Blogsquad Cork – Inside Scoop

(details about my outfit are on my Instagram)

Last weekend I was fortunate enough to attend Blogsquad at the Kingsley Hotel in Cork. I had an amazing time there. Tickets were €85 but they had earlybird tickets too that were a little bit cheaper. It started at twelve but of course, I decided to get there a little earlier to grab a seat close to the front. When the doors opened, our goodie bags were waiting for us, white paper bags with hot pink tissue paper spilling over the edges. I couldn’t wait to see what was inside. For the first 5 to 10 minutes as people got seated, I spent my time rummaging though my little goodie bag discovering what was inside. We received lots of make-up and hair products as well as a few discount cards. Here is what was in the bags:

Alfaparf Milano Semi Dilino Diamond Illuminating shampoo (50ml)
Alfaparf Milano Sem
i Dilino Diamond Illuminating conditioner (50ml)
Alfaparf Milano Semi Dilino Diamond Illuminating mask (60ml)
Wet n Wild Megaslicks lipgloss in ‘Rose Gold’ (E576A)
3 invisibobble hair rings
Green Wet n Wild eyeshadow in Envy (E256B)
Wet n Wild eyeliner in ‘Cool Green’
Bring the Salon Home Kiss true volume lashes (100% natural hair)
imPRESS press on manicure false waterproof nails (dark maroon shade – K00811)
A sheet with 3 home workouts
Free eye test for Specsavers
€150 off invisalign clear alternative braces by Radiance
Free contact lens assessment (usual price €30)
All Dolled Up Hair Salon Business Card

I’m looking forward to trying out these new products. A lot of people don’t wear green eyeshadow for fear they might look too ‘Paddy’s Day ready’ but it can actually look quite pretty if it’s the right shade. This one isn’t too bright so it will work well. It’s really a case of experimenting and seeing what’s right for you. I’m not sure if I will get much wear out of the green eyeliner though. I feel it is a bit too bright for my skin tone but perhaps it would suit a darker complexion.

I will let you know how I get on with the other products on my social media accounts so be sure to follow me.

The hilarious James Patrice was MC for the event. He did such a fabulous job at wooing the crowd. Everyone was laughing. He really interacted with the audience and the other bloggers. If you aren’t following him on snapchat then add him now for a bit of daily comedy. His snap stories are priceless!!

First on stage were the styling team from All Dolled Up hair salon. The hairdressers talked through how to create three looks from home: the ‘Hollywood Doll’ (bouncy, volumised waves), the ‘Balmain Doll’ (balmain ponytail extension) and the ‘Sleek Siren Doll’ (straightened hair with clip-in fringe).

To create the ‘Hollywood Doll’ look, Stephan used the Instyler to create sleek bouncy curls. The instyler has four rows of bristles and a rotating barrel. It also uses less heat than most styling tools. The combination of the bristles to brush through the hair and separate the strands and the barrel to smooth and mould the hair creates a sleek look. To create the ‘Sleek Siren Doll’ look, the stylists used Young again Oil by Kevin Murphy. This product can be used as a styling prep before using heat and adds shine to the hair. Kathy recommended using a blur brush. It is used to apply colour to the hair but can also be used to tame fly-a-ways. Any foundation brush will serve the same purpose. All stylists used the Kevin Murphy Doo.over Spray, which is a dry finishing hairspray. It is almost like a dry shampoo and a hairspray in one.

Rosie Connolly from Heartsheelsandhandbags talked us through her favourite skin care products. Rosie’s skin is flawless so we were all taking notes!

The first product she recommended were these Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix exfoliating facial fix pads which are available in Boots for €12.05 (includes 60 pads).

Her favourite cleanser that she recommended was the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish (€20.75 100ml).

It comes with a muslin cloth. Rosie recommended using two pumps and then washing it off with the cloth. She also said that it is really good for getting off eye makeup and doesn’t sting if it gets in your eyes.

Another product that Rosie recommended was the Glamglow Super mud mask. She suggested to use it once a week but to do a test on the skin first as her husband had an allergic reaction to it so it is not for everyone.

Neutrogena pore and shine scrub was another favourite of Rosie’s that is currently €4.19 in Boots.

Her favourite night cream is the Botanics – All Bright Hydrating Night Cream (€6.99 in Boots).

She’s also a lover of the botanics Day Cream (€6.99 in Boots) and Serum (€13.99 in Boots).

