it's Limp-along with good news

... Yep, that's how some friends have affectionately temporarily re-labelled me. Charming or what?!

It has now been 4 weeks since surgery and only last week I got the results of the tests performed on the tissue they removed from my left foot: I got the all clear! It's just that my moles, like the rest of my body, feel the need to perform uniquely and appear dangerous when they actually aren't. But as they say "better safe than sorry".

I am still walking with one crutch which frustrates me greatly, and although the wound is healing faster than expected, I still have quite a while to go before I can go back to running, long walks and heels. I have worn nothing but flat pumps and I'm honestly getting bored of them.

The night before the morning after

...No, sorry to disappoint you guys, but this ain't a new "50 shades of Lil" style segment on the blog. Interesting and entertaining as it would be.
I'm in my bed back in Italy, and it's 3am. Very few hours away from surgery.
I'm surprisingly very calm and strangely soothed.
I'm not worried. I'm not stressing. I'm not agitated. I'm not upset.
In my head I keep thinking that this'll turn out to be nothing but just a little meaningless nuisance. One of those episodes that is there on the path of life, to give you a little kick in the you-know-what, to remind you that you could be in a much worse situation.
I also have the utmost faith in my doctors, no matter what the outcome.
There is one little aspect though that's going to be bugging me : the fact I won't be able to walk properly nor long distance, for a few weeks.
I'm not entirely certain of what it'll be like, will I require walking with crutches for long?
I remember from the first surgery 11 years ago how frustrating it was to use them! They drove me up the wall and I ended up sticking to them for only half the advised amount of time.
I'm a walker, i used to be a running champion, for crying out loud! Tuesday alone I went on a 10k walk at the sea side.
I am grabbing this opportunity to thank anyone who's taken the time to send me messages over the last 6 weeks. GRAZIE!
I shall, of course, keep you lot posted .

NOTD: KIKO n. 362 + Rimmel matte finish

As I have already mentioned, I went on a bit of a nail polish spree when I was home last month. This is one of the beauties I picked up, n. 362 Poppy Red  with Rimmel matte top coat and Angelica multi colour glitter, on the thumbs and ring fingers.

Unimportant, indispensable details

Thankfully I am a different person to the one I thought I was when they found my first melanoma, 11 years ago. Mainly because I didn't know what was going to happen.

But now I have that magic power of hindsight and that's what helped me keep it together and not lose it whilst I was going through all those tests a few weeks ago.

The morning of every day I was facing some test or appointment, I found myself obsessively fixating on my looks: what I wore, make up, accessories and hair.
One might say "you're going to hospital, for crying out loud! should you not be worrying about something else?!". Instead, I didn't.

Layla Cosmetics - Ceramic Effect polish n. 64

As I mentioned in my post before I left, I was going to spoil myself a little whilst I was away.
I especially went "ä smidge" mad  in the nail polish department. It has to be noted though that half of the purchases are presents for friends/other fellow bloggers, or I will be giving away on here, and yes it will be for everyone, all over the globe.
One of the brands I was looking forward to checking out was Layla Cosmetics, an 100% Italian brand, and in particular their polishes. Unfortunately, as Murphy's law persecuted me for the whole stay, when I had a chance to visit a local beauty supply that stocks them, they were low in stock(for pretty much every other brand too...) so I didn't really have much choice. I will make sure to go back next month.

This is one of their goodies I managed to pick up: it's n. 64 from the Ceramic Effect range. Their web site presents the range as: "perfectly smooth nails in one motion. A nail polish with a professional finish. It doesn't require a base.".

new hair

While I was at home I took the chance to pay a visit to my amazing hairdresser, who's been the only person to every put their hands on my hair, EVER!

Here are a couple of photos

it's lashing!

This is a follow up from the Eylure lash tint kit review I did a while back.
It is also a post that gets requested a lot from other people with albinism.

The following photos were taken straight after the first tint in  about 3 months, so there was pretty much no brown left on my lashes.

The newspaper article featuring me

As promised I share with you all the paper article about me published a couple of weeks back. If anyone is interested in a PDF of it, drop me an e-mail and I will forward it on.
Thank you to the ever so lovely Paula from Market Match for the scan .

