Beauty Blog

New bronzer alert

April 1st, 2011
TITLE : Bronzer alert
Now that bronzing season is almost upon us we at L’Onglex have been pondering which products to invest in for our Spring/Summer make-up bags.
Naturally the old reliables like Sun Shimmer and Sally Hansen Air Brush Legs are as we speak winging their way from the back of the beauty cupboard, but when it comes to bronzing on the face we thought we might try something a bit lighter this season.
Enter Soap & Glory’s Solar Powder which as you may or may not know features four different shades or bronze. The light, sandy shades are perfect for adding subtle highlighting as well as some soft, sun-kissed contours and as the main danger with bronzer always seems to be that we overdo it this one didn’t leave us looking like we had just turned up for auditions in The Only Way As Essex !
As the the mix also includes a mirror and soft bristled brush, should you find yourself feeling a bit pasty on the hop this is perfect for topping up. Conclusion …. didn’t cake, didn’t make us look like an Umpa-Lumpa and didn’t leave smears on the collar of L’Onglex’s new white work blouse…. can we ask for any more than that ?

soap_and_glory-1

Now that bronzing season is almost upon us we at L’Onglex have been pondering which products to invest in for our Spring/Summer make-up bags.

Naturally the old reliables like Sun Shimmer and Sally Hansen Air Brush Legs are as we speak winging their way from the back of the beauty cupboard, but when it comes to bronzing on the face we thought we might try something a bit lighter this season.

Enter Soap & Glory’s Solar Powder which as you may or may not know features four different shades or bronze. The light, sandy shades are perfect for adding subtle highlighting as well as some soft, sun-kissed contours and as the main danger with bronzer always seems to be that we overdo it this one didn’t leave us looking like we had just turned up for auditions in The Only Way As Essex !

As the mix also includes a mirror and soft bristled brush, should you find yourself feeling a bit pasty on the hop this is perfect for topping up. Conclusion …. didn’t cake, didn’t make us look like an Umpa-Lumpa and didn’t leave smears on the collar of L’Onglex’s new white work blouse…. can we ask for any more than that ?

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Posted in Beauty heroes, Beauty reviews, Blushers and bronzing, Budget beauty buys, L'Onglex loves |

They don’t look any bigger- but they are kind of shiny !!

March 26th, 2011
They don’t look any bigger- but they are kind of shiny !!
When it comes to our skincare routine L’Onglex ers on the side of vigilance.
Cleanser, toning, serums, moisturisers and the odd exfoliation are just some of the obsessions that keep the queue at our bathroom door.  Yet the other day whilst trying not to get the contents of a face mask all over our mobile we came across a chance discovery.
Seems that what we can see is all well and good but are we taking enough care of our assets ? Seems on that front we probably don’t deserve as many gold stars as we first thought.
Since the idea of the dreaded turkey neck isn’t really one we find appealing the thought suddenly hit us that we wouldn’t be firm forever and having spotted a friends stash we thought we’d trial some over the next few weeks.
First up is Boob Tube and although we’ve only been slathering the stuff on for a week or so we think it’s not too bad. Avacado oil, shea butter and milk thistle leave skin feeling quite dewy and youthful and all in all L’Onglex’s boobs have taken on quite a dewy appearance.
Quite whether the long term benefits will befit the expense we are not yet sure but so far so good !

BOOB-TUBE

When it comes to our skincare routine L’Onglex ers on the side of vigilance.

Cleansers, toners, serums, moisturisers and the odd exfoliation are just some of the obsessions that keep the queue at our bathroom door.  Yet the other day whilst trying not to get the contents of a face mask all over our mobile we came across a chance discovery.

Seems that what we can see is all well and good but are we taking enough care of our assets ? Seems on that front we probably don’t deserve as many gold stars as we first thought.

Since the idea of the dreaded turkey neck isn’t really one we find appealing the thought suddenly hit us that we wouldn’t be firm forever and having spotted a friends stash we thought we’d trial some over the next few weeks.

First up is Boob Tube and although we’ve only been slathering the stuff on for a week or so we think it’s not too bad. Avacado oil, shea butter and milk thistle leave skin feeling quite dewy and youthful and all in all L’Onglex’s boobs have taken on quite a dewy appearance.

