Suzie Q Reviews: Flormar Beauty On A Budget

Hey Ladies,

Way back last Summer I attended the relaunch of Flormar into Ireland, a brand known for its nail polishes and inexpensive makeup. Since then Flormar has grown and almost every pharmacy in my local area has a stand and their products have been written about hugely in the Irish blogging community. I want to give you my two cents on the brand and some of their stand out products!

In terms of quality I was blown away by the packaging, pigmentation and price range of these products. I was kindly given all of these products to try and the item I was most excited for was the Eyeshadow palette no 7 Nude Dudes* costing as little as €9.95. As you can see from the swatches the palette contains  5 matte eye shadows that are incredible soft and pigmented. A neutral matte eyeshadow palette is a staple in any makeup bag. I have been using this palette for quite a while and have found myself reaching for it daily over the likes of my more expensive palettes from MAC or Inglot. If you try anything from this range, let it be the eye shadows. 

Bearing in mind it was the Summer when I attended this event and the goody bag contained a bright orange coral lipstick which at this current moment is a tad bit bright for me. It is one of their Revolution Lipstick in Provocative Orange* and it retails at €6.95. I found the Flormar lipsticks to be seriously creamy and definitely long lasting. The lipstick is tapered at the tip on both sides so there is no need for a lip liner when you first buy it  but it will eventually wear down.  The packaging again for me was surprisingly nice quality. I think in the future I would like to try a few more of these lipsticks in more everyday neutral shades to really put them to the test!

Lip gloss wouldn't be a product I would buy myself and especially not in a colour like Backstage* that is a pink blue duo chrome with glitter, it's a tad too much for me. One thing I will say though is that the pigmentation is bomb and the formulation isn't as sticky as traditional lip glosses. At €5.95 it isn't going to break the back but I'm afraid this product isn't for me.

If you watch my YouTube channel you may have seen me haul these products and one thing I really praise Flormar for is quality for money. With their Face And Body Bronzing Powder* you get a tonne of product for €9.95, the photos below really don't show the true size of this product as it is legitimately bigger than my head. It is super soft and is easily to blend, which is ideal. For the paler gals this one won't suit you but if you a gal who prefers their bronzer to their blush you can't pass this value up and it comes in three different shades!

Last but certainly not least is their Jelly Look Nail Enamel in Turquoise Green*. It took me about a week trying to pry into this product as it was sealed so tightly and love nor money was getting it open. Eventually risking mo fiacla I managed to get it open. First off the formulation is easy to apply and the pigmentation is super strong especially in such a bright colour, in the photo below I applied two coats on my acrylic nails. The only downside for me is that I don't like the pointed lid as it makes it a little harder to hold and control the brush but other than that I think Flormar have nail polish covered and with over 1000 nail polishes in their collection and starting at €4.45!

There are a few more products from the Flormar range I want to try such as the Double Radiance Highlighting Primer and the Blush On blushes. You'll be delighted to know that everything in the Flormar range is under €13 so its beauty on a budget! You can find Flormar in most pharmacies nationwide or you can check their stock list here to find your local stand. As mentioned these products were gifted to me but that doesn't hamper my opinion in anyway. I hope you enjoyed this review and if you would like to see more of Flormar on the blog let me know what products you want to see and bob shall be your uncle.

Suzie Q Reviews: Charlotte Tilbury La Dolce Vita Eyeshadow Palette

Hey Ladies,

In case you missed it I posted a video on my YouTube showing you the latest addition to my makeup hoard, the Charlotte Tilbury La Dolce Vita Palette. I wanted to do a blog post with some swatches and a little more info about the palette in case you aren't a subscriber to my channel.

First off lets talk about the packaging...stunning. Charlotte has really hit the nail on the head with this beautiful art deco inspired packaging. With a warm burgundy case and a pop of rose gold on the inside and a HUGE mirror this product looks expensive right off the bat. Please note there is no useless sponge tip applicators so you get more product for your money!

There is four shadows in this palette simply named after what they are intended to do... prime, pop, smoke and enhance. The shadows are buttery soft and can be used wet or dry and in most of Charlotte's tutorials she doesn't use too many brushes and opts for applying the glitter with her fingers. The colours are definitely wearable hence what inspired my YouTube tutorial as you can easily take this palette from day to night. If you are a matte eyeshadow fan this palette won't be for you as all four of the shadows have a shimmer to them but you could put down a matte base before hand and add one of these shadows as a pop of shimmer.

