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Lip Voltage - The Powerhouse Trio Power Lip Plumper

April 13, 2015, 6:08 am
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***No PR samples featured***

Hi!

Recently I discovered a new Irish beauty site, Simply Foxy. They have a huge range of products (including Catrice and Sleek) and I've ordered from them twice now with no problems, they're very fast too and they deliver via An Post. I saw this - it's the stronger version of the original Lip Voltage that everyone seemed to be going mad for last year - this is Lip Voltage: The Powerhouse Trio Power Lip Plumper by Dreamweave. At €30 it's not cheap, but you know what they say about fools and their money....



I'm not very Science-minded, but I really wanted to do as much research as I could on this so that I could get my head around how it works. It looks like a clear lipgloss, with a thin applicator. Instructions are thin on the ground:


Here's the ingredients list:


I'll go through them quickly - Hydrogenated Styrene/Isoproprene Copolymer (viscosity controlling agent), Hydrogenated C6-20 Polyolefin (viscosity controlling abrasive), Ethylhexyl Palmitate (silicone replacement, palm oil derivitave, mild irritant), Paraffinum Liquidum (liquid paraffin - locks in moisture like cling film. Can irritate psoriasis/eczema because bacteria gets trapped under the oily layer). Propylparaben (chemical allergen), BHT (toluene based antioxidant), Ethylhexyl Palmitate (again), Tribehenin (skin conditioning agent), Sorbitan Isostearate (surfactant), Palmitoyl Oligopeptide (may stimulate collagen production), Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate (lubricant), Sorbitan Isostereate (again), Sucrose Cocoate (sugar compound derived from coconut oil), Tripeptide 38 (stimulates collagen & hyaluronic acid), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (oil substitute, primarily used as a carrier), Dimethyl Isosorbide (solvent, mild irritant), Sesame Seed Oil, Tocopherol (Vitamin E compound), Butyrospermum Parkii (shea butter), Menthol (irritant), Vanillyl Butyl Ether (induces warming, alternative to Capsicum), C177891 (Titanium Dioxide - lubrication/sun protection), C177492 (iron oxide - pigment).

I know that's a huge big list and some of those chemicals have several properties or uses - but when I noticed that a couple of ingredients were listed twice I had a deeper dig - this is actually a combination of three separate lip plumpers. Anywhere that stocks it has an info section like this one stating that it's a combination of "Maxi lip, Volulip and Line Fill" - Two French formulas and one "brand new" Spanish one. I can't for the life of me find any info on the Line Fill, but I found Maxi Lip and Volulip - they're trademarked active ingredients made and manufactured by the French company Sederma.

The Dreamweave website have quite a vague FAQ section - have a look here. Supposedly, this isn't as stingy or irritating as the original Lip Voltage (the one with the little syringe) - I would imagine that's because the original contains Capsaicin, a derivative of Capsicum, which is incredibly irritating. This one has the Vanillyl Butyl Ether as an alternative. Still - this felt hot on my lips - not sore, but just strange and stingy.

Leaving all that aside, does it work? It promises to plump lips up immediately, with effects lasting up to 24 hours and to significantly increase lip volume over time. Here are my lips without any product:


Here's the Lip Voltage Powerhouse a few minutes after application (it's still stinging at this point)


To me - I didn't notice a huge difference. My top lip is more defined, but other than that - it just looks like a clear lipgloss, and it looks like my lips are irritated around the edges. I don't know what I was expecting - but this wasn't it. Also, it definitely did not last 24 hours - I'd say 2 hours at a push. After about a half an hour, my lips just looked swollen and sore:



Here are my lips using only M.A.C "Rosy Rim" lipliner and YSL Volupte Tint-in-Oil in "Undress Me".


Save your €30 and spend it on a lipliner and some gloss. A bit of highlighter on the cupid's bow will add a little definition, and a dab of it on the lower lip will make your lips look plumper.

Sometimes I feel really foolish for falling for stuff like this, I will not use this again and I don't
recommend it.


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#IrishBlogCollab Week 2: Things My Children Taught Me

April 15, 2015, 4:34 am
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Hi!

So, the topic for this week was supposed to be "Things My Parents Taught Me" - but I didn't really have the type of upbringing that was filled with advice and life lessons - the main things I learned from the parent who raised me was to not make the same mistakes. I'm not going to go into all that here, so instead, I've decided to do my post about things I've learned from my three children (3 boys, aged 10, 18 months and 18 months).

1. Never, EVER leave the house without the changing bag.
You know when you're popping out for ten minutes, and you think - no point in bringing that massive bag, they'll be fine for a few minutes - they won't. They'll pick that ten minutes to puke/poo/spill something/lose a sock. Guaranteed. Make like a boy scout, and always be prepared. Pack everything. EVERYTHING. Socks, vests, tops, trousers, shoes, soothers, calpol, teething gel, nappies, wipes, nappy bags, snacks, toys - if it relates to your baby, get it in there.


2. You will do things in public you'd never do before having children.
You will. Barking like a dog when you pass the dog food aisle in Tesco? Yep. Snorting whenever you see a pig? Yep. Humming various theme tunes? Yep. Pointing at things in a very animated childrens TV presenter way while enunciating "What's THat?" What is THat? Is THat a BALL? Is IT?". You'll do it, and you won't think twice about it.

[Source]

3. Toddlers are little metal detectors.
That hairpin that fell out of your hair and vanished a week ago? They'll find it. They'll find the penny that hasn't been in circulation since 1999. They'll find the magnet off the back of the fridge magnet someone brought you back from Ibiza in 2001. They'll find the tiny screw from your glasses. They'll find the needle YOU couldn't find despite looking on your hands and knees for an hour. They'll find the thumbtack from the Christmas decorations. In June. If it's made of metal, and it's not supposed to go in your mouth, they will find it, and they will bring it to their lips.

4. Creeping.
No, not snooping through the Facebook  pages of former classmates. This creeping involves stealth-like moves that ensure you can go about your business when the kids are napping without waking them. Any parent knows that sleep is precious - you soon learn where every dodgy floorboard in your bedroom is, you could hear a fly over the volume of the TV, and woe betide those who drive up to our house after 8pm. I have learned in the past year that my husband and eldest son can not whisper. They are incapable of it. I have also learned that to get out of the bedroom without waking the twins requires an extra-large step just before I get to the door, at a right angle to the skirting board.


5. Trust your instincts and stop comparing.
Everyone has parenting advice for new parents. Pretty much from the time your baby is born, you'll be told you're doing it right, you're not doing it right. .You're feeding them too much, too little. Their room is too hot, too cold, They're wearing too many layers, not enough layers. You're stimulating them too much, not enough. Co-sleeping is good, it's bad. Purées are best, purées are a waste of time. Everyone has an opinion - but you know what they say about opinions! You have instincts. Learn to use and trust them. You know your children better than anyone in the whole world - you will know when they're happy, when they're full, when they're too hot or too cold - learn to smile and nod when people offer advice, it's so much easier than having an argument. Or my personal favourite - "Thanks, I'll consider that." Don't compare your children with other children. My twins are made from the same stuff, came from the same place two minutes apart, have the same environment - and they're totally different developmentally. Children will do things in their own time, so I refuse to google things like "why is my baby not able to sing a song when Jenny's baby can recite three Hamlet soliloquies?".

6. If they're not supposed to touch it, they will.
I reckon my toddlers have an internal notepad on which they jot down lists of things to do the minute my back is turned. At 18 months, I think it looks like this:


I have a hatred of Sudocrem after this incident with the eldest circa 2006:


7. Children are sponges, so watch your mouth.
They listen to everything. Even if you don't think they're listening, they are. They're sitting there, looking innocent, pretending they don't hear you, pretending they don't know what you're talking about, saving it all up until the day a visitor comes to the house and they walk up to that visitor, all smiles, and say, in the sweetest little four-year-old voice, as clear as day, "My Daddy called you a bollix".

Spelling words out doesn't work after a certain age, either. "Mammy, what's a see-you-enn-tee? What is it? What's it? Why did you call [relative name] that? What is it?""It's nothing""It's not nothing! It's not nothing! Why did you say it? Why did you say she was it? Is she a see-you-enn-tee? What's a see-you-enn-tee? WHAT IS IT?"



8. How to deal with a crisis.
At 21, I had an emergency c-section after a pretty horrific experience that I briefly discussed herebefore. At 30, I was 28 weeks pregnant when I was told I was having not one, but two babies. The shock of that has pretty much eradicated shock from my vocabulary now altogether - I can genuinely say that very little floors me. Which is good, when you turn around and there's a baby after climbing up on the table. Or when they were tiny babies and I'd be home alone with them and they'd both start screaming and I wouldn't have a clue what to do or who to go to first. Or when they were little and they'd make a fart sound and suddenly there's poo coming out of them like this:


When you have kids, it's fairly inevitable that accidents are going to happen. It's part of growing up, and it's important to remain calm in the face of poo. You find ways to manage - my kids have definitely taught me to be more inventive and resourceful (I used to sit on the floor cross-legged with one baby in the crook of each knee when they both roared at the same time, rocking back and forth with a bottle in each mouth, one bottle held in place with an elbow while I burped another, then swap).