I survived skin cancer -- so I warn my friends about using sunbeds
Laura Fucci tells Lisa Jewell her courageous tale, and stresses the need for skin safety

Laura Fucci was just 17 when she decided to get the mole on her back checked out by a doctor. It was to prove the wisest and most important decision of her young life.
Sitting in the oncologist's office, Italian-born Laura was given the worst news imaginable: she had a severe form of skin cancer, and the disease was already in its third, potentially fatal stage.
The teenager sat there dumbfounded. All her other cares went out the window -- she was now in a battle to save her life ...

developments and Thank You's

So I had all my extra hospital tests and all the stress that came with them.
I'll see if I can explain this in non medical terms.

The doctors had an even deeper look at the moles that worried me and them and that lead to me having surgery next  month.
Because I have no skin pigmentation, my moles are also very fair; during one of the tests the doctors found in one of the moles, lighter than usual cells. This normally means they are cancerous, however, because of my condition, this could also mean that they are just lighter than normal cells. Although this is not the hypothesis doctors are tending to go for, it's the one I am hanging on to.
They have also decided to operate on it as it's less than 6 months and already larger than most of my moles.

A quick note from the mother land

Hello everyone,
Just a quick note from the motherland, in case you don't follow me on Twitter.
Last Wednesday I had my blood taken (all of FIVE vials! ) and had my moles checked. Tomorrow morning I'm collecting the blood results and as for the moles....well, it's not so straight forward.
Since my first cancer I've been closely monitoring myself, learning what to look out for. I recently noticed I developed a couple of new ones and some old ones have changed.
This coming Wednesday I have some extra tests because the doctors are extremely worried about a couple of them so before they operate they want to be categorically certain I do require surgery.
I didn't take this news very well, and even though they didn't actually say THE word, I KNOW what there's a high chance it might be.
I've been trying to keep myself busy and pamper myself, but it's not exactly working well as diversion tactics go.
Even though I know I have one of the best oncology teams in the fields behind me, my head is on overdrive -with some extra rubbish going on in my life sprinkled on top too.
I did plan on blogging while away, show you stuff I've bought or am using, but inconveniently 3G signal where I am hasn't improved since I was here last.
I shall update you after my tests on Wednesday.
Have a nice week,
Lil

fancy a bit of Italian shopping?

As I have mentioned  already at the end of next week I am off to the home land for a bit of well deserved holiday and also for some crucial hospital tests to find out if my cancer is back or not. I am REALLY scared about that.

Anyway! I will be taking a good look around a few beauty shops and department store so if there is anything from an Italian brand you would like me to get you, or do a beauty/nail/fashion swap, then get in touch. You can leave me a comment here, send me an e-mail or get me on Twitter.

Here are a few beauty brands websites you might wanna take a look at:
KIKO Cosmetics
Layla Cosmetics
DEBORAH Milano  -their English section doesn't really show the full nail polishes/products list so I would suggest you check it here in the Italian section, it's fairly easy to understand-
I will also be encountering the full Essence and Catrice counters in hope that mainland continent has some products that never made it to Ireland or the UK in the last few months so, if there's anything you were looking out for but never found, let me know. I know I have quite a few!

I hope everyone has a nice week-end.

Ciao,

Lil

NOTD: Models Own Tropical Sun

ASOS nail polish mini haul

Last week I placed a little nail  polishes order with ASOS and I was overly excited this morning when I got it. If Irish post actually delivered  on a Saturday, it would have been with me since.
Here is what I ordered

 Barry M Acid Yellow #229: for the past 3 years I have been looking for a super bright yellow that would work with my skin tone and so far had been failing. This will hopefully work with its slight acid under tone. I know my skin tone doesn't exactly suit warm toned polishes so here's hoping. I already have a couple of nail foils in mind that would make an amazing look teamed up with this.

Barry M Magnetic Blue: this is part  of the new Magnetic Nail Effects line. I had my eyes on the blue one since I saw the first press releases, I just could not resist that star effect. My usual luck has had it that my Boots never had a single bottle left whenever I went looking for it.  Anything that gives my nails a nail art effect without me taking my eyes out of my sockets, is right up my street!

