So I took the plunge today and changed my hair colour… to GREY! Yes you read that right, grey!
I have been wanting to go grey for about a year now and I am absolute delighted that I have. I am so in love with it!
Now going grey has become fashionable and almost everyone wants it! Hairdressers are inundated with people wanting to become sliver haired goddesses! BUT it is not for everyone. If you are blonde and wanting to go grey – perfect! It will only take a couple of hours and you’re done! If you are darker and wanting to go grey – think about it. Do you really want to? You will have to go bleach blonde first and that itself is a process that could take more than one trip to the hairdresser. Have you got the money and time for that? You really have to want to commit to it and your hair would have to be in great condition to stick with all that colouring. I was even thinking of backing out of it but it was a much easier process for me. Be sensible in your decision. Talk to your hairdresser if you want advice. My hairdresser was only delighted to talk to me about it. (Shout out to Jean and Maria in The Cutting Edge in Mountrath, Co.Laois – Best hairdressers without a doubt!)
Olaplex – I am sure you have heard of this at some stage over the past year. Olaplex is a new treatment that everyone is raving about, including myself. I have had it twice now and I adore it. Olaplex helps repair damaged hair and maintain colour for longer. It also makes my hair feel and look so good. Do yourself and your hair a favour, if you can get your hands on it, GET IT! Even if you aren’t dying your hair, it is a great treatment to restore your hair back to top quality condition! I can’t wait to get some so I can use it at home.
Check out my new hair below in some pictures I took earlier! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to leave a comment and hopefully, I can help!
So back in July, I posted a blog about my story with Acne and being on Roaccutane and I was and still am overwhelmed with the incredible response I received from that blog post. Honestly, I was so scared to post that blog but all the love and support I received made me so happy I did. I have found people, just like me suffering from acne, messaging me asking questions about everything from the tablet to my beauty routine. So I decided to update you all on my progress.
I finished Roaccutane in November and I won’t lie, I was petrified to finish it. But thankfully, my skin has continued to improve daily. I still have scars from my acne but my dermatologist did say that they would take much longer to fade.
My diet, lifestyle and beauty routine are very important to maintaining my acne free skin at the moment. The most important thing (well for me anyway!) is making sure I drink plenty of water. I aim to drink 2 litres everyday, if not more. I can notice the difference in my skin straight away if I don’t drink enough water in one day. When it comes to diet, I have started making sure I eat more fruit and vegetables and less processed foods. Then there is my beauty routine, and I will admit, there is sometimes I just use a baby wipe to take off my makeup when I am tired or lazy (or drunk!) but it is so important to take off your makeup with a proper makeup remover. The one I use which I find so gentle on my skin is Coconut Oil with a muslin cloth. It leaves my face so soft and doesn’t cause any damage. I use Bio Oil every morning to help reduce my scars and Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate every night to reduce the redness. I use a moisturizer morning and night, which is The Body Shop Vitamin E Intense Moisture Cream.
I have gotten one or two little spots since finishing, due to being emotional or stressed but good old Sudacream before bed clears them up.
Just so you can see the difference, here is a picture of me before starting Roaccutane.
And here are pictures of my skin now! Just a few scars and a little redness!
It’s hard to believe the transformation that Roaccutane has done for me. It feels great not being in pain with my acne and I am even confident now to leave the house with no makeup on! I am so much happier in myself now!
Thank you once again for all your lovely and encouraging comments on my original post in July. You have no idea how much it means to me ❤
Sooo… July and August have been pretty busy months for me! Where do I begin? Firstly, in case you didn’t know, I have been working for Celia Holman Lee since April or May but I worked a lot more for her in July and August. I even worked with her at the Rose of Tralee Fashion Show. Working with her has been a ultimate dream, I still can’t believe Richard got me that opportunity. I am sad it has come to an end for now. She was a dream to work with, we laughed a lot and I have learnt a lot about Fashion and the industry and I loved every minute of it.
With Celia after the Rose of Tralee Fashion Show.
Back in July, I got to meet Youtuber Alfie Deyes, better known as Pointless Blog, and he liked and commented on my vlog, making my channel views go crazy!! I have suffered a lot of migraines and anxiety attacks the last two months which also due to hectic lifestyle and personal reasons (which states why I haven’t been blogging a lot lately!) I have been redecorating my room and it is finally finished! In early August, I met another Youtuber, Marcus Butler! I also met Jake Quickenden. My acne has almost cleared, one more month and I am finished! I went to the Dome in Tralee for the Rose of Tralee 2015 and it was great craic altogether! I got to hang out and party with the beautiful ladies from the Laois Rose Centre, whom have got a special place in my heart. I adore those ladies, they are such incredible women to look up to.
With Mam and Night 1 of Rose of Tralee 2015.
With Anne Marie and Bernadette from Laois Rose Centre.
Other than all that, I have been packing for Spain ( I move in one week, ONE WEEK! I am not prepared, in my head, I feel like I am just going on holiday!) So I have decided to combine my July and August favourites! I’ll stop rambling now!
