Rewind The Good Times...

 This post probably wont mean anything to anyone except myself, but sometimes its nice to look back at where you came from to see where you really are. Of course, there are other people in these pictures, so the might mean something to them... I hope they do! 

On we go...

This picture was taken in the taxi on the way to Chris's last ever Mater Dei Ball. I wore a high-low chiffon dress from Topshop, a leather jacket and chunky bling. I felt like a rockstar!

This photo was taken last November, before Chris and I left for a night of fun and drinks at The Palace for Kaylieghs 22nd birthday. I wore a corset and circle skirt, black tights and combat boots. Again, I felt like a rockstar. 

This is from years ago. I don't even know what prompted this hilarious pose, but David (Beyond The Wild Garden) has a children's play apparatus of some kind over his crotch and I'm... in it? 

Hmm... Can't explain. 

But, good times!!

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters

Left-Wild Watermelon
Right- Candy Apple

As a lover of Revlon's "Just Bitten" Kissable Balm-Stain, I have to admit right now I had high expectations of the Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters since they started cropping up on every blog I've ever read, though I didn't know what shade to opt for. So, last night on the Twitter chat for Irish Beauty Bloggers, I put forth the question "What Revlon lip butter would you guys recommend?" and Dani, the lovely "Glamour Nazi" answered with "If you love a red lip, go for Candy Apple".

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter
035 - Candy Apple

Armed with a name and some good reviews, I headed for Boots, where the stand had just been restocked. Huzzah!! I swatched Candy Apple, hummed in approval, and decided to go the whole hog and see if the reviews of "Wild Watermelon" were as good as the Internet sad they were... I wasn't disappointed. That had to be mine too.

I must admit I did 3 laps of all the make-up stands, swatching and dabbing, but at €11.20 each, I had maxed myself out for one trip. I suppose the problem is when you're as attached to good quality budget brands like Essence and NYC, €11.20 seems excessive, but no matter.

I've been wearing Candy Apple all day (needing only 2 reapplications because of dinner and a cuppa) and it's immensely comfy. It makes a change from the drying nature of the matte colours I adore so much. The bottom left tile, on the photo illustrating the product shows swatches after one swipe (left swatch) and multiple swipes (right swatch). Its a beautiful buildable colour. A+!

June Beauty Blog Challenge

I think its fair to say I'm not exactly consistent in my posting habits. I can post for 3 consecutive days, and then leave you guys sitting for a week or even a fortnight. So I'm going to challenge myself during the month of June, by attempting Girl Friday's June Beauty Blog Challenge! The aim of this is to help bloggers get used to regular posting, and you can even use the hashtag #JuneBBC on Twitter to help other challenge-takers (?) find you and keep up with your progress... It's multi platform and extremely inclusive...

Photo Credit: Girl Fridays Beauty Blog
(link above)

I hope a wee short post every day will help me to do a few things...

• It will hopefully make me cut out on the waffle, I'm a bit long-winded as you guys may or may not know. Its a problem.
• It will get me used to regular posting. 
• It will definitely take me out of my comfort zone and that is something I am very up for trying!

The June Beauty Blog Challenge will cover the following;

1. Favourite eyeliner
2. Favourite brush
3. Favourite hair product
4. What’s in your shower/bath
5. Favourite foundation
6. Disappointing buys
7. Favourite lip product
8. Beauty Wishlist
9. Most recent beauty buy
10. Favourite nail polish
11. A bargain buy you’d recommend
12. An item you have bought because of blogs/vlogs
13. Makeup look you’d love to recreate
14. Favourite mascara
15. Favourite online shop
16. Skincare routine
17. Makeup skill you would love to perfect but struggle with
18. Favourite makeup brand
19. Who is your fashion/style icon
20. Favourite ‘high end’ product
21. Favourite nail look/nail art
22. 5 of your favourite beauty bloggers
23. What’s my face worth
24. Alternative use for an item you have – e.g. lipstick as blusher.
25. Primer – do you use it? Eyes, face etc
26. Best beauty advice you have been given
27. Biggest fashion mistake you have made
28. Favourite cheek product
29. 5 of your favourite beauty vloggers/YouTube videos
30. Recent empties / Reflecting on #JuneBBC

When I add a new post for the June BBC, I'll put the link in the list above, so hopefully by the end I'll have 30 live links! :D

Reading the list now, I can see some of these will be harder than others, what with being unable to pick a favorite nail polish, and all... But the challenge will make it exciting and fun.

