New York: Day 1

Happy Christmas Everyone!!

Hope you all had an amazing day and got to spend time with your loved ones.

This is my day one post of my trip to New York, which includes the lovely Christmas decorations in the City.

Enjoy!!

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Waking up and realising your in New York City is the best feeling!!

We were so lucky to stay in an amazing apartment at The Rockefeller  Centre and the view we had from our bedroom window was mind blowing!

View from bedroom window

We were so jet lagged from travelling that we slept in till 2pm on the Sunday. We sat in the bed for ages planning on what we were going to get up to and where we were going to go. We'd both been to New York before so we were able to skip all the touristy stuff, no sitting on top of a freezing cold open top bus for us!!

We eventually got up, got ready and had a very late brunch lol!

To be honest we didn't get up to much on the first day. We only had about an hour of daylight before it started to get dark, it gets dark at around 4/4.30pm in December over there.

We wandered around The Rockefeller Centre to check out the magical Christmas Tree and to get our bearings.

Christmas Tree at Rock Centre

It got dark fairly quickly so we tried to find our way in the dark as best we could and got slightly lost at times lol! 

The Christmas lights and decorations are fab in New York. 

Here are a few pics of the decorations on 6th Ave.

6th Ave.

6th Ave.

6th Ave.

Christmas wishes & kisses

Love,

Elle

New York Trip: Arrival

Hello there again!

 

Myself and my Fiance were lucky enough to head to New York for a week this month. I absolutely love New York and with it being Christmas it felt extra special to be there.

Side note - My Fiance doesn't want to be named on this so I'm going to call him J from now on :)

We got really lucky in the airport and did not have to wait in any lines to check in or to go through security!! This made me so happy.

The first Victoria's Secret store in Ireland recently opened in Terminal 2 at Dublin Airport and I was excited to see what all the fuss was about. Being honest I wasn't overly impressed with the stock they had, it was mainly there frangrance, beuty lines and accessories with only a small section of underwear.

Victoria's Secret Terminal 2 Dublin

Our flight was delayed by an hour so we had a look around the shops in Duty Free and treated ourselves to a lovely Jo Malone candle. We got the Peony & Blush Suade one and it smells so good!

 

 The flight was a long one but I wasn't as nervous as I usually am on planes so it was a good flight for me! J always packs his iPAD full of shows and movies when we travel so we watched a few things on that but it got uncomfortable so we just watched some of the plane movies and slept.

We arrived on a Saturday night at about 8pm.When we landed we had a car waiting for us and we heading straight to the apartment we were staying at. The apartment is right across the rod from The Rockefeller Centre and the traffic was crazy!! A lot of the roads were blocked off and there were crowds of people everywhere.

We headed straight up to our apartment and dropped our bags. We were so jet lagged but our hunger out weighed our tiredness so we headed out on a food hunt. Our food hunt did not go so well. We went to a place a few doors down from our apartment called Five Guys and it was closing. It was only 10pm?!? I found that early for a  Saturday in NY.

After that we went on a hunt for any fast food place and eventually we found a McDonalds. Those golden arches where like a beacon in teh night for us lol!

We got a few bits in Duane Reades (Grocery shop/pharmacy) then heading to McDonalds for 2 large Big Mac Meals. We got a take away and eventually got back to the apartment in a dazed state and devoured our food.

I was so cold after eating that I had to jump into the shower before bed to warm up.

So that is how we ended our first night in NY, exhausted with full bellies.

Love,
Elle x

I'm back in Blogland!

Hi all!!!

 

Happy Christmas Eve!!

 

I haven't written for a few weeks :( I have had no laptop and my phone just isn't as good to blog with lol!

 

But I'm back now and have loads to catch up on!

 

I am just back from an amazing trip to New York with my Fiance. So happy it's Christmas otherwise I'd be super sad at leaving that amazing city lol!

 

We did so much in New York so I will do a few posts on what we got up to and a few tips for anyone that is planning a trip there!

 

I am super exited for Christmas as I will be buying a fancy Canon camera once the sales start. Which means I will be diving into the wonderful world of Youtube!!

