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The Evolution of my Snap Chat Timeline

| Tracey

The beginning of Snap Chat:

The first person I followed on Snap Chat was Suzanne Jackson back in 2015, I hadn’t a notion how to use the fekin app but somehow I managed to install it and add her username, from there on I began to add more and more bloggers. Then the MUAs began to snap. After a while random Snap Chatters became popular like James Kavanagh who had no blog to plug or tutorials to show, they just snapped their daily lives and I was obsessed!!!

My daughter had Snap Chat and used it years before it ever became massive like it is now, but she only ever used it to message her friends. Now its like another form of entertainment, its right up there amongst Netflix and YouTube. Its a micro-entertainment platform.

I 100% became obsessed with it, I couldn’t wait to go to bed at night and stick in my ear plugs and see what these “celebs” got up to every day. I learned a HUGE amount about makeup and I bought more from snapchat reviews then any million euro advertising campaign!

The Change:

Then the day came (last September) when I began this blog and I knew that having my own snap chat channel would be the next step!

Something changed for me and snap chat over the autumn and winter, well first off Gilmore Girls was launched on Netflix and I became obsessed with binge watching that every night so I neglected snap chat. But not only that I began to become bored of watching the same old snap chat stories, same old #spon #ad on every second snap. Snap chat stories started to become a personal advertising space for products.

Sharon Leavy was always a favourite of mine, she was a blogger but a completely normal human! Her snaps were so relate-able and from her I was introduced to other normal people who snapped for the craic, like myself! Then Sharon left snap chat and I have had to fill my timeline up with other normal snap chatters (usually mums) who come on snap chat just to have a rant, a chat or just blather on about anything that pops into their heads. I love this! I do it myself, I come on to talk about something and then I end up talking about the price of cabbage!!

Instead of a backdrop of Jo Malone candles, IKEA drawers and perspex makeup holders (which I will have in my beauty room when one of my kids move out!) I was watching ladies at lunch time, hair unbrushed, kids napping and a coffee in hand to have a chat. I had been a stay at home mum for 7 years until 2 months ago and honestly these ladies on snap chat got me through many a hard, sometimes lonely day alone with the kids… I laughed at Kelly’s (My Little Babog) little gang running circles around her, I loved to watch Karen’s (bliss bakery) foodie adventures, I found Katy’s (ktk2) body painting so relaxing!

There’s been so many more that I have been so glad to have found along the way, I don’t get the time to watch every story every day anymore with my full time job and the full time job I get paid for!! But I still look forward to climbing into bed watching my snapping mammies and I’m so lucky to call many of them my friends now.

The future of my Snap Chat:

I love the fact as mothers we all have flaws, we all roll our eyes when we hear MMUUUMMMM for the millionth time that day, we cannot enjoy a hangover in peace anymore, we are all just muddling through as best as we can, we all have issues, dramas, history and we are all getting through being mams as best we can while having a fekin laugh at and with each other…

This is snap chat for me 2 years after I began watching it, a completely different timeline of people! Real people, no shit, just real life.

Until next time!

Tracey xxx

Image credit: Snapchat

  p.s. now it would be rude for me not to out up my snap chat handle!! Continue reading →

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Part 2: Budget Beauty Buys…

| Tracey

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Hi I’m back to continue my little budget basket full of treats. I don’t have the spare cash to blow on high end products so when I find a budget product I love I am obsessed! I hope you found the last few products I reviewed helpful for your next purchase.

Okay first up is the holy grail of budget highlighters, I think most people have this in their makeup bag but if you don’t fear not I am here to give you the low down on this beauty.

CATRICE HIGH GLOW MINERAL HIGHLIGHTING POWDER

I was a bit afraid of this product when I bought it. I had been using LuLu from the Pippa Palette (I have reviewed this beauty here) in one of my very first reviews (excuse the manky images!) and I was happy with the subtle warm highlight it gave.The catrice is frosty and very pearlescent so I was very careful how much I applied as I didn’t want to resemble the tin foil I wrap the kids sambos in every morning! But fear not the colour pay off it very subtle and the frostiness of the shade actually goes well with my pale foundation shade.budget1

I apply this with my Penneys fan brush on the highest point of my cheek bones, a little on my brow bone and a touch on my cupids bow. The texture is not as powdery as you would think, when swatched its almost creamy. If you spray your brush with some setting spray first you will get a massive colour payoff and this would be amazing for a night time look. I picked my one up in Penneys, but it can be purchased online with Inish Pharmacies also and it retails at €5.50.

