Paris Haul

Hey guys,
I was lucky enough to be surprised with a trip to Paris as an early 18th birthday present (my birthday isn't until November but I'll be too busy with school to go then).

I will be uploading some of my photographs from the trip but until then, I thought I would do a Paris haul. Surprisingly I didn't buy too much. I spent most of the trip sightseeing so there wasn't much time for shopping. I also only had hand luggage so I couldn't buy too much.

The first few things I bought were from Disneyland.

The first thing I picked up was a cute little pen. I think this will look so cute to write with and I did need a new pen for school. I just was too adorable to leave there. Plus it was only 4 euro.

This photo album is just so cute. I feel like people don't print off enough photos anymore and I thought it would be nice to have an album with all my Paris photos in them. This cost 17 or 18 euro I believe. Luckily they had an offer that when you spent over 20 euro, you got it for 9 euro (My mam spent over 20 euro so she kindly added it to her stuff).

These little medallions (I think that's what you call them) are a great memento from my trip. The one on the left was bought in Disneyland from a little machine and it cost 2 euro. I love how it says 2015 on it.
The one on the right is from the Eiffel Tower or the Tour Eiffel as it's known as in Paris. I bought this when I climbed up (yes I did say climbed) the Eiffel Tower. It was bought in the gift shop on the first floor and it cost 2.50.

While in the Eiffel Tower gift shop, I bought this little wristband. It's quite skinny which I like and it cost 2 euro. It came in other colours but my favourite was the pink.

All around the tourist areas of Paris, there were people selling things on the streets. I saw this little statue of the Eiffel Tower and instantly wanted it. I had seen it in the Eiffel Tower gift shop for 16 euro but I knew I would get it cheaper on the streets. I ended up buying this for 5 euro which I think is a bargain! They did have a slightly bigger one which I would have loved but it wouldn't have fit in my suitcase.

On our last day we did a small bit of shopping on the Champs Élysées (by shopping I mean mainly window shopping – it is filled with luxury shops like Louis Vuitton, Cartier, numerous car shops and Swarovski). Along the street there were little small independent shops selling newspapers, magazines and souvenirs. I saw this gorgeous little necklace and had it buy it. It was only 5 euro and I’ve already gotten so many compliments for it.

In Charles De Gaulle airport, I bought this pack of Kinder Buenos. I love these so much and hadn't had any in a few months. I think this cost around 7 euro. 

If you've read my post about my Beauty Wishlist (linked here) you'll know I have been lusting after the Core Collection for a while. I bought these from the inflight duty free. They are usually around 28 euro but I got them for 20 euro. 

I hope you enjoyed seeing every I bought in Paris. Even though it wasn't a lot, I'm really happy with everything I bought. 

Let me know if you've ever been to Paris and your opinion!

 

Review - Harry Potter: Page to Screen

Hey guys,

I recently got very lucky and was able to get my hands on the Harry Potter: Page to Screen book. I had been lusting after this book for a long long time but couldn't justify spending over €70 on a book (plus my mam would have killed me for spending that kind of money on it). Luckily, I had been scrolling through Donedeal (which is an Irish website selling secondhand goods) when I came across this book. It was less than half the price of a brand new copy but had barely been read. I knew I had to have it.

I'm currently still in the process of reading the book from cover to cover but I'm almost finished so I'm sure I can give a pretty accurate review. I have one word. Fantastic. This book is so much better than I had expected. It has such in depth descriptions of the making of all the movies, the sets and characters. There are so many interesting things that I love finding out too. I hadn't realised that Daniel Radcliffe had to do six months of a scuba diving course in order to film the second task in the Goblet of Fire. It really shows the amount of work that the actors put in to their films.

One thing that I found so interesting was the fact that their were two Hagrids! Yes I know I was surprised too. The actor chosen to play Hagrid in the films was Robbie Coltrane but he wasn't as tall as the Hagrid from the books so another actor was brought in. This was Martin Bayfield who was almost 7' tall. He wore a prosthetic head and a body in order to give Hagrid his appearance as described in the book. I love finding out different facts about the films.

The book is split into two main parts. The first is the Making of Harry Potter which discusses the making of all eight films. This takes up about a third of the book. The next part is The Art of Harry Potter which discusses characters, location, creatures and artifacts.

