Wednesday, 18 February 2015

Retro Rates: Ashley Williams x Red or Dead


Be still, my beating heart (and rebellious credit card!). Never before has a shoe collection grabbed my attention so fiercely as Ashley Williams’ collaboration with Red or Dead. The British designer has teamed up with the label to create a seven piece range entitled #MakingMovies. The retro-inspired collection includes provocative vinyl kitten heels and pointed monochrome stilettoes. Williams was influenced by Red or Dead’s back catalogue from the 1990s and early noughties and her own kitsch designs. Her spring/summer '15 runway show featured an East meets West theme which fascinatingly came about after she saw photographs of Vietnamese prostitutes in the 1960s.  

The #MakingMovies collection is available now exclusively on schuh.co.uk

"For girls who live their lives through movies”



See more of Ashley Williams’ divine SS15 collection here






Thursday, 12 February 2015

Spell It Out This Valentine’s Day With Quirky Irish Gifts

Valentine’s Day needn’t cost the earth. I’ve put together a unique but affordable gift selection that’s sure to impress your sweetheart. Save your pennies while supporting Irish design and business.


Illustrated cards by Salty Philip
The card is often the most appreciated gift. These pun-tastic lovelies by Dublin-based illustrator Lynn MacPherson will give your special someone a right ol’ chortle. You can buy them in The Loft Market  in Powerscourt Townhouse.




Handmade cards by A Little Idea
These charming cards are by Dublin designer Ali. She also crafts stationery, headscarves, bunting, cushion covers and costume jewellery. Ali sells her pieces at numerous markets including the Ha'penny Flea Market, but you can purchase them on Etsy too.




Blind Date With A Book at Dubray Bookstores
Surprise your beloved (and even yourself!) with a beautifully wrapped book from Dubray Books. What’s inside? Oh, the intrigue! There's a selection of ‘blind date’ books in every branch. A novel idea, eh?!


I had to include this wonderful piñata after spotting it on Instagram. Piñatas Piñatas is owned by Louth-based designer Ruth O’Reilly. Ruth handcrafts everything from Minions to cupcakes and will custom-make anything you’ve in mind…like this anti-Valentine’s Day gem.


Tuesday, 21 October 2014

Holy Handbags Batman! Novelty Bags From The High Street

The high street is brimming with quirky and fun handbags this autumn/winter. From milk cartons to doughnuts, to perfume bottles and penguins - it seems every item from the mundane to the bizarre has been transformed into a bag! Whether you’re looking for something pretty or playful, there’s a novelty bag for every budget.  

Thrifty

From top left corner: New Look pop art clutch €11.99, Next pink clutch €17, New Look doughnut clutch €14.99, H&M cat shoulder bag €14.99


                                                              Treat

From left to right: Asos lips cross body bag €25.71, Accessorize 80s Hits cross body bag €34.90



 Treasure

From left to right: Accessorize camera cross body bag €39.90, Falconwright clutch from Asos €78.57, Next penguin duffle bag €40



I’m coveting the Ouija board clutch by Falconwright. What's bewitched you?!  





Monday, 6 October 2014

Recent Buys Feat. River Island, H&M, Boots & Aldi

River Island (available in store now)


I plan to emulate 60s sirens Brigitte Bardot and Pattie Boyd this autumn with this wonderful suede-leather-fur amalgamation. I’ve been dreaming up ways to wear this beauty - over the knee boots, a fur cossack hat and a George Harrison look-alike on my arm!

                                      Autumn/Winter inspiration: Bardot & Boyd

                                                              H&M (available in store now)

I’ve a feeling these heeled Chelsea boots will rarely leave my feet over the next few months. They’re surprisingly comfortable and seem to go with everything. The handbag is also going to be worn to death; it’s large enough for all my essential bits and pieces but not too big that I spend half an hour looking for my keys!
 


Lacura Aqua-Complete Multi Intensive Serum (€4.79): This serum is a regular purchase from Aldi. It contains the wonder ingredient hyaluronic acid and I apply it under my moisturiser morning and night. Click here for a full review.

Vaseline Spray & Go Body Moisturiser (€6.49): This is also a repurchase. I adore this stuff! I initially thought it would be too light in consistency for my dry skin but it’s really hydrating. What I love most about it is how it’s cut my moisturising time in half; before I was waiting around for heavy lotions and oils to sink in - Spray & Go absorbs almost instantly. It’s also quite a novelty to spray on your moisturiser, dare I say moisturising is now fun?! A bottle lasts about 3 weeks (I use it every day) and it’s often on offer in Boots.

Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Exfoliating Pads (€17.99): When I ran out of my beloved Clarins Gentle Exfoliating Brightening Toner I headed into my local Boots to search for a toning stopgap. These pads exceeded my not so high expectations. They’re packed full of glycolic acid, the same ingredient in the Clarins toner, which speeds up cell turnover and helps prep the skin for serum and moisturiser. They also contain hyaluronic acid and glycerine to prevent your skin from drying out. I haven’t been using them long enough to notice much of a difference, but I really like them so far and they haven’t irritated my sensitive skin. One tub contains 60 pads so they work out a little pricey if you tone twice a day.

Seventeen Doll’d Up Mascara (€7.99): I picked this up while on the hunt for a good daytime mascara and it turns out Doll’d Up fits that description perfectly. Doll’d Up promises curl and volume but I found it worked better as a lengthening and separating mascara. The slightly curved plastic wand is a doddle to use and coats every lash. It also lasts all day with no flaking or smudging. If you’re looking for a fuss free mascara for work, I highly recommend Doll’d Up.

Duo Lash Adhesive (€5.99): I’ve always wanted to try the world’s bestselling false lash glue but I thought it was only available online or at MAC counters. Lo and behold, it appeared in my local Boots last week and for only 6 quid too. I haven’t tried it yet but I’m sure to be sporting many a faux lash this season in my quest to be a Swinging Sixties seductress!




Where have you been?!

I want to apologise for my absence. Those of you who follow the blog on social media will know I started a new job in July. Long hours and commuting compounded with a lack of Wi-Fi at home meant very little blogging unfortunately. While I was a no-show, I was shortlisted for Best Lifestyle Blog in the IMAGE.ie Blog Awards. I still can’t believe such a distinguished publication nominated me for an award. Of course, voting was also down to the public and I want to thank everyone who voted for me. It really means the world to me that people read (and seemingly enjoy!) my posts. Pink Elephant Blog deservedly walked away with the award on the night and I urge you to check out their gorgeous blog now.
Here’s to more blogging!

 
 



Thursday, 24 July 2014

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!






Thursday, 3 July 2014

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 15th 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 10th. Check out their Facebook page for updates.
 
 
 

Tuesday, 17 June 2014

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?