Value wise this palette is EXPENSIVE with a €50 price tag but it is so worth it. It is honestly one of very few palettes that I have used and liked every colour. Usually when it comes to eyeshadow palettes I find a few colours I like and the others go to waste. In terms of versatility as I mentioned before you can switch this up for day to night and you could easily make this palette work with any other eyeshadow palettes in your collection. You can tell this palette has been makeup by a truly talented makeup artist as all four shades perfectly harmonise with each other, no duds here.

As I received this as a Christmas gift and didn't buy it for myself, and I know €50 is a lot of money for makeup but this would make the perfect wedding day palette or a gift for a friend. What girl doesn't get excited when she sees a present from Brown Thomas, less Charlotte Tilbury. I would love in the future to pick up another palette from Charlotte Tilbury and Supermodel Body is also on the top of my want list. If I was to purchase at the CT counter in Brown Thomas I think I would make the most of my money and book myself in for a makeover which is redeemable on products, and that way you can also pick the brains of Charlotte's well trained staff!

So there you have it, the burning questions is would you spend this much on an eyeshadow palette? Let me know in the comments below!

Disappointing Products (Singular) #2

Hey Ladies,

It isn't all sunshine and roses around here and as a blogger I try out so many products. Quite often I find a dud in the mix. I think it's important to share disappointing products especially when they are from a luxury brand!

                                     

                                     

This time round we are going to be discussion MAC Liquid Eye Liner in Boot Black. Right from the get go I didn't like this product, the packaging for me is just so blah and it is quite small for the €21 price tag. I think with a liquid eye liner the applicator is the deal breaker, considering it is so hard to get the perfect smooth line the applicator should be easy to use and manageable for whatever your skill level with makeup. The applicator on this particular eyeliner is a stiff short pointed sponge that is really difficult to move over the eye and as it is quite stubby it's hard to get into the inner corner of your eye and create a thin liner.

The eyeliner itself is very liquidy and when you put it on your eyelid it can run and spread like watercolour. If you manage to complete a decent liner and want to go back in to make it darker, simply don't. It pulls on the liner you have already done and basically removes it. If you follow me on Snapchat you would have seen me use it in one of my Snaptorials and how it ruined my makeup that day. MAC claim it to be smudge resistant, I think not.

I will be bringing this Back2MAC as one of my items as I really don't think it is worth the hassle for me. I would rather stick to my KatVonD Tattoo Liner or Inglot 77! I hope you enjoyed this post and found it useful. Do you have any disappointing products that you have tried recently? If so, let me know in the comments below.

Suzie Q Reviews: PS Love This.. Make Up Fixing Spray

Hey Ladies,

If you have been following me on Snapchat I have been sharing new products as I get them, demos and first impressions. But I am saving the full review for the blog so you will hear it here first! Last month I picked up this setting spray in Penneys on a whim, it caught my eye on a shelf and I had just run out of my beloved MUFE Mist and Fix (review here). Costing a mere €2.50 sure why not give it a bash, I couldn't pass up a deal that good. 

 

So I have been trying it out for the past month and I have to say I really like it, the market is flooding with setting sprays at the moment as they become the new "it" beauty product and of course Penneys was on the ball. The idea behind this spray is to prolong your makeup by fixing it into place. It comes in an aerosol can which to be honest isn't the most attractive packaging and the spray nozzle is a bit crap because it doesn't spray evenly so you will need a few sprays to cover your whole face. 

The texture of the product is a bit strange and hard to explain, when you spray it onto your face it comes out like a spray but feels like you have sprayed foam or bubbles on your skin. It only takes a second or two to dry and you're good to go. One piece of advice is try not spray this onto your lips as you will taste it throughout the day and it isn't the most pleasant taste, so try avoid that.

Does it work? Yes, I have tried it out with many different variations of foundations, concealers, powders and primers and regardless of what's on my face it lasts quite well through the day. In comparison to the likes of MAC, NYX or Makeup Forever the packaging and texture are complete polar opposites but you are basically getting the same product for a fraction of the price. If you are passing your local Penneys I would pick one up just to have handy for the likes of a night out! 

Have you tried this product or something similar? Would you bother with a setting spray or just stick to a primer?

