The Lo Down - What I Got for my 27th Birthday!

Hey Guys and Dolls,

Last week I celebrated my 27th birthday, it was so nice to spend some quality time with my family and boyfriend during the week. I got some lovely gifts and I was so spoiled. I'm going to show you guys what I got on the day.

From my parents I received a Marc Jacobs perfume set. I'm a huge fan of Marc Jacobs perfumes so I was so happy with this gift, it was so thoughtful of them. The scent they got me is called Decadence and it's the latest fragrance from the brand. It came in a beautiful giftbox with a shower gel that I can't wait to to use. I love this gift and I can see this becoming my signature scent.

From my boyfriend I got a couple of gifts. Firstly he got me Season 2,3 and 4 of Once a Upon a Time. A T.V series that I'm really enjoying at the moment I watch it every night before I go to bed I love it. I can't wait to get stuck into these. I like nothing more than cuddling up in my pyjamas and watching this show. I'm actually going to do a review on Season 1 really soon. He also got me a Harry Potter Hogwarts Crest Light. He knows I'm a big fan of Harry Potter so this was the most perfect gift. I'm trying to find somewhere nice to put it in my room at the minute.

Of my sister, Lisa I received the new Nicholas Sparks book, Two by Two which I can't wait to read as I like this author alot. If you don't recognise the name he is actually the write behind much loved book/film The Notebook. If you haven't read/seen this it's definitely a tear jerker so don't forget the tissues, they're much needed. As she knows I love blogging and jotting down my ideas on the go so she bought me a beautiful notebook from Penneys/Primark. I love it she knows me way too well. Lastly she bought me Catrice's Matt Plush foundation. I'm a big fan of this brands foundations so I can't wait to try this one.

From my brother Gerard I got five scratchcards and I luckily won €25 which was great. I bought a few Loreal products which you can see in the picture above. These are just newly launched and they look great so I will be testing them out very soon.

My Nanna and Grandad gave me a beautiful card with €40 in it which was much needed and I got some lovely stuff in Penneys. They also bought me a beautiful Yankee candle in the scent Cappuchino Truffle. This candle smells amazing. Yankee Candles are definitely my favourite candles ever. I have nowhere to put it at the moment in my room but I'm going to take a trip to IKEA soon to pick up a new desk.

Lastly my Auntie Val got me JK Rowling's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Screenplay. I love Harry Potter so I know I'm definitely going to love this. I haven't seen the movie so I'm looking forward to reading this first.

So that's what I got for my birthday I got some amazing presents so I'm very thankful indeed.

Laura<3

The Lo Down - My 27th Birthday Makeup

Hey Guys and Dolls,

Last Wednesday I celebrated my birthday and I had such an amazing day. I actually did a blog post on the day which you can check out here. I just chilled out really and spent it with my family. I'm meeting up with my boyfriend over the weekend though for drinks so that should be fun indeed. I need to relax with a nice Gin and Tonic that's for sure.

My makeup day on the day was quite simple yet a little glam as of course it was my birthday after all. I used some of the products I used for my Valentine's day look as they are just so good and staples in my makeup bag at the moment. I don't think I could be without them even though some of them are newbies.

So the makeup products I used are as follows. On the face I used Loreal's True Match foundation and concealer. I only bought this recently in Boots on offer for 2 for €15 and I'm delighted I did. It gives a nice amount of coverage and isn't drying on the skin one little bit. As I said in my Valentine's day I apply this foundation using my Louise Young foundation brush and it gives the nicest finish. I bought this in Harvey Nichol's Dundrum a couple of years ago now so I'm not too sure if you can still get it there. It is on the pricey side of things at €30 but it's a really good brush to have I use it all the time. It gets into all the really hard to reach areas on your face and it makes applying foundation a dream.