Models Own Tropical Sun: this is part of their Beetlejuice collection. I missed out on the collection when it first came out as every time I tried to order from any web site, the whole line was sold out. I am aware that this is a complete warm colour with a warm under tone but the colour just screamed at me!  This is going to look absolutely AMAZING in the Italian sunshine on my holidays!

Models Own Indian Ocean: this too from the Beetlejuice. I have been almost obsessed with getting my hands on this little wonder and I have to admit out of this mini haul, this was the polish I was looking forward to the most. I was already looking forward to wearing it on my holiday.
However that MIGHT not happen. At first glance I thought the label had not been applied properly and had some air pockets under it, but on closer inspection my heart sank: the whole bottle is smashed to pieces! Had it been just one crack I wouldn't have cared, THAT is how much  I wanted this polish! But as soon as I remove the outer plastic wrapping, I am sure the whole bottle would just  shatter to pieces. I am pondering just ordering another bottle straight away before ASOS get back to me about it, just to make sure I do have this with me when I leave next week.

I also ordered a Rimmel matte top coat as my ELF one has gone bad and has been thrown away.

Any of these caught your eyes too?

Lil

*UPDATE*: the AMAZING customer service at ASOS have got back to me since this was typed up. I should have a new Indian Ocean soon, hopefully before I leave next week.

FOTD: feature in Irish newspaper

Last week I gave an interview for a feature in an Irish newspaper which will be published soon, and Monday I had my photo taken for it. It will be about my experience with cancer and my condition.
I will post a scan of the article when it's out.
In the meantime, here's the look I came up with for the shoot

 indoors

 indoors

outdoors

Face:
Catrice Skin Finish powder, 010 transparent
Rimmel sun shimmer bronzing powder in Light matte
Accessorise With Love Golden Sand baked bronzer (highlighter)
Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer in 1 Fair

Eyes:
UDPP
Essence get BIG! waterproof mascara
Essence long-lasting eye pencil, 04 hot chocolate
Avon supershock gel eyeliner
Essence, 01 South Beach palette
Sleek iDivine The Original Palette

Lips:
Revlon lip butter in Berry Smoothie
Revlon Superlustrous lipgloss in Pink Afterglow

Have a nice day,

Lil

A big hole

I have had the urge to write this post for a while, but something has always stopped me.
Maybe shame. Maybe fear of nobody caring. Maybe fear of appearing weak.
But if I am not free to express myself on my blog, where else can I do it?!
Then a few days ago a friend wrote this amazingly moving piece. And it did move me, it moved me to tears.
I'm not sure jealousy is the right word for what it generated in me, it just made me face the emotional void I've been experiencing for years now, so much more so since I moved.
I am extremely envious of people that have that one special person in their life, that person you can call your Best Friend.
I have to be honest, thankfully I am no stranger to the concept.

For the 5 years of primary school I had a best friend, and although it wasn't the type of deep, meaningful friendship adult life brings to you, I was very grateful to share so many experiences with her. Unfortunately our parents chose 2 different middle schools for us, and I guess it showed me that she wasn't in this friendship as much as I was.
I tried to make an effort to still have her in my life, but I guess she just didn't want me in hers anymore.