Quite whether the long term benefits will befit the expense we are not yet sure but so far so good !

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Posted in Anti ageing, Beauty heroes |

New goodies from Bobbi Brown

February 19th, 2011
Regular readers will know when it comes to our under eye circles we’re borderline obsessed. As dark patches are more often than not the bane of L’Onglex’s otherwise flawless beauty routine, we are always on the lookout for anything we think might be able to make us look a bit less scary when the dreaded panda eye chooses to strike.
Enter the latest release from Bobbi Brown which is an all-in-one corrector and concealer. Designed to banish the blotches for good, Bobbi has created two new products which we’ve been fortunate enough to get our greedy mitts on.
The first product is a creamy pink skin corrector which works by evening out grey tones  and brightening the under eye area. As with all things Bobbi, matching product to skin tone isn’t too difficult as there are 12 shades to choose from.
When we first applied this we were quite impressed and being the impatient sorts we are we thought we’d leave it at that. But once the corrector is in place skin tones is quite pinkish so the concealer is what really does the work with this.
Much creamier than previous concealers, the latest edition works a treat at bringing eyes back to something like their natural best and once it hits the corrector the two work really well together. As the new range also comes with a press powder that keeps everything in place we are firmly of the opinion that this one is going to be a bit of a keeper.
So far our only gripe is on the subject of the brush and it is a bit of a shame that this hasn’t been as well thought out as the rest of the compact. Whether or not we’ll be inspired to invest in something with a bit better coverage is something we’ll have to consider once we finally see what the price on this one is. As it hits shelves at BT’s in early April we figure this is one product that is definitely worth the wait.

bobbi_brown_concealer

Regular readers will know when it comes to our under eye circles we’re borderline obsessed. As dark patches are more often than not the bane of L’Onglex’s otherwise flawless beauty routine, we are always on the lookout for anything we think might be able to make us look a bit less scary when the dreaded panda eye chooses to strike.

Enter the latest release from Bobbi Brown which is an all-in-one corrector and concealer. Designed to banish the blotches for good, Bobbi has created two new products which we’ve been fortunate enough to get our greedy mitts on.

The first product is a creamy pink skin corrector which works by evening out grey tones  and brightening the under eye area. As with all things Bobbi, matching product to skin tone isn’t too difficult as there are 12 shades to choose from.

When we first applied this we were quite impressed and being the impatient sorts we are we thought we’d leave it at that. But once the corrector is in place our skin tone was still quite pinkish so the concealer is what really does the work with this.

Much creamier than previous concealers, the latest edition works a treat at bringing eyes back to something like their natural best and once it hits the corrector the two work really well together. As the new range also comes with a press powder that keeps everything in place we are firmly of the opinion that this one is going to be a bit of a keeper. Due to hit shelves at BT’s in early April,this is definitely worth the wait.

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Posted in Beauty heroes, Beauty reviews, Bobbi Brown, Foundations and concealers, L'Onglex loves |

