Let's Talk About Consent

Consent. A hot topic at the moment in the Irish media, and for a reason. 

"21% of Irish people think that sex without consent is acceptable in certain circumstances"

 A shocking statistic that needs to be addressed.

I recently stumbled upon a video that summed up consent quite well, using a cup of tea as an analogy for sex- it makes a striking point.

The current interest in consent is one that came to my attention through Louise O' Neill. I read her book 'Asking For It' after a friend's recommendation.. It was an interesting read because the main character, who is definitely unlikeable, gets sexually assaulted and raped.. You don't want to feel sorry for her but you do. Then her documentary on RTE caught the attention of the media, creating a stir within the nation about this idea of consent, she got us talking.

From a 20 year old girl's perspective in an Irish university, its frightening how much it effects me.

Going out on a night out- the hunt to find something to wear begins and I finally settle on an outfit- too little? I'm a slut, too much? I'm a prude.

When alcohol is involved, it gets worse. Nightclub situations end up with you being followed, harassed and touched inappropriately through drunken slurs, having to insist that you have a boyfriend for them to leave you alone. A culture that everyone just seems to accept and think is normal.

How is this normal?

Although there is this idea that rapists are those who hop out of bushes in the night when they see their pray walking home alone- but they aren't just that- offenders are people you know, even friends which creates a strange dynamic. It stirs shame and fear- what happens if we expose them? We live in a world where Brock Turner got released from prison after just three months, his dad pleading to the judge that he shouldn't be severely punished for '20 minutes of action'. Why would anyone want to come out with such an allegation? Although I used the American example which may seem too far fetched, let me bring it back home. We hear of sexual assault cases but the problem is the reaction to them:

"She's such an attention seeker".

"She's a liar".

"She was asking for it" 

Lets keep the conversation going.
#askingforit

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Faux Fur | My Winter Favourite 2016

As I said so many times on the blog before, I just love coats. Personally I hate wearing the same thing over and over again and I find this especially happens to me in Winter. I may be wearing a different outfit everyday but if you're wearing the one coat then it feels like I'm wearing the same thing. It's funny though, I never seem to notice it on others but for myself I always think I look the exact same! 

Luckily, over the years I have collected way to many coats and jackets that I alternate between to fix this. I have a post on three coats and jackets that I bought this season (linked here) and this is yet another one that I have bought since.. (I told you I had a problem)

COAT / JEANS / BOOTS / TOP / BAG

This is an ASOS number that I picked up a few weeks ago, it is my good Christmas coat for this year. Faux fur has been everywhere this season and I'm absolutely loving it. Although I have only tried faux fur coats, I am dying to get a clutch for nights out.

There is something about faux fur that I love.. Adding that bit of texture can add so much to an outfit and transform it into something so much more. 

Do you like faux fur?

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& Other Stories has landed in Dublin

Yes you heard it right folks, & Other Stories has finally come to Dublin! 

The store will open its doors this afternoon at 12 but luckily last night I got the opportunity to go to the launch last night and get a preview of the store. 

If you have never heard of & Other Stories, I'll give you a quick break down. It is a sister store to both H&M and Cos, more expensive than H&M and cheaper than Cos. They have several stores around Europe and the US but if you can't get to them in person, you can shop online here. 

The Dublin store is absolutely beautiful, matching my Instagram theme perfectly which I was way too happy about (I'm very embarrassed to admit haha). It has three floors of goodies so I wanted to share some pictures of the night and some of my favourite bits that I saw there.

They sell so much, from clothes and accessories to lingerie, gifts and beauty products.

My Top Picks

 My favs of the night- these amazing boots!

 Stunning black cross body bag!

This clutch!

If you're around Grafton Street, make sure to pop in and take a look around, you won't be disappointed! Plus, the first 50 people that enter the store today, the 9th of December at 12 will receive a special gift.. Make sure to get there nice and early!

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The Brown Lip Look

Well look what we have here, a makeup post! It's been a long time since I have done one of these.. Admittedly, I have been loving doing fashion posts and having a chat about various topics and my makeup hasn't been interesting enough to share I guess! But lately I've been loving wearing this brown lipstick so I thought I'd share the look with you today.

BASE

Back to Winter, you know what that means! The MAC Studio Fix fluid is back and I'm still loving it as always. It's such a high coverage foundation, plus it lasts all day. Under that I just used a Smashbox primer and my Naked Skin Corrector in Peach for my undereyes. Admittedly, I don't like it as much as the Tarte corrector but it'll do for the time being. Over that I have my MAC Prolongwear concealer and to brighten my eyes up even further, I used the Naked Corrector in Pink. To set everything and bake under the eyes, I used the Laura Mercier Translueient Setting Powder, such a good product. As for brows, I used my favourite brow product, the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow Pomade.

CHEEKS

Recently I have been leaning towards a bronzed cheek rather than a very chizzled out pout. I keep using the Youngblood Cosmetics Contour Palette to warm up my cheeks and then go in with the Milani Baked Blush in Berry Armore to give a bit of a glow. 

