A Certain Vintage

Bid To Be A Sarenza Ambassador!

2012-01-26T13:05:00.000-08:00

Am I a 'fierce fashionista'? Maybe...

I'm definitley a 'bargain hunter' and 'comfort lover' at the very least so, having to be in it to win it, I am posting this as my entry to be the next Sarenza Ambassador!

Picking one favourite pair of shoes from the website was a daunting task. I do not have lots and lots of shoes as I try to save up and buy one good pair every so often. After some minor damage to my feet from dancing en pointe etc. etc, I can not wear a multitude of high street shoes without pain so my shoe wardrobe has suffered a little in recent years. With this in mind, I could have picked something rather practical and sensible but I have gone for a happy medium which I believe 'Chie Mihara' embodies. Stylish but still comfortable! Everytime I have seen their shoes in the flesh at a local boutique I have fallen in love. I just knew my favourite pair would be from this label when I saw them on Sarenza's brand list.

Chie Mihara's 'Amoremi'

I can see a whole summer outfit around these shoes: coral pedicures, sundresses, gold earrings and glowing tanned legs...I never tan though!

Some of my shortlisted shoes - Sarenza have so many to fall in love with I couldn't resist showing a few more:

For more details on the competition and to enter yourself, click here

Thank you Sarenza for the opportunity and good luck everyone...

xox

I Capture The Castle - Donegal Escape

2012-01-23T15:06:00.000-08:00

Finally getting around to writing about my wee break to Donegal a few weeks ago. It was a lovely way to start the New Year - and in 5 star style no less! I'm not sure when/if ever I last stayed in a 5 star hotel, but we got a voucher on Travel Zoo for Solis Lough Eske, a hotel I had wanted to stay in for the longest time and it did not disappoint. Beautiful food, one of the best breakfasts I've had and such a gorgeous room I didn't want to go home!

We seemed to miss the manic crowds of voucher users over the New Year too. The rain ceased long enough for a stroll in the grounds and a trip to Donegal town but the wind howled and kept us indoors by the turf fires, with glasses of amaretto and our books which was pure relaxation!

It was very easy to pretend that the castle was my own...

The grounds feature these little sculptures everywhere and this is the outside of their walled garden - probably a lot more colourful in summer!

Then I (unwisely) removed my coat to show off a new favourite green cardigan, an amazing Christmas present! It was freezing but it matched the fields, had to be done...

Lough Eske was as pretty as a picture and it looks painted in this light.

So cold! All for the love of green cardigans...

Then the weather broke again and I retreated to the warmth of the spa and the fireside of the many little living rooms and nooks throughout the hotel. We curled up at one such until past midnight, having totally lost the track of time. A real sign of how friendly and welcoming the staff were that I just settled into the downstairs like home..

I know I will think of this trip on rainy days this year and remember how lovely rain can be when you're lucky to have nowhere to go!

xox

Don't I look Swell In Sables, Clothes With Paris Labels?

2012-01-11T14:01:00.000-08:00

Warning: this post contains images of a Christmas tree!

And I promise it's the very last glimpse of the holiday until at least November! But I had promised to show more of my 40s inspired look so please indulge me a day longer.

Any vintage-dressing girl will be able to attest to how much maintenance a glamorous 1940s look requires. Once you get used to it, it can be quite quick but...

Coiffure

This is what I struggle with as my hair and I are not great friends. I'm hopeless with styling and would love to get better at it. I can't use velcro rollers to save my life and pin curls work best but I am, again, hopeless at executing them. So I purchased sponge (sleeper) rollers from Boots and found them some of the best I've used. I know my hair doesnt look much in the pictures though! I just pinned the two sides, trying to give a little bit of volume, and brushed the curls through to give a soft 40s wave.

Makeup

My favourite part! Red lipstick, as I am so pale, can be over dramatic on me. I have bad skin and so the hardest part is making it as flawless as I can so the red lip is 'clean'. Basically, I have to cake myself in foundation despite the fact that a more genuine 40s look would have been more natural with powder and rouge. Oh well, needs must! I did natural taupes and browns for contouring my eyes and added a tiny bit of highlighting shimmer and lots of winged eyeliner for definition on stage.
I bought a new red lipstick - Mac Viva Glam I. I shy away from Ruby Woo because it is very drying on me but this is also a 'matte' and not that hard to wear at all. I had looked at Russian Red originally but was talked into this and like that it is that much darker than other reds I own without being too much of a 'brick' shade. The depth and matteness did lend itself more to a vintage look, loving it a lot right now.

I even did a shaky 40's half moon manicure with the help of file reinforcer stickers. This was my first attempt, it looked better from a distance! My OPI red has really dulled though, any tips? I added China Glaze Ruby
Slippers to make it shine a bit more. Want to grow my nails a bit and try this with black too!

Outfit

Back-seam tights proved tricky to find when I only had one afternoon to find them. Lots of fashion seamed tights but finding a plain tan and black seam was getting a bit stressful until I found these by Pretty Polly in River Island. They are actually really lovely tights!
As the dress fell straight to below the knee, I needed a higher black heel than I owned to make it more flattering. I thought the ankle strap and chunkier than average heel made them a bit more retro than proper stilettos - luckily they were only £7 in New Look too and didn't give me a single blister.

A 'Lindybop' dress was bought from an Ebay shop. Not a lot of give in the material so felt like a true wiggle dress! Also a bit of a nightmare with the wrinkling but it did look nice on. I'd never have picked such a bold dress (tight, red, massive split to thigh) for a look for myself but it was fun to dress up out of my comfort zone - think I grew to love the red actually!

Didn't realise the Ruby Murray plaque was behind me till afterwards but nice vintage Belfast reference! Hope you all enjoyed my 40s inspired 'step by step', I had good fun with it! Thank you all for your lovely messages of hope on my last post.

What do you think, could I wear the dress out?

xox

2012 - New Year, New Post

2012-01-01T16:46:00.000-08:00

I have to admit to not being a big fan of New Year festivites for various reasons and so I always try to downplay it a bit each year. I find it is quite a reflective time and can be quite a sad time too. This New Year has really filled me with doubt in a way I haven't quite experienced before. I worry about what it holds, or does not hold, for me. Having had a challenging 2011, I find it hard to not look back to this time last year and remember how positive I felt compared to how I feel now. I do not want to look back at the end of this year and feel the same or even worse! So, it is for all these angsty reasons that I try not to overthink the New Year.
While it can be nice to reassess and refocus and have that wonderful starting anew, blank page feeling, I have to be careful to not obsess about resolutions and tasks that only set me up to fail. I'm finding it hard to strike a balance between setting achievable goals without building my hopes too high - any advice on this would be greatly appreciated! How do you dream without setting yourself up to be crushed?

Anyway - that is the end of my woes for this post, I promise! Instead I will focus on some positives. Last night, I ate a wonderful meal and drank wonderful gin. I lit copious candles, wrote down things that I was glad to leave behind in 2011 and burned them. It felt highly ritualistic and dramatic (which always goes down well with me) but mostly just a bit of fun! Then, today we drove to Newcastle for a short but bracing walk on the beach. If I am honest, we spent more time at the antiques fair in the hotel beside the beach - I got some cute little bargains I can't wait to share!

I have enjoyed the massive de-clutter I started on 29th and my space looks the better for it. So now my only real resolution that I am allowing myself is to continue what I have started and keep up the good work! That and to have a year filled with friendship and love and to always remember that!

So, I tread cautiously into 2012 hoping that by this year's close I will have thrown more caution to the wind. I loved this traditional blessing I heard today:

"In the New Year, may your right hand always be stretched out in friendship but never in want"

Wishing you all health and happiness for the year ahead from the bottom of my heart - Happy New Year!! xox

Christmas Clothes! My Laundry Room Dress and Sparkly Shoes

2011-12-29T16:23:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are on the other side of Christmas! Really hope everyone had a relaxing few days and feel braced for the New Year. I hope you are not all sick of Christmas trees by now as I am going to show you a few more :)

My boyfriend is still eating turkey leftovers and I haven't even begun to enjoy some of my lovely generous gifts - there are a good few books just waiting for me! I was travelling between Belfast and Dublin the past few days doing all my visiting so relaxing today and tommorow with old movies and new books sounds idyllic.

I got this gorgeous dress in a new boutique, Pretty Flamingo. It's "Laundry Room", an Irish label which I was happy to find as I had only seen it in Arnotts in Dublin before and it's really so pretty! I love the gentle fit of the dress and the teal details on the shoulders. I embraced gold sparkly New Look shoes and patterned Betsey Johnson tights (a bargain TK Maxx find) for a bit of Christmas spirit.

The quality of these tights are great. After many failed attempts at not laddering spotty tights I love how durable these are and the extra detail of the lace seams up the side. Definitley want to try more Betsey Johnson tights.

A very beautiful gift...my ByBoe ring. I expect you'll notice this a whole lot on the blog in 2012 as I'm really in love with it. It just feels so delicate, I don't even think the photo does it justice!

My pomanders that I made for gifts, they smelt delicious. I hadn't made them since I was very young and enjoyed the trip down memory lane! (Look at my Mum's tray of mince pies and macaroons for Christmas Day drinks...I have eaten so much!)

Got my hair done too! Nothing drastic - surprise surprise - but my head feels lighter and my hair looks healthier without having to stress that I got some crazy short layers I can do nothing with. I really enjoyed using my 1st Living Social voucher too - 2 haircuts at Hedonist Hair for £25...cut number 2 in the new year, felt like a real bargain. Thought it was a lovely wee salon too!

I want to update my blog layout a tiny bit in the New Year. A new header, maybe get rid of the roses and just generally tidy it up a little bit. If you have any suggestions or ideas, I would really love to hear them. Implementing everything I want with my limited computer skills ever is another matter but I shall remain hopeful I can do something with it!

Take care in the last few days of 2011 xo

Holidays Are Coming...

2011-12-22T16:20:00.000-08:00

Well, my presents are wrapped (mostly!) and the anticipation for Christmas Day has set in. It has been a hectic, though enjoyable, few weeks and now I'm looking forward to appreciating a quiet Christmas Eve as Advent draws to a close. Some festive preparations have included...

Buying and decorating the biggest tree I think my home has ever had...

Super attractive makeup free shot!

While listening to Bing Crosby's 'White Christmas' and drinking hot chocolate topped with Marshmallow Fluff and spiked with Amaretto liqueur. My Mum's new speciality this festive season!

I love taking out the ornaments every year, new and old. This Santa's boot has been in the family for 60 years and is one of my favourites.

At least I know my decorating efforts have been appreciated :)

We visited Belfast's Continental Market and drank mulled wine and ate currywurst and churros!

Finally, I have been carolling like it's 1939 in a production of A Christmas Carol. I will do a proper outfit/makup post on this after Christmas but here I am sharing the love of seamed tights until then!

I am so thankful for all these wonderful days I have had these past few weeks. I want to wish everyone far and wide a very safe, peaceful and happy Christmas xox

(Northern) Irish Christmas Gift Ideas!

2011-12-06T15:13:00.001-08:00

I am having some last minute stresses about Christmas presents for people despite my protests that I would be beautifull organised this year! Ah sure, Christmas isn't all about the presents and I have been trying to remember that and slow down a bit this Advent. I thought I would show you some things I have bought and 2 favourite local brands - for anyone looking for a local (or for non local readers, Irish) gifts!

Bog Standard

If you love all things Cath Kidston and Avoca, you will appreciate this brand's beautiful packaging. All made in Ireland, and best of all, Northern Ireland in Co.Down so supporting the local economy by buyng from them!

All the scents are named 'Irish'.... So Irish Rose, Irish Winter and my two favourites, Irish Linen and Irish Sea. I remember buying soaps from them years ago when they were just a stand in St George's Market - I always thought the names were very inventive..I think the soaps I bought then were called 'Piece and Jam'. I have bought their products frequently for American relatives of mine. The Irish names mean they make great gifts to send abroad!

The candles are my favourite part of their range. They are infused with 7% scent, apparently industry standard is 3%-5%. I pictured the two sizes here but only had one candle left, so you can just see the bigger one's box, sorry!

Buy online from their website to get the full range which includes soaps, linens etc. I get them from my boyfriend's work place and they are stocked in the Northern Ireland museum shops and tourist shops.

Tee and Toast

Another local brand available online or at their stall in St George's Market, Belfast.

Funny 'Northern Irish' inspired slogans and graphics on t shirts, hoodys, mugs, babygros..!

I bought this particular tee for my boyfriend's birthday last week because he is a tea junkie, more than a Mr. T fan! It arrived less than 24 hours later which was pretty impressive. I like their Shamrocker and I <3 Veda Toasted slogans...mostly because I do heart Veda Toasted. Anyone outside of Northern Ireland know what I'm talking about?!

Another Irish brands I love and would be beautiful to give as a gift, is Voya. I reviewed their seaweed spa products here before.

I was very lucky in my TK Maxx this year too! This Works gift box sets reduced to £16, Lollia, which I had only seen in Anthropologie before, and Betsey Johnson slipper socks!

It's awful that I kind of want to keep all of the above! Oh well, they shall be beautifully wrapped in my very beautiful Ikea bags and paper - doesn't the illustration look quite Victorian?

Last but not least...the winner of the Barefoot Botanicals Giveaway is:

Bride!! Happy Christmas Bridie, I have sent you an email :)

Thank you to everyone who entered! xox

Malmaison Pt II - 'Miss Patina' Outfit

2011-11-23T09:57:00.000-08:00

Some last photos of our overnight stay in Malmaison. I had had this skirt and blouse by the 'Miss Patina' label in my wardrobe for a few weeks and was dying to wear them. Not sure about wearing black tights and boots with it again, does at a pinch but if anyone has any suggestions I'd love to hear.