 

I finished my Christmas shopping yesterday evening and suprisingly I got a parking spot as soon as I arrived and missed most of the crazy lines of people.

 

Funny story of me and my Fiance doing our Christmas shopping!

 

My Fiance and I went shopping on Saturday to pick up a few tings for our families and he decided to buy himself a few presents aswell. We split up at one stage while he got a few games for the PS4 and I went to Boots to grab a few girly essentials. Well I walked up to him as he was about to purchase his games and a couple of extras, the PS4 camera and stand. I almost killed him on the spot. Lets just say he would have been opening the PS4 camera and stand tomorrow. Needless to say I had to tell him not to buy them as  I had already gotten them for him, I was not a happy girl after this lol!

 

About a half hour later I ruined on of his presents for me, we are the most ridiculous couple ever! I was shopping in Debenhams when I bumped into him buying me prefume. His face just dropped when he seen me! Bless him lol!

 

So technically you could say I got my own back muahahahaha lol!

 

In the end all we could do was laugh about it!!

 

Hope you guys have a wonderful Christmas Eve!! I will hopefully get around to doing the first post on my trip to New York later on today so keep and eye out for it!

 

Christmas wishes & kisses!!

 

Love,

Elle x

 

 

BSOTM a.k.a Beauty Salon of the Month

Afternoon Ladies,

 

Another cold one here today! I'm rocking a pair of fabulous pink fluffy knee socks to keep my tootsies warm :)

I thought I'd start doing a beauty salon of the month post to help find the best salons and treatments being offered right now.

So welcome to BSOTM!! Hope you enjoy the first post! :) x

 

I am so excited because im booked in for a facial later on today and I am living for it! I can't wait to be all cosy on the heated bed getting pampered...eeeeppppp excited!

 

I am in the process of trying to get my skin clear and pretty for December.

 

My last facial was 6 weeks ago and my breakouts have cleared up so well over the weeks since. I no longer have big volcano like spots that seem to fester under the skin for weeks before they make their glorious appearence and ruin my life!

 

I am still suffering from redness and sensitivity on my cheeks and a few tiny pimples here and there but it is a vast improvement let me tell you.

 

 The salon in I am going to is in Sallins in Co. Kildare and it's called Milles Beauty Rooms and I love it, the girls are all so lovely and helpful. I also get a little excited when I see the walls of the reception area, they are filled with loads of different products. Its like a candy shop for women.

They have an online store too where you can purchase all these fabulous goodies!

I WANT EVERYTHING!!!!!!

 

They use Dermalogica and I usually get the signature facial which lasts approx 60mins at a cost of €68. You get a taster back treatment (mini back scrub and massage) before the facial too which is great.

 

The treatment rooms are nice and simple and as soon as you walk in you are hit with the most relaxing aroma. They spray the pillow for your head with lavender too, helloooo relaxy sleepy time!

 

I will do a post on the treatment another day for you guys! ;)

 

Here's a few pics of the treatment room I was in....

 

 

Here's to relaxing facials and pampering!!

 

Do you have any favourite treatments or salons you go to?

 

Thanks for reading! :)

 

Love,

Elle x

 

 

Success Story - Suzanne Jackson

 

Hi ladies,

 

I went shopping yesterday evening and came across Suzanne Jackson's new book. In case you don't know Suzanne is one of Irelands top bloggers and owener of 'So Sue Me'. Her blog has grown from strength to strength over the last few years and she is a great inspiration to any blogger starting out, like myself :)

 

It was €19.99 in Easons and covers everything from how she got started to fashion, beauty and more.

 

                      

 

Chapter 1 ~ Sue's life story

 

Chapter 2 ~ About her blog 'So Sue Me'

 

                                  

 

Chapter 3 ~ All about make-up & beauty

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 4 ~ All about fashion

 

 

 

Chapter 5 ~ She answers all kinds of questions from her fans

 

 

 

Chapter 6 ~ She gives her tips and tricks to starting a blog

Swan Hand Painting

Hey guys!

Yestrerday I got the urge to do some body painting! I was inspired by an artist called  Guido Daniele, you can check him out here. His work is brilliant and I was really excited to try and recreate one of his works.