Pump up the volume – it’s our mascara picks

January 10th, 2011
Pump up the Volume – some of our favourite Mascaras
Don’t really know how this happened exactly but somewhere along the way L’Onglex seemed to fall in love with volumising mascaras. Why exactly this was, how this developed, and when exactly we started making eyes at lash thickening products we can’t tell you. As is always the case for those with an addiction to the slap, one is never satisfied and we knew we wouldn’t be happy til we’d tried everything we could get our greedy hands on.
Having really thought about it, the desire to lash up probably came as a result of our eyes exploding when we tried out those glue on lash thingies at a salon who shall remain nameless. Obviously, being the sort we are, the thought of having luridly long, outrageously luscious lashes was too good not to be true. But once the things were glued on and we’d had to suffer the ignominy of having to crawl back to a salon indifferent to our plight and beg for the things to be unglued from our peepers we became a little more discerning about we stick on our eyes.
Anyhows, before we bore you to sleep with our sob stories we can at least reveal the fruits of our labour. No, we haven’t tried everything out there but we can say hand on heart that we’ve been through enough to now know a good un’ from a bad un’. Here, for your consideration, are a selection of the best volumising mascaras that we’ve managed to find over the last year – read it, and don’t weep !
Lesson 1 – Chanel Inimitable Intense is best for length….
Those of you with a desire for some length, some volume and a certain elegance of application will love this one. As the the uniquely designed mascara wand features bristles which align really well each sweep tends to go on really smoothly. Ok, it’s not the fattest lash you’ll ever flutter but it doesn’t cake or crack and the formula is really thin which helps with building the stuff in layers. As a mascara for daywear this is light enough for lengthening by day and can be beefed up for something a bit less subtle for evening wear. Although they probably won’t thank us for saying this, €28 isn’t particularly purse friendly but as it’s pretty adaptable Inimitable Intense makes our list.
Lesson 2 –  Rimmel’s The Max Volume Flash is best value….
A keratin enriched formula, a larger than life wand and soup-thick lashes in less than two sweeps … it can only be Rimmel Max Volume ! At about €8 a pop this is about the best we’ve worn in this price range. In fact, it was one of the best we wore full stop. Having been on the L’Onglex make-up table for some time a rather nice effect of using this was that over time we found our formerly flimsy fluttering went from bad to better. As the formula for Max Volume contains added collagen our lashes fattened up with prolonged use – can’t say fairer than that !
Lesson 3 – Model Co Fiber Lash is more than a gimmick …
As mentioned in other posts on these pages L’Onglex’s biggest beauty gripe has to be our panda eyes. After this comes the fact that even at best our lashes could only be described as .. well .. ‘barely there’. Being in need of a little substance to go with a raging case of lash envy when we first laid eyes on Model Co Fiber Lash we ended up doing a bit of a double take.
Simply, this is a two part mascara which comes blacker than black and is applied and then layered over with hundreds of teeny tiny lash filaments which add density and volume to the liquid. The end result is bulky, sultry and a complete fake. On the downside it’s €35 but if you really struggle to get something noticeable in the lash department you may as well bit the bullet rather than go through three or four of something else. Despite the fact that it sounds quite complex application isn’t to difficult once you’ve got the hang of it.
Lesson 4 – Maybeline’s The Falsies is anything but ….
Whoever devised the formula for The Falsies deserves to be bestowed some kind of beauty sainthood. No matter how many coats you apply it just builds and the fact is unless your really working the whole starry eyed goth look you probably only need one-and-a-half. Yes, if your lashes are are really short it’s probably not the best but on the hand if there long enough so that you can get them round the spoon shaped brush we think this is perfect. As soon as we’d worked out that you have to let the first coat dry a little to keep things neat we were quickly of the opinion that this is the best mascara we’ve ever had.

best_mascaras

Don’t really know how this happened exactly but somewhere along the way L’Onglex seemed to fall in love with volumising mascaras.

Why exactly this was, how this developed, and when exactly we started making eyes at lash thickening products we can’t tell you. As is always the case for those with an addiction to the slap, one is never satisfied and we knew we wouldn’t be happy til we’d tried everything we could get our greedy hands on.

Having really thought about it, the desire to lash up probably came as a result of our eyes exploding when we tried out those glue on lash thingies at a salon who shall remain nameless.

Obviously, being the sort we are, the thought of having luridly long, outrageously luscious lashes was too good not to be true. But once the things were glued on and we’d had to suffer the ignominy of having to crawl back to a salon indifferent to our plight and beg for the things to be unglued from our peepers we became a little more discerning about what we would be sticking on our eyes in future.

So, before we bore you with our sob stories we can at the very least reveal the fruits of our labour. No, we haven’t tried everything that’s out there but we can say hand on heart that we’ve been through enough to now know a good un’ from a bad un’.

Here, for your consideration, are a selection of the best volumising mascaras that we’ve managed to find over the last year – read it, and don’t weep !

Lesson 1 – Chanel Inimitable Intense is best for length….

Those of you with a desire for some length, some volume and a certain elegance of application will love this one. Ok, it’s not the fattest lash you’ll ever flutter but it doesn’t cake or crack and the formula is really thin which helps with building the stuff in layers.

As a mascara for daywear this is light enough for lengthening and can be beefed up for something a bit less subtle should you need it. Although they probably won’t thank us for saying this, €28 isn’t particularly purse friendly but as it’s pretty adaptable Inimitable Intense makes our list.

Lesson 2 –  Rimmel’s The Max Volume Flash is best value….

