Vision Board | May

Hey everyone,

It's about time I think I updated my vision board right? Yes I may have missed out on the whole of April but here I am making up for it with a fresh new May board to inject some motivation and inspiration into my life.

I haven't had much time recently what with finishing up college assignments and prepping for exams but throughout the month I've been collecting images from the interwebs and yesterday I decided to take the day off studying to set aside a little bit of time to put together my new vision board.

Some of you may remember my previous March vision board and how I used each section to represent a focus or aim I wanted to remind myself of everyday when I woke up. This month some of my goals have changed and I'll take you through a few of them.

Study Study Study

Yes unfortunately exams are visible in the near horizon (just over 1 week away!) and it's high time I get down to properly studying and combat my expert procrastination skills. These next few weeks will be filled with coffee, tea, snacks and notes.

Summer Plans....

To me a summer with nothing to do seems like a massive waste of free time which is why I'm currently on the look out for internships and making plans to use my time productively. Whether that's planning posts and going to cool workshops and classes or visiting friends and creating new experiences. I'm actually keeping my fingers crossed for a certain really really exciting social media marketing internship...

The Self-confidence Mission 

If you haven't read my post on building self-confidence by feeling good in your own skin I wrote about how I'm wandering into the realm of beauty and fashion to boost my self-confidence levels. My vision board will remind me everyday to embrace my personal style and be proud of my appearance.

Of course all of this beauty-ing and fashion-ing is just a support mechanism to help me on my road to self-acceptance, self-love and body positivity. These are the only tools in life you really need to feel sassy as hell!

Of Course Some Blog Inspo

It's super helpful and motivational to expose yourself to experts which is why I'm always looking out for great blogs and social media influencers.

Right now I think Tara of TarMarz.com is just killing it in terms of aesthetics, photography and fashion editorials. She has recently moved to New York and since then I think she has stepped it up in all of her platforms be it her blog, YouTube or Instagram. Seriously her look books are on point!

I'm so into Lenny Letter and love the content they are churning out on the daily. Their interviews and guest writers cover hardcore issues concerning feminism, health, politics and style in an entertaining and engaging way. 

Niomi Smart as I'm sure many will know is a health, fitness and lifestyle Youtuber and blogger who I really like. She approaches health and lifestyle from a whole foods and natural perspective and her videos are super sweet and classy. 

I hope you enjoyed seeing what I'm trying to achieve and focus on this month. As I've said before putting together your own vision board is so much fun and can help you inject some positive intentions into your everyday life. Why not have a go and try it out?

Life Changes

Hello lovelies!

Ok so it's quite a different post today as I thought I'd try out doing a little 'life update' post. As thousands upon thousands of Irish secondary students will know in June 2013 I sat the Irish Leaving Certificate, an exam that has the potential to map out the rest of your life for you. These exams area seriously stressful and can really take it out of the best of people. Fortunately I survived the ordeal and moved on with my summer filling it with travel and friends in a futile attempt to forget that in a few weeks time I would get my results....

Wednesday August 14th came around like a lightening bolt and all of a sudden I found myself driving up to my old school to collect my fate, wrapped up tight and served in a brown envelop with a side of anxiety.



In my opinion grades and results are not the most important things in the world and my approach to the Leaving Cert was very relaxed which is why I didn't think I was going to do well. However I was absolutely over the moon to receive 3 A1's, 3 A2's and a B1 in my exams. That amounts to 595 points out of a possible total of 625 so it was safe to say I was one happy girl.

Getting that amount of points meant that I was offered my first choice of university courses which was Business and French at Trinity College Dublin. I'm not entirely sure if I'll love my course but I'm so excited to get into the university student lifestyle. New friends, new classes, new experiences and tonnes of societies and clubs to get involved in. Yesterday I got my welcome email from Trinity and it got me all excited and ready to start choosing my extra course modules (law, political science or sociology? You tell me?). Freshers week starts September 16th!

On another note as you may have seen last year around this time of year my brother attended his debs which is like an american prom but slightly more formal in that the girls usually wear long flowing dresses and the guys buy corsages. Well, this year it's finally my turn to take a whack at the debs and on Tuesday September 3rd I'll be getting all dolled up to dance the night away with my friends. Here are a few hints as to what I'll be wearing but don't worry I'll be posting up a few photos of the day.

Only about 9 more days to go! My friends have put in so much work and I know it'll be worth it.

Right so if you've lasted this long I'd like to first of all congratulate you for getting through all that and also I'd like to reassure you that I'll be back to the usual posts ASAP. Look out for a university haul coming soon.

Ciara xxx

M.I.A, Taken Hostage By Study

Hello lovelies!

Ok so I have to admit I have been a bit on and off over here during the past few weeks and that's not because I've given up on the whole blogging business it's just that I have this thing called the Leaving Cert that I have to sit in a week and basically how I do in these exams decides my fate. (Yeah sure no pressure at all then.)

For the next few weeks I will be hard at work like the diligent student I am and completely dedicated to my studies but I thought I'd come clean to everyone here and set the story straight. I just need a little time, just for a while not too long, don't panic, I'll be back. (Arnold Schwarzenegger style)

But just to keep all you lucky things who don't have exams next month happy; I have so much planned for this summer it's unbelievable. I'm talking London, lake houses, work experience with head buyers, SHOPPING, food, perhaps Paris, the whole sha' bang. So stay with me here because I will be a good little blogger the second my exams are finished.

Thanks for reading as usual,
Ciara.