9. Life is Short.
This is really a scary one. I look back at photographs from a year ago and see amazing differences in my babies - I remember when my eldest was this age, and he'll be going into Secondary School in another two years. It's really, really scary, but it happens and there's nothing we can do about it. Enjoy your kids when they're small - embrace the mess, embrace the madness, make memories, take photographs and videos, back everything up. Time flies, children are only little for such a short time. They've taught me that it's okay to ignore a mess while you build blocks. Or that it's okay to leave the dishes and play with puzzles. That it's fun to go out for a long walk together regardless of the list of stuff that awaits at home.

To read the posts from the rest of the lovely bloggers involved in the #IrishBlogCollab, check out the links below.

Zoe: I Believe in Romeo
Catherine: Breathing Silver Linings
Denise: Dee-Termined to Glam and Glow
Marie: The Beaut Mum
Lara: The Love Song of Fashion
Cat: Mentally Beautiful
Maeve: Thrift O'Clock
Cathryn: What Kate Loves
Eimear: Chirps From a Little Red Hen




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New Masks from Montagne Jeunesse + Giveaway!

April 17, 2015, 7:00 am
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***PR Samples featured. Opinions 100% mine.***

Hi!

When Montagne Jeunesse contacted me recently to collaborate with them, I was delighted. I've been buying their masks for years - they're affordable, they have a great range, and they have loads of different types of masks. I can genuinely say that I have put many of these in birthday/get well/new mum hampers over the years - a couple of masks, pair of slipper socks, bar of chocolate and a bottle of wine is one of my go-to "I don't know what to get her" gifts.

With new additions to the line regularly, I was sent two variations to try out.




First up, the Brazilian Mud Fabric Masque, for Nourishing and Replenishing. This contains Brazilian clay and some other natural clays (Kaolin & Montmorillonite). It also contains Avocado oil, Dead sea salt, Acai extract and Aloe Vera leaf juice.


This is a fabric mask, a type I haven't used before. When I opened the packet, I found a little square of clay-soaked material (bamboo fabric). It was easy to unfold and place on my face. It stayed where I put it, it didn't slip or slide off. It felt lovely and cool, and the clay started to dry almost immediately. Mind you, I looked like a Rubberbandit. Or some kind of pig/human hybrid.


Never have I been more aware of my prominent nostrils. Anyway - it felt cooling, it felt tightening but not itchy, and it smelled lovely but not synthetic or overpowering. After leaving it on for the suggested 10-15 minutes (I picked 13) - I massaged whatever was left on my face into my skin and then washed it off with the help of a muslin. My skin definitely felt very soft afterwards, but my forehead felt a little dry.

The second new addition to the range is the 7th Heaven Black Seaweed Peel-Off "Purifying" mask. This is supposedly for ultra-deep cleansing, and is aimed at combination and greasy skin. It contains black Laver Seaweed (from Wales) and crushed Sea Buckthorn berries.


The next time I use one of these I'm going to pour it out into a little dish or bowl, because this time I poured it out into my hand and it was hard to squeeze it into my hand while trying to hold it and apply it. The consistency was thick and gloopy, but it applied well to my face. I may have been a bit generous around my cheeks but I had no application problems other than it going in between my fingers.


I left this one on for the recommended 20-25 minutes, and it felt lovely. It felt ice cold on my face, and it dried well without any major tightening. It was taut, but not very tight. It peeled off like a dream - I lifted a corner at my mouth and it all came off in one go, apart from where I'd been a bit thick over my cheeks and in my eyebrows (try and avoid your eyebrows). My face didn't feel dry afterwards, it felt soft, but I used my moisturiser as usual anyway.

Both of these masks are vegetarian standard and cruelty free. They cost under €2, and they're widely available (several masks from the Montagne Jeunesse range are 4 for €4 at the moment in Boots) - they're genuinely something I do pop into my trolley sometimes along with a bunch of flowers or a hair treatment for a lovely little treat.

If you haven't entered my massive giveaway here - please do. I'm going to pop one of each mask in with the prize too.

In the meantime, if you'd like to try a mask out for yourself, Montagne Jeunesse have very generously provided 30 masks from the new 7th Heaven range for readers of Behind Green Eyes to try. If you're interested, please visit this link to register - you'll be contacted by Montagne Jeunesse directly if you're one of the lucky ones. Enjoy!




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Glossybox April 2015 - Iconic Hollywood Edition

April 18, 2015, 1:58 am
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Hi!

I was really looking forward to April's Glossybox. It had been revealed last month that the theme for April would be "Iconic Hollywood", featuring a special illustrated box that comes in four colours - pink, blue, yellow and green. All boxes feature a picture of Marilyn Monroe on the front and a quote from one of four Iconic Hollywood actresses on the lid -  Marilyn, Rita Hayworth, Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Hepburn.

I got the blue box, and it's beautiful to look at.





Let's see what's inside!



When I opened this box, I will admit to thinking "is that it?!" because the five products inside were quite small. But, having looked around at other reviews, I think I got a really good box - others got a nude nail polish or bath pearls - I'm really glad I didn't get either of those.

Lord & Berry Lip Crayon in "Kiss". - Full Size, £10/€13.83
A bright orange-toned red lip crayon that applies really smoothly and dries to a soft not-quite-matte finish.

Pop Beauty Kajal Eyeliner Pen, Black. Full Size, £6.50/€8.99
A standard soft kajal eyeliner with a smudger on one side. Great for lining the waterline, but found it difficult to create a flick with this, also not as black as it looks in the stick.

ModelCo Bronze Shimmer Bronzing Powder. Sample Size, £5.71/€7.90
This is a decent sample size, the full size has 0.35oz of product and this has 0.12oz. The shimmer isn't as scary as it sounds, it's actually a lovely colour. It's a very warm powder.


Nougat London Luscious Lip Balm - Cherry Blossom. Full Size, £6/€8.30
This is the fourth Glossybox in a row in which I've gotten a lip balm. I'm not complaining, particularly - I do love them, but it'd be nice to see a gloss or treatment next time instead. This is lovely, the packaging is so pretty and it's a nice balm that feels lovely on my lips. The cherry scent isn't overpowering either.

Astral Original Face and Body Moisturiser. Sample Size, £0.97/€1.34
A decent sample, 50ml. The full size product is only £3.89 for 200ml though - so not necessarily a luxury product. This is a thick, greasy moisturiser that has been used for years and supposedly removes makeup too, I do remember a couple of pots of this floating round the house when I was younger but I've never bought it myself. I will probably keep it as a hand cream because it feels too heavy to use on my face.


Swatches on my face of the liner, lip crayon and bronzer - when applied with a Real Techniques multi tasking brush, the bronzer blends beautifully and it's not glittery. It can be built up too - I'm on a bit of a bronzer kick at the minute so this will be used!

Overall I do like everything I received, I probably won't get much wear from the lip crayon as I think it's too orange toned for me, but everything else will be used.

Total Cost Including Delivery: €18.71 (60c dearer than last month's exchange rate)
Total Value: £29.18/€40.36
Verdict: Win!

If you want to get your hands on the Iconic Hollywood Edition, there's still time to subscribe. If you don't want to subscribe, you can take advantage of a Spring Bundle offer - two Collectors Edition boxes for £22/€30 (post included) - the Hollywood box and the Andy Warhol-inspired Pop Art box. Details here.


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Swatched - Essie Resort Collection 2015

April 20, 2015, 1:31 am
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**No PR Samples Featured**

Hi!

Every year, Essie releases a "Resort Collection" around this time. It's a capsule collection of four polishes, usually bright pastels or spring colours that all compliment each other. This years collection is no different - four staple colours that will go with just about anything.



Once again, I decided to go for the mini polishes because I'm not getting value from the larger bottles - I've never finished a nail polish. With these, there's much more of a chance of me making a dent in them. On to the swatches!

First up is Suite Retreat, and it was a one-coater. It's a lovely dusky blurple that I thought was similar to a Sleek polish I have (it's not) or Essie Butler Please (it's really not). It can look blue or purple depending on the light, it's almost grape under artificial light. Formula was perfect, no issues.



Up next is Cocoa Karma - a lovely light coffee coloured brown. This was also a one-coater, and is a gorgeous dusty light brown that looks like a strange choice for this time of year, but I'll show you in a minute why it's probably my favourite. No application issues on this either.



This goes with so many colours and is the perfect compliment to the blue and white striped combo that seems to crop up every Spring:


Next is a great coral colour with an even better name - Stones n' Roses. This was a little harder to work with, I found it a little streaky and it needed three coats to even out properly. But it was worth it, it's a great colour.



Lastly is my least favourite of the bunch - Time For Me Time is a sheer pink with slight shimmer in the bottle that barely transfers to the nail. It's hard to build up, I still had visible nail line after three coats. It was reminiscent of the O.P.I NYC Ballet collection from a couple of years ago. It would make a nice bridal polish, or a great layering polish with glitter, but it's not my cup of tea at all unfortunately.



I bough mine from CBNailstore on eBay (my second trusted Essie seller after Beautyzone2007) - it was around €17, the Dollar and Euro are pretty much neck and neck at the minute which is a bit of a nuisance. I couldn't find this mini set for sale in Ireland, but the full sizes are available at Boots and Pharmacies nationwide for €9.99 each.



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Now That's What I Call Music! Collab with Rare Opal

April 20, 2015, 6:07 am
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Hi!

