pretty penny at around €70. 

Topshop Lip and Cream Blush Set

Contains a dark red lipstick in Wicked and a coral cream blush in Head Over Heels (I have that one, it's lovely!). This costs £12.

Benefit Sweet Tintations Christmas Gift Set

The Benefits sets are gorgeous this year, as always. This one caught my eye because it's two different lip looks in the one set and is of course, super pretty to boot. There's "medium" sizes (that's 4mls btw) of Benetint and Lollitint with their matching full size balms. This is currently reduced to €26.55 from €29.50 on Debenhams online. 

Charlotte Tilbury Mini Lipstick Charms

Aah! These are so dinky. Three mini CT lipsticks in best selling shades; So Marilyn, Penelope Pink and Bitch Perfect. If you're that way inclined you can also hang these on your tree. Or, you know, carry them in your bag and show them off to everyone you meet...I don't know your life! This set is a reasonable €36. 

Laura Mercier La Petite Pâtisserie Soufflè Body Crème Collection

I featured this set in my Space NK Christmas post (HERE) and have to admit that I drooled a little bit when I saw it instore. The set contains 6x60ml Soufflè body Cremes in; Ambre Vanille, Almond Coconut Milk, Crème Brûlee, Fresh Fig, Crème de Pistache and Tarte au Citron. Being LM though this is pricey at around €57. Eep!

Clarins Must-Have Youth Boosters Christmas Gift Set

This Clarins set contains a 30ml of their fabulous Double-Serum, which I've only tried a sachet of but loved. There's also a 30ml of Gentle Refiner Exfoliating Cream and a 30ml Flash Balm (a must have). This is a great option for anyone with mature, dry or sensitive skin but I actually think this would suit a lot of skin types and would definitely be appreciated for the colder weather. You also get a wash bag. This is reduced to €53.20 on Cara Pharmacy at the minute.

Cocoa Brown Be Bronzed and Beautiful Gift Set

I have this set and can't get over what great value it is. Inside the gift box you'll find a full size Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan, a full size Gentle Bronze and a sachet of Tough Stuff scrub. I use and love all of these wonder products and if you know someone who loves their tan, then this is a great option for them. Plus it's only €9.95! Sure you may as well get one for yourself at that price while you're at it. 

Are any of these making your own Christmas wish list?

XX

The Christmas Tag!

Apologies to all you Grinches out there but I unashamedly love Christmas and was delighted to see Amy from Red Lips Red Hair had tagged me in her Christmas post. So, here goes!

Our Lego Christmas card from last year.

1. What is your favourite Christmas movie/s?

What isn't my favourite, more to the point- am I right?! I love them all but in particular, I always re-watch Elf (I wrote a whole blog post about how great it is HERE), It's a Wonderful Life (poor old George Bailey, always brings a tear to my eye), Home Alone, A Muppet's Christmas Carol (Tiny Tim always makes me cry too..the little crutch, the weak frog-cough. Sniff), Love Actually, Die Hard (you heard me), Planes, Trains and Automobiles, I'll give Miracle on 34th Street a watch and then there's all the classic non-festive movies that are on at that time of year anyway; Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, The Sound of Music, The Wizard of Oz and endless other musicals. 

The EMPTY CHAIR!! NOOOOO!

2. Do you open your presents on Christmas eve or Christmas morning?

Christmas morning. Sure Santa wouldn't have visited yet on Christmas eve. Pfft, that's just amateur hour, tag post.

3. Do you have a favourite Christmas memory?

I do! The time I woke up in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve cause I heard a noise and my granny told me it was Santa's sleigh bells on the roof. I was über excited! Midnight mass was always wonderful (even the actual mass part) and there was also the year that I asked for a Polly Pocket that was really popular and sold out everywhere- my mum and dad managed to get it but told me it was the magic of Santa and because of that I had another year believing that he existed. I still think that's really lovely. 

It could've been this one actually although I can't remember for sure. This was a princess PP. She had a castle, a throne, swans and a gazebo, a horse and carriage and amazingly, a hidden passageway (behind the suit of armour!). The pillars at the gate and the stars in the sky lit up too. Love. ( Image source.)

4. Favourite festive food

Well, everything really. Turkey and honey/clove baked ham, my mum's sage and onion stuffing (my sisters and I have been known to eat spoonfuls of it), roast potatoes, sprouts, honey roasted parsnips, trifle, mulled wine, baileys and brandy, and eh, a box of celebrations. 

5. Favourite Christmas gift

I loved my little plastic kitchen when I was small. It was called hamburger heaven and had a little oven and plastic foods. It instilled my love of fast food. Healthy. Obviously, the Polly pockets, I loved getting Lego and that doll head that you could practice hair and make up on. I think we all loved that one! These days himself always gets me lovely presents, I couldn't really pinpoint one in particular!