Now on to the eyes, I used two products on the eyes and I absolutely love both of them. For eyeshadow I used the Too Faced Sweet Peach palette, this palette is pretty new to my collection. I bought it back in January but I've been using it alot especially the shade Luscious all over the lid. It looks amazing and I hope I don't hit pan on it for ages. I actually did a review on the palette which you can check out here. Out of all the Too Faced palettes it's probably my favourite one. For mascara I used Max Factor Fusion mascara as I said in my Valentine's Day post this is amazing and works wonders on the oul lashes I have to say. It gives a really nice volume and makes my lashes look a million dollars, now that's saying something. I do know when I run out of this stuff I'll definitely be buying a new one that's for sure.

Lastly I straightened my hair. I have a long bob at the moment and it looks ways better when it's straight even though I do wear it curly from time to time. I feel like the bob is much easier to handle than my long messy mane.

So that's my 27th birthday look in a nut shell. It was very simple and didn't take too long to create at all which is great as I had more time to celebrate my birthday. I'm definitely going to do more of these style posts in the future as I enjoy reading them myself.

Laura<3

The Lo Down - My 27th Birthday

Hey Guys and Dolls,

This week I turned the grand old age of 27. I'm starting to feel old I have to say. In a sort of good way though I have a lot more wisdom and maturity.

Last Friday I went out for dinner to celebrate with the people that mean the most to me my family and my boyfriend. Unfortunately my Sister couldn't make it but I'm sure I'm going to meet up with her and my nephew really soon. We went to a Thai restaurant in Ballinteer called The Blue Orchid and it was beyond yummy. The food was unreal, I got a shared starter with my boyfriend Daragh and for my main course I had chicken and cashew nuts in a birds nest. This is my absolute fave it's so tasty and it was so filling we were all stuffed by the time we were finished.

Daragh and I stuck around after and went to my local pub The Coach House for a few drinks. Gin and tonic for me and a pint of Heinekeen for himself if you were wondering. I like this pub as the atmosphere is always good and the staff are lovely. We all had such a nice evening and it was lovely to have a sit down meal with everyone. That doesn't happen enough in my opinion so it's nice when birthdays come along as we always do something nice to celebrate.

On my actual birthday which was yesterday (Wednesday), I had a skincare event in town in the morning and in the evening I went out for food with my Mom. We went to Chopped which is my favourite salad bar. If you haven't been before I'd suggest trying the Celtic Harvest it's so tasty. I never feel guilty eating here as it's really good for you aswell. Afterwards we went shopping in Dundrum Town Centre which was nice, I picked up a few bit and bobs whilst there.

On Tuesday the day before my birthday I went shopping with my Sister which I haven't done in ages as we've been both so busy lately. She came up to my house with my nephew so we escaped for a while to do our own thing. It was nice to have a catch up cause we hadn't actually spoken in weeks. She's actually coming to a fitness event with me in March so we're both very excited for that. Sure it will be something different.

I also received some lovely thoughtful gifts on the day which I will feature in a post towards the end of the week.

All in all I had a lovely birthday week surrounded by the people I love and care about the most, I had a blast. I was worried about turning 27 recently but I needn't have been as it's not too bad I have to say. I'm looking forward to seeing what my 27th year has in store for me.

Laura<3

The Lo Down - My Valentine's Day Makeup Look

Hey Guys and Dolls,

I like Valentine's Day every year as it means my birthday is coming up tomorrow. I know the excitement of it all, I'm going to be the big 27 this year. I don't know how I feel about that yet but I feel happy and positive all the same. I didn't get to see Daragh today cause he's been working but I've been talking to him and he's having a chilled out day since he finished work so I'm glad. We're going to do something fun this weekend to celebrate Valentine's Day and my birthday so I can't wait for that.

So today's post is going to be my Valentine's Day makeup look which I'm pretty excited to show you guys. It's a smokey eye using some of my favourite MAC eyeshadows and my new favourite foundation & concealer duo from Loreal. This look was so easy to create and would be amazing for any occasion not just Valentine's Day.

