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Saturday, 31 March 2012

My Birthday Giveaway Winners :)


First of all can i just say a huge thank you to everyone who participated it was great reading what your worst and best presents was :) :) 
Another thing i want to say before announcing my winners is to anyone who hasnt won please dont be disheartened if you are a long time follower you know i always have random giveaways :) so maybe next time eh? 
So without further adooooooo!!!!!
The winner of the first prize is....................
Kerri Whitehouse
The winner of the 2nd prize is...........................
Sinead Heffernan

Girls i will contact you by email for your postal info 
Yeah well done girls hope you enjoy :) 
Until next time 
Lots of Love Luck And Laughter 
Nina C 
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Tuesday, 27 March 2012

Catrice Limited Edition "Nymphelia" Review/Swatches Part 1

 
Soft and feminine yet strong and sensual – this is the perfect description for the world of nymphs. A mysterious world that hovers between nature and mysticism – a world shaped by goddesses and embodied by natural forces. This is reflected in the color scheme of the Limited Edition “Nymphelia” by CATRICE. Warm red, orange and brown shades from the forest combined with green and nude tones bring the spring season to life in February and March 2012. The result: a natural yet modern and sensual make-up collection inspired by the international catwalks. The ideal make-up for delicate but strong ladies. Nymphelia – mystical and mythical. - Catrice EU
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Hey my beauties 
Hope you are all well and enjoying what finally is Spring time weather.  Pure sunshine and bright clothes and makeup been worn these day I LOVE IT!!!!!
Ok so no point in me telling you a whole story about the fact i jump to chance to get every limited edition from Catrice cause ye already know i do hehehehe
& of course i am about to show you the next Limited Edition Just out which is "NYMPHELIA"
(Somebody asked me why i dont do seperate post on each product from the Catrice Limited Edition and the reason i dont is because you only have a LIMITED amount of time to get your hands on these so when i get them i use them constantly for a while so i can review them as i show you :) :) )) 
I am going to make this blog post a part 1 and part 2 so that it wont be too long for you all to read :) i will link part 2 at the end. 
So here is my video for you guys to have a watch and also below will be pictures swatches and my thoughts on each product :) :) 
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My Lovely Haul 
The packaging is quite impressive on this collection :) The eyeshadows, blush and Lipglosses are very sturdy which i love and i hope they make this a regular thing :) :) 
So starting with the nail polishes 
There are 5 different shades from the Nymphelia collection i chose 3 shade in which i know i would wear but the other 2 shades are a sort of light and dark green 
Fred Said Red - This is a Fantastic shade i love how bring it is.  Its a beautiful bright red with orange undertones i got quite a few compliments wearing this.  The formula is thick for a cheap polish it only took 2 coats and with a topcoat this lasts a good week on me.  These polishes cost  €2.79 each :) 
Salmon & Garfunkel - This is certainly a pretty shade....At first i wasnt sure about it as its paler than most nail polishes i wear if you have very pale hands this will not do much for you.  I am warming to it though.  Its a pretty salmon shade with a tad tint of peach :) this too take 2 coats and a top coat to last a good week before chipping 
Dulce & Havanna -  This is a simple chocolate brown shade quite different to the rest of the shades i own there is nothing much to say about this but it took 3 coats and top coat and lasted a week and half before chipping :) :) 

LIP COLOUR CREAM

Ok not beating around the bush i was a wee bit disappointed with these.  I suppose when i seen them first and read that they were "Lip Creams" i presumed they were literally Lip Creams.  After i swatched and tried them i realise they were nothing more than a typical lip gloss!!!!!!!!!!! Thats not saying that they are not good or nice they ARE but why call them LIP CREAMS!!!!! These cost €4.29 each 
Blossom:  Is a fairly sheer gloss.  Its a lovely orange peach shade and the fact i have good pigmented lips as it is the colour doesnt show too much on the lips :) 
Spring Kiss:  This is a little more pigmented and i do get a nice colour on the lips with this gloss.  This is a nice medium red with a slight orange undertone and golden shimmer even though the shimmer is not visable on the lips but does give a nice sheen to the lips i like it.  Nymph's Glow:  This is a nice nude salmon shade with gold shimmer again the shimmer is very tiny.  This shade is pale but not too pale for anyone.  It will pale out my lips slightly but not much.  I think this is perfect for a smokey eye look.  I like it :) 