At 14 during the summer between secondary and high school, I struck up a friendship that stunned me. I met an 18 year old guy through mutual friends and becoming best friends just rocked me to the core. I couldn't believe that I'd found that type of deep, strong friendship I only saw in movies or read about in books.
Although I was having a horrible time in school, with my family (as per usual) and generally in life, he was always there, he was the constant ray of sun light. Still to this day I wonder how did I get so lucky, I always felt like I didn't deserve our friendship, he was too great to be human.
When I was 16 the general order of the Universe was "restored" and he was taken away from me, from us, in the most horrible of ways.
It was Champions League night and we had organised a get together, as we always did. Him and his brother hopped into their car and after a stop for snacks, they started making their way to mine.
They never made it to my house. I started panicking when they wouldn't answer their phones. I had a panic attack when at the 50th phone call at midnight their mother picked up his phone, and told me they had been in a horrible car crash. A drunk driver had run a red light and plunged straight  into their car, straight into the driver's side. My friend was driving.
His brother had fractured legs and a fractured shoulder. My friend was in a coma. He was air lifted to another city hospital which specialises in that type of injuries. He was there for 3 days in a coma, never once woke up, I was never allowed to go see him as I wasn't family. He never came back alive from there.
Despite his family begging me not to, I blamed myself, and still do, for his death. I didn't drive the car that crashed into hiss, but had they not be driving to mine, he'd still be here filling people's lives with joy.
I never got over the loss, and I probably never will.
Since then I haven't had that type of connection with anyone, and it deeply pains me.
I hit a particularly bad patch during the period I had cancer and the surgeries. My parents and brother treated me horribly and I wasn't allowed to tell anyone else in my family, I couldn't upset anyone. Still to this day only one other member of my family knows about it, because I told him years later.
I felt so alone, I was scared I was going to die, I was mad because I did NOT deserve it, life had treated me bad enough until then.

During the last year of high school I found myself slowly getting close to the girl from primary again. although I always suspected she wasn't really capable of a deep personal connection with anyone. However I thought that maybe it was just me and was absolutely over the moon when she told me she had applied for the same university as me. And not just that, she had applied for many of the same courses as me. That would have meant someone to commute with every single day, someone to share lunch breaks with, someone to just generally share the whole amazing experience with. I was particularly delighted as it was especially stressful for me in regards to my disability. But that's for, perhaps, a future post.
One day that I knew was going to be peculiarly full for us, I noticed that she wasn't on the coach; for a few days I texted her and tried calling her, but with no answer. I even tried to call her house but she'd ask her parents to tell me she wasn't home. A few weeks later I was talking to a mutual friend who knew what had happened and told me that her mother had run into our friend's and had found out what was going on: my friend had changed her mind about her choice of university and didn't even bother about telling me. I tried to get in touch asking for an explanation, but never heard back from her. I guess I was right all those years, maybe she did not really want me in her life.

Since then I have endured even more horrible experiences, on my own, without resorting to any type of addiction. I've just been sucking it up and got on with it. because that's just the way the world expect me to be, I'm expected to just be my own person and not ever have to lean on anyone.

I just needed to voice this void.

Bank holiday Saturday shopping

I am generally not a lover of crowded shops so yesterday I took advantage of our bank holiday weekend and the fact that town emptied, to have a little "me" time.

These babies are currently €15 in Dunnes Stores, and although I didn't purchase them, they are SERIOUSLY tempting me!

Essence, 01 South Beach from the Sun Club collection.
I have to say I LOVE this palette! The 4 shades on the right half are the perfect smokey eye shades, the blues/greens are gorgeous and that burned ocre shade will bring out the colour of my eyes really well. Plus it's dead handy for travelling and it's hand bag friendly.

Essence, kajal pencil in 19 All I want.
Even if the nature of this is to be an eye liner, it's actually the PERFECT shade for my brows when I want a more natural, laid back look.

These 2 dresses are from Dorothy Perkins and were  €25 each. Yes, I did take photos in the changing room, but trust me, this is far better lighting in my apartment. The second one is "cheat" lace, it's actually just printed.

Hip hip hooray for bank holiday empty shops!

NOTD: summer power

As Summer doesn't seem to be of the idea of visiting Ireland any time soon, I decided to grab it and just impose it on my nails.

This is simply a flowery nail foil with Color Club in French Tip to emphasize the colours of the flowers.
That's it, THAT simple.


Ya like?

I'm wishing on a star (photo heavy)

a few little lovely things I've been lusting after lately

Swarovski Rainbow Bangle, currently $140 on their web site, from their "Swing, Sing and Shine"2012 Summer collection.
I am utterly and totally in love with this. I am really not the jewelery type AT ALL, but when I do find pieces I like, I just completely fall for them. Unfortunately it seems as  a lot of other people fell for this too as it seems to be sold out everywhere on-line and in their stores too.

TopShop Artist Crochet Ankle Boots - £78 , in white or black.