Disclaimer: The Honest Truth

Hey Ladies,

So something that I want to touch on is transparency. You may have seen a lot lately online about bloggers will soon have to declare any sort of income, advertising or sponsorships clearly in their videos and posts etc. When I started reading and writing my first blog there was no such this as disclosure but lately it has become the talk of not only the beauty community but blogging and youtubing in general. I always hear from friends or other beauty bloggers the uncertainty about transparency and by that I mean someone saying "I bet they are paid to say that" or when a blogger shows a new product they they love, instantly I know that the mind then travels to what do they get paid?

Basically a new law is being introduced that will stop any bloggers or youtubers from making money when they show a product in a video and don't say that the video has been sponsored. From now on they have to declare to their viewer or reader that they have been paid to mention a product or that a product has been sent to them. Now, to make this more personal I want to address my blog and you the reader. I have and always will be totally honest with you when it comes to products I have been sent. I have never been sponsored for a post and honestly, even if I was I would rather tell you and let you make your own decision on when it comes to reading said post or watching said video. If I was sent a product that didn't like or has no relevance to my blog I would never post it for the sake of keeping a PR company happy. I will from now on mark any products that I have been sent with an asterisk * so you know that I didn't buy it myself. Similarly when it comes to my videos I will disclose in the description box whether I was sent a product or not.

I don't want you to ever think that I would be dishonest about anything at all or jump to the conclusion that I was sent something and am being told to promote it on the sly. I have more to gain from being honest than dishonest and would hope that you would keep that in mind when reading my blog or watching my videos. Blogging is my hobby and not my job, I understand there are some bloggers out there trying to make a living from blogging and kudos to them because it must be extremely difficult. I have witnessed many bloggers integrity and honesty being questioned in the past while as to whether or not they are being honest with their followers about sponsorships etc and it is truly awful. I haven't seen any of those bloggers comment on this issue or put up post about it but when this new law comes into effect you will see the change in the community.

That's it from me today I will have a new video up tomorrow and if you haven't followed me on Snapchat yet you need to get on that bandwagon ASAP follow me @susangibney. Let me know your opinion on the whole transparency issue and does it annoy you when a blogger doesn't declare something in a post? Leave it all in the comments.

Suzie Q Reviews: Rimmel Super Curler Mascara

Hey Ladies,

Today I wanted to share with you one of the latest mascara offerings from my favourite budget brands Rimmel. I was chosen with thanks to Beaut.ie to try out this mascara and report back my opinions so I was sent this mascara for free but it doesn't hamper my opinion in any way.

Packaging? Standard Rimmel packaging nothing special. The wand is a curved shape with bristles longer on one side and shorter on the other, I like the fact that is a bristled brush rather than a plastic rubber brush. I find the wand has great control and the curve isn't difficult to use unlike some other mascara's I have tried with a similar wand!

Now to the part we all want to know...is it any good? I love this mascara but it has a few drawbacks. Let me explain, so this is the perfect mascara if you're looking for a day to day curling mascara that gives a nice curl to the lashes and is easy to remove. The drawback? It might give curl but it doesn't offer any volume at all. You can see from my before and after photos below there is only a slight difference between both. I have naturally quite long lashes so this mascara still looks well on me but if you were expecting drama you won't find any with this mascara. One thing I have noticed is that it doesn't clump at all which I have never seen in a mascara before so that was a huge bonus. It claims on the packaging to be 24hr wear and that is a whole load of bull to be honest. It's currently on offer for €6.99 in Boots so if you are looking for a new mascara give it a bash and let me know what you think!

Have you tried any good mascaras lately or have you one that you would like me to try and review? Leave me a comment below!

Suzie Q Reviews: NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream

Hey Ladies,

My lipstick obsession continues and to be honest it's starting to get a little bit out of hand. The latest additions to my collection are the Soft Matte Lip Creams by NYX that I picked up in New York before they became available here in Ireland. The texture of these lip products are incredible they are long lasting but I found they are more hydrating than drying and the pigmentation is second to none, no lip pencil required. Did I mention that they smell like vanilla cupcakes, added bonus. I picked up the shades Copenhagen, Prague and Istanbul. The only downside to the Soft Matte Lip Creams is that if you try to layer them they can ball up on the lips but using very little product you can easily avoid that. 

                        

Liquid lipsticks really had their moment in 2015 but I don't see them slowing down any time soon so definitely add one of these to your shopping list, there are 20 shades in the range. I have also just seen that NYX are releasing a new product called Liquid Suede Cream Lipstick that boast long lasting/waterproof lip colour with a suede finish so if you don't like the matte look this might be your guy.

