ELF

No, Not that Elf, though it was a funny movie. I'm talking about
They do makeup at very reasonable prices and are regulary mentioned and recommended in magazines and blogs. They do regular make-up starting at €1.70 and then also do a studio range starting at €4 and then also a mineral range too. Their website, www.eyeslipsface.co.uk, is worth a look alone just for the sheer volume of makeup items.
I recently decided to try some items. Ordering was easy enough and delivery was swift. It arrived in a little box, safe and secure. I ordered a blusher and their primer. I also received a free item: Studio Makeup Mist and Set.

First up: Mineral Infused Face Primer
Elf say: "Transform your face into a flawless and smooth canvas with the mineral Infused Face Primer. Developed to combat excess oil, flaky dryness, enlarged pores and fine lines to result in a natural and youthful looking radiance. This clear multipurpose skin primer will prepare your skin so makeup goes on evenly for a lasting finish."
I say: I love this. Just remember, a little goes a long way so no overloading. In case you're wondering, I have normal/combination skin with a few dry patches. It feels lovely on my face and I've even had compliments on my regular everyday make-up when I've used it!! I use it after my day cream ( allow few mins for cream to soak in) and then work away. The only issue I've had is that the pump sometimes doesn't work so I have to open it and scrape some out of the container. For €6.80 you can't go wrong. Its definately worth it.

Next : Studio Blush, Candid Coral
ELF say: "The soft sheer texture blends into the skin for a silky finish. Designed to be worn alone or layered for more depth. Highlight your complexion with a subtle healthy glow!"
I say: I love this blush. The powder is nice and silky. The colour is lovely and light but you could build it up for a more intense colour if you wanted. Its actually very close in colour to the acclaimed Nars Orgasm blush, (see pic below) though not as shimmery.
(Nars Orgasm on left and Elf CandidCoral on right)
But honestly,for €4.00 its a brilliant bargain and you couldn't go wrong. And I do intend to buy a few more.

I haven't tried the Mist and Set yet but will post when I do!!

Oh and if you "like" Elf on Facebook, they do specials every so often like free delivery or free items or discounts when they reach certain amount of followers/likes. Hence how I received a free Mist&Set. So join up on FB to avail of those.

Big Girl

Mascara

Hallo again,
I'm not sure about you but I find it sooo hard to find a mascara that I like, that suits me and does a good job. They say you should replace your mascara every 3 months but how many of us actually do that? I can't say that I follow this rule, which would probably explain how I ended up with an eye infection - lesson learned, ha ha ha.

Some make-up artists list mascaras from Lancome, Clinique, YSL and Mac as some of the best. However, they are way outside my price range. As I had to replace my mascara after my eye infection, I thought that I would share my thoughts and reviews of mascaras I've used and tried.

Following my post about the Lacura concealor and powder from Aldi, I thought I would try the Lacura mascara. I had really high hopes as I really really like what I've tried so far.
I did buy it but just couldn't use it - It has this smell, and its a smell that I cannot stand. I liken the smell to dandilions when you pick them. It wasn't even just a slight smell, it was a really strong smell and it turned my stomach. So that was the end of that mascara.
Next up, Maybelline's Great Lash. I find its very good for lengthening and enhancing but not so much for volumising. This has a cult following - It's a favourite mascara of make-up artists and mentioned regulary in magazines. And I do find it good BUT it has one major flaw - Its very runny and just blinking results in it smudging a little. So for best results, allow a few minutes for it to dry before blinking- if you can!!
Above is the Volume Express from Maybelline. This has become my absolute favourite mascara. Even without my eyelash curlers, this volumised, curled and beautified my eyelashes. And even better, its not runny so no smudges!! The only little thing is the smell - but its a very slight chemical smell but nowhere near as bad as the lacura. Otherwise this is the best mascara I've ever used. Love, love, love:)
More Lashes by Max Factor is another mascara heralded by makeup artists. I found it to be blah...nothing special in my humble opinion! I found it to be a little clumpy but it was not the worst mascara. However there are much better mascaras out there.
Now for my expensive mascara. I have to admit to trying Clinique's lash doubling mascara. It was a moment of weakness and rashness. However, it wasn't a bad mascara. It just wasn't good enough to warrant the price of it (over €20). I found that it didnt really volumise my lashes and theres nothing extraordinary about it.
Now for my worst mascara. Ever! Revlon's 3D Extreme mascara. Clumpy. Very very clumpy. And thats with one coat. Useless. Rubbish.