When I was in my very early teens I did my DIY crochet boots, I had a pair of black suede flat ankle boots and just glued a big piece of black crochet that one of my grandmothers had made for me. As most of my shoes, I was completely in love with them and wore them until they just started falling apart and couldn't be repaired anymore. When I saw these on the Top Shop website a while ago, I almost cried as they really are a dead ringer for my old boots. I am aware that these white ones would be a complete nightmare to keep candid. I think these or the black ones could be an all year round choice, in Ireland anyway.

River Island Blue Floral Print hidden heel High Tops, £40.00.
Again I've had my eyes on these for WEEKS and I don't think I have to explain these: wedges, high tops, blue with baby blue flowers - me in shoe form. I reckon matching dark blue laces would work just as well. Although these are clearly a spring/summer choice, I would be tempted to wear them in winter too, they are TOO pretty!

New Look, Mink Brown Contrast Waterfall Biker Jacket, £39.99

New Look, Chi Chi Black Embellished Bodycon Dress, £54.99

Lipsy, sapphire wedge boots, €105

 Cafè Noir

MAC Extra Dimension Skinfinish in Whisper of Gilt and Superb, €28

Illamasqua, Stance and Nomad nail varnishes

Konad nail stamping plates, not this one specifically, for someone who can't paint details due to her eyes, these would help immensely, and also save A LOT of time

Also I have been longing for a few holo nail polishes recently, there are too many to list.

Sony Xperia P

Veet minimising moisturiser for sensitive skin - review

Body hair: probably the  ONE biggest nuisance for women (after men/women, that is).
And just like any other woman, hair removal is just one of those personal care rituals that we all really wish we could skip....unless you and your skin can afford permanent hair removal treatments, in which case I am SUPER jealous of you.

I was a REALLY early developer and so my first hair removal experience was at the age of 11 and because I was way too scared to try shaving, I used a cream. Because summer in my home town pretty much lasts from April to October, I got through TONS of hair removing cream and when eventually I got tired of having to sit still for half an hour 2 to 3 times a week, I just naturally glided to shaving.
I have tried waxing and the good old silk epil but because my skin is too sensitive and my hair is too thick, those were just quickly discarded.
In my late teens I also tried laser removal and it scared me enough not to ever try it again in my life, sure hair didn't grow back for 2 months...but that's down to the second degree burns the treatment gave me.
So it's safe to say shaving is my number one method, much to my annoyance.

When I was in Italy for my photo shoot last September, a friend of mine actually pushed me to try the Veet minimising cream, as I honestly hadn't really heard much about it here in Ireland.

Effectively I have been using this for about 7 months, on and off, not a daily basis as recommended by the brand. To be totally honest I wasn't really expecting anything at all from this, as I now tend to be VERY skeptical when it comes to "non-aggressive" hair removing products.

Veet says:
"Veet Hair Minimising Moisturiser, used daily, reduces the appearance of hair re-growth & softens the hair so stubble is less noticeable. Veet Hair Minimising Body Moisituriser with ProMinimise, to effectively hydrate your skin up to 24 hours, leaving your skin feeling smoother for longer.

 Application: the one aspect I REALLY don't like about the product is its consistency, it's REALLY runny, and you need to be careful or the product will splatter all over your bathroom floor. Also because the lid top is flat, it always ends up covered in product which I have to wipe away and ends up being wasted.  I apply this after showering and I was very surprised to see that it didn't irritate my skin at all; after shaving I always have to be extra careful with what moisturiser I use, especially on stretch marks.
As for its "extra" moisturising powers, they are not actually THAT strong. I always have to mix in another moisturiser as otherwise my legs would be quite dry the morning after.
As I have mentioned above, I don't use this every day nor every time I shave, HOWEVER I have noticed my hair is nowhere as thick as it used to be before I started utilising this, and I also notice the difference between when I apply it after shaving and when I don't. It also makes for a much less annoyingly itchy stubble as well.
I think it could be improved by thickening it a bit and making it more moisturising.

Has anyone else tried it or plan to? Let me know.