Books
In July, I read To Kill A Mockingbird for the first time (I know such a crime!) If you have not read it, GO READ IT NOW! It is a very good book, quite different to my typical book. In short, the book is about Scout Finch, her older brother, Jem , and their friend Dill. All three spend their summers spying on their reclusive and mysterious neighbour, Boo Radley. Scout and Jem’s dad, Atticus is a respected lawyer, but when he defends a black man, Tom Robinson against made up rape charges, the trial exposes the children to evils of racism and stereotyping.
Then in August, in like one week, I read The Maze Runner series. My goodness gracious, I couldn’t put the books down! Ashamedly, I did see The Maze Runner before I read the book. But the book is 100% much better than the movie, and I loved the movie! The books had my heart racing and I couldn’t sleep as I wanted to know what happened next! They say on the back that they are adrenaline filled and they certainly are. So here is what the Maze Runner is about: Thomas arrives in a glade at the center of a giant labyrinth. Like the other youths dumped there before him, he has no memory of his previous life, only his name. But something is different after Teresa arrives (who is the only girl sent to the glade). They soon realise they need to get out of the Glade and the maze. Thomas quickly becomes part of the group, but he knows he is different from the rest and certain members of the Glade recognize this too, once they’ve been bitten by the grievers in the maze. Thomas shows the gladers a unique perspective that allows him a promotion to Runner very quickly. Thomas tries to convince his fellow gladers that he knows a way out. It is gripping and intense. If you loved The Hunger Games, this is a must read.
Outfit
Working with Celia means you get to dress up some days for work.
My first favourite outfit is this blue and gold dress from Born Boutique. I think it was around €69. I got so many compliments when I wore it. It is so flattering. These dresses are great, they cut at the middle of your waist and can give the illusion of being slimmer. They also hide your stomach!
This dress is from Born Boutique
This outfit is from swamp. Top is €29 and the Skirt is €49
This other outfit I love is a blue lace crop top and a fabulous black Tulle skirt from Swamp. If you know me, I LOVE TULLE SKIRTS and more than likely buy one every time I see one in a shop. Tulle skirts are in for this A/W so I’d advise you to go by one! They are great.
Music
Fifth Harmony, if you don’t know these girls by now, where in the name of god have you been living? The girl band released their debut album earlier in 2015 and there is a few gems on it including this song, Brave Honest Beautiful, which happens to be one of my favourite songs right now. I can’t stop playing it. It’s on repeat, all the time. No joke! I am pretty sure it will be the same for you!
So 5 Seconds of Summer have been working hard on their second album (SECOND ALBUM, THEY HAVE COME SO FAR!) and their leading single from the album ‘Feels Good, Sounds Good’ is ‘She’s Kinda Hot’. I see the trend in leading singles, first ‘She Looks So Perfect’ now ‘She’s Kinda Hot’! Maybe it’s just a biased opinion but I feel this song is step up for 5SOS, as in they could fully be classed as punk rock rather that pop punk! I feel like this is the game changer for them. It’s sounds like old school My Chemical Romance and I FREAKING LOVE IT!
And what would my favourites be without added these boys, One Direction. Drag Me Down, which is their first single without Zayn (it still hurts!) and it is pretty damn good. Just like 5SOS, One Direction’s sound has matured, which makes me a happy girl! Of course, the video is great! Also, I’ve always appreciated Harry’s vocals but jeeeez the feels on his vocal in Drag Me Down kill me everytime!!
Food
So I think I might have a problem with Blueberries. I have become addicted and when I see something that says ‘Contains Blueberries’ or ‘Blueberry whatever’, I most likely will buy it just because it has blueberries!! My latest love is Blueberry bars.
Make Up
So I wrote a blog about Acne and my story with it recently and included most of the products I use. Recently, I have been using two other products also, and I love them! Coconut Oil is all you have been hearing in terms of beauty throughout 2015 and I can see why. I use it as a makeup remover and within one minute, all my make up is off and my face feels great. You take a little bit of the coconut and rub it between your hands until it turns to oil and you message it all over your face until you think all your makeup is removed. I usually do this in sections, so I would repeat this step 4 or 5 times. Then you get a wet Muslin cloth and wipe away the makeup/oil and now you have a fresh, clean face! Also, as I mentioned in my acne blog, I have some scars on my face. I was told to use Bio-Oil to try reduce the scars and I have to say, it is working. It is a slow process and I do have to put it on twice daily. If I miss one day, you can see the difference.
Youtuber
If you didn’t know, I have been Vlogging and making YouTube videos! I am loving making videos and I am super excited to make loads more. Check out my latest video. If you want, like the video and subscribe to me, PRETTY PLEASE!
Home Decor
You might know, I am redecorating my room, well I am actually finished now! So when I saw this Love Sign, I had to have it. It is so pretty and girly. It is from Pennys (Primark) and I think it was €5 or €7. I also got my hands on these lipstick holders (FINALLY). I got them on Esty.com and they were €5 I think! These are great, I can see what lipsticks I have and they look so organised!
That’s it for my July/August Favourites, I’ll see you in a month for September faves!
Acne, it’s something almost everybody gets whether you are a puberty stricken teen or get the occasional adult acne (unless you are one of those perfectly spotless people who have never or will never get any kind of spot.. I’m not bitter at all!)
