2013 Rewind

2013 is over? WHAT?? Where did it go? Everyone seems to be saying it but this year definitely went by in a flash.

As 13 is an unlucky number, at the start of the year I heard that this year would be awful. Although this year had it's ups and downs I feel as though it was ultimately beneficial.

This year brought the beginning of my blog, one thing that I truly love to do and I'm looking forward to the new posts in 2014.

I learned to never take life for granted, due to the two unexpected deaths of my fellow students this year. Two lives unfortunately taken that shouldn't have been. Life is what you make of it and you never know when it will all end so embrace everyday that you have here.   

This year has most certainly been am amazing year for travel. I'm so fortunate to have gone to London in February visiting the amazing Harry Potter Studio Tour followed by a cruise in July where I got to visit such interesting places like Pompeii, Rome and Barcelona. I think I found the most beautiful place ever on that cruise, it's called Cassie in France, honestly the most beautiful place I have ever seen. I then got to visit Berlin with my school in September, such fun and I am incredibly grateful for all the places I was luckily able to visit this year.

I also lost my cat of 18 years, but gained a new kitten.

This year has been one big roller coaster and I am very much looking forward to 2014 with no resolutions, as I know I will just break them! So I leave you now with some of my favourite snaps of this year.

Happy New Year!

What was your favourite moment of 2013?

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Lipstick Loves

I feel that lipstick just makes an outfit. Lately I have been in love some of my lipsticks so I decided to share my current favourites.

What are your favourite lipsticks?

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Christmas Day OOTD

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you all are having the loveliest day with all your loved ones.

I just thought I'd share with you what I wore today.

Dress: Urban Outfitters

Crop Top: Topshop

Lipstick: MAC- Russian Red

I wish you all the best and happy holidays! :-)

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Pampering Sundays

What else would I be doing on a chilly Sunday December evening than sitting in and pampering myself to set myself up for the busy week ahead.

Every Sunday for me tends to be a much needed lazy day and today was no different. Here's a few pictures of how i spent my day.

Yes I spent today reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix using my Simple Deep Cleansing Face Mask. It makes my skin feel so clean and fresh after I use it. I also used the Toni&Guy Reconstruction Hair Mask, which of course is for my awfully damaged ends. Plus both of these products are under €10!

What are your pamper products?

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My Christmas Wishlist

♫It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas♫ How are we all today? I've been getting into the Christmas spirit lately getting on top of my Christmas shopping! The streets of Dublin are so cute, especially at night with all the pretty lights and the bustling crowds.

Today I decided to do my Christmas wishlist. Of course Christmas is not all about the presents but I thought I might share some items that I have been lusting over for ages now!

Dry Texturizing Spray - ORIBE / MAC Mineralize Skin Finish - Soft and Gentle / MAC Lipstick - Russian Red / The Great Gatsby DVD /  Lauren Conrad Style / Lauren Conrad Beauty / One Direction - Midnight Memories CD /

What's on your Santy list?

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Tinting my Eyebrows | My Experience

Being absolutely blessed (note the sarcasm) with dark hair and very light eyebrows, the idea came upon me lately to tint them, because I was in one of them moods!

After watching a few videos on it I decided to head out to Boots and buy the Colorsport brand. 

These were the contents of the box.

 If you want to learn how to do this there are many tutorials on YouTube, and you probably wouldn't want to hear it off me because I'm no expert!

So here are my results! Sorry for the dodgy lighting but my eyebrows look so much fuller and natural! I'm in love with them and I would definitely recommend this brand for tinting your eyebrows at home.

Have you ever tinted your eyebrows?

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November Favourites

Since when is it December? Oh wow how this year has flown! Christmas, my favourite time of year is just around the corner and I cannot wait. Although November has been a hectic month I did discover a few new things as well as rediscovering an old love.