He has done loads of animal paintings on hands and I picked his Swan to re-create.

I started out by sketching out the swans details on my hand. 

 

Then it was just a matter of filling in the different colours.

 

The eye was the trickiest part!

 

After 2 hours drumroll for the finished look.......

 

Ta Da!!

 

Will have to work my way up slowly to his more intricate looks!

 

Hope this will inspire some creative juices to get flowing in you!

 

Thanks for reading! :)

 

Love,

Elle x

Dita Von Teese Inspired look

 

Morning ladies!

 

It's Friday at last!!

 

Today I'm rocking a Dita Von Teese inpired make-up look and wanted to share it with you.

 

I love Ditas make-up, it's alway so elegant and timeless.

 

 

 

No matter how many different looks I try I always come back to this one!

 

 

 

What I used:

 

Face

 

Foundation - YSL Touche Eclait

Concealer - Benefit Erase Paste

Powder - Maybelline Fit Me

Blush - MAC Desert Rose

 

Eyes

 

 Rimmel Glam Eyes Liquid Liner

 

Eyebrows 

 

 Rimmel Professional Brow Pencil

 

Lips 

 

MAC Russian Red Lipstick

 

Happy Friday!!! :)

 

Love,

Elle x

 

 

A letter to those with imperfect skin

Hey ladies!

 

So in today's post I am going to talk about my skin. I want to be honest with my blog so I have included some lovely pictures of me make up free and with my blemished skin for you to enjoy ;)

 

This post is quite nerve wracking as I am going to be letting you see me with no make-up!! I didn't just want to write about  my skin without showing you pictures so here we go...

 

Deep breaths......while uploading these pictures lol!

 

For years I have suffered with my skin and it has always  made me so self conscious. I also have lovely scars from squezzing my spots :(

 

I know so many women and men deal with acne and breakouts everyday and it can stop you from being the confident, outgoing person that you should be.
 

It took me years to accept that I would never have perfect skin. I am still not 100% ok with that fact but I always say to myself that there are people out there that suffer from a lot worse.

 

Now I know I don't have the worst skin in the world and some people have it a lot worse than I do, but it still gets me down and it annoys me that I can't seem to get rid of it.

 

But I am now dedicating myself to a strict skin care regime (which I will do a post on soon), make-up free days and also making some changes to my diet to help me improve my skin.

I want to say to those of you who suffer with bad skin like I do, don't let bad skin take control of you. Don't let it get you down (I know easier said than done) but serously...

 

 YOU are beautiful!!!!

 

Stop putting yourself down because you are not perfect like the air brushed models in magazines.

 

What makes you beautiful is the confidence you have within yourself , the smile you carry on your face and the love you have in your heart! <3 

I will post up what ways I am helping my skin heal from these nasty breakouts and hopefully help you guys do the same.

 

Lets work on getting our skin looking better instead of aiming for the impossible perfect!!

 

Love,

Elle x

3 Lip Balm Faves

Hi Girlies,

 

Since the winter is rolling in and the weather is getting colder I thought I should do a post on some of my favourite lip balms.

 

So here they are.....

 

 

 

Carmex Moisture Plus

Classic Carmex

Nivea Lip Butter - Vanilla & Macadamia

 

 

Carmex Moisture Plus

 

I love the moisture plus range from Carmex, it leaves your lips super soft and it smells lovely and sweet. It also comes in a varity of different shades, I have the pink one. I usuall wear this when I don't feel like wearing lipstick.

 

Classic Carmex

 

I have been using the Classic Carmex for years and I love it. Its great for chapped or cracked lips. It contains menthol and camphor that will soothe sore lips and help keep them lovely and moiturized.

 

Nivea Lip Butter - Vanilla & Macadamia

 

I bought this Nivea Lip Butter because I love anything with vanillla. This one smells good enough to eat. I usually use it if I want something tasty on my lips. It moisturizes quite well but not as good as Carmex.

 

 

 

Keep those lips kissable!!!

 

Love,

Elle x

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wedding Bells

Hi there Ladies,

So myself and himself got engaged 5 months ago and we are beginning to start the wedding plans eeekkkkk!!!