Blossom
Spring Kiss
Nymph's Glow
Dancing Nymph marbled baked blush  

This is the first ever baked blush i have seen from the Catrice range :) This blush cost me €4.99 and worth every cent!!!!!! I was so excited to try this especially because of that reason and because i really like baked blushes.  Now when i got it in my hands and noticed it had shimmer in it i thought "Oh no" as im not a huge fan of shimmery blush but i do in fact like this blush.  This blush is a combination of orangey reddish brown tones which is nicely pigment.  The fact its marbled it is a little dusty when applying but a nice tap of the brush sorts that out.  This is well suited for anyone with fair to medium skin.  Anyone with a darker skintone might not get much colour pay off.  I love this blush and a little goes a long way with my complexion.  The shimmery part is actually nothing to talk about as the shimmer does not even show up on the cheek in fact the shimmer help give you that beautiful healthy glow you want.  Its just a pity this is limited edition and the fact there is no more left in my local pharmacy shows its ended up been quite a hit!!!! 
So that is it for part 1 i think this post is long enough :) I dont want you all falling asleep on me now.  So take a breather and come back for Part 2 which i will post up HERE.  
I hope you enjoyed this post and are interested in seeing more.  Has anything caught your eye so far ?
See you soon 
Lots of love luck and Laughter 
Nina C
xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Catrice Limited Edition "Nymphelia" Review/Swatches Part 2


 
Hey my beauties 
Welcome back to part 2 of my Catrice Limited Edition "Nymphelia" Haul/Review/Swatches 
If you have missed my video and Part 1 of my Haul Click here to see them 
So without further ado i shall continue with my review and swatches 
Next up is.........

INTENSIF’EYE WET&DRY SHADOW

Catrice state: The handmade marbled Baked Eye Shadows each consist of three colors for a particularly luminous and multi-dimensional look. The interaction of brown and green shades ensures a sensual look with a powerful touch. The Intensif'eye Wet&Dry Shadows can be applied dry or moist. Applied dry, they create subtle effects and when moist, the Eye Shadows have a more intense color application and a brighter effect. 
These eyeshadows cost me €4.29 each :) 
When i seen these eyeshadows I was in awwwwwwwww. They look so beautiful in the package. Might i add that the packaging on these are so sturdy i will not be worrying about these breaking on me.  I did say in my video that the normal range eyeshadows are a little flimzy and if you are not careful with them they will break if you dont store them properly.  
Black or white Swan?!  This eyeshadow is beautiful.  A lovely combination of black, silver and gold........this is a shimmery eyeshadow and very pigmented :) You can create a fabulous black and gold smokey eye with this little beauty I love it :) 
Charly's Chocolate Factory This is a well suited name for this eyeshadow :) This shadow as i can best describe it is a lovely orange-brown with golden shimmer.  When swatched this has a sort of rusty brown effect its beautiful :) :) 
Vanilla Sky Ride This is definitely a highlight eyeshadow.  Its a creamy yellowy shade with a bit of gold shimmer going through it :)  It does work well for a highlight in the inner corner of the eyes or can be used as a highlight for under the brow.  I have actually used this to highlight my cheek bones a little :) 
Have you seen Alice Now this eyeshadow is fantastic just look at it isnt it beautiful :) :) it looks like your looking from space down at earth lol.  Anyways......There is 3 different shades mixed up in this a light medium and dark green but when swirled together it comes out a sort of mossy green with black undertones its fantastic i love it and wear it with black for a fab smokey eye :) :) 
There are 6 of these eyeshadows available altogether.  My wet swatches were made with a slightly damp brush and the swatches are made with no primer.  So you can imagine how intense they are with primer underneath.  In my opinion these eyeshadows show their true potential when applied wet as they are not as pigmented dry as you can see by the photos but i love them.  They are very good for a drugstore eyeshadow :) 

EYE LINER PEN



Black Green This was a little on the disappointing side to be honest as its not hugely pigment but it is buildable.  What i love about these pens is that they have a click lid which means they are guaranteed to stay moist.  They also have a good tip on them which leaves it easier for you to get a precise line you want.  
They also last all day and do not smudge or budge.  I even found it hard to scrub the lines off my hand when i was finished with the photos :) :) 
The black liner is not intensely black but is buildable :) :) These liners cost me €3.49 each

So that is it everyone i will be reviewing the Smokey eye palette in a separate post as i want to show you all of the smokey eye palettes together 
I hope you enjoyed this review 
If you have any questions please ask 
And dont forget to enter my Birthday giveaway :) 
Lots of Love Luck and Laughter 
Nina C 
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Saturday, 24 March 2012

