BUDGET BUY: A New Catrice Concealer On The Block..

Hello Lovelies,

I would like to introduce you to the 'Catrice Liquid Camouflage High Coverage Concealer', I have been testing out this concealer for a few weeks now since I finished my 'Mac Pro Long Wear Concealer'. Siobhan from 'Letz Makeup' is always raving about how good the Catrice brand of makeup is and how amazing this concealer is. I am definitely the type of girl who loves just grabbing a concealer to cover a few imperfections instead of going full throttle every time I want to put on a bit of makeup. I hate having an unnecessary load of makeup on my face when I won't be doing anything special.

I love wearing concealer to cover any redness especially around my nose and chin and to cover any blueness or discolouration under my eyes. Because of the fact that I am then relying on the concealer and not on a foundation, the staying power and longevity of the concealer is definitely a key factor. This concealer has blown my mind, the staying power and quality of this concealer is not one to miss. When using this concealer as a 'foundation' I just put some around my nose, around my T-Zone area and around my chin/mouth area. This concealer leaves a bit of a satin finish instead of a complete matte so I always like to set it with a powder to ensure that it won't move around throughout the day.

The coverage on the concealer is amazing and definitely one to test against the higher end brands such as the 'Mac Pro Long Wear Concealer' and the 'Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer'. It's not as high coverage as the Mac but it is definitely a contender, the Mac formulation is also a bit drier and doesn't glide as easily as the Catrice does. My all-time favourite concealer will always be the Mac Pro Long Wear but taking into account the similarity and the price difference, this Catrice concealer is a very close runner up.

When using this concealer for a more dramatic look, it is just outstanding for highlighting under the eye to give that brightening effect, and what's the best about this concealer? IT DOES NOT CREASE. The bane of my life in relation to concealers is that they always seem to crease and seep into those little creases under the eyes.I love when concealers have a multi-purpose characteristic to them instead of just being for one use/job. The shade I use is just a bit lighter than my natural skin shade but it would be 2/3 shades lighter than my foundation I use on the regular as I like to tan quite often. The formulation is so smooth and glides very easily, the blending ability is very impressive and it works perfectly with all types of brushes, from the 'Real Techniques Contour Brush', 'Blank Canvas Cosmetics F22' and my 'Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge'.

The only downside to this concealer is definitely the shade range which is available, in my local Penneys/Primark there is only two shades. Which I don't mind as they are suitable for my skin tone  but for girls with a deeper complexion it would be very irritating. For just €3.99 there is zero reason why you shouldn't have this in your makeup bag. Maybe even more than one, I will definitely be stocking up on these ASAP.

I hope you enjoyed this little review,

Love Chelsea x

The Liberty Grill Birthday Breakfast...

Hello Ladies and Gents,

It feels amazing to finally get to put up a blogpost after over a month of straight studying and exams. It was a really stressful time as they always are so I'm glad I finished them and I am very proud of all the hard work I put in. 

It's a tradition for me and my lovely mother to go to 'The Liberty Grill' for my birthday breakfast. The Liberty Grill is on Washington Street in Cork City and it is a very well known restaurant for their excellent food and service. Being me as always, I had to spend the first half of my morning beautifying myself and I also recieved a present of a princess tiara off my parents. Now you may ask, Chelsea did you actually wear that to breakfast? Well yes, of course I did.

Being a usual Saturday morning there was a queue out the door, I felt like such an American lining up for breakfast. But before we begin, Let me just say, The wait is 100% worth it. There are many things I love about the Liberty Grill.There's not a lot of places that I talk so highly about, but 'The Liberty Grill' is without a doubt my top favourite. It holds a special place in my heart.

Food: The food is definitely outstandingly good. It is so fresh and cooked to 'P E R F E C T I O N', every time I go there it just gets better and better and you just know that your meal has been cooked with real passion and precision. Hands up for the very talented Chefs.

The Atmosphere: The atmosphere is so cool and collected. Even though it is a seriously busy restaurant there is no stress or rush around the floor. Especially now that it is the Christmas season you'd think they would very stressed. Most importantly, they have some festive decorations up and it creates a very happy and festive feeling in anyone who enters their doors.

The Unbelievable Staff: The staff in the Liberty Grill are just one of an kind, they really do work to make you feel special and make your dining experience magical. They are so attentive and are continuously making sure everything is as you like it to be. They are a true credit to The Liberty Grill.

I don't go for breakfast or even to the The Liberty Grill that often as I am always busy with college so I think that is why I appreciate and feel so excited going to the Liberty Grill for either breakfast or even brunch. It's a serious Luxury without the luxury price tag.

I would totally recommend anyone to go have breakfast,brunch,lunch or even dinner. The menu can be seen here( The Liberty Grill Menu ). Especially with it being this time of year, treat someone special or even treat yourself. Make sure you snap a picture of your meal like I did, all for the instagrams.

I hope you liked getting a little peak into my magical morning at The Liberty Grill,
Love Chelsea x

Cranberry and White Chocolate Shortbread Cookies.

Hello Guys and Dolls,

Since its the Christmas season I can finally get my Christmas baking started and boy have I started on

a high. The day after I finished my exams I got straight to baking these melt in the mouth 'Cranberry and White Chocolate Shortbread'. I got the Shortbread recipe off a very close friend but I just had to add something to make it even that more christmassy. And whats a better combo than Cranberry and White Chocolate? I really couldn't tell you..

These are so easy to make and take no time at all. What I love most about these shortbreads are how fragile they are, they just melt in your mouth as soon as you take a bite. They feel so smooth and luxurious and they are definitely an indulgent treat. Perfect for this time of year. They can be made into a normal sized cookie which makes around 14-16 cookies or else you can make small little cookie bites which should make around 40.

This recipe as you can tell for my adaptation is that it is so versatile. Other flavour combinations include Pistachio and White Chocolate, Chocolate Orange, Cinnamon and Raisin, Hazelnut and Dark Chocolate, the list is truly endless. You could even dip half the baked Shortbreads in Melted Chocolate and leave to set. That would be glorious, I must try that out myself.

These would also be perfect as a homemade gift to that someone special whether it is a boyfriend, girlfriend, best friend, parent, grandparent. I absolutely love giving homemade baked goods as little gifts to show my appreciation of them being in my life and who doesn't love receiving food as a present? everybody loves baked treats.

Ingredients:

175g Self Raising Flour
125g Cornflour
50g Icing Sugar
225g Soft Butter
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Cranberries

Half/1 Bar of White Chocolate

Method:

• Pre-heat your oven to 160C. Whizz all ingredients in a food processor or even by hand in a kneading motion(which is what I did) into biscuit dough.

• Once it’s a soft dough, roll out with your hands into log (you can take portions of it and do it this way). 

• Cut off pieces and roll into a small/medium ball depending on what you prefer and with a fork dipped in cold water, flatten slightly. Into the oven on a flat baking tray on top of baking paper for 13-15 mins (lightly golden brown). 

• Once baked move onto a wire tray using a spatula or palette knife (they will be quite delicate and may break up when moving them - gently does it).

• Leave to cool for as long as possible before storing them in a lunch box and into the fridge.Leaving them in the fridge stiffens them up a bit without them losing the mouth melting aspect.

I hope ye enjoyed this blogpost and that it encourages ye to bake as soon as ye end reading this blogpost.

Love Chelsea x