A while ago, my fellow blogger and lovely friend Breige asked me if I'd like to do a collab post about our "Now That's What I Call Music" memories. Now... probably isn't as popular today as it was in the 90s/00s - in later years they seemed to be churned out every few months. They almost seem out of date by the time they come out now, such is the sheer speed of music availability. Years ago, getting my hands on a song I liked could have taken months! I stopped buying them about ten years ago, but in the 90s, it was a different story.

Here's Breige's post about her memories of Now....36.

My first Now album was Now....34. I'm warning you, I'm going to go into very rambly nostalgia territory here so if that's not your thing, you may want to check out the Essie swatches that I posted earlier today instead.


Now That's What I Call Music! 34 was released in Ireland and the UK in August 1996. For reference purposes, here's a picture of me in August 1996. I don't know why I'm making that face.


In August 1996, the Summer I turned 13, we went to England for the first time for a week. We stayed with friends of my Mum's in Northampton, but we stopped off to visit relatives in Luton first. While we were there, my younger cousin Kevin gave me this album on tape, saying he was sick of it. "Kevin's tape" was written on the front cover in biro and I was overwhelmed because it was the most recent compilation and we didn't get tapes very often, they were expensive! Most of my tapes were mix tapes of stuff I taped off the radio. I played it to death that summer and it introduced me to some of my favourite albums over the next few years. So thanks, Kevin!

That summer brings back a lot of memories for me - first time in England, first time at the cinema in a different country (The Hunchback of Notre Dame), first time in The Body Shop (strawberry lip balm FTW), first time at a theme park (Wicksteed Park), first time at McDonalds, and the day my Mam's friend bought me this book, which I still have:


That tape accompanied me on my walkman everywhere when we got home. I listened to it every single day without fail. I think there were four tapes - two as the equivalent of CD One, and two for CD Two. Here's the tracklisting:

CD One:

  • The Spice Girls - Wannabe
  • Robbie Williams - Freedom
  • Peter Andre - Mysterious Girl
  • Dodgy - Good Enough
  • Ocean Colour Scene - The Day We Caught The Train
  • Larry Mullen/Adam Clayton - Theme from Mission: Impossible
  • Underworld - Born Slippy
  • JX - There's Nothing I Won't Do
  • Gina G - Ooh Aah ... Just a Little Bit
  • Pianoman - Blurred
  • Livin' Joy - Don't Stop Movin'
  • Louise - Naked
  • Mark Morrison - Return of the Mack
  • 2PAC - California Love (feat Dr. Dre)
  • Pato Banton - Groovin'
  • Reel 2 Real - Jazz it Up
  • Maxi Priest - That Girl (feat Shaggy)
  • Los Del Mar - Macarena
  • Umboza - Sunshine
  • Wink - Higher State of Consciousness
  • Todd Terry - Keep on Jumpin' (feat Martha Wash & Jocelyn Brown)
  • Robert Miles - Children
CD Two
  • George Michael - Jesus to a Child
  • Oasis - Wonderwall
  • The Bluetones - Slight Return
  • Paul Weller - Peacock Suit
  • Bon Jovi - Hey God
  • Bryan Adams - The Only Thing That Looks Good on Me is You
  • Belinda Carlisle - In Too Deep
  • Suggs - Cecilia
  • Blur - Charmless Man
  • Suede - Trash
  • Joan Osborne - One of Us
  • Crowded House - Instinct
  • Lighthouse Family - Ocean Drive
  • Tina Turner - On Silent Wings
  • Everything But the Girl - Wrong
  • OMC - How Bizarre
  • OMD - Walking on the Milky Way
  • Space - Female of the Species
  • Cast - Walkaway
  • Boyzone - Coming Home Now
I've chosen five favourites from the first tape, and five from the second. You can listen to them all on this playlist - each one takes me right back to that Summer every time I hear it. As a result of this album, I became a massive Blur and Bryan Adams fan. The Spice Girls were on there too but I loved them anyway - Wannabe isn't included on my playlist because I never liked the song. I was Peter Andre crazy - I used to have little pictures of his face stuck all over my homework copy at school. 



*Drowns in Nostalgia*




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Why You Need To Vote Yes on May 22nd.

April 21, 2015, 4:20 am
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Hi!

The original title of this post was "Why You Should Vote No on May 22nd" - but I've had feedback from some people who felt uncomfortable sharing it because of that title, and others that were annoyed by it. So the message still stands, but I've changed the title of the post.

On May 22nd in Ireland, we're having a Referendum on whether or not LGBT people will be allowed to get married. Here's why you should vote no:

If you will be paying for their weddings from your own personal bank account.

That's it, really.

Otherwise, I implore you to vote yes. I wasn't even going to do a post on this but there's so much I want to say that I get muddled and flustered and annoyed - really annoyed.

I live in a very rural area in the Midlands. LGBT people don't make up a huge percentage of the population, but they are here, and for the most part I have always assumed that they're accepted - that might be incredibly naive of me, going by recent "revelations" from people I thought would know better.

On May 22nd, we are voting on whether or not a woman can marry a woman, or a man can marry a man. That's it. We're not voting on whether they can adopt a child or on their parenting abilities. Every single argument against this vote that I have heard in my locality has mentioned children. One argument included the sentence "but listen to me, if they get rights, they'll want more. They'll want to adopt and it's not right, children need a mother and a father." This was from someone who didn't raise his own children, by the way. I'll be sharing this post on facebook, so if you happen to see this and recognise yourself - tough. Shame on you. SHAME ON YOU.

Considering everyone is so concerned about children and about same sex parenting and traditional parenting - I'll say this. I was born to a married couple, and raised without a father. Two women raised me. My mother and my grandmother. My mother did not make good choices all the time. I had no male influence. I think I turned out alright, if you'll excuse the ego. I may not have gone to University and gotten a degree, and I am a little bit fat, but would a Dad have changed that? I'm not mean, I'm not a racist or a bigot, I'm married, and have three sons now. I think I do a good job with them. I don't get pissed, I don't do drugs, I don't abuse or neglect them. I think I'm a good wife. Being raised by two women didn't mean that I was afraid of men or I didn't know what to do around them or how to deal with them. I've never felt uncomfortable around men. Did I miss out on a Dad? Maybe. But I had a mother, and sometimes I feel like I missed out on a mother.

We are voting on marriage. Only marriage. On whether or not two people should be allowed to stand in front of their family and friends and tell them, and each other, how much they love and care for one another. In a society like the one we live in, so full of hatred and fear, so full of evil and badness, why on earth would you want to be responsible for denying someone of doing that?

Buy your badges at voteyesbadge.com.
All proceeds to the Marriage Equality campaign.

I often look at those wonder kids who can do things like play Mozart on the piano at 4. Or those people who, at aged 22, have done more in their short lifetimes than I've done with a ten year head start. I often think - "I have done nothing in my life worth anything except have my children". If you can identify with that feeling, here's your chance. Change lives. Change the course of history. Stand up and show people that we are not as backward and as ignorant as we are sometimes portrayed. You can be a part of something amazing, something that will lead to true equality - or you can be a part of destruction, pain, prejudice. Unless you are a member of the LGBT community, this isn't going to change anything for you personally. Nobody is going to knock on your front door and declare your marriage invalid or any less important just because others will be given the opportunity to marry. As far as I'm aware, my wedding ring still means something.

Stand up for your future gay sons and lesbian daughters/friends/nieces/grandchildren. Those who feel strongly that the definition of marriage should not be changed have already lost - because it has been changed. Women no longer have to give their jobs up after they marry. More and more women don't take their husbands names. Sometimes (like myself), we have a child first and then live together for a decade and THEN get married. Some people bring children from previous relationships into marriages. It has already changed. THE DEFINITION OF MARRIAGE HAS ALREADY CHANGED.

The people who are against this are really against it, and they will vote No. They will vote no, because they are afraid of change. Some will vote no because they don't understand what they're voting for. Please, please vote Yes on May 22nd and show solidarity with those who just want to be able to get married.

I'm all for balance and hearing both sides on most issues - but I can not wrap my head around the reason for denying two people a marriage. What effect does it have on you? NONE. Absolutely none. Think about it. NONE.


If your argument involves children, firstly go and tell all your childless married friends that their marriages are invalid. Then, think about all the children born to alcoholics, drug addicts, prisoners. Those children are already on the planet. They need help right now. The hypothetical children that some think will be handed out across the hatch at the HSE office along with the marriage certificates do not. If you feel that strongly about the safety and welfare of the children of Ireland, get off your arse and do some volunteer work for Childline, Barnardos, Temple Street, St. Vincent de Paul, or some of the other charities who would be only too grateful of your assistance.

This is your chance to sit back with that smug grin on your face at the end of May and think "I did that. I was part of that. I helped change history." Do the right thing - all you're voting on is whether or not two people who love each other should be allowed to get married. That is it.

Make sure you're registered to vote - check www.checktheregister.ie to find out if you're registered. You still have time to apply for a postal vote - the deadline is April 25th according to the website. Deadline to register for voting at your local polling station is May 5th.

Visit yesequality.ie for more information on the Yes Equality campaign.




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#IrishBlogCollab Week 3: Playlist

April 22, 2015, 1:11 am
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Hi!

Fairly simple topic this week for the #IrishBlogCollab - a playlist or favourite album.

Considering my favourite album could change from hour to hour, I've made a playlist of stuff I'd put on a mixtape.

It starts out pretty 90s and nostalgic but by the end we're into full singalong cheese territory - it's me in playlist form!