EYES

I kept the eyes quite simple, just using a matte brown and grey from the Urban Decay Naked Smokey Palette and I highlighted my inner corner with the very dramatic, Nylon by MAC. I used my SoSue by So Sue Me lashes in Gigi.. I could write a whole post about how good these lashes are. I have used a single pair up to 7 times without them thinning or getting wrecked. I'm so so impressed with them. 

LIPS

Now for the best part, the lips! You may have seen a few months ago, I got two Kylie Jenner Lip Kits, Dolce K and True Brown K (read my full review here). Today I'm wearing True Brown K, a very different statement lip. I really like it because it's a different take on the typical bold winter lip and it complements this look really well.

I hope you enjoyed this beauty post! The fashion/ lifestyle posts will resume again and will be back in full swing over the next few days! 

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Passion

There is nothing like listening to someone talk about their passions. Their demeanor changes and you can see something special ignite in their eyes and the joy radiate from them. They get lost in the moment, their pace gets faster- finding that spark in life is magical. 

The thing I love about it so much it that its contagious. While listening to someone talk about what they love, it makes me feel passionate too, the motivation and drive sets in and I'm all go. 

"Do more of what lights your soul on fire" 

The blog has been in my life for a few years now, but before the beginning of the 2016, I never really took it seriously. I didn't know what anyone would think, even though the rise of blogging and social media influencers was so prominent, when you have quite a small following it can get difficult to get your foot in the door and people in your life to understand why you're doing it and what it is. It was funny though, once people learned about what I was doing and saw that I was passionate about it- they enjoyed hearing about it. The blog has slowly started to revolve around my everyday life and I couldn't be happier.

Recently I attended the launch of the Irish Blogger Agency in Cork after being unable to attend the Dublin launch a few weeks ago. The day was filled with speakers who talked about their story and tips to help us with our blogs. I came away from the day feeling so motivated, inspired and ready to get up and take my blog to the next level.

Shirt / Trousers  / Bag

My little space on the internet is my passion. Although I love college- writing these posts, talking pictures, planning Instagrams, even going through my emails is what I love to do.  I'm incredibly lucky to be able to meet like minded people so regularly that share my passion too- there is nothing better. 

I really hope you experience this feeling of having a passion and if you do, pursue it, express it and you never know what could happen.

📷: Clóda Scanlon

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San Francisco Photo Diary

As you may have seen from my Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, and if you know me personally, you definitely know, I was on a J1 visa and spent my summer in San Diego. 

I feel like I'm like a broken record talking about it, it seems to come up in conversation I have.. So much so that my friends that didn't go are sick of hearing about it haha. Over the last week however, it dawned on me that I didn't share much about it on social media. I was too caught up in it and the little bubble that I was living in to even think about oversharing it online. 

Today I thought I'd share with you some pictures of my trip to San Francisco that I took with my best friend in July along with a few tips that I have!

• Book Alcatraz in advance, it books up fast!
• Explore the Pacific Heights and Marina Districts- so so pretty.
• Don't stay in the Tenderloin District like we did- you'll thank me later!
• Cycle the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito, but wear comfortable and warm clothes!

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That Time I Tried Girlfriend Jeans

Do you ever just get something in your head that you just can't look past?! That was me and girlfriend jeans. Up until a time, skinny jeans were the only jeans anyone would wear. They were all that we needed.. Until the boyfriend fit came onto the scene.

I'm not going to lie, I loved the look of the jeans, boyfriend, mom, girlfriend fit.. you name it, I wanted it and I was very jealous of everyone wearing them. I thought as I was so bottom heavy, they just wouldn't suit me and they'd look ridiculous.. Well look at me now!

I saw these M&S Floral Embroidered Girlfriend Jeans and one day, when they had 20% off and I had a moment of courage, I decided to try them. They are so comfortable and just something different from my everyday skinnies. If you decide to buy these, I'd recommend sizing up- for some reason this particular M&S jean is very small fitting. I have heard that generally their jeans are true to size but these are a different story. I thought it was just me when I tried them on for the first time but the reviews online back me up- size up!

I paired them with my Missguided top which came as part of a playsuit, my H&M faux leather jacket, Topshop bag and my M&S boots (wow doesn't this just look like a walking advertisement for M&S haha, I wish). 

I hope you enjoyed this outfit post today and you are all having a Happy Saturday!

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I Have a Thing With.. Coats!

.. And Jackets!

As the new season is in full swing, there is nothing I love more than going on the hunt for new coats and jackets. I have so many but every year I love getting rid of some that have seen their day and going out and buying some new ones. They are a piece I always love to invest in, as they tend to be the focus of every outfit during Winter. Through every fault of my own, I tend to go for fashion over practicality. When I'm in college I either freeze or get rained on in the colder months.. but at least my outfit looks good, right?! 