My first favourite is the L'Óreal Elvive Full Restore Conditioning Leave in Repair Spray, well isn't that a mouthful. The ends of my hair are very dry as I previously lightened the ends of my hair and this has made such a difference. Since using this product my hair feels fabulous and it really does make my hair look so much healthier. This is the first leave in conditioner that I have ever bought so I have nothing to compare it to however i really would recommend it!

Next I have a rediscovered love, my Bobbi Brown Brow Pencil in the shade Wheat. I use this on lazy days when I really don't have time to do my makeup (which is pretty much everyday). This does what it says on the tin really but I really have been enjoying it.

I may be late to jump on the band wagon, but this month I purchased the L'Óreal Telescopic Mascara. Everyone and their mother seems to have tried this so I said that I would give it a go. Length is what I need in my eyelashes and that is what I got with this product. Maybe it's because I have the stumpiest lashes ever but I don't think this deserves the raving reviews that it gets however it does give me some length.

Possibly my favourite beauty item of the month has to be the Bourjois Paris Colour Boost Lip Crayon in the darkest colour. I'm sorry I could not find the colour but its a beautiful berry colour. I never have the confidence to wear a dark lip day to day but I find myself wearing this everyday! You can build up the colour, it lasts a long time and it is not sticky, what more could a girl want?

Lastly, my only non beauty favourite of this month is the Irish TV series 'Love/ Hate'. I am aware that you probably have never heard of this if you live outside Ireland so I will give you a quick synopsis.. This series is basically about gangland crime in Dublin city. You may think that it sounds ridiculous and you would never like it, but honestly it has become my favourite TV show, full of thrills and laughs! It has got raving reviews in Ireland and to be honest it is the best show that ever came out of Ireland, plus Robert Sheehan is one of the main characters.. If that can't persuade you I don't know what can! I have been told that it's avalible in the UK and America but I'm sure you'll find it if you give it a cheeky search online.

What are your November favourites?

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My Holy Grail Skincare Products | Skincare Routine

Firstly, no I am not being sponsored by Simple (I wish), I just genuinely love these products.

Basically these products are fabulous, I never suffered from acne but any time I try another skincare product it makes my skin break out. My skin is slightly oily and my pores tend to be large on my forehead.

These products are so gentle on my skin and really do keep my skin clear. I use them every morning and night.

These products are very cheap and available at the drugstore and if you get them in Boots they are always 3 for 2!

Purifying Cleansing Lotion / Hydrating Light Moisturiser / Nourishing Eye Makeup Remover Cream / Pore Minimising Toning Cleanser /

After I use all of these wonderful products, I cover my face in Sudocrem, an Irish mammy's solution to all problems. I find that this clears up all my spots in no time!

What are your holy grail skincare products?

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Partner in Crime

Recently I have had a new buddy brought into my life and I thought that he was just too cute to pass up doing a blog post about him!

Yes I got a kitten! His name is Harry and he is 16 weeks old, I got him about a week ago from the DSPCA. Ahhh he's so cute, he's so playful and cheeky but I wouldn't have him any other way!

Apologies for the lack of posts lately, I have been extremely busy and I find it very hard to take the pictures for posts as by the time I get home it's dark.

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Maybelline Colour Tattoo's

This week I have really been feeling the love for a certain product and you can probably tell by the title it is the Maybelline Colour Tattoo's! I recently rediscovered these in my makeup collection so I couldn't help myself, I had to do an appreciation post.

My first one is 'On and On Bronze' and it is my absolute favourite. A gorgeous metallic bronze colour that I believe should be in everyone's makeup collection! It's still very creamy, even though I have had it months now.

Secondly we have 'Permanent Taupe'. I really do like the colour pay off of this one and it is matte so I feel it looks much better in the crease. This one has dried out a bit more than 'On and On Bronze' however I will use this up to its dying day!

I'm certain that you have heard of these products before, but if you haven't already tried them, then please do! You certainly won't regret it. Next I plan on getting 'Pink Gold', maybe for Christmas if I'm lucky.

What colour is your favourite?

