Bye bye 2010....Hello 2011!

Heya everyone :) SO SORRY I haven't been updating much, like most of the country I was stressed to the eyeballs over Christmas and the no water drama. But all is sorted I think. *fingers crossed* anyway!

So this is just a lil update so say Happy New Year! Hope everyone has a great 2011 with lots of best wishes, health, love and happiness. I'll get the updates I wanted to put up over the weekend. Hope everyone has a fun safe night.

-Nadia x

Christmas Wish list 2010

Heya :) Hope ye all are keeping well. Here's just a few ideas on my Christmas Wish list.
Just because I'm posting this it doesn't mean I'm getting everything on it. After all it's just a Wish List. Ok so lets get started!

MAC - A Tartin Tale Winter Collection. 

5 Warm Thrillseekers Pigments / Glitter.

MAC - A Tartin Tale Winter Collection.

5 Cool Thrillseekers Pigments / Glitter.

The Tattoo Chronicles by Kat Von D.

Galaxy Selection Box.

Yummers ^_^ 

The Beauty and the Beast Diamond Edition DVD + Blu Ray.

Yankee Candles.

They are expensive but burn for hours and smell amazing!

Love, Peace & Juicy Couture Perfume.

The Beano 2011 Annual.

I get this every year since I was little, it's tradition.

My Brother and I fight every Christmas morning over what annuals we get.

I ALWAYS get The Beano and he gets The Dandy.

Professional Make-Up Directors Chair.

Thanks for checking out my blog.

Chat soon and keep warm! :)

-Nadia x

 

Baby It's Cold Outside!

Heya :) So as we are well into Winter now and the cold weather might be affecting our skin, especially on our face. Ive decided to recommend some products and tips that I found a huge help to me and my skin. With going into hot and cold temperatures I have started to feel the difference on my skin. My skin has been feeling really dehydrated and just horrible really. 

The first product was recommend to me by a friend and its called 

• Eucerin Replenishing Face Cream with 5% Urea.   

 " A gentle moisturiser for the daily care. Noticeably improves the condition of facial dry skin, absorbs easily and reduces the skins tightness. Replenishes the natural moisturisers Urea and Lactate. Leaving the skin feeling smooth and supple. Also as a adjunctive care."

As soon as I was told about this I went out and bought it straight away. I used it twice a day and I could feel the difference in my skin after 3 days. It is medicated so it is also fragrance and colourant free. It is rapidly absorbed oil-in-water emulsion and can be used in adjunctive care in atopic Eczema and Psoriasis. And more importantly it can be used under make-up :) It can be bought in any chemist for €9.99 but each store will vary in price.

•  Water  

Drink water. It's simple. It keeps you internally moisturized and nourished, and is the number one way to prevent dry skin, especially in cold weather. So fill up on liquids and stay away from excess caffeine and alcohol. The recommended six to eight glasses a day is a good guideline. Even though with the cold weather water isn't something we want to be drinking but if you boil the kettle and add some luke warm to your glass it'll be easier for you to drink.
So give it ago and see some results, after all it's free! :)
Also Green Tea does the same job. (It appears to exert sun damage protection by quenching free radicals and reducing inflammation rather than by blocking UV rays. Therefore, green tea may synergistically enhance sun protection when used in addition to a sunscreen).

• Vaseline

Keep your lips moisturised. The skin on your lips retain less moisture than other parts of the body. Use a good lip balm to lock in the moisture. If you have really dry lips, try using some medicated lip balms like Carmex which contain extra-moisturizing ingredients like Camphor. To remove dead skin from you lips, brush them gently with a toothbrush once a week. Then apply a good moisturizing balm. Vaseline is a time-tested favorite and suggested on many medical and beauty websites. You can even get some with SPF 15 with Shea Butter, Aloe Vera, and also with Rose and Almond oil, with is always an added bonus.  And for only €1.99 for a pocket size (20g) you can't go wrong. :)

• Exfoliate

Exfoliate once a week and use a body scrub before showering/bathing. Scrubbing your skin (gently) will help remove dead skin cells and promote healthy skin. Use a scrub that is paraben-free, or make your own by mixing 1/2 cup coarse sugar with one cup of Coconut Oil. Apply scrub to skin using gentle, circular motions. Scrub your whole body and then rinse off with lukewarm water. Sorted! 