Wet n Wild Colour Icon Blush

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I have two of these blushes and I plan on picking up the rest of the colours soon. The shade I purchased first was Pearlescent Pink as it was said to be a dupe for NARS Orgasm. It is a beautiful coral shade with flecks of gold running through it but the shimmer doesn’t create that 90s glitter like effect on your cheek bones. The pigment is very strong in these blushes, a little really does go a long way. Less is more, remember you can always add more, you cannot take away. The same goes for the other shade I have been using Mellow Wine, if you prefer to shy away from the high coral tones, then this shade will be right up your street. It warms up the face and gives a subtle glow. The retail price is €3.95 and you can look up your local Wet n Wild stockist here.

PENNEYS PS RANGE OF LIP PRODUCTS

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The quality of the PS range is phenomenal for the price point. The nude liner is a cult product at this stage, it goes with so many different shades and brands and any consistency of lipsticks whether it be matte or gloss. It isn’t a soft pencil so it will last longer than many more expensive lip pencils. I also enjoy using the matte crayons the PS range offers, I use the Manhattan shade and these are so handy for a quick swipe of colour. The PS range of matte lipsticks are some of my favourites too, I like the shade Manhattan and an added bonus there is a little tiny gloss in the bottom of the lipstick! The liners start at €1.50…now hands up who hasn’t thrown a liner into your basket while at the till…go on?!!

CATRICE GLAM AND DOLL FALSE LASH MASCARA

What can I say about this mascara that I haven’t already gushed about on my Snapchat (sissymcgee3). It is probably my second favourite mascara ever! If I had a desert island product, mascara would definitely be the one, I think if you have your lashes and nothing else you’re sorted!  This mascara give a wide eyed full lash effect. I am lucky enough to have long lashes so what I look for in a mascara is a more voluminous and curl effect. This mascara does all that and more. The wand is quite thin with a flat side and a curved one, so it is great to get right into the lashes from the root and for those bottom lashes. The only negative thing I will say about this mascara would be the fall out and flaking after several hours of wear can be annoying. b3

I bought mine in Penneys as I do most Catrice products but you can purchase it in the list of stockists I have linked in the highlight review. It cost €4.50, seriously under a fiver for a fantastic mascara! Where would you be going?! To your local Catrice stand, that’s where!!

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 FLORMAR TERRACOTTA BLUSH AND CASHMERE DELUX LIPSTICK

I have been using the Flormar blush and radiance primer for quite a while now, most recently I picked up the Cashmere lippy on the back of a high recommendation from Michelle from Needs not Wants Blog and I was not let down. I had forgotten how good this brand is. This blush is fab on, it does leave a shimmer so if you are more a matte person, I would stay away but for a night out or an occasion definitely give this a go. The shade I use is Touch of Rose. It is highly pigmented so tap your brush before application. I use my Blank Canvas angle blush brush (the number has worn off) and it sweeps the product on beautifully. The price was €11.95. The lipstick is a newish purchase, and I am loving the colour! It is in the shade Absolute Nude and the price was €5.95. I purchased mine from Quinns Pharmacy in Ballina Co. Mayo, but here are a list of your local stockists. I team this lippy with my PS nude liner and it is a match made in nude heaven! It is a creamy consistency but there is no high shine which I like in a lippy! It does contain some ingredients which are good for fine lines, which is an added bonus.

So there ya go the second instalment of my budget beauty buys! Hope you enjoyed and if you have tried these let me know what you think, good or bad! over on my social media, click the links below!

Tracey xxxx

INSTA AND FACEBOOK:    mummakeupbag

SNAPCHAT:                            sissymcgee3

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Benny the Begrudger

| Tracey

The notion of begrudgery fascinates me, I went to look it up the meaning of the word and it is listed as an Irish informal word. I always thought of it as a very Irish thing to do but it seems the word was formed to describe a uniquely Irish tendency. Even as I type here the word is underlined in red because WordPress does not recognise it!

