Motivational Monday 30/12/13

Hey guys!!

It's the last Monday of 2013, how exciting is that?! With that in mind, I have a motivational quote for you to help kick start your transition into the New Year.

Always remember that no matter how bad your year, month, week or day has been, things wont be so bad tomorrow, they'll get better. In a years time you will look back, and you wont recognize yourself.

For this weeks song, I thought I would pick something that makes me think of closing one door and opening a new one. Closer to the Edge by 30 Seconds To Mars is taken from their "This Is War" album, and is an absolutely brilliant tune. "I will never forget, I will never regret, I will live my life"

Happy Monday,
See you in 2014!!

Amy xxx

Motivational Monday 23/12/13

Happy Monday, all!! 

I hope your weekend was wonderful, and here I am, back again to get your Monday off to a rip roaring start! 

This week my chosen song is The Bloody Beetroots absolutely awesome track "Butter".

Stick this on as loud as you dare, wait for the drop and prepare to blow the bejesus out of your Monday blues. I saw these guys live on the 2nd of March this year, and they were just fantastic. I never sat down for the whole night. 

If you like this song and you feel like adding to the Monday Motivation, check out Warp 1.9; I guarantee you will be dancing around your kitchen like a raving lunatic. 

This weeks inspirational quote is pretty simple. 

Have a wonderful week,

Amy

xx

2014 Bucket List

It's that time of the year again, where we all start to think and make plans about what we want to achieve next year.

New Years Resolutions have a tendency to stick for all of a month, before they die a horrible death.

Every year, instead of making a bunch of resolutions that I wont stick to, I make a list of goals, and one resolution.

This years bucket list-

1. Get a piercing 
2. Archery tattoo from Phil at Spilled Ink,
3. Pass Semester 1,
4. Pass semester 2,
5. Get a job cooking professionally,
6. Go on holiday with Chris,
7. Get back to competition levels at Archery,
8. Finish the Game of Thrones books,
9. Go to a blogger/YouTuber meet-up,
10. Celebrate my birthday in the Vintage Cocktail Club,
11. Blog more seriously,
12. Pass my driving test.

My resolution is to get a bikini body by summer. 

Have you any resolutions? Whats on your bucket list? 

Let me know in the comments! 

Amy

xx

Getting a Head Start...

Every year I make a list of things I want to do the following year. This year I have created a board on my Pinterest where I pin the things I want to do.

I've been thinking a lot about piercings versus tattoos lately, and as someone with four tattoos, two of which account for quite large portions of my body, I have avoided getting pierced for well over five years. I find myself drawn to the opinion that although tattoos hurt more and take way longer, they are infinitely more permanent than piercings; which is why I like them. But there is something about piercings which appeals to me. Maybe it's the simplicity of them; definitely the aesthetic quality.

For the last 2 months or more I've been looking at all kinds of ear piercings. I can't have facial piercings because of archery, and I'm not ballsy enough for any other bodily adornment. Ears it was. The question was, what part of the ear? The whole world and her auntie has a Tragus, Helix and Industrial. A "Forward Helix" would only get bumped by the arms of my glasses, and a Rook is too fiddly.

I decided a Conch was the way to go. So, I pinned a bunch of conch piercings onto my "2014 Plans" board, and decided it was going to be the start of my 2014 Bucket List. I've also created a board where I will post my own pictures of the thing I plan to do, when they're done.

Then last week I decided to get a head start on my list, so after I did my Christmas shopping on Tuesday, I headed for Wildcat Ink on the top floor of St Stephens Green Shopping Centre, took a deep breath, filled up the paperwork (just as you would with a tattoo) and paid €36 to have my conch pierced.

The girl who pierced me was Sorcha and she was pretty sound about my being a bit nervous, having heard me say to the girl who served me behind the counter that I was "shitting it but gonna sack up and do it". She showed me the barbell, which was sealed up in a hygienic package and the single-use needle. I almost bottled it, right there, I wont lie!! Sorcha cleaned my ear with anti-bacterial wipes, marked the positioning with a marker-pen and I gave it a look-see. I decided I wanted it lower down and she adjusted it accordingly, and then it was time to get down to the business at hand. A few deep breaths, a quick push, and a yelp (yes I was a baby) and it was done! In all honesty, the worst part of it was having the needle give way to the barbell... that was sucky.

It's now almost a fortnight since I got it done and I'm in love with it! It will take 3-6 months for it to heal up fully but I'm absolutely thrilled I went through with it. My 2014 list is well and truly underway. I've been minding it like a child, washing it with saline solution twice a day, taking Arnica for the bruising and supplementing Zinc and Glucosamine Sulfate. Zinc and Arnica were listed as useful things to take on the aftercare sheet, and Glucosamine is used to keep cartilage healthy, so it cant hurt to take that. When I'm in the shower, I've been washing it with a tiny blob of antibacterial soap and rinsing it well. So far its healing great and doesn't hurt unless its bumped quite badly.

All in all, I'm glad I went to Wildcat and went through with it. If you wanna check them out, click HERE for their website, HERE for their Facebook and HERE for their Twitter. They have some very talented artists, I've had tattoos done by Kris, and one of their past artists, Mark. As for piercing, you wont find a cleaner or more friendly place in Dublin.

What do you make of my new Conch?
Let me know!!

Motivational Monday 16/12/13

Hey All!

Welcome to a new regular segment on the blog; Motivational Mondays! I find Monday to be a tedious day, that gets very hard to pick up speed. To combat this, I'm going to post a motivational quote, and a bangin' tune to help get Mondays off the ground and heading in the right direction!

First up, the motivational quote, from the recently deceased Nelson Mandela. This man had some serious wisdom to share with the world, so I thought I would share a nugget of it with you.

