Sarah A

Ireland | Cliffs of Moher Tour

18:00
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Ireland | A Week in Dublin

Dublin has always been one of my favourite places in the world. This is the third time that I have been there and every time I go I learn to appreciate its beauty even more. My best friend and I travelled to Dublin because we had tickets to go see my favourite band - 5 Seconds of Summer - live in concert. We decided to spend almost a whole week there so we could experience Dublin to the full.

We visited places such as the Leprechaun Museum and the Guinness Experience which were both so interesting and so much fun. We obviously shopped.. a lot. I was actually amazed at myself for not buying much makeup, however I did go a bit crazy in Forever 21 (best shop ever). We also met up with a friend of ours who lives there which was great because we got to catch up with him and he also showed us a few places which we had never even heard of! The food was amazing everywhere we went, and the Irish people are all so nice! However, I think my favourite thing about Dublin is just walking around the city - across the bridge and around all the traditional bars, hearing live Irish music playing from almost every corner - it's something so simple yet so amazing.

It was very cold, it literally hailed on one day. We did get lucky in the last two days as the sun actually came out and the weather was actually quite nice! Although I am used to very hot and sunny Maltese weather, so I always freeze when I go to countries like this. But we just wrapped ourselves up in warm clothes and we were fine!

I had never been to Dublin on my own before, so this time I actually had to figure out where we were going and pay a lot of attention to certain details that I never took notice of before. Going abroad without someone to guide you may be difficult, but it is definitely a great experience. I always tell people that Dublin is a place that you must visit one time or another. I think it's a mixture of the buildings, the environment, the people and the atmosphere in general that makes me love it so much.

18:30
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Handbag Travel Essentials

travel

I'm travelling to Dublin later on today so I thought I'd write a post about my handbag travel essentials. This basically means all the things I carry with me in my bag when I'm going on the plane. I don't like to carry much with me but I think this is the perfect amount as I have everything I need.

Passport & Purse: This is kind of obvious, considering the fact that you wouldn't really be able to get on the plane without your passport. And I never go anywhere without my purse!

Mini Toiletries Bag: I consider this to be like a little emergency pouch. My face doesn't usually react very well to plane rides so it's important for me to keep lots of tissues available because my eyes start tearing up like crazy, and also some moisturizer cause my face gets very dry. I literally wear zero makeup before getting on a plane simply because I feel like it makes everything worse. I also keep a few Panadols (painkillers) just in case and some plasters too cause you never know when you or someone else might need one!

Phone & Charger: These two are pretty obvious too. I carry my charger around everywhere I go, although it's also useful to carry a portable charger around - those things can be life savers!

Headphones: These are a huge MUST for me. I cannot survive a plane ride without listening to music, even if it's just for a few minutes. I enjoy it because it lets me enter my own little world and I usually end up falling asleep much easier when I'm listening to music.

Sunglasses: I take my sunglasses with me whether I'm going to a sunny country or not. In this case, I'm going to Dublin so it probably won't be too sunny at the moment. But the weather is so unpredictable, you never know when you might need them!

Book: I tend to have a love-hate relationship when it comes to reading on planes. Sometimes I could read a book from when we take off and never put it down, and other times I would not even read a page. I would suggest taking a book which is an easy read rather than something which is a bit more intense, but this is just my personal preference. I'm currently reading 'Knife Edge' by Malorie Blackman and I'm hoping that I'm gonna be in the mood to read on the plane!

13:00
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Lipstick & Lip Liner Haul | Stone, Dolce K, Glastonberry

beauty

Recently I've purchased three lipsticks which I have been wanting for absolutely ages, and I also got three lip liners to go along with them! The lipsticks I'm going to be speaking about are MAC's Stone, Kylie Jenner's Dolce K, and Charlotte Tilbury's Glastonberry. I had never managed to get my hands on these before simply because no city I visited seemed to have any Charlotte Tilbury products, Stone was always sold out at the MAC store in my country, and everyone knows how hard it is to get hold of one of Kylie's lip kits! But after much patience, they are finally all mine and I couldn't be happier.

Although I've loved MAC's Stone from the second I saw it, it is quite a bold colour especially on such pale skin, and I was hesitant to buy it at first. However I then saw Sophie Foster wearing it in one of her videos and I thought she looked amazing with it, so I thought I'd give it a try. Since it is quite a particular shade, I decided to buy the Stone lip liner as well. I don't usually buy MAC lip liners as they are quite expensive, and I feel like you can usually get much cheaper dupes for most shades, but I am very glad that I picked this one up.

The lip liner is very easy to apply and it could definitely be used for many other lipstick shades. The lipstick Stone is in a matte formula which is my personal favourite from MAC. It is not drying on the lips and it also applies easily even though it is matte. I would say the colour is like a muted brown shade and it would look amazing on any skin tone. I think that if you are more pale it will look a bit more 'out there' but I think it looks gorgeous either way. This has definitely become one of my favourite lipsticks and I find myself reaching for it every time I go out (especially at night).

