The Ultimate Packing List

Hey Ladies,

So lists are my thing....I can't do anything without a list as it's how I stay organised (well try to). And there is nothing more stressful than packing for a sun holiday, guaranteed you'll be half way to ________(insert holiday destination here) and you'll realise you left half of your essentials at home. Funnily enough it was actually a girl in work who said to me...

"You know the way your super organised with your lists? Can you to a holiday packing list!" 

...and ta-da here it is. My holiday essentials in a handy print out that even has those little boxes for you to satisfyingly tick once you've popped your bits 'n' bobs in your suitcase. A rough guide to help you remember the important stuff and build from there. Many a nights before going on holiday I've had nightmares of turning up to the airport with an empty suitcase, stress be gone. Now, I have tailored this to a sun holiday but fret not I have a city guide and a long haul to the US coming up next. I am really excited to share all of my travel tips and tricks with you lot!

So if your heading on your holibops Suzie Q has got you covered...you can find the download link here: Download! And at the top you have the option to print or save.

Happy packing!

A Look Inside My Most Used Palette

Hey Ladies,

Bit of a late one for you but I really wanted to share this post with you. We all do it, we buy the latest palette on the market that EVERYONE and their granny is talking about (I'm looking at you Urban Decay) and it's not long before it sits gathering dust in a drawer and we only dig it out to use one or two shades. That is why I love my MAC palette, its customisable so I only put in colours that I like and will use. No wasted space!

As you can see many of the shadows have hit pan and these are the shadows that I have repurchased over and over again and already have backups to fill their spot once they've gone. Building a MAC palette can be expensive but I have added to mine bit by bit (30 shadows at €10 each...YIKES) starting with a single palette to then moving to a double palette and I'm already onto my next palette. I literally use this palette every single day and its the only one I bring when going on holiday.

I have listed all of the shades in the palette just in case you want to have a snoop. Lemme know in the comments what are your favourite MAC shadows? My top 5 would have to be Vanilla the perfect everyday base, Embark the perfect warm brown to deepen the crease, Woodwinked the only shadow you need when you have 5 seconds to do eyes and lastly either White Frost or Vapour as they are my go to brow/inner corner highlight!

Anxiety and Self Confidence

Hey Ladies,

I wanted to do a quick blog post today all about anxiety. I posted on Twitter last night that lately I am finding more and more people who are bloggers and YouTubers have opened up to say that they suffer with anxiety. And with an increasing number of people talking about the subject of anxiety it just got me to thinking...is anxiety the new 'it'?

I don't speak about this very often but I want to open up a bit. I myself suffer from anxiety specifically when I have to go anywhere on my own. I will leave it to the very last minute and do literally anything else than do what I need to do. But on the other hand I find social situations very tough, I'm not one for going to night clubs and even blogger events scare the bejeasus out of me. I prefer to be in my own company but ironically have a fear of being lonely. I am at my absolute worst when I go on holiday, I find it extremely difficult to be away from home and my family. Depending on who I am with I can sometimes forget and enjoy my holiday whereas sometimes I get into a slump I just can't shake off and I am itching just to get home and literally anything can set me off. And when I feel overwhelmed? Sure I may as well be shutting down because that I something that I cannot cope with...the saying "CAN'T COPE" has never been more true. Sad songs? Sad movies? They just don't exist in my world.

What I find so difficult as a part time blogger is my own self confidence. I find it excruciating taking photographs of myself and writing blog post because I am constantly thinking to myself "I am going to be a laughing stock".."so and so is going to see this and what will they think of me" and why would anyone bother to read my long boring blog posts. I find myself constantly comparing myself to other which doesn't help either. Anxiety is a very hard thing to over come and as I slip into making more YouTube videos I know the haters will come along as they naturally do and when that time comes I don't know how I am going to deal with it. But I'll get there in the end.

So when people are saying in the future that they have an anxiety issue, I want them to bear in mind those people who really suffer. Are they being honest or just trying to bring in viewers? If you yourself suffer with anxiety how do you deal with it? I would love to read your feed back on this issue.

Thanks for reading.

Back To Basics!

Hey Ladies,

In today's blog post I want to share with you my secret to a flawless smokey eye. MAC Painterly Paint Pot is a staple that you will find in every MUA's kit and to the unsuspecting eye you wouldn't think much of this little thingamabob!

In simple terms its a cream eye shadow with a pink undertone. It can be worn on its own to even out the eye for example, on my days off I pop a little bit on with my ring finger to make my eyes look less tired and prevent my mascara from running. But when it is paired with eye shadow it helps products last twice as long especially if you have oily peepers and it also helps shadows to pop! There is nothing worse that buying a gorgeous deep purple eye shadow and loosing half the colour when its put on an unprepared eye. Eye primers are so essential to a flawless eye look without them it will be no time before your eye shadow has creased and faded away.

 

MAC do a whole shade range of these paint pots but painterly is the most talked about in the YouTube/blog world. Another firm favourite of mine is Groundwork, its a taupe-y shade that you can use to create a simple smokey eye in seconds! Im hoping in the coming month to do more tutorial style posts/videos so you can see these paint pots in action.

Until next time!

TFF: People You HAVE To Follow

Hey ladies,

And welcome back to the ever evolving Take Five Friday. This week I wanted to share with you some of my favourite bloggers who you HAVE to follow if you aren't already. I think its nice to share our favourite reads so we can watch the blogging world continue to grow and most importantly give a nice shout out to those who work hard on their blog and deserve all the readers they get! There is so much negativity and bitching on the Internet nowadays that a little bit of blog love would do no harm!