The style of our room was Country something or other..I think they have other rooms in a style called 'Bordello'. All I know is that this meant lots of heavy wools and tweed which were actually beautiful. Look how lovely the curtains and fabric panels in the wardrobe in this photograph are! Also the big arm chair and wool cushions on the bed made the room feel cosy.

My favourite part about this blouse is that the scarf tie buttons off so I can wear the blouse plain or put another scarf with it. The scarf is actually in two pieces that button underneath the collar..I just love details like that!

Another favourite detail is the lock and key charm on the belt

Voguing with my lipstick - showing another pretty aspect of the room!

Not the best photo but the only one showing my shoes!

Yes, the Topshop Ambush boots! I'm wearing them almost every day at the minute and they were thrown on here for comfort on a Saturday morning!

I know this blouse will go with a whole lot of things but what about the skirt..should I try different coloured tights? Plainer tops, more blouses? I can't wait to try styling it a different way but anyway, here it is in its imperfection. Hope you enjoyed a few more photos of Malmaison too, these were actually my favourite pictures we took in the hotel :)

xox

Malmaison - Belfast's Bad House

2011-11-15T16:14:00.000-08:00

I was emailed by Malmaison Hotel's PR a couple of months inviting me to stay in their Belfast hotel (and complimenting my photography, thanks!). I don't get many offers in my inbox that interest me but staying in a 4 star hotel did have it's appeal and couldn't have come at a better time! I've always wanted to stay in a Belfast hotel, but have obviously never had much reason. So, I'd never actually visited Malmaison despite its bar being fairly popular with locals.
It was an interesting prespective trying to 'weekend' in your own city and entering and staying in a building you drive past all the time and had never gone into.

The whole ambience of the hotel is very sultry and sleek without being overdone...think lots of black, mood lighting, and comfy chairs everywhere. The rooms were a great size and the attention to detail in all the furnishings was lovely and added to Malmaison's boutique feel. I think I'll try to let the photographs do the talking!

Quirky details - the 'take me home' toilitries in our bathoom

- the ceramic bottle of milk (or MalK) on the table at breakfast

The restaurant had a nautical decor and lots of French inspired cuisine. I would definitley visit the restaurant again, I had never thought of dining in it before just because..it's a hotel! I had a yummy beetroot and goats cheese soup for a starter and my boyfriend had frog's legs (which for a soup, steak or lamb kinda guy surprised me!) and we both opted for steak frites. Mine with béarnaise sauce which is my ultimate favourite and it truly did not disappoint, I get hungry just thinking about it! Here is my waiting for the food to arrive picture along with my can't put my fork down, want to drown in this sauce picture.

After dinner, I seem to have literally let my hair down as we headed for the bar...I don't remember doing this, it seems a bit tacky but also a bit great. Not sure how I feel about this 60s inspired Primark mini skirt. I love the bright blue, but it looks so crinkled when you sit in it. I loved the simplicity of my Topshop black silky shirt that evening though.

One of the little snug/seating areas around the hotel lobby and corridors

Blurrier phone photo of me in the bar - the only thing I could say negative is that the cocktails are very expensive and I wasn't wholeheartedly convinced that they were worth it.

The bar was very lively as was the whole city as it was the weekend the MTV EMAs were on, so a fun time to be out and about! Apparently Starboy Nathan was staying in Malmaison. Who? I'm not entirely sure but he was in the bar! It is also a reason I didn't get a photograph outside the hotel as very dedicated fangirls of Starboy had camped out overnight...

Finalement, I had high hopes for breakfast after enjoying dinner so much. I really think a good breakfast can set a hotel apart, not sure why! I never really eat breakfast at home but I feast on it in hotels.

Egg haters will probably wretch at this picture but as much as I truly love béarnaise sauce, I truly love eggs benedict. Now I think about it, hollandaise sauce is not so far removed from béarnaise sauce...the brunch equivilant maybe! But I digress...my boyfriend's cooked breakfast was impressively non greasy and had lots of lovely black pudding that felt homemade.

The building opposite the Malmaison is covered in mirroring (mirrors?!) so the converted Victorian seed warehouse that the 'Mal' is housed in is reflected back at you in the bar. Not sure why, but this was probably my favourite detail of the hotel as the Malmaison building is quite beautifully dramatic.

By night and day

I took more photos before we left (mainly in the lovely room) to do a little outfit post which I will post this week. Kind of a 'part 2' so I hope you enjoyed this post ok..
Au Revoir Malmaison, thank you for a lovely evening xox

Día De Los Muertos Inspired

2011-11-05T11:16:00.000-07:00

A very belated Happy Halloween! I meant to post this days ago but life and chest infections got in the way... I thought I'd just go ahead and share it with you anyway though because I love Halloween.

I got some very last minute plans and I had to look festive in just a few hours this year! I decided to do face makeup to resemble a Mexican Día De Los Muertos skull (no, nobody in Dublin looked at me and went ooh I get it, Día de los Muertos!!)

Díá de Los Muertos or Day of the Dead is 1st - 2nd November coinciding with the Catholic holy days of All Saints Day and All Souls Day. It is basically a time to rememember deceased loved ones. I think its origins are mixed in with Aztec beliefs and early Catholicism. The face paint, or women dressing as 'catrinas', are popular in the parades and celebrations. As well as rememberance, some say that the face paint especially help us get in touch with our darker and more 'chaotic' side and helps us to not fear death. I liked that principle and put it to the test...well, it was a good night anyway!

My look is really more of a nod to it (and perhaps 80s Madonna). I didn't have time to get white face makeup so I didn't go as full on as I could have and I definitley needed a bit more black around my eyes. I did a little bit of colour on my forehead and some seamed lips though! If I do this look again next year, I will definitley do more. The flowers are meant to be marigolds but again..time meant that they became roses. The strong scent of marigolds is supposed to help guide the departed back. I pinned this beautiful fringed and beaded shawl of my Mums around a black lace dress, added my roasary beads, pinned a flower in my hair and voila! Sometimes homemade, or at least home put together, is the best type of costume...and no expense spared!

My Mum's birthday is the day before Halloween so every year, in lieu of birthday cake, she gets an apple tart with money baked into it. Not sure if this is something done in other countries? You traditionally bake in a ring, some money and a button to predict your fate - marriage, wealth or poverty!

We had a lovely birthday dinner for her in the house (after a few hours at the horse racing in Dublin!) eating warming seasonal dishes and the house just felt lovely and cosy..a nice farewell to Autumn / Fall as winter begins to take hold.

Our trick or treat table shortly after we ate all the remaining sweets..though note the club biscuit left over for any last minute callers!

Belfast is crazy this weekend with the MTV EMAs being on, I may go to the Snow Patrol gig tommorow in the city centre if I can face the mania...free tickets!

Have a great weekend everyone xox

Brassica Flowers & Boudoir Privé October Box

2011-10-23T08:28:00.000-07:00

Another sleepy Sunday...
the rain has poured ceaselessly since last night and since lunchtime, I have taken shelter at home and don't intend to venture outside again until tommorow! So, I apologise if these photos are a little dark.

I was delighted to get the Boudoir Privé October box on Saturday morning..this may be the best one yet, but I have been equally happy with the other 2! This one has 2 full size products which I know a lot of people were hoping to see, so that is a definite plus.

In the box...

Cetuem - a mask and a cream skincare sample
Korres body butter in guava - smells absolutley amazing and a good sized tube, I've always liked Korres.
Leonor Greyl Huile de Palme - another hair oil. This one is a pre shampoo conditioner. I am loving that I haven't bought any hair products for a few months now thanks to these boxes.
Rose & Co Salve - full sized tin, very cute packaging. I'm bound to use this as I love balms and rose scents.

Mémo Paris perfume sample in Lalibela - a divine rose based scent. Love that the sample bottle has a spray and it feels a bit like a perfume oil. I'm delighted with the scent and also loved the Etat Libre D'Orange perfume from the first Boudoir Privé box, so unique.
StudioMakeup Liner Style Pen in blackest black - as with Zoya last month, I feel this is where Boudoir read my mind. I had inteneded to buy a MAC Penultimate liner for £14 this weekend and this is a fullsize product, exact same as MAC, and with comparable results. I think it works beautifully and may even be more pigmented than my last penultimate liner.

Delighted that I got this as a fullsize in a £10 box, feels like I saved money! I had never heard of StudioMakeup and something about their look and branding reminds me a little of Makeup Forever. Upon googling they are a pro brand which only launched last year.

I picked up these flowers while food shopping a few days ok because of the name...Brassica, the name of the Farrow and Ball paint on this front door if you remember? Coming from the same family as cabbages and broccoli, they really do look more like a vegetable than a flower but I love that they look like cabbages on strange gnarly stalks. I really don't think I've ever seen them before in a bouquet and the colour of these lilies are fantastically rich. Some people hate lilies in their homes but I really do love them, my name even means lily!

I hope everyone had a nice weekend xox

Zoya Jem and my new nail armour

2011-10-20T13:24:00.000-07:00

Apologies for the lack of posts. Truth be told, I have terrible skin at the minute and am just not up to outfit posts..nor does it seem a fair time to review any skincare properly so, I have been hiding from the blog and the camera for a few weeks :(

However, I've been looking after my nails well at the minute and wanted to give a mini review on a few new products I'm liking. After having really weak nails all year, I had given up a bit on trying to paint them. I missed playing around with colour though so I decided to try and invest in a good base coat and top coat - nail armour if you will! So first up is..

Orly Bonder

I heard about this on youtube. Similar to Creative sticky base coat apparently, but Creative proved harder to find in the UK. I have been lazy about base coats before but I really think this is making a difference and is far better than any other base coat I have used previously.

Leighton Denny Miracle Drops

I still want to try Seche Vite but I had such a great manicure on holiday this year where the beautician used this product over the top. I love dropping it on and how it gives your nails a slickness that helps prevent 'denting' as well as chipping while they dry. Really speeds up drying time which is perfect for me too!

I am now getting maybe 2-3 days out of a good manicure now, and my nails look stronger and longer. Not sure how these products would have helped with that but there you go!

So, armed with my new nail armour I painted my nails last night with Zoya's Jem. I got it in the last Boudoir Privé box and was delighted as I have always wanted to try Zoya. I struggled to leave a bit of gap around my (non exsistant) cuticle and a slight space on each side of the nail, but it has made my nails look neater.

In sunlight (above) and shade (below)

I was impressed with Zoya. The colour looked beautifully pigmented and opaque after one coat and the formula was good too. I think Jem is just such a beautiful colour. It looks like a rich purple here but in other lights it can be a very dark plum. Addicted!

This was 3 days later, chips and all, but a huge improvement on my last few nail painting attempts so my little trio of products has worked well!

Really hoping my nails will continue to improve, if you have any tips or base/top coat reccomendations I'd love to know. Any favourite nailpolish removers?

xox

Cups of Tea and Good Books

2011-09-29T13:30:00.000-07:00

I can feel my Autumn hibernation coming on. I delight in nothing more than cocooning myself in comfort at this time of year be it a good book, an afternoon movie or a warming meal.
My skin has gone crazy at the minute so instead of tormenting myself (and everyone else) with photos of me, I have decided to share a few of my simple joys with you this week and invite you to have a cuppa with me!

In my cup:

I love tea but don't drink as much regular Nambarrie with milk as I had started to. All that milk every day didn't feel right so white tea has been my love this year. I like the Clipper teas: beautiful packaging, ethics and products for a good price (£1.69 for 26 bags). The shop had some sort of deal so I bought the Green Tea and a Sleep tea to try.

I bought myself this at the market on Saturday as I haven't had Suki tea in a long time. A Belfast company who blend their own teas, they are quite popular in the coffee shops around the city. I love the smokiness of Sencha green tea and was intrigued by the cherry. It is a very delicate taste and smells lovely.

Reading:

I finished reading "The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox" by Maggie O'Farrell today. Apparently this is her first novel and it took her 10 years to perfect. If you haven't read any Maggie O'Farrell, remedy that now! I read "The Hand That First Held Mine" a few months ago and thought it was such a beautiful read. This didn't disappoint either and I am now about to devour the rest of her novels.

My mum brought me this "Real Simple" magazine in America and I picked up the Sept issue of Mollie Makes last week too. Sometimes I don't buy magazines or read good ones for months as blogs can be similar, if not more inventive. These are both beautifully inspiring though and it's nice to not always have to stare at a computer screen to take some time out.

Watching:

I have to admit that I am watching season 1 Gilmore Girls for a trip down memory lane and loving it. The Lorelei's are my guilty pleasure..I know I am not alone in this.! ~~and the MJ court case~~

Listening:

Alex Winston - Velvet Elvis

Addictivley happy little tune. You may recognise her vocals from another happy wee tune on the TK Maxx tv ad currently but this one is my favourite. The video has certain Kate Bush undertones too and her makeup is very glam!

Also, merci to Capucine from LilacPurpleSky for mentioning me in her interview for Zap Mode. No, I don't speak French but I saw my face near the end and appreciate the shoutout from one of my favourite bloggers!

I just opened the book and saw the word 'tea', I promise!

xox

Saying Thank You - Boudoir Privé & Nappy Cakes Revisited

2011-09-26T05:51:00.000-07:00

Thank you for all the comments on my last blog, I would just like to clarify that I am not in London and still in Belfast. Granted we don't have *many* red telephone boxes, but there is a few and red postboxes too!