A keratin enriched formula, a larger than life wand and soup-thick lashes in less than two sweeps … it can only be Rimmel Max Volume ! At about €8 a pop this is about the best we’ve worn in this price range. In fact, it was one of the best we wore full stop.

Having been on the L’Onglex make-up table for ages we also found that a rather nice effect of using this was that over time we found our formerly flimsy fluttering went from a state of ‘bad’ to a state of …. ‘much better’. Later we discovered that as the formula for Max Volume contains added collagen our lashes fattened up with prolonged use and you can’t say fairer than that !

Lesson 3 – Model Co Fiber Lash is more than a gimmick …

As mentioned in other posts on these pages L’Onglex’s biggest beauty gripe has to be our panda eyes. After this comes the fact that even at best our lashes could only be described as .. well .. ‘barely there’.

Being in need of a little substance to cure our raging case of lash envy when we first laid eyes on Model Co Fiber Lash we ended up doing a bit of a double take – would it work … how does it work ?

Simply, this is a two part mascara which comes blacker than black and is applied and then layered over with hundreds of teeny tiny lash filaments which add density and volume to the liquid on the lash.

The end result is bulky, sultry and a completely gorgeous fake. On the downside, it costs €35, but if you really struggle to get something noticeable in the lash department you may as well bite the bullet on the cost rather than go through three or four of something less effective. Despite the fact that the whole getting-it-on business sounds quite complex, application isn’t too difficult once you’ve got the hang of it.

Lesson 4 – Maybeline’s The Falsies is anything but ….

Whoever devised the formula for The Falsies deserves to be bestowed some kind of beauty sainthood. No matter how many coats you apply it just builds and the fact is unless you’re really working the whole starry eyed goth look you probably only need a sweep and a half.

Ok – if your lashes are really short it’s probably not the best but if your lashes are long enough to get them around the spoon shaped brush we think this is perfect. As soon as we’d worked out that you have to let the first coat dry a little to keep things neat we were quickly of the opinion that this is the best volumising mascara we’ve ever had ….. we think !

1 Comment »

Posted in Beauty gadgets, Beauty heroes, Beauty reviews, Chanel, Eyeshadow and mascaras, L'Onglex loves, Maybelline, Model Co, Rimmel |

Free Nails Inc at Boots Stores

December 29th, 2010
Free Nails Inc at Boots
The other week someone passing by these parts just so happened to ask us whether there was anything we at L’Onglex love more than nail polish. Dismissing the question as flippant once said person had made their merry way all in these parts began to scratch our heads and mutter to ourselves whether there could actually be anything more important to us.
Quite why the question seemed to stick we have no idea but it did and the end result is that when we thought about and scratched our heads on the subject we found ourselves genuinely hard pressed to think of anything we did in fact like more than a coat or two of colour.
Now. This morning L’Onglex got wind of the return of the Nails Inc and Diet Coke promo at Boots. Simply, from January the 12th you’ll be able to bag a free bottle of Nails Inc Catwalk Collection, or a free bottle of Heather Grey, or a free bottle of Perfect Plum, or a free bottle of Delicious Denim and all when you purchase two or more 500ml bottles of Diet Coke at selected Boots stores.
So, not only are L’Onglex pleased to be getting our hands on the new colour for next to nothing but in a way this answers the rather difficult question in quite a succinct way because there really is something we at L’Onglex love more than nail polish …. and that’s would be FREE nail polish.

nails_inc

The other week someone passing by these parts just so happened to ask us whether there was anything we at L’Onglex love more than nail polish ?

Dismissing the question as a bit flippant once said person had made their merry way, all in these parts began to scratch our heads and mutter to ourselves whether there was indeed anything more important to us.

Quite why the question seemed to stick we have no idea but it did, and the end result is that when we thought about it  a bit we  genuinely did find ourselves hard pressed to think of anything we like more than a coat or two of colour.

Now, this very morning L’Onglex got wind of the return of the Nails Inc and Diet Coke promo at Boots. Simply, from January the 12th you’ll be able to bag a free bottle of Nails Inc Catwalk Collection, or a free bottle of Heather Grey, or a free bottle of Perfect Plum, or a free bottle of Delicious Denim when you purchase two or more 500ml bottles of Diet Coke at selected Boots stores.

