As you might know, me and Sean popped off to Dublin for a few days at the start of August. If you missed my ramblings about day 1 + 2 you can read that here. Todays post is all about what we got up to days 3 + 4!
Day 3 - Our Third day in lovely Dublin was actually my 22nd Birthday! We had tickets booked for a tour around the Guinness factory, and even though I can't stand the stuff I was pretty excited! I was probably more excited for Sean as he drinks this vile liquid on the regular. We hopped on the bus and were ready to learn all about Guinness before midday.
The factory is actually quite interesting but not that different to other factories we'd been to before. It's basically the same as the Heineken factory in Amsterdam only its obviously about making Guinness, not Heineken. The best part was definitely the Gravity Bar right at the top the factory which gives a gorgeous 360 degree view of Dublin, even on a rainy day. I have this thing with views and heights; when I look over a city, or a beautiful view I get this funny feeling in my tummy and I just feel pure happiness. It's so strange to describe but the feeling I get when I'm looking down at the world below me is the closest I've ever got to understanding what life's all about. I don't want to get all deep here but in those moments I kind of just know that I'm meant to travel and see as much of this world as I can.
The factory is actually quite interesting but not that different to other factories we'd been to before. It's basically the same as the Heineken factory in Amsterdam only its obviously about making Guinness, not Heineken. The best part was definitely the Gravity Bar right at the top the factory which gives a gorgeous 360 degree view of Dublin, even on a rainy day. I have this thing with views and heights; when I look over a city, or a beautiful view I get this funny feeling in my tummy and I just feel pure happiness. It's so strange to describe but the feeling I get when I'm looking down at the world below me is the closest I've ever got to understanding what life's all about. I don't want to get all deep here but in those moments I kind of just know that I'm meant to travel and see as much of this world as I can.
After leaving the Guinness factory we headed back to the hotel early as we had missed one of the tours we were meant to be on, and we had a little bit of time to relax before getting ready for our final night in Dublin.
Because it was my birthday we decided to eat at the Hard Rock, and as usual we had an amazing meal. Sean told the waitress it was my birthday while I was in the toilet and not long after I came back I was presented with a huge Chocolate Sundae and prompted to stand on a chair so everyone could sing happy birthday to me. There is a really cringe video of the whole thing but I don't want to subject you guys to that. Once we had finished our meals we tried to get another cocktail from the bar but they were already closed. I swear this Hard Rock closes earlier than any other Hard Rock I've ever been to before! We then went back to one of the pubs we drank in the previous night for one last pint in gorgeous Dublin City.
Because it was my birthday we decided to eat at the Hard Rock, and as usual we had an amazing meal. Sean told the waitress it was my birthday while I was in the toilet and not long after I came back I was presented with a huge Chocolate Sundae and prompted to stand on a chair so everyone could sing happy birthday to me. There is a really cringe video of the whole thing but I don't want to subject you guys to that. Once we had finished our meals we tried to get another cocktail from the bar but they were already closed. I swear this Hard Rock closes earlier than any other Hard Rock I've ever been to before! We then went back to one of the pubs we drank in the previous night for one last pint in gorgeous Dublin City.
Day 4 - Our final day was quite emotional. We checked out of the hotel and went out to catch our final tour. We had a little bit of time to kill beforehand so I had a quick look around Pennys (Primark in the UK) and Sean obviously headed for the nearest book shop. I came away with the most gorgeous top for €13 which I will include in an OOTD soon I promise. We then jumped on the bus up to Glasnevin Cemetery for a slightly morbid tour. For just a couple of euros you are taken around the graves of some of Ireland's most famous residents. I would really recommend this tour after you've visited Kilmainham Gaol as you can see where a few of the people involved in the Easter Rising are buried. Grace Plunkett, who I mentioned in the last post is actually buried here, although sadly not with her husband. Other notable people who are buried here include, Eamon de Valera, Michael Collins, Charles Stewart Parnell and of course Daniel O'Connel who is buried beneath the huge tower. Guests are encouraged to rub his coffin for good luck but I passed on that as it was a bit too weird for me.
Once our tour was finished it was time to head back to the hotel to pick up our bags for the airport. Even though we were flying to Paris I was still really sad to leave this city and both Sean and I have vowed to return as soon as possible. We didn't make it to the airport without issues though, as our coach drove straight past us and our horrible taxi driver tried to completely overcharge us but those are stories for another time!
All in all I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Ireland and writing this post up has brought back so many good memories! I really want to get back there soon and I'd love to explore more of this beautiful country!
