Thursday 30 January 2014

What I Wore To: Tinder Date

If you read my Show and Tell 2 post you'll see I went to the Big city to meet a chap I had been chatting to on Tinder. I think half my friends thought I was mad and was going to be kidnapped but I had chosen the place to meet and I had an ok feeling in my gut and you got put yourself out there and all that jazz.




Base: Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector
Brows; Mudhonety from Soap and Glorys "Whats Nude?" Pallette.
Blush:  "Love art First Blush" Soap and Glory
Lips: Catrice  Pure Shine Colour Lip Balm in "Don't Think Just Pink"
Scent: Realised I forgot Perfume and ran to Debenhams and tried Marc Jacobs Honey for the first time.
So fresh smelling you need to smell it ASAP

Outfit: My Trusty High waited Black jeans, Black and White striped shirt, H&M scarf and my "Sherlock" Jacket. I think I was more nervous than I realised because I forgot to get an outfit picture, OOPS

While there was no sparks between us (and I mean NO sparks) I enjoyed the experience of the date.
I think I was a bit paranoid after watching so many episodes of Catfish and did half expect a 45 yr old man to show up.

Have you any outfit posts?? What would you wear for a coffee date

Tuesday 28 January 2014

Lit NitWit: Citadel

Can you tell I like alliteration?? I love Books based in World War 2, The Silver Sword, Goodnight Mr Tom, The Boy in The Striped Pajamas to name but a few. I don't really what it is about it, maybe because it was relatively not too long ago and people are still alive that lived through it, and it is really interesting to me.

I was in a bookshop in Dundalk, and I spotted Citadel by Kate Mosse




Carcassonne 1942
A spirited and courageous young woman, Sandrine finds herself drawn into the world of the resistance in Carcassonne under German Occupation...

I enjoyed this book immensly! Love stories and World War 2, you can't  go wrong! Oh my it was some read. I felt there was a small bit of filing in the 3rd quarter but other than that it was so enjoyable. The development of the main character was well done and the storyline  is unlike anything I've read before. There is actually also a mini story that runs along the main text which follows Arinius in 342AD carrying out his calling, which is linked to the main story too
 How often is there a WW2 book with a fantasy undertone?? (I'm trying  not to give anything away)

This is actually the third book in an interconnected series. Labyrinth (which was recently made into a TV series with Tom Felton I believe) and Sepulchre are the first two. I didn't realise this until after I had started, they are all connected and have intertwining characters but are all readable independently. I understood 99%, but I would recommend reading the first two to have an absolute understanding if you get my drift.

Also yes I did tear up at the end (while in my brothers martial arts class, and got an odd look from a 11 year old)

Have you read any of Kate Mosses' books?? What are you reading at the moment??
The 

Sunday 26 January 2014

Show and Tell 2

Somehow I never got round to writing one of these last week so now I have two weeks of activities (because I do SO many things..........)

What a coincidence this was what my calendar said on the
day of my date !
One of the more out of my comfort zone things I did do in the last few weeks was go on a coffee date ! It doesn't happen very often that I would go on anything at all resembling a date like ever  EVER but I had been chatting to him for a while on Tinder (nifty little app if you're single and want to see who's about) but I went and while the date wasn't the best thing (you won't be hearing any wedding bells from
me..........for a long time) and the coffee was probab....no definitely the best part (the cookie and cream desert in Cafe Depeche is also class), Even though it wasn't the most  successful adventure I was still happy out that I did it.




After the date I visited my brothers and I amused myself ordering a Dominoes pizza using the app (One of the worst things about moving from a big town to a small town is the lack of Dolminoes, Pizza hut and McDonalds... #firstworldproblems)

My friends, the frog and myself before the 'frog attack'
My lovely friend Sarah is moving Allll the way to Dublin so I've been trying to hang out with her as much as I can, we've been friends our whole lives, and are third generation friends (our fathers and grandfathers were all friends too). So last Friday we headed off to the cinema and decided we'd see The Wolf of Wallstreet. I thought it was a really really good film and if anyone else has seen it can we agree the Country club scene (don't want to spoil anything so I'll just say Country Club scene) was one of the funniest scenes I've ever seen! I don't know if Mr Leo will win an Oscar but we shall see!