This is how I got the look. First off I prepped my skin with my favourite moisturiser, Moisturiser Lite from Nimue Skincare. Next I applied Loreal True Match foundation all over my face along with the matching concealer in places where I needed that extra bit of coverage and I use the shade Vanilla, it's the perfect match. I applied both these products using the Louise Young Super Foundation brush, I've had this in my brush collection for ages and I recently discovered it and have been using it ever since. It's a old gem of mine. I used Coppering, a shimmery copper shade all over the lid with Sketch and Texture in the crease. I think this creates a beautiful subtle smokey eye which I love alot. Lastly I applied Max Factor's Fusion mascara, this is my favourite mascara from the brand I use it so much. It really opens my eyes and give the best volume imaginable. Of course I love the packaging as it's my favourite colour in the world, Purple. Lastly I applied some lipstick and today I used Charlotte Tilbury's The Queen Matte Revolution lipstick. This is a recently released Limited Edition shade and it's beautiful. I'm not big into reds but this looks so pretty on and applies like a dream. I've been using it quite a bit lately and I really like it.

That's my Valentine's Day Makeup Look as you can see it was quick and easy. I'll definitely do more posts like this soon as I find them so much fun to do so certainly keep an eye out.

Laura<3

Lovely Gifts I Got for my Birthday

As you probably know last Friday was my birthday, I was the big 23. It was such a lovely day from start to finish, it couldn't of been better. I thought I'd share with you the presents I received this year. I really wasn't expecting so much as I didn't celebrate a milestone birthday or anything but I'm really grateful for everything I got.

My lovely boyfriend Paddy bought me a new camera which I'm in love with. It's a Fujifilm Finepix S4300 and I absolutely adore it. It's a bridge camera so in simple terms it's half way between a standard digital and SLR. It is just perfect for me and I've already started using it so much. He got me the carry case to go with it too, so I'm basically sorted. I'm still trying to figure out how it works and such but expect to see a lot of pictures in upcoming blog posts. I've wanted a new camera for ages but saying that I'm still going to hold on to my old school pink digital. It did me well for the past couple of years and I know I won't be bringing my new one on nights out. Paddy also picked me up some beauty related bits, a Philosophy and This Works gift set. I haven't tried too many products from the latter so I'm looking forward to giving them a go as I've heard very good things. On the other hand I absolutely love Philosophy, their shower gels are amazing and smell incredible. This set contains four minis so it will definitely keep me going for a while.

My Nanna picked me up a new pair of runners and some workout clothes. I'm started jogging and going to the Gym more so I was really happy with this present. She did well picking out the runners  as purple is my favourite colour. I've been wearing these runners pretty much everyday since I bought them. There just really handy for walking to work, I definitely have a spring in my step when I wear these. Nanna also bought me three gorgeous notebooks which are so pretty. She knows all about my blog so I think this was a really special touch. I'll get a lot of use out of these, I'm forever jotting down notes. My Aunty picked me up a Philosophy gift set too. This one contains a shower gel and body lotion. Needless to say they both smell heavenly. 

My little brother Gerard bought me two books, I'm sure a lot of you have heard of Blog INC already. I'm delighted he picked both of these up for me as I love a good read. I have a feeling my Mom helped him pick out The Wah Nails Book of Nail Art as its probably not something he'd pick up himself. Some of the nail looks in the book are amazing so hopefully I'll be able to recreate some. I'll show some on the blog if I can, fingers crossed.

My lovely friend Sinead was on holidays in Florida recently and she brought me back some lovely makeup goodies. I LOVE Wet n'Wild so I was delighted to see two of their eyeshadow trios as a part of my gift. Both are so pigmented and make lovely eye looks. I just wish we could get this brand over here. She also got me one of their lipsticks which I haven't tried before so I'm intrigued to see what there like. I've heard so much about CoverGirl's new mascara Clump Crusher on numerous blogs so I can't wait to see what it's like. I heard their mascaras are similar to Maxfactor, I'll let you know my thoughts on this. Lastly she picked me up a gorgeous Essie polish in the shade Big Spender which I'm wearing on my nails at this very minute. It's so pretty, this will definitely be getting a lot of love in the coming months.