The main thing about this book is that it shows you all the small details that really tied all the movies together and connected with the books. This book is definitely not a book to read while travelling because it is the heaviest book ever. It reminds me of one of the books that you would see Hermione reading for some "light reading".

These are probably my favourite illustrations

The illustrations in this book are absolutely fantastic. So much work has gone in to the production of these films and you really see that in this book. There are even architects drawings of the Hogwarts castle. The photographs and drawings really add to this book and the colours are so beautiful.

I would recommend this book to anyone with a huge interest in Harry Potter - there's a lot of reading so if you don't love Harry Potter, I would advise you not to buy it.

What's your favourite Harry Potter book or film?

Beauty Wishlist - June 2015

Hey guys,

Summer is finally here! Well sort of. I'm on holidays from school but the weather certainly isn't like summer. Irish weather is so unpredictable.

As someone who is obsessed with beauty products and makeup, it is very easy to accumulate a long list of products that I want to try. Unfortunately, I can't afford to buy everything that I want but I'm going to share with you some of my wishlist.

Benefit Roller Lash Mascara

I've seen so many beauty bloggers and vloggers raving about this mascara and I'm desperate to try it. It makes people's eyelashes look so beautiful and curly without using an eyelash curler (which by the way I can't use properly). People have even said that it's better than Benefit's They're Real mascara. The reason I haven't bought it yet is because of the price tag. I'm not sure I would be able to justify spending €26 on a mascara at the moment. I will buy it eventually though. I'm sure it will be worth the wait. 

Real Techniques Core Collection

This has been on my radar for a while now. I'm sure I will bite the bullet soon and purchase it but for now it's just on my wishlist. Real Technique brushes are my favourite (from the ones that I've tried anyway). I love the look of them too. They would look so pretty on my dressing table! At the moment, I'm very tempted to buy them because they are on offer for almost €24 which is amazing! 

EOS Lip Balm

On Instagram, I always see these lip balms and I always want some. Unfortunately, they aren't available in Ireland as far as I know. They aren't very expensive but as lip balms go, they are a little on the pricey side. They look so interesting though and the scents sound great. I haven't smelled any of them but I'm sure they live up to their names. I've seen a limited edition pack of two EOS lip balms which I think I want the most. It has a watermelon scent and a passion fruit scent. I'm sure the watermelon one smells fantastic. 

The Body Shop Glow Boosting Moisturiser

After hearing Kate (DollyBowBow) talk about this in one of her videos, I knew that I needed this product. It is especially for dull and tired skin which describes my skin perfectly at the moment. Vitamin C is great for brightening and adding a glow to your skin. I think this might be the first product that I buy from my wishlist. 

I have many more products on my wishlist but I don't want to bore you with it as it is never ending! I'm always adding new products to the list. 

What's on your beauty wishlist at the moment?

Mid May Favourites

Hey guys,
I've been MIA for a while but I'm back now and I hope to have a regular schedule.

It's only the beginning of May but I already have a lot of favourites.

Zoella Beauty Body Mist
I bought this a few weeks ago and I am in love with it. As you can see, the bottle is absolutely gorgeous which makes it perfect to display on my dressing table. It has a really fresh floral scent and is quite sweet. These are my favourite type of perfumes and it's great to have a body mist that smells like this. It was quite cheap too. I'll definitely be continuing to wear this for the rest of May.

Neutrogena Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit Moisturiser
I had been looking for a new moisturiser as my old one had ran out and this one is great. It makes my skin feel really soft and helps with spots. It also smells really nice. It was around €6 which is a bargain and is great if you're on a budget.

W7 Absolute Lashes Mascara
This mascara is amazing! It's a dupe for the Benefit They're Real Mascara. I haven't tried the Benefit mascara but this one is incredible. It goes on really nicely and makes my eyelashes look really volumised with no clumps. I think it was only €4 so it is definitely a complete steal! The only downfall of this mascara is that it doesn't come off very easily.

Vaseline Intensive Care Hand Cream
This stuff is a God send! My hands don't suffer badly from dryness but this stuff makes them feel so soft. Even after one use, my hands feel so much nicer and softer. This stuff smells amazing and a little goes a long way. It's also the perfect size to just throw into your handbag. I would definitely recommend this.