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Casual OOTD

Shirt - Topshop

Jeans - Topshop

Bag - Primark

Shoes - Primark

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October Favourites

Well hasn't October been a very fast month? I hardly saw it go by! But I have been trying out some new products and doing a spot of shopping for the Autumn/ Winter season.

My first favourite is this wonderful bag from Primark/ Penny's which was about €11. It fits absolutly everything and it looks very sophisticated in my opinion. As its black it goes with everything and I really like the gold detailing as I hardly ever wear silver.

This month I have been loving Collection's 'Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Concealer' in the shade light which can be found here. I have very dark under eye circles and this covers them pretty well! It has a very thick consistency and it took a while to get used to blending it.

My last favourite has to be 'Charcoal Brown' eye shadow from MAC which can be found here. My eyebrows are very blonde in comparison to my natural and current hair colour, so I use this to darken up my eyebrows with an angled brush. I would use this colour maybe on nights out however if you have dark hair it's a perfect colour for you. However I also really like this as a crease colour.

I hope you enjoyed my October Favourites, what have you been loving this October?

Happy Halloween!

x

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My Topshop Wishlist A/W 2013

I've been loving Topshop at the moment but as you may know it's very expensive however everytime I walk into the shop I never fail to swoon! So here is a list of items that I have my eye on in Topshop at the moment.

Number 1- GREY TILE TREGGINGS

I was drawn to these bad boys online and I'm in love! They are a subtle pattern but could make an outfit really stand out. I cannot pull off Aztec leggings or extremely patterened leggings so i feel that these would be a wonderful alternative at £28.

Number 2- SPOT PRINT SHIRT

How adorable is this shirt though? I love the contrasting black and cream, and the collar gives it that really girly edge. This shirt comes it at an expensive price of £32.

Number 3- LACE DETAIL KIMONO
Lately I have been loving Kimonos and I have defiantly given into the trend. This one just looks so elegant and gorgeous. This kimono is £45.

Number 4- MANCE POINTED LACE UP SHOES
So I have no idea of what attracted me to these shoes (as I wouldn't usually go for them) but I really like them! I have only seen them on the website so I would like to see them in person but I think they are very unique and could really make an outfit. These shoes are £32.

Number 5- DOUBLE CHUNKY KNIT HAT
I'm a sucker for hats and of course you have to whip out your winter woollies at this time of year! This grey chunky hat is very versatile and will defiantly keep me warm. This hat is £16.

Well that's my Topshop wishlist of Autumn/ Winter 2013! I hope you enjoyed getting a better look of my fashion tastes.

I hope you have a great day x

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Autumn/ Winter Nails

As Autumn has arrived, it is completely necessary to change up your nail colour. The bright colours change to dark and I must say that I love it! I'm all for bright colours but I cannot resist a classic deep red during the Autumn/ Winter season. Which leads me onto my first colour..

Bad Habit - Topshop

This is my go- to nail varnish for this time of year. It picks up as a brighter red on camera but it is a gorgeous deep classic red.

I love Topshop's nail varnishes as they last long and i love that this colour has a glossy and shiny finish to it as a lot of the colours have.

This nail varnish is about €7.50/ £5 and it is worth every penny because it is such a staple colour.

Kiko - 617

It's a disappointing moment when you realise your nail varnish doesn't have a name, nevertheless this is a fabulous colour!

This is a metallic, chrome colour that looks absolutely amazing on the nails! I can see myself reaching for this nail varnish more and more as the weeks go on, but I know it will be the perfect new years party colour.

The brand Kiko can be found online here. This nail varnish is affordable but doesn't last very long on your nails however I have only tried this colour from this brand so I cannot comment on the others!

Velvet Underground - Topshop

Ooh what a name! 

This deep, glossy, purple colour is a great alternative to black at this time of year.

And as I have mentioned above, Topshop nail varnishes are fab!

Just a tip, definitely put a base coat on before both of these Topshop nail varnishes.. I learned the hard way!! 

What is your go- to Autumn nail varnish?