I got acne when I was 11 years old and I had no clue how to treat it. I was still a child and had very little knowledge about makeup and the whole beauty routine. Young teen girls nowadays have it so much easier! I struggled with makeup for a long time, it wasn’t until 3rd year when I figured out more about it! I didn’t know what shade to use or how to apply it or what was good and bad for my skin! I hated having acne. I know everyone hates having acne but I hated myself for having acne. Because I was clueless and my mum never had acne, I didn’t know what to do. I was using all the creams and lotions the shops had to offer but nothing worked. Some even made it worse. I got so insecure about it when I started secondary school because all the other girls seemed flawless. Not a spot or scar in site. I use to get so upset with my face that sometimes I would scratch it hoping that if it bled, it would go away quicker. But it only made me scar. And badly!
I would NEVER leave the house without makeup. I think since I was 11 up until this year, I have left the house about 10 times without makeup, when I was going to hospital for operations or going for acupuncture. Other than that, I wore makeup everyday. Even when I never left the house sometimes. I just hated looking in the mirror and hating my face. Now that I’m more knowledgeable with acne, I’ve learned I just didn’t get spots! I suffer from whiteheads, pustules, cysts and rosacea. All at the same time. Google them, but be warned, so of the images aren’t nice!
This is what it was like with no makeup in the morning at it’s worse. My face was even swollen because of the acne. As much as I hate looking at this, I wanted to keep it to show what I looked like.
I thought that I would grow out of it. So when I turned 21, I was like ‘Oh it will start to get better now!’. WRONG! It got worse, so much worse. In March this year, it was the worse it has ever been. I was in so much pain with it, I couldn’t sleep or make any facial expressions. My face would bleed at night time. I had cysts on my face. It was horrible. One night, I went to the stables with Sarah, Susan and Laura and I felt so crap all night and of course drinking got the little voice in my head saying all these horrible things and I ran home crying and locked myself in my room. I had one of the worst panic/anxiety attacks I have ever had that night. I do know why my acne got so bad. In January, I went to see a dermatologist. She put me on two tablets, one to produce acne to get it all out of my system and then Roaccutane. I was on the the first tablet a month before I could take the Roaccutane and that is why my skin got so bad. Timing couldn’t have been worse as I had a Ball in that time and my confidence was so low, I questioned not going to the Ball at all (I had even bought a Moschino dress for it!!!) I just hated the way I looked, no amount of makeup could cover up my acne. Of course photos were taken and I absolutely hated how I looked. The photo below is the one that made me cry when I saw it.
I HATE THIS PHOTO OF MYSELF SO MUCH! It took a lot to actually add this to my blog! Although, Sarah always makes me laugh in this!!
Roaccutane has been the best thing ever for my skin. Within two days of being on it, my acne cleared up! It is very strong. I am on 6omg a day. Oh and I can’t drink alcohol! I haven’t drank in nearly 16 weeks and I am fine with that because my skin is FINALLY almost cleared!! I have to watch my weight also as it can affect my heart. The main two things that is hard to cope with at times is that my lips are severely dry 99.9% of the time and bleed also. My skin is very dry too. But it’s fine, it is worth the little bit of suffering! Below you can see the whole transformation from March until July. I think I have one more month on the tablet and I am very happy with the results so far. I feel more confident not wearing make up and have left the house comfortably with out makeup. I know I will have scars but I can receive laser treatment after to clear that up.
This was two days on the tablet (I know I am wearing makeup!) You can see the cysts have calmed down!
Again, I know I am wearing makeup but you can clearly see my skin has cleared up so much after being on Roaccutane for three weeks
This was 2 months on Roaccutane. A little red but that is one of the side effects also.
I took this photo on the 14th of July, a little over 5 months on Roaccutane. Still a little red and I have scars but a little laser treatment will clear that.
Beauty routine is a very important part of my skin clearing up also. It’s only in the last two years that I have taken this very seriously. Like I mentioned earlier, I have tried every product you can think of from Ireland, England and America! But I have finally found a few products that are my favourites and the are pictured below!!
I wear facial sunscreen 365 days a year! But I have to be extra careful with the Roaccutane tablet in the sun!
Moisturizing is a huge part in a beauty routine. I LOVE this Vitamin E Moisture Cream
Days when I don’t wear makeup, I use this Vitamin C moisturizer. It helps give your face a sun kissed glow and helps bring back a tired face to life !
I use this to remove my makeup or excess makeup that my other remover might miss! It helps calm down the redness also!
I love this Estee Lauder makeup remover! It removes makeup instantly!
I only started using this in June as you can only get it in England. It helps reduce redness and scars! It works, trust me!!
All my beauty products are high end and expensive as the cheaper products just make my skin worse. If you want to know prices, leave a comment!
Acne did heavily affect my confidence throughout my teenage years, like I mentioned earlier, I hated the way I looked. Now I am not saying I am now Beyonce beautiful (I’ll never think that!) but I feel so much more confident in who I am in my own skin. I don’t have to worry if people are staring at my skin rather than paying attention to what I’m talking about. I don’t have to worry about hearing people talk about how bad my skin is on the bus or train or in shops or even when they pass me in the street. You can see it when I smile, there is a bit of life behind my eyes again.
