Christmas Blog Party

November seems the season to be jolly this year! Christmas parties left right and centre! And I aint complaining!

Look how amazing everyone looks!

So I was Delighted when Nirina & Filomena invited me to their 'Christmas blogger party', I saw the invite on Facebook and I knew this was going to be amazing! Organised and Hosted by the beautiful Aoibhe, Who flew all the way home from Australia and STILL somehow found time to organise all of this! Aoibhe, you're some woman for one woman!

The party was taken place in Opium on Wexford street in Dublin, and it was a beyond perfect setting for a Christmas party! With dark lighting and a whole floor to ourselves how could we complain? There was wine...oh so much wine, gorgeous deserts, a tonne of photographs and exciting goodie bags for everyone in the audience! Inside the bags included:

•  Dream Dots For Spots
• Nivea in shower Moisturiser 
• Nivea cherry lip balm
• Nivea invisable deoderant 
• Beverly hills perfect white Black toothpaste (A god send)
• Sizers
• Cocoa brown iPhone case
• Popchips 
• Aloe Vera King Drinks
• Koh coconut water

We were absolutely spoilt!!!

And it doesn't stop there! There was a best dressed competition and everything! With everyone buzzing with excitement, trying to guess who looked killer enough to win this extra bag full of Cocoa Brown gooodies! And of course the stunning Agata won and deserved every inch of that prize, she looked festive and utterly gorgeous! Well done Agata!

And of course it wouldn't be a Christmas party without turning up dressed exactly like someone else!! Thanks to Jessika Banaghan for being my super sparkly twin all night! You rocked that dress!!!

It was the perfect party, and I met so so many gorgeously talented bloggers that I just adore! Thank you all for being such fun and lovely people to be around!It was a fantastic night and a total hit!! I can't wait to see you all again! 

Special thanks to:

Aoible Devlin - The Secret Obsession

Nirina Plunket - Killer Fashion

&

Filomena Kaguako - Enhance Whats Yours

And everyone else who were just amazing!

Zita Kelly - zee-railed

Jessika Banaghan - Chaos Wearing Lipgloss

Lorna Duffy - Fashion Boss

AJ - AJ Makeup

Agata & Veronika - Style Gamblers

Megan Day - Blondes Love Cupcakes

Katie Brennan - Okaybee

And I THINK i have everyone, if i don't, let me know and ill jot your name and blog down! ;)

And of course if you are a fellow blogger and would like to come to more events such as this one please do not hesitate to get in touch, simply comment below or email me @ nadinestephens1990@gmail.com :)

And here's a shot of the gorgeous Nirina, me (And my knickers) and the stunning Megan 

Until next time girls!

The Parma Violet

The truth about lip balms

Are you damaging your skin and your health?

Lipbalms drive me insane! I hate nothing more than seeing someone with chapped lips applying some god awful plastic based 'lipbalm' Or overhearing someone say ''has anyone got any Vaseline?'' So i'm here to tell you the truth about lip balms! No matter how hydrating they may make your lips feel!  So here we go...

Whatever you do, please, for the love of god, stay away from Vaseline!

Vaseline use special tactics in order for you to buy these little pots of hell. For example 'Vaseline with Cocoa Butter'. They colour the tin to coordinate with the new nourishing ingredient, so your brain is mainly focused on 'Cocoa butter' rather than 'petroleum jelly'.

 We all know Cocoa butter is super moisturizing and nourishing. But what about the Petroleum Jelly?  Well believe it or not petroleum comes from the same place as gasoline..that should say something..not very Eco friendly . 

Vaseline actually dries your skin up like there is no tomorrow! These greasy substance sits on top of your skin and traps your bodies toxins underneath! Ew! I don't care how cheap these crap tins are. stay away!

Next we have Carmex!

For years this has been the 'go to' lip product! Its cooling and soothing sensation leaves people wanting more..So is this really doing anything for your lips! NO, would be the answer to that question.

The ingredients in Carmex include Phenol, Camphor and Menthol! When you apply it gives the illusion of soothing, but in reality it quickly dries up and needs to be reapplied!Thats because this product contains OL (alcohol) Which dries up everything! So stay away from this lip damaging product. ESPECIALLY when lips are chapped

There are no words for how much I hate these.

You're basically rubbing toxic plastic on your lips. ANY kind of pound shop, dealz, pound-world,euroshop store lipbalms,will be in this catagory too. They are all the same! They contain a whole heap of Alcohol and other substances that dry out your skin immensely. Sure they might look cute, taste great and smell amazing, but that is ALL they're worth. These will make your lips, dry,chapped and sore after continuous use. Stay away from these god awful creations.

