All work & no pay makes skin a dull pain

Oh holy mother of shite it has been SO long since I last blogged! I just bagged myself an amazing job in Nando's in Tallaght (Dublin) so I haven't even got time to sleep let alone blog! I'm super excited about this because its actually my first ever proper job eeeeek! So I'm uber sorry I have neglected you all! Has anyone else out there bagged themselves a job in the new year? If so then this post is just the one for you!

So lets have a look at the stuff that gets me through my working days

No7 BB Lips beauty balm in Ballerina 

Working in a highly air conditioned place can really, really dry out your skin but it can also really dry out your lips! I found my lips getting super dry/chapped super quick whilst working so that's why I whacked out this bad boy! This luscious lip balm is super hydrating and continues to nourish that pucker for hours! So no need to keep topping it up! absolute lifesaver!

Boots Essentials Fragrance Free Moisturising Cream

As most of you know my skin is a nightmare, i have the most sensitive skin due to rosacea , which means almost nothing ever works for me. But THIS moisturiser is the bomb! Again, the air conditioning in work is drying out my skin so so much, i find that applying this once int he morning and once in the evening is keeping my skin hydrated and healthy looking without being harsh on my skin, result! 

Soap & Glory Heel Genius Foot cream

I recently splurged and treated myself to some soap & Glory goodness and oh my god I am so glad i did.

Working as a hostess/waitress/cashier  means being on your feet all day and being on your feel all day means painful, radiating blisters from the pits of hell

Aside from it smelling fucking magnificent, this tube of goodness works wonders, i find it really cools my feet and restores moisture to them awful painful dry spots! So run a bucket full of hot soapy water , grab a cuppa and soak your feet for a while then lather this on your pretty feet and relax :)

MUA LUXE lip lacquers

If I'm on host, I usually give my look a pop of colour with these amazing lip lacquers from MUA cosmetics!

Goes on wet and dries completely matte! How amazing, and the best bit is you dont need to top these bad boys up at all! They cling to your lips for dear life! So not even eating, drinking or even kissing will make this amazing lacquer budge! These are a perfect dupe for Limecrimes Velvetines, and at just £3 they're a fraction of the price too! 

NO7 Protect and perfect intense day hand cream

&

NO7 Beautiful skin dry skin rescue

Both of these are sent from above, they just have to be

The hand cream is super luscious and thick and keeps your hands hydrated all day!

The dry skin rescue is fantastic for your elbows, Ive noticed the skin on my elbows getting quite dry and flaky ( that had NEVER happened before) , this instantly cures all flaky dry skin and makes skin appear healthy and radiant! 

Sure for Women, Maximum Protection Cream Deodorant

This stuff is NEEDED when you have a fast paced job

Simply apply to your underarms in the morning and this will last you all day with not even a tiny hint of sweat! A little goes a long way with this deodorant stick! it smells so fresh and clean and REALLY does the job! 

Clear nail polish

Most Jobs don't allow you to wear any nail Polish, and that kind of sucks, so that's where clear polish comes into play.

not only does it give your nails a healthy shine but it will protect your nails!

It's also great for keeping your buttons on your shirt in place, shining up your belt buckle and great for preventing that dreading green tinge from cheap jewelry! So this is handy to bring everywhere!

Dry Shampoo

I try not to use dry shampoo alot but its hard not to when you finish your shift at midnight, get home for 1am and you re up again at 8am. It's impossible! So that's where everyone's best friend & worst enemy dry shampoo comes into play, I find most dry shampoos can be a tad pricey. That's why I pop down to my local Superdrug and pick up their own brand dry shampoo! It's a god send 

I hope this post was helpful to all you working ladies out there! What are your working saviours?

Let me know by commenting below!

The Parma Violet

Hello Autumn - Essence Trend Edition

Hello everyone, I'm sorry I've been missing in action recently, due to family issues I had to take a wee mini break from my blog, but now I'm back and ready to show you all my pretty things I've obtained over the past 2 weeks.