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Instagram Prints

Well I was having a chat with my grand mother the other day and I was showing her all the pictures from a recent trip to Berlin that I had on my iPhone. She was admiring them but passed a comment that it was a shame just leaving them on my phone. This got me thinking, in twenty years time will my pictures still be there, or will they be just stuck on an old computer somewhere? That's when I decided to get some of them printed.

I found a website called Printstagram from Zoella's blog a few months ago and I just really liked the idea! Basically on the website you can log into your Instagram and click the photo's you want to print, or even better, they have an iPhone app which you can pick the photos you want to print from your camera roll. The website and iPhone app are super easy to use.

I opted for the 24 4x4 inches Polaroid style photos which was $12 plus $10 to add another 24. Shipping costed flat rate $6. I was very impressed with the shipping, I ordered Tuesday night and it came today (Friday) and because I live in Ireland, I expected it to take about 2 weeks to get here but I was very pleasantly surprised!

Overall I am very impressed with this company and I will definitely be using their service again!

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MAC Haul

Hello Lovelies,

So today I went shopping, and what an exciting day it was. For so long i wanted to get a MAC eye shadow pallet and for so long and today I decided to take the bull by the horns and buy it! What was stopping me was the price, €18 for the palette and €8.50 for the insert? Ridiculous if you ask me but it is an investment that I know I won't regret.

As you can see, I got the MAC Pro Single Palette and three eye shadows!

The first eye shadow I got was 'Sumptuous Olive'. This is a gorgeous neutral shimmery green colour! I absolutely love green neutral colours on my eyes so I was sure to pick this up.

This is a cult favourite, 'Charcoal Brown'. It's just a gorgeous matte brown that is very versatile. 

Lastly I got 'Woodwinked'. Another cult favourite but I can't see why not! It's an amazing shimmery brown colour which i am very excited to use!

 Apologies for this being such a small MAC haul but it was big for me, as I am a student my spending was limited haha! Thanks for reading guys. What's your favourite MAC eye shadow? 

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Ways to Keep POSITIVE During Exam Time

I am in my last year in school and in the Irish school system, that means work hard. For the last few weeks I have been in school from 8:30am until about 5/6pm, as after school we have the option to stay afterward, supervised to study/ do homework for a small fee, and still having to do homework and study when I got home. This post idea came over me while suddenly becoming extremely overwhelmed one evening. However I quickly got myself back on track but it opened my eyes to see how stressful school can be for everyone. This is how I will keep positive during this tough exam year and I hope it helps you.

1. Have a Focus: If you know what your goal is and what you want to achieve, whether it's to get into college or just to get good results, just think of how you will feel if you achieve that. It will eventually all be over and you will get to relax. 
2. Plan your Time: By writing all your planned study or extra work into a diary you will feel satisfied with all of  your work your doing and it will help you get the most out of your study. Even if it isn't a lot, it's better than nothing at all! Plus, by planning your time you will be able to see all of the fun events that you may have planned in the future, if not you can have relaxing time to look forward to.
3. Just remember, it'll all be over in a matter of time!
4. Think about all the people you love and all the things you love, school should not be the only thing you focus on or these years will pass you by.

At the end of the day, school isn't everything and if you're really feeling overwhelmed and stressed, don't be afraid to take a day off to tend to you. 

I hope this post helped some of you!

How did you get through some stressful times in school?

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Berlin Beauty Haul

So recently I took a very lovely school trip to Berlin and in the jam packed four days I spent there we got to do some shopping! I honestly wasn't expecting to find any beauty items at all on this trip but I was very pleasantly surprised.

I came across a drugstore called Douglas in a shopping centre and I just said I would pop in to have a browse. Then I had a mini heart attack when I noticed the NYX stalls! This brand is not available in Ireland so I jumped at the chance of buying some products.
The second I saw NYX I knew I had to get some Jumbo Eye Pencils, as I had heard so much about them. I picked up Cottage Cheese, Yogurt and Milk.

The next NYX product I picked up was the eye shadow base. It's just a matte white which I have yet to use.





