Hair help!

Next Friday night my Mr and I are attending a black tie awards nights for the Gaelic Players Association! It is an annual event and it really is a fab excuse to get glammed up and to go all out with the dress, the hair, lashes the lot!!!

I am happily wearing the same dress that I wore last year, not something I would normally do but hey, there's a recession and the guys were so drunk last year that I could have been naked and they wouldn't have noticed!! I really love this dress and wore it on two consecutive nights last year. (You would think we go to black tie events every night!!) My point is I have only worn it twice and it would be a pity not to give it another airing. I felt great in this dress and that alone is enough reason to throw it on again this year!!






My problem is the hair do!! Which do I go for.... Any help deciding would be much appreciated. Am tempted to go for the side fringe and bun to the side biz but know this is the safe option as I have the fringe to hide behind!! Any other nice styles I should have a look at???

New Skincare regime

For a good while my skin and I were getting along well we had a nice little realationship going on - I look after you and you look after me! However, in the past 2 or 3 weeks my skin has started to rebel.

My main problems are that my t-zone is very congested and has a lot of blackheads, I also have some scarring in my chin area from spots that I have picked and won't leave alone (I know cardinal sin but at least I can admit I do it - who doesn't love a good pick!!) On top of all this I can also be a bit lazy at the end of a long day and want a quick fix so normally rely on the good ol wipes to wipe away the grime of the day and crawl into bed.

I have decided to take my skin in hand and do something about it. I have made enquiries into getting a course of glycolic peels or microdermabrasion in the hope of getting rid of the dreaded blackheads once and for all, but 2 things put me off - the cost involved and the fear of having a complete breakout during the treatment!



So in the meantime I am just upping my skincare regime to see what I can do about it myself. I saw a great video The product that changed my skin by the lovely dazzledust25 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6Bw72tmeHM about her miracle glycolic cleanser and am hoping to pick this up on sunday. In the meantime I am using my neutrogina 2 in 1 face wash to cleanse my face every night. Then I apply Clarins face treatment oil just before bed. This oil is gorgeous, the smell alone reminds me of having a facial and I wake up with super soft skin. I read somewhere that you should treat oily skin with oil and despite what you may think I think its true!!



My skin is beginning to improve but I am aware that I still need to tackle the issue of the texture and scarring and blackheads!! Hopefully the Profound skincare Advanced performance glycolic cleanser will be the answer to all my prayers!!

Magazine launch

Last night I attended the launch of a new magazine called Essential! It is actually a free glossy magazine that is to be distributed in my neighbouring town of Drogheda. It really is a womans magazine with beauty tips, fashion as well as a who's who out on the town! There is one or two token mens articles but it is geared more for the female audience. I can see why as the majority of money spent on magazines is by women!

For a free magazine it is a suprisingly good read - issue 1 and so far I'm impressed.

My hubby is a printer and it is the company he works for that has started up the editing, printing and distribution of this mag. I think that in this economic climate it was a really brave move to be taking on with a new venture like this but I do think they are on to a winner!

At the opening last night we were snapped by the photographer, so who knows maybe we'll grace the 2nd issue!! The launch was a great success held in a lovely modern hotel in Drogheda, the wine flowed, the nibbles were delish and the band rocked the joint!!

The only problem is that hangovers and toddlers don't mix! I was never so glad for naptime to roll around when me and Mr man had a sneaky hour cuddled up together in bed!!!

I'm in mourning :(

For the past week I have had no phone! Now if I heard someone telling this sorry tale, I would be muttering Dumbass under my breath at them! But the dumbass is me!!! My iphone fell down the toilet last Friday night and I have been in a state of total mourning since!

You see I am not a techie person, I leave all that technical stuff and gadgets to my other half - he is subscribed to "Cranky Geeks" he is a total gadget man!! Me, I prefer the simplier things in life and resisted an iphone for a long time. Finding myself without a phone and without an ipod seemed like the ideal time to bite the bullet and invest in an iphone, I wasn't entirely convinced I needed or even wanted it - how wrong could I be!

Quite frankly it was love at first sight! I love this little baby and grew so attached to it. That I could not believe my total and utter stupidity at letting it fall down the toilet. I had it in my cardigan pocket and as if in slow motion I saw it slide down the slippery slope and splashed. The picture flickered and as I fished it out I hoped for the best, but it wasn't to be!! I'm not ashamed to admit I shed a little tear - both at the loss of the only little gadget I ever truly loved and in sheer frustration at my own stupidity.

