Monday, July 27, 2015

Current Beauty Favourites

I thought that today I would share with you some of the beauty products that I have been loving lately and have been including in my everyday make-up routine.

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder 003 Peach Glow
So this product is actually an old favourite of mine. I have used this powder for as long as I can remember and have never found a powder that I love as much as this one. And for such a great price, it's an absolute steal. It keeps my make-up in place all day and I never have to touch up.


Rimmel Kate Moss Matte Lipstick 107
I had heard such great things about this lipstick and I was not disappointed. Although when I applied it straight on my lips I found the colour a bit extreme for me, I used a small brush and lightly dabbed it on my lips to create a much more toned down but still colourful look.


 Bourjois Little Round Pot Blusher 34 Rose D'Or
As soon as I opened this little pot I knew that I had fallen in love. The colour is so pretty and looks lovely on the cheeks. The blusher is quite pigmented also so a little goes a long way. Also, I can't help but love the cute packaging of this product and have been loving using it lately.

Soap & Glory Supercat Eyeliner Pen
Up until now I have not been the biggest fan of eyeliner, and not because I don't like how it looks but because I cannot apply it. Then I saw online that this eyeliner had some great reviews and decided to give it a go. It is a life saver. The marker-like applicator is so easy to use and the product does not 
come out all at once like most other liners I have tried had done. It has made getting the perfect eyeliner look so much easier to achieve.

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Gossip Girl Shaped Hole..

A few weeks back I finished the TV series Gossip Girl (I know, only 3 years too late) and I never thought I could find a show which I loved as much as that one. All the characters were so entertaining and I would spend hours on end watching episode after episode until finally the inevitable happened and the show came to an end. I'm not going to lie, for a while I was lost. I had no show to watch and wasn't even sure that I was ready to move on from the glamorous life on the Upper East Side. That is until I found a show to fill brilliantly the Gossip Girl shaped hole in my life. And what's that show you may ask? The Vampire Diaries..

To say that I'm addicted is definitely an understatement. I'm currently on Season 3 and just can't seem to stop watching. The characters are so interesting and every episode seems to surprise me with all the twists. Oh and did I mention that the vampires are totally hot?

So to sum up, these TV shows are amazing and are responsible for countless hours spent stuck inside glued to the screen. Thank you Gossip Girl and The Vampire Diaries, greatly appreciated. So while Gossip Girl will always hold a special place in my heart, The Vampire Diaries has just carved it's own special place right next door.

Thursday, July 9, 2015

The Imitation Game

The other night I watched a movie that changed my life. It was called, if you haven't guessed by the title of this post, 'The Imitation Game'. It follows the life of Alan Turing, a young man, who along with a group of other people, work towards breaking the Nazi's Enigma Code during World War Two. There were many reasons why I fell in love with this movie, and the first is Benedict Cumberbatch.

Although I've always been a fan of his work, this movie really showed Cumberbatch in a new light for me. It highlighted his incredible talent for bringing a character to life and he kept me completely intrigued throughout the movie. His performance was utterly mind-blowing in my opinion. He proves without a doubt that he is one of today's greatest actors.

However, the main reason why I fell in love with this movie is the story itself. Something that greatly upset me was the fact that before this film I had never even heard of Alan Turing and had no idea what Enigma was. Turing's story is heartbreaking, from his childhood to his later years. A loner in nature, he proved that "sometimes it is the people no one imagines anything of who do the things no one can imagine." I don't want to say too much about the story as I urge every single person who reads this to watch this movie and appreciate the man that was Alan Turing and his incredible team. Not enough people know of their contribution and they are the unsung heroes of the War.

So, although I may be 70 years too late, and wasn't alive at the time, I want to thank Alan Turing and his team. You went through so much suffering and never got the recognition that you deserved. You have just become my hero and I want the rest of the world to appreciate what you have done too.           Thank you Turing.

Sunday, July 5, 2015

My Skin Journey

About three weeks ago I was in the middle of some very serious exams here in Ireland called the Leaving Cert (cue dramatic music!). During these two stressful weeks my skin was terrible, even though I've never had great skin anyway. The biggest problem I faced was dryness. My chin and nose were so flakey and felt really tight. I also broke out in spots a lot more during that time than I usually did. It really was such a horrible feeling that I sort of pinned down to the stress of exams. Something that I leant during the exams was that if your skin doesn't feel good, you don't feel good.

Having said all this, all my life I've had to deal with rosacea on my face and sensitive skin. These two weeks were the tipping point in making changes to my skincare routine. Up until then I'm not going to lie, I did not have a proper routine with set products. I just kind of used whatever products of my sister's I found in the bathroom. THIS WAS A BIG MISTAKE! I now know that it is SO important to find products that work for you and not to mismatch drugstore brands and products like I had been doing.

And so I made two major changes. The first, of course, was buying skincare products that were recommended by a professional. I purchased La Roche Posay cleansing gel, intense moisturiser and anti- blemish cream. Although these cost a lot more than I was used to spending on my skin, I believe that when it comes to your skin it's important to pay a little bit extra if it works for you. And my God, these products definitely worked for me. My skin is completely different. It feels hydrated and soft all the time. It even looks less red, so much so that recently I have stopped wearing foundation and just applied concealer! It's a miracle.

The second change I made was drinking more water. Every day I try and always have a pint glass of water beside me to keep me hydrated throughout the day. I definitely feel like this also contributed to the clearness of my skin and think that it's something that many people forget to do. Although it makes me have to go toilet so much more often, it's a small price to pay!

So that's my skin journey these past few weeks. The change has been amazing and I would never go back to my old ways of skincare. Leave a comment down below with your skin journey or the products that you find work best on your skin!


Friday, July 3, 2015

And so it begins..

Hi there. If you're reading this then welcome to my blog. The birth of this blog was your typical birth story, painful and joyful. I was sat at home on a warm July day, in tears of boredom when I had a eureka moment: why not start a blog? And so Little Mortal was born.

As a way of letting you get to know me, I thought that I would share 10 facts about me to break the ice.

1. I live in a little village just outside Mullingar (yes, the home of Niall Horan) in Ireland
Yes, this is how cute my dog is!
2. I have just finished school and am currently taking a year out before I go to university
3. I have passed Grade 8 violin and am hoping to get a teaching diploma in the future
4. My dog's name is Milly and she is the cutest thing ever!
5. I absolutely LOVE the Australian soap 'Neighbours' and it's the only soap I watch
6. I get bored really easily (hence this blog)
7. I'm the youngest in my family (one sister and one brother)
8. I really want to write a novel someday
9. I am an extremely awkward person and there's very few people I feel comfortable with
10. Oreos, pizza and cereal are my favourite foods!

So there are the 10 facts that I could think of about myself. I'm sure there's many more things but hopefully we'll get to know each other as we go along. Please leave comments and suggestions and advice and all of that stuff. It would mean a lot :)

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