It’s taken me a lot of courage to post this blog. Please understand that. I have shared photos I hate of my skin. I have opened myself up to you and the internet to my biggest insecurity.
Writing my favourites for the last month is the hardest it’s been because I love so many things at the moment! But I have struggled through to compile my faves! In June, so much has happened! I finished my Co-Op placement with ilovelimerick (check out the website here and like the Facebook here!), I’ve been to London and seen 5SOS x2 (yes, I saw Michael’s face/hair go on fire!), seen The Script in Croker and was filmed and featured in a video on their Facebook, seen Taylor Swift live, oh so much has happened in June, I’d be here all day!
So here are my June Favourites!
Book
I spent a good bit of June travelling which gave me plenty of time to read and I read The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks as I wanted to read it before I saw the movie. Nicholas Sparks is one of my favourite romance writers and I was incredibly excited to read this book. It’s about two couples, one elderly (Ira and Ruth) and one young (Luke and Sophia). Ira, who is 90 years old, is in a car crash, but it is snowing so bad that no one can see the car. He is already sick, and is barely surviving the car crash. It is all because of his late wife Ruth, who appears to him as an image in the car, and is reminding him of their life together, including how they met, the dark days of WW2 and how they began to collect all the paintings the collected. Sophia, who is a Wake Forest college student, falls in love with cowboy Luke at a barn dance one night. Luke is not like anyone else Sophia knows. Together they experience the joys of love as well as the difficulties that come with Luke’s dangerous career. Although both couples in the story have nothing in common, the story line brings them together! The elderly couple’s love story is a beautiful one. I loved this book!
Image from nicholassparks.com
Make Up
Topshop Lip Gloss/ Lipsticks are something I have only bought recently! After hearing several raving reviews about the products, I had to try them out and god why haven’t I bought them before! So at the moment, I am loving these two lip glosses. Because of the Roaccutane tablet I am on, I find it very hard to wear lipstick as my lips are so dry. So these lip glosses are perfect! They keep my lips moist and look good too! The purple is a colour I normally wouldn’t go for but I loved it more than the pink to be honest! I think I paid around £8 pound for the purple one and €3 for the pink one!
Fashion
A girl can never have too many shoes and I couldn’t say no to both these pair of shoes when I saw them in Primark/Pennys! I bought the blue pair to go with the black skirt from River Island that I mention below! I wore it with a white crop top from Topshop! I unfortunately didn’t take a photo but that is okay, it makes it easier to wear again! 😛 They were £13. The Flowery pair were just so gorgeous, I couldn’t leave them behind! They were €18. By the way, sorry about the mess in the background of the photos, I am redecorating my room!
After my love for tulle skirts, this River Island Skirt I got in London is my favourite! It is very Kim Kardashian style and very flattering on! Although the slit is very high up my leg, it is fabulous! It was £25, which was very reasonable for something from River Island! I wonder could I get away with wearing it to Portlaoise to the the grocery shopping? Maybe not…
Stationery
I am a bit of a stationery freak. If it is not new cute notebooks, it’s pens and pencases! I got this cute London pencil case in Monsoon when I was in London and I adore it. I think it was about time I put my One Direction one in the merch box and became a proper lady! This pencil case was €10. Monsoon have a great range of notebooks, pencil case and any other stationery you may need. It may be pricey but it is fabulous!
Movie
My favourite movie this month had to be Jurassic World!!! Oh my god it was so good. I know what your are thinking, why the hell did Sarah Jane go see that movie, that’s not her typical movie! I watched all the previous Jurassic movies with my dad when I was younger and had to see this as everyone was raving about it! Also, Chris Pratt, come on, there was no way I was missing that! He is one beautiful man! If you haven’t seen this movie yet, GO SEE IT NOW!!
Food
I love pancakes, who doesn’t? I usually only ate plain pancakes whenever I had them because I don’t like Nutella or Lemon Juice or any of those other things people typically put on their pancakes! BUT I have been LOVING Blueberry pancakes recently!! I saw a post on either Tumblr or Pinterest about them and was like oh my god I want them now! So I have been eating these a lot in June! A little tip when making them, burst the blueberries when in the pan before the are made, it tastes so much better!
Music
Firstly, I know I went to Sunday Sessions last night (9th July) but I had to tell you to check out these guys! Little Hours performed and they were incredible. I had heard about them a few months ago but it took me seeing them live to appreciate how good they are. They done a cover of Beyonce’s Crazy In Love a month ago on Sunday Sessions and it is INCREDIBLE! Check them out, you won’t regret it. And Ladies, Ryan is unbelievably hot, just a word of warning!
Selena Gomez has really grown up hasn’t she? I’m liking her new sound, and Good For You is a catchy song. Wonder who she wrote the song about? Bieber? Mmm..
I think the song of the summer 2015 has definitely been Lean On by Major Lazer. The minute it comes on the radio, I just turn it up and feel good and want to dance!