So for the past week it has been kept in a bag of rice, dried out with the hair dryer, sat on a radiator and plugged in all in a vain effort to heat it up and dry it out! I have done my research online and it does happen to lots of people (this doesn't make me feel better, just that their are other stupid people out therE). I ventured mid-week into O2 to see what they could do and the answer was a big fat and rude NOTHING! I have no insurance was no where near an upgrade so basically it was tough!!

As a last ditch attempt I rang Apple! I really was clutching at straws at this stage! However, low and behold the good people at apple came riding in on a white horse to lift me out of my utter depression and to whisk me away to happily ever after! For a fixed fee they are winging a courier my way with a little box, in which I will place my iphone and within 5-10 working days I will have a replacement phone! God bless you Apple - probably the best customer service in the world ever!

So thanks to my darling hubby (who can sympathise with my loss) and is funding my replacement iphone. He also never once got annoyed or said "you stupid...." he could see my despair and didn't gloat or make me feel worse in fact he did all he could to rescue the stupid thing!!

I hereby promise that I will guard this iphone with my life and I will never ever ever bring it within 20 feet of a toilet!!! Let this be a lesson to you all - never ever tweet & tinkle!!!

If you cast your mind back, I blogged about attending an ugg boot party and how I wasn't going to buy any!! Well I lied, I did! I went for the cream Cardigan uggs. This is so typical of me to choose the most impractical boots ever! Well, I have only ventured out once in them partly because I am afraid of looking like a teenager and more importantly I am terrified of getting them dirty!! So they have turned out to be a really expensive pair of slippers as I am only wearing them around the house!!

I have discovered two things in my short trip out in them today:

1. I need to wear socks when wearing my boots as today I didn't and my heels were killing me after only 10 mins!

2. They are bloody warm!! Ok so today was a warm day but they were seriously hot hot hot!

Chanel Rose Satin

This is one of those polishes that I always look at but never buy!! Until now that is!! I bought this polish from the lovely Gabriela from http://gabriela-lifeinengland.blogspot.com/ (she has a new fashion blog too, this girl has serious style check it out!!) and http://gabriela-darknessfalls.blogspot.com/ . I was thrilled to pick this up in her blog sale as chanel is one of those brands that I just can't justify the high price tag but one that I also love.I only own one other Chanel nail polish called vandetta a beautiful vibrant purple. This colour rose satin to me is the perfect summer colour. It is a peachy pink nude colour (if that makes sense). So with summer fast drawing to a close I felt it was about time to slap this on and yes it really is the perfect summer colour.

Forgive the dodgy paint job was trying to paint nails and do a million other things all at the same time!!!

p.s. just a quick note on the way this polish arrived - in mint condition, almost full and in the box!! I couldn't believe it!! I hang my head in shame at the condition some of my makeup is in and vow to do better!!

Mary Kay competition

Hi gals,

there is a great competition over on Hayley's blog page - check it out some great prizes to be won!!!

http://mymarykayjourney.blogspot.com/2009/08/hayley-anderson-mk-foundation-giveaway.html

Conical Wand

My conical wand which I bought from http://www.lookfantastic.com/ arrived on Monday and I couldn't wait to try it out! Unfortunately I fell ill and have been feeling lousy for the last few days so today was my first chance to try it out.

I took this before shot of my hair, it is not poker straight it does have a kink to it but I also had it tied up all day so it is more kinky than usual!!!

I am still trying to get the hang of the conical wand and did burn myself a couple of times despite wearing the Michael Jacksonesque gloves that came with it! I found the back of my hair quite tricky, but I suppose for a first attempt its not too bad! I do love the effect it gives - kind of like beachy waves rather than a full on curl! I will keep practising until I master my conical wand!

Outfit of the day

Ok, this is my outfit of yesterday. I wore my topshop vest (as seen on Alex Curran in this weeks New magazine - why does that make me happy!!) My oatmeal coloured cardi is from Primark, Jeggings are river island and shoes also from river island. My bag is by chloe!!

MAC TRIP II For Sale

FOR SALE:

Unwanted gift - have too many purpley shadows already!

Rare and limited edition only available from MAC counters at some airports so not in any shops:

MAC Trip 5 Warm Eyes.
MAC eyeshadow palette with brush and mirror.
The 5 eyeshadows are Whistle (Satin); Da Bling (Veluxe Pearl); Leisuretime (Veluxe Pearl); Cassette (Veluxe Pearl); Parfait Amour (Frost).

Brand new in box, never even been swatched!

only £20

Will ship anywhere!

£2.50 Uk p&p

£3.50 Rest of the World

Payment by paypal only

**First come first served. Just leave a comment below with your paypal email address.

Outfit of the day.