Thanks for reading!
xxx
I think most people have lost intrest in Pokemon Go now but to be honest the whole thing has brought back so many childhood memories so I'll always be thankful for that. I too have stopped playing it recently as I don't fancy going over my data for a second time, but with this new passion for Pokemon that has emerged I wanted to do something Pokemon themed on the blog.
Since the day I received a special shiny Flareon Pokemon card she has been my favourite. One of three possible evolutions of an Eevie, Flareon was the best as far as I was concerned. When I decided I wanted to try and create some makeup looks based on Pokemon I knew she had to be first, so here's how I made this look...
As always I start with my eyeshadow first. I applied my new Benefit Air Patrol eyeshadow primer to both lids (review up soon!). Then taking the shade 1987 from the Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Pallet I dusted it over the inner half of my eyelid. I then took the gorgeous orange shade Paradox from the Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland pallet and applied it to the outer half of my eyelid. Since doing this look I would have preferred to have put orange on the inner, gold in the middle and orange again on the outer corner so I'll try that again next time.
Once I was happy with how vivid the colours were I tidied the eyeshadow up a bit and prepped my lashes for mascara. I always dab a small amount of moisturiser to my lashes before I add mascara as I feel like it keeps them looking healthy and it also helps to apply my mascara evenly. The mascara I've used for this look is my old trusty Roller Lash which I've talked about none stop since its release early last year.
After coating my top lashes I then applied more gold eyeshadow underneath my lower lash line with the smallest dash on orange just in the outer corners. Then using my new favourite eyeliner the Kat Von Dee Ink Liner I drew on my everyday flicks. After doing this I always apply mascara to my lower lashes and again on my upper lashes as I need all the help I can get in that department! An optional extra for this look is adding a dusting of highlighter above the eyeshadow, the one I've used here is from MAC in shade Lightscapade.
And thats all there is too this look! Its not very complicated but then again I don't have the time or skills to do anything too fancy! I've love to know what you think about this Pokemon inspired makeup!
Thanks for reading!
xxx
I've been blogging for just over 3 years now and although I'm no expert I have picked up a few tips along the way! These little bits of advice won't make you an overnight blogging sensation but I hope they are useful to you guys either way! Don't forget to leave your own tips in the comments!
1. Only blog about what you are passionate about, not the latest trend
2. Always resize your photographs to 'Original Size' if using blogger, the quality will be much better.
3. Buy a custom URL, it makes it easier for other people to remember and looks more professional.
4. You don't need a fancy camera but images are everything on a blog. Learn how to edit your photographs, even if thats just chucking a filter over them.
5. It's important to have several social media platforms and link them if you are happy for them to be public.
6. Don't try and stick to a blogging schedule unless you're really happy with doing so. Blogging should be fun and not forced, don't ruin it for yourself.
7. Lighting is so important when taking photos but you don't need a professional lighting set up, natural light usually works just as well!
8. Get on Twitter and share share share! Don't forget to be friendly and engage with other bloggers too.
9. Try not to buy things 'just to blog about them'. I know a lot of beauty bloggers are guilty of this one and its not a good habit to keep.
10. Sometimes its good to take a break. Its easy to tell when a someone hasn't enjoyed writing a blog post.
11. If you are offered free products to try out only accept those you are genuinely excited about. Blogging isn't about getting your hands on all the freebies.
12. Don't be afraid to try something new, if blogs were all the same they would be boring.
13. Keep a blogging notebook to write down ideas as and when they come to you.
14. Don't start a blog expecting to make money from it. The big bloggers put a lot of time and effort in to get where they are.
15. Invest in a nice easy to use blog layout if you can afford one.
16. Don't be afraid to comment on other blogs, we are all friends here!
17. Try not to worry if you don't have many followers, I only had 3 followers for for the first 6 months of having a blog and I still loved it just as much as I do now!
18. Most importantly have fun! Use your platform to talk about things that matter to you and enjoy it!
Do you have any other tips? Leave them in the comments!
Thanks for reading!
xxx
At the start of August Sean and I flew out to beautiful Dublin for 4 days. Neither of us had been to Ireland before and with Sean's family links to the country we were super excited to delve into the history and explore the city. Unfortunately we were enjoying ourselves too much to take lots of photos and I'm kicking myself a bit now that I hardly have any to show. Anyway here is a run down of what we got up to in those few days...