YOUTUBER
Gabby, who is better known as velvetgh0st, is my favourite Youtuber this month! She is a 20 year-old blogger and YouTuber. Her videos are predominantly beauty-based but with a few fashion and lifestyle inspired videos as well. From hauls, favourites, beauty tutorials and sometimes, vlogs. She isn’t on the list of well known Youtubers just yet, but is making her way there! She has been recently appearing in videos alongside Zoella, which is helping her become the Youtube star she deserves to be! Check out one of her videos below.
Okay, shameless self promotion time! If you didn’t already know, I started vlogging! I am NOWHERE near as good as my favourites but I’ll get there! So when I was in London, I vlogged majority of the time. If you want, check out the video. If you can Like & Subscribe also, I’d be very happy! Check out some of my other videos on my channel also!
That’s it for my June Favourites, I’ll see you in a month for July Faves!
I know I haven’t blogged much in May, life has just been crazy! But summer is soon, and I have loads of time to blog then! I am currently preparing to leave to catch a flight to London for the weekend and decided to post this blog before I leave!!
So here is what I enjoyed for the month of May!
Fashion
So my favourite outfit of the month had to be a crop top and high waisted skirt outfit I got from New Look here for £38. I wore it to the first night of the Rose of Tralee Regionals in Portlaoise last weekend. I wore it blue shoes from Pennys/Primark which were €18 and a handbag from New Look here for €30. I kept my hair slicked back and simple as the outfit was very vibrant!
Movie
I went to see the highly anticipated Pitch Perfect 2 with Sarah, Joe and Lisa and OMG it was amazing. Almost better than the first movie. So it was basically about the Bellas trying to recover after being humiliated in front of the President of the United States of America and as a result, the Bellas are taken out of the Aca-Circuit. In order to clear their negative image and recover their status, the Bellas must win an International competition which no American team has ever won. But to achieve this, they need to go back to basics and work on their connection as friends and sisterhood. It is hilarious and the music is great. The ending of the movie is so good and unexpected! Is there going to be a Pitch Perfect 3? I do hope so!
Food
I’ve been having a guilty treat a lot in May and that is the Chocolate Muffin and Ice Cream from Supermacs. Now, I don’t like Chocolate that much and only eat M&M’s but that muffin and ice cream is heavenly! I even want one now.
That is mouth watering…
But on a healthier note, it is now summer time meaning that Fresh Strawberries are everywhere and I love it! Strawberries are delicious this time of the year and are a healthy snack instead of grabbing that bar of chocolate or that muffin and ice cream!!
Music
LITTLE MIX ARE BACK!! So obviously my favourite song at the moment is Black Magic and you will hear me singing along to it as if I was Perrie Edwards (A GIRL CAN DREAM, RIGHT?) I love this tune. It’s so catchy and is a feeling good song!
Home Decor
Home Decor again! So I am loving candles at the moment, if you haven’t noticed. I bought this Red Raspberry Yankee Candle recently for €9.99 and oh dear god, it smells divine!!! It makes my room smell beautiful, even when it isn’t lighting!
Book
I have been reading Cecelia Ahern’s How To Fall In Love. I haven’t finished reading it yet, I didn’t have much time to read this month! Anyway, the book is about how Christine and Adam are thrown together on the night she stops his suicide attempt on Dublin’s Halfpenny Bridge. Christine is determined to help Adam. He gives her a deadline of his birthday to convince him life is worth living, which she discovers is in just two weeks time. At first, it is Christine who is meant to be saving Adam, but it soon becomes clear that Adam might just be saving Christine too. It is a really good book, I love a good Cecelia book!
Youtuber
Queen Tyler Oakley is my favourite for May, mainly because I saw him live in May. Tyler is a 26 year old American Youtuber, television and podcast personality. He began making videos in 2007. He has over 350 videos on his main channel and has over 400,000,000 views and over 7 million subscribers. Tyler is probably the most well known and most loved Youtuber currently. And he slays (insert hair flick emoji here!)
This is his most recent main channel video
And this is his most recent vlog ( I know it’s 9 months ago!)
Make Up
So Su Nail Varnish is one of my favourite at the moment. The shades are all so beautiful!! My fave is Icing On The Cake! I goes on so easy and doesn’t chip too quickly. It also doesn’t have a strong smell like most nail varnishes. It’s a great bargain for €7.99!
I have been seeing raving reviews about Rimmel’s newest Mascara, Wake Me Up. I have had the same mascara for 3 years now so I decided I needed to try a new mascara and OH MY GOD I am so glad I picked this up! Firstly, it smells GORGEOUS! It smells like cucumber and is really refreshing! Secondly, it really opens my eyes and makes my eyelashes look even longer! I adore it, this will be my mascara for a long time!
That’s it for my May Favourites, I’ll see you in a month for June Faves!
Cheryl Fernandez-Versini always gets it right when it comes to Cannes Film Festival and this year is no different. She graced the red carpet for the Irrational Man premiere on Friday 15 May as the L’Oreal brand ambassador. She wore a very flattering pink Ralph & Russo dress from the spring/summer 2015 collection which showed off her tiny physique perfectly.