By the way, Adam Rickitt - I Breathe Again should be in here. But Spotify don't have it. *wail*.

Enjoy!


Check out the other bloggers taking part in this collab at the links below:

Zoe
Catherine
Denise
Marie
Lara
Cat
Maeve
Cathryn
Eimear



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Review of myperfumesamples.com!

April 23, 2015, 1:41 pm
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**No PR Samples Featured**

Hi!

Firstly, this is NOT a sponsored post, I just thought it was such a fantastic service and I would be happy to recommend it. I chose and paid for the samples myself.

I've talked about perfume on here before. I wish I could say it were my only vice - it's joined by books and makeup (and Penneys and candles and stationery) - but there are worse things to be into, right? The problem is, it's a costly little habit. I have come to appreciate those little 1.5ml vials that are included with makeup orders or in beauty boxes - they're a great way to try something out on your skin to see how it works on you.

I know that there are companies that sell boxes of samples along with a voucher for a full sized bottle, but I didn't want those, I wanted to choose my own. Plus, most didn't ship to Ireland. I had a bit of a google, and found myperfumesamples.com - I wasn't sure if it was legit or not, so I went to youtube - and found a lot of reviews from Wonky Compass. She lives in New Zealand so I figured - if they can get to NZ safely, they can get to Ireland!

The concept of the site is this: They sell decanted vials of original perfumes for a couple of dollars each. The vials start off at 1ml, then go up to a 3ml spray and a 5ml spray. The 1ml aren't a spray, and they aren't in fancy packaging - they come in plain vials, attached to a card labelled with the perfume name. I ordered all 1ml sizes, I picked ones I couldn't get here (plus an old favourite or two).

I placed my order on a Tuesday, it was shipped the next day and it arrived the following Monday! Shipping is expensive - $9.99 - but that's International First Class with tracking and the samples start from 49c in the sale section. They have everything you could think of on the site -  from Tom Ford to Jo Malone to Taylor Swift.

I chose seven samples.

Britney Spears - Believe.
Aquolina - Pink Sugar.
Givenchy - Play.
Agent Provocateur - Agent Provocateur L'Agent.
Kate Spade - Walk on Air.
Jennifer Aniston - Lolavie (also called Jennifer Aniston).
Jessica Simpson - Fancy Girl.

This is what they look like:

(The basket is mine)



I wore each one over the course of a different day, so I could give a good review of each. Actually, before I get into the reviews - can I just say, 1ml is more than enough as a sample. The perfume might look piddly in the vial but when you think about it, you get more than 30 sprays from a 30ml bottle, don't you? Well you get much, much more than one wear from 1ml.

Jennifer Aniston - Lolavie/Jennifer Aniston
Lolavie, also known as Jennifer Aniston (the perfume, not the woman) has top notes of Jasmine and Rose, with base notes of Sandalwood and Amber. I didn't get rose in here at all - this was very powdery and light, like a baby in a fluffy towel on a beach. Sillage was fantastic, and it lasted a good 4 hours on me before it started to fade. It came into its own when I went outside - fresh, breezy, soapy (in a good way) - it smells exactly how I would imagine Jennifer Aniston to smell. Here's what I felt about this in picture form - it was stunning. This was a big hit with my husband too. Released in 2010.


Jessica Simpson - Fancy Girl
Ugh. This is the kind of scent that turns people off Celebrity perfumes. With top notes of Raspberry and Pear, and base notes of Sandalwood and Musk, this smells like sweets and rotten fruit. There's a very fruity hit when you smell it - a candy, synthetic, sugary, headache-inducing berry smell. But there's an undertone of something really horrible - on me, it genuinely smells like mould. Like strawberry mould. It's awful, and I had to wash it off. Released in 2014.


Agent Provacateur - L'Agent
Oh NOW we're talking. This is unbelievable, and the blending is amazing - it's full of all my favourite things in a perfume. Patchouli, Incense, Pink Pepper, Tuberose, Tonka Bean, Rosewood, Amber, Sandalwood, Myrrh, Musk - on first spray it did smell a little bit like the incense in the yoke the priest used to swing around at mass, but when it settled - I sat smelling my wrists. It's smokey, dark, woody, seductive, sexy - the lasting power was fantastic. It may be too heavy for this time of year but I will be buying this at some stage. Gorgeous! This was released in 2011.


Kate Spade - Walk on Air
Another winner - based on "femininity and the city of New York", this combines top notes of lime, bergamot and lily with a base of white iris and violet leaf. When I sprayed it first I thought it was very light, but it settled down into a lovely warm lime fragrance - fresh, not overpowering, with the violet coming through. It lasted ages, it's beautiful, and it's a gorgeous, inoffensive, grown up fruity summer fragrance. This is Charlotte from Sex and The City in perfume form, really. Released March 2015.


Britney Spears - Believe
Oh, Britney. I like Britney's perfumes, usually. They're made by Elizabeth Arden, and although they're a bit sweet for some tastes, I like the candyness of them. This, though - no. It's patchouli, normally one of my favourites, but on me, this smells musty rather than musky. It smells like an old book that was left outside in the rain. It's horrible - synthetic, plasticky, old fashioned. Absolutely awful, and does not deserve comparisons to Thierry Mugler's Angel based on sharing a few top notes. Unfortunately, it lasted ages on me. Released in 2007. Britney's bad year. NO COINCIDENCE.


Givenchy - Play for Her
When I was 17, I bought a bottle of Givenchy Oblique Play. I chose this sample assuming it was the same scent - so I was a bit annoyed when I smelled this perfume and realised that it wasn't the candybomb that Oblique Play was. Instead - this has shot straight to the top of my "I want this NOW" list, joining the Hourglass bronzer. I want it. Now. It's full of my favourites - Musk, Sandalwood, Tonka bean, with a top layer of Pink Pepper and Orange Blossom. It's got Bergamot, Orchid in there too. It's warm, it's sexy, it's floral and woodsy, it's feminine, it's absolutely DELICIOUS and I was sitting smelling my wrists for hours afterwards. It's beautifully blended and it's just lush, it's like a big hug. I want it. Released in 2010.


Aquolina - Pink Sugar
This has been on my "to-smell" list since about 2012 when Róisínmentioned it. It's a sugar bomb if ever there was one - aimed at "young girls who like sweets". This has Bergamot and Raspberry on top, then a middle layer of Licorice and Candyfloss, with Caramel and Vanilla lurking around the bottom layer. It's mixed well, the sillage is good, but it didn't last long on me. I didn't get Raspberry on me at all, I got an immediate bang of Iced Caramels that lingered for a couple of hours at most. It's a shame, because it's lovely - definitely one I'll spray on a scarf for a bit more longevity. Released in 2004.


If you're still reading - your medal is in the post!

Overall I was delighted with the whole experience and I am already preparing a wish list for my next visit. It's a fantastic way to try several new fragrances without poisoning yourself in Boots or doing what I always do - overspraying a disgusting one.

Do you own any of the ones I tried? Or do you have any recommendations for me?

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Nature Republic Snail BB Cream and Korean Blusher.

April 26, 2015, 12:17 pm
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***No PR Samples Featured***

Hi!

I've been after the Nature Republic Snail BB Cream for a looong time. It featured on a wishlist post of mine back in 2012 after I got a sample of it with an eBay order. When I came across it again, and saw that it had been repackaged, I took the plunge and ordered shade #1.




It comes with one sponge applicator tip attached, and another one spare. I personally don't like the tip - apart from looking a bit.....phallic..... I seem to waste too much cream. I prefer using it without the tip as you can see in the second picture, the sponge pops off easily and I can squeeze some on to my hand to use with my fingers or a brush.

The whole "snail" thing sounds a bit gross, doesn't it? It's something that I'm still not sure how I feel about. It's not something that kills a snail, it's a mucus secreted naturally by the snail that's collected and processed as an ingredient to help heal and regenerate skin. I can't in good faith sit here and not pretend I don't think it's a little bit yuck, but I quite happily eat many kinds of animals and wear leather shoes - so I don't know. I DON'T KNOW. I don't know how I feel. I've seen mink lashes appear on a couple of sites lately and they made me shudder, but I'll rub snail slime on my face. Am I a giant hypocrite? Probably.

Back to the superficial - and the reason I wanted to buy this for the last 3 years - the coverage. It's like no other BB cream I've tried. It's light, but it gives full coverage at the same time. It's dewy, but it's not shiny. It's thick, but it's not mask-like. Shade 01 was a teeny bit dark for me but I was a bit heavy-handed with it. It lasted all day without budging and it felt lovely on.



I want to mention a lipstick and blusher here too - because I've been wearing this trio an awful lot lately. The blusher is from Mivagirl, a Korean brand that I found on Born Pretty Store. This is shade 04.



It's gorgeous. I've been using it with a big fluffy Real Techniques brush (it does have one of those flat half moon brushes in the bottom but I don't use it) and it's just lovely. Subtle highlighting, no glitter, no shine, just lovely buildable coraly goodness.


The lipstick is one I found while looking for shades similar to Lime Crime's Cashmere. It's a L'Oreal Infallible 2-Step Lip Colour in Neverending Nutmeg (Shade 119). I'm not sure if that shade is available here, I couldn't find it in Boots anyway. It's called L'Oreal Infallible 24hr lip colour here, and there are several shades available. I bought mine on eBay and I love it - the lip colour is matte but not drying, and the gloss stick locks it in. It's not a stain, but it lasts ages.




