Sunny San Francisco:Forests, Coffee and Sausalito..

Wednesday, 23 July 2014

Hello my lovelies!

If you haven't guessed already I am currently in San Francisco with my sisters staying with my aunt. We've only been here for 3 days and I can't describe how good it feels to feel the sun on your face and just sit back and relax. 

My aunt lives just outside of the city so we're planning on spending the weekend there but for now we're sight seeing the surrounding country going on lots of road trips to the coast and of course hiking up those hills. Can't let all this delicious American food catch up on us now can we? Not since I've discovered Wholefoods and all the wholesome goodness that comes with it!

On Tuesday we decided to hit up Muir Woods for a little walk around the forest park to see the towering red woods. The woods we're so peaceful and the perfect place to get outside in the nature for a bit.


I thought I'd start off with an outfit photo. It can get a little cool in the shade of all those trees so I brought along a light denim jacket.

Denim Shirt- ONLY
Short- Forever 21
White Tank- New Look
Necklace- Forever 21















After our lovely walk about we were in need of a good old fashioned caffeine hit to perk us up so we headed to Equator Coffee. It's a cool surf shop style coffee house with a great house blend and some interesting specialty coffees and teas you can buy by the bag.






The staff are really helpful and all dress super cool and relaxed, the coffee house is even right beside an actual surf shop!



As if all this wasn't enough entertainment for your jet lagged bodies my aunt brought us out to Sausalito to have a poke about the marinas and all the folksy water houses. These were super cute houses built in the water who's front doors opened right onto the marina. 

The first place we went to was quite well worn but well loved at the same time. Little gypsy houses with rusting and peeling paint were decorated with quaint odd bits and bobs.











Then we moved onto the slightly more upscale part of the marina but still super cute nonetheless. I can seriously see myself perched on one of these pastel beauties with a good book looking out over the bay.










Apart from gorging ourselves on some pizzas when we got home that's pretty much it. I have a feeling these three weeks will be pretty jam packed with things to do so prepare yourself :) Also look forward to avery food focused post coming soon.

Thanks for reading,
Ciara xx

Through my iPhone: Howth Head

Thursday, 17 July 2014

Hello lovelies!

On Friday my aunt and uncle finally had their visa application to live in the US approved which is fantastic since they had been preparing and toing-and-froing with the embassy for over 6 months, so it's definitely well deserved. Sadly, on the other hand, they'll be moving over to the US while myself and my sisters are away in San Francisco and we won't be seeing them again until Christmas :(

To celebrate and also share our last goodbyes we all went out to a lovely thai restaurant called Mao in town and then for some froyo afterwards ;) After dinner my dad decided to go on an impromptu road trip out to the coast to Howth Head and walk along the pier. As I frustratingly didn't have my proper camera with me I tried my best to get in some good shots with the trusty iPhone!



I'm just so graceful I know. Thanks Eimear for taking about 5 photos of my bum!


 Top- Pennys
Jeans- River Island Amelie Jeans
Shoes-Zara
Necklace- Brandy Melville







 Forget 'legs or sausages' on the beach, I'll settle for sitting on the pier wall.





How beautiful does the sky look? We were really blessed with the weather last night and it stayed relatively warm, by Irish standards, for the whole night so we could walk around and explore until dark. I know everyone complains about the weather in Ireland but let me tell you, if you can catch the Irish coast on a nice day you're in serious luck.

Thanks for reading,
Ciara xx

San Francisco Packing

Sunday, 13 July 2014

Hello lovelies!

As of today I know have 7 days left on the countdown until I board my plane with my sisters and head off to sunny San Francisco and I can not wait. The excitement is killing me so in order to pass the time I thought I'd do a bit of prep packing. I'm going to be pretty busy this week with work and appointments so this will help me get everything in order.

Beach Babe

I'll be staying with my aunt and her partner and where they live there will also be a swimming pool a few minutes walk away. Not only can I go swimming everyday we can also hope in the car and head off to the beach for a day of salty, fresh air goodness.


Bikini Top- H&M
Bikini Bottoms- Penny's
Cover Up- Penny's
Sunnys- Ray Ban Wayfarer
Face Sun Cream- Roc Soleil Protection Hydrating Formula SPF 50

City Girl

We're planning on spending half our time in the city and the other half in my aunt's house in the hills. I've always wanted to explore San Fran city ever since I watched The Princess Diaries and I can't wait to hit up Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown and have a mosey about the stores at Union Square. I thought high waisted shorts and top tucked in would give me a cool city gal look.

T-shirt- Only
High Waisted Shorts- River Island
Burnt Orange Bag- Market

Night Out on the Town

As I am not of legal going out or drinking I wont be planning on going out clubbing anytime but I thought I'd be nice to have a few fancy evening outfits for going out to dinner. I'm getting into shift dresses at the moment for this lovely colourful one is perfect.

Dress- River Island
Necklace- Miss Selfridge
Gold Sandals- River Island
Clutch- Gift

Cosy Cover Up

Because San Francisco is by the sea it tends to be lovely and warm during the day ( 0% humidity *whoop whoop no fuzzy hair) but cools down very quickly in the evening. To fight that chilly breezy I'm bringing along a few cute cropped jumpers and knits.

Lace Detail Crop Jumper- Topshop
Skirt- Zara
Bag- Nica at Topshop
Necklace- Forever 21

Old Schoolin'

You couldn't go to San Francisco and not rock the vintage look. I haven't worn these out in public yet so maybe I'll test drive them in another country all together and if they don't work no one will witness my fashion faux-pas.





So this has definitely given me a few ideas of what to pack with me since I'm pretty sure I'll be bringing home more than I brought with me so I don't want to over pack.