It is very hard to believe it is May already. I honestly can’t keep up with how fast the year is flying by. In less than a month, I will no longer be on Co-Op with ILOVELIMERICK and I won’t be a Second Year student! 😮
I currently should be sleeping but I can’t sleep at the moment, I don’t want to say too much at the moment but my family received some bad/shocking news yesterday and I can’t get my head around it and now I can’t sleep. So instead of lying in bed looking at the ceiling, I said I’d be productive!
So even with April being a very busy month, (I know I promised to blog more but I just couldn’t find the time and when I did, I was just too exhausted!) I still had time to take note of what I was enjoying for the month, so here they are.
Music
So the first song I have been loving this month (and maybe a bit too much, I am singing it ALL the time!) is Sweater Weather by The Neighbourhood BUT it is not the original I love. It is a cover by Max Schneider and Alyson Stoner that I adore so much. Their vocals blended together are incredibly beautiful and I could listen to it on repeat all day (which I have!).
Another song I have been loving is my 8 Boys, Stereo Kicks and their Debut single Love Me So. Written by one of the lads, Tom Mann, it is not the usual upbeat pop music a boy band would release as their first single. But this song is a beautiful ballad, if you could call it that. Their vocals are shown off in this song and I think the boys are trying to prove a point, that they should be given a chance because they can sing and can sing very well. And they can write songs very well! Tom’s vocals at 2:32 kill me everytime! I am super proud of my 8 boys! (Especially Tom ❤ )
Fashion
So with Laois Rose, I got to dress up quite a lot. So on the night Laois Rose Briefing, I wore a dress from Born Boutique (€69) and silver sandals from Korkys (I think they were €50, they are about 3 years old). I adore this dress. It’s such a girly dress, I felt like a princess in it and since I have lost weight, it was very flattering on. One of my favourite things about this dress is that it has pockets.
So I had to get photos taken with my sponsor for Laois Rose so we had a little photoshoot in the pub. I wore a new wine coloured Tulle skirt I got on Etsy, which was €34.71 and you can get it here with a black tank top from Pennys/Primark, black blazer from New Look, black heels from River Island and hat from Topshop. I am in love with Tulle skirts at the moment.
My last outfit is a casual one I wore to The Vamps’ Concert in April. The top and jeans were both from New Look. My black converse are from Schuh.
Book
My favourite book for April is Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. Having loved Fangirl, I was expecting great things from this book and it didn’t disappoint. Eleanor and Park is all about a high school romance, but not the typical type. Eleanor is the new girl in town, who has crazy red hair and the weird clothes, so she stands out, even though she never wanted to. Park is the smart but quiet Asian boy who hates the attention on himself. Eleanor and Park awkwardly sit together on the bus but never speak to each other, until Park notices Eleanor looking over his shoulder while he reads his comics. I don’t want to give too much away but this love story is extremely cute and I couldn’t put the book down once I started. The ending killed me though, I hated it! Summer Aurora from The Guardian agrees by saying: ‘The ending left me craving so much more of it. The last page left me confused and a complete wreck. Honestly, it hurt, and I was left hoping that there was an epilogue that had gotten secretly ripped out of my copy.’ If you love soppy, cute books, read this book.
Youtuber
So recently, I have been watching a lot more of Marcus Butler’s Vlogs and Main Channel videos. Marcus is from England and just like Alfie, vlogs every day and has a new main channel video every Friday. His fame has steadily rose since 2012 and currently, he has over 3 million subscribers on his main channel alone!!! (I have 2.. Even 100 subs would be the dream!) He is very attractive but sorry ladies, he has a girlfriend. He is dating Naomi Smart who is also a Youtuber/Blogger. Below are his recent Main Channel video and Vlog.
Beauty
I am crazy about any beauty products that contains coconut. I love the smell and the consistency. It just always makes me feel and smell good. The Treacle Moon range is one of my favourite ranges. The body scrub and body butter are simply divine. Make Up
Contouring is a big thing at the moment. Instead of spending a ridiculous amount of money on those expensive contour kits, I bought Boujour Paris’s Bronzer and Highlighter. Not only does it work like the expensive ones but it also smells so good. I wear this every day and it lasts a long time.
Home Decor
(When did I get this fancy that I now blog about Home Decor? 😛 )
Anyway, there is nothing more relaxing that reading a book or even doing some work with a beautiful candle beside you. Lately, I have been loving a candle my Auntie Margaret gave me one day. The smell is Mulberry and Vanilla and it is gorgeous. Food
So even though I have been super healthy since February, near the end of April, I relaxed a bit with the diet. My Mum came to visit me in college one evening and brought me out to Finnegan’s Restaurant, Limerick. I was so hungry, I even ordered dessert (I never order dessert!) I had these DELICIOUS pancakes. I don’t think I have ever eaten pancakes as nice (apart from my mum’s!) (Oh and Sarah’s!). The food in Finnegan’s is beautiful. I recommend everyone to go there if they are near or in Limerick.
Lastly, I was reunited with some of my favourites in April. Union J were supporting The Vamps on their tour and I got to meet them again, after two years. They haven’t changed a bit, they are just as sweet and nice as they were back then, if not more.
See you in a month for my May Faves!
