Nosy Inside Northern Ireland's Most Grand, Unusual, Quirky, Kitsch, Plush and Opulent Homes with the Property Pal & Property News NI Instagram Feeds

Everyone loves nosying inside other people's homes. Getting decorating ideas, or quietly judging the taste of the owners be it good or bad. 

Thats why the  Property Pal and Property News NI (@propertynewsNI)  Instagram accounts are fun to follow, even if you aren't looking to buy or rent a property in the new future.

North Coast properties are always blessed with great views  

This reminds me of Ferris Bueller's friend's Dad's house, it's actually just outside Holywood

Pizza & Prosecco £10 Deal & a Summer of Sweets at M&S

I LOVE a good ​Marks & Spencer Dine In offer. It's like buying a bottle of wine & getting a free meal with it. This week they have another amazing £10 meal deal but this time you can choose a bottle of Prosecco with a scrumptious, deli style, wood fired pizza.

Even a cheap bottle of Prosecco is hard to find for a tenner, but getting some grub too is an offer not to be missed. You could even stock up, dare I say it, for Christmas, by buying several of the deal, and the pizzas can be frozen so it's win win.

Whilst the deal is being advertised as Pizza & Prosecco, you can choose from sparkling Rosé, two beers, white or red wine, and the non-alcoholic alternative is a box of Swiss chocolates! 

Napoletana

Salami

If you don't fancy that deal, there are also mini versions of the wood fired pizzas for one person. 

Plus it's not the only pizza deal in store right now. If you purchase any two pizzas, either from the wood fired range or regular selection, you get a free pizza cutter. It's really good quality & evey home should have one. The classic pizzas are £4 each.

I chose two of the Spirit of Summer variety pizzas, Bbq Pulled Pork and Tinga Chicken & Chorizo. 

The Spirit of Summer range is spread throughout the entire Food Hall in all departments, and I decided for this blog post to hone in on the dessert selection. Spirit of Summer is inspired by classic dishes and ingredients from the Americas. 

Get Wimbledon ready! 

As you can see I went a little sugar crazy! 

There are so many tempting treats to choose from, super for throwing an afternoon tea or summer's day picnic. 

Dulce de Leche tea cakes are only £1. The £2.50 summer tartlet selection has cute little Mississippi mud pie, coconut & lime and dulce de Leche & pecan treats, and there is dulce de Leche on offer again in a mini cheesecake for £3.

There are more mini desserts in the carnival cupcake selection, with rocky road, key lime and coconut buns for £3.50 . There is a sharing size Key Lime Pie for £3, and individual lemon & ricotta cheesecake slices for £2.60. The latter falls into a mix and match dessert offer where you can buy two sweets for £4. 

The American taste influence continues in the biscuit & snack department. The cookies are mix and match, 2 packs for £3.50. The dark chocolate & mango Jaffa cakes are only £1. If you really want to spoil yourself then try the summer macaroon selection which has 12 bite size delights for £6.

So why not treat yourself to pizza, bubbly and something sweet this week at M&S. 

Miss Snix LONDON Collection. Chunky, Affordable, Wood-cut Jewellery.

I adore & own many pieces of  Miss Snix's statement piece wooden jewellery. It's show stopping accessorising without the Tatty Devine price tag.

Also available as a huge brooch

Prices in her  ebay Store range from £10 to £17, and you can make an offer price on many of those listed.

Her latest themed collection is based on classic London images & objects. 

Not sure if these are Londony, but I love them

A

Nyx Pump It Up Lip Plumper- Is It Any Good?

Nyx Pump It Up is one of many lip plumping glosses on the market. At a reasonable £6.50 via Boots.com, it works by tingling the lips making them swell a little & look bigger. It's not as painful as I've just made it sound, I promise, in fact I quite like the feeling!

The needle means you KNOW it's going to be good  

From the nine colours I chose the neutral, translucent gloss 'Liv' so I can wear it over my usual lipsticks. 

Before

After  

The product definitely works, you can see the difference in my before & after pics, so I would give it the thumbs up and recommend it. A short review, but there we go!