We have started looking into a few hotels and I am getting super excited!

Neither of us wants a huge wedding. Just something nice and intimate with our close friends and family.

We have not set up any appointments with any hotels yet but we will be doing that over the next few months. We did however drive to 2 of the hotels one day just to have a nose around the grounds (the grounds are really important to me as I want my wedding pictures to be magical).

I’m very sure of what I would like for my venue and it’s taken me some research and getting things down on paper to get it clear in my head.

I am avoiding hotels that are generic, you know those ones with function rooms that look the same in every hotel you go to.

I want something unique and romantic that has pictureesque gardens.

So here are a few hotels we have been looking at.

 

No.1 - Village at Lyons, Co, Kildare

http://www.villageatlyons.com/

 

 

No.2 - Finnstown House Hotel, Co. Dublin

http://www.finnstown-hotel.ie/

 

 

 

 

No.3 - Kilashee House Hotel, Co, Kildare

 

http://www.killasheehouse.com/en/

 

 

 

If you have had your wedding here or know of anybody who has please let me know how it went. Also if you know of any other great venues comment below!

 

Wishing you all a happy Wednesday!! :)

 

Love,

Elle x

Why you should drink Green Tea!

I'm sitting here working away sipping on my usual green tea and thought I should do a post about green tea and it's wonderful benefits.

I have not always been a lover of green tea. I remember the first time I tried it I said I'd never go near the stuff again. Now I can safely say I'm addicted to the stuff.

And believe me you will get used to the taste, just give it a chance!

So why drink Green Tea:

• Can aid weight loss - Green tea increases the metabolism...YIPEEEEE!! Green Tea contacins a polyphenol that works to intensify levels of fat oxidation and the rate at which your body turns food into calories..

• Reduces cholesterol - Green tea reduces bad cholesterol in the blood and improves the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol.

• Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s -  It is said to delay the deterioration caused by Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Studies carried out on mice showed that green tea protected brain cells from dying and restored damaged brain cells.

• Prevents tooth decay - Studies suggests that the chemical antioxidant “catechin” in tea can destroy bacteria and viruses that cause throat infections, dental caries and other dental conditions.

• Regulates blood pressure - Regular consumption of green tea is thought to reduce the risk of high blood pressure.

• Has anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties -  Tea catechins are strong antibacterial and antiviral agents which make them effective for treating everything from influenza to cancer.

• Is great for your skin - Green tea can apparently also help with wrinkles and the signs of aging, This is because of their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.

I urge all of you lovely ladies to give green tea a chance as there are so many benefits.

It definately does work and even including one cup a day into your diet will help your body become a happy body.

Off to pour myself another cup!!

Love,

Elle x

Love Her Style: Kerry Washington

I want to start including some fashion posts to my blog as I love anything that comes in the form of a pair of shoes, a handbag or a dress that makes you look out of this world so here it is, my first fashion related post.

Hope you guys enjoy it!

When I found out that Kerry Washington was voted Best Dressed Woman I was delighted. She is so classy and elegant.

I remember when I first seen her in Save The Last Dance with Julia Styles. I loved her character, she had such attitude!





Kerry as Chenille



 

Juila Styles & Kerry Washington

 

 Her style has changed so much and I love the way she always keeps her look classy by not baring too much skin.

 

I heard a great quote from her regarding her fashion choices.

 

'I'm not exposed in my life and I tend not to be overexposed on the red carpet.'

 

 When I heard that I was like wow she has to be admired for not falling into the half naked brigade in Hollywood. I hate seeing celebrity's with there cleavage hanging out & I won't even get into the whole underbutt.

 She is a true fashion role model and I love the way she carries herself. She is a true lady

 Here are some of my favourite outfits that Kerry has worn.

 

Miu Miu

Oscar de la Renta

Zac Posen

Miu Miu

Vivienne Westwood

Rodarte

 

I had to post this Miu Miu one again as it has to be my favourite. The detailing on the top of the dress is so delicate it just oozes glamour.

 

 

 

She is so fabulous!!