So, not only are L’Onglex pleased to be getting our hands on the new colours for next to nothing but in a way this answers the rather difficult question in quite a succinct way because we’ve finally discovered something we like more than nail polish …. FREE nail polish !

3 Comments »

Posted in Beauty heroes, Beauty news, Manicures, Nail polish, Nails Inc |

Christmas party picks

December 14th, 2010
Our Christmas Party Picks
With Christmas nearly upon us we figured we’d chuck out all that natural, subtle stuff and head out for some glitzy goodies.
Obviously it goes without saying that L’Onglex thinks that looking like an overdone Christmas tree is a bad thing at this time of year, but on the other hand being the proverbial wallflower isn’t the best way to handle the party season. With this in mind we’ve put together a few to look out for if you are of a mind to expand the Christmas beauty bag.
First on our party wish list is Barocco Shimmer Powder by Clarins. Perfect for highlighting cheeks and decolletage these are basically lightweight nuggets that come in a rather festive pot and leave just the right amount of sparkle where you need it. Although these are rather nice ( more bronzy than gold ), go easy on the powder as less is definitely more ! powder on the puff to give a subtle sheen where you need it most.
Those of you who need a touch of seductive pout rather than the full Pete Burns will no doubt be interested in the delights of Model Co’s Lip Plumper. Bag friendly and packed with plumping ingredients like marine collagen and hyaluronic acid, this comes as a gloss that also smoothes lips down as well as plumping them up.
As much as we love subtle polishes now and again what’s really needed is a touch of drama. Enter Chanel’s Rouge Fatal, a stunning chip free holly nail polish with a super glossy finish. Obviously we could spend ages describing the subtle nuances of colouring and shade, but we’ll spare you the bother of reading our superlatives and finish the Chanel subject with the following statement …. wear this because it’s not too tarty !
Finally the fragrance. If you were to read the brochure you might think that paying €80 big ones to cover yourself in the smells of pomegranate, spiced woods and frankincense would make you smell a bit like an overdone nativity display …. it doesn’t. If there is a winter scent out there that is any more perfect than Pomegranate Noir by Jo Malone please inform L’Onglex forthwith. We love this scent.

With Christmas nearly upon us we figured we’d chuck out all that natural, subtle stuff and head out for some glitzy goodies.

Obviously it goes without saying that L’Onglex thinks that looking like an overdone Christmas tree is a bad thing at this time of year, but on the other hand being the proverbial wallflower isn’t the best way to handle the party season. With this in mind we’ve put together a few to look out for if you are of a mind to expand the Christmas beauty bag.

3-clarinsFirst on our party wish list is Barocco Shimmer Powder by Clarins. Perfect for highlighting cheeks and decolletage these are basically lightweight nuggets that come in a rather festive pot and leave just the right amount of sparkle where you need it. Although these are rather nice ( more bronzy than gold ), go easy on this one as less is definitely more –  a subtle sheen where you need it most.

4-lip_plumperThose of you who need a touch of seductive pout rather than the full-on-Pete-Burns will no doubt be interested in the delights of Model Co’s Lip Plumper. Bag friendly and packed with plumping ingredients like marine collagen and hyaluronic acid, this comes as a gloss that also smoothes lips down as well as plumping them up.

2-chanel-polishAs much as we love subtle polishes now and again what’s really needed is a touch of drama. Enter Chanel’s Rouge Fatal, a stunning chip free holly nail polish with a super glossy finish. Obviously we could spend ages describing the subtle nuances of colouring and shade, but we’ll spare you the bother of reading our superlatives and finish the Chanel subject with the following statement …. wear this because it’s not too tarty !

1-jomaloneFinally the fragrance. If you were to read the brochure you might think that paying €80 big ones to cover yourself in the smells of pomegranate, spiced woods and frankincense would make you smell a bit like an overdone nativity display …. it doesn’t. If there is a winter scent out there that is any more perfect than Pomegranate Noir by Jo Malone please inform L’Onglex forthwith. We love this perfume.