There are 9 shades to choose from, including the clear gloss I bought

What's new from SEVENTEEN: Gel Nails, Instant Glow Cream Bronzer, Long Lash Mascara & a 3 Way Highlighter You'll Want to Use All Summer

Boots SEVENTEEN collection  is where you'll find budget priced, ahead of the trend makeup. They sent me some products to try out, so let's have a look at them. If you like what you see, then you're in luck as the SEVENTEEN range is on offer with 3 for 2 on the Boots website right now.

Firstly, there is the Skin Wow! Primer at £5.99. It's a three in one product with versatile usage you'll love. You can use it as a primer, mix it with your foundation, or apply over your makeup on your cheek bones to give yourself a luminous glow.

I tried it over my makeup that had been on half the day, and it really perked up my skin. It would be great to add variation to a matte foundation finish, or to keep in your handbag to use midway through the day to refresh your face. 

Before

After using Skin Wow Primer  

Next is the Instant Glow Cream Bronzer at £4.99. I haven't actually used a cream bronzer before, only powder, so I was curious to how this would be to apply.

So smoooooth

I was a little dubious as it looked quite orange when I swatched it on my hand. When I tried it on my cheek as a contour, it looked more natural. The great thing about it being a cream is that it's easier to build colour slowly to achieve the effect you desire. It's also very easy to blend. 

Using Instant Glow as a light contour on cheeks

The third product SEVENTEEN kindly sent me is the Long Lash mascara which costs £6.99 and as with all the SEVENTEEN range, it's 3 for 2 right now.

It's the type of wand I prefer, with small, short bristles. It allows you to coat even the shortest lashes without making a hash of it. 

I already had Boots No7 mascara on, but you can still see the difference Long Lash makes. I applied it to the eye on the left (my right). 

With Long Lash       :    Without

Finally, the £3.99  Gel Colour nail polish with 30 colours to choose from, I was sent this pretty candy pink.

It's applies well for a light colour. I've a similar light pink from Barry M & it takes about four coats, whereas this only took the recommended two. 

I'm not the best at painting my nails as you can see- but they do match my gaudy phone case! Bonus! 

An Optical Illusion in Your Home, 15 Walls to Baffle Your Guests

One of my earliest memories is going weekly with my Granny for tea to The Skandia restaurant in Bangor for chicken in a basket. The main memory, which again shaped by love of kitsch I suppose, is of their entire wall photo mural of a green forest scene. I've always wanted a photo realistic wall mural in my home, but they are pricy, so as yet I haven't ever had my dream come true. 

But now there is MuralsWallpaper.co.uk with their decent price per m2 on hundreds of designs and patterns.

Here are some of their designs that act almost as optical illusions, they look like the wall is made from something other than brick covered in paper. 

This is my favourite  

Then there are a selection of just pure kitschy fun walls. When it comes to picking, it'll be a tough one! 

Prince also available  

CastleCourt Goes Curvy

​This month, leading Belfast shopping centre CastleCourt brings you CastleCourt CURVE – a fantastic event celebrating style at any size.

Models will range from size 12-20

Featuring well-known brands from across the UK and beyond, the CastleCourt Curve event, which takes place on Saturday 25 June, is a great opportunity for women of all shapes, sizes and silhouettes to see plus-size collections on a group of body confident, curvy women.

The fashion shows will take place at regular intervals throughout the afternoon from 12.30 until 4pm, and there’ll also be beauty tips and hair advice from key partners including INGLOT as well as Debenhams beauty brands.

Host Charlotte Coyle added: “I’ve been promoting a healthy integration of plus size in fashion for a long time, so it’s great to see such a major shopping centre like CastleCourt embracing their customers in this way. Let’s eliminate negativity surrounding plus size and allow women of all shapes and sizes to enjoy fashion and feeling body confident.”

I'm a size 12 on the bottom and 14 on top, so I'll be interested to see examples on the runway with models up to size 20. I really need tips on dressing for apple shape, so maybe I shall see you all there.

Celebrating 50 Years of Boots in Northern Ireland, in the Europa Penthouse Suite

Boots the Chemist are celebrating 50 years of trading in Northern Ireland this year. To celebrate, during an intimate event at the Europa Hotel, the No7 teamof makeup artists recreated key looks from the past five decades, documenting the swinging 60s styles, the electro 80s, right through to today’s current trends – from contouring to creating the perfect brow.

1960s' hair & makeup using Boots products

I went along to the Europa penthouse suite, where a dozen of makeup & beauty concessions had sent their dream teams to pamper & paint our lucky faces.

