Monday, September 30, 2013

NOTD - Bourjois 'Dangerous Wish' ♥

My beautiful friend Marion is such a doll and she spoiled me again this week when she sent me this stunning nail polish from Bourjois - 'Dangerous Wish'. This is one of Bourjois' 'Gold Is Back' polishes and isn't the colour absolutely bewitching? This polish is comprised of a black base with gold and green coloured holographic glitter which gives a great effect to the nail, as you can see the flash on the camera picked up the shimmer perfectly. This shade is so spellbinding and very gothic glam. I love how my nails are looking right now and think this would be the perfect shade for Halloween, don't you agree? I was impressed by how easy this polish was to apply, just two coats with the fan shaped brush and the look was complete. I am now eager to try out the other polishes in the collection and see if their effect is just as great as 'Dangerous Wish'.

Stay pretty people!


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Pixy Natural - Softening Body Oil ♥

I wanted to tell you all about another great product from one my favourite Irish brands, Pixy Natural. After being so impressed by the other products I had tried in their range I had high expectations of their Softening Body Oil, luckily I wasn't disappointed. I love the packaging of this product, the glass vial is so charming and I love the quaint lid and handle. I've been using this oil for a few weeks now and my vial is almost gone, that will prove to you just how much I've used it! The Softening Body Oil works by penetrating into the skin, nourishing it and improving elasticity making it perfect for people with ageing skin and also women like me who've just had a baby. The oil contains jojoba, apricot and borage seed oils which are great for the skin. I found this oil so sensual and the jasmine and magnolia fragrances are so relaxing, making this the perfect oil to massage into your skin before bed. Pixy Natural's Softening Body Oil has really improved the softness of my skin and unlike other oils which can leave you greasy this oil massages into the skin very quickly leaving no residue, a big bonus as I hate feeling like an oil slick afraid of touching anything made of material after applying these sorts of products. Once again I am so impressed with Pixy Naturals quality and the improvement and nourishment their product has given to my skin. I highly recommend the Softening Body Oil for anyone who want to give their skin a sensuous treat.

Pixy Natural's Softening Body Oil is €9.95 for 40ml. You can purchase the Softening Body Oil on the Pixy Natural website where you can also browse through their other lovely products.

I will soon be holding my own little Pixy Natural giveaway as I know a lot of you commented that you were eager to try the products so do keep an eye out for that on the blog.

Stay pretty people!


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Sunday, September 29, 2013

Pretty Post #18 ♥

I haven't written my Pretty Post feature since August, terrible! I must say that my writing mojo disappeared for the month of August. I had begun to feel very let down by people who I considered to be my friends and who I had given so much effort and time to in the past three years but it seems they didn't appreciate this. I guess snail mail friendships can be just as finicky as local, face to face friendships. I have tried to put this disappointment aside and concentrate on the lovely friendships I have formed and the beautiful letters these pals write to me. I was so happy with the letters I received this week, sincere and genuine words, pretty paper (I love fairytales and folklore so Amy's 'Dream like a fairytale/Little Red Riding Hood paper was such a treat!), a beautiful handmade bracelet and some Australian flag bunting, I'm a lucky lady!

I hope next week brings more pretty post to my letterbox.

Stay pretty people and embrace vintage communications!


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Friday, September 27, 2013

OOTD - Florals & Pink ♥

First off I will say that I am, as silly as it sounds, quite nervous about posting this. I have never done a proper outfit of the day post before and I can't say I'm happy with my body since having my baby boy but I decided to be brave and show you all my beautiful new floral print dress from Jack Wills which I got for the bargain price of €28, reduced from €119! Dresses like this are so great for me as the empire fit is perfect for hiding my tummy area, something I am quite conscious about, plus dresses like this are so versatile, easy to make casual for daytime and doll up for night. I love the print on this dress and think the soft pinks, burgundy, green and mustard yellow are perfect colours for autumn. The frilly capped sleeves are so feminine and pretty and perfect for people like me who like to draw attention away from the top of the arms and get people focusing on the shoulders instead. As it's quite coolish out I teamed the look with thick black tights, a long black cardigan and some studded ankle boots. I accessorised with my beautiful Pandora bracelet and my pink and red Guess envelope stype handbag to match my pink lipstick, MAC's 'Girl About Town'. 


Dress - Jack Wills
Tights - Penneys
Cardigan - Penneys
Boots - Penneys
Handbag - Guess @ Brown Thomas
Bracelet - Pandora



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Thursday, September 26, 2013

Redken 5th Avenue NYC - Diamond Oil Shatterproof Shine Intense ♥

In my haircare routine post on Monday I stated that I was currently trialing some new hair products and that I would review them in due course, well this is one of them - Redken 5th Avenue NYC's Diamond Oil Shatterproof Shine Intense, the next generation oil treatment which is designed to condition hair and get rid of dullness by infusing the hair with a beautiful shine. Now for the science bit, the Diamond Oil is an exclusive multi-faceted Shine Strong Complex which is sillicone-free and 99% natural with a blend of camelina, apricot and coriander oils which seal moisture into the hair and create a glorious shine. I must say I am, in general, a fan of hair oils, I find that they really do help my hair making it more manageable and conditioned, Diamond Oil is no exception. When I first opened the packaging on this product I was so surprised by the faceted glass bottle, to me it's so luxurious! Unlike other hair oils which come with a trusty pump or no dispensing unit at all, Redken 5th Avenue NYC's Diamond Oil comes with a glass pipette dropper, I loved this and found it so charming! You can tell I'm easily amused right but I had never used a product like this before. The smell of the product is divine, I think the apricot oil really made this one special.

