London Adventures Part 1!

Hello lovelies!

It has been a long time since we last met and I think you're well over due for a London travels blog. I spent four weeks in the lovely London the first two were spent working in buying at the head office of M&S which was amazing (more on that soon) and the other two weeks were spent with my friend Niamh poking about London central and having a ball at my aunt and uncles' lake house. Yes I said it, lake house!

The day after Niamh graced us with her presence we were off into London to do all the touristy type things. As we came out of Waterloo station we headed straight over to the London Eye and gave Big Ben a visit.

It was Westminster Abbey next where I also had the pleasure of meeting Winston Churchill.

In the spirit of being true Londoners we decided to hop on a few Boris Bikes and cycle our way up to Buckingham Palace. The bikes were great fun but one thing I would recommend when cycling them is knowing where all the drop off points are and literally racing from one to another to find a free portal. Niamh and I checked about five drop off points before having to cycle back out towards Waterloo to get rid of them. 

 

Unfortunately we weren't there when the royal baby was born because that would have been fun but a visit to Cinnabon to taste my first ever cinnamon roll quickly soothed my disappointment. I tell you if there is one thing you do whilst in London it's going to this tiny store and ordering yourself a wonderful, gooey, cinnamony, sweet ball of deliciousness that is otherwise known as a cinnabon.

Warning, the classic ones are so so  much better than the chocolate ones!

A picture of happiness and fulfillment.

The last thing we did on our first day in central London was go to the National Gallery which is utterly amazing and totally free as well! I'm not usually a gallery type person but the National Gallery has lots of famous paintings in their collection by Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, and pretty much everyone else. I would really recommend a walk about the gallery because it's like no other.

And here is Nelson on his column. 

That's about it for my first day in London it really is such an amazing city and there is so much to do you could spend weeks there. Hope you enjoyed and there is lots lots more to come so stay tuned!

Thanks for dropping by,

Ciara. xx

Beauty Haul!

Hello lovelies!

I'm in London at the mo' staying with some family and having a ball interning with head buyers at M&S. I never really thought of myself as a M&S kind of girl but they've got some really gorgeous pieces coming out for A/W and I can't wait to buy a few pairs of new boots. 

But anyways that's enough about my work experience (for now...) I'm here to show you some beauty buys I treated myself to before heading off to London. 

First up is some purchases from classic MAC. I was in major need of new highlighter and concealer so I opted for both at MAC.
For a concealer I bought MAC Mineralize Concealer in NC15 and I quite like it. I apply it in dots under my eyes and on blemishes and red areas and the blend it in. It doesn't cake and stays on during the day. It also blends in really well so that you could almost where it with no foundation on a lazy day (which I'm prone to do).

I also bought MAC Mineralize SkinFinish in Soft and Gentle to use as a highlighter and I must say it's very nice. Not too luminous and over-whelming and just the right level of reflection to brighten up your cheek bones and where the sun naturally hits your face.

My next purchase was in Topshop as I love their lip sticks and needed  a bright summer time colour. I chose Brighton Rock, a gorgeous pink that stays on your lips for a good length of time and doesn't dry out with it's creamy texture.

I'm afraid I over did it in the brush department on my spending spree but hey you can never have too many brushes! Whilst in Topshop I decided to try out their brushes so I bought the foundation and eye brushes to see if they were as good as their lipsticks. I'm afraid I haven't been able to try them out yet but they feel a little too stiff for me as I like my brushes to be softer and more flexible. But alas they are a pretty bright pink and not the worst brushes I've seen.

 

Perhaps my favourite thing I bought is the Real Techniques brush collection I picked up at Superdrug on my first day in London. The pack comes with a contour brush, a tiny detailer brush, buffer brush and pointed foundation brush along with a handy case that folds up nicely. Really lovely brushes that work well to blend and apply product. They are currently my go to brushes. 

So that's the sum of my recent beauty buys hope you find it useful if you're looking to spend some money on. Be warned that I have also made quite a dent in my bank balance with the amount of clothes that I have bought and have yet to buy once I hit Oxford Street so stay tuned for another haul post.

Hope you're enjoying the summer to the fullest and the sun is shining.
Thanks for reading,
Ciara. xx

Freedom & Topshop Reclaim To Wear

Hello lovelies!

So as of Friday the 21st of June 2013 I am officially done with secondary school and free! Next up on the agenda is having an eventful and exciting summer full of travel and new experiences. It still hasn't dawned on me that I don't ever have to tie up that god awful mint, maroon and green tie again but it's a great feeling. Roll on the college life in September (if I ever make up my mind of what to do). 

On the 20th of June Topshop made ripples in the fashion pond again by releasing their second capsule collection with 'Reclaim To Wear' consisting of 'up-cycled' waste materials. The collection's aim is to create a successful way of reducing textile waste and encourage sustainability in the fashion industry.

“The inspiration behind the collection was to turn away from 

disposable fashion, giving a new lease of life to disregarded prints 

from previous seasons,” explained Stephen Mongan, Topshop 

head of sourcing and technical services. www.styleite.com

The collection itself is very relaxed with a slight ethical twist featuring loose floral crops and a boho-chic feel to the colour scheme and a play on lace and cool silhouettes. 

Check out pieces of the collection here:
 

 



 


Quite a soft and fragile collection created this year I think. 

Anyway that's just a little update from me on what's going on with Topshop. I'm off to London for about month on Tuesday to do some work experience (and of course reduce my bank account balance to zero) and I can't wait to escape dank and wet Ireland to actually get a chance to feel the summer sunshine!

Thanks for reading,
Ciara xx


Photo source: www.refinery29.com

There is a Blessing in the Air

Hello lovelies!

I'm back with a quick post about the gorgeous weather we were blessed with during the dreaded first week of the Leaving Cert (as always).

Unfortunately I was not able to take advantage of the sun this year as I was busying myself with the books and the only sunshine I ever got was while I was walking in and out of my school for exams. However one day it was just to good outside to put up with Project Maths and in the words of William Wordsworth I decided to 'come forth and feel the sun' to enjoy 'the spirit of the season'.

Here are a few shots I snapped up in the garden with my trusty camera.

 

It's only when the sun starts to shine that I realise how wonderful it is outside and the poetry of Wordsworth comes alive. What a beautiful word we live in. Well, beautiful until the sky starts lashing rain like it's trying to make up for lost time. 

Thanks for reading,

Ciara. xx