Win with It’s a Paradox Omega 3 Chews for your little VIPs

It's a Paradox Kids Omega 3 Chews €14.99

 

Paradox sell a range of Omega 3 supplements for both adults and kiddies and is the brainchild of Dr. Geoff Hayhurst. The name Paradox came about when Dr. Geoff decided to investigate the Paradox that two of the healthiest populations on earth, The Eskimos  and The Mediterraneans who have diets extremely high in fat.   You can read the full story here as I’d rather let you read it from the horses mouth! Supplements are a personal choice so please have a read through the information on their site and if you are unsure as to whether you should take supplements or not then consult a medical professional.

Dr. Geoffs own blend of Omega 3 fish oil supplements came about as a result of his investigations and the brand sell a range of products to suit all ages. I’m a firm believer in taking supplements for maintaining my own sense of well being. Omega 3 has been said to help improve concentration have a positive effect on cardiovascular health, and it helps  to maintain bone health. In particular I have taken fish oils for the last few years as I don’t tend to eat a lot of oily fish. Cod and shellfish is about the size of my seafood intake so that’s where Paradox supplements come in.

Paradox Omega Oil Liquid for Adults 225ml €16.99

Paradox Omega Babies €14.59

 

As luck would have  it I have a months supply of the Omega 3 chews for school kids; they are suitable to be taken by kiddies aged 5+ so if thats your kid get entering!

* You can buy Paradox supplements from McCabes Pharamcies nationwide

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Fine line between shiny and dewy: Normaderm Total Mat is here to help!

 

There is a fine line between having a shiny and a dewy face! Dewiness is usually achieved with the help of a good illuminating product and shininess is usually a horrible side effect of oily skin or sweating. Thankfully Vichy are on the case and have introduced Normaderm Total Mat to keep shine at bay. I am not a huge fan of the Normaderm range in general but I know a lot of combination skinned ladies swear by it. My skin is quite dry but is prone to oiliness in the usual t-zone area so i was delighted to be sent a pr sample of the new Vichy Normaderm Total Mat to try out. It costs €16.00 for a 30 ml tube and applies as a milky gel. Normaderm Total Mat is a treatment product and is designed to compliment your usual skincare routine. It’s marketed at anyone with concerns about shiny skin and I fit the bill nicely as i am prone to breakouts of shine. The gel contains perlite (an anti-humidity ingredient) and Poly trap (a mattifying powder).

On first impressions I loved the texture and cooling feeling of the gel. The real test was how it would fare during the course of my usual day which on a regular basis includes working in an air conditioned office, getting caught in the rain, running and whatever else I was getting up to! I tested it out over the course of a week in the interest of fairness and I am pleased to say it passed my tests with flying colours!

Vichy Normaderm Total Mat

 

I applied the gel daily around my chin, nose and forehead. It applied nicely on top of my moisturiser and didn’t cause any flaking throughout the day. I applied my Vichy Dermablend foundation on top and sailed through my week without any shiny patches! I was concerned that it may cause breakouts but alas I was fretting over nothing. Its an ace product and perfect for anyone that is prone to shiny patches. I also found myself using less and less powder which was awesome as I am not a huge powder fan. Get yours in local pharmacies nationwide.

Blissful Bathing: Soap & Glory, and Champneys Spa Range

Calm One Calm All & Champneys Dream Bath

My bath has been my saviour these past few years and that’s no word of lie. I’ve been plagued by different aches and pains and switched on to the fact that heat and water can be a lifesaver some years ago, instead of opting for prescription drugs the whole time. Obviously plain killers and anti-inflammatory drugs have a part to play so it goes without saying that if you are unwell go see your doctor.

As I discussed in this post I am a mahoosive fan of Epsom Salts and I never really bath without them. That said they don’t exactly invoke a sense of relaxation with their non-scent so I tend to always put a cap-full of  bubble bath in my water so that I get the added benefits of bubbles and scent. I’ve reviewed two of my favourites below for you; let me know what you think and if there are any other bubble baths that I must check out.

 

Soap & Glory Calm One Calm All: Soap & Glory are another one of those brands that you either love or hate due to the signature scent of their products; its super super sweet but  I’m firmly in the  “adore them” camp! I’m a sucker for sweet scents and indeed Vera Wang Princess is one of my favorite perfumes. Anyway, I digress as usual! Calm One Calm All comes in a sturdy 500ml bottle, will cost you under a tenner and will last for ages and ages! Its a double functioning bath product meaning not only does it sooth but it moisturises thanks to the inclusion of skin conditioners. The aroma is gorgeous, girly and totally engulfing when added to the bath and includes bergamot, strawberries and mandarin with floral and fruity mid notes, and musk, amber and warm vanilla.The inclusion of lemon balm helps to sooth the senses and the mallow moisturises the skin.  It really is an awesome bubble bath and one that has been a constant on my bathroom *shelf for the past number of years.  You can pick yours up at  Boots near you.