There are probably about a million other reviews on this liquid lipstick but hey, here's another one! I clearly gave into the hype and somehow managed to be quick enough to get myself one of Kylie's lip kits. I opted for Dolce K because I have been obsessed with nude lipsticks lately, and I prefer brown-toned shades rather than pink-toned shades. I have heard many people saying that these lip kits are overpriced, but I think that is completely untrue. I paid 32 euros for the lip kit including shipping (I split the shipping with my friend so it came a bit cheaper). Considering that they are very good quality products and you get both a lipstick and a lip liner, I think that the price is very worth it.

The lip liner is definitely one of the best I have ever tried. It is incredibly easy to apply as it has a very smooth formula, and it is also very long lasting. This liquid lipstick is the first one I ever tried, so there isn't really much that I can compare it to. However I do think that it is of great quality. It dries after about one minute and it does not dry out my lips at all. It is not patchy and it almost feels as though I am wearing nothing on my lips. I did find that it faded quite a lot after I went out for meals; however it is very long lasting when I go out to places that don't include eating (even after spending a whole night out in clubs, bars etc.) However, the lip liner did not fade even after a whole meal.

The last lipstick is the Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution lipstick in the shade Glastonberry. This is the lipstick which I have been wanting the longest and sadly, I was slightly disappointed by it. I also purchased a Sleek Eau La La lip liner in the shade Raisin and even though it is obviously not the perfect match, I feel like it still goes well with the lipstick. The lip liner is 6.49 euros on the Sleek website which I think is very affordable. It is a beautiful dark purple shade and it is very pigmented. It is also easy to apply as the product is quite smooth.

I have wanted the lipstick Glastonberry ever since Zoella started wearing it and raving about it (it looks amazing on her). It is a beautiful shade and I still absolutely love it, however I did find it slightly difficult to apply. I had to apply multiple amounts of layers for my lips to look good, and it still looked slightly patchy on the lower lip. This could be because it is such a dark colour but I don't usually have this problem. It is £23 which is not cheap, and I would expect amazing quality once I am paying that amount of money. I cannot say whether both the lipstick and the lip liner are long lasting or not as I haven't got the chance to actually wear them out yet. I definitely will be wearing it sometime soon and I do still love the way it looks as the colour is absolutely beautiful, however I must say I was slightly disappointed!

18:00
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Sleek Highlighting Palette - Solstice

beauty

Sleek is one of those brands which just isn't given the attention it deserves. It's affordable, it has beautiful packaging, and the products are always of such amazing quality. When this highlighting palette first came out, I saw it on display in a store and I immediately knew I had to get my hands on it. Recently, highlights have been all the hype; there's just something about having your face glow that makes you feel more confident.

The packaging is beautiful; it comes in a gold rectangular box which is very simple yet very elegant. It also comes with a large mirror which is always brilliant. It includes a brush too but I have never personally used this as I prefer to use other brushes. On the Sleek website it is available at €12.49 which I think is an incredible price for four different highlighters of such amazing quality. This palette comes with four different highlighting shades, but they are each meant to be used for different areas on the face.

The first shade, Ecliptic, is the only cream shade in the palette. It is a light pinkish shade with a slight shimmer, and it is meant to be used across your brow bone. I personally prefer using this with my fingertips as I feel like I have full control of the product. I always find it somewhat difficult to find a highlight which really shows across my brow bone, however this really does give a beautiful effect.

The second shade (and my personal favourite), is Hemisphere. This is the shade which is supposed to be used on top of your cheekbones; so in my opinion, it is the most important one. It is a powder shade, and it is much more pink and more shimmery than the first shade. I find that this is best used with a brush; I use the Zoeva 127 - Luxe Sheer Cheek brush and I love the effect which it gives. I only have to swipe the brush in the highlight once and just swipe it over the top of my cheekbones, and the result is beyond amazing. This highlighter is like nothing I've ever seen before - I'm not even exaggerating. I cannot explain to you how beautiful it is, you just need to see for yourselves!

The next shade is Subsolar, and this is meant to be used on the bridge of your nose. This is also a powder shade and it has a cream/white colour. It is not as pigmented as the rest of the shades but I think it is perfect for it's use. It gives off a very natural and subtle glow, which is what I want on the bridge of my nose as I don't want it to be too shiny. I use the same Zoeva 127 brush to apply this and I find that it works very well.

The last shade is called Equinox, which is also a powder shade. This is more of a peach colour and it is meant to be used on your cupid's bow. This shade is very pigmented and the texture is similar to Hemisphere. It is such a beautiful colour, although you don't get to see much of it since it is only used in such a small area of the face. I prefer to use this with my finger as I feel that it gives off more pigment, however it can definitely be used with a brush too.

Left to Right: Ecliptic, Hemisphere, Subsolar, Equinox

Obviously, you don't have to follow the instructions and you can use the shades however and wherever you like. Until now, I have only used them as they are 'meant' to be used, but I would love to try and experiment with using different shades in different areas on the face. I think that Equinox will be a beautiful highlighter for above the cheekbones, especially if you have a tan.

Overall, I think this palette is brilliant. It has such a wide variety of options (in both shades and texture), and they are all made so well. It is not expensive and it would be perfect for someone who is just starting out with using highlight as it guides you and tells you which way it is used best. I would highly recommend that you get your hands on this palette as soon as possible, because you definitely won't regret it. I would also recommend that you check out other Sleek products if you have never heard of them as they won't let you down!