You Know You Love Me, XOXO,
SJ
Oh yeah, I am going to see Tyler Oakley tomorrow in Dublin! Super excited to see him. Also, I am going to attempt to film my first ever vlog. Wish me luck.
Since the age of 3 or 4, I have always dreamed of being a Laois Rose. This year, I got to fulfil the dream. On January 16th 2015, I met current Rose of Tralee Maria Walsh with my current co-op placement and after robbing her crown and chatting to her, she said ‘Sure why don’t you apply for the Rose of Tralee? You’d make a great Rose!’ So with encouragement from family, friends and Anne Marie in the Laois Rose Centre, I filled out the application and sure the rest is history now.
The whole Laois Rose experience kicked of on April 10th, with our Information night in the Heritage Hotel. I had NO idea what to expect that night and was a bag of nerves! As soon as I walked into the room, I was put at ease straight away, greeted by Bernadette with a warming smile!! When I sat down among the 17 other Roses, I became even more at ease when I saw a few familiar faces and sure you couldn’t stop us chatting then. Anne Marie and Bernadette briefed us about the two upcoming dates we had and by the time they were finished, I was more excited than I have ever been before! To get to know the other Roses even more, they had organised for us to go to a local pub for cocktails, a lovely relaxing way to mingle with everyone.
On the 18th of April, we had the Laois Rose Tour. This day was about seeing what Lovely Laois has to offer and ’embracing the cheese’ as Anne Marie said multiple times throughout the day! We also got our sashes for the first time and it all became very real then. We went to the Heritage Hotel Portlaoise, Laois Shopping Centre, The Store Yard Portlaoise, Abbeyleix Heritage Centre, Timahoe Round Tower, The Maldron Hotel and Roll ‘n’ Bowl. It was a fantastic day and a great laugh. All of us got to know each other more and we really didn’t want the day to end!
Selection day – The big day! I have never ever been as nervous as I was when I woke up on Friday morning. I was cool as a breeze all week, very excited for the whole thing and then reality hit! I had my first Rose interview at 10:55 am with the three judges. The minute I walked in the room, the nerves eased a little! The judges were so lovely, I can certainly see why they are all part of The Rose of Tralee. I spoke about how I suffer with anxiety and how I did lose my voice 3 years ago and they were so comforting and supportive towards me. That made me feel a lot better. My only regret in the whole experience is how nervous I was in that interview. I panicked a bit on some questions that I could easily talk for an hour about any other day of the week. Sure I was only getting into the interview when Anne Marie knocked on the door! It was off to get the hair done then! We were treated like princess all day really. We had our group interview at 3pm and that was so much more relaxing because I got to go in with 8 other Roses who are now my great friends! We all vibed off each other, it was like a casual gossip with the girls rather than a group interview! I think we impressed the judges so much that the asked us 5 questions instead of 4! As soon as that was over, it was rehearsal time! Before we knew it, Steve was in and telling us it was almost time to kick off the show! To the two beautiful Escorts, who put us at ease throughout the evening and helping us up and down the stage, a huge thank you to you. Brendan Hennessy, the MC, you got rid of my nerves all together! I was so comfortable with him on the stage that I could of stayed up for another 10 minutes chatting away to him!
To the 17 other Roses, you are the most friendliest, kind hearted and fabulous girls I know. I couldn’t of asked for better girls to go through this experience with. You made the experience so wonderful, I will truly never forget it. To Ailbhe, The Laois Rose for 2015, the biggest congratulations to you. You are the perfect ambassador for Laois in the Rose of Tralee, you have beauty, a kind heart and effortless grace. I look forward to seeing you on stage with Daithi at Regionals, you’ll have your Laois Rose family behind you all the way.
To my sponsor, Eamon A’Chnoic. You have been great. I can never thank you guys enough for allowing me represent your pub and our community. This whole experience has been incredible and without your support, I would have never been able to do it.
To all my family, friends and everyone who has sent me best wishes and supported me, thank you so much. I am deeply touched with all the support I received and it meant the world to me. I just hope I done everyone proud.
To Anne Marie, Bernadette, Sarah and Teresa, Thank you so much for everything, especially the words of encouragement when I was so nervous or anxious. The amount of work you guys done with us over the past three weeks is mind blowing, and you always graced with smiles and comforting hugs. You are very admirable women and I am blessed to have been in your company. To anyone who has ever considered going for Laois Rose, do not hesitate. Take the risk. It is totally worth it.
This whole experience has been amazing. It has help me grow as a woman and has definitely helped with my confidence. I am so proud to be associated with such a great organization.
I most definitely will go again, maybe when I’m a little older, wiser and more experienced. That is if the Laois Rose Centre will have me again! 😉
I know, I know, this blog is 16 days late! Please forgive me as UL had it’s RAG week last week and this week, I am paying for RAG week antics as I am suffering with a verrrrrry bad flu! But I am on the mend! So here are my February favourites 🙂
Pink Hair
The first week of February, I got pink dip dye in my hair and I absolutely loved it. To be honest, I think the pink has been my favourite dip dye (I’ve had blue and purple previously). I think the pink suited me more, it went really well with the blonde and my complexion. The only annoying thing with dip dye is that it doesn’t stay in very long. I got 5 weeks out of it. I now face the decision of whether or not to get it back in? If I do, I might have to keep it for a good 4 or 5 months because of something that I am currently involved in. What do you reckon? Get the pink back in or go fully blonde again? Thoughts PLEASE!!