•  Olay Complete Defense Daily UV Moisturizer SPF 30, Sensitive Skin

"Extra Olay UVA/UVB protection against sun damage with a light non-greasy formula that gives complete defense. Gives your skin complete care, providing everything it needs most to stay beautiful, plus extra protection against sun damage in a light, non-greasy formula.

Protects with SPF 30 that provides extra UV protection against 97% of the sun's harmful rays to help prevent sun damage, so skin stays healthy and younger looking. Olay, in partnership with The Skin Cancer Foundation, recommends daily use of an effective UV sunscreen moisturizer which may help reduce the risk of skin cancer."

I love this moisturizer as it has a non-greasy formula with Vitamin E, Aloe, and Green Tea Extract that replenishes moisture and absorbs quickly into skin.  And is also light enough to wear every day. As nearly all of the products and items I've listed this can also be got in chemist or grocery store for around €11 but each store will vary.

• Neutrogena Hand Cream Norwegian Formula

"Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream delivers effective relief for dry, chapped hands. It is so concentrated that only a small amount instantly leaves even dry, cracked hands noticeably softer and smoother after just one application.  Used daily, it helps prevent dry, chapped skin; used overnight, it heals dry skin - even under the harshest of conditions. It started with Norwegian Fishermen faced with some of the harshest, coldest weather on earth, they used a formula that delivers concentrated levels of glycerin to dry, chapped skin providing immediate and lasting relief.  Five years of independent clinical testing confirmed what the fishermen knew all along - Norwegian Formula Hand Cream consistently outperformed other products. Today, the Norwegian Formula product line includes a variety of body, hand and foot moisturizers to meet your individual dry skin needs."

This is another product I love. Ive been using it for a good few years now thanks to my Nana. She loved different hand creams and this was one of her faves. It works with each individuals own skin care needs and you only need a lil bit as goes along way. It is €3.60 for a 56g tube so its handy to just pop in your bag or have in your drawer in the office.

And last but not least a good Hat, Scarf, pair of Gloves and Earmuffs (if needed) and your sorted! :)

Hope you found some of these tip and products helpfull. 

-Nadia x

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

Heya :) So as promised, here's another update. As some of ye may already know I live in Ireland, in a little town in the midlands called Athlone.
Today is Wednesday and it's our third day of bad snow and frost. I know people that maybe reading this outside of Ireland might be thinking,"What's the big deal?, It's only snow".  But here in Ireland, the tiny-est bit of snow and the whole country shuts down. Saying that where I live the snow is really bad and I can't even leave my house. Therefore I can safely say cabin fever has well and truly set in :( It was fun Monday to wake up to a winter wonderland but after a few hours the novelty wore off.

Needless to say, Harley my dog LOVES it. If he's not rolling around in it, jumping in it or eating it, he's just sitting in it happy out. (Little weird dog).  But anyway here are some pictures I took of the snow in my area.

 

 

It is pretty to look out at, but I'm getting kinda bored of it now and I can't go anywhere because of it and the roads being so bad. Hopefully tomorrow they'll be alot better and I'll be able to venture into town. :) 

-Nadia x

When Im Not Painting Faces

Heya :) So as your all probably use to it now. For those that actually read my blog. Ive been neglecting my updates yet again. But I was really busy the past month. But anyway.

So first off. Ive finally graduated!!! ^__^ I am now a qualified Make Up Artist.  
Woowhoo! I graduated on the 6th of this month, (November) and at the minute I'm currently building up my portfolio. So my graduation took place in the RDS Concert Hall in Dublin and to be honest it was a great day. I wasn't the college type person and I'm so proud of myself for passing my exams and graduating. :) Both my parents travelled up with me for the ceremony, and they enjoyed it just as much as I did. 

