Deep Clean

The other day I finally bit the bullet and give my makeup brushes a good deep clean. This is a task I have been putting off for far too long. I normally pride myself on having a very rigorous cleaning routine at home, and am normally pretty strict when I have used a brush it goes in the ‘used’ pile (or pot) but lately things have gotten a bit all over the place. A mixture of not leaving the house and therefore not needing makeup on and also pure laziness!!!

So I spent a good portion of my Saturday night sorting, cleaning, conditioning, sterilising and reshaping my makeup brushes…as well as disposing of a few that have seen their best days. then I left them overnight on towels to dry. ready to be organised and placed into their rightful home. I love my My Kit Co Brush Caddy for storing my brushes and keeping them organised on my makeup station, both at home an at work. I could do with another one and at the minute I’m trying to decide between the Big one that I have or the Small one.

But anyway here’s my favourite brush cleaners from Beauty Bay:

I almost always forget about my Beauty Blenders, Probably because they’re so much effort but using this Beauty Blender Liquid Blender Cleanser makes that task so much easier. Simply get your blenders together, dampen with warm water and rub this in. It has a ‘low-sud’ formula so you don’t spend all day rinsing out the bubbles!

I think I should definitely invest in the Sigma Beauty Spa Brush Cleaner to save my poor wee hands from drying out. Instead of swirling the brushes around the palm of my hands this bad boy sticks to the sink with its handy suckers and has a few different ridges for different brushes. It’s probably a bit more hygienic too.

In between deep cleans a quick clean with something like the Cinema Secrets Professional Brush Cleaner is ideal. not only does it dry quickly, It is also super easy to use. Either pop a bit on some kitchen roll and wipe the brush bristles in the solution and then on a towel. Or pop some in a shallow dish and dip your brush bristles in quickly and then clean off on some kitchen roll or a towel.

But for a big deep clean I love using a solid bar like the Juno & Co. Clean up your act Solid Cleansing Bar for my makeup brushes. Simply wet your brush bristles and swirl in the bar, then use your hand (or the Sigma brush cleaner from above) to swirl your brushes around, Rinse, and repeat until you’ve got them bad boys nice and sparkly and clean.

Another thing on my wish list is the Sigma Beauty Dry’n Shape Spa! It’ll definitely save me so much drying space in the future. You can use the barrel for washing and then it has slots to pop your brushes so they take up less room and dry quicker. Win win!!

Happy Cleaning you guys!!

xoxo OfficialJudeMitch

*I have not been paid for this blog, it does however have affiliate links.

 

Beauty Bay’s Best Buys

Beauty Bay is the go to for all things Beauty and Makeup. Ive picked 5 of my favourites from their website!

First up the EMBRYOLISSE LAIT CREME CONCENTRE NOURISHING MOISTURISER, (I don’t know how to pronounce it either. I was so dubious about buying this cream. I bought it when my skin was really annoying me so I was hesitant to spent any more money on a ‘magic cream’. But I’m glad I did. It’s so versatile with uses from Moisturiser, Primer and even make-up remover.

Next we have the bPerfect 10 second medium coconut Self Tanning Spray I’m a big fan of bPerfect (it’s based in Belfast) From their OG the Semi Permanent Brow Kit to their amazing MUA collab Collections. The 10 Second tan is one I have repeatedly bought and still love. If Dark and ultra dark is more up your street they have that covered for you too.

Beauty Bay EYN 42 Colour Palette is a super fun, and easily blendable eyeshadow palette. It’s Bright and Beautiful and I just love it. But not to worry if you’re more a neutral eyeshadow gal, they have a whole host of different shades in their collection to pick from here.

MYKITCO. My BigBrush Buddy I just love my brush buddy! This has been a lifesaver literally every day from I bought it! It’s ideal for sorting out your brushes into 6 sections and has a super hands strap ideal if you’re a mum and move your makeup brushes about a lot. It also links pretty good sitting on your makeup station.

This bad boy is on my wish list (ok its already in my basket) Project Lip Plump and Gloss I Love the idea of having fuller plumper lips but without the commitment. so this is a no brainer from me!

I hope you liked my little Beauty Bay Best Bits for now!

xoxo OfficialJudeMitch

 

*I have not been paid for this blog, but affiliate links have been used.

Free Stuff at your Fingertips

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So with Christmas fast approaching (and my little ones arrival) I’m conscious about saving money and spending less! But I still like treating myself and I still like the finer things when it comes to Makeup and Health & Beauty products. So when I discovered Latest Free Stuff I was thrilled!

It’s been a great way to discover new favourites and I’ve been introduced to brands I’ve never heard off. From nappies to skincare! Shower gels to socks! even feminine care (seriously who wants to spend money on that?)

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I’ve received perfume samples that I’ve fell in love with and went on to purchase. I love  sample sizes for traveling and now they are going towards my hospital bag stockpile.

