Blogtober #23 | Hair Care Essentials

Only a week or so to go now left in #Blogtober! I thought I would share with you a couple of my hair care essentials. Outside of shampoo/conditioner, what items I use in my daily hair care routine.

The first two products I use after the shower, Aussie Leave-In Conditioner & TRESemmé Heat Protector. I adore the smell the conditioner and it's perfect as a de-tangler. Then the heat protector works wells, leaves a nice finish on my hair and I really like the large spray. I have tried a few that fire out in a line and you find you have lumps here and there of product. The spray on this leaves a fine mist over the hair, it's perfect!

Then on the right I have the ever popular Batiste Dry Shampoo. It's of course great for in between washes, but on top of that, you can use it to help build volume in your hair. Finally I have the Alberto V05 Hair Spray. I think this spray is great for holding my hair without leaving too much residue or making my hair flaky.

Do you use of any these products?
What's in your essential hair care collection?

Blogtober #22 | Favourite Music Band

Ok so I have a few top bands, but for sure in amongst the very top is the band fun. They are an indie pop band from New York made up of Nate Ruess (singer), Jack Antonoff (guitarist) and Andrew Dost (multiple instruments).

I have been to see them both times they came to Ireland at both The Academy in 2012 and The Olympia in 2013. Not only do I love their songs, but their stage presence is amazing. They're so energetic and the mood is infectious. While most known for the song We Are Young, they have two albums filled with great songs (in my humble opinion). Generally music that puts me in a good-go-get-'em mood will be amongst my favourite types.

If you've not heard much else or not as familiar with fun. you can check out their website here and their YouTube channel here. Below I have included some pictures from both their Academy and Olympia gigs.

The Academy

The Olympia

What gigs have you been to lately?
Who are some of your favourite artists?

Blogtober #21 | In the Spotlight: The Conjuring

Ok another sneaky missing day... but I had some birthday celebrations to attend to (not my own)!

In yet another Halloween themed post, this is a look at a recent horror. If you're looking for a scare this Halloween, I would definitely recommend The Conjuring. It is a really really long time since I have been properly scared by a horror movie. Don't worry, there are no spoilers in this post.

It is supposed to be based on a true story and it's about a family who have a presence in their home disturbing them and starting to hurt them. They call a couple who are experts in the field and have studied demons, etc. I won't go too much into it, I definitely do not want to spoil it for anyone.

It wasn't all about the CGI or the gore, it was an old fashioned, tension-building scare! I could barely handle it at times, choosing to hide my face behind a cushion, only capable of peeping over it. It's definitely not one for the faint of heart, but it's a brilliant scare.


Have you seen The Conjuring yet?
What is your favourite horror movie?

Blogtober #19 | #DublinMeetUp

This is a post to say thank you to Samantha Johnston from All The Buzz for organising a blogger meet up today in Dublin! Everyone had a fantastic time, there was some great goodies for everyone (including cup cakes) and some great talks. It was my first ever blogger meet up and it definitely won't be my last. Got to meet some great people! Below I have a quick run down of the event in pictures!

I cannot get over how many goodies we got...

Then we had a great talk and demonstration from Niamh from Nima Brush

After which we got another goodie, from the Nima Brush collection

We also heard some great insight and tips from Her.ie's Michelle McMahon on being a part of such a great company and the world of blogging.

There was also some yummy cupcakes for everyone from Monaco Cupcakes.

Then if I wasn't having enough of a good time, to top it all off, I wont the €100 voucher for Dundrum Town Centre.

I just want to say thanks again to Samantha for such a successful event. It was fun, informative and I also got to meet lots of fellow Irish bloggers. I am looking forward to many more meet ups and the new friendships!

Were you at the #DublinMeetUp?
I look forward to seeing all your pictures (as well as some official ones)...

Blogtober #18 | Mini Boots Haul

Due to technical difficulties I am a little later than planned here. Blogtober Day 18 is upon us. Another short one this evening. I thought I would share with you a mini haul drugstore haul.

I got quite a few No7 protect & perfect skin items along with dry shampoo, leave in conditioner, heat protectant spray, foundation, lip lacquer and eye shadows. It was a relatively small haul, but as of course skin care was involved, it didn't exactly make it a cheap one. I will however be doing a Skin Care Routine post in the coming days, featuring some of the products shown above, so keep an eye out for that.

What I am interested to know is, am I alone in this one? I went into Boots with the intention of buying the Bourjois Serum Foundation, that was the only thing I "needed" and yet I cam out with a much lighter wallet. I've decided there's too many brands under one roof and there's something hypnotic in their lighting...

What little shopping trips have you made of late?
Are you like me and cannot be left unsupervised in a shop?

Blogtober #17 | Halloween Costume Ideas

So for something a little different I thought I would get you thinking about Halloween Costume Ideas. It's just around the corner and if you're planning on heading to a fancy dress party, you would want to start getting organised! As some inspiration I have shared below what I went as the last two years...

Last year I went with a classic, Zombie! You just need to have a little time and patience with some theatre wax and a lot of fake blood (plenty of old clothes too of course). White face makeup is another essential. One great part about this look is, you can't really go too wrong, you are supposed to look a mess and you don't even need to worry about your hair, let it dry naturally and you're done.

The previous year I was as a box of cinema popcorn. Definitely much less frightening. For this your main equipment includes a cardboard box, white paper, red paint, glue, lots of cut up pillow cases. The box part is relatively straight forward, you just need to cut it to shape, paint it and stick it all together. Then for the popcorn around the top, cut up old pillow cases and staple in individual chunks, which you then attach to a sheet which will travel around the inside of the box (glue/stitch it to the box). Then put some straps inside the box and hey presto, you're off!


Are you dressing up this year?
What are you thinking of going as?

Blogtober #16 | My Brush Collection

Hello my lovelies. On today's blogtober post I am going to share my brush collection. It's not huge by any stretch, but there is a nice selection in there. There are of course plenty more essentials* when it comes to a brush selection, but this is what I have so far...

*should be read as what I really want, by no means essential

I have some brushes from MAC, Make Up For Ever, Revlon, Avon and the Body Shop, but as you can tell if you own any yourself, the most popular brand in my collection is Real Techniques, which are made by Sam Chapman, one half of the sisterly duo that is Pixiwoo. As a make up artist, blogger and youtuber, Sam really knows her stuff and these brushes are excellent.

I have yet to get my hands on the eye brushes, but don't worry, they will follow in due course. Some of my favourites from my collection are the Real Techniques expert face brush, blush brush, detailer brush and buffing brush. Outside of that I really really like my Make Up For Ever lip brush and of course the MAC 217.


Do you use any of these brushes?
What are your favourite brands and types of brushes?