Generally, I find that the mascaras from Maybelline, L'oreal and Bourjois are fantastic and value for money. I don't see the point in spending over €20 on a mascara when there are so many other fantastic ones on the market at over half the price.

So, What mascaras do you rate or hate?
Big Girl

The Good Wife...Better than Good !!

So have you been watching "The Good Wife"? If not, WHY NOT ? I'm seriously addicted to it! More4 every Thursday night at 9.00pm is cleared for this hour long drama.
If you have been watching it, have you become as addicted as me? I'm blown away by Julianna Margulies in the lead as Alicia Florrick, the wronged wife who returns to work as a lawyer. She can say more with a look and silence than most actors can with a fat script.
In fact all the cast are brilliant in this but my particular favourite is Alan Cumming as Eli Gold.

Mr.Cumming is just one of my favourite actors of all time. He can transform himself for every role he takes on and makes you see the character rather than just the actor playing the character! Wow - that sounds a bit obnoxious but I hope you get what I mean. I just love how he takes on different roles and characters and challenges himself. He's played "Boris" in James Bond Goldeneye, "Billie" in the L Word, "Glitch" in "Tinman", the mutant "Nightcrawler" in Xmen, the badie "Fagen Floop" in Spy Kids, and many many other different roles. Such variety and talent and skill. I also think there's something very sexy about him but alas he's currently in a civil partnership with artist Grant Shaffer:)

Anyways, this was meant to be about the Good Wife. Watch it!! Its brilliant!!

Enough said!! :)

OMG

OMG - I cannot believe how long its been since I last blogged. Apologies :) I've been busy and then some.....I'm truly sorry but I come bearing goodies in the form of some new posts. So sit back, get comfy and read on..:)

Dream homes

I cannot wait for the day when I can afford to buy my own home! Until then though I look for inspiration and ideas.....I came across this beautiful interior for a small apartment on www.freshome.com.








This would be the perfect first apartment for a bachelorette like myself.....I love how crisp and white it is. It looks so open and bright and light and fresh even though its a very small one bed apartment. Having the same floor throughout helps the flow and helps make it look bigger too.
The hints of colour and funky accessories help stop it all looking too bland and clinical.

Big Girl
For more pictures of this apartment check out:
http://freshome.com/2009/07/06/beautiful-and-practical-tiny-apartment-interior-design/

Lá Feile Pádraig - 17 March

Lá Feile Pádraig - Go n-eírí an bóthar leat!
Wishing all of you a happy St.Patricks Day.

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Wishing you all a fun, happy and sunny day! Just enjoy it as best you can!

Best Wishes,
Big Girl

Roll on Summer

Hallo My Lovelies, sorry for the lack of posts over the last few weeks- things have been busy!! I hope you'll forgive me?? Pretty pretty please????

Wasn't Today a lovely sunny Spring day ?? Thank God as I am fed up with the wet and rainy days. Roll on Summer.......and with that inmind, It inspired me to think of dresses for the upcoming Summer! So here are a few dresses which would be gorgeous for the Summer and would do for weddings, communions, confirmations, christenings and those all important date-nights (hopefully)!!
Isn't this a beautiful blue flower creation from the new Inclusive range at H&M. I think this is so gorgeous and would be great for a wedding! The inclusive range is available from sizes 8 to 28 which is great news for us big/real sized girlies.....they have a limited and exclusive range so move fast before its too late!
Next is this delightful summery number from the Forever21+ range which is another exclusive range for us curvy ladies. I love the vibrant colour of this and its actually a halter-top dress. It could be dressed up for a date or christening or wedding and yet could be dressed down for a casual lunch or day out!
Another dress from the Forever21+ range. This sexy number would be nice for a hot date or maybe a sophisticated wedding! I like the blue colour and it makes a sexy change from the LBD (little black dress)...the pleats help to disguise any lumps or bumps and the wrap top creates a sexy v-shape!

The ASOS curve range has some beautiful and funky dresses up to a size 26. These three caught my eye.

The multi-coloured sun dress just screams summer at me and again is a dress which can be dressed up or down.
The orange dress just looks so effortlessly sexy but the colour orange which I love can sometimes not suit the Irish skin-tone.
I love, love,love this pink dress. Its a kaftan cut so is loose but fitted (with a belt), covers the arms and is a gorgeous colour. This would be perfect for any special occasion and makes me think of Sex and the City. I can imagine Carrie Bradshaw wearing this dress with a pair of Christian Louboutin sandals....!!!

