What I Read | January

Something that I have really got back into over the last few years is reading. I used to always have my head stuck in a book when I was younger but I seemed to lose interest when I hit secondary school however I slowly but surely got back into it.

I have decided to do a monthly 'What I Read' post on my blog so I can share with you what books I'm reading, along with a mini review.

At the start of the month I began to read 'Love, Rosie' by Cecelia Ahern (previously published as 'Where Rainbows End'). I have been dying to read this ever since seeing the movie back in October, which was brilliant (and can we appreciate how beautiful the cast is?! Lily Collins, Sam Claffin and Suki Waterhouse are all fabulous!) 

The story is about Rosie Dunne and Alex Stewart who had been best friends since they were children. Life then gets in the way of their friendship and relationship as Alex and his family had to move to Boston and Rosie is stuck in Dublin. The story follows the pair as they grow up and keep in touch through letters and instant messages.

I don't feel I did the book any justice at all, so if you want a better synopsis you can find one here. 

I really did enjoy this book even though I never tend to read romance novels. I am in two minds about the format of the book. I did think that as it was written through letters and instant messages it was surprisingly easy to follow and held my interest however at times I was a bit annoying. 

Overall I did enjoy this book and would recommend it as a light, easy, soppy read!

Have you read this book? If so what did you think of it? What did you think of the movie adaptation? I would love to know!

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Wishlist | London Edition

So tomorrow I'll be jetting off to London for a few days to spend with Lizzy and her family and I'm so excited. As we are going to London, it would be rude not to shop, right?

Over the last few weeks I have been compiling a list of things that I have my eye on to buy. I don't plan on going over the top but I do have a few things that I really want to get my hands on..

Black Joni Jeans // Topshop
I want to pick up these and a pair of black Leigh jeans too because they are my favourite types of jeans and my current pairs are becoming very worn out!

Birkenstocks // Office
Such an ugly shoe but I absolutely love them! I can't wait to get these and I know I will get such good wear out of them during the summer.

Paisley Print Utility Tee // Topshop
I just love the colours in this top and it is so versatile, it can be styled up or worn casually during the day.

Real Techniques 301 Brush // Boots
As soon as I saw that the Pixi Woo sisters were releasing more brushes I got very excited! This brush is at the top of my list because it seems perfect for contouring and I'm in dire need of a new contouring brush.

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler // House of Fraser
Apparently this eyelash curler works wonders so I can't wait to try it out!

So thats what is on my London Wishlist, what do you have on your current wish list?!


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Ikea Haul

Ah Ikea, whether I go for something specific or just for a browse, I never seem to come out empty handed (with a car boot full of unnecessary items). But lets be honest, when it comes to the products they are cheap, cheerful and (most of the time) very cute.

During the week, despite the fact that I am meant to be saving, I took a trip to Ikea so today I'll share with you what I bought!

Grey Photo Frame // €5.25

After joining Pinterest the other day, I found some room decor inspiration resulting in me becoming slightly in love with the colour grey and feeling the need to put photo frames everywhere.. So naturally when I saw this photo frame I had to get it!

3 Cactuses // €5.00

Oh how Tumblr of me.. I've seen these everywhere on Instagram and to be honest, I couldn't wait to get my hands on some! As my room is pretty much all white, they add a bit of life and colour to the room.

Grey Cushion Cover // €6.00

Yet another grey item that I couldn't resist.. 

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Essie - Bahama Mama

Ok ok I admit it, I'm not crazy about nail varnish. It's never something I think of buying on my trips to Boots but when I get one I like, I don't take it off!

Lizzy kindly gave me this one for Christmas (as she has seen my fail of a nail varnish collection) and I haven't taken it off since. As you can see it is a gorgeous burgundy colour with slightly pink undertones. I'm sure if I did all of the usual -top coat, base coat etc., it probably would have lasted longer than three days before chipping (but aint nobody got time fo that!) and I'm not complaining. 

I love Essie nail varnish, they have such a variety of colours and great formulation!

What is your favourite Essie nail varnish?!

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High End Makeup Products That I Just Can't Live Without..