Day 1 - After a very early start we arrived in Dublin at around 9am; we were checked into the hotel by 10:30am and by 11am we were riding around on a sightseeing tour bus. We needed to make the most of every second here as we only had a few days. The first few hours were spent viewing the city from the top of the tour bus, taking in lots of information as we went. There really is just so much history here and I think tour busses are one of the best ways to learn a lot in a short amount of time.
After a few hours of looking at all the touristy stuff we headed back to the hotel to get ready for our first night out. After realising I'd left my hairbrush at home (along with my toothbrush, phone charger and makeup wipes) I sent Sean out to buy me one and we were out not long after 7. The plan was to find a nice place to eat around Temple Bar area as our hotel was 5 minutes away but it was just so busy. I think the amount of people around coupled with being in a new place set me on edge and I just couldn't stay in that area. I was really annoyed at myself for getting so anxious but we soon found a little american dinner that was super cute and dead cheap.
After our slap up burger meals we headed to The Dublin Hard Rock Cafe for our all time favourite cocktail; The Southern Rock. Me and Sean are trying to visit every Hard Rock eventually and this one marked our 5th! We soon turned in for the night after deciding I just couldn't hack the Dublin nightlife.
After our slap up burger meals we headed to The Dublin Hard Rock Cafe for our all time favourite cocktail; The Southern Rock. Me and Sean are trying to visit every Hard Rock eventually and this one marked our 5th! We soon turned in for the night after deciding I just couldn't hack the Dublin nightlife.
Day 2 - The second day was also another early start. We had pre-booked tickets to Kilmainham Gaol for a morning tour but we also really wanted to change hotel rooms. After a lot, and I mean a lot of pleading with the reception staff they were willing to move us but only if we moved right then! With only 5 minutes to spare we packed everything up and popped it into our new, much nicer hotel room. We then dashed off to take one of the most interesting tours I've ever been on.
I can't even explain the emotions that go through you as you wander around Kilmainham, its so easy to feel sympathetic for the former residents and angry too but I mostly just felt sad for them. As you are told their stories it's so hard not to get emotionally attached to them. The story that spoke to me the most was of Joseph Plunket and Grace Gifford, who were married just hours before his execution. It's really worth reading about those two and the others involved in the Easter Rising but you'll probably cry, don't say I didn't warn you.
I can't even explain the emotions that go through you as you wander around Kilmainham, its so easy to feel sympathetic for the former residents and angry too but I mostly just felt sad for them. As you are told their stories it's so hard not to get emotionally attached to them. The story that spoke to me the most was of Joseph Plunket and Grace Gifford, who were married just hours before his execution. It's really worth reading about those two and the others involved in the Easter Rising but you'll probably cry, don't say I didn't warn you.
After that emotional rollercoaster we walked down the road from the jail to where Sean's grandad was born. Sean wanted to see the house he used to live in and get some pictures for his grandad. Out of courtesy for the current owners we knocked on to see if was okay to snap some pictures and explained why we were there in the first place. After talking to Patricia the new owner we discovered that Sean is actually related to her husband and we were soon being invited in for tea and to chat about Sean's family! It turns out her husband is Sean's grandad's cousin and they had lost touch when he came over to England 50+ years ago!
After leaving there we headed back to get ready for our second night and went on the hunt for some traditional Irish stew. Turns out I'm not the biggest fan of Irish stew. We decided to give temple bar another go and despite staying in a few pubs for a little sing song and a couple of pints I really just couldn't enjoy myself. My confidence was virtually none existent that night again and I'm so gutted I let everything get on top of me. For whatever reason I just couldn't get settled and felt sick again for the whole night.
After leaving there we headed back to get ready for our second night and went on the hunt for some traditional Irish stew. Turns out I'm not the biggest fan of Irish stew. We decided to give temple bar another go and despite staying in a few pubs for a little sing song and a couple of pints I really just couldn't enjoy myself. My confidence was virtually none existent that night again and I'm so gutted I let everything get on top of me. For whatever reason I just couldn't get settled and felt sick again for the whole night.
I was going to put the whole holiday into one post but I've written a lot more than I thought I would so I'll post the second half next week! I hope you guys actually enjoy my ramblings!
Have you ever been to Dublin before? Did you love it?
Thanks for reading!
xxx
Rushing around the shops a few hours before I needed to be packed to go to Dublin I suddenly realised I hadn't washed my makeup brushes. I aways give them a good soak before I go on holiday and the thought of running out of time to do so made me feel a bit unwell. Luckily I happened upon this gem of an item and my worries drifted away.