Get to Know Me - Tag

Hey everyone Todays post is a Get to Know Me Tag
I love tags i think its a great way to get to know people better
and when i got tagged by the Lovely Leanne i couldnt say no :) 
What i had to do was answer a load of questions and they were all in sections 
here is the video :) warning its 20 mins long lol i talk too much :) but it was really fun 
So for all of you out there who do not have a Youtube channel and would like to do this tag 
there is nothing stopping you :) 
you can answer these on a blog post yeeeeeeeee
I tag you all to do this :) its a bit of fun :) :) 
HERE IS THE TOPICS IN WHICH WERE ANSWERED IN THE TAG:

Vital Stats:
Name
Nicknames
Birthday
Place of Birth
Star Sign
Occupation
Appearance:
Hair colour
Hair length
Eye colour
Best feature
Braces
Piercings
Tattoos
Righty of Lefty
Firsts:
Best friend
Award
Sport
Real Holiday
Concert
Favourites
Film
TV Show
Colour
Song
Restaurant
Store
Book
Magazine
Shoes
Currently...
Feeling
Single or Taken
Eating
Listening to
Thinking about
Watching
Wearing
Future:
Want Children
Want to be married
Careers in mind
Where do you want to live
Do you believe in:
God
Miracles
Love at first sight
Ghosts
Aliens
Soul Mates
Heaven
Hell
Kissing on the first date
Yourself 


Thats it so hope you take part if you do comment below I Would love to see your tag :) :)
Until next time 
see you soon 
Love 
Nina C
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

My e.l.f & Essence Birthday Giveaway


Hey my beautiful's 
As you see by the title and above picture Its my birthday on the 27th March which is in 3 days 
yeeeeeeeeeeeee 
So i have decided to celebrate with you all 
i have gathered some items for the last month to make a little box full of bits and pieces 
just for you 
But this time i am having 2 winners yeeeeeeeee
I feel you are all my friend and of course i want all my friends to celebrate with me 
The 1st Prize winner will win the following: 
The 1st winner will get all Essence Items:
  • A Smokey eye set in shade "show off"
  • 3 colour & Shines single eyeshadows in shades "Fabulous", "Lets do the moonwalk" & "Milky Way"
  • An essence Long Lasting Eye pencil in shade "Go Wild"
  • A Metallic Eye Pencil in shade "White Divine" (my favourite i have 3 backups) 
  • 2 Stay with Me Lipglosses in shades "Candy Bar & My Favourite Milkshake" I have these reviewed if you want to check them out 
  • Essence No Limits Waterproof Mascara 
  • All eyes on me Multi-effect Mascara in shade "Deep Purple"
  • Essence Gel Eyeliner in shade "Berlin Rocks" 
The 2nd Prize winner will get:
You will get the e.l.f Complete the look Palette which is available at eyeslipsface.co.uk for £16.50.  I have this palette reviewed here if you want to check it out (keep in mind its an oldish post)
in this you get 
  • 60 Eyeshadow Colours
  • 20 Lip Colours
  • 3 Blushers
  • 2 Bronzers

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To Be in with a chance to win just enter through my Rafflecopter post  

****ONE THING IF YOU ARE ADDING ME ON FACEBOOK FOR EXTRA ENTRY SIMPLY DOUBLE CLICK THE LINK IN WHICH I HAVE SUPPLIED IN RAFFLECOPTER LEFT CLICK TO GO TO FOR SOME REASON THE LINK WONT WORK ON ITS OWN***
a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Rules:
***DONT FORGET TO LEAVE YOU BLOG COMMENT AFTER DOING YOUR EXTRA ENTRIES ONLY ONE BLOG POST PER ENTRY SO IF YOU HAVE DONE EXTRA ENTRIES PLEASE INCLUDE THEM*** 
*****OPEN INTERNATIONALLY EVERYONE CAN ENTER, ANYONE UNDER 18 NEED PARENTAL CONSENT*****
******ALSO ANYONE NEW TO MY BLOG WHO HAS A BLOG OF THEIR OWN PLEASE LEAVE YOU BLOG LINK IN THE COMMENTS AS I LOVE BROWSING THROUGH NEW BLOGS AND WILL ALSO FOLLOW BACK :)*******
DISCLAIMER:  Everything in this prize was bought by me out of my own money.  This is my way of saying thank you and welcoming any new followers/friends to my blog xxxxxx.  
*******THIS IS MOST IMPORTANT ANYONE WITH FAKE PROFILES BE IT FACEBOOK, BLOG OR YOUTUBE WHO ENTER WILL HAVE TO BE DISQUALIFIED AS I FEEL THAT THEY ARE ONLY MADE TO ENTER COMPETITIONS.  iTS NOT FAIR ON THE PEOPLE WHO ARE GENUINELY FOLLOWERS/FRIENDS AND ITS ONLY RIGHT ******** 