I love seeing other people's outfit of the day posts so here is what I was sporting today!! My top/dress is from exhibit £12, the red boyfriend cardi is from Primark £10 ( I bought it in 3 colours as I live in Cardis!!). My Jeggings are from River Island and my shoes are from Tesco!!

Our Wedding Anniversary

While on holidays recently my husband and I celebrated our 4th Wedding Anniversary. We exchanged little gifts and cards and planned on having a really nice meal that evening! On our way out for the evening my hubby pulled a suprise out of the bag (quite literally!!)



I had been complaining a little bit (ok maybe a lot) during the holiday that he is not very thoughtful or romantic (to give you an example he gave me a card with money in it for my birthday - I mean not very thoughtful esp as I am so easy to buy for!!) Anyways all is forgiven cos the boy done good!!



We led us down to the beach where he spread out a towel and unwrapped 2 champagne flutes and a bottle of Moet which he had hidden from me all day!! So we sat as the sun was setting and drank our champagne reminising about what we were doing this time 4 years ago - of course we had a little guy in attendance who certainly had not even been thought about 4 years ago!! I had a lovely evening and I wouldn't change a thing! I love you baby x

Duty Free buys

While on holidays in the Canary Islands I could not resist the lure of the perfume shops all screaming "Duty Free" at me so I did make a couple of purchases. Even though I could have done a lot more damage I managed to restrain myself. I decided to buy things that I was dying to try but kind of bedgrudged paying the high prices at home for. In these shops they always give you a generous discount at the till. I ended up going for Diorshow Iconic mascara in black. Dior Forever foundation in number 32, and a Chanel powder - poudre Douche in Peche Tendre.


I have been using this mascara now for about 5 days and the results are amazing. I find that my lashes have that look of false lashes without all the fiddly hassle of lashes! My lashes are thick long and separated - perfect mascara except one little downside is that it is virtually impossible to get it all off. I find after using it for a few days that the mascara has built up on my lashes. I use the body shop camomile eye make remover and this normally removes all my eye makeup in one easy step. This mascara is harder to remove and I do end up tugging and rubbing at my eyes to get it all off and even still there is nearly always still some left on my eyes in the morning!

I saw this powder being used by Pixiwoo in one of her vids and I am such a sucker if she said smear mud on your face it will look good - I probably would!!! I do love Chanel packaging though and this compact comes in a cute little velvet pouch with a small brush in its own pouch! I have only used it once so I cant give an accurate review but I will review it in a post once I have shown it a little love!

I have heard and read amazing reviews of this foundation both on you tube and blogger. As I am always striving to find the perfect foundation for my skin I really wanted to try this out! I have not used it at all yet as I am currently only using a tinted moisturiser as part of my summer makeup routine, I will probably leave it towards the end of the summer to use it as I know that it is quick a thick formula that provide a good all over cover and at the minute I want my natural tan/freckles to show through, so this baby is on standby til the Autumn. Watch out for a review then.

Clarins Hydra-Matte Lotion

While packing for holidays I came across some little sample size products I had from Clarins, I always like to take the minimum number of products and smallest size products with me. So I threw in a Clarins moisturiser and this hydra matte lotion.

This lotion is for combination skin, to be applied after cleansing and it keeps your face matt throughout the day. I love this stuff. With one wear I knew this was the product for me. My skin is quite oliy especially through my t-zone and my makeup tends to slide off my face as the day progresses no matter what foundation or powder I use. With this product my face stayed in place and I didn't even need to blot my face or reapply powder at all.

What clarins say "Radiance, comfort and a matte apperance for combination skin". For me this does not replace moistuiser but is simply another step I use after cleansing before moisturising. I also find that there is no need for a primer when I use this.

I purchased the full size version of this as soon as my sample had run out, I bought it while on holidays as all the cosmetics were duty free! I think it cost about 23euro which for a Clarins product is not bad at all.

If you have oily skin and find your makeup does not stay in place, especially during the Summer months then you should definatley give this product a try.

New Shoes

I recently got two pairs of new sandals I want to share with you. The first pair I actually saw on someone else and admired them and she told me she bought them in Tesco of all places. I couldn't believe it as they looked so good on! I rushed to my local tesco and picked them up for 6 euro, total bargain!! I love them, they may not be the most comfortable sandals I have ever worn but for 6euro I can put up with any minor discomfort!!!!