Even though I spend way more money in Boots, I just love splurging every once in a while on more high end makeup products. I don't know what it is, I think it's the process.. The endless researching, then saving, the swatching and then the eventual purchase (please tell me I'm not crazy for overthinking this simple process?!). Buying high end products is just a great experience so I thought I'd share with you some of the high end products that I just can't live without!

MAC Pro Longware Concealer in NC15

As I have mentioned many a time on my blog, my under eye circles are not my friends. They are one thing that I just can't seem to cover properly but this concealer makes a great attempt! It gives great coverage and doesn't crease.. What more could you want?

The Naked Palette
I'm sure you know the drill by now.. super pigmented and very pretty warmed toned colours.

Porefessional - Benefit
The primer I just can't live without! It minimises my pores and smoothes out my skin. Even when I'm not foundation, wearing this makes my skin look a whole lot better.

MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation
Ah full coverage foundations don't come much better than this! I have had this foundation years, mainly for when I hit the underage discos (although cringey, the photos are hilarious) however I recently bought it in a lighter shade for during the day. Since then, I keep asking myself what took me so long to buy it?! It's a medium to full coverage matte finish, I just love the way it sits on the skin, not cakey and it doesn't crease. I can't sing this foundation's praises enough so I'll stop myself here..

So these are a few of the high end makeup products that I love. What are your favourites?


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30 Day RapidLash Update & Review

Long voluminous lashes, everyone seems to want them but you can't do much to get them. I thought I'd try out RapidLash to see how effective it was.

RapidLash is a serum that claims to condition, grow and volumise your lashes in as little as 30 days. Ever night you put it on your upper lash line (just like you would with eyeliner) and it says it will make your lashes stronger, fuller and longer.

As my lashes are very short, I said there would be no harm in giving this product a go. The hardest part was taking the plunge to actually buy the product, I could hear my wallet crying as I handed €50  over for a product that I wasn't promised to even work. 

To be honest even after a week I could see a difference, it wasn't a notable difference that everyone else could see but for me, I was chuffed!

30 days on to be honest, there wasn't much of a result. I don't know if I just really want to see results or it has slightly worked! My lashes seem slightly longer, emphasis on the slight but I will not give up on this product so I'm going to keep using it.

One thing I have to say about this product was that it didn't cause irritation in my eyes. I clumsily put way too much on one night and it went into my eye and surprisingly it wasn't that sore.. However one complaint I have is that it makes my eyes a bit crusty (TMI guys I'm sorry) but nothing that noticeable!

Overall I won't give up on this product and I will update you if it actually ends up working.. I'd love to try their brow products too!

Have you ever tried RapidLash or any other similar product?


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MAC Boldly Bear Lipliner Review

I have always struggled to find the perfect nude lip shade for me. They always seem to wash me out or just look really weird on me, even MAC's Creme Cup which is meant to suit everyone. However I think I have finally found a winner.. MAC's lipliner in Boldly Bear!

The lipliner of the moment seems to be Whirl due to the Kylie Jenner craze however this lipliner is much more neutral and muted. It is a deep rose colour and I apply it all over my lips to warm up the look a bit.

My only complaint is that it can be a little hard to apply, I wish it was a bit softer like the Charlotte Tilbury lipliners but its not too much of a problem at all.

Overall I'm very pleased with this and I'm looking forward to trying out more of MAC's lipliners in the future! 

What is your favourite lipliner?!

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'The Goldfinch' by Donna Tarte | Book Review

You just can't beat a good book, becoming absorbed into a fictional world that I feel the TV just can't provide. During 2014 I really got back into reading so one day I picked up 'The Goldfinch' by Donna Tarte in the promotional section of Easons. I had heard nothing about this book before I bought it, it was just so different to my usual crime drama or classic that I thought I'd try something new.

For a good five months I lugged this book around with me as I commuted on the train to college and the bus to town so it has definitely has seen better days! As it took me so long to read (thanks to university readings) I thought it deserved a little mention on my blog.. Anyway on to the review!

Synopsis

'The Goldfinch' is about a young boy, Theo, who one day in New York was the victim of a terrorist bombing attack while visiting The Metropolitan museum with his mother. He acquires the painting of 'The Goldfinch' off a dying man and escapes free with it. The story follows Theo as he grows up encountering fascinating characters and gets caught up in an underground art ring as he tries to find himself in the world.