My Mom picked me up this cute Minnie Mouse makeup bag and filled it with these lovely goodies. I adore Nivea lip butters so I'm glad I have the full collection of them. They smell amazing and are so moisturising on the lips. I did get another present which I'm beyond excited about. I'm going to New York with my family at the end of the year!! I've never been before so this is going to be a trip of a lifetime. I'm going to start saving for it now as I have a feeling a lot of shopping will be done. There's so many different touristy bits I want to visit, like the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building etc. I also want to go to see a show on Broadway. I really can't wait it's going to be such an amazing trip! If you have any recommendations on places I should visit definitely let me know, I'll be making lists.

Until the next post,

Laura<3

23..

Today I celebrated my 23rd birthday! I had such an amazing day, the weather was fairly nice out which was a big change from the rain we've been getting by the bucketful lately. Thanks for all the lovely birthday messages you guys sent me on Twitter so nice to wake up to them. I got some really nice presents this year from my family, they were far to good to me! Paddy also got me a new camera that I'm completely in LOVE with. I can't wait to start using it, I'll probably have to read up on the manual first as I've never had such a fancy camera before. If you'd like to see a post on what I got for my birthday let me know in the comments.

I had a pretty relaxed day, Paddy and I headed out on the Dart to Dun Laoighre. We the nice weather and walked from Dun Laoighre to Killiney. It was a bit of a trek but I really enjoy this walk everytime I do it. Walking down the coast road is so nice, I love looking at all the scenery. I think we Irish can take them for granted sometimes. Saying that the horrible weather we've been having lately doesn't really help either. Throughout the walk I spotted lots of seats facing the sea, I would happily sit there and take in the view all day. On the way to Killiney Dart Station we walked by Bono's house so of course I got a snap of that, that being the big green gates outside. I forgot to take a photo the last time I did this walk so I didn't want to forget this time around. When I got the bus back home, I met up with my Mom  and went for dinner to Milanos which is kinda like Pizza Express in the UK. I think they're the same company but I'm not a 100% sure. After all the walking I did I was starving so this really hit the spot, so yummy! I didn't get to picture the food I got, let's just say it disappeared almost immediately.

I have such an amazing day, I can't believe another year has come and gone. I'm looking forward to seeing what life has in store for my 23rd year! If it's anything like the last it will definitely be a good one.

Laura<3

28 Days of Kisses - Day 15 (My Bday) = Rouge D'Armani Sheer Lipstick in Brown

Seeing as it's my birthday today I thought I'd go for a luxurious lipstick and Rouge D'Armani Sheer lipstick in Brown ticked all the right boxes with me. This is definitely one of the more pricier products in my collection. I know they retail for around the €30 but it's true what that say you really do pay for the quality. The sleek black packaging is so luxurious with the signature Giorgio Armani design in silver around the bullet, I love taking this out of my makeup bag. When you replace the lid it snaps with a magnetic click which I love hearing the sound of, right assured this won't open in your bag anytime soon.

This lipstick is amazing and one of my current favourites for February. 202 brown is a subtle pinky brown colour, that extremely wearable. On my lips it's more on the pink side of things and will go perfectly with any makeup look, a definite 'my lips but better' shade.It's applies beautifully to the lips and doesn't get stuck in any fine lines. I'm already planning out my next Giorgio Armani lipstick purchase, I'm definitely going to go for another lipstick from their sheer range. Now all I need to do is pick the shade which may be a difficult task. I'm off to start my birthday celebrations,the boy and I are going on a bit of a Dart trip but I don't know where to yet. Don't worry I'll bring my camera with me and show you all what I get up to for the day.

What do you think of Giorgio Armani lipsticks? What's your favourite shade?

Laura<3

All-Made-Up-21's First Birthday!

This time last year I started my blog, which makes All-Made-Up-21 officially 1 today. This whole year has seriously flown by, I don't know where the time has gone. I can still remember writing my first blog post, a review on Simple's Eye Makeup Remover Pen. I don't think I knew what I was doing back then as you can see from my early posts. Before I started my All-Made-Up-21, I use to read tonnes of blogs which remain my favourites today, you can check them out in the "Blogs I Love" section. Since I've started blogging I've met so many lovely bloggers (too many to mention but you know who you are), who have been incredibly lovely. When I'm talking to people and they say they read my blog I get so surprised, it's so nice. I've also discovered lots of new products during the year, so my bank balance is considerably lower now. I may do a post soon on products I love that I've discovered through blogging.