The B. Makeup Brush Cleanser retails at around £5 for a 125ml bottle which I think is a pretty decent price. The formula cleans and disinfects brushes and can be used with either synthetic or natural bristles.
To use the product you simply spray the solution onto your brush two or three times and gently rub the dirt off into a tissue. I prefer to use a couple of clean flannels as tissues tend to make a bit of a mess. You then leave your brushes to air dry and use again as normal. I found the cleanser really easy to use and my brushes were dry within a few hours which is perfect if you are in a hurry like I was.
The product also claims to condition your brushes although so far I haven't really noticed any difference. This might be because I've only used it twice and my usual way of cleaning my brushes (baby shampoo and warm water) does leave them feeling really quite soft.
I always have to comment on the scent of a product and although this doesn't smell of anything amazing it also doesn't smell bad. The scent is mostly down to the disinfectant which smells a bit like alcohol and hand sanitiser but this doesn't stay on the brush once the product has dried.
Although I'm very impressed with this product for how easy is it to use and the price, I don't think I will use this every time I wash my brushes as I think they do need a long soak every now and then. That being said this is a perfect cleaner for a lazy girl like myself and I would buy it again!
Have you tried this makeup brush cleaner before?
Thanks for reading!
xxx
With summer in full force and everyone jetting off on their jollies, I thought it was about time I put together another style guide. As everyone's idea of the perfect holiday can be different I've created looks for both city lovers and beach goers. This year I've really pushed myself to wear more dresses as its too easy to just throw on a pair of jeans and there are some gorgeous holiday dresses on the highstreet right now.
Outfit One
Grey Jersey Dress | Tote Bag | Converse | Sunglasses | Unicorn Necklace
The first look is a simple very casual style designed for hot sticky days wandering around the city. I've paired these comfortable converse with a light jersey dress and basic tote to make a practical yet stylish outfit.
Outfit Two
Star Bracelet | Pandora Earrings | Black Cutch | T-Bar Heels | Yellow Skater Dress
I've based this next look on outfits I usually wear on my own city holidays. Again I've decided to keep it quite simple with the yellow skater dress being the only pop of colour with all black accessories. I've chosen to included some pricier jewellery for this outfit as I like to really dress up for a night on the town.
Outfit Three
I was going to choose another daytime dress for this beach look but honestly when I'm on the beach I spend most of my time swimming in the sea, occasionally popping out to get a drink so I thought a pretty cover up would be more appropriate. I chose this pretty Topshop kimono as it would be perfect to wear day or night.
Outfit four
Black Sandals | Bucket Bag | Charm Bracelet | Gold Necklace | Floral Tea Dress
For the last look I wanted to create an outfit that I could see myself in, sipping cocktails by a harbour in the Med somewhere. I've chosen this gorgeous floaty tea dress paired up with a staple bucket bag and some delicate gold jewellery to top it all off.
I hope you enjoyed this style guide!
Thanks for reading!
xxx
This post was made in collaboration with JD Williams
A few Sundays ago the weather was absolutely glorious. It was the type of weather you pay £500 to fly to Spain for. Me and Sean wanted to make the most of the sunshine so we headed off to Canon Hill Park to test out the new Mini Golf Course. It was only £5.60 each for the 18 hole course and £8.50 for the 36 hole which I didn't think was too bad. We just chose the 18 holes this time as we didn't know if we would get bored of it and we wanted to save something to do next time!
The game took us around an hour to get through and we loved every second of it! There were some really easy courses and some super hard ones that we just couldn't get the hang of but it was so fun. I can't remember the last time I played mini golf and this was Sean's first ever time playing so I expected us to be pretty shocking at the game but honestly we weren't all that bad. Obviously I won with my insane golf skills.
Top - Pull & Bear ( Similar ) Kimono - New Look ( Similar ) Jeans - Primark ( Similar ) Shoes - Converse ( Here ) Sunglasses - Primark ( Similar )
I really wanted to get some OOTD photos while we were on the course but honestly I was just enjoying myself too much to pose for photos. I hope you guys don't mind these half arsed outfit pics until I get chance to take some proper ones.
All in all I really loved pottering around this little course and I can't wait to come back to finish the other half off! If you guys are ever in the area I couldn't recommend this enough as it really is just so fun!