So - what do you think, are you going to be putting snail slime on your face any time soon?

Links to products:

Nature Rebublic Snail BB Cream
Mivagirl Blusher
L'oreal Infallible Lip Color

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#IrishBlogCollab Week 4 - Guest Post!

April 29, 2015, 2:29 am
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Hi!

This week, the #IrishBlogCollab topic was to write a guest post for one of the other bloggers doing the challenge. I was paired up with Denise from Dee-termined to Glam and Glow, and I'm delighted to host her post here today. Please show her some love!
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This week for the #IrishBlogCollab we will each be doing a guest post on someone else's blog. I was lucky to be paired with Sharon from behindgreeneyes.com. Thanks Sharon for having me!

I had my first child in June 2014 and I found that I was bombarded with information on everything from buggies to the birth to what not to give your baby and the list goes on. I found the whole thing very intimidating and overwhelming. Everyone that I spoke to had a different input and would tell me something new or give me a list of things that I just HAD to get for the baby. It was rare, and I mean rare, that I would be told about something that I did not need to get or do in preparation for the baby's arrival.

Apart from the obvious, like nappies, wipes, bottles, buggy etc, I have compiled a list below of what I found to be my essentials.



Plastic Backed Bibs - My son used to spew a lot and so the regular bibs were no good as they would just soak through, but I found the plastic backed bibs to be a lifesaver.

Terry Towelling Cloths- I had 30 of these (Yes, 30!). As I mentioned, Colin used to spew a lot and I found I was never without one of these cloths. I found them much better than the muslin cloths for soakage. The ones that I got were actually advertised as the "Reusable Nappies" and I got them in a pack of 15 from Guineys.

C-Shaped Pillow - I found this to be great. I had Colin by vacuum so I was extremely sore and the C-shaped pillow was the only comfortable thing to sit on for 6 weeks! It's also great for feeding your baby.

Scratch Mittens/Socks - Most babies need scratch mittens and Colin was no different, however I would often just use socks as they seemed to stay on his hands a bit better than the mittens.

Nursing Bra and Breast Pads (if Breast Feeding) - I would have been lost without the breast pads.

Here's my list of non-essentials:



The Baby's Room - Realistically, the baby is not going to be in their own room until he/she is 6 months old at the earliest, so having the perfect room is not an essential requirement.

Baby Monitor - Initially we did not need one because the baby was always by our sides and we have a tiny house but as he got older and began to roll and move around, we bought a Motorola Video Monitor and I find it great now.

Talc - I bought tons of this because good marketing told me that I needed to, but it is not something that is generally used on babies anymore. I was advised against using it when I was in the hospital, so I have 6 tubs of it at home that I am trying to use on myself just so it doesn't go to waste!

Shoes - I have 5 pairs of shoes at home for Colin, who is 10 months old, and he does not wear them. He is still only crawling so shoes are not essential at the moment. He just pulls them off whenever I try to put them on him!

Pregnancy Books - As they say, "each to their own", but for me I had no interest in reading baby books. To be honest, they scared me because I was already given so much information in the form of leaflets from the doctors and midwives. Baby books can be great for reference purposes but they are not an essential when having a baby.

So that's it! I hope that you enjoyed my essential and non-essential items for new mothers, and hopefully it will have helped in some way. Thanks again Sharon for letting me write this post for Behind Green Eyes. You can check out Sharon's post for the #IrishBlogCollab over on Dee-Termined to Glam & Glow.

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Thanks so much Denise for a great post! You can check out the other bloggers taking part in the #IrishBlogCollab here:

Zoe
Catherine
Denise
Marie
Lara
Cat
Maeve
Cathryn
Eimear



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I Am The Mum Who...

April 30, 2015, 7:49 am
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Hi!

This tag is doing the rounds at the minute, thank you to Denise for the nomination!


- has three sons.
- had two C-sections (one due to placenta abruption, one due to twins lying arseways).
- stopped smoking almost three years ago.
- doesn't drink alcohol anymore.
- loves to read and hopes my boys will be readers (the 10yo is, woop!).
- was told the twins were twins when I was 28 weeks pregnant!
- spends most of her time at home and would be lost without the internet.
- is addicted to buying makeup and stationery.
- loves to sing.
- is a little strict as a parent.
- always has fresh flowers in the kitchen window.
- loves to buy kitchen gadgets and bowls/dishes/mugs.
- uses a travel mug for coffee (decaff) every day despite not leaving the house.
- tells my boys I love them a million times a day.
- loves bedtime but peeps in on the boys to watch them sleeping.
- does not iron.
- frequently forgets to wash the school uniform at the weekend.
- is obsessive over my boys cleaning their teeth.
- recognises my own stubbornness in two of my children - uh oh!
- is intimidated by other Mammies and their grown-up-ness.
- is very thankful for my three healthy boys but is finished having children.
- loves cooking healthy dinners but loves mexican more.
- throws laundry into piles and can never find anything.
- isn't very religious but believes the boys' Grandads are looking out for them.
- doesn't really go out at night anymore.
- doesn't really want to.

If you haven't done this tag and you'd like to, please do it and let me know in the comments! I tag:

Girl With the Skew Earring
The Agoraphobic Fashionista
Dolly Dowsie
Melise Amour 
Anita's Beauty Spot
Four Walls, Rainy Days






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Books I Read in April

May 2, 2015, 4:44 am
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Hi!

After only managing to finish 4 books in March, April was a much better month for me. I got through a lot of kindle books at night, and began to tackle my pile of physical books too. I finished 14, so let's get started!

Book Club
There were four books to choose from in the Rick O'Shea Book Club this month. The theme was YA (Young Adult), and the choices were all on the shortlist for the 2015  YA Book Prize. I had already read one of the books - Only Ever Yours by Louise O'Neill (my review here) and couldn't get my hands on another (A Song for Ella Grey by David Almond), so I chose these two:


The Ghosts of Heaven by Marcus Sedgwick
This is comprised of four stories, linked by the central theme of spirals. The idea is that spirals are everywhere and have been since the beginning of time - in staircases, in plants, in insects, in our fingerprints. Supposedly this can be read in any order (presumably to drive the point home that spirals have no beginning or end) but I read it in the order of publication and it was fine. The first story was set in caveman times and was more of a long poem, the second was in the middle ages and set around witch trials, the third was in an asylum in the 1920s, and the fourth was in space. It was thought provoking and good, but the maths stuff in the 4th story went over my head. 3 stars for the middle two stories, brilliant. They were reminiscent of The Crucible and Shutter Island respectively.

Half Bad by Sally Green
Nathan is a witch - half white, half black. Black witches are captured on sight and killed, so his life is in grave danger. He wants to find out more about Marcus, his Voldemort-esque father, so embarks on a journey to learn about him while trying to avoid capture on the way. When he reaches 17, he will receive three gifts that will allow him to become a fully-fledged witch - but who will give him his gifts? He hears of someone named Mercury who might be able to help, so decides to go and find her. Throw in a love interest and a host of secondary characters and you have a mediocre read that didn't leave me aching to buy the sequel.

Non-Fiction
I read two non-fiction books this month, both had a similar writing style.


The Great Beanie Baby Bubble by Zac Bissonnette
A book about beanie babies?! How interesting could that be?! - VERY! This was the true tale of the Willy Wonka-esque creator of Beanie Babies and how he basically turned a very simple idea into a multi-million dollar operation. The creator refused to give his side of the story - notoriously private Ty Warner doesn't even have a telephone number listed for his company. Zac Bissonnette travels all over America talking to people who spent their life savings on beanie babies that are now worthless. He also talks to people who worked for or know Ty Warner - and builds up a picture of a man who treated his workers generously while appearing to loathe fellow businesspeople. This was a brilliant read, so entertaining.

So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson
I read about this on Breige's blog - to be honest, it took me a while to get through. I found a lot of it to be repetitive,but it was still a good look at the role social media has in instantly punishing people. Jon talks to people who have been publicly shamed in some way - be it for a picture posted online, or an ill-judged tweet - he follows their stories and finds out what happened to them afterwards. He also asks - can you ever recover from a public shaming? I was spoiled with Zac Bissonnette's engaging writing in the previous book, so this fell a little flat for me, but I still enjoyed it.

Trilogy
I heard about Blake Crouch's Wayward Pines trilogy when I heard that a new TV show starring Matt Dillon was coming to FOX TV in May. It looked like a cross between Twin Peaks and The Stepford Wives so I wanted to see what the books were like - they were fantastic and I read all three over a weekend.


Pines
FBI Agent Ethan Burke is on a mission to investigate the disappearance of two Federal Agents. He wakes on the side of the road in a strange town with bruises and cuts, and no memory of who he is. He is in the small town of Wayward Pines, and needs help. Unfortunately for Ethan, he soon begins to realise that once you arrive in Wayward Pines - there's no getting out.

Wayward
Now that Ethan knows the truth about the town, we see what happens when other residents begin to figure it out. There's a branch of residents who are trying to break away - Ethan is asked to infiltrate them, but can he do it? Will he use what he knows to help them escape? More importantly, is there any point in trying?

The Last Town
In a book reminiscent of Hugh Howey's Dust, we find out about the origins of the town and those in charge. Meanwhile, all hell has broken loose in town and everyone is in grave danger. There's only one thing that Ethan can think of that will save them - but will anyone go along with him?