My first blog post ever! (Excuse the dodgy photo)

I can't thank you all enough for the amazing support over the past year, it's been great. I've been enjoying every minute blogging and I'm glad you like the posts too.

What type of posts would you like to see more of on All-Made-Up-21?

Laura<3

Lovely Gifts I got for my 22nd Birthday

As you all know I recently celebrated my 22nd birthday. I wanted to share with you the lovely gifts I received this year. In my opinion 22 isn't a biggie birthday so I was completely surprised with some of the presents I got.

My little brother, Ger got me two of my favourite magazines, Stellar and Company. He also bought me Ed Sheeran's album which I've been wanting for so long. I've been listening to this cd constantly since yesterday I love it!!!!

Off my Nanna and Grandad I got a Dundrum Town Centre Gift Card to treat myself with. I'm thinking of getting some new clothes and bits.

YAY my Mom and Dad got me a Kindle! I've wanted one of these since my Dad got one for Christmas. If you have any book recommendations let me know? I don't know which ones to put on it yet, so I would love to know your favourite reads. Also from Mom and Dad I received this Chocomania hamper which I'm in love with. They know me too well. I haven't tried any of the products yet but when I do expect some reviews on the products I like from the range.

As my birthday is the day after Valentines Day I did get alot of lovely presents off Paddy. He really did spoil me rotten. I can't wait to watch the DVDS they all look great especially Waiting For Forever. I'm also a huge Taylor Swift fan, Paddy went to see her in concert with me twice. The Speak Now Tour is one of the tours we went to see together so I'm delighted with this cd. I think he was also listening to me going on about The Body Shop's Chocomania range as he got me the shower gel and body lotion from the range. Another thing I can't wait to try are the Real Technique brushes, after hearing such great reviews I have high expectations.

My Aunty Val got me this beautiful storage trunk. I fell in love with this the minute I saw it. Isn't it so pretty?  I have a habit of buying alot of storage boxes for all my stuff so this was such a great gift. At least four boxes fit in this one box, it's massive (way bigger in person).

Chie (Makeupland2011) sent me all these lovely goodies. I wasn't expecting this at all so it was such a big surprise when it came in the post. I'd never heard of the brand True Blue before but I'm now a fan of their products. Thanks Chie!!

I'm so happy with the lovely gifts I received for my birthday. As always if there is anything you want to see a review on let me know!

Laura<3

When she was 22....

Wooo I turned twenty two yesterday. I have to admit I'm starting to feel kinda old now. Like looking back on stuff that happened five and six years ago, I can't believe so much time has past. I had such a amazing day, I went on a little Dart adventure with Paddy and we ended up in Dun Laoghaire. The weather could of been nicer but that's what you can expect when your birthdays in February I guess.

Paddy and I on the Dart enroute to Dun Laoghaire.
A quick NOTD featuring To Buy Ot Not to Buy from the Essie Spring Collection 2012.

A couple of pictures from our trip to Dun Laoghaire. We walked the pier which actually looks really long in the picture but it only took us about 15 minutes to get to the end. On the way back it did start to rain a little thankfully we didn't get soaked. I think we may go out on the Dart more often, I hadn't been to Dun Laoghaire in about a year and I had such a amazing time. If you would like to see more posts like this with photos from our upcoming Dart journeys let me know in the comments.

Of course my birthday wouldn't of been complete without doing a bit of shopping. When I was in Topshop I seen they launched their new seasonal makeup collection, Sisters of the New Moon. Everything looked so pretty, I was very tempted to buy more. I got two nail polishes and the lip products from the new collection. When I saw the lipstick Innocent I also fell in love. It's such a beautiful shade that I can see myself wearing alot.

I got so many lovely birthday gifts off my family and boyfriend which I wasn't expecting. I was thinking of doing another post showing you what I received. If it's something your interested in seeing let me know. Also I got so many nice Birthday tweets of my Twitter which were lovely and really made my day!!

Laura<3