Old-Fashioned Lemonade

Another spell of sticky weather calls for another refreshing summer drink recipe. This one from Rachel Allen’s book Rachel’s Food for Living is a delicious and effective thirst-quencher that takes mere minutes to make. Easy peasy lemon squeezy? Oh, yes.

Ingredients: 150g honey, 600ml water, juice of 4 lemons

1.       Place the honey and 60ml of the water in a saucepan. Heat up just enough to liquefy the honey, stirring all the time. Pour into a jug and allow to cool slightly.

2.       Add the lemon juice to the jug along with the rest of the water and serve with ice...lots of ice! 

                                                                        Enjoy!

A Retro Day Out: Smithfield Market Fair

A day spent leisurely browsing market stalls brimming with treasures and trinkets is a day well spent in my eyes. As a lover of all things vintage I’ve been to several vintage fairs and flea markets. There’s something enchanting about sifting through rails of brightly coloured garments hoping to find a gem in your size, discovering your favourite band amongst the stacks of pre-loved vinyl, trying on glittering rings and necklaces and chatting to the stall owners about their carefully selected stock - every item with its own story. Now there’s a new fair in town and this one is like no other. The first Smithfield Market Fair was held on Sunday June 15^th in Generator in Smithfield Square. Generator is a hostel with a difference; it boasts a bar, a café, a cinema room, and can be used as a music venue…or a market!

                                                       Vintage clothing at Vertigo Vintage

The fair kicked off at 1 p.m. and by the time my two friends and I made it in at 1.30 p.m., the place was a hive of activity. Over thirty stalls were dotted around the split-level venue. Not only was there genuine vintage clothing but also upcycled vintage pieces, vintage reproduction, handmade and second-hand clothes. There was also a lot of handcrafted gifts including cards, jewellery, art, contemporary art, hair bows, headscarves, hats and painted tiles. The cinema room was showing cult classics and a band were starting to set up in the bar. I couldn’t stay for long as it was Father’s Day but I believe there was live jazz, skiffle and hip hop until the wee hours. That’s why Smithfield Market Fair stands out from the crowd; it’s the bad boy of fairs. While other fairs are packing up at 6 p.m. and trotting off home, Smithfield Market Fair is pulling an all-nighter. Food was available in the café but we couldn’t find a table. We did however find an Italian restaurant across the square; Bel Cibo serves reasonably priced, tasty food. Perfect for ravenous bargain hunters!
 

                            Handmade jewellery, headscarves & bowties at A Little Idea

                                                 Vintage reproduction clothing at FiftyFive65

                                                          Handmade jewellery at WhimsyJig

Lovely Maeve of Vertigo Vintage with her beautiful clothes & bags

 

 

What I wore:

 

 

Dress – Vintage 1960s from The 3rd Policeman

Shoes – Mel

Sunglasses – Tiger Stores

 

 

What I bought:

 

Upcycled 1970s top from Dottie & Pearl & 1960s skirt from Vertigo Vintage

 

 

 The next Smithfield Market Fair is August 10^th. Check out their Facebook page for updates.

 

 

 

Cancel That Order…Get Your NYX Fix In Ireland!

NYX, an American makeup brand known for its excellent and affordable products, has landed in Ireland. Gone are the days when you had to wait weeks for your order to arrive from the US, now you can pick up your favourite lippy and blush in your local pharmacy! NYX is currently in 25 pharmacies nationwide and I’ve heard more pharmacies will be stocking it in the coming weeks. You can find a full list of Irish stockists here.

 

Upon discovering Mangans Pharmacy in Sallins, Co. Kildare is one of the stockists, I rushed over there to browse (swatch the hell out of!) the stand. I somehow managed to control myself and purchased only three products. I’ve wanted to try these for ages, especially the green concealer and setting spray as so few budget brands carry those particular items. Here’s my thoughts after a week of putting them through their paces.

 
NYX HD Photogenic Concealer in Green (€6.99):

There are three colour correcting concealers in the range; yellow for under-eye darkness, lavender to counteract dullness and green to reduce the appearance of redness. I picked up the latter as I’ve some redness in my cheeks and around my nose that has become increasingly difficult to cover. I really like this concealer although it took me a few days to master the application. You only need a tiny amount; it’s a creamy formula but quite thick. I found it was best to dot on the product rather than brush it on and blend, blend, blend. You'll be left with a green cast on your skin but my foundation goes on smoothly and effectively covers it. This is an impressive concealer; it’s non-drying, long-wearing and best of all, my redness was undetectable. However, I’ll probably reserve this for nights out and special occasions as the application takes too much time for my everyday makeup routine.

                    NYX HD Photogenic Concealer in Green & NYX Jumbo Lip Pencil in Deep Red

 

NYX Jumbo Lip Pencil in Deep Red (€4.99):

A lip liner and lip colour in one - it seems every brand have their own take on this from Clinque’s Chubby Sticks to Revlon’s ColorBurst Balms. However, I feel NYX’s Jumbo Lip Pencils are in a league of their own. I was taken aback by how long-wearing but moisturising this pencil is. It’s extremely pigmented, lasts for hours, wears evenly and doesn’t dry out my lips. I also adore the colour; Deep Red is a vampy burgundy shade. Unfortunately there are some drawbacks; it smells rather like permanent marker and appears to melt quite easily. I also expected this to twist up like the aforementioned Chubby Stick and ColorBurst Balm and had to turn to Google to find out how to sharpen a plastic pencil! Apparently they can be sharpened with a regular pencil sharpener as the plastic is just a thin coating. I haven’t tried this yet but I’ll report back here when I do. Despite these flaws, I plan to pick up another NYX Jumbo Lip Pencil in a different shade. It really is a lovely product for such a small price.

