Recent Drugstore Makeup Purchases | Andrea Martin

Hello everybody!

As promised in my previous post a few days ago I said that I would give you a blogpost on Sunday so here you go.........

Today I am going to be letting you know about which drugstore make-up has recently been catching my eye. Throughout this posts I will be telling you about 5 different products that I have picked over the last week or two.......... So let's get started!

The first item that I picked up is the Miss Sporty - so matte perfect stay pressed powder in the shade 001 light. I had been searching for a matt powder for ages that was good quality but also for a good price. I managed to grab this product for just €2.70, which in my opinion is an absaloute bargain. 

I then purchased the Rimmel - lasting finish nude foundation in the shade 100 ivory. I have picked this product up for 3 reasons. Reason number one is that it matches my skin tone perfectly and I find it very difficult to get a foundation to match my skin, secondly I have heard that it is absaloutely amazing for staying on your face all day and finally I needed a new foundation but wanted to try something new. I got this for about €8.99 which is th standard price for a drugstore foundation so I was really pleased!

My next purchase was a primer and it is the Seventeen - photo flawless skin primer. Unfortunally I have oily skin and I need a primer for under my make-up. This particular primer is designed to prolong the wear of your foundation and so I decided to try it out. I got this for around €3.99 which is fantastic!

My second last item is the Essence - lash and brow gel mascara. I picked this up because I wanted a brow gel to help set my brows in place after I have filled them in and when I saw this I immediately grabbed it and bought it. I got this for €3.99 which is a very good price.

Finally, I got the Rimmel - wake me up concealer in the shade 100 ivory. If you have read "my month of May favourites" post you will know that it was one of them but I really think that it helps for under eye circles so I decided to repurchase it. I got this for €6.99 which in my opinion is the average price of drugstore concealers. 

Thanks for reading this blogpost and if you have enjoyed it don't for egg to subscribe by email along the right hand side of the page and leave a comment below letting me know what drugstore products have been catching your eye lately.

Toodles - Andrea xo

Where else to find me:

Instagram - justablogx

Twitter - AndreaMartin3

Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEFvXLpxp6sCKBmihy1AAfg

Skincare: Product Review | Andrea Martin

Hello everybody !

I am so sorry that it has been about over a month since I last posted. I have sat down and tried to blog but it has been so difficult as I have gone back to school and every single time I tried to post I would either get a mental block or be distracted by something silly! So tonight I decided that it was time I got back into the world of blogging ! 

Throughout this blogpost I am going to give you reviews of these skin products based on my experience. I would just like to stress that I am in no way a skincare professional so if I say something that offends you or you don't think is right that is ok because we all have our own personal experience and opinion. 

Firstly, I am going to begin by telling you that unfortunately I have sensitive, oily skin which is an  absaloutely nightmare! You may be wondering why I dislike having this type of skin but it is because most products for your skin that help to prevent oil are usually quite strong because it is designed to help prevent the oils from building up in your skin but as I mentioned  earlier my skin is very sensitive and so the oily products are too strong and have an effect on my skin in a bad way. They make me break out all over my face more than usual which sucks :( Then I try use a weaker products but they are not strong enough to hold back the oil and so has no major effect on my skin. 

So if you do struggle with this problem or you have a skincare problem that you think you can relate to well here may be some tips on helping you find a good skincare product or helping you narrow down the search. So let's get started!

The first products that I am going to talk about is the Eucerin - Dermo Purifier set. These items are specially designed for oily skin.

Here we have a toner, moisturiser, scrub and cleanser. 

Scrub:

Cleanser:

Toner:

Moisturiser:

Unfortunately these products were too strong for my skin but if you have oily skin that is not sensitive I would highly recommend this set of products!

Next I am going to move on to another product that doesn't suit my skin :(

This moisturiser is the Nivea - Expert Hydration Primer. This moisturiser had no effect on the sensitive side of my skin but as it is water based it didn't help prevent my oils, in fact it did the opposite. So I would recommend this product for anybody who has dry skin as it is amazingly hydrating.

Now moving on to some things that I have enjoyed using and have benefited my skin in some way or other.......

The first skincare item that I really have enjoyed using was a surprise for me because it's definitely not designed for sensitive skin but it has really helped me and it is the Neutrogena - Visibly a clear pink grapefruit facial wash.

I have just been using this face wash every morning and I have definitely noticed a difference in my skin! I would definitely  recommend this to all!

The second skincare product that I have loved recently is the No.7 - Beautiful Skin eye make-up remover. I don't actually know of this is fully classed as a skincare products as it is for your eyes but it is too good not to get a mention. This literally removes every single scrap of eye make-up that you have on and in my opinion everybody should have a bottle of this!

My final skincare product that I have absaloutely fallen in love with is the Silcocks Base - Skincare cream. This cream can be used in 2 ways : 1) You can just apply it normally as a moisturiser or......

                                                                     2)  You can run it under hot water for a minute and use it                                                    as a face wash and then rinse it off.