As Rosie is a mother she loves finding products that she can use not only on herself but also on Harry, her son. She loves Moogoo skin milk udder cream, which is an Irish brand. I found out on their website that it is actually used as a treatment for skin damage as a result of Radiation and Chemotherapy. Its €10.95 on their website.

La Roche-Posay Lipikar Baume (€15.99 in Boots) is great for hydrating the skin.

Rosie’s favourite sun cream is the Image spf prevention daily mat oil free moisturizer with SPF 32.

She shared a great skin tip to remove tan. Lather the skin in baby oil and leave soak in for 5 minutes. Have a hot bath and then scrub. The tan should come off more easily.

Lisa Jordan from justjordan.ie came out after Rosie and told us about her favourite products:

Tansie
Kevin Murphy shampoo
Joico colour balance blue shampoo
SoSueMe contour palette
Morphie eyeshadow palette (beautybay €24.50)
Carlibybel eyeshadow and highlighter palette (bhcosmetics)
Lumee phone case (hit and miss product, expensive and she broke 2 already)
Nux tan oil/ Coco brown version

Next, Katie from LovelyGirlyBits had a chat with James Patrice on stage that asked her about her Blogging and Youtube journey. It was my first time meeting Katie and I must say; she is so down to earth and really genuine. She writes great beauty reviews on her blog. I would definitely recommend checking them out.

Rosie came back out on stage with Holly White from UTV Ireland to present a fashion show. Some of you may know her from Xposé. Holly and Rosie talked us through each look. They suggested what they could be worn with and what occasion each outfit would be suitable for. All clothes were worn by Lockdown models. The clothes were from Meadows and Byrnes, Verso and Phoenix V.

When the fashion show ended the Kingsley staff came around with afternoon tea and scones. The presentation was beautiful and of course the macaroons were my favourite!!

After tea, Rosie came out again and demonstrated how to create flawless brows. These were the products she used to create the look:

Inglot AMC eyebrow gel (which comes in a variety of shades)
Stila 2in1 eyebrow and spoolie brush

Rosie suggested spraying hairspray on a spoolie brush and comb through the brows as an alternative to brow gel. She instructed to brush the hair upwards and make sure that there is no product on the eyebrow brush to get a precise line. If your brow gel dries out, Rosie commended a few drops of duraline from inglot to solve the problem.

Lisa finished off the rest of the makeup. She first began by applying Buff illuminator onto the skin to create a effortless glow under the foundation. Benefit have a similar product – Sunbeam. Her favourite foundation to use is Armani luminous silk, which she used on the model, but she also mixed it with a bit of mac foundation. She used the C452 flat foundation brush from Crown Brush to buff it into the skin. To contour she used shades from the SoSueMe palette. However, she said to be careful with shade one, as it can be quite strong. To highlight, Lisa proposed using soft and gentle or golden glow and for lips – Whirl, twig, brave, soar are her favourite lipsticks (Mac). For the eyes, she used a gold eye shadow and pure white for the inner corners.

Holly White came back on stage to talk about her career journey. Holly’s words were very inspirational as was her honest account of how long it took her to get to where she is now. She admitted to being lucky to getting a reply to the email she sent to Xposé requesting to do a fashion segment. Taking a leap of faith, she entered naively into the unknown. Outwardly, she portrayed a strong confidence and knowledge of what she was doing. This opened many doors for Holly and she is currently hosting The Pulse on UTV Ireland. She confided that blogging and photography was new to her at the outset but through meeting people and new experiences, she gained knowledge and insight into the world of success.

Emma Kierse from F.1.T. Ballincolling demonstrated the exercises on the home workout sheet that was included in the goodie bags. Just before the day ended all bloggers (Lisa, Rosie, Katie and Holly) sat in a line on stage for a Q and A session. It gave the audience an opportunity to discover some of the bloggers secrets.

When the show ended, they stayed around to take pictures with fans. I spoke to all of them and told them about my new blog asking them for tips and advice. They were all very genuine and willing to help. Holly White really took the time to talk to me about blogging even though there were other fans waiting for her.

Before the Q and A James presented prizes for people who used the hashtag blogsquad on social media. I was fortunate enough to win a €250 voucher for All Dolled Up salon in Ballincollig. I will be booking my hair appointment soon so I will keep you informed about my visit there on my social media accounts.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the day. I had never been at an event like this before. I picked up loads of tips and got to meet some of my favourite bloggers. If any of you reading are interested in going to a similar event then you are in luck as the Blogsquad team will be hosting a similar event in Athlone soon. For more information click here – Blogsquad Athlone.