Blonde hair, blonde brows, blonde lashes..

Hey, hey!

Being a natural blonde, I have grown used to women gushing about how "lucky" I am. However, as any natural blonde knows. the grass is always greener. While avoiding costly bills from colourists, blondes have woes of their own; namely, invisibly blonde eyebrows and lashes. I'm sure that for many blondes, this may not be an issue. I am not one of those blondes.

This post will detail the tried-and-tested products and treatments for us blondies that I would not be without.

Eyebrows

Dye

I have previously posted a review on what I use to dye my eyebrows (Click here to read it in full!). That review was nearly a year ago and I have not strayed from this product once, I have been to many a salon to get my brows dyed, particularly before holidays, and the colour has rarely lasted longer than a week. At around €10 a go, this can get costly very quickly.

Alternatively, you could pay just €12.79 in Boots (buy here) for the Colorsport 30 Mascara in dark brown. No-brainer.

I can honestly say this dye stays perfect for at least two weeks, and fading doesn't begin until the third and fourth week, which is much more cost and time effective. You can also leave the dye on for longer if you would prefer a darker tone.

Product

In November of 2014 I began my love affair with Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade (buy here) and I have never looked back. I rely on this in between dyeing my brows and I refuse to put any other cosmetic. It is fantastic at filling in any gaps present in my brows. It can be used softly for a natural looking brow but is also excellent at creating more of a clean, structured shape, like I have created in the picture above. The product is highly pigmented and is a thick gel consistency, however it doesn't seem to dry out like many gel eyeliners do. The little pot will last you years- seriously, less is more with this stuff. Do your brows a favour and stop wasting money on endless eyebrows pencils.

Eyelashes

My biggest problem with mascara has always been that due to my strangely long lower lashes, I am left with mascara stains under my eyes. It has taken years of mascara and concealer combinations to discover that  L'oreal Telescopic Madcara (buy here) and Rimmel's Wake Me Up Under-eye Concealer are a no-smudge, winning combo. Take it from a gal who's spent a small fortune on mascara's, from Benefit's They're Real! to the  €3 kind you find in Penney's, this €16.99 mascara is a holy grail. 

The concealer is pigmented, without being cakey, and is best applied by patting with the ring finger, rather than brushes/sponges! Buy it here!

Have you tried any of these products? Do you have your own brows & eyes tips, for blondes or otherwise?

Feel free to leave your comments below!

Depop: Clothes from €5!

Ello, ello! 

Forgive me pookybanana.com, for I have sinned... It's been a while since I last posted! Although my posts may seem spaced out lately, I am going nowhere. I'm merely struggling to juggle college, work and a bit of a social life, throw blogging into the mix and I may as well give up sleeping! Just know that no matter how long since my last post, I'll always be back ♡

 Now that's out of the way...

For those of you who don't know, Depop is a buy & sell app for phones. It's a bit like eBay but a lot more personal, and it's mostly clothes, shoes, makeup and accessories from what I can tell. It seems to be most popular in Britain, Ireland, America, Italy and Spain. The app is a great way to find things that may still be in shops for a fraction of the price. There are plenty of things that have not been worn, or were only worn once or twice. The reason I prefer this app to other is because the sellers all seem to be quite honest. Any flaw with the items being sold are photographed and documented by the seller, so you know what you're buying. I can't speak for everyone, but the vast majority of sellers are honest, as am I.

I have been a "buyer" for several months now but yesterday I took the plunge and cleared out my wardrobe to sell things through the app. Above are some of the items I'm selling and my prices have started from €5-€25, which I feel is very reasonable especially because plenty have never been worn (which is my reason for selling), and the rest have only been worn a max of 5 times!

If you would like to have a look, follow me @pookybanana!

The app is free to download and is compatible on android and Apple devices.

Thanks for reading everybody, feel free to leave your Depop usernames below, I'm always looking for new people to follow on it!

You can also follow me on Instagram @pookybanana, facebook at pookybananamakeup, Google+ and of course, GFC!

Happy shopping!

Edit: My T-bar black, patent flats from Topshop have just been selected by Depop to feature on their "Explore" section. Get them for just €25!