Anyways, I hope you all are looking forward to this as much as I am, and I hope you hop on over to Girl Friday's blog and join in with all the fun!! 

Le Grá,

Amy, 

xo

Lush Loves Lips...

Its pretty much taken as Gospel that lipstick looks better on a lip that has been scrubbed smooth and slicked with something healing or softening before you slap on that color. The same goes with tan, foundation, even nail polish looks better on smooth nails!

Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub

As a result, every time I've found myself in a Lush store, I've somehow managed to pick up a lip scrub and just stand there smelling it. They have 3 flavors, Mint Juleps, Popcorn, and Bubblegum! Mint Juleps is lovely, very strong but sweet somehow, Popcorn smells like just that - popcorn, buttery, salty wonderful cinema food! Bubblegum is the best. Vibrant pink, smelling like the love child between candy-floss and Hubba-Bubba, it's a complete throwback from those childhood days!

Ever since they released these beauties, I've been lusting after and coveting them intensely. I had to have a bubblegum one, but at the same time, I'm unemployed so money is tight. These lip scrubs are somewhere in the region of €8, which can be a lot depending on the look of my wallet... But last week I decided it was high time I got my hands on the highly-coveted Bubblegum Lip Scrub. So off I went, into Dublin, so I could get a few bits (I will be posting a haul soon I hope), with a stop into Lush being top of my list...

Oh God, I've Become A Girly-Girl!!

Girls, we all love our beauty products and make up. Its just the way we are, and guys wont ever understand why we need 3 different mascaras, or 100 bottles of nail polish, but we do. Or at least, that's what we tell ourselves! 

We all have our favourites though, so here's mine. My favourites, for my face!

Skin Wisdom Youth Protect Facial Wipes.

Skin Wisdom Youth Protect

These bad boys are amazing! I stumbled across these when I finished my Simple Kind-To-Skin wipes. They have a "Recommended Age Group" on the side of the nice, shiny pink foil packet, saying you should use these between the ages of 20-35. I suppose, those are the years between which you'd wanna be protecting that youth of yours, missus! They smell lovely and they do a great job of stripping off makeup, mascara, everything! I will say that you need a good moisturiser for after them, because they can leave your skin a bit tight. Maybe that's the Youth Protect bit?!

They claim to cleanse, tone and moisturise in one easy step, and are enriched with rhodiola rosea and amino acids, as well as cranberry and white tea.

They also claim to be suitable for all skin types, but I would say if you have dry skin, either avoid them entirely, or use a damn good moisturiser after them!

At €1.69 (I think!), in Tesco, I'd recommend them, even just to see if they do anything for your skin, but personally, I love them and have already repurchased them, in case they ever disappear from the shelves!

Books, Books, Books!

Anyone who is even remotely close to me should know that I am a book-hoarder to the backbone! It's not really a problem, though, in saying that, when the day comes where I have to pack up and move out on my own it'll be a serious problem. The problem isn't that I'm a bookworm, its not even that I'm a hoarder. The problem at hand is that I am what I like to call "a sentimental book buyer"... I buy most of my books in charity shops or at car-boot sales. My addiction doesn't cost me a lot, in reality. It just takes up a lot of space and annoys everyone around me.

Two weeks ago I stumbled on a charity car-boot sale with my mum and within 5 minutes of arriving, had bought two books; The Narnia series in one volume, and "Tuesdays With Morrie" by Mitch Albom. I actually apologised to her, because she is always telling me I buy too many books. Its not my fault, these books are laying in boxes unwanted and unloved. I think its a "Toy Story Mentality" type of thing. Nobody wants to love them, so it would be cruel to leave them behind.

On Tuesday I bought NINE books, though it was technically twelve, 3 were for my uncle who is a "Grow Your Own" enthusiast. Again, they looked sad and unwanted, so the need to re-home them like lost puppies kicked in with fervour! When I'm book-buying in any kind of charity shops, there's a process I go through, so let me explain:

Things That Piss Me Off...