So, Boudoir Privé box number 2 has arrived. I know there was a lot of angst over the delay in delivery but really, it was a lovely pink box of treats to wake up to on Saturday. I was almost hoping it would be bad so I could click unsubscribe...! I have a monthly subscription with the company who sent out their first box in August. By the way, they gave me a code for anyone who wants to subscribe and get a box half price. It's 1BOX12 and you enter it at checkout on their website

My favourite bit about the boxes have been the range of 'natural' products such as Jane Iredale in the last. This is really a strong selling point for me. I love hearing about new organic or paraben free (for example) brands. They tend to be a little bit more expensive than some products so this is a great way to try them.

Les Indispensables:

Cargo Cosmetics 'boogie night' eye pencil - mine is purple and sparkly and is a good size (think the size of the 24/7 pencils Urban Decay give with their palettes)
Colbert MD Eye Cream - similar to the Babor product in function and price, but I like trying out expensive anti aging creams that I couldn't justify investing in currently!
Macadamia Hair Repair - Small size but oil usually lasts a while and I adore all oil hair treatments
Agent Provocateur L'Argent perfume - I always used to wear the traditional Agent perfume so happy to try the new scent
Tropic Skincare Body Smooth - smells amazing! Like posh lemon sherbert, made the whole box smell yummy. Slightly small sample for a body scrub.
Mai Couture Blot and Bronze paper - amazing! I had just read about these somewhere this week, didn't realise they were talc and paraben free. Not mentioned in the Les Indispensables booklet but a fun extra!
Zoya nailpolish in 'Jem' from the Smoke and Mirrors Collection - my favourite sample! It's 7.5ml so exactly half the size of a full bottle from Zoya. I almost ordered a Zoya polish to try this week as I have heard such good things about the brand for so long.

I would also like to say a huge thank you to Boudoir Privé for picking my post about the first beauty box to win "best blog post". I wasn't even aware there was a competition so was totally stunned when they tweeted me I had won! Truly, I never win a thing so this Jane Iredale makeup palette made me squeal in delight!

It's really nice to be thanked sometimes, not going to lie! I had made a nappy cake for a family friend and was so happy to do it for them. Then, this was popped through my letterbox. A beautiful strawberry pink cameo necklace from Accesorize and a thoughtful card.

I really enjoyed making this nappy cake and trying to 'wrap' the layers in little feeding cloths. These were from Matalan which surprisingly has a really nice baby department! It's attempting to be a gender neutral nappy cake with the lavender and mint by the way. Hadn't made one in a while now I have a few to do, I do enjoy making them!

Have had a very quiet weekend, so quiet it has made me miss having a social life but sometimes you need to take some time out! Hope everyone is well and thank you again for all the comments on my last post :)

xox

Subtle 70s References

2011-09-16T12:07:00.000-07:00

Quick post as I'm trying to drum up some inspiration but September is such a transitional month in so many ways that I can't keep my mind straight on anything! I've been flying all around the place, I took these photos today between rain showers and I'm not even sure about my outfit...!

I have bought some new shoes but my feet hurt in everything at the minute so for a comfy day, I pulled on the most comfortable shoes I own. The Carvela Swan ankle boot I have worn to death for over a year now.

The skirt, top and necklace are all recent Forever 21 purchases.

My leather jacket is Paul and Joe Sister (an 18th birthday gift I've worn for years!)

I wasn't sure about the skirt, Forever 21's skirt sizing can be so funny. I found all of them, but this one, too tight and short, this was a little bigger so not as short. I think I will take it in or try it with a belt next...I adored this shade of purple and felt like branching out into some suede. The top is just super comfy, standard striped basic, a really flattering fit and 8 euro!

This 3 euro necklace sparkled it's way into my magpie heart. It has a much more blue tinge in real life the photo doesn't represent well.

Something about the saddle shape and hammered leather, really referenced a 70s style bag to me...similar to something my Mum owned once I believe.

Have a great weekend everyone xox

Birthday Baby Shadowbox

2011-08-31T15:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my nephew's 1st birthday.

I can finally say things like, "I remember when you were born" and "where did all the time go?" and other such gems that I used to associate with the 'older' generation which I suppose is me now!

I had picked up a few nice vintage market finds when he was first born which I've shown on the blog before. The lady who sold me the baby rattle actually gave me the idea of making a 'shadow box' with it last year so, many google image searches later, I gave it a go for part of his birthday gift. I'm quite happy with it for a first attempt! It was definitley a lot harder to get it going and to source all the wee pieces than I thought it would be. When it was complete and I put the glass on, it really did take on another quality that I can't quite describe. Something about putting all those little things in their own world like that made them look more interesting and sentimental.

For anyone who is curious here are the crafty details:

Box Frame - 12 x 12 bought on Amazon UK from Arrowfile seller.
Painted with sample pots of Farrow and Ball - Strong White then Pavillion Grey on top of frame and sandpapered for distressed look.
Backing sheet (after much deliberation!) is from 5th Avenue collection by Melissa Frances. Found it in single sheets in Dunelm Mill.
Wooden letters from a craft store and dyed with Distress Ink in 'Stormy Sky'.
Blue lace from a local haberdashery.

I was hesitant of doing too much as a beginner and also because I didn't think an overly frou-frou shadowbox would be fitting for a little boy so...

What I put in it:

The bib is antique Irish lace and I bought it for his Christening gift .
The rattle, I just loved! Also a vintage find and what started the shadowbox inspiration because I just wanted to use it in something!
His name with an oak leaf we collected in the park last Autumn. We used them for decorating at his Christening party last October as his name is thought to come from 'doire' - the Irish word for oak tree. This is also why I decided to write the date of his birthday in Irish. That plus I think Lúnasa is a nice month name, one of the prettiest in Irish.

He is just a few hours old in this picture, I gave it a little vintage effect in photoshop and printed it in a tiny size at a Kodak machine. Great tip for crafters who like using photos but not always full size, is to print those collages Kodak machines offer with 2 or 4 photos on a 6x4 print.

I hope I don't look at this in a few months and am embarassed by it! I initially bought a much smaller frame so still have that to maybe try a second shadowbox project on a smaller scale in the future :)

I am so bad at finishing any craft project so I loved having an incentive to finish this one .

xox

Haircuts & Apple Trees

2011-08-27T11:20:00.000-07:00

I got a haircut! Correction - I got a trim. A haircut implies drastic changing of style which is something I keep shying away from doing. My hair has looked the same, more or less, for the past 5 years. No colour, nothing too fussy...

I never thought about doing a hair post as I do next to nothing with mine, but I felt like a mini rant!

As I sat in the chair last week, hair perfectly coiffed and feeling good about myself in that way a blowday can make you feel, a woman sitting next to me said: "If I was you, I'd be in tears". She gesticulated to the mass of hair lying on the ground and my heart sank. When you have long hair, you do get quite attached to it. But what is most worrying, is how attached to it other people get!
I had finally convinced myself that my hair was too much hassle and too much weight on my head. I hadn't been well, I wanted to get a very substantial trim and cut all the unhealthy hair out and just as I convinced myself that it's not exactly short and hair will grow, this woman voices my very worries. Who says that to someone?! I think she was only trying to be friendly, in a strange sort of way.

But now I feel a little bit broken hearted! Will I ever change my hair or will I forever be frightened that everyone else will loathe my apperance if I do?!

Looking at photos I can see it's really not that different! I should have taken a photo when it was still all blowdried and salon styled but...I forgot and got my boyfriend to snap this the other night. Not too drastic and definitley not worth shedding tears over the loss of a few inches...or so I hope! I just worry that if my hair wasn't long it would feel thicker. The weight almost pulls all the frizzy triangular shape out of it that my hair likes to take on, it's a bit Diana Ross at heart really!

To compare, below is a 'before' shot and also to kill 2 birds with the one stone a bit of an outfit post as well!

I think the main difference is getting rid of some of the drier ends of my hair has darkened the colour up and it just looks less dry

I am wearing Mac Ever Hip lipstick here and it really isn't a bright, in-your-face coral when done with a whole look like this. My eyes were rusty shades of gold from the Urban Decay Naked palette, really loved all these colours together for a late Summer/early Autumn look. With the apples out on this tree and the coral-orange tones in this new Autumn season dress, I realised coral was perfect for later summer :)

Bit of a highstreet combination here! Picked up the dress for going to a party in Debenhams. It's the Matthew Williamson Butterfly line. I love that it will be beautifully easy to wear with tights soon enough, but isn't too dark and wintery for now. The vintage inspired fan print too is really beautiful.

The shoes are very comfortable M&S Limited Collection platforms to give the whole look a bit of a late 60s feel.

Gold clutch is from Accessorize and I have used it for years!

Black Satin Headband is 'Colette' for Oasis.

I love the colour of this front door. It's Farrow & Ball's 'Brassica' and definitley isn't as dark as their swatchbook makes out!

No, I don't live here but how can you not love this front door?! Let's just pretend for a little while it's mine!

We were going to an engagement party that night which felt very grown up so hope this outfit was the right choice. I think I'll get a lot of wear out of this dress over the next few months, first sort of next season purchase!

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend and stays safe (stateside) and enjoys the bank holiday (hereside!)

xox

Boudoir Privé - first glance!

2011-08-15T11:50:00.000-07:00

I got a little treat in the post today and thought I would open it with you...

Yes, the 1st Boudoir Privé box arrived! I had been so excited, as I never tried out the Glossy Boxes. I decided to just look upon it as a fun and frivolous treat so tried to keep my expectations low and not get too disgruntled. The rages over Glossy Box #2 made me aware of how disappointed I could be..!

First impressions

I love the pink box! Not as big as I imagined, but I think it will be nice for storage on my dressing table. The packaging is beautiful and a handwritten note is always a nice touch.

I love that there are 6 samples, maybe it will revert to 5 (like Glossy Box) after this first box?

A sticker with a looking glass on it. I'm all about the small details!

The products

Sachajuan Conditioner - biggest product in the box which is fantastic! It is 100ml which is a size the company actually sell. Love the scent and can't wait to try this brand.

Jane Iredale PureLash Extender and Conditioner - I have wanted to try this brand for a while, love the natural credentials. Sounds like a good product but a bit disappointed in the size. Hopefully it will still be good for more than a few uses. Just looks small compared to everything else!

Olavie Antioxidant Body Butter - Smells gorgeous, can't really knock getting a body butter but the packaging is probably the lowest quality of all the samples. I worry it will be hard to get all the product out of this bottle, it is like those travel bottles chemists sell. Hope I'm proved wrong.

Babor HSR Lifting Firming Cream - excited! Am I too young for anti-aging? Who cares, I love that I don't have to fork out £82 to try a bit of this cream in my early 20s.

Bloom Green Tea and White Tea - nicely packaged. 2 teabags in total. I am a tea addict, love trying different types. so I like that they included these in with products.

Etat Libre D'Orange perfume samples - a sample of 'Rien' and 'Archives 69'. I always love trying 'niche' scents and these smell gorgeous.

(L-R) Sachajuan Conditoner, Jane Iredale Lash Extender, Babor Cream with Olivae cream on top, Bloom Teas behind Etat Libre D'Orange perfume samples

I am happy overall, I was hoping for a full size product for first box like many people after Glossy Box.
The conditioner is the biggest at 100ml but I am happy with that as I hope I will get lots of uses out of it. I think some products instantly look better presented than others though but all the brands are something a little bit different and 'high-end' as promised. I had not heard of most of them before I received the box which is always exciting.
I think the box is well presented and the customer service of the company has been wonderful to date. I also appreciated how the £10 cost was inclusive of postage.
Will I treat myself to more boxes? I'll definitley give the second box a go and see after that...

I hope to report back on these products as soon as I get time to try a pampering day with them all! Taking that attitude I think will be the best way to get the most out of my beauty box and maybe find some beauty gems.... so that is my 2 cents thrown in now for the blogging frenzy that will no doubt ensue!
I also found things I could afford in Harvey Nichols in Dublin at the weekend so am feeling very luxuriant.
A Cherry Chau hair clip (looks like a heart in your hair) reduced to 10 euro because who would spend 60 euro on a clip I am likely to break or lose!
Beauty So Clean cosmetic sanitizer mist. I heard about this brand on PixiWoo and this sprays on your powder makeup products like your eyeshadows and blushers to sanitize them. Maybe it is a bit gimmicky, but I liked the idea so will let you know!

Beauty weekend overload, hope you all had a good weekend and Monday!

xox

Coral Crazy - Mac Ever Hip & Dupe?

2011-08-10T15:52:00.000-07:00

So, maybe painting my bedroom a shade of coral has given everyone a clue that I went a bit crazy for coral this summer (I think I go crazy for coral every summer, but each year it's like a new discovery!)
I've always found coral lips a bit daunting though. I am so very very pale, this blog is photographic evidence of that, and colours always look very bright on me as a result. Coral can either look completley orange or too pink but with the rave reviews of Mac Ever Hip with the Liberty Collection last summer, I was determined to get brave about coral and give it a go.

Despite turning up to MAC the day Fashion Flower was launched, Ever Hip was gone! I became swayed into buying a Sheen Supreme in 'Gotta Dash!', found Ever Hip in a different Mac shop a day later and am now suddenly the owner of 2 coral lip colours...woops!

In pictures however, the 2 lipsticks look like such good dupes for each other I thought I would do a post for anyone who missed out on Ever Hip or was interested in the difference.

(L-R) Gotta Dash! - Ever Hip

Yes that is a glimpse of my coral bedroom in the background!

(Pictured here with flash)

What Mac says:

Gotta Dash - pale clean coral. Sheen Supreme combines colour of a lipstick with shine of a lipglass

Ever Hip - Bright creamy coral.

Main differences:

Ever Hip is a cremesheen texture and finish and Gotta Dash! is a Sheen Supreme, slightly glossier and sheerer but very easy to build the pigment.