1. Sara Kalima who you might recognise from her many appearances on Beaut.ie is first up on my list. I love her guest posts on Beaut.ie but her own blog Love Thing is bloody brilliant! Sara is truly a spectacular makeup artist, her eye makeup looks are just so stunning and creative! I love having a nosey on her blog whenever I have a big event and I need some inspiration!

2. Next up is Anna from Vivianna Does Makeup. Anna is so well known that if you haven't read her blog you have definitely been living under a rock. I never miss a blog post/vlog or video and I take everything she says about beauty or skincare as bible. If she loves something I have to have it! Recently I divulged my love for Anna to my sister which in turn has also turned her into a massive fan. Give up your day to catch up on her videos- definitely worth the watch.

3. My next fave is a little closer to home and it's my pal Grace from Long Hair and Lashes! With Super duper in depth reviews Grace has you covered on all things beauty. This girl knows her way around a MAC 217 and will blow you away with her makeup looks. Not one to shy away from a bright eyeshadow or a dark vampy lip so there is something in there from everyone!

4. Throwing in a fashion blog for good measure.... you NEED to follow Olivia from What Olivia Did. She is my current style icon and when she posts I feel a stab of jealousy because every look she puts together is PERFECT. She also posts recipes on her blog which is such an added bonus!

5. Last but certainly not least is... Karen and Joanne from Lovely Girlie Bits. Literally one of the best Irish beauty blogs at the moment and the girls have recently expanded to the YouTube world and are taking it by storm. The girls are on the ball when it comes to the latest beauty launches and give the most honest reviews on products with an added touch of hilarity. I never ever miss a blog post!

If I missed anyone there who you think deserves to be in the next TFF leave it in the comments below!

TFF: The Return Of The Rants

Hey Ladies,

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Well I thought this week I would go back to the niceties of TFF but I need to vent a little. Too much has me peeved off this week not to share so why not join in the fun and let me know below in the comments what is bothering you this week so we can seethe in anger together.

1. " Hi, It's Steve here calling from Microsoft Support about your computer. We have received warning signals from your computer that you have a virus".  

2. A Halloween costume consisting of fishnet tights, a corset, a tutu and 3 sets of false eyelashes.

3. Getting my hopes up that my long lost relative in Saudi Arabia has left €6,000,000,0000 in her will and I am her only heir!

4.  Going to Blogger Events and looking like a loonbag as you didn't bring a plus one and you don't know anyone!

5. Having the worlds fastest shower as the water charges put the fear of god in you. THEN to get out to a freezing cold bathroom, ITS BLEEDIN BALTIC!

Until next week try stay calm....in through the nose....out through the gritted teeth.

Whats New Suzie Q? Expensive Splurges!

Hey Ladies,

Although am I am a self confessed beauty junkie, big splurges are very few and far between and last month I was feeling very spendy. Here is the latest products that have made it into the Suzie Q stash!

First up... YSL Fusion Ink Foundation. When I bought this foundation a few weeks back I was so....undecided on whether it was love or not. The texture was something totally new to me a very liquidy silky foundation (think L'oreal Nude Magique or Armani Maestro). After a couple of weeks of wear I have finally decided that this foundation is the bomb diggity. I find it a little dry when I first put it on but an hour or two on the skin its so beautiful and dewy. Surprisingly you only need a tiny amount of product to get a gorgeous medium coverage. At €40 its not cheap but you really do get what you pay for a fantastic product and beautiful packaging 10/10!

And the other item I picked up was this uhh-mazing Tom Ford Lipstick in Pink Dusk. The packaging, the pleasing noise when it clicks close, the ultra-creamy texture and the mouth watering smell of vanilla makes for a seriously good lipstick. With a price tag of €47 its enough to make your eyes water but I think its so worth it for a special occasion such as a wedding day it would be the cherry on top, pick of the pack and the créme de la crop!

Until next time,

They're Real?!

Hey Ladies,
I am currently on the hunt for my holy grail of mascara's. I now have two in close competition with each other, Clinique High Impact and  Benefit They're Real. I have already written a review of what I think about the Clinique mascara and you can check that out here.

Recently Benefit celebrated the first birthday of the They're Real mascara and working on a beauty counter I often sell this product to customers. I'm a firm believer of knowing your products, I like to give customers an honest review of a product rather than listing off a list of things the box claims it does. Fortunately my sister bought this mascara and didn't like it so she gave it to me, I never turn away a hand me down so I thought I would give this a whirl.

First impressions? The brush is made of plastic spikes and has a round top which means it is easy to create a false lash effect. This mascara separates lashes and gives them the most definition possible, and the round top means you can really get at all those hard to reach lashes. This product is super black (with no option of brown) so it really does make lashes stand out. The overall best thing about this mascara is it's staying power, this mascara is practically waterproof and you need a good oily eye makeup remover to take it off. It doesn't smudge, flake or transfer throughout the day, no matter what your day holds you don't need to worry about looking like a panda.

I have come to the conclusion that if I use the Clinique High Impact mascara during the day and the Benefit They're Real for evening I will always have a flawless lash look which is a sure thing to get you some compliments. Check out the pictures below of the mascara in action!

Love,
S