Lil

L'Occitane Honey candle for Sight loss in the world

Hello people of the world!!
I have something REALLY interesting to capture your attention today and it's got to do with the super luscious French brand L'Occitane.
They have teamed up with sight loss groups all over the world and brought us a gorgeous smelling honey candle.

 

ONE HUNDRED percent  of the proceeds will go to sight loss charities.

In the UK the candle is £13, available in their boutiques/counters and online,  and it will all go towards helping the Royal National Institute of Blind People. I personally know quite a few people (with my condition and not) that have benefited, and still do, from their help. In particular the funds raised from the sale of the candle will help the RNIB Trainee Grade Scheme which provides paid work experience placements to unemployed blind and partially sighted people. For more info on the scheme, visit their page .

In the U.S.A. it is $10 and available at boutiques/counters (it doesn't seem to be on their website). In the Sates their charity of choice is Helen Keller International . You will be helping the ChildSight Program, which was initiated in 1994 and since then the program has provided more than 150,000 pairs of eyeglasses to correct low vision, and screened more than 1.2 million American children stricken with poverty. 

In Italy for €14 you will be able to help local associations that deal with blind and partially sighted  people. You can find the candle in your local counters or online .

In Spain, for €14 you will be helping the Fundación Once. Available at counters or online .

In Germany it is also €14, available in stores and online to help Vereinigung.

I am still trying to find out if it's going to be available in Ireland and which association they picked.

Ah go on, you know you want to get one, fill your home with sweet French class and help people with sight loss.

Lil

NOTD: Hippy Peach

The ombre in the background is Catrice C03 Colour Bomb & KIKO Peach, the flowers over that are a foil

cloud10beauty and iClothing haul

Sigma Make Me Cool, travel brush kit

Anatomicals eye cream, You Scream We All Scream For Eye Cream

I also got the choice of 3 samples (super kudos to Cloud10 for this!):

Invisible Zinc ESP Moisturiser SPF 30+ UVA/UVB
Sleek Mini High Shine Gloss Sweet Sixteen
FACE Atelier Melt

I shall post reviews as soon as I have tested them.

________________________________________________

For a while now I have been on the hunt for a pair of hi top wedges. I used to have a pair years  ago when I was a teenager, if I remember correctly they were from American Eagle. I wore them until one day I came home from school and found out my mother had thrown them out, they were ridiculously worn out but I didn't have the guts to part with them.
You can imagine my delight when Isabel Marant and Ash decided to bring them back, although I wasn't too keen on their prices.
I spotted a few high street brands doing their own version and I had my heart set on these ones:

I searched long and hard for them but wasn't  successful. Sad face.
In the end I decided to buy these:

I got them from iClothing and I picked this colour as I thought they could easily bring me into winter. They seemed made from a rather soft sued so I spray protected them straight away. I've only had them for a couple of days but they are super comfy so far.

What do you think of my buys?

Lil 

POTD KIKO foiled brights

During my recent visit back home I was a very good girl and only came back with 2 new beauty products. I really like KIKO, they push for bright colours, innovation and high end quality, with low end prices. Whenever I go home I try to visit 1 of the 2 shops about half an hour from my home town.

This time I took advantage of the €2.50 nail polish sale they were having in the shop (now also available online for a few selected European countries and the UK, just visit KIKOcosmetics.com ). I picked up n. 330 Lilac and n. 358 Peach (although it's more of a bright orange in my opinion).
I always used to have a love/hate relationship with their nail polishes but at last they changed their formula and the brush and now they are an absolute dream to apply! You can easily get away with just one coat, the brush is flat and REALLY precise and it dries REALLY quickly - and I do mean dry, dry, not stay tacky for hours afterwards.

I then proceded to use a multi colour shimmering foil over the nails. I wanted to go for a subtle shimmer, not my usual love for glitter. it worked perfectly fine, however I had major troubles trying to capture the different colours of the foil, and believe me I tried EVERY possible light!
So here's a photo

And my only option to show you all the pretty shimmer properly, was to take a short video

I am UTTERLY in love with these 2 colours! Although next time I will try the foil on a darker polish, maybe it'll show better.
Ya like?