How to: Get Dressed in the Dark!

Now that we're all back to the academic year and Winter mornings are fast approaching, we all have to deal with the daily struggle of getting dressed in the dark. This rarely ends well and with the sleepy brain we all wake up with, it may seem like mission impossible! Here's a clever idea that will save you a few extra minutes in bed so you will never have to waste time deciding what to wear in the morning and risk leaving the house looking like this...

➱ On your day off, go through your wardrobe and start putting outfits together, matching tops to bottoms, blouses to skirts, dresses to jackets, etc. If you have the time, go the whole hog and start matching jewellery, scarves and hats!

➱ Take photos of all the outfits that you have created.

➱ Print out the photos and stick them on the inside of your wardrobe door.

➱ Voila!

Now you will never have to waste precious sleeping time deciding what to wear or how to wear it. You are welcome!

Let me know if you try this little technique, I'd love to hear!

If you liked this post and would like to see more of Pooky Banana, why not follow me via GFC, Facebook at Pooky Banana Makeup, Instagram @pookybanana or Google+!

Boohoo.com Haul

This last month I have been cheating on fashion and makeup and been spending my money elsewhere. Now that I have indulged in an iPhone 5 and a weekend at the never-disappointing Electric Picnic festival again this year, it's finally time to get back to my two real loves ♡

I eased myself in with a haul from Boohoo.com and, guess what? Each item was on SALE, with the priciest (if you can even call it that) being the tiered, long blouse costing just €21.99(!) AND they also have free delivery to European countries at the moment! I love when websites do that because often shipping costs for some sites can cost nearly as much as the purchase!

On with my little haul...

First up is the maxi tiered woven shirt dress I previously mentioned, the highest costing of the bunch. I always feel like shirt with super long backs like this one look really designer and expensive, possibly because they are slightly impractical haha. I bought this because I think it is easy to make an outfit with it and still look stylish, even if it is just paired with PU leggings and western ankle boots. And maybe a fedora for extra pzaz!

Another €14.99 will get you this gorgeous button through woven cami dress. It's available in royal blue, orange and lime. Personally I only like it in the lime. I think this piece will be lovely in winter with thick tights, a bowler hat and heeled sandals. A long, slouchy cardi would also look fab when your trying to layer up. I am slightly worried about what the fit of this will be like on me but I will keep you all posted!

This embroidered tassel dress is, admittedly, quite Summery and so is the next purchase but that's nothing a pair of tights can't fix! For this dress I think I would pick up on the red embroidery and pair it with red tights, rather than my standard, boring black. I think this would be really funky with loafers with a chunky heel and a straw hat when Summer rolls back around. This is another bargain at €15.99.

I had to have these large floral print wide leg culottes as soon as I seen them! I love daisy prints, I love culottes, and I love a piece that can be worn to nearly any occasion by simply changing what you pair it with. So there was no hesitation. These bad boys can be dressed up with heels and a blouse or dressed down with flip-flops and a crop top, the outfits are endless! Not too shabby for a mere €14.99!


So that's the latest additions to the never-too-full wardrobe of Pooky Banana. Have you seen anything you like or have?
For a long while I had begun to feel like Boohoo.com had lost it's touch as a lot of the clothes seemed to be just basics or items that I could get cheaper on the highstreet rather than online, but I'm absolutely thrilled with this lot!


What do you think? Let me know in the comments below!
As always, thank you so much for reading and commenting, it's so encouraging and uplifting!

Don't forget to follow me on Facebook at Pooky Banana Makeup, Instagram @pookybanana and Twitter @pookybanana


(For the record, I do not get paid to promote Boohoo.com. I'm simply a happy shopper!)

Kardashian Style Smoky Eye, Nude Lip & Contour

The world is Kardashian mad and I've finally caught up so go easy on me!

For a recent 21st I recreated the classic Kardashian smokey eye and nude lip combo with a super contour and highlight. I actually really loved the look and got a lot of compliments! 

I'm not usually a nude lip kind of girl as my lips are naturally very red, but I found this was easily resolved by concealing my lips first and choosing a glossy nude with a peachy undertone. It seems there is a nude for everyone!