So It was my 24th birthday on the 17th (Oh dear lord I'm in my mid twenties) and I got absolutely spoilt rotten by my family, boyfriend and friends and of course.. myself.

So lets get down and dirty shall we, this is one of the collections I bought myself! Lets get straight to it and skip all the shite :p

*Colour adapting powder blush* - this blush changes colour depending on the PH tone of your skin

PROS:

Inexpensive

Novel idea

Pretty packaging

CONS:

Novel idea

Colour change not noticeable 

Wears off quickly

*Thermo effect nail polishes* - Colour changes depending on temperature 

PROS:

Great concept

Novel Idea

Inexpensive

Different 

CONS:

Streaky

Not a huge colour change

Wears off extremely quickly

(Fell off in the shower- ALL OF IT)

*Leaf embossed multi colour powder* - Designed to give you colour and glow

PROS:

Amazing design

Visually attractive

Inexpensive

Great colour

Novel Idea

CONS:

Need a lot on brush

*Eye Shaddow palette* - An array of Autumnal shades

PROS:

Inexpensive

Perfect Autumn shades

Great for everyday wear

CONS:

Some shades are quite talc-ish

Doesn't last too long

So all in all I'd give this collection a 5/10, it's a hit and miss collection but I'd suggest everyone to try it out for themselves

Have you tried this collection? What other Essence products do you Love / Loathe? 

The Parma Violet

Thin lips? Transform them using this age old trick.

Everyone seems to want big, plump, juicy lips right? But sadly some of our gene pools aren't kind enough to bless us with Angelina's pout. BUT Makeup has blessed us with the tools to fake it! I myself have very thin lips but I plump them up using this age old, but VERY useful trick!

1. Simply Grab your lipstick of choice ( I chose Viva Glam by M.A.C)
2. Grab your most shimmery eyeshaddow you have (make sure its white/silver/nude, I chose 'Bootycall' from the Naked 2 palette)
3. Simply dab your chosen shaddow to the middle of your bottom lip and youre done!

Yep, seriously..it is THAT easy!

P.S.. i am VERY sorry about the short post and terrible pictures, on quite a harsh time limit today!

But I do hope you enjoy this short but very useful post! Try it! you'll never look back!

Do you have any useful makeup tips? Simply comment below or email me @ theparmavioletblog@gmail.com , thank you!

The Parma Violet

Beauty for pennies at Penneys!

Yes! I'm back from my amazing trip away to Portugal, sorry I haven't blogged for a while, there was zero WiFi! But it was absolutely scorching and I got burnt to a crisp and am now peeling..Very attractive! But anyway, since coming back home I am totally BROKE! So I decided  that I wanted to try Penneys new extremely affordable 'P.S Love' makeup range as I've heard pretty cool things about it and its VERY light on your purse too!  I'm a bit late on this one but here it is anyway! Here is what I picked up from Penneys!!!

I have always been skeptical about Penneys own brand makeup, due to the fact my skin is super sensitive and i didn't want to end up with a rash from cheap makeup as that tends to happen from time to time! but i am VERY pleasantly surprised! 

This gorgeous little palette is only 3.50EURO

Filled with gorgeous shimmery nude colours, this palette is absolutely perfect for those wanting to watch their dosh! Some of these colours are super pigmented which had me gobsmacked! I find most of the colours in this palette are more suited to those with blue eyes as the colours featured compliment blue eyes and make them pop! But can obviously be used on any eye colour!

This is definitely one of my favourites from the collection!

This Blusher and This bronzer are a cool 3.00EURO each!

3 euro...is just amazing for the quality of these products! The blusher goes on a baby pink colour and looks absolutely gorgeous, this would be suited towards those with paler skin as it gives that 1950's rose kissed cheek look! Super sexy!