                 

This has really helped my oily and sensitive skin and I will be continuing to use this in the near future.

If you have read this blogpost thank you so much and If you stay tuned in you might get a sneaky post on Sunday!

Please leave a comment on your favourite skincare products or if you have any tips or tricks I could use.

Don't forget to subscribe by email along along the right-hand side of the page and if you have a google account you can follow me at the bottom of the page.

Thank for reading and I'll see you soon with a brand new post!

Toodles - Andrea xo.

Where to find me:

Instagram - justablogx

Twitter - AndreaMartin3

Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEFvXLpxp6sCKBmihy1AAfg

A Day Out In Dublin | Andrea Martin

So today my good friend Caitlin and I decided that we would go to Dublin for the day. I didn't actually buy that much so unfortunately this will not be a haul but I am going to let you know what shops I visited and what caught my eye.

And of course the first shop we visited was Boots.

Not many people know this but boots is my favourite drugstore for the main reason that it has literally everything you need! 

Another thing that not many people know is that I absaloutely love the soap and glory make-up products along with the body scrubs and skincare. So of course the first thing I did was to go straight to the soap and glory make-up stand. 

Soap and glory make-up stand:

Here I looked at many things but the one I think I loved the most was definately the  Brow Tint and Precison Shaping Pencil. The main reason that I love this is because it has two ends, one felt tip and the other is a crayon like substance.

Brow tint and Precison shape pencil:

I then spotted the Bourjois make-up stand and at the moment I am really loving the nail polish especially in the lilac and mint shades.

Lilac:

Mint:

Other nail polish that I really like is the Barry M Gelly Nail Polish. I really like these because they do not chip for about 2 weeks and they are really pretty and shiny!

Pale pink:

Muddy brown:

Neon Turquise:

I then saw the smash box stand and here I spotted a really nice Lip Gloss in a Nude Shade. 

Nude lip gloss:

Finally I stopped off at the Bumble and bumble stand. The one product that caught my eye was the Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser's Conditioner.

Conditioner:

Next we went to Primark where I spotted this really cute pink dress. I really love this dress because it looked really cute on and it had pockets which I absaloutely LOVE. 

Pink dress:

I then saw this really cute cardigan which is white, lime and black. I matched this with a black high neck crop top and this mini pencil skirt. I also thought that these boots were really cute with the outfit. 

Cardigan and crop top:

Mini pencil skirt:

Boots:

I also really liked this lip gloss mostly because of the really cute packaging.

We finally decided to end the day by getting a Starbucks where I got an Orange Refresha! 

Sorry that the quality of the pictures isn't great but the lighting was terrible in the shops! 

Thanks for reading this blogpost and please let me know what you think in the comments! 

Toddles - Andrea xo

Where to find me: 

Instagram: justablogx

Twitter: AndreaMartin3

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEFvXLpxp6sCKBmihy1AAfg

My Skincare Routine | Andrea Martin

Hello everybody,

Recently I have found that a lot of my friends and family have been asking about what products I use on my skin and so I thought that it would be a good idea to put it in a blogpost to let the rest of you know !

Firstly, I just use a faceicloth and hot water to dampen my face and open my pores.

Secondly, I use the Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit Facial Wash by Neutrogena. I really like this product because it helps to remove and dirt that has been soaked up into my skin and it  really makes my skin feel fresh. It also smells great.

I then use the No.7 Beautiful Skin Eye Make-Up Remover. The only reason that I use this is because sometimes I find it difficult to remove all my eye make-up so this really helps.

After that I move on to my No.7 Soft amd Soothed Cleanser.  I use this to get rid of any extra dirt that has been trapped in my skin that the facial wash didn't remove.  

I then use the No.7 Soft and Soothed Toner. This closes my pores up and makes my skin feel really fresh.

I will then finish off my moisturising my face using the Nivea Daily Express Hydration Primer. I really love this moisturiser because it is a water based moisturiser and it makes my skin feel AMAZING.

To also help my skincare I have recently been trying to drink 2 litres of water a day. This helps to keep me hydrated and I have found that it has really helped to clear my skin up!!

I hope you have enjoyed this post and I hope that this can help you with your skincare. Please comment letting you know what you thought and if you have any tips for me about taking care of your skin. Thanks for reading and I'll see you soon with a brand new blogpost.

Toodles - Andrea xo.

Where to find me:

Instagram - justablogx

Twitter - AndreaMartin3

Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEFvXLpxp6sCKBmihy1AAfg

Mini Beauty and Clothes Haul | Andrea Martin

Hello everybody !

So today I thought that I would post a haul and let you know about the things that I have been buying recently :) I would just like to say that the items that I will show you today are going to be stuff that I have bought over the past couple of weeks and not all in one go. Enjoy!

The first place that I visited was New Look and in this shop I only bought one piece of clothing.

In new look I purchased this top :

I have 2 reasons for buying this top and the first one so that it immediately caught my eye as I entered the shop and the second reason that when I fitted it on the fabric felt really nice and it was really comfortable !!