The best thing, other than the fact that they are finally catering for us larger ladies with funky fashionable clothes, and that the prices are moderate and competitive, is that they are using proper models, real size, plus size, whatever you want to call them! Its just nice to see proper healthy gorgeous models and not sickly thin girls. So cudos to these companies!

Big Girl

P.S. You can check out any of the above at these websites:
H&M: http://shop.hm.com/gb/campaign?campaign=A88_INCLUSIVE&page=INCLUSIVE_1
Forever21 : http://www.forever21.com/EU/Product/Category.aspx?br=f21&category=faith_main&Page=1
ASOS: http://www.asos.com/Women/Asos-Curve/Cat/pgecategory.aspx?cid=9577

Gorgeous Men......... yummy!!!!

So, just in time for Valentines, I thought I'd make a small list of some of the gorgeous men who I think are scrummy yummy....

Starting with:
Mr. Bradley Cooper - that sexy cheeky grin, those eyes.....how lucky is Renee Zellweger?
Jesse Williams - Yummy Yummy...those gorgeous green eyes.....mostly known for Greys Anatomy and that Rihanna video (with his shirt off - le sigh...)







Tyson Beckford - Gorgeous male model although I think hes a presenter now.. who cares - he's so nice to just look/stare at.....( and drool over).
Liev Schreiber - pity hes married (to the gorgeous Naomi Watts) with kids!
Ryan Reynolds - Scarlett's loss is our gain...:)
Wentworth Miller - Just gorgeous... the main reason for watching Prison Break re-runs!!
Max Martini - Very sexy but not very well-known but watch "The Unit"... seriously - watch it !!!

Ian Somerhalder - Another beautiful man with beautiful blue eyes... only reason for watching Vampire Diaries!!

LL Cool J - those abs and that smile.... smoothhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...
I would call them eye-candy but thats sexist and politically incorrect - righttt?????
I have to admit that for me personally I just loveeeeeeeeee a man with a great sense of humour and incredibly sexy eyes... and a hot bod doesn't hurt either....ha ha ha ....

Enjoy
Big Girl

Lacura Make-Up at Lidl - REVIEW

My first make-up post and bargain alert!!!

I've been using the Lacura concealor and compact powder for a little while now and I have to say that I love them.
The concealor is lovely and very easy to blend. There are three shades, savannah, cashmere and amber. Savannah is a light beige shade, cashmere is slighty more pinky and amber is the darkest. I've been using Savannah (swatch below)and I would be very fair skinned. It has been getting rave reviews online and I have to agree with them. Apparently its as good as the YSL Touche Eclat (which I've never used).
The powder is also a favourite of mine. It is lovely and silky. It comes with a little powder puff which I don't use as I find a brush is better for applying. Again it comes in a number of shades but I've been using Transparent which I'm really liking. The compact also has a mirror.
The powder compact retails for €2.99 so BARGAIN ALERT. And the concealor is €4.49. Way cheaper than Touche Eclat !!!!
I would happily recommend the above two products and I'm hoping to try more of the Lacura range in the future!!!

Take care,
Big Girl

Beautiful and Inspiring Women

So who are the women who you think are the most beautiful or that inspire you? My favourites are not all Hollywood A-Listers but their beauty and style just really inspire me and make me believe that even though I'm a big girl that I am a force to be reckoned with and am beautiful and sexy.

Firstly, Monica Bellucci. In my humble opinion the most beautiful woman in the world. She is a naturally curvy beauty and she makes me proud to be brunette.












Christina Hendricks - Again another curvy woman who is simply stunning. And she colours her hair that beautiful red copper ( who cares that shes a natural blonde).
Melissa McCarthy - actress in Molly and Mike, Gilmore Girls - beauty and comedy, a brilliant mix, and shes been acting for many years, showing those multiple Hollywood Blondes that you can be individual, not model-thin and successful in Hollywood.
Beth Ditto - lead singer with Gossip - Just does, says and wears what she wants and doesn't care what anyone has to say about it. We should all take a leaf out of her book.
Charlotte Coyle - Irish Plus size model - I could have chosen Crystal Renn but shes recently lost weight and I thought " feck that, Charlotte is Irish, proud of her figure and a very successful plus size model". Therefore she gets the nod ahead of Ms.Renn.

Hallo again....

Hallo again.. Long time no hear...Please accept my sincerest apologies for not blogging in ages. Things have been very busy - I'm sorry for abandoning you but I'm back. And hopefully its better than ever.

So to start off again - to take a leaf from one of my favourite blogs, Ellie Loves, here are a few images that inspire me... their just so beautiful..I especially love cities at night!! Tres Chic...

Enjoy

Big Girl