The bronzer is VERY shiny, so I don't think I would be using it as a bronzer but it looks so gorgeously sexy when placed upon the cheekbones! Gives you a sunkissed healthy glow without going overboard! love these two!

I love the packaging of these two, it reminds me of MAC!

 Penneys definitely know what we want!

I also picked up an Eye liner pen - 2.00EURO

EyeBrow pencil- 1.50EURO

Mascara-1.50EURO

These are actual life savers! These are PERFECT for bringing out when you want to top up your makeup! The eyeliner is lusciously dark and goes on extremely smooth! and at 2 EURO you can't exactly say no!

The eye brow pencil(complete with eyebrow brush) in dark brown, This is such a gorgeous colour for dark brows! Its not too dark and not too light its bang on perfect! Its not cakey and thick, it makes brows look natural! Go out and buy this!!

This mascara ( also available in waterproof) makes lashes look beautiful! I found that there was hardly any clumping (surprisingly) and it really thickened up my lashes for a more dramatic look! 

Like most girls, I am complete sucker for packaging!

I love the look and the feel of the packaging. I feel as if it sometimes is TOO important! And that is why i LOVE penneys for this

Just look at that gorgeous packaging! It sucks you right in! It catches your eye immediately!The slick black packaging gives it a sophisticated and sexy feel to it, along the side of the boxes, there is a white and black polkadot design which I just adore! Polka dots are amazingly cute! And not only that the writing and the lining of the boxes are gold! Its simply gorgeous without going over the top!

So in total for everything I bought I only spent 14.50EURO for all that makeup! It might not be MAC  but damn its good!

Have you recently bought anything from Penneys that has surprised you?! Anyone else a fan of the P.S Love range? Thank you for reading! If you have any inquiries feel free to mail me on nadinestephens1990@gmail.com or simply comment below, thank you! :) 

The Parma Violet

Whats in my suitcase this summer?

ITS SUMMER!!!

And I honestly couldn't be happier! (This has been my first month of blogging and its going so well thank you all for following! VERY much appreciated)  :)Summer is my favourite time of year! Especially since I am jetting off to Portugal this Saturday the 10th!! I cannot contain the excitement! And it seems that everyone and their mothers are flying off on holiday this year! So I decided to do this post on what I am bringing with me to Portugal and maybe give you all a few ideas :) So without further adieu here are my favourite things going into my suitcase with me! 

 On Board

We all know there is NOTHING worse than being on a flight in uncomfortable restrictive clothes! And god forbid your flight gets delayed! And then there is the worry of dressing too cold/warm for your destination, so after careful planning I finally decided I am going to board my flight in this floaty, summery, girly outfit

Yellow Polka Dot Dress - 5EURO New Look

Round Sunglasses- 2EURO Penneys/Primark

Nude Wedges-12EURO Penneys/Primark

Necklace-3EURO Penneys/Primark

Suddenly Diamonds Perfume- 3.99EURO Lidl

WetNWild Nail varnish in Private Viewing-2.99EURO Dunnes Stores

Behold! My pretty suitcase that was only 20EURO from Dunnes Stores!

Dunnes are currently doing a sale on most Suitcases so run down before its too late! I was lucky enough to snap up this pretty case, it is JUST the right size for a week away in the sun!This case smoothly rolls along the ground and has interchangeable handlebar height! Perfect!

At the beach/by the pool

Of course, the most important part of your entire holiday has to be lazing on the beach or relaxing by the pool! and of course playing drunken volleyball in the water but thats for another time :) As I am a big busted lady on a budget finding swimsuits that fit right at a reasonable price are like gold dust to come across! And not being the thinnest of girls i dont tend to have alot of my body on show and like to cover up when I am beside the pool/beach! So i found these!

Excuse the awkward angle, it was the only way this picture was going to work. I spotted this bright,vibrant and classy bikini in Dunnes Stores would you believe! I was nearly positive they wouldn't have my best size (36DD) And they did! i was over the moon and ran straight to the desk to buy this gorgeous bikini! The details are just beautiful,it have a little knot at the front middle of the bikini top and a side knot on the bottoms, absolutely gorgeous, and also the support in the bra is excellent!