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Posted in Beauty heroes, Clarins, Model Co, Nail polish, Perfume, Uncategorized |

L’Onglex blog of the week

November 18th, 2010
L’Onglex blog of the week !
As L’Onglex hasn’t had an original idea in ages we’ve been stealing much of the inspiration for our posts from a range of sources. Thinking this might be a tad unfair to those more imaginative than our good selves we decided that it was high time we gave some of our favourites a mention and so if you haven’t yet come across the Lovely Girlie Bits Blog < http://lovelygirliebits.blogspot.com/> we think you might be missing out.
The creation of Irish beauty blogger Karen Bourgeois the site features product reviews, how to’s and loads of step by steps and being something of the nosy sort we got in touch to ask Karen to answer a few questions on matters slap related ……
What’s in your make-up bag …
At the moment I’m using Gosh’s Natural Touch Foundation, MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium to set the foundation, MEMEME Shimmy Shimmers in Pink Shimmer for blush.  For my eyes I am very into the MUA eyeshadows from Superdrug and my Urban Decay Naked Palette and Rimmel’s Lash Accelerator Mascara.  These are my everyday go to products.
Who’s your make-up muse …
I love Kim Kardashian’s make-up.  Her skin is always flawless, eyes are always perfectly smokey and lips are the perfect nude. In second place would be Cheryl Cole. I love when she has a full face of makeup on as her skin always looks gorgeous and dewey and her eye makeup is always spot on – plenty of false lashes.
Do you have a favorite beauty trend this season …
I won’t lie, I had to do a bit of research to see what the beauty trends are for this season.  A few websites mentioned the fuller brows being a trend for Winter 2010 and our very own Model Scout is all about that but I don’t think I could pull off the bushy eyebrows look.  I’m happy to report that a smokey eye is always gorgeous in the winter season as there’s nothing like a dark eye for going out over the Christmas period.
Where’s your favorite place to shop for a beauty fix …
Hands down, Boots and Superdrug.  Their selection is second to none, the prices are very reasonable and they both have offers on all the time. Who can resist an offer
When it comes to beauty buys do you prefer the bargains or are you more high end …
I love both.  When I first started going to New York on shopping trips I  would spend a small fortune in Sephora and Macys – mostly on high end products. I still have a lot of them in my collection and use them regularly but nowadays I absolutely love finding a bargain and dupes for higher end products.
I recently started a series on my blog doing an eye make-up look using more expensive products on one eye and cheaper products on the other eye. I want to show people that you can look good if you’re on a budget. Saying that, I do like to treat myself now at then.
What’s your all time must have beauty buy …
This is a tough one.  I think it would have to be my Mineralize Skinfinish Natural from MAC.  It is the perfect setting powder for my foundation and even though I got mine in the Summer of 2009, I still have absolutely loads left. I’ve tried other powders, loose and set, expensive and cheap and this is what I would recommend everyone have in their collection. It never seems to cake and is great value for money.
What’s on your beauty wish list …
Ah The List. I keep a list on my phone so that whenever I’m pootling up and down the makeup aisles, I don’t forget what I’m looking for. Right now I’d love Barry M’s Hologram Hexogram nail paint, Illamasqua Light Liquid Foundation, Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer, Sleek’s Bad Girl Palette and Sleek’s Kajal Liner.
What’s been your biggest beauty disaster to date …
Back in my college days I remember going to the USI bar in Dublin with silver eyeshadow from my lash line to my eyebrows, yep, that was me although I’ve toned it down a bit since then !

blog_of_the_week

As L’Onglex hasn’t had an original idea in ages we’ve been stealing much of the inspiration for our posts from a range of sources. Thinking this might be a tad unfair to those more imaginative than our good selves we decided that it was high time we gave some of our favourites a mention and so if you haven’t yet come across the Lovely Girlie Bits Blog we think you might be missing out.

The creation of Irish beauty blogger Karen Bourgeois the site features product reviews, how to’s and loads of step by steps and being something of the nosy sort we got in touch to ask Karen to answer a few questions on matters slap related ……

What’s in your make-up bag …

At the moment I’m using Gosh’s Natural Touch Foundation, MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium to set the foundation, MEMEME Shimmy Shimmers in Pink Shimmer for blush.  For my eyes I am very into the MUA eyeshadows from Superdrug and my Urban Decay Naked Palette and Rimmel’s Lash Accelerator Mascara.  These are my everyday go to products.