Champneys Spa Treatments Relaxing Dream Bath: It was love at first sniff for me and Champneys Relaxing Dream Bath. As you can see from the photo above it has run out and I am devo. as himself hasn’t had time to pop into Boots for me for a replacement.  (For those of you who are not familiar with Champneys you check out their website here.)They sell their products via their online store and in Boots branches here in Ireland. The Relaxing Dream Bath does exactly what is says on its fancy see through plastic bottle. The Champneys spa range evolved from the products they use throughout their spas and I have to say they 100% succeeded in keeping the “spa” feel to their at home product range. This bubble bath wraps itself around your smellers the minute the lid is opened thanks to its spa blend of essential oils. Top notes include Lavender and Patchouli so its perfect for right before bed time. It leaves my skin really soft but the main reason I love this bubble bath as it really does transform my bathroom into my own personal spa. You cab pick up a bottle in Boots and if I remember correctly (fat chance of that) it costs around 12.00 Eurobucks.


*Shelf: fancy word for my bathroom floor, I’m in my house five years and still have not gotten around to bathroom storage

 

Pic credit: mckenna 71 http://www.sxc.hu

 

Cute Corner: Pets who graft!

What do you mean that reports not ready? Dammit Jones....

Myself and Kat are hard grafters as our are readers so today for Cute Corner I give you…… Pets who Graft! These guys are working hard for their money too……

I couldn't find my shoes this morning

 

A cats work is never done

 

 

 

Monkey Business

 

 

 

 

 

Five Minutes peace....

 

 

Gooooood Afternoooon Sir

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pic Credits: baxterboo.com, poisonedpets.com. talklikeaphysicist.com, black-and-right.com

Mascara Favourites from Avon

Avon Super Extreme Extend & SuperShock Max

There are very few mascaras on the market that I have not tried but some of my most used and loved wands are from budget brands! Avon in particular  have a really strong line of  mascaras in their range and today I bring you two of the best; Avon Super Extreme Extend and Supershock Max.

Super Extreme Extend: This costs €12.00  a tube (mine received foc as a pr sample) and is available in current editions of the Avon brochures. Make sure to keep an eye out though because Avon run different special offers from time to time so you might pick it up cheaper than the RRP.

Who is it for? This is a great day time mascara for ladies with naturally long lashes. It coats each strand nicely, doesn’t clump or smudge and is the perfect day time mascara. It is billed as a lengthening mascara but I find it simply provides more definition to my already long lashes. If you have short lashes then this mascara is not for you;the brush looks to be designed to coat long lashes, and I would imagine it would clump/catch the skin on shorter lashes.

Rating: 4/5 It is a great daytime mascara!

 

Avon SuperShock Max:  This tube of magical fake eyelash effect mascara costs just €12.00 but thanks to Avon and their stellar offers in each months brochures I got mine for a fiver! Result!

Who is it for? Anybody and Everybody;it is super versatile! One coat will give you a nice even swish of black colour which doesn’t smudge but instead lengthens and thickens. Two coats brings you from day to night and full fluttery lashes. I heart this mascara. It’s got a place in my HG stash alongside Rimmel Day to Night Mascara (strangely I have yet to experience any love for the much raved about Lancome mascaras).


Rating: 5/5 There is nothing I dislike about this product; you really do need it in your stash.

 

 

 

 

To find an Avon rep near you have a look here.

Whathairver makes you happy……..

 

 

So, I suppose at this stage everyone has seen the Emer O’Toole story (girl with arms in the air above) splashed all over the English media? Well if not please have a look at her appearance on uk daytime tv here.  Emer stopped shaving 18 months ago in order to challenge the public view that “women need to shave to feel happy and to conform”.  Right so.

I applaud her self confidence  but nonetheless I  think her pits look hideous. My eyes are immediately drawn to the out of control bushes under her arms and I reckon even the bushes themselves are mortified. I  shave not because society wants me to or because models in magazines or film stars do it; I shave because it makes me feel clean and soft and just plain nicer! When I have hairy pits they make me feel uncomfortable. When I have a hairy Lady Garden I feel sweaty, smelly AND uncomfortable. Sometimes in winter I might go a bit longer without shaving the oul legs but it is always a relief once I get to de-fuzz. Like it or not Emer many women do draw some of their confidence from their looks and I really don’t see what the problem is with that?!  (I also note Emer is wearing a face-full of makeup, go figure)

 

The fact of the matter is that we all have the choice whether to shave or not; Emer seems to think most of us do it because society expects it of us.We are not cave women for god sake and if we were cave women and had nothing but a cave and a fire to keep us warm then Id be the first to let every little hair on my body grow to its hairy little hearts content. But we’re not.  Someone send this girl a packet of Veet quick stat.

 

*pics thanks to: http://1funkywoman.blogspot.com/ and odditycentral.com

Candy Stripe NOTD

Ta Da!

 

This is a super cute and easy manicure for the beginner nail art enthusiast! My teenage sister was the willing guinea pig and she was delighted with the results; the hardest part of this manicure is deciding which colours you want as your base!