   Copenhagen

 Prague

Istanbul

It's safe to say NYX have lip products covered. You can pick up the Soft Matte Lip Creams online on Boots.ie for €7.75 and you can also find the recent additions of the Liquid Suede Cream Lipsticks on there too for €9.25!

Making A Murderer: The Incredible New Netflix Documentary

Hey Ladies, 

I know I only posted a movie review last night but I wanted to strike while the iron is hot and tell you all about Netflix's latest documentary called Making A Murderer. I am a serious crime fan, Criminal Minds and any type of CSI be it Cyber, Miami or Las Vegas are my jam. I have always been a huge crime fan maybe it's my nosey nature or the fact I love how piece by piece you put together a puzzle and catch the bad guy and Making A Murderer is right up my street. 

                        

Let me give you a little background...

In 1985, Steven Avery was accused of the rape of Penny Bernstein. He served 18 years in prison all the while claiming he was an innocent man but no one believed him as the woman he apparently raped was an affluent member of the community whereas Steven came from nothing and had a checkered past. We follow the story as Steven's lawyers try to fight a case that from day one was nothing but doomed as the Manitowoc county police had vendetta for Steven. I don't want to give too much away as this is such an explosive documentary that you simply need to X out of this page sign into Netflix and get started asap. 

Each episode is an hour long and there is ten episodes in the series, it seems long but episodes fly by in seconds and without a second thought you're onto the next. This documentary is a roller coaster of emotion, you will feel angry that the system let Steven down, sad to see his family suffer, happy for his hope and determination, it then will come full circle again. 

This series has everyone talking and it going to be big...HUGE so what are you waiting for. Keep an eye out on my YouTube as i'm going to be doing a chatty video with spoilers on this doc so if you watch it or are currently doing so leave me a comment letting me know your thoughts!

Not Your Usual NYE Post

                         

Happy New Year to all my lovely readers!

Let's not beat around the bush, I won't be telling you all of my plans for next year or my resolutions as I have never been one to make them. Yeah it is the start of the new year but I don't believe that the difference from 23:59 and 00:00 will automatically make you a better person or make you more inclined to change your life, eating habits or productivity but hey that's just me. Each to their own.

Instead I like to look back at all of the events in 2015 and have started a little journal to write down all of the amazing things that have happened throughout the year that sometimes can get overshadowed by the bad stuff. In my cute little marble note book I have also been jotting down my favourite songs as an ultimate playlist of my life and have been taking them down as I hear or recall them!

2016 is going to be a great year and I can't wait to see what it's next...

Sisters: Suzie Q Goes To The Movies!

Hey Ladies,

So I might be a bit late on the bandwagon for this one since it has been out ages but when you're on the Christmas comedown a trip to the cinema is an eventuality so if you're heading to the cinema soon there is only one film you need to see...Sisters!

Who's In It?

The hilarious duo Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are the stars of the show with added laughs from Maya Rudolph and Jooooooohn Cena...will that joke ever die?

Whatsit About? 

Basically it's about two sisters who are polar opposites, Maura Ellis (Poehler) is a too sensible recently divorced Nurse and her hot headed sister Kate Ellis (Fey) simply cannot hold down a job and is constantly disappointing her teenage daughter Haley. As their parent's have decided to sell the family home they must return for the weekend to clear out their bedrooms of all their childhood memories. Maura feels like that she never got the chance to be an irresponsible teen and the sisters decide to throw one of their legendary "Ellis Island" parties to say goodbye to their childhoods with a bang. 

Recommend or Rubbish?

I absolutely LOVED this film and in fact have now seen it twice! It was quite long and drawn out in certain parts but the hilarious chaos makes up for it and anything that could go wrong did go wrong. I loved the relatability that we all want to relive our youth at least one last time before we have to succumb adulthood. I don't want to give too much away so won't give any spoilers here. Fey and Poehler are an incredible tag team in this film and you need this movie on DVD to have for girls night in or rainy days as in my opinion is goes in the ultimate chick flick play list along with the likes of How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days or Bridesmaids. After the Christmas splurge of crap your stomach muscles are gonna need an intense workout and this film will have you laughing till it hurts and when you get to the inevitable awkward (almost) sex scene you gonna choke on your popcorn!

My Fave Quotes? 
"That's a snazzy belt" "Congrats on your wrestling championship"
"Each one of those objects is a puzzle piece in the story of our lives" "we just don't want anymore clutter"...."then what the fuck is this?"