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Some of my Baby and hospital bag Freebies

So every day they update the site (and Facebook page) with different links to claim free goodies. This saves you the bother of looking yourself and introduces you to different brands. It also takes the hassle out of trying to decide what to buy when you can sample a selection for FREE! Just this week they have had: free dog food from tails.com , kitten food from royal canine, St Tropes face masks, Mac and Clarin’s foundations, as well as a whole host of other great freebies to claim. and not only that, there are also fun competitions to enter. anything from Original Sources goodie bags to laptops! (fingers crossed)

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You never know you could stumble across a new favourite brand or product that you never knew existed. Or you could get the chance to try something you’ve been meaning to try but never wanted to fully commit to buying a high end product when you weren’t 100% sure you were going to like it.

It was a no brainer when I signed up. I spend enough time on my phone or laptop never mind on Facebook so why not get some free stuff while I’m at it? It’s so simple to Join and you get to decide what freebies you want to claim! It has became one of the first things I check every morning!

click on the links below to join now:

Free Stuff Facebook Group 

Free MakeUp

Free Health & Beauty

I hope this helps you guys! I know it helped me, I only wish I knew about it sooner!!!

XOXO OfficialJudeMitch

L;ft facecare

So not so long ago a photo popped up on my Instagram from two years ago. And it literally made me stop in my tracks! The first thing that came into my head was ‘when did I get so old looking?’ The picture was only two years ago and I thought I looked like a baby compared to what I look like now! So something had to be done!!

After the initial shock I then decided I needed to change up my skincare routine, Fast forward a few days and I had done my research, Ok so basically I though really hard and tried to remember what my skincare routine was like back then. As mine is seriously lacking right now. I’ve been using good old Astral and a Norwex body cloth, as everything else has given me a reaction lately. I knew it wasn’t the body shop as slowly but surely I have discovered I’m allergic to pretty much every face product they have produced, which is such a pitty as I LOVE their body care products. I was pretty certain it wasn’t no7 my next favourite brand and before I started using them I was using a boots own brand that I think was called ‘time delay’ and I know it was unfortunately discontinued as I can remember stocking up when I found out it was to be no more.

So I took a nosey intoBOOTS  to see if I could find anything similar or a new version of the brand. And I stumbled across L;ft so I had a look and bought 3 products to try, a Good Morning SPF15 Day Moisturising Cream, an Instantly Gorgeous Dramatically Hydrating Night Oil and a more targeted  Line Smoothing Concentrate.

The Morning After; So last night I used the line smoothing concentrate on my forehead along with the night oil! And my astral on top around my chin. I was so surprised that when I applied the concentrate how nourishing it felt as anything I’ve tried before has been kind of sticky. But I woke up this morning for the first time in a long time not dying to run and apply moisturiser! So I’m happy so far!

Today I’m going swimming and using the day cream for the first time.

Ok so I hadn’t left the house and my chin was starting to feel dry so I popped on some of my trusted astral to get me through the morning. But apart from that nothing needed topped up after swimming, and then for coffee and then a hospital appointment.

I can’t get over the smell of everything, it’s a sweet but not sickening smell and all the products go on with ease and sink into my skin nicely without leaving an oily residue.

………

Just over two weeks in, and I’m noticing a vast improvement on my skin, I’m pretty sure the wrinkles between my brows have reduced slightly. This may be wishful thinking but they were really starting to annoy me, and I was tempted to opt for a fringe just to cover them up again! I’ve also been getting so many compliments about my skin. (Happy Face) I still have a dryer patch around my mouth and chin but I can live with that

So far I’m happy with the products I’ve got and I’m planning on taking another trip to see what else I need now!

This blog was first published in August 2019 and it is currently May 2020 and I have to say I am still using the L;ft range since and I’ve repurchased them again (I’m only on my second Instantly Gorgeous Dramatically Hydrating Night Oil the only time my skin got bad since I started using it was when I was in the hospital for two nights having Emily and forgot to pick up my skincare bag. but I would defiantly recommend the whole range!

As always I’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions on any skincare you’ve tried recently!

xoxo OfficialJudeMitch

Ciaciaxo X INGLOT

If you haven’t heard about the ciaciaxo Inglot pallet, where have you been???

From the moment I laid eyes on this I knew I JUST HAD to get my hands on it! The bright and wearable colours really drew me to it. Knowing it’s an INGLOT product I knew it was going to be good! They are known for their deeply pigmented shadows. And it’s a steal at only €30!! I couldn’t wait to get to Belfast or Derry to buy it! I don’t know why, but I would much rather buy makeup in real life. (Probably so I can play with it ASAP) I hadn’t had a chance to get away to either So when INGLOT emailed to tell me there was free delivery,  I was all over it! And ordered this promptly. And they still had some pieces left in their sale so it was win win. I COULD NOT wait until this arrived! And silly me was so excited at checkout I even sent it to my old house. That’s another story all on its own! But anywho I got it!!

I mainly bought it because not only is it stunning and every colour is more magical than the next, I could think of soooo many different looks and colour combos. And I knew this is just what I needed to get me out of my Blaaa non makeup rut (I’ve been feeling uber blaaaa lately and with my skin issues makeup was just a no no for me) Also Ciara is a fellow Tyrone gal and if that’s not a good enough reason to purchase, I don’t know what is!!