Who is your make-up muse …

I love Kim Kardashian’s make-up.  Her skin is always flawless, eyes are always perfectly smokey and lips are the perfect nude. In second place would be Cheryl Cole. I love when she has a full face of makeup on as her skin always looks gorgeous and dewey and her eye makeup is always spot on – plenty of false lashes.

Do you have a favorite beauty trend this season …

I won’t lie, I had to do a bit of research to see what the beauty trends are for this season.  A few websites mentioned the fuller brows being a trend for Winter 2010 and our very own Model Scout is all about that but I don’t think I could pull off the bushy eyebrows look.  I’m happy to report that a smokey eye is always gorgeous in the winter season as there’s nothing like a dark eye for going out over the Christmas period.

Where is your favorite place to shop for a beauty fix …

Hands down, Boots and Superdrug.  Their selection is second to none, the prices are very reasonable and they both have offers on all the time. Who can resist an offer ?

When it comes to beauty buys do you prefer the bargains or are you more high end …

I love both.  When I first started going to New York on shopping trips I  would spend a small fortune in Sephora and Macys – mostly on high end products. I still have a lot of them in my collection and use them regularly but nowadays I absolutely love finding a bargain and dupes for higher end products.

I recently started a series on my blog doing an eye make-up look using more expensive products on one eye and cheaper products on the other eye. I want to show people that you can look good if you’re on a budget. Saying that, I do like to treat myself now at then.

What’s your all time must have beauty buy …

This is a tough one.  I think it would have to be my Mineralize Skinfinish Natural from MAC.  It is the perfect setting powder for my foundation and even though I got mine in the Summer of 2009, I still have absolutely loads left. I’ve tried other powders, loose and set, expensive and cheap and this is what I would recommend everyone have in their collection. It never seems to cake and is great value for money.

What’s on your beauty wish list …

Ah The List. I keep a list on my phone so that whenever I’m pootling up and down the makeup aisles, I don’t forget what I’m looking for. Right now I’d love Barry M’s Hologram Hexogram nail paint, Illamasqua Light Liquid Foundation, Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer, Sleek’s Bad Girl Palette and Sleek’s Kajal Liner.

blog_karenWhat’s been your biggest beauty disaster to date …

Back in my college days I remember going to the USI bar in Dublin with silver eyeshadow from my lash line to my eyebrows, yep, that was me although I’ve toned it down a bit since then !

Leave a comment »

Posted in Beauty heroes, L'Onglex loves, Uncategorized |

The benefits of … er … benefit

October 18th, 2010
Perfect for the more indecisive among you the latest powder release from Benefit makes it possible to ditch the awkward decisions about what to buy and just head straight for the good stuff.
Teaming three of their best selling face powders into one handy compact Powder Time Lover is perfect if you like your compact to mix it up a little. With a quick dab you can rouge it up with a blush of Coralista, give cheeks a healthy autumn glow with Dallas and brighten dull skin with the Dandelion face highlighter.
Fast becoming our favourite thing ‘in the world ever’ the pallet is totally adaptable for all skin tones and although the free brush isn’t quite all we could have hoped for we’ve been making the most of the last opportunity to have a touch of summer glow by highlighting with Dandelion.
At €37.50 it might be on the expensive side if your beauty bag budget is a more bacon and spuds than champagne and caviar but seeing as you get three powders in one we don’t really  begrudge the price tag too much !

benefit_powder_time_lover

Perfect for the more indecisive among you the latest powder release from Benefit makes it possible to ditch the awkward decisions about what to buy and just head straight for the good stuff.

Teaming three of their best selling face powders into one handy compact Powder Time Lover is perfect if you like your compact to mix it up a little. With a quick dab you can rouge it up with a blush of Coralista, give cheeks a healthy autumn glow with Dallas and brighten dull skin with the Dandelion face highlighter.

Fast becoming our favourite thing ‘in the world ever’ the pallet is totally adaptable for all skin tones and although the free brush isn’t quite all we could have hoped for we’ve been making the most of the last opportunity to have a touch of summer glow by highlighting with Dandelion.

At €37.50 it might be on the expensive side if your beauty bag budget is a more bacon and spuds than champagne and caviar but seeing as you get three powders in one we don’t really  begrudge the price tag too much !