I let my little sis pick and she choose:

  • Colour Club #202 Vaults; dark blue on the baby finger
  • Nails Inc Notting Hill Gate on ring finger
  • Essence #39 Lime Up on middle finger
  • Rimmel #420 Aqua Cool on index finger
  • Nails Inc Portobello on thumb finger
  • Essence tip painter used to stripe

You can do this manicure in twenty minutes including drying time at home. Simply paint your base colours then using the tip painter start by drawing a line down the centre of your nail, then once each side of the main line etc until you have filled the nail! Simples.

 

Its probably about time that i moved on from the easy candy stripes so keep an eye on the blog next week when I will be chancing my arm at a few more “technical” manicures!

SOS Save Our Skin as a part of Melanoma Awareness Month May 2012


” Skin cancer is the most common cancer in Ireland. Irish men are a particularly high risk group”

 

I read the above statement and hand on heart was extremely shocked. When I thought about it though it is actually a lot closer to home than I cared to admit with both my Nanny and himselfs father having had small patches of skin cancer removed in the past. I suppose it didn’t seem as serious at the time as it was treatable and both are perfectly healthy now; extremely stupid rationalising by me at the time I must admit. Now, having read the the press release from La Roche Posay I am definitely much more informed on the issue and I am happy to pass the message on!

“Melanoma Awareness Month is a global initiative supported by La Roche-Posay to promote the early detection and prevention of skin cancer. In Ireland, La Roche-Posay is spearheading the campaign alongside the Melanoma Trust, the Irish Cancer Society, Dr. Patrick Ormond Consultant Dermatologist and with the support of the Department of Health. The Minister for Health Dr James Reilly officially launched the campaign on April 25th2012 calling on individuals to check themselves and check their family, protect themselves and protect their family.

 SOS Save Our Skin is a public awareness campaign developed by La Roche-Posay which works to address the increasing problem of skin cancer in Ireland.  This year the campaign is focusing on raising awareness amongst men. SOS Save Our Skin has created an emotive and impactful public awareness campaign video. La Roche-Posay want to encourage Irish people to share this message with their friends, family, partner, colleagues, kids and ultimately educate as many Irish people as possible. The video can be viewed at www.sossaveourskin.ie To help save Irish skin, join the SOS Save Our Skin Cause at http://www.sossaveourskin.ie/ and La Roche-Posay will make a donation on your behalf to the Melanoma Trust”

Its a really great initiative and one that I hope creates conversation amongst us all. I mentioned it to my other half a couple of weeks ago and to say he was shocked is an understatement. He now realises why I am anal about applying suncream or a moisturiser with added SPF and why I insist he is too.

Pink Overload NOTD

 

Pink Overload

Please forgive my shiteous photographs of late; what with PicNic closing down and ruining my life in the process I have yet to get to grips with other picture editing software. I’m hoping I will get to it this bank holiday weekend!

 

 

I know it looks like Hello Kitty herself puked all over my nails but alas that’s not what happened- i just got the goo on me to do a bit of the oul nail art!  I’ve been inspired by CherrySues and Lyndars awesome nail work of late so I ordered a truck load of bits ‘n’ bobs from the Chinese off Ebay! I got me some fimo rolls (which are a total pain in the swiss to cut) some dotting tools, and even some diamantes!

For this nail of the day I used the following products as per the photo:

  • Seche Vite Base Coat
  • Nails Inc Notting Hill Gate
  • Essence tip painter (slash awesome line painter)
  • Essence Gel Look Top Coat
  • CND Solar Nail oil
  • Avon Nail Experts Liquid Freeze
  • Various fimo roll cuts

Nail Arsenal

 

Step by step tutorial:

  1. Tidy and file your nails getting rid of any snaggy cuticles etc
  2. Apply base coat
  3. Apply base colour
  4. Starting in the centre of each nail paint a straight line down then one either size until the nail is striped evenly
  5. Apply top coat and fimo cuts to each nail. Its best to heat the fimo cuts so as they are easier to shape to your nail bed; I heated mine over a small tea light candle but I really don’t recommend you do this as a few caught fire on me! Doh!  (Also credit to CherrySue as I am full sure it was her good self that recommended heating the fimo to make life easier).
  6. Apply an extra layer of top coat over the completed nails and allow to dry.

 

I stupidly had a bath not long after I did my manicure and that, coupled with the fact I made a mess of cutting the fimo rolls meant that my lovely manicure was ruined by the end of the day! I’ll know better next time and I have since got himself to cut the fimo rolls.

Let me know in the comments what other nail art bits I simply must get for my kit!

DIY at Lush this weekend! Compounders on Tour

I HEART Lush and you won’t see me making any apologies for it! I was super excited to see a press release drop into my inbox this week from the brands lovely PR lady; the Lush Compounders are en route to Dublin this week and everyone is invited! Yee haw!

Whats a compounder I hear you ask? Well, they’re not some baddies from the Harry Potter books no, they are the guys that make the bath bombs and this weekend you will get a chance to join in! They will be in Lush Henry Street this coming Saturday 1pm to 5pm and Lush Grafton Street Sunday 2pm to 6pm. To secure your free place just give the lovelies in Lush a call on: LUSH Henry St on 01 873 5735 or LUSH Grafton St on 01 677 0392