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Then I went to see Avenged Sevenfold in Dublin on the 8th. It was kinda weird to see them again without Jimmy. :( </3 But I know that if I didn't go I would of been kicking myself later. They performed well and Mike Portnoy was amazing but he will never fill The Rev's shoes as far as im concerned. As Jimmy was part Irish, I got an Ireland Jersey with his surname printed on the back to give his parents. I gave it to Matt and he said that he would personally make sure Jimmy's parents would get it and that it was a lovely thought. He himself loved it and said Jimmy's parents would too. So that made me extremely happy. ^_^

I didn't get to hang out with the band this time they were in Dublin, but I got to say a quick hello to Matt and his wife Val [ she was really sweet :) ]. They played for over an hour and as I already said they preformed well but I don't think id go to see them again.
foREVer <3
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Then I went on a mini break to Liverpool with my good friend Elaine. I was never there before. Elaine use to live there and was always inviting me over, so I finally went.
I LOVED IT there! It is such a pretty city with so much to do. Even the accent is amazing! I think I even prefer Liverpool to London. As we were only there for 2 nights we didn't have much time to see all we had planned but we did get to do some shopping! Along with picking up some Christmas presents for my family, I picked up some gorgeous Nightmare Before Christmas decorations for my Christmas tree in the DISNEY STORE! ^_^ One of my favourite shops. I'll post some pictures of them when I put my tree up. I also got to see where she use to work and met some of her lovely friends. I think I can safely say we will be definatley be taking a trip back again soon. :)

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So as I'm always looking to try new things, Ive started a new hobby. Re-designing and painting old furniture! My dog Harley was the reason behind this new hobby. When he was a pup he started chewing all my furniture, mainly my chairs in the kitchen. So after searching for single chairs to use my Aunt had some old wooden ones that she gave me. They looked pretty dull and boring so I decided to funk them up abit. I have 4. Each are have different designs and are hand painted and papered by me.

These have been done for quiet awhile now, but the were the first of my creations. :)
I have got LOADS of compliments about them and people asking to buy them. But these are not for sale. So a friend of mine approached me asking would I like to submit some pieces to a Christmas craft fair she was holding. So I jumped at the chance. And here are 2 of the few pieces I submitted. :)

Beano Comic Lamp/Coffee Table

 Top Table Up Close

Leopard Print Kisses Coffee Table

Top Of The Table

Both pieces are available to buy. For information on them or any of my work. You can contact me by emailing nadia.annaburke@gmail.com

As always thanks for reading my blog. Feel free to follow and I'll follow back. :)
More updates tomorrow. [ I promise ;) ].

-Nadia x

Hallowe'en!

Heya :) Yet again I've been delayed writing this update. But however better late then never right? Hope ye all are doing ok and had a fun, safe Hallowe'en. I had a great Hallowe'en weekend. My good friends Lisa and Ray came to visit for the weekend. They arrived down to Athlone Saturday evening, so we decided to go out that night to see everyone dressed up. As Hallowe'en was on a Sunday we thought not many people would be out that night due to work on Monday so we went out Saturday night. So anyway when they got here we had dinner and started to get ready! Lisa dressed up as a Zombie Nurse, Ray dressed up as "Party Poison" Gerard Way's alter killjoy ego, my other friend Mairead called over too and dressed up as a Zombie Air-Hostess, and I dressed up as one of the Military Zombie dancers from Marilyn Manson's video for mOBSCENE. As I'm a make up artist and LOVE doing other people's make up, I done Ray's and Lisa's. So when we were ready we took some pictures of each other, had a few drinks and headed into town.

Mairead, Me, Ray and Lisa.

So when we went into town we headed to some bar, before hitting the nightclub. As we were in Athlone, we got STARED OUT OF IT. We were asked could people pose for pictures with us. We were told we looked to scary for Hallowe'en. From what I can remember Hallowe'en is....

"Halloween (or Hallowe'en) is an annual holiday observed on October 31, primarily in Ireland, Scotland, Canada and the United States. It has roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain and the Christian holiday All Saints' Day, but is today largely a secular celebration. Common Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, wearing costumes (NON-SLUTTY)  and attending costume parties, carving jack-o'-lanterns, ghost tours, bonfires, apple bobbing, visiting haunted attractions, committing pranks, telling ghost stories or other frightening tales, and watching horror films. Hallowe'en costumes are traditionally modeled after supernatural figures such as monsters, ghosts, skeletons, witches, and devils."