Gotta Dash is slightly more orange making Ever Hip a better choice for me.

The packaging though it's hardly worth noting.

Both lipsticks were £13.50

Gotta Dash! is probably the closest Mac has got to Ever Hip in another shade but I have to join the bandwagon and say Ever Hip is pretty hard to dupe. It is beautiful in that it is a little brighter and less orange based than Gotta Dash and it isn't as full on as something like Mac's Vegas Volt either.

Gotta Dash swatched on the left and Ever Hip beside it.

I am still playing around with both shades at the minute and while I love Ever Hip, I am not ditching Gotta Dash completley. I like the Sheen Supreme texture and Gotta Dash is easy to sheer out so still a good one for those a bit scared of coral lips.
I would like to do a proper makeup look to accompany this post, but I have had such skin issues recently I have been quite makeup free the past 2 weeks so will have to leave you with this scary picture of me wearing Ever Hip...

Not very flattering and purely for educational purposes! It does look quite different on my skintone than in pictures I had seen of others wearing it online, but I was still surprised at how much I love it.

I will try and get a picture up of me wearing Gotta Dash to compare this week. In the meantime, another coral love. Beautiful bright C and C california vest top bought on Ebay for so cheap..perfect find!

Keeping summer alive with coral until the end of August, rain or shine...

xox

My Summertime Snapshots

2011-07-27T13:22:00.000-07:00

The weather picked up again so I have been outside playing! Sorry for the lack of posts but have to grab that Irish summer while I have the chance...at least when the sun shines and I can travel over the country I don't mind my lack of holidays!

I had a beautiful weekend along the Antrim coast with a friend, have taken a few roadtrips with my boyfriend over the last 2 weeks and have been generally relaxing.

About an hour after sunset in Cushendall

Nailpolish is Models Own Blue Boo - loving the colour for summer but hating the gloopy texture and the fact it needs 3 coats.

Ok, so it wasn't quite California, but I tried to 'rehydrate naturally' at the beach with Vita Coco coconut water. I picked it up in a healthfood store unaware that it is apparently the new celebrtiy fad diet drink of the minute (see Rihanna's man down music video!) I wish I liked it more, but it's quite bitter and a bit thick. I mixed it with pineapple juice and I diluted it with water, made it much more paletable and hopefully I still got the benefits!

Finally, I was in Mayo for a short trip and wish I could go back and enjoy all this beautiful sunshine there so much. Staggeringly beautiful countryside everywhere you look! We took a little jaunt over to Achill where this picture is taken, but stayed near Blacksod where my family is from, about as west of Ireland as you can get and beautiful dramatic landscapes.

Straightforward wee outfit - midi skirt was bought in the Urban Outfitter's sale, hopefully think of some interesting ways to wear it!

Watermelon and green tea with lemon felt like the breakfast of kings! I have eaten such beautiful foods this week: coconut icecream from Morellis, chili made in good company, my mum's caesar salad...I could go on.

"I'm an orange moon"

Good weather and good food means I don't feel the lack of a holiday abroad right now.

So from sunsets to moonrises, I hope everyone is having a happy and healthy summertime at home or abroad. I have lots of beauty buys I want to blog about next week, I think I'll be having to tighten the purse strings for the next few weeks :)

xox

Red Velvet Cakes & Roses

2011-07-14T09:34:00.000-07:00

My sister graduated with her doctorate last weekend and I decided to bake a celebratory red velvet cake, red being the colour of PhD robes!

I have to admit that while I have somewhat mastered baking in the miniature form (cupcakes, brownies, cookies) I have never found cakes easy so perhaps a 3 tier red velvet cake for a party of 15 was a bit of an adventurous reintroduction to baking but I never do things by halves..
I used the Hummingbird Bakery recipe, had a few fraught moments in the kitchen and have learnt that:

1.) Asda red food colouring makes the cake taste slightly odd...Dr. Oetker is much better.

2.) You can't cook the batter in batches, the batter should be baked immediatley and not left for 30 mins to do the final tier like I did. Because of the baking soda and vinegar in the recipe, if it left too long the final cake tastes a little...off!

3.) Cream cheese frosting, by the bucket load, will hide a multitude and the benefit of having a cake 3 tiers or more mean people automatically think it's fancy.

Ta-da! Messy and yummy!

I was actually pretty happy with the end result. It looked grand and I have to say that thus far I am finding the Hummingbird recipe book pretty faultless. Their cake, cupcake and tart recipes haven't failed me, the reluctant baker, yet. I'd never actually eaten a 3 tier cake, or seen one oustide of America, so it was a fun addition to the party. The next day we took cake leftovers to picnic in the park.

Rose Week is this week in Belfast's Lady Dixon Park but it was nice to get down before the crowds and see the fragrant roses in bloom while soaking up some sunshine. I posted pictures of me with the roses in Lady Dixon on my blog last year and it was one of the first pictures I posted of myself and the first hint of an outfit post. It was only when I came home I realised I had worn a polka dot skirt last year and this time around I am in a polka dot dress...some things never go out of favour or fashion with me!
This dress is so comfortable..I got it online from the Spanish brand 'Kling'. I just loved that the style was named "70s wedding guest". I'm wearing a vintage white patent belt and sunglasses with it and I threw on my nude heels that I had worn at the party for the photo :)

A rose necklace for the occasion and Illamasqua's pinky coral nailpolish in Lament

Picnic blankets and aeroplane trails across a hazy sky make me long for endless summers.

I love a bit of a lensflare sometimes...very retro!

And finally, the City of Belfast red rose! Hope you liked the pictures and my shaky attempt at a photoshop collage. Enjoy the sunshine :)

xox

Azulejo Inspired Dressing, perhaps!

2011-07-01T03:09:00.000-07:00

With all this lying around being sick and worrying that I will never ever be employed ever again, I decided to brighten up my mood and this grey day with pictures from a sunnier one!

I took these a few weeks ago at my boyfriend's place of work :) Such a lovely day, not sure it has been as hot since so I am glad I took the opportunity to wear a summer dress while I could!
I visited with my Mum and Great Aunt to see him and we had such fun. Here are the summer shoesies and satchel in action!

I love this Emily and Fin dress, it fits perfectly and is so comfy. Perfect length, not too short and it's lined so feels nice and bouncy! I love this brand, I think this is my third dress by them. I bought this one on Ebay for £5.50, brand new with tags on so I am delighted with my bargain.
I am also selling one on ebay I bought and never wore because I ended up buying this one! Here is the link to the dress I am selling if anyone is interested: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Emily-Fin-Dorothy-Dress-BN-Vintage-inspired-teadress-/140569491005?pt=UK_Women_s_Dresses&hash=item20ba98363d

Silent movie house - reconstructed brick by brick from Co. Armagh!

Cooling off in the shade!

I adore the combination of crisp white and blue. It feels so fresh and summery and reminds me of holidays. I would love to go to Santorini where the buildings are whitewashed and haveblue rooves. It also reminds me of the Moor inspired 'Azulejo' tiles in Portugal and Spain I loved when I visited there as a child. Google Azulejo if you haven't seen them, like delph china or willow patterned plates in the colour combo but just so gorgeous.

Have a good weekend everyone! I am going to try and sort out the mess that my room is post workmen and post pictures on Monday xox

p.s have you heard of Boudoir Privé? I am intrigued and hopeful, who is going to get the boxes! Nothing like a bit of mystery and bloggers dying for beauty products to get us excited
http://signup.boudoirprive.co.uk/yqf59 Sign up there and tell me what happens!

Summer Shoesies and Satchel Bags!

2011-06-23T06:27:00.000-07:00

Thank you all so much for your help and input on my last post, I really appreciate all your comments and some of your beautifully inspirational links and so...I went for it! All 4 walls, and even the painter who had advised me not to do it, thought it turned out well! I am getting a picture rail put up to break up the colour a bit. I think the white paint work will be really pretty and fresh with it but I have to wait until next week so pictures after that :)

Until then I am sick again, so I'm entertaining myself with this very cute new magazine, Mollie Makes that my mum found for me (the first edition is selling for crazy prices on Ebay) and this Rose Lemonade is gorgeous!
Do you see the photograph of white peony roses in the background? I am hoping to frame it and put it on my new coral walls, I received it as a giveaway from Heidi at La Isla Blogita

Thank you so much Heidi, it is a beautiful photograph and I love having something unique to put on my walls :)

I have struggled finding summer sandals this year and last. I really love how tan leather can look with dresses and jeans in the summer but didn't want anything too gladiator style and nothing that hurt my feet! I picked these up in Urban Outfitters by brand Ecoté and can't believe how comfortable they are, no blisters at all and a beautiful shade of tan. The ankle strap can be removed too, and they are on sale for £18 right now. I wore mine in the rain, twice (stupid Irish summer) and may have slightly destroyed the soles a bit so am very tempted to pick up a sale pair I am loving them that much! This is my new H by Henry Holland satchel bag which matches the sandals perfectly. I love the stripes and muted nautical colours, the little gold clasp and the cross body strap leaving me hands free! I hadn't bought a handbag in the longest time and this one was just so simple and cute I was drawn to it! I will definitley be using both these things all summer, well...when it doesn't rain

I have some fun pictures of a forgotten sunny day I meant to post forever ago that I will do a post on in a few days. In the meantime, stay healthy and happy! xox

Vintage Inspired Wall Paints - help appreciated!

2011-06-13T13:48:00.000-07:00

Firstly, hurray! Blogger is back! I'm not sure if you expereinced difficulty but I couldn't sign into my blogger account for the past 2 weeks, and then when I could I could not comment on any blogs. It seems to be resolved now (fingers crossed)...anyone still having problems with your comments coming up as 'anonymous', just uncheck the keep me signed in box on the Blogger login page :)

With that out of the way, may I ask your advice?! I am getting my bedroom painted on Friday, the first time in a long while. It is currently cream. After a childhood of coloured walls and patterned wallpapers, my teenage self decided cream was the sophisticated way forward. I suppose cream was innovative and 'minimlaist' (ha) about 8 years ago. However, even if I wanted to keep it cream now, the walls need freshening up!
I think I may have confused myself with a multitude of sample pots and the current splash of colours on my walls makes me look unsound of mind, I am worried to show them to the decorator!

I decided I would like a pink for the room, but thought something dusky and fairly neutral...adult pink, not sugary pink! I bought sample pots in elegant names like Blossom White and Rose White, then realised I might as well be painting the walls cream they were so faint.
I tried Farrow & Ball in Calamine but it ended up looking lilac on my walls, as did a Dulux paint in Satin Bow and even a dusky rose, seemed to have a very blue undertone.
After a weekend spent in DIY stores, I decided I was sick of neutral, sick of beige, sick of pinkish creams or hot pink and nothing in between and on a whim, I bought a sample of this!

And guess what, I think I love it! Adult pink, muted and chic seem to have gone out the window but do you think it could work? From Crown's Le Petit Palais range, Roseraie is a beautiful pinky coral without a blue undertone in sight, I would paint it up to the picture rail which is white and I think it will make my painted furniture (white painted bed and dressing table) really pop. I'm hoping because it is vintage inspired it isn't too brash looking :)

A picture of Roseraie (French for rose garden) as a statement wall in a nursery

Sometimes, bold colour is required and gut instinct has to be acted on. My room has looked the same since I was 15 so I feel I need a total change. But if I get cold feet that this will look too orange and scarey, my safer second option:
Farrow & Ball's Pink Ground, which has dried quite light but I still love the earthy tone behind the pink.

It wasn't until today I realised why I might have been inspired by these shades. I visited Cuba in December, truly one of the best holidays I have ever been on. On our last night we stayed in the most beautiful hotel in Havana and our room was amazing! 3 huge windows with wooden shutters that opened onto a balcony, a rocking chair, dressing table, beautiful tiled floors and it was painted pink. The room was so beautifully decorated you didn't even instantly notice it was pink which I liked. I went looking through my photos to find a picture of it and realised it looks so unmissable pink now, and that it is infact three shades of pink: ceiling, walls and a statement wall.

I didn't have any other picture, sorry boyfriend! He is attempting to close the shutters by the way..

I also think the Roseraie shade looks similar to the beautiful Hotel Ambos Mundo in Havana, round the corner from where we stayed so perhaps I am trying to inject a colourful dose of Cuba into Belfast!

Any thoughts? I am the most indecisive person in the world, but now I have decided I need a change and the decorator has a date, no backing out.

Do I go for it and paint the whole room in this beautiful shade, confident that my white picture rail will break it up, do I paint it as a statement wall (even though I am unsure about this in a small space) with Pink Ground on the other 3 walls, or would you go with Pink Ground and leave Roseraie to Cuba?

Help!

I Remember The Day We Had Nothing To Do..

2011-05-24T04:59:00.000-07:00

...So we went down to the City Zoo!

I have been a terrible blogger...I've been a bit under the weather still since Easter but hope to be back into the swing of things now that June is almost upon us so please bear with me :)
Thank you for all your kind comments and for inspiring me to blog a post today, I appreciate all your kindness!

I thought I'd like to share some photographs from my trip to Dublin Zoo (I had never been before!) to see the baby gorilla. It was a beautiful sunny day and I am wishing for the return of such weather today...these photos seem like a distant memory of 2 weeks ago!

I adore these pictures of mama and baby. It was such a fantastic holiday feel of a day and the zoo was filled with lots of exciteable children there to see the baby gorilla!

The mother held her baby so tight, it took 2 days for zookeepers to be able to tell if it was a boy or girl.

Don't you just love giraffes' big bluey -grey tounges?!

I adore this Lorina pink lemonade and the Phoenix Park tearooms were very quaint

I love my Cath Kidston t-shirts I got from the UNIQLO charity project ... £12.99 each and

the perfect cotton and length, so glad i got 2 as I have been living in them!