After visiting new look I decided to stop off at Fuschia Make-Up and in Fuschia I bought this large eyeshadow pallet.

I had my eye on this pallet for quite a while now but I wasn't sure if it was worth buying? I finally decided to just go for it and get the eyeshadow and I am so happy that I did because honestly, it has 120 eyeshadows and every colour that you need whether it's a pale matt pink to a dark glittery black, this pallet has them all !! 

I then decided to visit Boots and in boots I bought a bit more than I did in the previous 2 shops.

Firstly I went straight to the make-up stands and after having a good look around I bought 3 different items from the Rimmel London section.

Firstly I got the Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation in the colour true ivory.

I have been really loving this foundation because when I apply it, it doesn't feel thick on my skin and it gives quite a nice glow. In my opinion it's perfect for summer because it looks really natural on your skin! 

Secondly I bought the Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer in the colour ivory. I decided to purchase this concealer because I feel that it gives great coverage and it is also a perfect match to the foundation that I also was buying :) 

Finally I bought the Rimmel London Natural Bronzer in the colour 22. I had been searching for the right Bronzer for many weeks and when I tested this particular one I thought that it really matched my skin tone and it was also a really nice contour to the foundation !! 

I then quickly moved away from the make-up section and on to the hair care section and here I bought  just 2 products.

Firstly I bought the Batiste Dry Shampoo in the scent clean and classic. I regularly buy this dry shampoo because I think it's so handy if your in a rush to just quickly spray this in your hair brush it through and it instantly makes your hair look and feel fresh.

And the second item that I purchased I'd the TRESemmé 24 Hour Body Shampoo and Conditioner.

I only bought the mini versions of these because I really wanted to try this out on my hair before buying the bigger bottles but I will definitely be getting them. This shampoo and conditioner makes my hair feel silky smooth while adding extra volume. I also know that this particular brand may be a bit pricey but it's well worth the money !!

Finally I visited Primark and in here I purchased 5 pieces of clothing!

Firstly I bought 2 sets of Disney pijama's. One is Donald Duck and the other is Minnie Mouse. I bought these P.J's becaus 1- I love Disney, 2- they are so so comfy and 3- they were on sale which is always a bonus !! :) 

Donald Duck:

Minnie Mouse:

Secondly I bought 2 strappy v-neck tops. I bought these for when you are just at home having a lazy day because they are a really nice stretchy, elastic like material and they are just really handy to have. I got them in the colours coral and teal. The only thing that I didn't like was the tags at the back. I had to cut them off because they were really itchy and irritating my skin a lot!

My final purchase of this haul is just a plain black running top! I bought this because I am starting to go for a run everyday and this top looked really nice and light to exercise in.

I hope that you have enjoyed this blogpost and if you have please leave me a comment letting me know what you would like to see me post about in the future! Thanks for reading and I'll see you again next week with a brand new post.

Toodles - Andrea xo

Where to find me:

Twitter - AndreaMartin3

Instagram - justablogx

Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEFvXLpxp6sCKBmihy1AAfg

Lemon Drizzle Cake | Andrea Martin

Hey guys!

I haven't posted in a while because I've been quite busy recently and every time that I sat down to post I would get distracted or something would come up. Since I now have my summer holidays I will try and post at least once or twice a week :) 

Today I will be giving you guys the recipe and method you will need to make this gorgeous Lemon Drizzle Cake!!

Ingredients: 

Sponge:

3 eggs

170g self raising flour

170g caster sugar

170g butter

1 tspoon baking powder

2 lemons (zest)

Drizzle:

110g icing sugar

3 lemons (juice)

Method:

1 - Mix the eggs, flour, sugar, butter, baking powder and the zest of 2 lemons using an electrical whisk or wooden spoon. Your mixture should be stiff but creamy.

2 - Grease a loaf tin and pour the mixture in.Bake in the oven at 180 degrees (gas mark 4) for 30 - 45 minutes.

3 - After the loaf has cooked stick a skewer into the cake and if it comes out clean it is ready to take out of the oven.

4 - To make the drizzle you will need to mix together the icing sugar and the lemon juice. This mixture should be watering as it is a drizzle not an icing. If you do think that the drizzle is too thick you can add a splash of water and continue to mix.

5 - Whilst your cake is still hot poke holes throughout and pour the drizzle all over.

This cake is so easy to make and a really tasty treat!!! It's great for those summer picnics or maybe even just a day in the garden!!

I hope you guys enjoyed this post and let me know in the comments if you would like me to do more of these baking and food blogs. If you do like this recipe and decide to make this cake please send me a picture on the different websites linked below as I would love to see you recreate this dish.

Thanks for reading!

Toodles xo - Andrea

Where to find me:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001870567460&ref=ts&fref=ts

Twitter - AndreaMartin3

Instagram - justablogx

Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEFvXLpxp6sCKBmihy1AAfg