But anyway we had a great night, drinking shots and dancing the night away to spooky music.

My version of a Military Zombie dancer from Marilyn Manson's video for mOBSCENE.

Lisa our GORE-ous Nurse

Party Poison

Mairead our GORE-ous Air Hostess

So Sunday... HALLOWE'EN!!!! ^__^ It's finally here! My Favourite day of the year! :D And were about to do it all again. After a good long sleep I cooked dinner, well breakfast for us and got ready for round 2. We headed to the shop to get more mixers and got ready as kids were starting to go Trick or Treating pretty early. We handed out all the goodies, had some drink and headed to the lighting of the Bonfire!

 Picture Credit : Ray Keogh Photography

So because the fireworks display at the bonfire were getting a lil out of hand we decided to go back home to have Vodka Jelly Shots, have a dance and set my smoke alarms off by messing with sparklers :P

 

Picture Credits : Ray Keogh Photography

After all that we had some food and watched scary films, which I thought were the biggest load of bull so I fell asleep. So that was my Hallowe'en really, I know im a week late update my blog, but whatever. Hope ye all had a fun, safe Hallowe'en. Id love to see some creative costume ideas of what people dressed up as. Anyway, chat soon!

-Nadia x

Autumn / Winter Make-Up Trends 2010

 

Heya :) so as Ive been neglecting my blog alot lately to due to being lazy really, I'm going to blog more about things I buy, mostly make-up and give you my opinion on it.

So anywho onto this years Autumn/Winter make-up trend!

This Autumn/Winter looks includes smokey eyes, red berry lips, matte skin, colorful eyeshadows and natural/nude looking makeup. 

A natural look is about flawless skin so it is important that you take care of your skin to keep it looking it's best. So with along with using your daily facial cleanser, use a moisturiser cream with a medium to high SPF to protect your skin from harmful and aging effects from the sun. You mightn't think you need it but you do. Also your blush should match either your eyes or your lips. But in any case the cheeks should be emphasized.

 

And now onto some of my personal favourite looks, smokey eyes and red lips. 
Dark lips and fall fashion seem to go hand in hand, and this season is no exception. To keep your vampy lips from looking too goth, keep your eye makeup light and stick to mascara and a nude shadow, or just skip it altogether. Another difference in the dark lip trend for Autumn 2010 is the finish. Matte lipstick is out - glossy, moisturizing lipstick pencils are in!
Also full false eyelashes aren't in this season, as they are compensated by the shaded dark pencil at the out corner of the eye line. But if you really want to make your eyes really pop,use some individual false eyelashes on the outer upper edge for a more dramatic feline eye.

Eyebrows! I don't know why but I've always had a "thing" for eyebrows. Ive always had hideous eyebrows growing up and now in my twenties they seem to be no different. I try to keep them "tamed" but my right eyebrow just has a weird shape. And yes I know the famous saying "Eyebrows should be sisters, not twins" but I just hate mine so I just draw then on. Anyway, eyebrows are a really important part of the face and make up application. They can totally just lift your face in an instant and just really defines the face. I personally wouldn't recommend someone to do them themselves, if its plucking or waxing. Some people get abit too brave and before they know it, they've taken WAY too much off. So leave it to the professional ladies!

This season eyebrows can vary wildly, from pencil thin or even completely drawn on to wild and unruly, and the trend this season is definitely leaning toward the thick side. That doesn't mean you should toss out your tweezers altogether, but saying that you're still going to need them to remove stragglers and shape brows for that bold, groomed look. If your brows aren't naturally dark, consider investing in some brow cake with wax or pencil. I personally just use a dark eyeshadow on mine. Darkening your brows will help frame your face and draw attention to your eyes.

 

So that's enough for now. Can't wait to get glammed up and try out these looks for a night out.

As always Id like to hear feedback :) Have fun trying out these looks.

-Nadia x