This pale blue with faded cherry print is probably my favourite pattern of the two.

I have been writing up lots of little posts this week, so hope that my brief hiatus has come to an end!

Have taken lots of photos, tried cleaning out my room and am having a wardrobe sale of everything I have never worn (very shameful!) on E-Bay:

http://clothes.shop.ebay.co.uk/Clothes-Shoes-Accessories-/11450/i.html?_catref=1&_fln=1&_ipg=&_ssn=susiestarpink&_trksid=p3911.c0.m282

Have a wonderful week xox

Easter Light

2011-04-25T12:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter! I hope your weekend was as relaxed as mine. I love Easter, a sunnier Christmas without the same hassle of presents. My mum likes to decorate the house, and at the minute it really feels like a holiday as our house still has lots of little cards and chocolate treats everywhere! I bought my boyfriend this Rolo egg because I loved the kitsch vintage inspired graphics on it. He got me this Jig-Sew (collaborating my love of jigsaws and newfound love of sewing), a reproduced vintage toy! And lots of chocolatey goodness.

I really love this card as well entitled "The Quiet Ram", a sheep's take on the classic movie "The Quiet Man"!

My Mum also generously gifted my sister and I with these beautiful glass drawers - perfect for makeup storage on my dressing table - and little jewellery trays. These chocolates may I add are absolutely delicious, though the daffidol one looks too pretty to eat! She filled each drawer with little treats: mini eggs, hair clips and, best of all, a mojito mix! Easter bunny for grown ups - amazing!

We spent the day with family and also went out for a stroll when I took the opportunity of the good weather to photography my Primark seaside dress. I had been wearing little heels with it for the day but changed into these comfy, if a little battered, flats from good old Dunnes. I was even able to throw my coat off for the photos so sunny has it been this weekend. I love the feel of this dress, it feels like good quality and the length wasn't too short which I liked! The print is really cute too, will have to try styling it a few different ways but think this will be a good sundress this Summer.

Some easter cards I made on Saturday :)

And a lamb photo from Donegal, just because it's so adorable and seasonal!

Happy Easter, Springtime to everyone! I promise to get back to all your lovely comments on my last blog this week, my job had kept me busy...nevermind all the chocolate I will be busy eating for the next few days now, but I appreciate all your comments and kind words :)
xox

Paper Planes

2011-04-14T12:15:00.000-07:00

I am sorry for the delay on my Donegal post. It has just been one of those weeks! Between starting a job (that I got about 24 hours notice for!) and a stomach virus, it's been a bit hectic but that makes these photos all the nicer to reflect on :)

A waterfall somewhere in the region of Gweedore! Too pretty not to stop and take pictures so...

Thought I'd do an outfit picture to show my new Forever 21 purchase. I adore that F21 are now in Dublin, and I think this paper plane print is just so adorable. I feel a bit of a Gleek in it, but that can only be a good thing, right?!

I fly like paper, get high like planes...!

Guard goats!

And here is how I wrapped up for my trek up Slieve League, something like the 6th highest sea cliffs in Europe! My mac, Primark scarf, Audrey Hepburn brooch and sunglasses...who says hiking clothes can't be pretty!

Last but not least, the sunset over Bloody Foreland to end our energetic day around Donegal...wishing the skies of Belfast looked like this tonight. This photo just brings me such calm. I hope you enjoyed these few holiday snaps :)

xoxo

Birthday Weekend

2011-04-10T10:42:00.000-07:00

Thank you everyone for your comments on my last post, I know my Mummy appreciated them! I meant to post before this and promise to get back to everyone in the next few days :)
I went away to Donegal for a few days for my birthday (a surprise from my boyfriend) It was great to get away and I took looaddss of pictures!

We were in Gweedore. It is like storybook Ireland, just so beautiful and we drove all over the county for the days we were away. I also made full use of the hotel's spa and my mum and sister provided me with things like Mojitos in a can and Pimms and lemonade in a can...great few days!

Our room with a view

Gigantic strawberries(!) and homemade pink cake I've been eating all weekend!

Gigantic strawberry and my new red lipgloss!

Birthday manicure with Leighton Denny's 'Sophisticated'. Amazingly, I haven't chipped this yet..loving it!

Think I'm going to post about Donegal all week so I hope you won't be too bored :)

Hope everyone is enjoying good weather this weekend

xoxo

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-04-03T16:16:00.000-07:00

I know that Mother's Day is a bit later in America, but today (I think in all of Europe?!) it is Mothering Sunday so I thought I would do a bit of a tribute post to my Mummy with some wonderful vintage photographs...what better way!

Meet Mummy, aged about 3 and learning the art of hula hooping and stone throwing. I love my great-aunt hula hooping in the background and how cold the beach looks...very typical Irish summer!

I love her 70-esque drindl dress in this photo taken while she lived in New York.

Kinsale, Co. Cork

Her self made wedding dress from a Vogue pattern and material bought in Hickeys in Dublin. We found this dress last year and it is my exact measurements! She is my age here too :)

I thought this picture of her feeding my older sister was just so fitting for this Mother's Day post and here she is (in America again!) with a 3 month old me!

We celebrated with a brunch this morning with my sister (a new Mother) and her son/my godson/my mother's grandson...so a few generations of Mothers! We had tea in china, pink cava and buns. Sophie le Giraffe came too of course!

Thank you Mum for being the glue of our family, immediate and extended and for working hard for all of us!

xoxo

Crackbird and a Ha'Penny

2011-03-29T11:35:00.000-07:00

Is there anything better than free stuff?! Having heard about a pop up restaurant in Dublin, and me being a sucker for marketing, I knew I had to give it a go as I'm down in Dublin for a few days this week. 'CrackBird', a chicken restaurant run by the owner of Jo'Burger restaurant, will stay open until the middle of May I believe. They have this 'tweetseats' thing going, that if you tweet them a reservation 24 hours in advance you might be lucky enough to score a free meal. Now, I didn't know how to work Twitter and I'm only a little ashamed to say my first (and only to date) 'tweet' was in pursuit of Crackbird chicken but I managed to pull it off! So at 12 today, me and my boyfriend clucked our way down to Crane Lane in Temple Bar and all we had to pay for was our big jars of homemade lemonade.

Behold the chicken....free chicken!

To your left we have crispy soy garlic chicken (amazing!) and on the right is skillet fried buttermilk chicken.

A burnt lemon and whipped feta dip, a side of chipolte baked beans and jalapeno dip.

Still can't believe all we paid for was the lemonade, I feel like I robbed the place but I guess it works because I would happily go back and pay for this food! I loved the mismatched napkins, tree trunk coasters and handpicked flowers in jam jars.

Hipster KFC-ing it up with my giant lemonade jar I tried to make a dent in!

Loving the Illamasqua Jo'Mina nailpolish colour today but still chips like crazy on me :(

We went for a walk and shop about the city after. I love Ha'Penny bridge but today was so grey and even a bit foggy.

Silk dress : A-Wear

Shoes - Bloch

Bag - Longchamp 'Le Pliage' in raspberry

I got my Longchamp as a birthday present a few years ago and just love this colour for Spring. Matches my new Bloch ballet flats quite well too! I got these on sale at Christmas for £40 and they are still selling them for almost 3 times the price in a shop by my house..crazy! I love them, but not sure they are worth over £100, ballet flats like this have next to no sole/support and wear out fast.

In Dublin's fair city....looking towards the Ha'Penny bridge.

Click to make bigger :) At least the foggy dew made for some atmospheric photos

So in conclusion: crackbirdcrackbirdcrackbird!

Blog Award

2011-03-27T09:40:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much to the ever chic, Making Life More Beautiful blog for tagging me with this Kreativ blogger award. I really appreciate you thinking of me so thank you so much :)

The rules are: 1) Link 10 blogs 2) Tell these bloggers about the award 3) Write 10 facts about yourself.
So...

I haven't changed my hair style or colour in years...I'm terrified of the hairdresser even though I used to have pink tips and put blonde streaks in myself when I was 13!
I worked as a cleaner in Rome, Italy for 2 months.
I can’t speak Italian
I try to speak Spanish
I love the smell of petrol
I play the piano (badly) and the violin no more.
I never returned a big glittery trophy I won for Irish Dancing when I was 10
I danced classical Ballet for 15 years
I wish I had more intelligent things to say to make this list more interesting!
I think it’s so lovely and positive of MLMB for giving me this little blog award and allowing me the opportunity to share it with others :)

I tag this award to :

All lovely blogs, it's so so hard to pick just 10!

Mary Greenwell Plum - learning to love a chypre!

2011-03-24T13:07:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in a post a few weeks ago about wearing SJP NYC strawberry based perfume for an instant reminder of last summer so I thought I would do a quick post on my current favourite perfume. I shy away from talking about perfume because I am by no means an expert and all the talk of base and top notes can leave me quite confused. I however, like most of us, adore scent, fragrance, perfume! The power of scent in evoking memories and conjuring up strong feelings is something that fascinates me. I love smelling a perfume that instantly reminds you of an aunt or your mum when you were younger, or your first perfume as a teenager...perfume can be nostalgia in a bottle.
I love all sorts of scents and had trouble finding out what my preferences were when it came to 'notes'. I got obsessed with reading the NST perfume blog and recommend it for anyone interested in trying to learn a bit more.

Mary Greenwell Plum

I had wanted to smell this for weeks when I finally got the chance walking through House of Fraser. The only word I could think of when I smelt it was 'cosseted'. I felt warm and looked after and happy, I just had an instant love affair with it. It is described as:

Plum a contemporary chypre, blends top notes of peach, blackcurrant, plum, bergamot and lemon. Harmonious heart notes of Gardenia, tuberose, orange flower absolute, rose absolute and jasmine absolute. Followed by delicious Dry down of Precious Woods, Sandalwood, Oakmoss, Patchouli, Amber, and White Musks.

How delicious do peach and plum notes sound. I've also noted the bergamot as Bliss Vanilla and Bergamot body cream is my favourite body cream scent at the minute, so perhaps I am finding out a bit more about what scents I like!

It's quite strong but most perfumes fade very fast on my skin so this is ideal for me. I'd say it's more of a cold weather fragrance as a result of this strength, so would suit nightime better in the warmer months. That said, I sprayed it on me this sunny morning and didn't find it too much at all! I think you would probably love or hate this perfume and I have fallen hard for the richness of it. Some perfume bloggers dubbed it as a "big frock" fragrance. I can see what they mean, it just feels like you should be wearing a vintage party dress but I also wear it with jeans ;)

Googling more about 'chypre' I learnt a few things...

1.) That a chypre fragrance is defined by citrus top notes, a floral middle and, most importantly, a "mossy-animalic" base note derived from oak moss.

2.) Chypre is French for Cyrpus, and thus chypre perfumes are known for "mossy-woody", warm characteristics.

3.) It's popularity in modern perfume is not great and it is usually modified with fruity or floral notes. Popular chypre perfumes include Coco Mademoiselle (another favourite of mine!) and Miss Dior, a fruity chypre.

So looks like I've found a favourite...chypres and basically anything that seems to have woods in the description...oh and bergamot! Not sure what this says about me, that I like scented but animalic forests?

Mary Greenwell was an iconic makeup artist throughout the 80s and 90s and this is her first fragrance as she says perfume was always the finishing touch to all her celebrity makeup looks.

I love the colour of the packaging and the heavy gold lid on the bottle. Beautiful on my dressing table and I almost cried with delight when I opened this on Christmas morning. It just makes me feel grown up :)
Plum - my signature scent (at last!) for 2011.

Sunday's Favourite Things

2011-03-20T14:08:00.000-07:00

After a long few weeks, I have been enjoying nothing more than staying at home and taking solace in all the beautiful things that have surrounded me this weekend.
Just look at these roses I was given. The pink is so vivid, they are alight! Another beautiful bouquet from florist Rose Devine that have brightened my mood and weekend no end.

These are a few of my favourite things...an open fire, blank pages of a new notebook and an amazing new photoalbum from Paperchase. I can't decide what to put in it yet, I'd love to learn how to scrapbook a bit, make things look prettier! Any ideas welcome...love the foil rose pattern on this.

Fantastic sweet treat...Manuka honey is good for you right?!

My mum made a beautiful Sunday lunch with Marguerite Patten's iconic 1972 cookbook "Perfect Cooking". My mum has had this book since...well, 1972 and I just love flicking through the set menus. There is even a 'Menu for Beauty', 1970s diet tips and dinner party ideas. We had Cyprus Chicken in an Orange Rice Ring, loved the retroness of it and how yummy it tastes (a warmer weather menu may I add)

I hope you all enjoyed the weekend and had a peaceful Sunday. See you all during the week where I'm going to try to motivate myself to tackle a wardrobe declutter and re-stock on all the skincare essentials for Spring :)

xox

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig!

2011-03-17T16:32:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay in announcing the giveaway winner but I am happy to say that (thanks to my boyfriend picking a number between 1 and 25..!) the winner is:

Capucine of the beautiful fashion blog, LilacPurpleSky

(I have emailed you to get your pick)

I think I had my tamest St. Patrick's Day in years...didn't even wear my 'Kiss Me I'm Irish' t-shirt! I went for a bracing walk along Belfast's Black Mountain. Pretty cold but nice and bright. Remedied the chill by drowning the shamrock with a few hot ports and am currently curled up beside the fire with a lovely Cuban rum!

Hope you enjoy these St. Patrick's pictures from me in Belfast to you all across the world!

Started the day with a good aul cup of tea, some soda bread and jam and also a bit of cherry cake just for sugar overload. My mum bought it the other day and I had such a nostalgia moment, hadn't eaten it in years and remembered how a great Aunt used to bring me one everytime she visited when I was wee.