Let me know if you liked this kind of post in the comments. I wasn't sure how to photograph them but I think this is a good result. 

Thanks for reading,
Ciara xx


Outfit Edit: Monochrome Chic

Friday, 11 July 2014

Hello my lovelies!


So I was feeling low one very late night and decided to distract myself with a spot of online 'browsing'. Big mistake. I foolishly went over too Missguided and engaged in a totally pointless but fruitful spot of retail therapy. 

I picked out a few bits and bobs that will appear in another blog post but today I thought I'd try out the monochrome look. Now I'm no expert stylist so as this is a new look for me you'll have to bare with me. I'm also no model so you'll also have to out up with my outfit photos!

I love the monochrome checked a-line skirt because it's a nice comfortable fit and doesn't ride up when I walk thank god! Quite frankly I'm sick of having to pull down a bodycon mini skirt every 5 seconds. The skirt was the main reason I decided to opt for this white organza top because I thought they'd go nicely together. What do you think?


Organza top (it comes with the white vest too how handy?) -Missguided
Monochrome a-line skirt- Missguided
Black sandals- River Island
Bag- River Island 







Not a bad first attempt 'ay?

Thanks for reading,
Ciara xx


Heart Stopping Elie Saab Fall Couture 2014

Thursday, 10 July 2014

Hello lovelies!

When I checked the PCW schedule for Wednesday I practically screeched for joy when I saw Elie Saab's name grace the list, my sister can testify to that.

Every season collection I am never disappointing with Elie Saab and the beautiful wonderful creations that come down the runway and this year was no exception.

Utterly romantic and lavish embellishments were definitely on the mind when the mood boards were drawn up for this haute couture collection. Generously beaded and ornate prints and laces were to be spotted on the gorgeous flowing gowns with romantic v-cuts and curve emphasizing waists.

The colour palette was also worth taking note for this fall. Warm navys, pinks, burgundys, golds and of course startling whites were featured in the looks not just as tone-on-tone compliments but as soft ombrés. I thought the fur shoulder wraps were a nice touch too.

This is one of my many favourite looks.














Who else just shed a tear for this beauty?

Thanks for reading,
Ciara xxx

Photos sourced from www.style.com 

Favourites: Summer Lovin'

Thursday, 3 July 2014

Hello lovelies!


So since my photographer has abandoned me for the weekend (she's gone off to Berlin with my other sister and my dad) I thought I'd put together a little favourites post instead. Now I have a few to go through but I've really been loving using these products over the last few weeks or so and they're perfect bits and bobs to stock up on for the sunshine filled months.



1: First up are two pretty little headbands I picked up from River Island. On a hot and sweaty day I don't necessarily want to have the weight of my hair on my neck so I pop it up in a messy bun to keep cool. These trinkets do the job of holding everything in place and making a boring bun more summery.

2: I'm practically glued to my gorgeous Ray Ban Wayfarer sunnies to keep my sensitive eye from watering in the sun and getting damaged. 

3: These two cute bikini tops are from H&M and I think they are flying out of stock at lightening speed. They're wired so there's a bit of support and they fit me really well. Hopefully when I'm in San Francisco (only 2 and a bit weeks left) I'll get some use out of them. 

4: I've been going through a nail varnish craze lately and the Barry M Gelly Hi-Shines in Blueberry and Pink Punch are so bright and summery. I have Blueberry on my toes at the moment and because I have to wear sandals at work so many people have been complimenting me.


5: To keep my skin soft and smooth for fake tanning I've been using the Soap and Glory Flake Away body scrub. It leaves my skin super soft and also smells. so. good.


6: Because I spend about an hour and half on the bus everyday I'm going into work and recently I've decided to get into reading books again, the book 'To Die For. Is Fashion Wearing Out the World?' by journalist Lucy Siegle has taken up permanent residence in my work bag. If you're a shopaholic or just interested in the fashion industry this is a great book to look into. It's all about how fashion industry and fast fashion are affecting the world socially, economically and ecologically. Don't worry it's not some fact laden series of reports, the way it's written is quite gripping and easy to read.

7: After exfoliating I slather a bit of Bath & Body Works Sweet Pea body lotion to moisturise and oh gosh it smells so light and sweet. Not only does it do it's job it also dries in really quickly which is a plus for me who hates waiting for lotions to dry in. A perfect summer body staple.

8: I've recently discovered Burberry's perfume 'Touch' and I've been using it non-stop. It's quite a mature scent so while delicious it's not exactly a summer fragrance. 

9: I'm fairly lazy when it comes to self-tanning because really I couldn't be bothered to even try bronzing my milky white skin. But to take away a bit of light reflecting whiteness the Dove Summer Glow moisturiser with gradual tan is great. I've got in the shade for fair to medium skin and it's not 'orangey' at all. Plus because it's moisturises the skin I find I don't go patchy around my ankles or knees. The smell is not too bad either.

10: I recently paid a visit to the Clarins beauty counter to pick up the Skin Perfecting BB Cream in the shade 00. OMG this is seriously the best BB cream I've ever tried. Not only does it actually suit my fairer skin tone exactly it has great coverage and doesn't give that wet oily look. Packed with antioxidants like green tea extract and SPF 25 the BB cream also evens out the skin tone. 

Take it from someone who wear so little make-up she sometimes forgets to even put on mascara for work this BB cream is so quick and easy to apply.



11: Last but not least the Tony & Guy Sea Salt Texturising Spray is wonderful for adding a bit of oomph and texture to second day hair. It also has a great smell. I feel like a sun-kissed beach bunny without having to deal with a grain of salt.


Hopefully I've given you a few items to add to your summer shopping basket this year.

Thanks for reading,
Ciara xxx
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