Brilliant, loved it, definitely going to watch the series (May 14th, FOX, Sky 188 & UPC 126 - it's apparently the three books in one series).

Re-Reads


Under The Hawthorn Tree by Marita Conlon McKenna
Those of us over a certain age remember reading this in Primary School - who wasn't affected by the death of baby Bridget and the uncertainty over whether the children would survive the famine? It's amazing what stays with you over the years - I didn't remember the story 100% but I had always remembered the blood-letting of the cow and how sick that made me feel. It's easy to be detached from the events of the famine while we sit with takeaway numbers and full freezers to hand - it's humbling to read about events that took place in reality, events our ancestors survived. A must-read even if you've read it before. This took on a whole new meaning for me reading it as a Mum, the parents must have been so terrified for their children.

Fiction
I read six fiction books:


The Ice Twins by S.K Tremayne
This is a really creepy atmospheric thriller about a grieving couple who have lost one of their twin daughters. They are preparing to move into a lighthouse keeper's cottage inherited by the husband. The remaining twin begins to claim she is actually Lydia, the twin they thought they had buried. Have they made a huge mistake or is there something more sinister at play? The couple have other personal issues to overcome, neither of them are being 100% honest and the little girl is a great character. Recommended!

The Accidental Life of Greg Millar by Aimee Alexander
A look at how a couple cope when one of them is affected by mental illness. This follows the highs and lows of their relationship, and how they deal with it - this got a bit silly towards the end for me but it was a worthwhile read and not a theme I've come across too often lately.

The Crooked House by Christobel Kent
A young girl narrowly escapes a horrific killing spree one night that leaves most of her family dead and her father accused of the murders. Years later, she is living far away from her hometown under a different name - until her boyfriend has to perform best man duties for a friend holding her wedding there. Will the townsfolk remember her? Will she discover that someone knows what really happened the night she lost her family? A really good thriller - the "big reveal" let it down for me, it ended a bit abruptly, but the descriptive writing and the story up to that was brilliantly captivating.


Kiss a Girl in the Rain by Nancy Warren
The premise for this was great - a successful wealthy lawyer finds a bucket list he wrote when he was 12 and realises he hasn't completed half the things he wanted to do as a boy. He embarks on a journey to tick items off his list - and gets on a motorbike to ride cross-country. He gets about an hour in before he has an accident, and meets a stunning doctor (as you do) and despite the title being the uber-romantic "kiss a girl in the rain" (one of the items on his list), the two of them are at it like rabbits before you can say "What's up Doc?" rendering the whole thing pointless. Insta-love, utter tripe, horrible characters, predictable (there's a heavily pregnant character, so we know what's going to happen there). Waste of time.

A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing by Eimear McBride
This was physically one of the most challenging books I've ever read. Eimear doesn't write in traditional sentences - it's a "stream of consciousness" style that has been compared to Joyce (not a fan). It's a basic story - Holy Catholic Ireland, secrets, abuse, shame, more abuse, loss, death, grief, more secrets, more shame, more abuse, more death - it's very hard to read (physically and emotionally), and for that reason I think that when I found my rhythm I stayed with it and got completely sucked in to the character's head. It had me in tears more than once and I have thought about it several times since - worthwhile, but you need the energy for it. If you have experienced a loss recently approach with caution.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
I dipped my toe into the world of Rachel Joyce last year with her book Perfect (review here), which I liked. This had been recommended to me several times since, so I thought it would be something easy to read after the Eimear McBride book. Harold gets a letter from his old friend Queenie to say Goodbye, as she he has cancer and can't be cured. He writes a short reply and walks to the postbox to post it. When he gets there, he decides to walk to the next one, and so on. Harold ends up on a 600 mile pilgrimage from the South of England to Scotland to "save" Queenie and let her know she has something to hang on for. Harold and Queenie aren't the real story here - Harold and his wife Maureen have a sad, strained marriage with both of them afraid to express their feelings and thoughts after some incidents that left them broken. Maureen goes on a journey as much as Harold - their relationship had me in tears! A lovely, lovely book and I'm currently tearing through Queenie's side of the story in Rachel's latest book, The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessey.

So that's it - as always, I'm open to recommendations, so please let me know if you're reading something good at the moment. Hopefully you'll discover something from this post that you will enjoy!



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Now That's What I Call Music! Collab with Rare Opal #2

May 5, 2015, 8:46 am
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Hi!

So, last time around, I showed you the picture of me with the strange face and the bumbag while I rambled about Now That's What I Call Music 34. The next one in the NOW series that I owned was this one - Now 38. And I had it on CD! Yay!

Check Breige's second post out here.


The 38th installment in the series was released in November 1997. I was 14, I had just gone into third year at school, my Junior Cert year. This album is full of stuff that all my classmates loved at the time - if you're from the Midlands region and familiar with Shannonside Radio, you'll probably have listened to a lot of this stuff on Mike Mulvihill's Power Hour at night. I used to listen to it on my walkman and tape stuff off the radio, and we used to dare each other at school to phone in fake requests. We didn't have a house phone, but my Nana did - I remember phoning in a request for one of my friends and a boy we all thought was gross (we were 14) congratulating them on their marriage and my Nana overheard and went BALLISTIC, gave me a lecture about wasting money on lies!

In 1997, I read a lot of Just Seventeen and Bliss magazines, I put up a lot of posters, I listened to my walkman a lot, I made tapes, I wore the trackie bottoms with the poppers up the side, I started to experiment with makeup (I had one purple eyeshadow and started to pluck my eyebrows), I made friendship bracelets and sold them for £1 each at school then used the money to buy Spectacular nail polish, I was nearing the end of my obsessive Spice Girls phase, I hated my hair and I loved my dog. I read six library books a week, I really wanted a Dear Diary, and I had a brand new pair of Dubarry shoes that September that I was so proud of. I also sold this CD to a girl at school in January 1998 for £5. To buy nail polish.

I was a huge fan of 5ive, I had two penpals (if your name is Kelly, you lived in Sheffield in 1997, had a best friend named Dale, loved nail polish and swapped cut-out pictures of Titanic-related things with a girl from Ireland, I'd love to know where you are now!). My other penpal was named Emma, I do remember her last name but I don't remember where she was from - she was another nail polish obsessive (I think I found them both in Bunty) and she HAD A COMPUTER! Emma's letters were typed and printed, and we used to dab little dots of nail polish on our letters when we'd get a new one.

There's an actual real example of one of the mixtapes I made around 1997/1998 in this post about music from my youth here.

Here's the Now 38 tracklist:

CD One

  • Chumbawumba - Tubthumping
  • Spice Girls - Spice Up Your Life
  • Hanson - Where's The Love
  • Boyzone - Picture of You
  • Backstreet Boys - As Long as You Love Me
  • Eternal - Angel of Mine
  • Lighthouse Family - Raincloud
  • Janet Jackson - Got 'Til It's Gone
  • The Brand New Heavies - You've Got a Friend
  • All Saints - I Know Where It's At
  • Louise - Arms Around The World
  • Gala - Freed From Desire
  • Sash! ft. La Trec - Stay
  • Dario G - Sunchyme
  • Tina Moore - Never Gonna Let You Go
  • Hot Chocolate - You Sexy Thing
  • N-Trance ft Rod Stewart - Do You Think I'm Sexy
  • LL Cool J - Phenomenon
  • 911 - Party People...Friday Night
  • Ricky Martin - Maria
  • Bellini - Samba De Janeiro 
  • DJ Quicksilver - Free
CD Two
  • Wet Wet Wet - Yesterday
  • George Michael - You Have Been Loved
  • The Verve - The Drugs Don't Work
  • Oasis - Stand By Me
  • Embrace - All You Good Good People
  • Faithless - Don't Leave
  • Radiohead - Karma Police
  • Moby - James Bond Theme
  • PF Project ft. Ewan McGregor - Choose Life
  • Robbie Williams - Lazy Days
  • Ash - A Life Less Ordinary
  • Texas - Black Eyed Boy
  • Meredith Brooks - Bitch
  • Bon Jovi - Janie, Don't Take Your Love To Town
  • Ocean Colour Scene - Better Day
  • Cast - I'm So Lonely
  • Conner Reeves - Earthbound
  • Peter Andre - Lonely
  • Boyz II Men - 4 Seasons of Loneliness
That second CD was a pile of utter shit to 14-year old me (and 31 year old me, to be fair). I think the only song I listened to on it was Bitch because I got to say.........well, "bitch"out loud. 

Seriously - have you ever heard this before? Because I haven't!!


Here's my playlist from Now 38, there were only a handful of songs that I liked, hence the selling.






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#IrishBlogCollab Week 5 - Ten Things Under €10

May 6, 2015, 1:48 am
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Hi!

We're now past the halfway point with the #IrishBlogCollab - and this week, the topic is one of my favourites to blog about. It's ten things under a tenner - before I start this, I recently overheard someone say "I'll have to put €20 in the Communion card, you couldn't give a child a tenner" - €10 is more than acceptable for a child under ten years of age. Seriously. I know you'd be inclined to give more to a niece or cousin or whatever but when did we lose the run of ourselves with money? You can still get something nice for a tenner, so don't think it's cheap to put a tenner in a card for a child on a given occasion. IT'S NOT. Or maybe I'm just cheap. Anyway - here are my ten current favourite things that cost under €10!