So why are Irish people so begrudgent? When the Euro Millions was won recently you could feel the begrudgery in the cold misty air. If small talk could trend on twitter “Sure, that’s too much money for one person to have” would be number one and “It‘ll bring nothing but trouble to them!” would have been number 2. This is begrudgery in its purest form, trying to reduce a persons happiness by adding doubt or misery to the situation. Now don’t get me wrong, I was one of those people who said the above statements. I am not sitting here pretending to be Holier than Thou. But think back, was your first thought after hearing 88 million was won in Ireland, “Shite! I should have done the fekin lotto! That could have been me!”

Just think about it though “That’s too much money for one person”… do you think the person/s who won that money rocked up to Lotto headquarters and said “Listen lads, that too much money for me, I’ll just take half, cos it’ll only bring trouble to me door”. No I doubt they did nor they will. What they do with their money is nobody else’s business, obviously, if you lived in another country, but as they probably live in Ireland they wont be able to take a piddle in their newly furnished bathroom without someone commenting on it!mrs-doyle

I was born in the 80’s and as such my earliest memories hail from the Lycra laden decade. This is where I am sure begrudgery was at its peak! The following is a comprehensive but not exhaustive list of “begrudgery victims” if you will:

  • Farmers (any farmer, no matter if they had 1 duck or a herd of cattle. They were all labelled as “Big Farmers” who do nothing but cry over the great spell of weather everyone else was enjoying!

 

  • Young people who went to third level. “Oh yea! a secretarial course wasn’t good enough for them! They’ll be off to Dublin now to study for a “BIG JOB!” (Whatever a big job is?!)

 

  • Emigrants. The economy was diabolical for the majority in the 80’s and early 90’s. These young people who flew off to JFK from Shannon or Dublin were given an emigrants wake and the people were so upset for their poor mothers. “Fair play to them, they’ll send a couple of dollars home every month for their mother when they get settled”, you’d hear them say. The first visit back home be 1 or 10 years later, these heroes who flew off to make their fortune working in ‘Merica’ were labelled as “Big Shots” or they’d whisper, “Look at them, the yanks are home thinking they’re better than us. Its far from coffee they were reared! They’re not in Man- HaTTan now!”

 

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You know how we have a metaphorical ‘devil’ and ‘angel’ on our shoulders? Well I truly believe the minute we hear someone else’s good news, achievements or basically doing anything that is outside the (their) box, this little leprechaun shaped figure peeks out from the side of our head. Lets call him Benny, Benny the begrudger. Someone opens up a business in a small village or town, up pops Benny. Someone has a huge white wedding inviting hundreds of people, up pops Benny, someone goes off on their second holiday of the year, Benny nearly breaks his neck popping up here! Someone starts a blog and uses their social media to push their blog (yes, yes I know, why not?!) Benny pops up “Who do they think they are ‘blogging’, what do they know about what they’re trying to talk about?!” Having Benny there doesn’t make us any less happy/delighted for their success or happiness and we will all nod our heads and say “Fair play to them“. That’s the outward emotion, Benny, well Benny is definitely kept inward for fear people would think less of us!

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We all do it, including myself on a daily basis, but I am trying my best to be aware of it when I do it. If I see a mum at the school gate looking slim and glam I’ll try not to give her a side eye and presume shes had lipo/personal training cos how else does she look so well. When I see people getting their dream job,  I will stop wining “why can’t I find a job, haven’t I studied enough? Aren’t I smart enough, young enough, blah blah blah”... Instead I have been focusing on how they deserve the job and my turn will come from the many interviews I rock up to, I will stumble upon my perfect job. Its hard bloody work trying to get rid of Benny, he’s in our DNA as Irish people, he’s running through our veins along with Barry’s tea and Tayto.

It makes us unique and granted to hear us go on it can be funny. Even reading this, Benny is peeping through…isn’t he??!!

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How’ya lads I’m Benny!

So that’s my little tongue in cheek look at begrudgery, hope it gave you a giggle anyway! Any more thoughts or musings on it leave a comment!

Tracey xx

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