I love this bright green cardigan from 'Darling' and found a Model's Own nailpolish in Grace Green. I actually ended up loving this colour, not too bright but not as sickly as being a pastel. My nails have been awful really so was pleased with how this polish has lasted on them as every brand has been chipping off within seconds recently!

My boyfriend's scarf as a Granny-esque headscarf wasn't part of the original outfit plan...but it was cold up the mountain! Should have remembered to take a photo of my smokey green eye makeup..beautiful bare minerals shadow called Spirited.

I know these shoes aren't exactly pretty but they are the comfiest shoes I own at the minute for walks and I don't mind getting them a bit muddy. They are a little big so I wear them with a half insole but because they are a little big they have the added bonus of making my legs look longer when I wear them?! Not complaining! They are a bit odd...but I like them.

They are vintage from Wild Child Originals shop in Dublin. I love that I never had to break these boots in!

Reflection on Black Mountain

Traditional Irish breakfast?

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! I'm away off to listen to some Damien (Dempsey obviously..) tunes!

Giveaway!!

2011-03-08T12:57:00.000-08:00

Firstly, I would like to say yay! I was shortlisted for an Irish Blog Award for Best Photography. I was a bit shocked, especially for my nomination to be in the photography category, but very pleased all the same! Just gives me a bit more motivation to keep trying to teach myself more about photography. I would love to improve and invest in some new lenses!

Secondly, the Hampton Blue giveaway as promised has arrived here on A Certain Vintage. Debbie at Hampton Blue has selected this dusky rose and cream striped scarf OR this Lisbeth Dahl sequinned purse and the winner can choose which to receive: scarf or purse!

To enter all you have to do is become a follower of my blog and then send me an email to let me know you are follwing to acertainvintageblog@gmail.com

Good luck! I can't wait to announce the winner. Hampton Blue's stuff is really beautiful, I was so pleased with the things that they sent me and they have got new stock in this month which is worth checking out.

Enteries will close next week on 15th March

I will announce the winner on the blog and email them also.

xox

Airfield Vintage Market

2011-03-02T14:47:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, I was down in Dublin and found out that (very close to my boyfriend's place in Dundrum) the Airfield Vintage Market was on and back for 2011.
I hadn't been to Airfield or the market so wasn't sure what to expect.

Airfield: A beautiful home farm that would have been amazing as a child, and still is for me as a supposed adult! Walled gardens, a 'fairy' tree that has been kept from the famine and lots of cute farm animals surrounding a house, all of which are open to the public.
Vintage Market: started last year, one on monthly and a variety of craft stalls and vintage finds. Not really any clothes, lots of trinkets, jewellery and some china and handbags in the vintage finds. Not as big as the Belfast events but the surroundings really made up for it.
Also, thank you so much to the lovely Laura who recognised me from my blog (and me without a bit of lipstick of course!) and encouraged us to go see all the lovely Airfield grounds. Lovely to meet you Laura

Thought I would share my photos from the day when the sun was shining and show my 2 purchases. Warning - picture heavy post, but everything was so photograph worthy :)

Calves sleeping in the barn in the midday sun

Some of the outdoor market stalls

Goosey Goosey Gander!

Cupcakes for sale in the most adorable pink sunhouse

Check out this smirking goat propping up the bar!

Outside the vintage car display garage with the original gas pump. Mac coat from A-Wear and my (farm approrpriate?!) shoes are vintage from Wild Child Originals

My 2 purchases were this 1950s baby rattle and teething ring with an elephant. The seller gave me a good idea for putting it in a box frame and making a memory frame of sorts for my nephew's nursery. I just loved how it looked with the little elephant, don't worry I'm going to clean the silver up!

And after walking about the gardens, I had to go back for this little enamel brooch. The colours were just so Springtime and reflective of my love of the seasonal flowers that are blooming at the minute.

I hope you are all having a good week, and thank you so much for all your lovely comments..I love reading them all! xox

Spring Has Sprung

2011-02-28T08:10:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday everyone!

To all statesiders, I hope you enjoyed the Oscars. To everyone else, I'm trying to avoid hearing who won until RTE repeats the ceremony at the more sociable hour of 9pm for us tonight. I'm pretty sure the winners are no big surprise but we all know it's all about the dresses! Seriously, I can't wait to see the dresses and makeup.
Today's post is a little ode to the fact that this weekend, Spring seemed to have sprung..and here is how I enjoyed it.

Friday: a walk in Belfast's Botanic Gardens to photograph the shoots of crocuses and snowdrops I saw on Monday. But by Friday, they were opened up into full bloom and the park was filled with them. Absolutely beautiful colours that lifted my mood no end.

What a beautiful carpet of flowers!

Though it may still be quite cold outside, this bright weather puts me in such an optimistic mood. I am looking forward to shopping for sandals, wearing dresses with bare legs, painting my nails lilac and going outside with just a cardigan. These little glimpses of Spring are so welcome after a long Winter. I found the SJP NYC perfume I wore last summer and sprayed it today, the easiest way to feel seasonal without freezing to death.

My mum bought me this little handbag size bottle of it last Summer and it has lasted so well. It is based around the scent of a strawberry but it isn't as sickly as it sounds. I'm not exactly a great follower of the celebrity fragrance trend and I probably shouldn't like this as I know 12 year old girls would probably adore it as well but I can't help it...it's just fun and reminds me of last Summer now, I love how perfumes can hold memories like that.

Here is the NST perfume website review of SJP NYC, I got so addicted to this website last year as I tried to educate my nose!

Hampton Blue Gifts and Giveaway

2011-02-26T02:53:00.000-08:00

Thank you all for your comments on my last post, really appreciate them all! Another plus in favour of Saturday's take on the Primark prom skirt oufit was this beautiful Lisbeth Dahl bracelet I wore.

Lisbeth Dahl is a really nice accesories and homeware range I have seen on and off for a few years in varying gift stores. I have a photoframe and I did have (until I lost :( ) a beautiful cream pagoda umbrella that always got a few stares in rainy Belfast. A lot of the pieces in the range have a vintage feel to them and something about the grey and black stones in this bracelet sets me in mind of the glitzy 20s and 30s.

Perfect for a gift, I was very lucky to be gifted with this from Debbie at Hampton Blue. A new online business (and local to Belfast!), Hampton Blue is busy stocking their online store with beautiful things that I'm sure will appeal to us! Lisbeth Dahl being one, they also sent me this adorable purse from the Disaster Designs line. Quite Cath Kidston-esque but a little different.

I am also seriously contemplating buying one of these beautiful leather photo albums, the type of album I've been meaning to buy to organise all my holiday snaps for ages now! They also have beautiful ideas for gifts for babies and weddings.

Hampton Blue can also be found in St. George's Sunday market in Belfast and the good news for A Certain Vintage is that I will be hosting a giveaway next month for you all when Hampton Blue's new stock comes in, so look out for that post in the next few weeks! For now, have a wee look at their website, see if anything takes your fancy: http://www.hamptonblue.co.uk/

1 outfit, 2 nights

2011-02-24T04:18:00.000-08:00

1 outfit, 2 nights...a blogging sacrelig? I think not, merely a good buy if you ask me!
I got this Primark skirt and adore it. I think the poppy print is just beautiful but the best bit is it's lined with a net petticoat, Betty Draper-tastic! I'm not sure how I would style it for warmer weather yet but I wore it on Valentine's night and for my sister's birthday this weekend.
Both times, I threw it on without too much thought as time was of the essence and here are my 2 almost identical looks.

Left: Top - Petit Bateau

Right: Body - Lipsy, Belt - Urban Outfitters

Shoes - Office (need updating!)

I prefer it with the Lipsy body as it gave a more streamlined look for the high waist of the skirt. Is the Urban Outfitter's belt too fussy or just right?

But best of all about Saturday's version (right picture) was my new Revlon Fire and Ice lipstick.
I am a bit in love with this. I have wanted to buy it for the longest time and finally remembered to have a glance at it in Boots the other week. I was prepared for it to be bright and maybe a bit too orange for my skintone, something about this shade of red I just love though. I wore it here, over Benefit lip primer/plumper and MAC's subculture lipliner, I applied with a lip brush as it is quite matte. It's also a little drying but not half as much as I was expecting. It's staying power was the best thing. I am in fear of red lipstick on my chin and all over my face when I go out for dinner. I had linguine...in cream sauce which basically ended up all over my face, how elegant! I dabbed politely, ran to the bathroom and realised my lipstick hadn't budged. Only faded from the centre of lip outwards which, with a quick touch up, was easily rectified. This photo is after three courses with one touch up - the ultimate test for red lipstick!

Apologies for the low light here, washes the red colour out a bit

I found a Revlon makeup book I got for a present as a teenager which had the original ads for Fire and Ice (seen photographed above) and Cherries in the Snow in them. Fire and Ice, originally released in 1952, also had a rather wonderful questionnaire to determine if you were Fire and Ice including questions such as:

Does gypsy music make you sad?

Would you streak your hair platinum without consulting your husband?

Have you ever wanted to wear an ankle bracelet?

If yes, then apparently you are made of Fire and Ice. Now if only Revlon would bring back some more classics, how epic does Cleopatra's Sphinx Pink sounds. Now I wonder if I will try matching 'lips and tips' and buy the All Fired Up nailpolish, the match of Fire and Ice, next time I'm in a Boots...too much?!

Dorian Leigh, modelling for the Fire and Ice campaign in 1952

MAC Peacocky and Peacock Alley

2011-02-19T08:42:00.000-08:00

As I posted before, I love all things peacock and refer to peacocks as peacockys all the time so clearly MAC have been reading A Certain Vintage ;)

I was interested in trying the Mega Metal shadows and I loved them basically! I got Prance (described as a frosted mauve pearl) and Unflappable (frosted black with purple pearl). The pans of these are larger than regular MAC eyeshadows, they feel really soft and feel slightly easier to blend than some of the permanent collection shadows.
They are not over the top metallic either, just very pretty shimmers. MAC's websites says they are crease resistant too which I guess I can vouch for, but I was also wearing UD Primer Potion.

The purple tone in both is really subtle. Prance is just so pretty, I'm addicted to colours like this and worried it would be too similar to my MAC vanilla pigment but it's a bit different as it's not as much of a white gold or a silver...I guess because it's a frosted mauve pearl! It just looks beautiful on and I've actually been using it as a highlighter on my cheeks as well.
Unflappable is a really soft black, that is easy to blend with and you can build up for more intensity. Just what I was looking for, a soft black eyeshadow I wasn't scared of!

I wore them both on Valentine's night so thought I'd take a picture. What do you think?

I'll be trying out Unflappable again tonight and I have been wearing Prance all week so I'd say they were worth it. The other colours in the collection were beautiful, but I just love my good old basics!

Also, I got this set of Lipstick Queen's lipglosses called Peacock Alley. They were reduced in my local Space NK to under a tenner from £28 so I couldn't really resist the packaging or its name. Peacock Alley is a famous corridor in NY's Waldorf Astoria. I haven't had a chance to try these out but I like Lipstick Queen products. Saunter reminds me a bit of Nars orgasm lipgloss on first glance and I think Sway would be great over lipsticks. The box encourages you to mix them as well.

L-R: Strut, Saunter, Sway

Applicator like the Stila lipglosses.

Hope you're all having a nice weekend. Happy birthday to my Sister! We are going to be celebrate tonight. I just bought her a few girly things for a present including the Collection 2000 big fake lash mascara that everyone has raved about and Umberto Gianni's Backcomb in a Bottle...can't wait to hear how they perform for her after their blogger fame! xox

Voya Lazy Days Seaweed Bath

2011-02-16T12:26:00.000-08:00

As promised, here is my review of the Irish seaweed-based(!) beauty brand, Voya which I tried out for the first time last weekend.
I tried to recreate a seaweed bath at home with their product, Lazy Days and I also tried their body buff, Time to Shine.

Lazy Days

Basically, it's a beautifully packaged box of dried seaweed and a little sachet of dead sea salt. This might be the best product in the whole line for me because it is so unique to other brands and as truly all it is is a bag of dried seaweed and salt, you know there is no hidden chemical ingredient.
There were directions on the side of the box which instructed to let the seaweed soak in a hot bath for a while to prepare and to squeeze it to release all it's gel like goodness.

The seaweed comes in a green string bag which I opted to keep it in to make cleaning up a little easier but you can take it out. Cleaning up by the way, was quite simple this way. You can use the seaweed as a soil fertiliser for anyone that way inclined...I have dried mine out. I wouldn't use it again for another bath, so I will see what gardener in my family can make use of it!

The seaweed dried out and then rehydrated in the bath!

The seaweed 'rehydrates' in the bath, so don't be put off by how black and dry it looks in the box. Having become accustomed to the seaweed bath with my visits to Soak, Newcastle, I was used to the smell and feel of the bath so perhaps I can't comment on that. Honestly, I didn't find the smell pungent or anything. In fact, soak use a lot more seaweed and it isn't in a bag so it's a bit more extreme! The water goes green and it did have that jelly feeling to it (great hair conditioner to soak your hair in it)

I felt relaxed and it really does help with minor aches and pains. I think it would make a really great gift for spa and beauty fans.