I've been using the Diamond Oil for a few weeks now and I can already see an improvement in the condition and strength of my hair. The ends don't break off like they used to and I think the shine which this oil gives to my hair is fantastic making it look very healthy. Diamond Oil is available in two formulations, an amber bottle for fine hair and a black bottle for thick/coarse hair. I'm actually trialing the black bottle even though I have fine hair but it hasn't been a problem. A little goes a long way with this oil and as someone who is extremely free-handed when it comes to hair products I have to be careful not to apply too much. The dropper is designed to dispense the oil one drop at at time which gives total control on usage but I'm the type of person who will keep dispensing, I must stop! I think this 100ml bottle will last me for ages and at €33.95 a bottle it is on the pricier side of the scale but I do think it is worth it. I am very picky when it comes to products I will use on my hair but this product is one of the best I have used in terms of hair oils. Diamond Oil is so versatile and can be used in a variety of ways - as an overnight treatment, a pre-conditioner to shampooing, a blow-drying aid or a finishing product to make your hair sleek and wet look. I would highly recommend Diamond Oil if your hair is in need of some vital tender loving care and you want to experience a little bit of luxury and pamper your hair completely.



You can read more about Diamond Oil Shatterproof Shine Intense on the Redken 5th Avenue NYC's website.


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NOTD - Cath Kidston Roses & Polkadots ♥

Inspired by one of my fellow Irish bloggers Blondes Love Cupcakes I decided to try out her Cath Kidston nail tutorial but add a few changes to make the look my own. I decided to do the design on three nails on each hand, leaving the other two the gorgeous, shimmery lilac colour of Revlon's Frenchmix Nail Art polish in 'Moonstruck'. I first painted my nails with two coats of 'Moonstruck'. When this was completely dry I added three dots on each nail of Wet n Wild's 'Candy-Licious' nail polish, then added half circles of NYC's 'Madison Avenue' nail polish to create a rose type shape. I then used NYC's Foil Explosion nail polish in 'Magic Earth' to add a petal to the roses. Then to create a few white dots I used Fashion Make Up's Lacquer in No. 5.I originally used Essence's XL Shine Gel Look top coat to finish the nails but this was a big mistake. Never use this top coat, it is useless and destroys the nail polish, it just smudges and wipes off as the gel never dries. This is a product which is going swiftly in the bin unless someone wants it! I think with my shaky hands and lack of nail art pens, I used the original brushes on all these polishes to create this look that I did okay. I love the look but it is quite time consuming, I do think though that the finished look is worth it! I love the colour combination and it's such a pretty design.
Stay pretty people!


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Wednesday, September 25, 2013

MAC - 'Dame' ♥

'Dame' is one of the first MAC blushes I ever tried. It's one of my all-time favourites along with their 'Pink Swoon'. 'Dame' is quite a demure colour, a soft baby pink with cool tones and a satin finish which is quite light when applied to the cheeks and very easy to wear. This is the perfect blush colour for everyday use, it looks great with all makeup colours and I love to match with this with a nude eye eye shadow and pink lip colour, it's such a versatile and natural colour. Even though this is a light shade the pigmentation is still great, something which I really love about MAC's products. I think 'Dame' is such a pretty colour and as you can see from my pot which is pictured below I use it an awful lot which is evidence to how much I love it. I know the half empty pot doesn't make for a pretty picture but I wanted to show you all the shade of the blush in it's pot compared to the colour swatched on my hand. I know, I know, I say I love every MAC product I show on the blog but it's true. Their products are fantastic quality, apply beautifully on the skin, the colour range is amazing and their products last a long time, even when they are used everyday. There is no hit and miss with the MAC brand everything I have used by them has been great I will continue to be a MAC addict as long as their products remain as fantastic as they currently are.

Do you like the look of 'Dame'?


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Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Vintage Gesslein Pram ♥

Vintage style prams seems to be becoming very popular these days, especially amongst celebrities and I have to say I am also a fan of vintage style prams. This Gesslein 1980's pram was my pram as a baby. My mother and grandparents took me on many a stroll in this pram and I'm happy to be able to take my baby boy for walks in this pram now also. 




The pram is absolutely beautiful with a navy blue corduroy exterior and white navy blue floral pattern interior, it is something very special. The pram is very roomy, perfect for tall babies like my Tyler Lee. The big bouncy wheels fitted with leather straps are so charming and are great for rocking the baby to sleep as we walk. The basket underneath is large and has room for anything you may need to bring on your travels, unlike some modern day prams I have seen where you can barely fit one bag of shopping underneath! The chrome frame is shiny and looks so luxurious. As this is a vintage pram I like to keep the blankets and canopy in an old fashioned style also. The canopy is from Mothercare and matches the broderie anglaise pram quilts I have, I have two, one white and one baby blue, they are so sweet and are also decorated with ribbon. 


This pram is such a showstopper when I go walking around the countryside and old people slow down in their cars and smile at me, I guess this style of pram brings back memories of their own children or grandchildren. 


Tyler Lee had many lovely days lying in this pram in the garden during the summer, the canopy shaded him from the sun and he had lots of room to wiggle around while enjoying some fresh air. 


I'm so glad that my mother held onto this pram along with many other items from my childhood, it's great to be able to use these things with my own child and make new memories with these old items.

Are you a fan of vintage prams or do you prefer the modern versions?

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