This first coat is from Penney's, yep Penney's! I picked it up a few weeks ago but I have seen it still in stock recently. I love the colour and pattern of this coat, its so autumnal! This definitely is not a Winter coat though, it's too thin to survive the rain and wind. At the moment though, its perfect. It is perfect to throw on over some knitwear as it doesn't look too bulky. As it is so inexpensive, how could you say no?

I'd like to note, I know I know, I look very creepy lurking behind the trees. My mother insisted I take some pictures here and as much as I hate to admit it, she was right, they turned out to be the best of the bunch, mothers know best ay?

This jacket is probably my favourite jacket I own at the moment (aside from my faux leather jacket of course), it's the faux suede teal biker jacker is from Missguided. I shared it on my Instagram and in my latest post, September Instagram Outfit Roundup. It just adds so much to a simple outfit and thats why I love it so much. I wear so any dark and neutral colours that it goes with so many of my outfits.

Lastly, possibly one of my favourite purchases lately, this AMAZING faux suede and shearling aviator style jacket from Zara. Although this was more expensive, it will definitely keep me warm going to college over the next few months. It has such attention to detail but my only complaint- it doesn't have pockets! What is the story with that?! Anyway- it is beautiful nonetheless.

Well thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed seeing these new coats and jackets I picked up over the last few weeks. These are the reason why I'm so excited for the cold weather to come!

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September Instagram Outfit Roundup

Hello and happy Monday!

As I did last month in my August Instagram Outfit Roundup, I thought today that I would come to you with September's edition. 

1st September 2016

This outfit was for the launch party of a new magazine called Magpie. A magazine targeted at women with an aim to inspire through creativity and innovation. This photo was also my first that was featured on http://www.missguided.co.uk! When they commented on my photo I was so overwhelmed, I couldn't believe it!

Jeans / Top / Coat / Boots / Scarf (Urban Outfitters Renewal)

2nd September 2016

Unfortunately I didn't buy these, but the Zara beauties definitely caught my eye!

17th September 2016

Instead of rambling on about how much I love this outfit and all about it- check out the full post which is here.

20th of September 2016

I fell in love with this shirt a few weeks ago when I saw it on Kaelin Fox's Instagram so I knew I had to get it ASAP. I seem to be having a bit of a love affair with Zara recently if you couldn't tell haha!

22nd of September 2016

While I seem to be loving Zara, I think my even bigger weakness lately has been Missguided. I love the website, so cheap and cheerful and perfect for college. I got this Guns n' Roses T Shirt because I knew I could just throw it on over leggings or jeans and it would be a really nice comfortable outfit for everyday.

26th of September 2016

This is an outfit I wore to college one day. Getting into the AW clothing, I was sporting all black but threw on this AMAZING faux suede teal jacket from Missguided. I have it in a tan colour but when I saw it in this colour I just couldn't resist.. Especially because they have a 20% student discount which would be rude not to take advantage of. 

28th September 2016

Going back to college, I really needed a new backpack but I didn't want to spend too much on it. I picked this gorgeous grey one up in Penney's and it is just the right size for everything I need.

29th of September 2016

Lastly for the month of September, I posted this Missguided 2 in 1 playsuit. I wanted to try this trend and what better way to try it than Missguided. 

Thank you for sticking around if you got this far! Don't forget to follow me on Instagram to see my latest pictures when they are posted.

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Athlone Fashion Trail

Hello everyone and happy Tuesday!

This weekend I headed off to Athlone to attend the Athlone Fashion Trail along with 19 other VIP bloggers. The event consisted of us wandering the streets of Athlone, attending fashion shows in selected boutiques around the town and being completely spoilt every step of the way! The whole event was set up by Saibh and Sinead from Into the West Bloggers Network who did a fabulous job of organising such an amazing event. 

Ciara and I at Colm Quinn BMW Showroom

We started off our day by having a great breakfast at the Colm Quinn BMW Showroom in Athlone and all I can say is.. GOALS. The cars were absolutely beautiful, especially the Mini's (ahh the dream). We were then chauffeured to the first stop in amazing BMW's.

The first stop was Kadee Bride, which showcased some beautiful wedding dresses. 

The next stop was the famous Burgess, which is the oldest department store in Ireland!

After that we headed to Olivia Danielle, a gorgeous little boutique with even more gorgeous clothes- they even started recently selling Freddys Jeans!

Cloda and I at lunch.

Our next stop was the Athlone Town Centre, who showcased looks from a range of different shops like Topshop, Zara, Oasis and more. To see there full directory click here. We were treated to an unreal lunch afterward in a section of the shopping centre which was cordoned off, overlooking all of the shops- so so spoilt! The lunch was provided by The Fatted Calf, a restaurant in the shopping centre.

Shona, Ciara and I walking around the boutiques. 

Other stops after lunch included Nells Closet, Boutique Clodagh and back again to Burgess.

To finish the day off we had the wrap party in the Radisson, where cocktails and comfy chairs were at hand- much needed after our long day!

I'd like to thank Saibh and Sinead for such a wonderful day- I met so many lovely people and I can't wait to join them again for another event very soon. 

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