Lazy Days is 16 euro or £15 with shipping to the UK, Ireland and USA

Time to Shine

This was a nice partner to the Lazy Days box. It wasn't a very coarse scrub which I like as I have quite sensitive skin and it didn't drag too much but exfoliated effectively. My favourite aspect was the smell. Having seaweed in it, I wasn't sure what sort of scent it would have but it didn't really smell like seaweed at all. It had quite a mild soapy smell, fairly inoffensive! This did a fantastic job at making my skin soft and really brightening it up as too much central heating had left my skin so dull.
I was impressed with the ingredient list for this. I knew Voya marketed themselves as organic but when it came to the wider line of face and body products, I wasn't sure how many ingredients would be natural/organic. However, I couldn't see any parabens, sulfates, fragrances etc. and lots of pronounceable ingredients and organic oils, they're is all listed on their website and the packagaing.
This is priced at 10 euro or £9.

I love the whole look of this brand, I think the packaging looks great and the ethos of being organic and popularising an old fashioned ritual sits well with me. I would be eager to try other products in the line, like the hair care and skin care to see what sort of ingredients are used and what results I would get. The skincare line looks great with a seaweed balm cleanser, but just a bit beyond my budget at the minute. They are also used and have a treatment list in lots of different spas so maybe I will be lucky to visit one this year.

I would recommend Lazy Days especially for anyone who is already a fan of seaweed baths, or wanting to try them out! The Voya website is also great and informative for anyone interested in seaweed baths or their other products and ingredients - http://www.voya.ie/

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T07:17:00.000-08:00

Single, married, dating...whatever your 'status', Happy Valentine's Day!

I dislike the emphasis some try to put on it that today you need a date, or how when I was in school the way girls competed over how many Valentines they received. So Happy Valentine's Day from me to you, in my opinion Valentine's Day love and cheer can be spread to anyone and everyone and it doesn't have to be all about romance. Enjoy and celebrate love in all its forms. And, when that love is romantic, how you choose to mark this day is between the 2 of you. Some do big gifts, some do none at all and that is up to the couple, we should not judge or let anyone dictate how you should express your love.

This year I say no to the pressure some feel over Valentine's day and yes to Valentine's love :)

My Dad used to always give me a card or flower when I was a little girl which I adored and helped teach me about the giving, generous spirit of Valentine's Day, now I have a boyfriend that does that ....

Beautiful red tulips and eucalyptus leaves from Belfast florist, Rose Devine (that is her actual name....how fitting she became a florist!)

The card I made my Valentine. It has some tissue paper from Dublin store, Brown Thomas which he wrapped the first gift he ever got me in 3 years ago.

The tissue paper and ribbon they wrap everything in in Brown Thomas features the words of a Patrick Kavanagh poem, 'Grafton Street Admiration'. A short poem that has always been a favourite of mine and though the unrequited love sentiment might seem a little unfitting for Valentine's Day, lets be honest, the best type of romantic poetry is always a bit forlorn.

Grafton Street Admiration

And have you felt that way too,

That someone was in love with you

And was afraid to speak? The air

Vibrated with your mutual prayer.

Without an introduction you

Are doomed to love and never woo.

Patrick Kavanagh (1942)

xoxo

Weekend Treats

2011-02-08T09:45:00.000-08:00

Thanks for the interest shown on the seaweed blog, I will review Voya seaweed bath products this weekend and have a look at more Irish brands in the coming weeks :)

I went to the Frock Around the Clock vintage fair in Belfast this Sunday. There was a few new vintage sellers which was nice to see, namely a new favourite store of mine, Wild Child Originals in Dublin. I saw a camel vintage Christian Dior coat that was in beautiful condition but for nearly £200, I simply had to walk away. I did however purchase 2 little somethings!

1.) This was for me fella! We loved the tounge in cheek 'Feck It, Sure It's Grand' version as found online and now pictured in the Irish Times magazine, but I figured the 'Keep Going' was a little more proper and a little less Father Jack as much as I adore Father Ted.
There are so many different versions of this poster now and I love the history of the original British 'Keep Calm and Carry On' slogan. It's amazing how popular it has become and how many times it has been re-invented recently, perhaps we find it reassuring in the midst of a recession. I loved the colour combination of the cream frame and orange print ... brightens my day and only £4!

2.) An old British three penny coin on a silver chain from Jennifer Robinson Jewellery. Her designs have always caught my eye at these fairs so I decided to treat myself to this. I thought it would also look good worn with my silver key charm necklace but I like how it just sits flat and for £16, it was a great price for a treat. She also does amazing necklaces and bracelets made out of watch parts and best of all, makes brooches out of scans of your old photographs. I believe her sign said "Glitz your Granny". Really hope I don't rust this necklace away to nothing. Everything I have seems to turn black on me, metal allergy or something? Check out photos of her jewellery on her facebook page

King George V head and front of the 1915 threepence

Thought these pretty pink chysanthemums were the perfect touch of Spring and colour to share with you today

xoxo

Seaweed Baths - traditional Irish beauty treatment?

2011-02-07T07:46:00.000-08:00

I love to learn about what beauty ingredient or treatment might be unique or a speciality of an area, especially when beauty shopping abroad... I hope someone is following me on this! Hungary's mineral rich thermal waters, the Provence lavender waters from France, Italy's rich olive oil soaps or Dead Sea mud in Jordan.
So what could you tell a beauty or spa aficionado about the emerald isle of Ireland and what we have to offer in way of skincare and therapies? Well, with its growing popularity and current revival, I think the answer might be seaweed!

Visit any craft fair or market at the minute, and you're likely to find companies selling seaweed beauty products promoting its benefits for skin and joint conditions. Online you can find food supplements of sea kelp or carrageenan, it seems the uses for seaweed are quite endless. There are also a number of spas throughout Ireland which offer the traditional seaweed bath I want to focus on. I'm hoping to try the baths in Mayo or Galway this summer on holiday.
However, a little closer to home, was 'Soak' in Newcastle, Co.Down which I've visited twice. I wrote a review of my first experience on the W(r)ite Noise blog here and I revisited a few months ago better equipped for the experience.

Bathtubs and mirrors in Soak. Photos c/o W(r)ite Noise Ni blog :)

I would love to try some brands and products that utilise seaweed and plan to start this week with some products from the aforementioned Voya. This includes a box of their dried seaweed so I can try to create my own seaweed bath house! Let me know if this is of interest to you and I'll see what other spas and products I can find as I go along! For now, here is a few quick findings on the history and benefits of seaweed baths.

History

I have heard the Ancient Greeks also found seaweed baths beneficial and in Ireland, they had long been popular particularly in Victorian and Edwardian times. Voya's website has estimated that at the beginning of the 20th century there were 300 seaweed bath houses in Ireland. Now I'm only able to find 7 in Ireland and none in England, Scotland or Wales currently.

There have been more popping up though in Ireland, more seaweed product lines being developed and they're proving popular with locals and tourists alike.
It is widely thought that the roots of these baths in Ireland are in the farming communities. Farmers had long used seaweed as a soil conditioner and found that when they held it and handled it, it would help heal any cuts or sores on their hands.

Benefits
Seaweed is rich in vitamins A - K. It has been noted for its ability to draw toxins out from the body and help speed up the healing process of our skin. It is also rich in minerals such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and selenium.
It has been reported by many Irish and global dermatologists to help with skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema and many feel it also helps ease joint pain and rheumatism.

My Experience

Great! A little bit different, fun to learn about the history behind it and try something new. One of the more invigorating 'spa' treatments I have had in a while but I really did feel the benefits and slept so well that night. The salty, sea air smell of this beauty treatment took a bit of getting used to for me and I admit, when my idea of spa was mood lighting and candles, the Soak experience took a bit of getting used to. It seemed a bit more basic, but in the end this simplicity is what made it so appealing.

The bath itself was quite thick and jelly like in texture, but prepared for this on my second visit, I was confidently lathering it over my hair and face! Soak allow you to bring CDs to play in your room, and you can top your bath up with hot or cold water as the temperature is prepared quite hot traditionally. The baths are big old claw footed baths which I thought was a nice touch, and if the weather is good you can go for a bracing walk along Newcastle beach afterwards!

The seaweed is then scooped into a bucket and passed on to local farmers to use as compost/fertilizer making you feel a little more virtuous and eco-friendly. Their website is http://www.soakseaweedbaths.co.uk/ for anyone who is interested.

What do you think, would you give it a go? Afterall, it's a vintage beauty treatment of sorts!

The beach at Whitepark Bay, Co. Antrim

Chubby Cherub OOTD

2011-02-05T03:36:00.000-08:00

Last night I went to a fairly new Italian restaurant very cutely called The Chubby Cherub! It's very small and quaint and opposite (their owners) Am:Pm in Belfast. They have decorated it in the popular eclectic style of restaurants at the minute, but what stops it becoming 'samey' and overly hip, are the plastic grapes hanging from the ceiling...i love them, a welcome dose of tack! It really reminds me of the type of Italian ristorante I have been missing for a while. If only they had some red and white gingham table cloths now, but I did like dining at a white leather studded table so I shan't complain.

Here is my outfit, posed oh so well and artistically beside my Aunt's cooker ... time was short! My hair is a mess, I did my makeup in the car and I didn't give much thought to this outfit but actually I quite like it and it gave me another excuse to brighten things up with my raspberry Tabio tights. I am loving these by the way, the slim rib on them is so flattering on the leg.

Blouse - Primark
Skirt - American Apparel
Tights - Tabio
Shoes with hearts - M and S Limited Collection

The ceiling inside the Chubby Cherub with mismatched chandeliers and appropriately kitsch plastic grapes!

Can you believe my boyfriend didn't know what a cherub was?! Even though he is dating someone as angelic as me! My answer was along the lines of Botticelli, chubby baby angels. They had a little corner in the restaurant where we sat called Cupid's Corner too.

Picture post-Babies, Coconuts and Cards!

2011-02-03T09:17:00.000-08:00

This windy weather today is very atmospheric but a little draining.... here is a quick post of a few photos this week!
I cannot get enough of these adorable chubby little baby hands. I have been minding my nephew this week, and I love how he almost holds your whole hand now instead of just your finger, breaks my heart with cuteness!

M&S tropical fruit salad - loved chewing on the coconut and feeling exotic while the rain pelts down outside. It was a bit bland at first, not like a coconut raspberry ruffle sweeite... but now I really like the taste!

I purchased gel insoles...thanks for the tips! I also got some spongy half insoles and found lambswool which I used to stuff my ballet shoes with and wrapped these around my heels...hopefully the balance for ultimate comfort will soon be found!

I made another card too for an Aunt's special birthday today. I bought a little set of papers, ribbons and cute things like this butterfly for £2.00 so thought I would try a little bit of decoupage! I like how it turned out with the printed photo of my auntie and her sisters as little girls, hope she likes it. I'm not the most creative or crafty person, but I like giving it a go!

I am looking forward to the vintage fair, Frock Around the Clock, on Sunday...really hope to go, just need to persuade someone to come keep me company. Some new sellers coming along, including Wild Child Originals coming up from Dublin. Have been lucky in their wee shop twice before, will post more on this tommorow.
Hope everyone is well and it's not too blustery where you are in the world xox

Sale shoes - Miss KG Saskia Boots

2011-01-22T13:59:00.000-08:00

I attempted to buy some practical shoes in the sale as I have been trying to brave the snow and ice in suede heel boots for too long...I am so fussy about shoes though and can't make my mind up about these. I got them in the ASOS sale reduced from £80 to £50

They've a gripped sole which is a plus, are made of (sturdier than suede) leather and they're completley lined with faux lambswool. However, I'm not sure how flattering these are on my legs? I think I'll mostly wear them with skirts and dresses but I just think being so flat and with such a rounded toe they look a bit clumpy. I know that they were bought for practicality not beauty but still...they hurt my heels a little bit too..any tips on how to soften the heels of boots?

*Update* Having worn them for a walk in the park, I loved that I didn't mind getting them muddy...now if I can get them to be a bit more comfortable, I'm pretty happy for them to be my (most) practical shoe. You can also roll up the furry cuff I'm wearing here to just have plain mid calf leather boots.

Please forgive the muddy toes :)

Not sure how much of a dog person I am...but my boyfriend's mum's wire fox terrier, Maisie does look very photogenic non?

Hope you're all having a lovely weekend...and thanks to blogger TeresaBelle for helping me through my panic when I lost my blog template the other day. Hoping to update my layout next week to bring a bit more colour back, but hope you like the new preliminary header!
x

Tabio Treats

2011-01-15T08:02:00.000-08:00

Received a little belated Christmas gift today from Tabio! My mum had missed the delivery of their parcel and it got sent back to them from our post office. However, they reposted it almost immediatley for us with a kind email ... lovely customer service :)

I had never heard of this company until I read about them on the lovely DaisyChainDream's blog and I really wanted to see what their products were like in person. They are a Japanese company and I was sold by their advertising video...what an ingenious way to make me want every pair of tights and socks they stock! Ok their relevés and changements could be cleaner..but I shall not quibble as it is fun and the house looks beautiful.. I wonder if I can prance about my house in my new Tabio purchases or would that be highly irritating for my family?

My mum picked me these roll top baby blue toe socks for some much needed warmth, stirruped charcoal leg warmers, and ribbed raspberry tights. They all feel so soft and hopefully all to be seen on this blog soon! I love tights and socks, but for some reason they seem to end up in my drawer more often than on my legs where I keep favouring good old black opaques.

I love how they came bundled up in this little cloth scarf too, such a nice touch!

Playing Dress Up at the Theatre

2011-01-12T14:08:00.000-08:00

Taking a welcome break from stressful times, I went to the theatre on Monday night! My boyfriend bought us tickets as part of my Christmas present to go see Jane Eyre in the Gate Theatre, Dublin (yes the play with yer wan from the Corrs...who was brillant!)

I had such a lovely evening and thought I would try something of an outfit post. I got this dress from the Pearl Lowe for Peacocks collection but the sizing was really off. I am a small size 8 granted, but the 8 was huge and very long. I still loved the dress though and the buttons that run through it so I took it to a trusted alterations place in Belfast and had it refitted. It was so worthwhile, I'm so comfortable in it now I wonder why I don't just do this with all my clothes (money, time...ha!)