1. Tesco Flowers


These genuinely bring me so much joy on a Friday. I like buying from Tesco, because they include those little sachets of plant food. At the time of taking that picture, those flowers were eleven days old. ELEVEN DAYS. Brilliant value, and they have a great selection including bigger more elaborate bunches for around €6.99.

2. Cocoa Brown Gentle Bronze Gradual Tan



I'm very pasty, and most tans look orange on me or go on too heavy. I don't even have great luck with the original Cocoa Brown tan - but this was made for me! It's subtle, it's not orange, it builds up easily, it applies evenly and it doesn't stink. Love it. €5.99 from bajillions of stockists including Tesco and Penneys.

3. Roger and Gallet Fleur de Figuier Hand & Nail Balm



Roger & Gallet sent me their first three hand creams to try out back when they were released, and I've been repurchasing them ever since. There are two recent additions to the range - hand & nail balms in their Fleur de Figuier and Bienfaits scents, which I immediately bought. They're great handcreams, so soft and non-greasy. Definitely one to pick up, I even love the rose one and I am not a fan of rose scented products at all. These cost €6 in my local chemist, prices may vary but not by much.

4. Celtic Candles Wax Melt in Champagne & Pink Grapefruit



Celtic Candles are a very new discovery of mine, mainly because I hadn't come across them locally before. One of my local chemists has started to stock the wax melts, and it was love at first sniff with this one - Champagne & Pink Grapefruit fills the house with a gorgeous warm, sweet scent that lasts up to 30 hours - mine has been lit for days at a time and is still going strong. If you log on to the Celtic Candles website, you can see the full range and snap up 7 of these for €20. The wax melts (remove case before placing in burner) cost €2.99 each.

5. Harpic Power Plus Active Tablets


Stay with me here. We have incredibly limey water - we used to go through a kettle a year until we got one with a covered element. The toilet can look disgusting after a week if we don't keep on top of it, and the limescale seemed to be building up no matter what we did. I picked these up in Tesco to see if they'd make a difference and my god, they did. The toilet looks brand new - pop two tablets in and leave overnight - we used them every second night for a week and the lime came off in one chunk and the rest of it dissolved. This is such an old housewife inclusion but you know what - we all have toilets, presumably we all like 'em clean, so if you're having lime issues, I thoroughly recommend these! €3.69 for a box of 8 in Tesco.

6. Purederm Exfoliating Foot Mask



I'd say I've gone through at least 8 of these since I found out about them - they were originally available in Penneys, but they're in some pharmacies now too. I buy mine in Lloyd's. Costing €3.99 for one pair, you pop these on your feet, put socks over them, and relax for 90 minutes. About 5 days after, your feet begin to peel like extreme sunburn (not sore though). When all the dead skin is gone, you're left with baby-soft feet. I love these and I always stock up when I see them! If you can't find them locally, I've bought from this Irish seller on eBay before.

7. Sure Maximum Protection Anti-Perspirant Stress Control



I've reviewed this brand before here when I was heavily pregnant with twins - it was the only anti-perspirant that I used. The stuff is magic - this is a new addition to the range, called "Stress Control" and it's just as good as all the rest. This one was sent to me, but others in the range are genuinely my go-to ones anyway, I've repurchased them many, many times. I actually haven't bought a spray since. There's no easy way to approach this, so I'll just say it. I am overweight, therefore I sweat. I do, it's part of carrying extra weight, it's just what happens. I sweat when I go for a walk, I sweat when I rush around, I've always been sweaty, even at school. It's gross and it's horrible but it is what it is - I am sweaty. This stuff would have saved me much self consciousness and worry if it were available when I were a teenager. If you are a fellow sweater, or have a teenager who is prone to sweating, please buy this for them. I feel so much better with it, it really does work. It's currently on offer for €5 in Tesco (until May 18th), regular price €6.99.

8. SOSU by Suzanne Jackson Gel Finish Polishes



When my sister tweeted me to say that Irish blogger Suzanne Jackson was launching her own range of nail polishes, my response was lukewarm. I have hundreds of nail polishes due to a massive collecting phase, so what could be different about these? Well - I picked two shades up when I saw them in my local chemist last week. The 25-strong range of shades is beautiful, and includes some great Summer colours. I chose Rock Candy (dusky pink) and Coral Reef (coral red). I've been wearing Coral Reef now for the past 4 days, and it has not chipped. Nor do I have any tipwear. This is unheard of for me - I've had tipwear hours after applying polishes before. The finish is glossy, the bottles look great, and while I may not be a fan of the blog anymore, I love the polishes and will definitely be buying the mint green, nude, and fuschia ones. I have a full review coming as soon as I give them a good go. They are €7.99 each, available from Penneys and pharmacies nationwide.

9. Music Flower 5-Color Blusher



I spotted this on AliExpress (note - it does say "Army Green" in the colour selection but I'm presuming something was lost in translation because it's obviously not green) a while ago and thought it was really cute. It's five blushers in one - three pinks, an orange, and a brown. They're pigmented, they blend well, they're not powdery at all, and they last ages. What more could you want from a box of five blushers for under a tenner? Here's a look at a zoom in on the individual shades, there's a mirror on the lid and a brush in the bottom section (one of those little flat half-moon ones).



10. Penneys Parka in a Pocket



This is just on the €10 mark, but I thought it worthy of inclusion because it's just bloody brilliant. The whole raincoat-in-a-pocket thing is hardly a new innovation, but I've rarely seen one as nice as this. You can shove the entire raincoat into one pocket and zip it up - perfect for festivals or walking when you don't want to carry a big coat with you. Here's what it looks like unfolded:


Size wise, I'm an 18 in pretty much everything from Penneys at the minute, and the L fits me fine and closes comfortably over a vest and cardigan. They also had leopard print ones and khaki ones, but I'm not sure if the khakis were just normal raincoats or foldy-uppy-ones.

I'm looking forward to seeing what the other ladies have chosen today, if you'd like to check their blogs out you can do so here:

Zoe
Catherine
Denise
Marie
Lara
Cat
Maeve
Cathryn
Eimear

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Get Ready With Me - 90's Style!

May 7, 2015, 1:20 am
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Hi!

No, no. I haven't filmed another video. What I have done is bought a few of the products I used to use in the 90s, particularly the late 90s when I started going to discos. When they were called discos.

Spurred on by a discussion on twitter one night about Max Factor Panstik (I had seen someone mention on a facebook page that it was actually a concealer) and this tweet from my friend Chloe:


Well, ask and ye shall receive. When I spotted Panstik in my local chemist, I picked one up for under €6. The lady at the counter told me they still fly off the shelf!! I got the shade "Noveau Beige", also known as trusty #13. Not wanting to leave my lips out, I also got ye olde Heather Shimmer lipstick from Rimmel. I'm not even sure they make frosted white or lilac eyeshadow anymore, so I went for the purples in the Smashbox Double Exposure palette. Here's what I would have used back in the day:


If you were a fellow fan of Spectacular nail polish (seriously, one of the first things I did as an adult with internet access was track down the former company owner and tell her how much I loved their polish, best moment ever when she replied) - there are some great images over on this blog. I must have gone through 5 bottles of Onyx Sparkle.

So - here it is! Get ready with me, the 90's edit.

Here's what I used:


First, use the green concealer from the palette to cover anywhere that might get red. You want to look as pale as possible so lash lots of it on your cheeks. The aim here is to look like you're about to get sick.


Next, take the panstik and apply all over your face. Don't really worry about rubbing it in, just make sure your freckles are all covered. Don't miss your eyebrows. Don't worry about your neck.


You want it to be nice and thick around your nose, like so:


Next - eyebrows. Just scrape the panstick out of them with your nail. Mam said if you use a little brush to brush them upwards they'll look nice and tidy, so do that then put a bit of vaseline on them to keep them in place. Or just lick your finger and wipe it on them. Same thing. That's the face done - don't use blusher, because you just put the green concealer on to stop being red, so why would you want to add more red? Duh!


Now, eyeshadow - get a purple one and put it all over your eyes from lid to eyebrow using your fingers. Or you can use a white pearl one but not two together. Just pick one colour and stick to it!


Now - kohl eyeliner! There was one free with Sugar or Mizz magazine ages ago so keep paring that one until it's nearly too small to see, then apply liberally around your eyes, including the corners where it will gather and turn into gunk. Don't worry if it's uneven because that adds to the coolness.  Put mascara on too, I like Maybelline Great Lash because it's from America and everything from America is cool. Don't bother curling your lashes.


Now - lipliner. Did you know that you'll look like you have bigger lips if you draw outside the lines? Coooll!!! Do that with a dark browny purple lipliner. My favourite is from Spectacular.


Now, get a really nice lipstick like Heather Shimmer from Rimmel. This is my favourite because all my friends have it and it's really nice. Put loads of it on.


And you're done!! Put half of your hair up to make your face look thinner and leave the rest of it down. Spray on loads of So...? perfume or Ex-cla-ma-tion and you're good to go!


You'll definitely get in to the disco now!! Don't forget to put your can of impulse in your bag, and definitely don't forget the Panstik in case your freckles start to come through. Your friends will probably have one anyway, it's so cool that everyone is the same shade so you can all share!

Have fun xx




Do you know how many cotton pads it took to get my face clean? Five. FIVE.