Lil

an Essence-ial FOTD

Face:

Catrice Skin Finish powder, 010 transparent

Essence blush, adorable

Essence Sun Club, large matt bronzing powder, for blondes

Eyes:

Essence eye brow designer, 04 blonde

Essence long-lasting eye pencil, 04 hot chocolate

Essence get BIG! waterproof mascara

88 matte eye shadow palette, greens, browns and white

Lips:

Rimmel 1000 kisses lip tint, carry on cherry

A few weeks back I found myself parted from most of my basic make up; it's a long story and I'm sure you really don't wanna hear about it.
Anyway, because I had a few occasions to attend, I needed emergency, inexpensive, but still quality make-up, so I ran to my nearest chemist.
Here is a quick review of some of the things I picked up.

Catrice skin finish powder, 010 transparent: this powder is a-maze!!! I use this as a base as  I don't really need foundation, especially in the summer, and it stays on for a long, long time. I also used it as an eye primer as I didn't have my UDPP, and it worked wonders! Perfect skin tone match as well.
Essence Sun Club, large matt bronzing powder, for blondes: if you're really fair and usually go for soft bronze and blush, this may not be for you. It's quite dark to be designed for light skinned blonde but as I often like to enhance my defined cheek bones, this is perfect for me.
Essence eye brow designer, 04 blonde:as for above, it may be designed for blondes, but if you like your brows quite light in colour, don't go for this. Also, as most brow liners go, it has a very reddish under tone that show up especially in photos. Super easy application though, and it last all day without budging.
Essence long-lasting eye pencil, 04 hot chocolate: this liner is an absolute dream! It's so soft it glides on effortlessly, super easy to smudge -even with your fingers- and it stays on for hours without the need to be touched up and no primer.
Rimmel 1000 kisses lip tint, carry on cherry: really does what is says on the tube! The slim tip is a major bonus for me as it allows a great, precise application even for the blind-as-a-bat like me. The balm really moisturizes and makes the tint last longer. No need to re-apply every hour like most lippies, you don't feel it on your lips and they are not left dry at the end of the day.

I must say, after years of people telling me I should try a red lip, I gave in, at last. As you know I;m generally not a lipstick fan as I can't be doing with constant reapplication and they dry my lips out very quickly, but I'm really liking all these new moisturizing lip tints! Any suggestion?
Do I sport the rich, red lip, well?

Lil

Comments update (again...)

I have installed a new comments system so hopefully everyone will be able to leave comments noww.
You may be asked for a name and e-mail, but don't worry, other readers will NOT be able to contact you.
I REALLY hope this works.
As usual, let me know if you find any glitches or if it's working fine for you.
Thank you.

Lil

WOW BROWN DIY luxury creme tan, light/medium

If you are familiar with my blog and myself you will already be aware of Wow Brown (you can go back to see my reviews on the spray tan here ). If you aren't familiar with the brand I shall give you a quick brand background.
It's an Irish brand funded by two amazing ladies who decided to develop a sunless tanning range of products suitable for the pale complexion. And boy have they done it!

This is the product I will be reviewing

DIY luxury creme tan, light/medium, RRP  €21.95

I am honestly not the kind of beauty junkie that discards a product if it doesn't look pristine, so the very simple white and hot pink bottle and packaging don't phase me at all.

Let me start with the application: because on my colour-less skin ANY self tan mistake will show very clearly, I use a mitt. I also enrol the help of my other half for the hard to reach bits and for those areas my eyes won't allow me to see, even in a mirror. The biggest plus of this product for me is the colour guide, it's a big help for my bad eye sight as it allows me to very clearly see where I have applied it already.

I have to be honest and say that when it comes out of the bottle and as you glide it onto your skin, it's a very scary shade of brown and also could end up looking a little streaky in places. But fret not as that is not the colour you'll end up with. It's super easy to apply and does give you the time to really rub it in and correct possible mistakes.
I apply this on my face as well, although I can never get a perfect uniform colour because I can't be too precise with the mitt; I use a BB cream or tinted moisturiser to make it more even.

As the tan develops you will get a slight whiff of burnt digestive, but it's very bearable, especially if you leave it over night.