Normally, I would leave this kind of thing to my lovely friend Aisling, aka The Rantigator, but today, I'm gonna have a bash at a good aul fashioned rant! I'm not going to tackle any particularly weighty topics, rather, I'll just have a moan about things that "grind my gears" as they say...



People who tell me one of the following...

"God, you're so skinny!"
"Have a ham sandwich or something!"
"Would you not try to put on some weight?!"

Right, here's the first thing. I weigh somewhere around 7st 4lb. I am naturally thin, though with that being said, if I got my mothers genes, I'll eventually be curvy, somewhere around the age of 23. The second thing, I eat!! I fucking adore food! I can't take dairy really and I'm not the biggest fan of certain meats, but I happen to hoover up roast dinners, cottage pies, any kind of pasta, I will mow through salads and paninis, and I can't get my fill of Mexican food. Making the assumption that I starve myself or limit my portions is rude and unnecessary! If you must know, I was on medication that slowed my metabolism and when I came off it, I went back to where I was beforehand.


I really shouldn't have to explain myself, but let me just clarify this one. My weight is nobody else's concern. It's just as rude and ignorant to comment on a thin persons weight, as it is to say to someone who is a size 18, "Would you not go on a diet, and try to slim down a bit?".


Take a long hard look in the mirror before you pick on someone's weight. Chances are, you're not perfect, yourself, love!

Red Hair is Unique, So Am I!

“It’s not about how others look at me, it’s about how I look at myself” - Neil Patrick Harris (Beastly)

When you read this, can you honestly agree?

I doubt there are many people out there can legitimately say they have always believed this. How many people do you know, that can say, with their hand on their heart that they are unaffected by the words of others? Is there anyone in the world who doesn't care about whats said about them? If there is, I would like to shake their hand. But I really don't think such a person exists, sadly. Everybody worries about the opinions of others, up to a certain point. That's just how it goes...

Then...

Most of us know how it feels to be belittled in some way, and usually, it's for nothing at all. People will judge you based on how you look, before you even open your mouth to introduce yourself. When we're sent off to school, at the age of 4, or 5, it starts. I have had the unfortunate experience of being bullied from Senior Infants, right up to the Junior Cert because of my hair. My hair!! It made me want to do anything to fit in. I briefly had blonde highlights as a teenager, wore make-up, tried to dress trendily. It didn't really suit me, if I'm honest... I didn't, and still don't suit that kind of thing.

When I got to 5th year, I decided to do things my way. I dyed my hair darker, almost maroon. It was awful, but it made me feel more like I blended in with my peers. To anyone on the outside, it must have been a drastic change, but to me, it felt necessary. Having been bullied for my red hair, it seemed like the right thing at the time. I wasn't doing it for others, it was all for me, and I continued to dye my hair, as well as dress the way I wanted to, for years to come.

I've noticed lately, a change in the way I see myself, as well as a change in the way I do things. What once was panicked, desperate attempts to blend in, has now become a calmer, more calculated desire to stand out. Thanks to a few of my favourite people, (and if they read this, they'll know exactly who they are) I grew out the dyed, damaged hair, and I embraced my Redhead status. In the past, when someone said "GINGER!!" I couldn't stand it. It upset me and made me angry. I did not want to be the ginger kid everyone used as the butt of some dusty, decrepit and frankly, backwards joke. Nowadays, though, its a different story.

Being a redhead is something I relish. Did you know, that 2% of the words population (at most) has natural red hair? That makes me unique, to some degree, and I wouldn't ever let the words of some stranger, someone who doesn't matter a damn to me make me feel small because of it. Ireland has the 2nd most intense concentration of gingers (yes, I know there's a joke in there somewhere!) in the world, with 10% (about 420,000) of us being lucky enough to say we're redheads!

When others made negative, bullying comments about my hair, I used to think they were right. I believed them. I thought, "You know what? They're the majority, maybe they speak the truth...", but I was so wrong. I saw myself as ugly because of my hair, because I was being told every day that red-heads were somehow lower than every other hair colour.