The second pair I spotted while on holiday in Lanzarote and knew I had to have them. My hubby ended up buying them for me as a suprise. I think they cost around 30euro. I love them but am finding it hard to wear them now I'm home. They were lovely on hols with short skirts or shorts but the weather has been so bad since we've got home I just can't seem to style an outfit around them. I did wear them one day with huge turn ups on my skinny jeans to show them off but am not convinced that my outfit looked out. Any ideas on how to wear these babies???

Birthday pressies - decisions decisions!!

As I mentioned in my previous post I celebrated my birthday while on holidays! I was spoilt and had a lovely day in the sun and a fabulous evening including champagne and a delish meal. My hubby gave me money as he knew I wanted to pick a new bag or purse so he left the decisions to me!! My parents and mother in law also gave me cash (I didn't think I was that hard to buy for!!!)


Anyhow, I am going shopping for a new bag/purse and am so indecisive about what to go for. I really like the louis vuitton neverfull and it is definately one of the contenders. I am torn though of whether to go for something a bit more subtle and more designery if you know what I mean. Marc by Marc Jacobs for example. Then again maybe a nice wallet/purse would be nice! Any suggestions would be really helpful!
What's top of your bag wishlist???

P.s. I just read this back and I sound like a total spoilt brat - "Oh I cant decide what designer bag I want" Im not I get spoilt once a year and that's it!!!

Holidays!

I returned last weekend from 2 weeks away in Lanzarote with my hubby and 1 year old son. I have just about got back to normal and made my way through all the unpacking, washing and ironing! We had a lovely time but to say I am now exhausted and in dire need of a holiday is a total understatement! As dressjunkie suggested I think I may need a day spa to re charge my batteries (I know you read this Donnie so get on it!!!)
It was my birthday while we were away and the apts we were staying at delivered a bottle of champers to our apt on the morning of my birthday, a lovely suprise and a really nice touch!


Decisions, decisions.....

I knew it would be tough going battling with the heat and the fact that my little man has no sense of danger and is so willful he just wants to wander around by himself! We managed the heat with the help of a fan (no ac in apt - big mistake!) and we basically kept moving! I swear I have never walked so much in my life. The only down time we had was the hour and a half that the little man slept! It was enjoyable and was great to spend some family time together but holidays with a one year old are tough work!!

Here's some pics to show you some of our adventures:

Garnier Pure Active

I went today to try to get my hands on some of the garnier pure active range as I have read some of your blogs and tweets - and hey who couldn't be doing with eliminating some spots and blackheads!! Also I have just run out of moisturiser and figure I could give this one a go.

Well major fail. My local boots didn't have any of the pure active range at all. I tried Tesco and they just had the scrub! I hate living in a small town we are just so backward it takes forever for things to come into our shops!!

Ugg Boot Party

On Saturday night I went to a friend's apartment where she hosted an ugg boot party. She organised an ugg boot supplier to come and display her wares and you could try them on and then order what you wanted. The best part is that the boots and sandals were all half the price of what you pay in the shops! (& yes they are genuine and no they didn't fall off the back of a lorry!!)



Now anyone that followed my blog back in January when I was going to NY will know that my hubby told me I was too old for uggs and that I was not to buy a pair in the states!! Well in an act of defiance I did make a purchase on sat night, think the copious amount of wine may also of had something to do with it!!!



I opted for a pair of cardigan boots (knitted), I went for the cream colour as I fell instantly in love with them. They are totally impractical as I am the messiest person ever but I love white and cream and I will do my best to keep them clean!!! She also had some gorgeous ugg sandals and espidrilles but I limited myself to the boots! Just hope I wear them and that I don't chicken out for fear of looking stupid!



Here's a pic of them. I haven't actually gotten my own pair yet as delivery is 2 weeks so I will take a pic of them on me when they arrive!!

The party was great fun & something different and I have arranged for the girl to come down to my workplace in September/October to do her thang at lunchtime. (The host gets a further 10% discount).

Project "Buns of Steel"

It seems everyone is embarking on a "Project" of some sort - whether its not spending or using up 10 makeup items! Well I have started project buns of steel lol!!! No really, 3 weeks ago I hired a cross trainer from our local plant hire. I hired it for 6 weeks as it was 6 weeks then until our holidays! So I am halfway through my project and have gone from only being able to do about 5 mins at the lowest level to just completing 30 mins of high intensity fat burning!!
It really is amazing how quickly you can build up your fitness and stamina. Today I tried on a pair of seven jeans that I haven't worn in a while and I definately can see a big difference in my thigh and bum area! So this has totally inspired me to keep going. I am currently doing 30 mins about 5 times a week so I am going to up the ante for the next 3 weeks and hopefully when I jet off on holidays I will have my elusive BUNS OF STEEL......