This week she also had a night out in Cork City. It was a Thu so  we headed to The Voodoo Rooms because its 21s so I didn't feel very old so that's always good. Saying that the super sized Jenga and Connect four and The animal balloon man were highly entertaining. We had a balloon frog....until someone bit it and we were all heartbroken!!


I have half started doing yoga too. I was running and all of a sudden my back starts aching and got worse and worse over two days, so I youtubed Yoga for beginners and, really enjoyed it. I've to look into Yoga classes near me but so far the youtube tutorials are doing just fine for the moment. Being more flexible is not going to do me any harm at the very least :)




My most recent discovery is Orphan Black!! OH my, its some show!!! It only has one season so far so I am not allowing myself marathon it. It follows the story of Sarah Manning who on just returning to NYC witnesses the suicide of a woman who looks exactly like her. Its so quick paced and I'm actually addicted. If you're like me and you have to IMDB everything before you watch it. hold back on IMDBing it until you get to the 3rd episode, just trust me :)





Oh also I finished my cross stitch of the panda!
My panda looks slightly more evil than the one in the picture but I'm happy out with it :)







That has been my RIVETING two weeks. I think I may start doing outfit posts so you can see what I wear on Boy Dates and Girl Dates etc. I'm off now to go for a run and head to more going away drinks. Its so ironic when I come back to my home town after 4 years, my three best friends are all leaving.... have a nice week :)

Friday 24 January 2014

Haul fired up!

Opps, I headed off to Cork last week accidentally wandered into Boots and New Look........I blame my cousin for enabling me to buy  the make up !!


I chose the Colour Fair
The reason I went into Boots in the first place was to but the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer...but they were all out. Instead after reading and seeing Kate AKA Ghostparties raving about the seventeen phwoarr paint. I have it in fair and I was interested to see how it compared to the Collection lasting perfection and Benefits Boing concealer, both of which I use religiously.










While I was at the seventeen counter the Flawless Poreless Primer also caught my eye. The only primer I have ever had was a sample size of Benefits Porefessional (which is amazing) but I wanted an affordable primer I could wear going to work or go out. Unlike Porefessional it comes in pressed powder typecontainer. I'm looking forward to trying it out before work.








The highstreet/drugstore make up I love the most has to be Bourjois. The majority of my foundations have been Bourjois and I love their eye shadows. On this particular trip there was a Buy One get one half price, so they twisted my arm and I purchased theBourjois Colour Edition 24H in Or Desir and the 1 Seconde Gel Texture Nail Polish in Beige Distiction. The Cream to powder eyeshadow looks like a rose-gold/brown but comes up much more sheer on the skin. I plan on using this as an eyelid primer for my Naked Palette as well as wearing it on its own.The Nail Polish is a nude with an salmon undertone. Instead of nude nails, it almost Looks like the colour of Barbies' nails in my opinion, I like it, a change from the nudes with a more of a brown/grey undertone.






The final thing I bought in Boots was the ecotools Fresh and Flawless Five Piece complexion set. This set has a flat concealer brush, a buffing concealer brush, a precision foundation brush, a complexion blending brush and a full powder brush. I don't know if I'll use all the brushes for their intended purposes but they are super soft and cruelty free so I shall give em a whirl and get back to ye.



I ran out of my foundation recently and I went to my local pharmacy to try out the new bourjois Healthy Mix foundation...........but they were out of my shade, and I needed a foundation for work so I ended up picking up the Catrice Photo Finish 18 hour liquid foundation and I picked up the colour rosy beige. This has a higher coverage than I'm used to, so I am only really wearing it at night, but it is long lasting and matches me well and the price is reasonable for the amount of product you get.









Glamazona
Don't Think just Pink
L-Don't Think just Pink
R-Glamazona











I also picked up two of the Catrice Pure Shine colour lip balms  in the Colours 'Don't think just pink' and 'Glamazona'. 'Glamazona' was limited edition but it a gorgeous hot pink and Don't Think Just Pink is a very cute nude-pink. I love these because I can just pop them into my bag and apply them on the go. They're not too sticky and they are lovely and moisturising. I highly recommend them.




And Finally the last thing I bought recently were these black lace up ankle boots. I had been on the lookout for some black boots and thought I actually wanted some Chelsea boots, but I saw these and they just called out to me. when I wear them I kinda feel like I should be off trekking somewhere I've never been before and they're cute and didn't cost too much either.