Thanks for reading!
xxx
Yesterday I ate a Sausage Roll. And a Chicken sandwich. I managed to go meat free for a whole two weeks but honestly I couldn't hack it anymore. I've seen more veggie burgers in the last two weeks than anyone should ever have to witness in their life and I'm not doing it anymore.
The first week went really well. I scoffed down several veggie burgers, tried my hand at a meat free spaghetti bolognese and even ate my first vegetable curry but by week two I was running out of ideas and money to spend on expensive meat substitutes.
What did I miss? - One of the hardest parts of the challenge was eating out. I eat in restaurants pretty regularly and watching everyone else munch down on their meaty meals while I could only eat veggies was pretty hard. Although I really enjoyed my Vegetable Biryani ( had it twice btw ) it just didn't beat my regular dish of Chicken Pakora. I also really missed eating burgers as its probably the thing me and Sean eat the most while dining out. We did make a trip to Gourmet Burger Kitchen in the week but despite my Veggie Burger being full of flavour I easily could have ripped Sean's Classic Beef Burger out of his hands and wolfed it down in seconds.
What did I enjoy? - Me and my family go for a Carvery almost weekly and as I normally eat Turkey I thought I would be a bit stuck on what to pick instead. I didn't want just a meat free Carvery so I was delighted to see they had quite a selection of vegetarian alternatives! I opted for the Spiced Carrot and Chickpea Wellington which was actually full of flavour and even a little hot. The other thing I thoroughly enjoyed was my homemade meat free Spaghetti Bolognese. I replaced mince meat with vegetarian sausages and it actually tasted quite nice, even Sean enjoyed it and he's a big meat lover!
What is something I'm keen to try out? - Even though I'm quitting the veggie diet I'd still like to reduce my meat consumption and I'm quite interested in trying out more of the Quorn meat free range. I cooked a couple of Quorn escalopes last week and I was pretty amazed at how much they taste and even felt like chicken! I've already got a packet of 'chicken nuggets' to try out and I'd like to give some of their other products a go!
Did I eat healthier during the challenge? - One of the things I hoped to pick up from this challenge was a healthier diet. I wanted to cut out Mcdonalds, Chip Shop kebabs and other greasy fatty meals from my diet. Although I didn't visit Mcdonalds and I don't plan to any time soon, and I didn't grab a dirty Kebab from my local chippy I don't think I ate much healthier. I found myself snacking on more bags of crisps and cheese instead of sausage rolls and I even ordered a few vegetable based take aways. My diet does need changing but I don't think cutting out meat would really be the way to do it. The healthiest thing I ate in the last two weeks would probably be my vegetable stew which I cook anyway.
All in a I don't think the vegetarian life is for me. I do want to carry on eating less meat but cutting it out completely left me with very few options apart from pricey meat substitutes and pizza. My one month challenge was cut short but I'm happy I at least gave this lifestyle a good go!
Have you ever tried anything like this before?
Thanks for reading!
xxx
A few weeks back I was invited to the Miss Patisserie Event in Cardiff. I bought myself quite a few goodies while I was there, one of which was a pack of gorgeously scented Rose Bath Shards. I actually received a pack in the event goodie bag as well so I decided to chuck the lot in my bath and have a nice relax.
The first thing I noticed when I opened the packet was just how strong the scent was. I have Lush bath products quite regularly and honestly nothing I've used yet was as noticeable as this. Once I started to crumble pieces into my bath the warm water further exaggerated the beautiful rose scent.
I found it hard to mix the crumbled pieces into the bath water so I decided to run them under the water instead which made the bath shards melt much easier. My bath water soon started to turn a murky purple/ grey colour which alone wouldn't have looked very appealing but paired with the rose petals it started to look quite inviting.
The consistency of the shards once melted was very similar to the Lush bath oils. Everything settled on the surface with the different shades of purple swirling around the create pretty patterns. As it was so oily I did find that it clung to my skin quite considerably and even after I got out of the bath a lather of purple slime was left on my skin. This wasn't a problem as I always shower after a bubble bath anyway however this was harder to get off than anything else I've ever bathed in before. It also really stuck the sides of my bath and took a hell of a lot of scrubbing to clean off!
One positive with this product was that I found it perfect for sensitive skin. As you might know I suffer with bad eczema all over my body and sometimes using strong bath products makes this flair up. Although it won't necessarily be good for sensitive skin I didn't have any flair ups after using the Bath Shards.
Overall I did enjoy bathing with the Bath Shards however I wouldn't repurchase as they just made too much mess.
Have you ever tried anything like this before?
Thanks for reading!
xxx
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