Oddly enough the green is the colour that I was the most excited to try and I haven’t even touched it yet!

My first thoughts were

* The cover is amazing and it came so well packaged up.

* Initially I did think the pallet was smaller and thinner than the normal INGLOT pallets and compared to what I was expecting. But considering the single eyeshadows are around £5/€6 I understood. And I still think it’s super good value

* The shadows are sooooooo pigmented and so far I haven’t seen as much fall out as I was expecting.

* The black is the the Perfect texture to blend seamlessly with the brighter colours to deepen and darken.

Overall I am VERY impressed with this pallet and would definitely recommend it for all makeup looks, from more subtle looks to all out colour. you will not be disappointed.

Get your hands on your very own pallet here Ciaciaxo I strongly recommend you do!!

xoxo OfficialJudeMitch

INGLOT unveiled?!

July 17th 2018

Hmmm now this one might not be a popular opinion but this is MY opinion on the whole INGLOT unveiled type scandal going around Instagram at the moment.

on the one side I can completely sympathise with a lot of the girls who feel victimised or bullied or who feel that the working conditions weren’t good (and if it was as you say there is a better way to deal with it that on social media!) But the other side I’m looking at it from my eyes. A business owner and a past shop worker.

Things like this come up every now and again and it actually makes my blood boil, the way some people use social media to put their views across which is totally fine but when it gets to the stage where it is also really harming someone else’s reputation that they’ve worked very hard to get, not to mention paved the way for smaller bloggers or influencers thats when I think you should draw the line and just stop.

I’ve watched Jane avidly over the years from I discovered INGLOT as a brand and I truly admire her, she is in fact a Boss lady everyone could take some inspiration from daily! now this isn’t me sucking up to anyone because I very much doubt Jane knows who I am. and I’m actually quite shocked to see this all come about because any other scandal has been kept hush hush as I think it should be in any company. Especially when I imagine INGLOT in Ireland possibly has hundreds of employees therefore has hundreds of egos! There’s bound to be disputes and we all know just how bitchy a bunch of girls can get! And I know for a fact there is no way I could cope with that!

I’ve seen Jane push makeup artists and see they’re very well looked after, I’ve seen her promote her artists on social media, help them grow a following and then seen it be thrown back I her face when they leave with a good clientele or following that she helped them get!

Someone mentioned that INGLOT girls were not allowed to promote other brands, well doesn’t that make sense? I’d be pretty cross if any of our employees were promoting another hair salon or a different brand! To me if you’re representing a brand or company that would be a given.

Bullying in the work place! well this is a good one. I think now a days (gosh don’t I sound old) the word bully or bulling gets thrown around and is used waaay to much, the same as anxiety, and I sincerely apologise if you do genuinely feel bullied or do genuinely have anxiety. But it seems now you aint anybody if you’ve got through life without having experienced either. It seems like if you don’t do well somewhere you couldn’t dare own up and say my bad I didn’t work hard enough or I got reprimanded, no you claim you get bullied! And to throw that into the mix now, what you’re doing by starting a hate campaign against someone is in fact bullying!!

I read on one of the posts about someone being reported by a friend of the owner for chatting and not working….ummm its called work for a reason! its not called hanging out with my mates time! It actually really annoys me when I’m in a shop or eating out somewhere and feel like I’m invisible because the three or four staff that are on their shift just want to giggle and gossip among each other. so if I knew who to report that to every time I was out you think I wouldn’t?? And if my friend owned a makeup empire and I noticed her staff slacking I’d be letting her know!

Also the same goes for the girl who claimed she ONLY got an hour break on a Saturday! girl wana switch places with me? want to know what I done last Saturday on my lunch?? I cleaned the toiled and washed the dishes while trying to eat a wrap and down a cup of luke warm coffee, in between my clients. Some girls wouldn’t know a full days work if it came up and bit them in the bum!! This is my genuine opinion of the generations coming up into the workforce now. They look at you funny if you ask them to sweep the floor, which in a salon is where you’ll be starting off, and still 12 years down the line you will still see me sweeping the floor.

This attitude of the worker is always right, the rules don’t apply to me and how dare you make me actually work for a living is in fact the destruction of the work force and the youth of today. I don’t know where you get it from but someone has to put a stop to it! before the whole of man kind can’t function because our mummies are no longer here to hold our hands and tell us it wasn’t our fault it was everyone else! They are like spoilt children, if They don’t get their own way they’ll huff and puff untill they do get their own way, or if not they’ll bring you down with them!

I also assume that it can’t be that bad when some of you guys claim to have been working for 6 years, I don’t know about you but if I was truly miserable somewhere I doubt I wouldn’t be there 6 months let alone 6 years.

There’s also serious whiff of Jealousy that some girls get promoted over others on Instagram…where would you all be if Instagram shit itself and died overnight? its not what the world revolves around (need to remind myself of that sometimes too) also others get promotions over other girls….um duh that’s the real world! you cant just climb to the top just because you want to. That is where you have to work hard to prove you’re up for the job!

As I said at the beginning this is only my opinion but I know that I’ll continue to be an INGLOTADDICT and support the brand.

XOXO Jude