Image source

6.  Favourite Christmas scent?

The smell of a real tree. It's the best. I do love all of those cinnamon-y type scents as well so I usually light a few Yankee candles. I really want to try the Christmas Eve one they make but I'm not sure I can justify buying it for myself. Oh and mulled wine!

7. Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions?

Mostly just wrapping presents and placing them under the tree and getting into snuggly new Christmas jammies and slippers! We don't necessarily build a gingerbread house on Christmas eve but it's become a tradition to make one every year. Here's myself and himself's first effort, back in the day, right up to last years one with my lovely sister in law:

8. What tops your tree?

A star, although growing up we had a battered looking Santa doll that sat on top, fairly crooked and always looked drunk.

9. As a kid what was the one extravagant gift you asked for but never got?

I genuinely don't remember asking for anything crazy. I'm sure I did though!

10. What's the best part about Christmas for you?

Spending time with family, going for walks in the snow, how pretty everything looks all lit up, finding the perfect gifts for people, seeing friends, decorating the tree, and really just the general atmosphere. Everything seems a bit better at Christmas, doesn't it? It does though, it's the best. 

If you'd like to do the tag too, please do! I'd love to see your answers!

I'm tagging: 

Breige from Rare Opal Blog, 

Cat from Big Blonde Girl  

and Yvonne from One For the Wishlist.

XX

Clever Solutions From Boots For Surviving The Festive Season

You know the drill, you go into Boots to pick up some lemsip and a packet of those super soft balmy tissues to soothe your poor schnoz and while there you "treat" yourself to something pretty for when you're feeling better and out on the town. Well, it seems like the peeps at Boots have caught on to that particular shopping phenomenon and sent me a little festive season survival pack. You can't actually buy all of these things together (mores the pity) but this is just a taster of what to pop in your basket next time you're in. 

Firstly, the practical. 

If you're working and socialising whilst being out and about in the cold, teetering in high heels, you'll need the following:

Re-energise dispersable vitamins (€4.99 for 20). Lash one of these into a glass of water pre a night out or the morning after (uuurgh) and replete all your missing vitamins and minerals (including B Vitamins, Vitamin C, Folic acid, Calcium, Magnesium and Zinc). This won't prevent some wagon sneezing all over you on the Luas but it will help boost your immune system and may help keep that nasty cold at bay.

Speaking of which, the Cold & Flu Defence Nasal Spray (€8.99) is a great option for those of us prone to colds and sinusitis. One spray "traps and disperses viruses...stops cold & flu taking hold". Hurrah!

If you will be doing the afore-mentioned stumbling-in-stilettos this Christmas then you'll need these comforting Blister Plasters (€5.49 for 5). Truth be told, I've never bought the Boots own brand of these particular plasters before but these are cheaper than other brands on the market and do the same job. Regular plasters do nothing for protecting your heels from the friction of wearing uncomfortable shoes all night, whereas these guys provide an actual barrier against your skin and won't peel or come loose. Little feet miracles!

Other health heroes for the festive season you can pick up alongside your toothbrush include; Boots Skin, Hair and Nails Capsules (€7.99 for 30), Boots Irritated Eye Drops (€4.52) and Boots Anti-Blister Stick (prevents blisters before they even appear, €4.99).

The lighting is a bit bright here, in reality the lipstick and the polish are a wee bit darker.

Make up wise, it's all about a bit of drama, so you'll need some glamorous eyes. 

New No7 Midnight Lash Mascara (€17.50) has an unusual shaped brush to add volume and then tapers off so that you can get all the smaller lashes as well. The formula of the mascara itself is designed to prevent clumping and provide a rich, black pigment. Also, look at that there purdy packaging. So glittery.

With that there's the Limited edition No7 Stay Perfect Shade and Define in Precious (€10.60). This is a highly pigmented cream shadow stick to provide a golden shimmer across the eyelid. Once on, this won't budge. Believe me, I've tried! If you're not a big fan of gold eyeshadow on it's own, I suggest using this as a base for brown smokey shadows, use in the corner of the eye as a highlight shade or use it as an eyeliner against a liquid black flick- it'll look dramatic and very cool.

To compliment your sparkling eyes, there's Seventeen Stay Pout Lipsticks (€5.69). I have Rule Breaker, a rich, dark berry. This is one of those perfect Winter shades and not too dissimilar to MAC Rebel, one of my all time favourite lipsticks.

Lastly, for nails there's a new shade from No7 Gel Look Nail Colour in Persian Blue. This is a beautiful cobalt- the best way to wear blue on your nails in the Winter months. There's also a limited edition in exquisite gold which looks super sparkly.

Apologies that I'm not actually wearing the polish in the picture. Sure that'd be far too organised altogether. Again, the photo is making it look paler than it is.

Cream shadow stick in Precious and Stay Put Lipstick in Rule Breaker.

Those No7 suggestions are actually really handy too for when you've got a No7 voucher to spend, so bear these in mind and there's a 3 for 2 across make up ranges in Boots at the minute!

What are your fail safe buys to get you through the colder months?

XX