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Posted in Beauty heroes, Beauty news, Beauty reviews, Blushers and bronzing, L'Onglex loves |

Favourite finds for a fiver … Jergens natural hand cream

October 5th, 2010
Every now and again L’Onglex will come across the odd bit and bob that sort of makes us go ‘ooohhh thats nice’ and even more so if the very nice thing in question also happens to be a very nice thing that’s also very purse friendly.
So it is then that we tip our proverbial beauty hat to Jergens hand cream. Having come by this a few days ago we are somewhat impressed by the fact that this not only soothes and moisturises with a mix of jojoba and seed oils but also comes in at a very purse friendly €4.99.
Obviously we don’t want to bore you to death with a debate on the merits of everything in the tub but essentially it’s 96% natural ingredients which we think is actually quite good for less than a fiver …. I mean … what can you get for less than a fiver which is actually any good, or works, or smells nice, or doesn’t bring your skin out in a blotchy rash …. answers on a postcard please. This we like !

Jergens_hand_cream

Every now and again L’Onglex will come across the odd bit and bob that sort of makes us go ‘ooohhh thats nice’ and even more so if the very nice thing in question also happens to be a very nice thing that’s also very purse friendly.

So it is then that we tip our proverbial beauty hat to Jergens hand cream. Having come by this a few days ago we are somewhat impressed by the fact that this not only soothes and moisturises with a mix of jojoba and seed oils but also comes in at a more than reasonable €4.99.

Obviously we don’t want to bore you to death with a debate on the merits of everything in the tub but essentially the ingredients are 96% natural which we think is actually quite good for less than a fiver.

In fact, we think that’s very good for less than a fiver …. I mean … what can you get for less than a fiver which is actually any good, or works, or smells nice, or doesn’t bring your skin out in a nasty blotchy rash …. answers on a postcard please.

This we like !

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Posted in Beauty heroes, Beauty news, Beauty reviews, Body creams, Budget beauty buys |

At last …. something we can afford

September 10th, 2010
At last …. something we can afford
If you came to these pages yesterday you will know we are currently fretting because we can’t find €110 for the new Tom Ford collection of make-up. We tried asking nicely but were politely, firmly, passively and then aggressively reminded that our budget for the L’Onglex blog just don’t stretch that far.
After saying pretty please and stamping our feet for a while we realised that the beauty gods were just not going to smile and rather than a set of Black Orchid nail polish we found ourselves with nothing else to do except raid the back of the couch. Finding only €1.80 and a pack of Airwaves chewing gum we gave up the ghost for good.
We were all feeling slightly upset at the way of things when as if by magic a packet landed on the L’Onglex beauty desk containing something rather nice. Now we know it’s not exactly Tom Ford but the above picture is none other than the new Carmex lip balm which comes complete with a rather resplendent strawberry flavour.
At €3.98 and complete with nourishing goodies like menthol, camphor and beeswax we were reminded in an instant that you don’t need bags of cash to have the nice things in life and although we are still looking for another couch to raid before we can buy a pack of our own we are at least enjoying that which the beauty gods have sent. This we most definitely like !

caramax_lip_balm_strawberry

If you came to these pages yesterday you will know we are currently fretting because we can’t find €110 for the new Tom Ford collection of make-up. We tried asking nicely but were politely, firmly, passively and then aggressively reminded that our budget for the L’Onglex blog just don’t stretch that far.

After saying pretty please and stamping our feet for a while we realised that the beauty gods were just not going to smile and rather than a set of Black Orchid nail polish we found ourselves with nothing else to do except raid the back of the couch. Finding only €1.80 and a pack of Airwaves chewing gum we gave up the ghost for good.

We were all feeling slightly upset at the way of things when as if by magic a packet landed on the L’Onglex beauty desk containing something rather nice. Now we know it’s not exactly Tom Ford but the above picture is none other than the new Carmex lip balm which comes complete with a rather resplendent strawberry flavour.

At €3.98 and complete with nourishing goodies like menthol, camphor and beeswax we were reminded in an instant that you don’t need bags of cash to have the nice things in life and although we are still looking for another couch to raid before we can buy a pack of our own we are at least enjoying that which the beauty gods have sent.

This we most definitely like !

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Posted in Beauty heroes, Beauty news, Beauty reviews, Budget beauty buys, L'Onglex loves |


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