 

I hope you enjoyed this post and have a fabulous weekend!!!

 

Love,

Elle x

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beauty Buys!

 

 

I hate when I realise that i have run out of foundation and I have nothing to put on my face!! Oh the dread it fills me with!

 

This happens quite a lot and I end up feeling naked all day, thinking people are looking at me because I have no foundation on.

 

I feel like everyone can only see my blemishes and I disappear behind them...silly I know lol!

 

So this week it was time to go foundation shopping and I picked up a few other goodies along the way!

 

Rimmel Stay Blushed in Pop of Pink

Bourjous 123 Perfect Foundation

Rimmel's Nail Rescue

 

I will do reviews on all these products over the weekend!

 

Happy Friday!!

 

Love,

Elle x

Weleda Calendula Weather Protection Cream

Good Morning Pretty Ones!!

 

So the summer is over and the weather is getting colder here so I have had to start protecting my skin from the harsh conditions.

 

I started using this cream last winter when my skin started to break out and was reacting badly to the cold and windy weather.

 

As you can see it is from the Weleda Baby range but if it is good enough for a babys delicate skin then it's good enough for mine.

 

 

The cream is a rich balm which protects your face against harsh weather conditions.

 

It forms a natural protective barrier on your skin.

 

It contains organic almond oil and skin friendly lanolin which will nourish dry skin and the organic calendula extract helps to soothe the skin.

 

 It feels a quite thick and your face will look slighlty shiny after using it so i would let it soak into your skin for a half hour before going out.

 

I also use this product before I get into the shower as I find that the skin on my face reacts to the hot water and drys out with the hard water in my area. The cream locks in moiture and protects my skin from the heat.

 

It's good for your hands and chapped lips too!

 

It is all natural too which means no synthetic preservatives, fragrances, colors, dyes and petroleum derived synthetics.

 

Love,

Elle x

5 easy steps to get better skin overnight

 

They say that our skin repairs itself while we sleep so I wanted to do a quick post on 5 ways to enhance this process. 

 

1. Clean Clean Clean

 

     

It is so important that you take your make-up off before you go to bed. Leaving your make up on will clog your pores, cause bacteria to grow and we all know what this leads to.....BREAKOUTS!

Just think of it this way you wouldnt go to bed with dirt all over your body, would you? After a long day, makeup is essentially dirt on your face. Not to mention all the oil and impurities that build up throughout the day aswell.

So ladies clean those beautiful faces!
 

2. Invest!!

For happy skin you must invest in products that will work for your skin type.

Now that does not mean going and spending a fortune on the latest serum or anti-agin cream. No, it means getting to know your skin a bit more, doing some research about different products (cheap and expensive) and maybe going to a professional to get some advice on what will work best for you.

I like to use the following:

Cleasner & Moisturiser - Coconut or Olive Oil
Eye Cream - Antipode Kiwi seed oil eye cream
Oils - Trilogy Rosehip Oil
Extras - Trilogy everything balm


3. Sleep on your back

 
 

 

Lying on your stomach or on the same side every night is a no no! Which is a nightmare for me because I love sleeping on my stomach :(

There are 2 reasons for this:

1. Sleeping on your stomach or same side everynight can lead to permanent sleep lines in your skin. Now if like me you feel it impossible to change your sleeping routine invest in satin pillow cases; the silky texture prevents crinkles.

2. Bacteria can build up on pillow cases and cause breakouts.


4. Sleep as deep as Sleeping Beauty

 

 

 

 

Try and limit your bedroom for sleep only, doing so trains your mind to associate your bed with getting zzz's and you will be able to fall into a deep sleep in no time at all.

Avoid exercise for 3 to 5 hours before bedtime,  this can keep you from solid slumber.To transition into sleep mode, don't watch TV or go online for an hour before turning in (it's so hard I know!!!!)


5. Stay hydrated

 

 

 

Make sure you drink plenty of water throughout the evening so that you can stay hydrated during the night while you sleep.

 

Avoid drinks with caffeine in them for 3 to 5 hours before bedtime, they will only stimulate you and prevent you from having a deep relaxed sleep. Also limit your alcohol intake at night.