For this weeks song, I'm going to open strong with Britney Spears' Work Bitch. If this doesn't get you thundering along, well, I don't know what will. She is stating the facts, plain and simple, "Want a Lamborghini, sip Martinis, look hot in a bikini? You better work, bitch!" This song has seen me through plenty of coursework over the last semester, and that's why its my first pick. It's been tried and tested.

I hope this has made your Monday more bearable, and maybe you've been inspired to do something you've been putting off for a while. Whether its going for a walk, finishing the Christmas shopping or hitting the gym, go and kick some ass! I know you can do it!!

Amy
xx

Red Lips for Every Budget

Red Lips are timeless and classic. They can lift a woman's confidence to dizzying heights, bump up her sex appeal and embolden her to boot!

These days I feel I'm pretty qualified to give my opinion on rocking a red lip for every budget! 

Low Budget: 

I have no shame in saying that I find myself drawn to the low budget brands or "bargain" brands, because not only are you getting value for money, but these days you are getting brilliant quality too. 

Brands like Essence and Catrice have taken the beauty market by storm with their pocket-friendly offerings.

Essence Stay Matte Lip Cream in Silky Red is a fantastic red lip color for very little, retailing for €2.49 a tube. If you feel like treating yourself a little more, for €1.89 you can pick up the lipliner to match in the shade Femme Fatale, meaning for under €5, you can rock a beautiful, cool red lip, which wears beautifully and doesn't dry out your lips.

If Essence doesn't take your fancy, why not try some of the other budget offerings by the likes of Catrice, Collection or Natural Collection? I can verify that the Natural Collection lipstick in Crimson is a beautiful, well made lip product and is only 50c more expensive than Essence.

Mid-Range Budget:


The Mid-Range budget, by my reckoning would include the likes of Revlon and Maybelline.
One offering I particularly like is Revlon ColourStay Ultimate Suede in 095 "Finale".

One thing I will say about this lipstick is that upon first application it looks glossy, but as it dries it locks in, beautifully matte and pigmented.

This product is wonderful, I can attest to that. I wore this to lunch during the height of summer, with my mum and it never budged, and I wasn't using a liner with it. At €10.20, it's reasonable, but may be difficult to justify for some budgets.

Now that's a result!!

Top Tip: For extra opacity with this lipcolour, apply a first coat, blot, and then top up with a second coat before allowing to dry. Hello, Hollywood glamour!!



High-End:

Credit to Miss Penny Dreadful
http://misspennydreadful.blogspot.ie

The only lipstick that I think deserves a place here, is the much beloved, insanely popular MAC Retro Matte lippie, Ruby Woo.

This lipstick doesn't come cheap, at €19 a tube, but it is absolutely unbelievable. I would recommend this to anyone who was out to treat themselves to a lovely red lipstick.

Have you a birthday coming up? Need something for the Christmas wishlist? This is the lippie for you!! It has a gorgeous matte finish, lasts for ages, and smells divine.

If you are passing a MAC store, on Henry St or a MAC counter, treat yourself to this baby, I promise you wont regret it. It truly is the best red lipstick I have tried, and trust me, I have tried a lot.

Top Tip: For the best wear time and appearance, be sure to give your lips a good scrub with a sugar-scrub such as Lush Bubblegum Lip-Scrub, and moisturize with a good quality lip-balm. This will avoid it showing up the imperfections we all invariably have on our lips.


Christmas is the time to rock a festive red lip, no matter your budget, there is a red lip for you.
Will you be rocking a festive lip this season?

Amy
x

November Favorites - Beauty Edition

Hidihi, Campers!!

This months favorites is going to take the form of a blog-post, because at the moment, I'm buried under a steadily growing mountain of college work, and I haven't got time to film, never mind edit a video and upload it. I am, however, sitting at the computer and that means that taking a break from assignments mean I can tap out a blog post in double quick time, and in my pajamas to boot!

First on the line up, I have my EOS Lipbalm in Tropical Fruits. This was sent to me when I did a make-up swap with my lovely friend Kayleigh, from all the way over in Florida. During the month of October, I haven't left my house without this little ball of magic! It smells divine and it makes my lips feel so smooth, especially after using my Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub.

Next up, another American gift (does it still count as a gift if you asked for it?) from Kayleigh. The Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation in the shade 801 Ivory. This is the lightest shade, as far as I am aware. This foundation is everything I look for in a foundation. It's great coverage, pretty spot on with my skin tone, and light as a feather. It's got some shine control but I like to be sure of that ability by using my next make-up favorite.

Rimmel London Fix and Perfect Pro Primer. This stuff lay unloved for the longest time in a drawer, because it made my skin feel strange, but I tried it again a few months back, and I haven't regretted it for one moment since. Used alongside my Covergirl foundation, my foundation doesn't crease, slip or wear away in trouble spots. A+

My Maybelline Brow Drama in Medium is my new favorite thing. For a few uses I took um-bridge with the feeling of my brows setting, but now I love it, because it sets my brows tidily but still allows me to raise an eyebrow at people who annoy me!! :D

Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan. This may be my last favorite of the month, but it's definitely not least. I had some trouble with this at first, as my skin didn't seem to react to the DHA after an hour (I was timid). The Cocoa Brown team on Twitter were quick to lend a hand and we figured out that I needed one layer left on for the full time of 3 hours to get a noticeable golden glow. If you are pale like myself, don't worry about leaving it on for the 3 hours maximum time, you wont come out Tangoed, I promise you. I am as pale as the driven snow, and yet, after using Cocoa Brown Tan, I had a natural golden glow.

Those are my beauty favorites for the month of October. What do you think? Is there anything I should try in the month of November?? Let me know! 

Keep an eye out for my Random Favorites!!