Next I fund a shop called Kiko which was really good and very nicely priced! I had never heard of this brand before so I was unsure what to expect (quality wise) and I have to say i was impressed. I first picked up this eyebrow kit which includes a tweezer, two brushes, a wax and two shades. I got the shade 02 and it does make my eyebrows a bit orange but it does take practice as I have never used wax before.
Next I got this brush which is just a flat shading brush which I have yet to use.
Lastly I got a nail varnish which in my opinion is not the best quality, but a gorgeous metallic silver in the shade 617.

Well that was my Berlin beauty haul, I hope you enjoyed and have a great day!

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My Debs Experience

In Ireland, we have a Debs. It is a similar concept to Prom in the UK and America accept we only have one. This is held usually around the September or October after you leave school. It is the last night that you will get to be with all of your school year group and I know that I had looked forward to mine for a very long time.

When I was younger I always was looking up Debs dresses online and fascinated with the whole concept of your debs. It looked so fun to me, dressing up, getting your hair and makeup done and going off in a limo or party bus where you go off and only arrive back at 7 o' clock the next morning!

As I am in sixth year (which is my last year before I go to a university) my personal debs is not until next September, but a friend asked me to accompany him to his debs and I jumped at the chance of going!

So the search for the dress started.. My mam dragged me to shop after shop numerous times but I could not see one I liked! I was going for something not too bright in colour and not too fussy!! But after looking online I finally found the perfect dress!

I am in the right of the picture btw! I got my dress from the website Fanny Crown (http://www.fannycrown.com/original-v-neck-long-champagne-evening-dresses.html) and including shipping it was approximately €170 including shipping which I thought was pretty reasonable! I also thought the service from this website was very good, it only took a few days to be delivered, which is always a plus, and when it came it was in lovely packaging! I got my bag in Penny's/ Primark for only €7.


For hair and makeup I would strongly recommend going for a trial with the hairdresser or makeup artist before arriving on the day. I was happy with my hair and makeup in the end, it's just I asked for my hair to be in much looser curls, almost waves and it didn't turn out that way!

Anyway I have to say, any person contemplating going to their own debs, take my advice and go! It can be a terrible expensive process but it can be as expensive as you want it to be! I honestly had a great night and I think it will be even better next year for my own debs as it will be with all my friends.

So I will leave you's with some other photos of my debs night and if you have any questions be sure to leave them in the comments below!

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What's in my Travel Makeup Bag

So next week I'll be heading to Berlin, Germany for the very first time. While I was packing my makeup bag I thought this would be the perfect excuse to do this post!

I thought I would start out with my makeup bag, which was €15 from Cath Kidson!

For a primer, I am bringing 'That Gal' by Benefit.

Next I have my Rimmel 'Wake Me Up' foundation in the shade 100 Ivory. I chose this over the Benefit 'Oxygen Wow' because I am going on a school trip with all my friends so I will probably be up all night! I thought this foundation would provide much more coverage.

For concealer, I am bringing the Revlon 'Colourstay' in the shade 01 Fair.

To apply my foundation I have my Real Techniques 'Expert Face Brush' which is my favourite foundation brush ever! If you could recommend any other good real techniques brushes leave a comment down below.

To set all that, I am bringing my MAC 'Select Sheer/ Pressed' powder in the shade NC20.

With that powder I use the MAC 182 brush.

For mascara I am using the Maybelline 'Volum' Express The Rocket' which is literally the best mascara at the moment. Before I apply this mascara I use my Penny's/ Primark eyelash curler which was €1.50.

To brighten up my face I have Topshop's 'Glow' highlighter.

I have the Naked 2 palette because I use one of the matte colours for my eyebrows with my Topshop angled brush.

For eyeliner I have my L'Oreal 'Super Liner Luminizer' for brown eyes. I have green eyes but I find that this does the job nicely.

I also have an Essence eyeliner in the shade white as it will brighten up my eyes!


Well that's what is in my travel makeup bag! I hope you like it and you have a good day!