Now!! :D

I suppose it didn't help that somebody who claimed to love me told me, one day after I mentioned vaguely thinking of going back to my roots, "Having red hair wouldn't suit you, and I don't think you would be attractive if you decided to dye it back to your natural colour...". Stupid me, I listened. Eventually I decided to stick to my guns... I grew out the roots a few inches (which was awful but the ends justified the means) and headed for the chop. This time, I knew the change was drastic! 6 years after I started to cover up my uniqueness, I unveiled my newly short, red hair to my peers, and the response was wonderful. I can laugh along with the jokes now, because they don't hurt me.

How others see you, as much as we say it doesn't affect us, shapes us in ways we might not understand at the time... You might have believed the people who put you down at the time, but when you get away from those people, you'll gradually realise how wrong they were. In the end, when you believe in your heart and mind that you don't need to hide who you are, then you've done it. Personally, I went from hating my hair, to loving it more than ever! Its a part of who I am, it makes me unique.



How others look at you is unimportant. How you look at yourself matters more than anything.

Le Grá,
Amy,
xoxo

I Take It All Back... (Tears On Tape)

Everyone loves music. If you play an instrument, write music or sing, then you're spurred on by passion. However, if like me, you've not a note in your head, don't even know how to hold a guitar, much less tickle the ivories, then you're probably an appreciator of those who can create.

At the age of 16 or 17, I believed that the best band to ever grace the world was HIM, a Finnish band who created a new genre in the early-to-mid 90's called "Love Metal". I still love HIM, they have a special place in my heart, they have a place on my body, but its different now. I needed them at that point in my life. They came into my life at the opportune moment, and they made everything better. When I listen to songs like "Kiss Of Dawn", which was one of my favorite tracks from the first album I ever bought (Venus Doom), I still remember the sunny days where I lay out in my garden and just listened.

Red Lips; On a Budget!

Since yesterday I posted about how red lips were my way of drawing a veil over the past, I thought I'd post abut some products I've been eyeing, and buying!! These products are very easy on the pocket, as well as looking amazing, which has been the kicker for me, since its not about how much you spend, its about the products performing.

What follows may well be considered the blind leading the blind!! :P You have been warned!

Red Lips and The Final Chapter in my Struggle...

Most who know me will probably say I'm pretty easy to talk to, that I'm loud, bubby and always happy to see people. Well, I hope that's what they would say!! But people who know me very well know that I can be those things, but I can also be withdrawn, worrisome and obsessive when I get into a dark place...

Let me tell you a secret. The front I put up (though I don't like to call it a "front" because it doesn't have a good connotation) when I go out and interact with people is easy, breezy, confident, like I couldn't care less who says what to me or about me. And for the most part that would be true. But for the last few years I've struggled with crippling anxiety, been really sad (though not clinically depressed) and spent more than a few nights alone thinking about death. I had, at one point, a team of mental health doctors who helped me to verbalise everything every so often, and I was on a ton of medication at one point, but I've been off the tablets for a while now and everything is level without them. Life used to be a daily struggle. I was afraid. Afraid of being myself, of being weird and loud, not making sense, being too nice, being too strange, and mostly afraid of trying new things.

April Favorites...Woo-Hoo!!

The first week of May is almost done, and so it's high time I posted my April Favorites!

So let's not waste time, and get right into it!!

Yes To Carrots Shampoo and Conditioner  

I can't get over how much I love this stuff, and for a few reasons... 

-I've had it almost a month and I haven't made even the smallest dent in the giant bottles... 

-It smells amazing.

-It makes your hair so soft and shiny.

-It's cruelty free, natural and with the use I'm going to get from it, great value for your €€€!

Yes To Carrots... Yes Please!!!

Addictions

Most of can attest to being hooked on something. Guys usually admit to it being video-games, or music, if they're really into sport, it could be something to do with that. One strange collection I've heard of guys having is beer mats. You know, those little cardboard coasters from pubs?! Bizarre, to say the least!

Girls, on the other hand, are a completely different story. If like myself, you like a nice manicure, then you will have heaps of nail polishes. Or you might well be like my mum and have a shoe collection that would fill a whole room.

I can personally admit to having a few obsessions.