Book
My favorite book for the month was If I Stay. Stupidly, I watch the movie before reading the book so I knew the storyline. The book is based on a girl named Mia Hall and how she deals with the aftermath of a horrible car accident which all her family, including her, were involved in. She has an out of body experience where at first, she is beside her parents and brother’s bodies mangled and dead, being tended by paramedics. She then releases that she is infact not alive but fighting for her life. She is rushed to hospital and her ‘spirit’ goes too. She sees her grandparents, her parent’s friends, her best friend and her boyfriend all gather at the hospital to be by her side to remind her she still has a family when she wakes. Mia watches as her memories flash before her eyes as she comes to realize that she must decide if she should stay and lead a life far more difficult than she would of ever thought without her parents and little brother, or go, and leave everyone else behind, including her dreams. It is quite emotional. But DO NOT decide to read this book while you are in a car with your parents when it is snowing, it is a stupid idea!
Clothes/Outfit
First outfit!
Second outfit!
I have two outfits of the month and I wore them both in one day! Life of a fashionista eh?! First outfit is what I wore on my way to the GAA Congress in Cavan! I wore a oversized black t-shirt from Littlewoods, (€10, Click here), Houndstooth leggings also from Littlewoods (€24, Click here) and a coat from Born (with I think is out of stock at the moment!). I think is one of my favourite outfits at the moment as it is comfy but also stylish! I feel like a Black Little Red Riding Hood as my coat as the same hood as her cloak!
The second outfit I wore to dinner with my Mum on the first night of the GAA Congress. I wore a simple long sleeved black top from Pennys/Primark (which is €4 or €5 I think), black and white mid length skirt from Littlewoods (€29, Click here) and blue wedges from Pennys/Primark (€15).
Music
I think I will always find this a hard choice! But currently, I am loving Luke Friend’s debut single ‘Hole In My Heart’.
I am also LOVING Lawson’s new single ‘Roads’! I have missed these boys making music and can not wait to hear more!
Movie
Okay so 50 Shades of Grey has to be one of the favourites for the month. I had been craving for this movie since 2012! Once the movie was released, it got mixed reviews! For someone who loves the books, yes I do agree it’s different than books. The chemistry wasn’t as strong as I would of liked between Christian and Anna. I think Jamie Dornan done a good job. My problem was with Dakota Johnson. I cringed watching her at some parts of the movie. She did an okay job in some scenes such as the whipping scene and when he first brought her to the Red Room. Was it as good as I expected? No. Nowhere near as good as I thought it would be. Would I see it again/get it on DVD? Heck yeah!
I also finally got to watch Love, Rosie and I loved it. I read Where Rainbows End back in November and adored it. It is about two best friends, Rosie and Alex, and how Rosie was stupidly blind to the fact that Alex is mad about her and then when she releases, the timing is wrong. Along the way, life throws a lot of stuff at the both of them. That is it sums up in a few words basically. I laughed, cried, laughed and cried at the same time. It is cringe at times but in a cute way. I loved it. I also loved Sam Claflin ❤
For Christmas, I asked my parents to get me some of the Disney Classic Movies and my Mum has continued to buy me them! It’s on my Bucket List to have all the Disney Classics on DVD (I know its very childish but I love Disney!) I currently have 13 Classics and my Mum has made it her goal to have them all collect for me by the end of the year!
Food
Since my Dad had his heart attack, he has been on this strict healthy diet – which I also have to be on as the heart attack thing is in our genes! So one day, my Mum was telling me she found this healthy chicken and she was putting it on for my dinner. When she handed me the plate, I didn’t pay any attention to the food. It looked exactly like chicken. Smelt gorgeous and tasted devine! So then when we went shopping the next day, I asked Mam can we get more of that chicken and Dad brought me to where it was in the shop. You could just imagine my surprise/shock when I saw it was Quorn! I had no idea. It is so healthy for you and it tastes almost better than chicken in my opinion. My Dad isn’t a big fan of it but he is picky like that! I have been loving a lot of healthier foods that are now in my diet! I will included them in my March Favourites! This diet is great, and although I do miss some of my favourite foods, I have lost almost a stone in 6 weeks!!
Youtuber
I have been loving Joe Sugg a lot more recently on Youtube. He is Zoe Sugg’s younger (and beautiful!!) brother. He has three Youtube channels : ThatcherJoe, ThatcherJoeVlogs and ThatcherJoeGames. I only watch ThatcherJoe and ThatcherJoeVlogs as I am not really into gaming videos. Joe is a British YouTube Celebrity, blogger, and comedian with over three million subscribers. He is known for being ridiculously crazy and he is also very good at impressions. He lives with fellow Youtuber, Caspar Lee and their videos together are some of my favourite. I cry with laughter sometimes they are that good.
Sarah Jane Allen 