 

NYX Dewy Finish Setting Spray (€9.99):

There are two setting sprays available; one with a matte finish and one with a dewy finish. Both claim to make your makeup last longer. I opted for the dewy finish setting spray as I’ve dry skin and prefer a luminous look. I was initially nervous using this as I was convinced it would make my makeup run, but I needn’t have worried. While it’s definitely not a mist, this spray is light and dries in 30 to 60 seconds. I immediately noticed my makeup looked softer and more natural. I can go overboard with foundation and powder at times and this spray helped to smooth any cakey-looking areas. However, I found my makeup lasted only slightly longer than usual. Fading occurred in the usual place, my nose, and I had to re-powder. NYX Dewy Finish Setting Spray is brilliant for giving your makeup a more natural, somewhat airbrushed finish but if you want your makeup to stay put all day, this isn’t the setting spray for you.

 

Are you a fan of NYX? Have you tried these products?

Secret Garden Tea Party

 

 

 

 

Floral print and polka dots sound like a fussy combination and one I’d normally steer clear of. However, I was enchanted by this tea dress the moment I saw it. It’s the perfect summer dress; ladylike but lightweight. Asos’s Secret Garden heels (which naturally inspired the title of this post) were a birthday present to myself last month. I had been searching for a pair of metallic block heels and these magically seem to go with everything. Forget Dorothy’s ruby slippers; my silver shoes cast a spell with their bright mirrored finish!

 

 

“Of course there must be lots of Magic in the world," he said wisely one day, “but people don’t know what it is like or how to make it. Perhaps the beginning is just to say nice things are going to happen until you make them happen. I am going to try and experiment.” - From The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

 

                                                       Dress – New Look (available on Asos now)

Shoes – Asos (available online now)

Bag – Vintage 1980s from Bernie's Bags



Photos kindly taken by Maggie & a big thank you to Katie for the location

 

 

 

An Ode To A Bow

 

I like big bows and I cannot lie

You other sisters can’t deny

That when a girl walks in with a bow in her hair

And works it with an effortless flair

You want one

  Bows - €2 each - Tiger Stores

(I also like vintage tea cups)

I never thought I’d draw inspiration from Sir Mix-a-Lot to demonstrate my love for hair bows! Tiger currently has a range of charming bows in various sizes, colours and patterns. I’ve previously featured Tiger in Thrifty Treat Of The Week but their bargainous hair accessories are a new discovery. Apart from bows, they’ve also a selection of pretty wire headbands perfect for festival season.

                                                                 Life magazine March 1944

As part of a piece entitled “High School Fads”

Sadly, the only thing I have in common with Becky Brown is where I place my bow! How do you wear yours?!

 

 

Supermarket Chic

 

I took her to a supermarket

I don't know why

But I had to start it somewhere

So it started there

 

 

In 2012, I wrote about how supermarkets had significantly improved their fashion lines in my post Bread, Milk And Beautiful Shoes: Supermarket Fashion Is Now At Its Best. Two years on and Dunnes Stores and Tesco continue to give high street shops a run for their money in terms of style, quality and affordability. Dunnes and Tesco are my go-to shops for budget-friendly shoes, bags, loungewear and hosiery, and at times outperform my beloved Penneys. I picked up this cardigan in Dunnes two weeks ago for €15. As the photos were taken on my phone, the sweet scalloped neckline isn’t clearly visible. I got the skirt on sale in Tesco for €11. High waisted, fully lined and with a classic check print; this beauty has become a staple in my wardrobe.

 

Cardigan – Dunnes Stores (available in store now)

Skirt – F&F at Tesco (available in store now)

Shoes – Penneys/Primark

                Are you a fan of supermarket fashion?

Raspberry Frozen Yoghurt Floats

There’s a permanent smell of barbeque in the air, you’ve a strong urge to head to the nearest beer garden and most of the male population are parading around shirtless – yes, it’s a sunny day in Ireland (i.e. approximately 16 degrees)! We Irish certainly make the most of the few days of sunshine we’re granted each year. While you’re basking in the warm weather this weekend (don’t forget the SPF!) treat yourself to a refreshing drink. This delightful recipe is a guilt-free take on the classic ice cream float and takes less than 5 minutes to make.

I found this recipe in Catherine Fulvio’s book The Weekend Chef and altered it slightly.

You will need: A food processor/blender, tall glasses, drinking straws

Ingredients: 100g raspberries (plus extra to decorate), a tub of natural frozen yoghurt, a bottle of white lemonade (Serves 4)

1.       Place the raspberries in a food processor and blend until smooth.

2.       Spoon 3-4 tablespoons of the raspberry puree into each glass, pour in the lemonade and float two scoops of frozen yoghurt on top.

3.       Add in a straw and a few raspberries on top to decorate. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!