So here are some Eco friendly,skin friendly and purse friendly alternatives!

Burts Bees-Beeswax balm

Lush-Honey Trap Balm

Eos-Passion fruit Balm

Nivea- Lip Butter 

If you have any questions or queries simply comment below or mail me on theparmavioletblog@gmail.com , thank you

The Parma Violet

Transform your skin

Transform your skin for Summer!

Before I start off can I just say thanks to everyone for following, I just started up my own twitter page for my blog if anybody is interested  Click here to view my brand new twitter page!

Want your skin to look flawless and dewy this summer? Well I've got a few handy tips up my sleeve with affordable products that will transform your skin in the blink of an eye! Here is a few of my transforming favourites!

 I've always had problems with my facial skin, it has always been spotty, red and bumpy and extremely sensitive! I recently got diagnosed with Rosacea (A common facial skin problem causing spots, red harsh skin and itchiness) So to combat this i am taking medication, but of course, that alone won't work. So after searching high and low for the best skincare products for those with sensitive skin I have finally found some desirable products which are gentle on your skin as well as your pocket.

1. Boots Essentials Moisturising Cream (Fragrance free) - This moisturiser is one of the most nourishing and beautiful I have ever come across, absolutely perfect for all skin types. For those with dry skin, do make sure to put a decent amount on and massage smoothly in to your skin. 3.75EURO
2. Avene Thermal Spring Water Facial Serum - Serum, believe it or not, is one of the most important parts of a skincare routine. This Avene serum is perfect for those with a slight red tinge to their skin, it has a cooling action that takes the redness right down while replenishing your skin!Perfect for all skin types!Aldi do 3 diferent types of facial serum for half the price of any others, all three which are suited to ones own person skintype! Avene Serum 25.00EURO
3. NUXE All Purpose Dry Oil - This stuff is magic in a bottle! It can literally be used anywhere on the body. Hair,Nails,Skin you name it! Not to mention the heavenly exotic smell, but how it works is amazing! Just a tiny drop of this makes skin youthful and vibrant looking. Oils are becoming more and more popular in the beauty spectrum because they restore all the oils lacking or lost. Prefect buy, I would truly recommend this to anyone!it's a bit pricey but will last a lifetime! 35.00EURO
4. Simple Oil Balancing Facial Scrub - I dont think theres a bad word to say about this product really.This is aimed for those with sensitive skin, Simple is my go to skincare line! Its perfect and fragrance free! This scrub is powerful enough to remove dead skin and deeply clean skin and pores, while gentle enough to keep skin feeling smooth and soft. 5.29EURO
5. Bio Oil - Now, the reason why I have bio oil here, is because believe it or not Bio Oil is a better anti aging oil than anything else, AND it reduces the look of scaring from spots,chicken poc marks, skin discolouration etc. This is a dream product for anti aging and so reducing them unsightly scars. 10.99EURO
6. LUSH BB Seaweed Facial Mask - This is my favourite skincare product of all time. This gorgeous pot of heaven reduces redness,removes spots, tightens pores AND rejuvenates skin leaving it looking young,fresh dewy and simply healthy! Just pop this tub in the fridge, and use 2-3 times a week! If youre looking for an overnight transformation, then look no further.
7. L'Oreal Youth Code Pore Vanisher - This tube, is full of magic and wonder! This (Which is a Dupe of Benefits Porefessional'') Is a life saver, this tube has TRIPLE the amount of a tube of Porefessional by benefit and in my opinion works just as well! I like using this after I do my skin care treatment to take the shine off of my face and to reduce the image of my pores.  25.00EURO

Now on to lips!!

People always seem to forget lip products!! Lip products are just as important as all the rest. Theres no use having gorgeously,smooth,radiant skin without having the lips to match! So here are my two products that i Swear by

1. Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub - This is a godsend, this little put will set you back around 7EURO, but last's a fairly long time. This is also free of any alcohol or anything else that would dry up your skin, and its Vegan!!How does it work? Well simply scoop some of this fantastic smelling scrub onto your finger and scrub your lips,be quite forceful as this bad boy takes off all the dead skin and flakes. Now...before you eat the whole tub...stop.
2. Nivea Lip Butter n Raspberry Rose - This luscious pot of joy smells out of this world and tastes just as good, but works even better! This butter has no petrolium or anything else that could dry up lips. enriched with oils and the wings on an angel, this stuff works wonders for your lips leaving them feeling silky and ....buttery 3.75EURO

Have you any beauty products you cannot live without? Want be to review a product? Simple comment below for mail me on theparmavioletblog@gmail.com, thank you!

The Parma Violet