Bikini top 12.00EURO Dunnes Stores

Bikini Bottoms 6.00EURO Dunnes Stores

Spotted these flip flops in Penneys at 2.50EURO for two pairs! Unfortunately I couldn't find the other pair in my room for this picture (they're plain dark brown) Amazing value!

Again, excuse the terrible picture, but this is my favourite purchase of 2014 so far! This gorgeous colourful floaty kaftan is 16.00EURO from Penneys would you believe!!The detail is to die for! This sheer material will keep you modest over your bikini and yet allow breeze to fly right through to cool you down!

This is the best picture of the beaded detail on the chest that i could get! This Boho style kaftan is floorlength with bat wing arms, so floaty and sophisticated yet fun and sexy! Adore this buy!

And not forgetting a fun and flexible beach bag to carry your towel and sunlotion in!

Cotton Bag 7.00EURO Dunnes Stores

Dinner/Date night

Because I am going over with 11 of my friends and 1 being my Boyfriend its nearly positive that we will be going for a fancy dinner at some point, as my suitcase is only quite small I am only packing a light dress and small shoes with minimal accessories, so I came up with this date night look! A classy and sexy outfit made possible with a statement figure hugging dress and strappy leather heels with bag to match and gold accents. Love love love

Red Dress- 5.00EURO forever 21

Handbag 18.00EURO Penneys

Heals- 16.00EURO Penneys

Necklace-4.00EURO Penneys

Estee Lauder Lipstick-15.00 EURO Debenhams

this look would be perfect to go from daytime cocktails to evening dinner and drinks! This 50's style floral dress is one of my favourite wardrobe essentials! this ultra girly, vintage look is so versatile it can work during any stage of the day/night!

Floral Dress 10.00EURO New Look (Sale)

Nude Wedges 12EURO Penneys/Primark

Round Sunglasses 2EURO Penneys/Primark

Necklace 4.00EURO Penneys/Primark

Belt 4.00EURO Penneys Primark

WetNWild Varnish in Wet Cement 2.99EURO Dunnes Stores

Mac Viva Glam Lipstick 18.00 Mac,Brown Thomas

Shopping/Relaxing

During the day I dont want to make a huge fuss and dress to impress constantly, So this outfit is perfect for me as i wear it alot anyway! Ultra comfortable and super versatile! the outfit is simple and takes little to no effort! Team this outfit with a back combed pony or messy bun and you're ready to go

Top 2EURO Penneys/Primark

Skirt 4EURO Penneys/Primark

Creppers 12EURO Penneys/Primark

Guns N Roses Tote Bag 4EURO Penneys/Primark

Peace Sign Necklace 2EURO Penneys/Primark

WetNWild Lipstick in CherryBomb 2.99EURO Dunnes Stores

Round Sunglasses 2EURO Penneys/Primark

River Island London Perfume 10EURO (On Sale) 

I adore this dress! this striking blue dress was bought in a second hand shop and I adore it! The mandela type design on it makes it stand out from the crowd! Perfect for doing a bit of shopping or sitting down for some lunch and cocktails in the gorgeous sun!

Blue Mandela Dress- Second hand 10 EURO

I wear this..all...the..time, I literally cannot find anything else more comfortable so I would wear these around the house and on the flight back home! This jumper is my brothers that he got whilst he was in Isreal and these bottoms are my favourite bottoms..ever! I bought these in Spain last year at a market for 10 Euro! These are perfect to wear to/from the beach as they're a sheer material! Same goes for this jumper! It looks wooly and heavy but infact its super light weight! 

Are you jetting off this summer? If so comment below or mail me at nadinestephens1990@gmail.com 

I hope you found this post helpful!

The Parma Violet