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Boots Haul

So this week I am going to a Debs! If you don't know what that is, it's basically like Prom. I have never been to a Debs before so I am very very excited! Anyway, I had to run to Boots yesterday to pick a few things up in preparation for the Debs.

So the first thing I picked up was the Tresemme Keratin Smooth Shampoo and Conditioner. I was in need of a new shampoo and conditioner and my friends had nothing but great things to say about this pair so I decided to get it and give it a try myself. These are 2 for €8.

Next I got these Elegant Touch nails. I never use false nails so I have no idea how good or bad this brand is! I got nails that were on the shorter side as usually my nails aren't long at all so I am not used to really long nails and to be honest, everything tends to be so much harder for me with long nails! These were approximately €9.

I then picked up the Eylure Naturalites False Eyelashes in Super Full. My eyelashes are very short so whenever I can I like to wear false eyelashes, but the natural ones! Eylure is my favourite brand because I think the glue works the best! So if you are looking for false eyelashes, I would highly recommend this brand. These eyelashes were €7.20

As I am not getting a spray tan for the debs (because the last time I turned out tango) I thought I would do it myself! I have a good bit of experience of self tanning so I am confident enough to do it myself well (hopefully). I got the light to medium in St. Tropez so lets hope it turns out well! This was about €20.

Lastly I got my usual Simple Kind To Eyes Nourishing Eye Make-Up Remover Cream. This does the job and doesn't sting my eyes (unlike the normal Simple eye makeup remover). This was €5.59! 

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Style Steal | Zoella

So today I decided to start a new series on my blog called 'Style Steal', and today I will be stealing the style of Zoe Sugg aka Zoella!

This first outfit was inspired by Zoe's outfit of LA day 3 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1d4SlJYp3Xs). I fell in love with it the minute I saw it and I just knew that I had to recreate it! If you read my last post, my Primark/ Pennies haul, you will have seen this top and jumper. Zoe's Jumper is from Topshop so my jumper is a nice, cheap alternative! My skirt is from Topshop and Zoe's is from New Look but her's is unfortunately sold out! I recently wore this to a Christening with some cute brown boots and I got great feedback from it. I love this outfit and will definitely be wearing it throughout Autumn.

Zoella always rocks collars, so i thought this dress was perfect! Zoe wore her navy dress recently at Vidcon in LA. I got my black dress in Dunnes Stores for €40 and Zoe got her's in Primark. To a party recently, I paired this dress with a cute black bowler hat and some boots and it made such a cute outfit!



I hope you enjoyed this 'style steal' and there will hopefully be many more to come in the future! Oh and I am terribly sorry about the quality of the pictures, I'm trying my best to figure out how to get the best photo's for my blog!

Have a great day! :)

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Primark haul!

To a certain extent, I believe that you get what you pay for. However in Primark recently i found some great buys that I'm really excited about!

I apologize in advance for the terrible lighting in these pictures but I hope you get a general idea.

 So I decided to get this jumper because it really reminded me of Zoella's Topshop jumper from one of her recent LA vlogs. She paired it with a white skirt with black polka dots and a cute collar peaking out underneath. This piece will be great coming into the autumn and winter! This jumper was a bargain at €10.

This next top, I thought would go wonderfully under the jumper! I found the collar to be slightly tight around my neck but it still looks very pretty. In my opinion this is a super girly piece that is very versatile.

I bought this t-shirt simply because it was humorous. I absolutely love blogging but as I am a very lazy person I needed something to motivate me to get into it lately! The moment I saw this I knew that this was it. I'll just wear this lounging around the house but it was very cheap at €5.

I can safely say that I am in love with this piece! It is a gorgeous kimono style throw over, in a chiffon material. This piece was a steal at only €17! I just can't say enough about this, it's very flattering, it's versatile, it's just so pretty!  

I have never been big into jewelry but lately I have seen a lot of my friends and celebrities wearing some statement necklaces. Personally I think they add character to an outfit. That is why I decided to buy this lovely Romanesque piece, and you can't go wrong, it was only €5!

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