When you shower in the morning or after the 8 hours of colour developing, all the excess and streaks will just wash away completely, leaving you with a lovely natural glowing tan.

The brand claims the tan will stay on for 3 to 10 days, I guess they pretty much cover themselves with that. On my fairly dry body if I moisturise daily, the colour will look nice for 3 or 4 days, after which it starts to fade away quite evenly, again providing you keep your skin moisturised.
€21.95 might seem  a little pricey for just a bottle but I assure you get a lot of full body uses out of it.
I am definitely going to purchase another bottle when I eventually finish this one.

And here is the final results:

after one application

after another application a couple of days later

For more information, to buy this or other products and for everything you need to know, you can check their website on Wowbrown.com

Let me know if you've tried it too and what you think of it.

Lil

OOTD Come Fly With Me & an iclothing.ie review

 (please excuse the horrible frown)

This is the outfit I chose to travel back to Italy for a few days a couple of weeks ago.
The trousers are from iclothing.ie: you can find them here. At around Christmas time I won a €50 voucher on a Twitter giveaway they did so decided to treat myself to a few little things seeing as I hadn't done so since before Christmas. Other than the trousers I also bought this dress and this one. I haven't had the chance to wear them yet but I will post photos when I do.
I have to say I was EXTREMELY happy with the service they provided: I placed my order in the early afternoon and the morning after it was delivered. The garments were very well packaged, uncreased and everything was the right size. I am DEFINITELY buying from them again!
The trousers are an absolute dream to wear! Even after a whole day travelling on buses, coaches, plane and car, they were still super comfortable. And they even stretch to accommodate my Mediterranean hips and back side!
All the other pieces in my outfit I've had for absolute years and were all bought in Italy, suitcase included (I have been asked about it before).
I know it could have easily been a white overload but I would have never gone for this ensamble without a bit of a tan on. I would have broken it up with a coloured/patterned top or blazer.

Lil

Even a stone...

"Even a stone can be worn down with enough rain.” 

Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha

Save Your Skin: La Roche-Posay melanoma awareness month Ireland

May is Melanoma Awareness month here in Ireland and La Roche-Posay have something to share with you, so first of, please go ahead and do me the favour of watching this:

This year they decided to particularly aim at men, as they are less likely to worry about sun screen and sun damage.
I have to admit I was gobsmacked by the numbers! 1 in 8 is A LOT!!!

If these stories snapshots aren't enough and you wish to read more about the impact melanoma has on people's lives, you can read about my own experience in this guest blog post I put together a while ago.

I would like to take this opportunity to launch an appeal to ANYONE reading: please, PLEASE DO use sun screen, DO keep an eye on your moles and DO get them mapped/checked once a year.
Everyone should do this, but especially those with a very fair complexion and moles.
I could go on for paragraphs on end but the bottom line is, we all know how dangerous the Sun is and what damages it can cause.
In the past I have persuaded a few people to get in the habit of getting their moles checked and if this post leads to at least one individual doing it, then my work here is done.

Melanoma IS deadly if not caught in time, and even if you're lucky to catch it in time, it's the most horrific struggle I wouldn't even wish on my worst enemy.

I realise this post is a bit all over the place but my emotions are running high and can't quite get a logical hold of them, I apologise.

In case you wish to gather more information, you can visit the SOS Save Our Skin website.

Thank you for taking the time to read,

Lil

I spy with my little (dodgy) eye...

A new layout!!!!!!!

So? I'm DYING to know what you guys think!

I will have a new header on in the next few days.

Leave me a comment and let me know what you think, and also if your browser doesn't see it perfectly alligned.

Thank you,

Lil

Put a spring in your step

I really shouldn't have, because I'm absolutely skint, but the other day I went to have a nosey around in New Look and here's a few beauties I fell for

Taupe Neon Flash Platform Court Shoes £22.99

Black Suede 3-Part Cork Wedges £29.99

Suedette Peep Toe £19.99

Head Over Heels Printed Peep Toe Court Shoes £35.00 

Stone Canvas Cork Wedge Shoes £19.99