This book, a whopping 800 pages long is a truly sad tale and can be a psychological thriller too at times. I overall enjoyed the book, I found it fascinating how Donna Tarte had the ability to span the book over many years yet not allow it to become repetitive or boring, she really is a great writer. It had a really good message and I thought the characters were diverse and interesting.

I would recommend this book, although I wasn't glued to it I did enjoy it. However you have to bear in mind the size of the book, if you have the time to read it then go for it!

Have you ever read this book? If so what were your thoughts on it?

Also, if you have any book recommendations please leave them below!

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Olivia's First Outing | OOTD

Ooh how exciting, my first outfit post with my new camera (which I called Olivia, that's normal right?!).

On this chilly afternoon, Lizzy and I decided to take it on a little outing to the park.

I seem to be the last person to (finally) get a skort. I have always admired them from a far but when this geometric print skort popped up in Topshop I had to buy it.

The skort is the statement part of this outfit as the geometric pattern really catches the eye so I paired it with this simple black cropped jumper from H&M, black tights and my black chelsea boots! As you can probably tell, I was freezing in these pictures so I threw a black coat over it (which I linked below). The sunset was SO pretty when we were out so I couldn't help snapping a few pictures of it to include in this post.

Skort - Topshop

Jumper - H&M

Coat - Topshop

Boots - Topshop

I'm quite new to the DSLR camera scene so if you have any tips or blog posts about how to improve your photographs please leave them in a comment below!

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First Impression | Charlotte Tilbury - Glastonberry Lipstick

As I have previously mentioned, there is nothing more that I love than a good bold lip. It's no secret that the lipstick of A/W 2014 has been the Charlotte Tilbury Revolutionary Matte Lipstick in Glastonberry so I knew I had to get my hands on it ASAP. 

As I want to end on a high I'll start off with the only thing I am not a fan of with this product, the packaging.. Sorry Charlotte Tilbury although this goes against popular opinion, I am not a fan of rose gold but the lipstick is just so good I can get over it!

I was lucky enough to receive this lipstick for Christmas along with a matching liner and lip brush and I couldn't have been more excited. On the day that I decided to first wear this I was in a bit of a rush so I just applied it (slightly dodgy as you can see from the pictures above) straight from the bullet but I still feel like it came out well. Thats another thing that I love about it, the square tip makes it really easy to apply.

The thing I was most impressed with about this product was its lasting power, I had it on for a good 8 hours which in that time I ate my dinner and drank a lot of tea and although it faded slightly I didn't have to reapply! 

I also liked the finish, it is matte but is nowhere near as drying as some of the MAC mattes.

Overall I love this lipstick and I can't wait to try out some more of the lipsticks from the range, Love Liberty is next on my list to buy.

Have you tried any of the Charlotte Tilbury Revolutionary Matte Lipsticks?

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The Roll Neck Jumper

During these cold Winter months there is nothing more that I love doing than wrapping myself up in a duvet and watching movies because the Winter weather isn't my friend! As a result on the days that I have to venture outside I tend to gravitate towards jumpers to keep me nice and warm.

This season saw polo neck jumpers and tops coming back in however even though I really wanted to try them, they just don't suit me. Thats when I discovered the roll neck.. 

I got mine from Penney's for about €11 or €12 as far as I can remember, what a bargain! I absolutely love it because it keeps me so warm and I don't even need to wear a scarf with it. 

Have you tried the roll neck trend?

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NARS Sheer Glow Foundation Review

It's true, I have way too many foundations. Did I need any more? Probably not but that didn't stop me from putting the NARS Sheer Glow foundation on my Christmas wish list after hearing non stop about how amazing it is.

Despite all of my foundations, I found myself in a foundation rut. None of them matched my skin tone perfectly and I just didn't know where to turn so you can imagine I was delighted to open this up on Christmas morning. 

The foundation is build-able, but in general it gives a nice dewy medium finish. I feel it is best applied with my Expert Face Brush from Real Techniques because when I applied it with my Beauty Blender it just didn't look right.

Overall I'm pretty impressed with this foundation! Have you ever tried it? What are your thoughts on it?

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