Impressive People's Choice Awards

Good Sunday Lovelies

So right now I'm still sitting in my PJs all wrapped up in a blanket and watching some episodes of good old House. For all you who had an eventful and productive Sunday I salute you.

With the People's Choice Awards all wrapped up and the Oscars just here I thought I'd do a little post on some of the winners and fashion at the PCAs the other night.

First up it Taylor Swift the winner of Favourite Country Artist award. 

 

This gown is by Ralph Lauren and its classically gorgeous cut and neckline is right up Taylor's alley.

 

I'm also loving the shot of light blue from the earrings that gives a bit of youth to the look.

Of course Emma Watson, winner of the Favourite Dramatic Movie Actress didn't fail to impress wearing a dress by one of my favourite designers. Peter Pilotto.

 

The ever so pretty Chloe Grace Moretz zinged with colour in the latest S/S 13 Simone Rocha daisy dress and I've got to say even though I'm incredibly jealous of this girl you've gotta give her props for pulling off yellow.

 

Ok so I have to confess Jennifer Lawrence didn't do anything for me in this Valentino number. Granted she did score on her own with awards for Favourite Movie Actress and Favourite Face Of Heroism this dress really didn't show off her amazingly gorgeous 

figure. 

   

Next up is Favourite Comedic TV Actress Lea Michele who really 

could not look any more beautiful in this wonderful Saab number. 

I'm guessing wild pink will be in this Spring.

 

And I'm sorry but even though he wasn't nominated for anything I just had to stick in a photo of Mr. Redmayne at the PCAs.

 

Heck why not throw in Ian Somerhalder and Liam Hemsworth for good measure.

  

And last but not least we have Kaley Kuoco in a fabulously pretty Christian Siriano frock with frost pink detailing. 

 

So I hope you enjoyed this post about the creme-de-la-creme of the People's Choice Awards I'm actually quite impressed by the standard of designers that were featured seeing as usually you'll only see one or two high fashion names out of the bunch. Well done stylists out there!

Whilst I'm dreading going back to school tomorrow I hope the rest of you have a great week. 

Thank's for reading,

Ciara.

Early Morning Ramblings in Castletown.

Hello lovelies!

Hope you're all quickly adapting to real life after getting back from the Christmas Holidays unlike me who is most certainly dying. 
I'll be having mock exams in two weeks for basically the biggest set of exams I'll ever have to endure, The Leaving Cert. For anyone who isn't from Ireland the Leaving is the equivalent to the English A levels where instead if doing 3 subjects to be examined on I have to do SEVEN! Sounds easy? Yeah not really when I tell you whether I get into university or not is decided on the exact results I receieve. No special interviews. No personal essays. So right now I'm cramming like a crazy woman just to make up for all the work I haven't been doing. Let's just say I'm definitely addicted to green tea by now!

Moving swiftly on to today's post however. On New Years day my friend and I decided to get up insanely early after a night of partying and go on a little photography trip to the great big old estate near where we live.

With less that 3 hours sleep off we ventured in the freezing cold and here are some of the photos we took with numb fingers.

 This is the lovely avenue leading up to Castletown House.

The back of my friend's beautiful head!

Bit of Irish Pride never hurt.

 
I'm very precariously perched on that fence you can see my hands gripping on for dear life!

Two absolutely gorgeous dog's I couldn't help but take a picture of.

My friend and I trying to be artsy standing on top of a pole.

That's most of the good photos I managed to pick out of the bunch we took. Thanks to my friend too who took some of these pictures as well after becoming a little obsessed with my camera the night before.

Sorry the last couple of posts have been a little short but it's hard to write good ones right now, what with my relationship with my texts books taking over my life.

Enjoy the weekend and thanks for reading.
Ciara.

Genius Brothers and Smashing Burritos

Howdie!
On Monday or was it Tuesday? I'm not sure but anyway on one of those days it was a very important day for all the Irish students who have left secondary school (that's high school for all you USA readers) and will be going to college in September. It was the day all the Leaving Certificate results came out and those results basically dictate your whole life because they decide whether you go to college or not. The Leaving Cert (LC for short) is the equivalent to the English A Levels or the French Baccalaureate and in Ireland it's based on two years of work in 7 subjects in which you do big exams in at the end of those 2 years.
           To cut this long story short you get given points for each grade you get and you have to get a certain amount of points to get into your college course. The highest amount of points you can get is 625 and my cheeky brother who received his on Mon/Tuesday got 615!!!!! Like what the hell? First my sister gets full marks when she did the LC, now my brother has to do basically that as well. It's not fair on me!
But anyhow I know how you guys don't like too much writing so here are some of the photos I took of the food at our delicious meal at Picadero's.

 Now I know it doesn't look too appetising but this burrito here ^ was amazing! I ate my entire one but my less hard core of a sister brought half of hers home which I ate the next day. A mixture of cheese, beef, peppers, creme cheese, salsa and guacamole that had my mouth watering.

 My veggie Dad's cod choice. I'm not the biggest fan of fish so I didn't try it but I'm sure it was nice.

And my mom tucked into her lamb before I could get a reasonable photo of it. I'm sure that just goes to show how tasty it was.
Sorry guys for the poor photo to word ratio I was a bit too excited by my food to take more photos of the churros I had for dessert, but they were goooooood.
Hopefully I'll do as well as my fellow siblings when I do the Leaving Cert next June. I'll talk to ya'll tomorrow,
Ciara.