Anne Higgins, Head of Customer Experience from Boots in Northern Ireland commented; “When the first Boots store opened in Northern Ireland in Belfast’s Corn Market in 1966 it brought with it a wealth of beauty and wellbeing essentials helping customers feel good right across the province."

"Boots also brought to Northern Ireland its No7 brand, which was originally introduced in the 1930s. The now iconic brand has brought a huge range of innovative products to the market through its beauty and skincare collections, from its ground breaking Protect and Perfect Intense Advanced Serum, the UK’s first serum clinically proven to deliver anti-wrinkle results that get even better over time, to its No7 Match Made service which helps you discover the colours shades and finished perfectly suited to you."

The event was a beauty blogger's dream, and as a woman who is now hooked on makeup, I had a whale of a time. There were many international beauty houses available at Boots including Smashbox, Benefit, Elizabeth Arden, Estee Lauder, Lancôme and Bare Minerals, who showcased their latest products and trends.

FaeriBex tries some Lancôme lippie

I was also treated to skincare from Liz Earle, No7, Clarins and Clinique with summer hair trends demonstrated by Bumble & Bumble.

Liz Earle

The No7 brand has developed throughout the years, working with top skin scientists and specialists, to meet the demands of today’s savvy shoppers, professional makeup artists and beauty fanatics. Today, its latest new products include the new Lift and Luminate Triple Action Serum, Bronze Shimmer Palette and the Special Edition Gold Lash Impact Mascara.

We also came away with lots of samples, so what did I love, what secret products are in the pipeline, and which items will I be buying full size thanks to the samples or demonstrations? 

The first stop on my tour of the room were the ladies at Estée Lauder.  I had always heard great things about their Double Wear foundation, and Julie from their main Boots store offered to apply it for me so I could compare it to my usual medium coverage Rimmel foundation.

See the result of how the new foundation looked, later on in this post. 

That's me in the background! 

Julie used the Double Wear To Go £33.00 compact in the lightest shade. The clever compact dispenses a pump of foundation, one for light coverage & two for a more heavier look. This Double Wear incarnation has a slight glow to it, it's not matte but it's not too shiny either. In the words of Goldilocks, it was just right. So I've my eyes set on buying the compact myself once my ten day trial has run out. 

Each Estée Lauder concession currently has a ten day sample available for customers to try Double Wear at home. Just come along to your local store & they will use their little machine to match your skin tone & send you off with your ten day trial.

The next sample I'm loving is the No7 Lash Impact in limited edition gold glitter packaging.

I'm really very fussy about mascara. I only use Estée Lauder, Benefit Bad Gal or RollerLash, but not They're Real, or No7 mascaras. 

I dislike mascara that clumps, or makes my lashes look spidery, but No7 wands don't let me down, so if I have to recommend a mascara I would say this was top three. 

Next is one of the products we were teased with, but that isn't available to buy yet. Here is a snap of the adjustable head eyeliner Lancôme are launching very soon. I didn't get a photo myself, so this is from Alison, PassionsandPreening's snapchat.

I struggle with my eyeliner so I'm dying to get my hands on one of these flexible head types. 

Moving on to something I did get a sample of, the Smash Box Primer £25.50 

I've tried a couple of brands of primer but never fully added it into my makeup routine. This product might just change that. It's hard to describe how it makes your skin feel, but it's so soft, you'll just want to keep touching it. 

Bumble & Bumble Thickening Hairspray £22.00 next. They gave us a couple of samples and they all smell so good. This hairspray isn't an aerosol, which is great because cans of hairspray bring me out in a rash. This is more liquid, but has a tonne of hold. My hair felt very natural and not full of product, despite the curl I had put in holding so well.

Another full size sample the Boots Coconut Oil 100ml at £2.54 is a versatile product you can use for your hair, skin and nails. I used it as a body moisturiser & of course the scent is delicious.

Lastly, if you are into beauty you'll surely have heard about the new Benefit Brow Collection coming soon. I've my eyes set on Gimme Brow in shade 4, £18.50 after the girls colour matched my brows and applied the gel for me. 

So my makeup below is Estée Lauder Double Wear To Go foundation & blush, Clinique mascara, Benefit Gimme Brow, Lancôme Juicy Shaker lips. Thanks for a wonderful day, Boots!