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My MAC Lipstick Collection - 11 Shades of Nude

May 8, 2015, 7:08 am
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Hi!

"They're similar, not the same". The mantra of a beauty product addict. This comes into play a lot with me and lipstick - I know what I like, and I tend to stick to it. If I'm shelling out the guts of €20 on a lippie, there's no point in buying a hot pink or orange because it will not be worn. So I buy 10 variations of nude instead. Logical, yes?


Recently, with the rise in popularity of the youngest Jenner sister, nude/mauve lipstick came back with one hell of a bang. I couldn't get my hands on a lot of these straight off - I sat and waited for them to come back into stock either on the Brown Thomas or House of Fraser websites. I love each and every one of them, but they are NOT THE SAME. They might look the same in the bullet:


....but on the lips, it's a different ball game. I swatched every single one for you, so you can see that I'm not completely crazy. I bought all these except for Shy Girl, which was a gift for my wedding from my lovely friend (and MUA that day) Karie.


Here's a look at each one individually (I am completely sick of my face after doing all these collages, not going near a mirror for the weekend).












I love them all - I've had no real issues with any of them. The mattes can be very drying on the lips but I've been using Nuxe Reve De Miel lip balm every night now for a couple of months and it seems to be doing the trick, no more flaky cat bum lips!

SEE? NOT THE SAME. Every one of these was a valid purchase.

Are there any more I need?



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Charlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerise in Mona Lisa and Marie Antoinette

May 10, 2015, 2:36 am
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Hi!

Ever since I saw swatches of Charlotte Tilbury's Eyes to Mesmerise cream eyeshadows on ReallyRee's site back in March, I have been lusting after these. They finally landed on our shores on May 4th, all six glorious shades.

Here are the six:


Inspired by various women throughout history, the Eyes to Mesmerise collection is striking. I finally settled on two shades, Mona Lisa and Marie Antoinette.


The packaging is gorgeous as usual - heavy frosted glass jars with 7ml of product inside. There's a suggestion on the boxes from Charlotte, saying you should apply these with her eye blender brush. That blending brush is available from Brown Thomas. It's out of my price range, so I applied these with a Blank Canvas E26 blending brush instead. Do NOT go in to these with your fingers. They're extremely pigmented, so you'll end up with far too much on your fingers unless you have the phalanges of a very, very small child.


Here's a look at Mona Lisa:






I love this so much. SO MUCH. It did crease when I put it on, but I blended it in more and it was fine after that. It didn't go hard or cakey, and it did not budge. I pretty much applied this within a half hour of receiving my order, so that was around 12pm. Here's what it looked like before I took my makeup off at 11pm that night:


Here's Marie Antoinette in action: 






The Eyes to Mesmerise cream eyeshadows are available from Brown Thomas priced at €26 each. We're actually getting a pretty good deal there, because they're £22 a pop in the UK - over €30. Are any of them, eh..... catching your eye? (sorry)



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One to Avoid: L'Oréal Preference Mousse Absolue.

May 11, 2015, 2:03 pm
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Hi!

First off, this isn't a L'Oréal bashing session. I love the brand, and have been using their haircare and makeup for nigh on fifteen years, if not more. It was because of my past experience and my trust in the brand that I felt 100% confident in picking this hair colour up when I saw it in Boots.


It cost me €15.99, which is a lot to spend on a home dye kit. This claimed to be re-usable, which I thought was good value, as sometimes I just need to do my roots and end up wasting colour. It also had some great claims about grey coverage and delivering shine, which are my main concerns.



The kit looks like this:


You get everything you need for two applications, plus a conditioner with enough for six applications. The mousse itself is contained in two cans joined together - the colour and the developer. As they're kept seperate, the colour is re-usable when you replace the nozzle with the lid again. More about that in a few minutes.

There are detailed instructions on how to use this product:



I followed these instructions to the letter - I shook the can, I kept it upright, I massaged into my hairline, I left on for the required time. I did everything I was supposed to - I've been colouring my own hair since I was 12 years old and discovered Glints, so I am familiar with the process.

I hit my first snag with the gloves - they were extremely tight. I don't have big huge hands, and the gloves were a tight squeeze. So tight that one of them split and I was left with a dirty-looking dyed finger.


The mousse was fine, it was easy to work with and it wasn't particulary offensive in the smell department. It's white, so I had no idea if the colour was correct, but as it began to develop I saw dark patches appear on my forehead so I knew it was working.

Here's my hair before, you can see the greys and how dull it is (sob) - you can also see how dark it is:


Here's what it looked like after the developing time (I left it on over 40 minutes):


It looked exactly the same wet. My greys looked more pronounced, if that was possible. I thought it might be a trick of the light and dried it - that's when I noticed the red.




Disgusted doesn't even begin to cover it, folks. To me, it seems like the developer and colour didn't mix properly, hence the bleaching effect and total lack of any dye at all on my greys. I shook that can for Ireland - I shook the damn thing like a polaroid picture. Seriously. I shook it, I kept it upright, I followed all the instructions. I'm not a novice at this, I know how to comb colour through, I know how to apply it, I did the whole massage thing. I am left with hair that is as dull as dishwater, and several different colours from gold to bronze.

Gutted. Absolutely gutted. This was an expensive product and a treat for someone like me who doesn't have time to sit in a salon and get a proper colour. I'm now letting my hair settle for a week or two before I go at it again, I'm just disgusted. I'm also very dubious as to the whole "reusable" element - the instructions on the actual can are in German. Mein Deutsch ist sketchy at best, so I have no idea where or how this is supposed to be stored. Risk of explosion and general crapness made me put it straight into the bin.

I would not recommend this - and if I had been smart enough to google beforehand, I would have read Sophistikat's almost identical experience and over 400 negative reviews on the Boots website. As I said at the start - I'm a big fan of L'Oréal (I have their new Elvive range waiting for me in a Boots order) - which is why this stung all the more. I feel like a friend just kicked me up the arse. And I was left with a black finger.

Try something from their Casting Creme Gloss range instead.



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#IrishBloggerCollab Week 6: Recent Pinterest Finds

May 12, 2015, 11:17 pm
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Hi!

This week, I'm talking about Pinterest. I go through phases with Pinterest - sometimes I don't go near it for months, then at other times I click through to a link and four hours later I'm still sitting there looking at people who have furnished their homes with pallets or made nostalgia quilts from generations worth of clothes. Oh okay, and face swaps and someecards.

Most of my favourite boards are based around crafts, cross stitch or nails/hair - generally stuff I can make or want to make. I had a great time at Christmas making stuff I found on boards, and I find it so handy for Birthday party and Halloween inspiration too.

You can find me on Pinterest here - and here are my top ten current favourite pins:

1. DIY Comic Book Print Shoes [Source]



I'd break my neck in them but they are SO PRETTY.

2. Downsize your DVDs [Source]



This is going to be my project for June. I have hundreds of DVDs and I never watch them, because I spend so long looking through them that I end up watching nothing. The big plastic cases take up too much space, they're absolutely no use, and I'm sure the plastic sleeves are easily available on eBay or AliExpress. Excited for this project!

3. The Upside Down Braided Bun [Source]



I've tried this a few times and even though it always turns out messy, it keeps those annoying little stray hairs at the nape of my neck in check. Love it!

4. Buffy-Inspired Cross Stitch [Source]



Featuring a quote from Spike in the episode Tabula Rasa, who wouldn't want a piece of Aida fabric that says 'Sodding, Shagging, Blimey, Knickers, Bollocks" on it? I've started to chart this out already (just those words, not the rest of it), I was thinking it would make a great coin purse or mp3 holder if I doubled up and put a zip on it. 

5. Negative Space Foil Mani [Source]


I love the simplicity of this, and the little tattoos. I think this would look gorgeous done with Essie's Penny Talk too. 

6. Printable To Do List [Source]


I love things like this, I have a couple of organisers but I think this one is nice and compact, has everything you need on one sheet, handy to stick on the fridge or cupboard. 

7. Kindle Cover From an Old Book [Source]


I love this idea - charity shops are like treasure troves when it comes to hardback books, so it would be fun to track down a favourite book and make this cover. I need a hot glue gun!! 

8. Wicked Witch Bookmark [Source]


Staying with the book theme, I have been wanting to make this for a very, very long time - I've bought the clay and paints, then lost the paints somewhere in the abyss of the spare room. As soon as I get it sorted out, I'm going to tackle this! It's incredibly impractical but it's so, so cool.

9. Disney Princess Stained Glass Cross Stitch [Source]


Pinterest is a cross-stitcher's dream. I've been stitching for nearly 17 years now (YIKES) and I love bigger pieces. I'm currently in the middle of completing this one, but this Disney one is next on my list. It's gorgeous, and it has so many different elements that I think it would be really fun to stitch. 

10. Happiness Jar [Source]


Even though we're in May, this is still a good idea for the rest of the year. You write down one happy thing every day or one funny or happy thing that happened, then read them all at the end of the year. I think I will use one of my empty yankee candle jars for this and get started ASAP! 

So that's it - my top 10 pins at the minute. If you're on Pinterest please let me know so I can follow you! 

Don't forget to check out the other bloggers involved in the #IrishBlogCollab here:

Zoe
Catherine
Denise
Marie
Lara
Cat
Maeve
Cathryn
Eimear
Aoife



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