That it everyone thats all you have to do :) 
Hope you enjoy and the best thing about this is the giveaway is only for 1 week so Saturday 7th April I will announce the 2 winners :) 
Enjoy :)
Love 
Nina C

Wednesday, 21 March 2012

My Simple Lasagne Recipe

Hey everyone 
Hope you are all well 
As you know i have a nice big family in my home to feed and i love nothing more than to make them nice home cooked food.  The best thing about home cooked food is you have control of what goes into it.  Like all little kiddies there is one thing that i find hard to get into them and thats more vegetables.
Yes they eat vegetable but i feel they could do with more so whats the best way to do that????
Make dinners meals thats nice and taste with hidden vegetable hehehehehe 
shhhhhhh dont tell :) 
So i asked my kiddies what they would like for their dinner and the first word that came out of each of their mouths was yes you guessed it LASAGNE they just cant get enough of it :) :) and neither can anyone else who decides to visit when i have it made lol.  
So today i made my lasagna and decided i would take pictures and share with you all how i make it.  I know there is plenty of recipes out there but i feel been Irish that you can never have enough beef and veg in it.
So i hope you like this recipe and if you give it a go please let me know what you thought of it :) :)
Here is my Finished Results :) 
Lasanga 1 
Lasanga 2 
So Here is MY list of ingredients (you can half this down as i have got a big family both kiddies and brothers and sisters lol) but my recipe made 2 big lasagna's 
I used:
3lb minced beef 
680g jar of crushed tomatoes 
480g jar of white sauce 
approx 8 sheets of wavy or normal lasange sheets 
3 mixed peppers 
3 small onions 
1 oxo cube 
150g small mushrooms
250g chedder cheese grated (you can choose any option of cheese be if low fat etc)
1/2 teaspoon of coriander leaf (herbs)
1/2 teaspoon Basil 
1/2 teaspoon Italian Style Seasoning
some salt if pre fared (even though i never use it)
and some 4 season peppercorn mill pepper 
Method : 

  • Put the mince and chopped onions into a pot and fry until golden brown alot of recipes say add a little oil.  To be honest i dont add anything as the mince itself holds enough fat in it to fry in itself.  Why add fat when there is enough in the meat itself 



  • While the mince is cooking add a cube of oxo this is simply my idea for flavour while the mince is cooking Then add 100mls of water then add your herbs :) pepper and salt if pre fared let me add there is no need for salt as there is enough in the food but someone people do like to add it.  Let that cook on medium heat for 10minutes
  • While your mince is cooking prepared your lovely colourful vegetables.  You dont have to stop at just peppers, mushrooms and onions you can add more like sweetcorn etc.  If cooking for fussy kiddies make sure to chop nice and small as they wont notice as much ;)
  • When the mince is nice and brown.  Add your Veg and cook on a low heat for a further 15 mins or until your veg is nice and soft :)
  • Next simply add your chopped tomatoes to the mince and veg and allow to simmer for 5 minutes and it should look like this :)

  • Thats your mince ready all you have to do is prepare the lasange :) :) mmmmm im hungry again for more writing this plus its lunch time right now i want some 
  • Anyway im babbling again next you just find a dish that you want to make your lasange in and get making it. 
  • First you put a layer of mince on the bottom 
  • Then a layer of lasange sheets on top to cover the mince break the lasange sheets to fit as i have in the photo below and NO IT DOESNT HAVE TO BE PERFECT MINES NOT LOL 
  • Then add a layer of white sauce




  • When you have that done just repeat with another layer of each :) 


  • When you cant fill your dish anymore then simply set your oven at 200 degrees and bake for 20 minutes 
 
  • After 20 minutes take your lasange out and sprinkle cheese on top you can put as little or as much as you like and place it back in the oven for a further 5 minutes or until cheese is golden brown 



  • And vwaalaaaa your Lasange is finished :) :) :) 
I really hope you enjoyed this
And let me know if you have tried the recipe and what you think
Until next time
Take care
Lots of Love Luck and Laughter
Nina C
xoxoxoxoxoxoxox