I whipped out the vintage red lip again and can report that this lasted through theatre sweeties and guilty fish and chips from Leo Burdocks on the way home...success! I used Illamasqua's lipliner in Feisty all over my lip and then applied Mac's Ladybug lipstick with a lipbrush. I really loved getting my red lipstick on again, I just thought this dress called for it but red lipstick requries a moment of bravery on my part! I kept the rest of my makeup quite simple and used a Mac holiday palette (2009 I think) in Smoke and Mirrors for my eye makeup. I think it was a good balance for the brightness of my lips!

Also, I am in love with this clutch bag my Mum got me for Christmas. It looks like a giant wrapped sweet, the purple one from Quality Street, and what did I fill it with? Turkish delights and raspberry ruffles in an old fashioned sweetie bag, also courtesy of my boyfriend and his folk museum job!

A really lovely evening and a perfect excuse to dress up. I mean, if you can't wear your pretty dress to the theatre then when can you?
I just love going to the theatre and the Gate is one of my favourites. I think it's so elegant inside, a little smaller than some theatres which only adds to its charm. Has anyone else been..or to see Jane Eyre?

Happy New Year 2011!

2011-01-08T08:36:00.000-08:00

I feel so sorry for my absence of late as there is lots of things I want to post about so this is the start of my New Year resolve to post more regularly in the next few weeks.

I've always wanted to avoid using this blog to vent any unhappinesses I might be experiencing in my life but the past few weeks I was sorely tempted to do just that so I took a bit of a break. I realised though that I can use blogging as an outlet and a distraction without having to vent and maybe regret it...so, I have decided to focus on the positive and post this long overdue message of thanks!

Do you remember my post on my first makeup swap? I was overwhelmed with the generosity of the girl (Jacquiqui MUA username) and we sent messages of thanks at the time. Well, when I got home from a hellish few days in an airport, I had a parcel waiting for me from her for Christmas! I was blown away that someone could be so kind and thoughtful. I put the pink tissue paper present under my tree for Christmas morning when I unwrapped the goodies and read the thoughtful card from her (another beautiful Barbie one!) She included treats like Benefit perfume samples, a Sonia Kashuk makeup brush (I have always wanted to try Sonia Kashuk!) and By Mark tinted lip balms and lipstick. I really love all the products she sent, but most of all the gesture. Thank you Jacqui for being so generous and thoughtful!!

As superficial as blogging and the beauty world might seem, the kindness I have found because of it has really surprised me. So that is the thought with which I want to start this blog in 2011 and I hope we can all keep supporting each other online and keep being kind!
Happy New Year everybody! Keep warm in this bitterly cold January...and I promise, lots of posts to come xox

How I spent 3 days in Paris..

2010-12-28T04:45:00.000-08:00

Ok this is a slight exaggeration... but it *did* take me three days to return from Cuba to Ireland as we got stuck in CDG airport, and a 4th to get back to Belfast. All that snow wasn't looking so magical after that, believe me. I am very lucky I got back in time for Christmas though as we landed in snow and our pilot announced that they were closing Dublin airport behind us!
I just feel sick when I think of some of the people we met in the airports who didntt make it home or had a longer wait than us! It was hard going but at least lots of us stayed positive and laughing, no point making a bad situation worse and I truly thank them all for laughing with me and not pushing me or que bunking me.....

Glad to be home! And...I finally have functioning laptop again so now I just need to get healthier and I will be posting up a storm this week. Everytime I thought of my lack of posts I felt sad, I missed blogging and hope some of you will still be with me in 2011.

I hope everyone had a safe and happy Christmas and the same for the coming year.

Thank you to my boyfriend for digging this out and driving me home for Christmas!

Snowed in!

2010-11-28T08:28:00.000-08:00

Well, not quite... but unfortunately my blog will have to be snowed in for another few days. I've had a hectic few weeks of minor disaster and now my computer has died on me so all the lovely posts I have planned will have to wait... will you please bear with me?

I have painted my nails and taken pictures!
I have product reviews for Angela Langford natural skincare goodies
I have vintage market finds
annddd.. I booked a holiday to Cuba for hopefully some winter sunshine so I need to find a bikini and figure out how to get beach ready in 2 weeks in December!

We are having some snow here in Ireland, not as bad as England and Scotland but freezing all the same so I will be wishing my computer a speedy recovery so I can update the blog soon as I hibernate beside the fire!

Christening outfit - 60s/70s inspired A Wear outfit

2010-11-10T16:33:00.000-08:00

Sorry this is the only full length picture I have to show the tights!

Sorry for the lack of updates this week...I wanted to show a few pictures of what I wore to my Godson's christening 2 weeks ago. I ordered an Emily and Fin dress online but alas it never arrived on time so I decided to make do with something I already owned but (at 5 minutes to closing time) A-Wear came to my rescue with this little number for £40!

I then remembered I had cream tights from last year and once I tried them with the dress, I just loved the effect and had to wear them but I'm not so sure about my shoes (4 year old t-bars from Topshop!) What shoes could I wear in the future with this outfit? I'm thinking something patent in navy or even a bright pink as it's going to be hard to make this all match and work! I really felt lovely in the dress though. It was simple enough for daytime, but dressy enough for the little man's special day!

I love the cream bows on the shoulders and the simple shift style of this dress. With the cream tights, I really felt quite late 60s/early 70s inspired!

I also wore this gold baby booties charm necklace. My Granny gave it to my Mum over 25 years ago when my sister was born and my Mum got the chain repaired so I could wear it on the day of the christening. I remember loving this necklace when I was small and playing with it sitting on my mummy's knee ... I used to call them cheeky boots! I got my Godson his very own pair of cheeky boots (complete with holy medal!) to pin to his great great Granny's christening shawl.

It was such a lovely bright day, the last of Autumn. We drank champagne with blue curacao to wet the baby's head, decorated the house with oak leaves as his name comes from the Gaelic for oak tree. We took lots of photographs before his 100 year old lace christening robe irritated him too much (it was so cute on him though!)

I found this antique Irish linen and lace bib from 1890 at a Frock Around the Clock event in Belfast and bought it to add to our family's christening wardrobe I suppose! Lace bibs and dresses, crocheted shawls, gold necklaces ... this outfit post is very much a family affair so thats why it was nice that my dress and tights felt a little vintage inspired as well. I also love that my nephew's outfit is of importance in this post...no doubt he won't thank me for this one day!

Hope the post wasn't too long or picture heavy :)

Halloween (pictures and FOTD!)

2010-11-05T05:37:00.000-07:00

I know I'm a little late to post about Halloween but it's November now and unless I start posting about Christmas...

Oh and I just realised its 5th November which is celebrated a bit like Halloween in England so...my festive timings are correct somewhere!

I didn't go out for Halloween this year but I still partook in the eating of candy apples, the watching of Alfred Hitchcock films and fireworks and answering the door to trick or treaters. I also thought that I'd go a little more dramatic with my makeup (I then went food shopping like this haha)

Apologies for the unflatteringly bright light. I'm wearing MAC Grape Pigment (to match my purple tights!)
MAC Vanilla Pigment under my browbone and the inner corner of my eye and in the outer corner a dark brown/black from a MAC Holiday Palette called Smoke & Mirrors.
I winged it out quite a bit and added black liquid liner and lots of mascara

I also carved a pumpkin who I thought was adorable with his little baby teeth but everyone else had problems with the fact I gave it eyebrows ... and now the eyebrows are rotting into his eyes so I fear he is going in the bin today. Sorry pumpkin!

Traditionally, it was turnips that were carved in Ireland and my boyfriend brought this home. It's a bit creepier than a pumpkin, and definitley not as cute. The neighbour's cat was terrified of all the fireworks so chose to have a staring competition with the pumpkin.

Then while taking all these photographs I noticed the sunset outside and ran up to our attic to get a better picture. Isn't it just perfect?

Bye bye Autumn, you have been glorious this year!

Chanel Le Vernis in Fabulous

2010-10-31T10:12:00.000-07:00

Firstly, my nails are a state. Terrible cuticles, weak nails and ridges have suddenly appeared for the first time in my life, so I'm really trying to be good to my nails at the minute or at the very least hide them under a nice nailpolish.

I'm particularly drawn to darker nail shades ... I embraced Chanel's black back in 2007 and always remember loving the quality of the nailpolish. This bottle of Chanel's nailpolish I bought before Christmas 2008 and thought I'd revisit it this week but I can NOT keep this stuff on my nails. I've tried it with Nails Inc base and top coats to no avail and I don't know if its the state of my nails or is the polish too old? Any ideas...I can hardly stand the sight of my hands at the minute but I really like this colour. I also wanted to invest in rouge noir or a similar colour ... I think it's time for a DIY nail makeover

Natural light

In direct sunlight

Autumn Colours and A Quick OOTD

2010-10-25T06:52:00.000-07:00

So, House of Fraser had some supsiciously Christmas-esque fairylights twinkling all over the store this weekend and I keep getting emails about starting my holiday shopping so I've decided to fight back and post lots of pretty Autumn things to keep this beautiful time of year alive for that little bit longer. Let us have our seasons please!

This time next week Halloween will be over and we will be into November, my least favourite month of the whole year I think. So this is a quick post to rejoice in the colours of the season. It's bitterly cold at the minute and we've had our grey days but by and large its been a lovely Autumn in Ireland and I've been out trying to enjoy it.

Favourite seasonal things I've done:

Nature walks with my sister and little nephew.
Collecting oak leaves in the park with my boyfriend for said nephew's christening.
Trying out recipes for nice warming meals and eating casseroles, macaroni cheese and baked apples!
Enjoying afternoon cups of Earl Grey tea
Lighting fires again and wearing gloves and tights and boots!
Going to the Enchanted Evenings in Botanic Garden with my nephew dressed as a skeleton and finishing it off with X Factor and 'Hobgoblin' halloween beers.

I got this dress (by a brand called Pop) in Liberty Blue, Belfast. I've worn it quite a lot so far, I just love the 60s feel and shape to it and how the bright blue breaks up my usual uniform of black.

This tree in the park just seems to be lit from within. Everytime I pass it, even on a grey day, it just seems to be glowing.

Peacock makeup and inspiration

2010-10-18T08:28:00.000-07:00

So I don't think I will be dressing up for Halloween this year, a lack of costume party invites and all that... but I thought I would post last year's halloween makeup for a bit of fun and inspiration. I went as a peacock and ever since I have been obsessed with all things 'peacocky' and watching the trend fill the shops. I almost wish I was doing it this year as more things have come into the shops....for example:
I remember really wanting peacock pattern tights last year and having to make do with teal-blue coloured ones but Jonathan Aston have some for this year which are beautiful
And, New Look are doing black high heels with feathers on the heel.. oh maybe I will have to peacock it again this year after all, its too tempting!

I find peacock patterns, feathers, colour schemes very inspiring. I particularly love the use in art nouveau and art deco graphics and ornaments.

From top let (clockwise): Vintage cameo brooch, 1920s stain glass panel, Anna Sui perfume bottle, Jonathan Aston tights, Vintage photo entitled 'peacock dress', handpainted peacock shoes from Etsy, 1920s french ad for Cognac.

Here is my own photograph of a peacock taken a few months ago in Dublin:

annnd here is my peacock look last Halloween! I actually think I could do a better job on this now, but it was a lot of fun. Let me know what you think? Are you dressing up this year? For me the best part of Halloween costumes is the chance to experiment a bit more boldly with makeup

Eye makeup:
MAC Paintpot in Delft
Lola Social Eyes in Tahiti
MUFE eyeliner in gold in tearduct and lower lashline
Barry M Dazzle Dust in Midnight in the crease
MAC Penultimate black liner
Eyelure eyelashes in Yoko

Superstitions about Peacocks:

I can be quite a superstitious person and this one always worried me because I love peacocks so I did some research and I can't quite find the origin of this fear. It seems to have peaked in popularity during Elizabethan times and mainly inspired by a mythical Greek monster, Argus whose body was covered with 100 eyes and when he was turned into a peacock, the eyes were all over his feathers.

Therefore, people used to find peacock feathers unlucky and wouldn't allow them in their houses. This seems to be mainly because of the eye like markings on the feather which people associated with the 'evil eye', something that was thought to cause death. Traditionally actors would not allow peacock feathers on their costume or backstage for fear of this superstition.

However, in Asia they are seen as lucky and the feathers thought to be protective in your home. I also read that in India the peacock is seen as sacred and sometimes its feathers are burned to ward off illness? They seem to be popular in Muslim cultures and Buddhists view them as a symbol of openess..some very interesting stuff to read, whether you believe in it all or not!

It's quite confusing but very interesting if you search it online, it seems there is all sorts of superstitious beliefs about the peacock but either way, it cannot be argued that its beauty has captivated and inspired us all for centuries.

Autumn leaves, conkers and clogs

2010-10-15T07:59:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to show my new shoes!

New Look. £40. Not the practical clogs that have been plaguing the high street but these are the most comfortable heels I now own! I didn't want to buy them, I was worried they would look a bit trashy and I needed a more basic black heel, but I really love them. The leather is soft, they dont pinch my toes or make my legs ache and the platform makes them easier to walk in. Will just have to make my wardrobe work around them now! What do you think?

I've also been unable to resist all the shiny new conkers bursting out of their shells the past few weeks. I alawys have to collect a few every Autumn, I don't even know what for! It's like every year I forget they exist and then when they fall from the trees, they are like little chesnut jewels and I can't resist them.

I hope you are all enjoying Autumn :)