Tanya Burr Lipgloss
This is the only Tanya Burr lipgloss that I own and I will definitely be purchasing more. This is in the shade 'I Found Nemo'. This is such a pretty coral colour. It's not drying at all on the lips and there is a great colour pay off. It also smells like strawberries which is amazing.

Barry M Speedy Quick Dry Nail Polish
This is amazing! It is the new quick dry polish from Barry M and they really do dry quickly. This one is called 'In a Heart Beat'. This is my new favourite nail colour. It's so pretty and the perfect colour for spring/summer. I'm definitely going to be buying more from this range.

I hope you enjoyed reading this. I noticed as I was writing this post, that there is a real pink theme running through.

Let me know if you have any mid May favourites yet.

FOTD

Hey guys,

I was reading through some of Zoe's (Zoella) old blog posts and saw that she used to do FOTD, which is Face of the Day. I was inspired to do one of my own.

Face:
♥ Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in Ivory
♥ Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer in Ivory
♥ Natural Collection Pressed Powder in Cool
♥ Essence Blush in Groupie at Heart

Eyes:

♥ In the Buff Palette - Silk all over lid 
♥ In the Buff Palette - Thunder on the crease
♥ In the Buff Palette - Topaz on half the lid

 ♥ PS Love Eyeliner

♥ PS Love Mascara

Lips:

♥ Baby Lips Lip Balm in Cherry Me

Meeting Donal Skehan

Hi guys!

It was my birthday last week and one of my presents was tickets to see Donal Skehan on his Homecooked Tour. For those of you who don't know who he is, he is an amazing chef from Ireland and he is self taught! I think that's incredible. I have wanted to meet Donal for a while now so I was so excited for the night. 

Oh his face :') | Photo by me

It was on last Saturday night and it was so much better than I had expected. Donal is exactly the same as he is on the tv on his show Kitchen Hero. He is hilarious and he got the audience so involved in what he was doing. It was a small venue so it was more cosy. Donal cooked five dishes which were Pad Thai, Fish Tacos, Tiramisu, Brioche French Toast with berries and Nutella and Cheesy Ham Hock Spinach Crepes. I think my favourite would have to be the Brioche French Toast with Berries and Nutella! Donal also got the audience involved in the show as he did an egg whisking contest and a pancake flipping competition. Donal nearly choked us all when he was cooking the Pad Thai as all the spices and things in were so strong. 

Me at Donal's work area

Donal brought his own kitchen table on the tour

After the show, there was a meet and greet with Donal. I went near the end because I needed Donal to do me a favour. When it was my turn, Donal asked me if I enjoyed the show and general chit chat while he signed my cookbook. He was so sweet and nice. I had asked him earlier that day if he would sign a noticeboard for me for a company we set up in school. He agreed and he delivered! I spent about 10 minutes with him which was incredible. 

Me and Donal! 

Donal and the noticeboard

Hope you enjoyed this post! 

This or That: Beauty Edition

Hey guys! I found this tag online and I liked it! Hope you enjoy.


MAKEUP:
blush or bronzer  Blush
lip gloss or lipstick   Lipstick
eye liner or mascara    Eyeliner
foundation or concealer   Foundation
neutral or color eye shadow  Neutral
pressed or loose eye shadows  Pressed
brushes or sponges  Brushes

NAILS:
OPI or china glaze   OPI
Long or short   Long
Acrylic or natural   Natural
Brights or darks   Brights
Flower or no flower  No flower

BODY:
perfume or body splash  Perfume
lotion or body butter  Lotion
body wash or soap  Body wash
lush or other bath company  Lush
 
FASHION:
jeans or sweat pants  Jeans
long sleeve of short   Short sleeve
dresses or skirts   Dresses
stripes or plaid   Stripes
flip flops or sandals   Sandals
scarves or hats   Scarves
studs or dangly earrings   Studs
necklaces or bracelets   Necklaces
heels or flats    Flats
cowboy boots or riding boots  Neither
jacket or hoodie   Hoodie
forever 21 or charlotte russe  Forever 21
abercombie or Hollister   Hollister
saks 5th or nordstrom   Neither

HAIR:
curly or straight   Curly
bun or ponytail    Ponytail
bobby pins or butterfly clips   Bobby Pins
hair spray or gel    Hair Spray
long or short    Long
light or dark    Dark
side swept bangs or full bangs   Side Swept
up or down   Down

I tag all of you to try this tag!