OK deep breath, that was quite a lot of stuff. If you'd like to know about any of the things I got in more detail comment or tweet me @niamhmlny.

Tuesday 21 January 2014

Product Review: La Roche Posay Physiological Cleansing Gel

As I am the grand old age of 23, I decided it was time to move on from the cleansers I used as a teenager, such as Clean and Clear and Neurtogena and get a cleanser more grown up and professional sounding. I was finding my nose was also getting really dried out looking so I put my voucher for the local pharmacy to good use. I chose the La Roche Posay Cleansing gel, and I'm glad I did.










This is a thick consistency gel and can also be used as a make up remover. I use it in the mornings and apply with my fingers, it has a subtle flowery scent and with the thermal water helps leave the face feeling clean but not stripped as the cheaper ones I am used to buying seem to do, and my skin feels thoroughly cleansed. I don't have the most sensitive skin, but as it is free from colour, paraben, soap and alcohol, I don't think it would aggravate sensitive skin types. You can buy it here



Whats your everyday cleanser?

Thursday 16 January 2014

Closet Confidential TAG

I saw Fleurdeforces' new tag come out about a month ago and
I thought I'd give the TAG a whirl. I had to think for a while about some of em to be honest.





1.Oldest Item: I've had these skinny jeans since the beginning of TY I believe. That's about seven years! I think they are just as cool as I did when I was 16! Since they are a low cut jeans I wear them with a longer t-shirt, I don't wear them quite as often as I did before, and I don't know why, the colour is lovely and they are very comfy jeans. Taking them out and trying them on has reignited a love for them again.











2.Newest Item/Biggest Bargain. I don't know if this is allowed but I did buy it very recently and it was a great bargain. I bought this in New Look with my Christmas Voucher. It was down from 60 Euro to 18 Euro, a massive bargain! I call this my Sherlock Jacket because it reminds of the one Benedict Cumberbatch wore, the colour and the collar and i dont care if you disagree in my head I am a consulting detective!!










3. Most Expensive Item: I bought this Guess bag the day of The World Cup while I was on my J1. I actually paid for this just with my tips from that day (it was a busy one). I think it was around $100 and I have used it to absolute death, I even used it today!














4.Cheapest/Most worn item: I LIVE in leggings! I do normally wear them with a shirt or long top, but they are just so comfy and easy to wear, particularly if I'm just doing a few things around the house!








5. Biggest Bargain: See 2!!


6. Biggest waste of money:  I'm going to be honest I don't think I have something to put here. When I moved down from college I had a huge clearout of clothes so I really only have things that I like and wear so I going to have to leave this blank.....

*BONUS QUESTION*
3 favourite items:






The first item that springs to mind are my high waisted jeans from River Island. I loved them so much I accidentally faded them quite a bit in a short time, but they have been revived with the help of Dylons Washing Machine Dye and I wore them for the time since the redye and I think they look all better again.










The second item is this grey pullover from The Gap. My aunt gave me this after she visited NYC on Black Friday a few  years ago. Holy God it is so so warm. It does shed a small but the fact it's such a nice shade of grey and again it is so so warm I don't mind.









Just call me Mrs. Holmes...





I got this scarf from my best friend Niamh K (when she saw it she just knew how much I'd like it) and its just lovely. It goes lovely with the "Sherlock Jacket" which is a great coincidence and I wear it so much. It is also from New Look and it such a lovely colour and design. Can you guess I like to wear blue :)













That was a lovely Tag. If you've done it send me on the links, I'm quite nosey and I'd like to have a peek inside your wardrobes :)

Monday 13 January 2014

Show and Tell 2

Hey there! Another week gone/flown past. It was an odd week as we had a death of an in law and heading to the next town over for three days to pay your respects and say goodbye, and hoping she's in a better place.

I like my new hair :)
First thing I did this week was get a hair cut. There is only an inch of a difference between my hair being cute and a nest really. I got a bit of a side fringe and I took some of the weight off and I'm far more happy with it. I started being silly with the shampoo and conditioner I've been using (just buying whichever is easiest) and I need to cop on and pay attention because it has gotten quite dry which doesnt help with the nest like appearance 
 








The start of the week was quite interesting. About two weeks ago Philip DeFranco mentioned the app Duolingo, an app to help learn languages. So I have downloaded and decided (don't ask me why) to start learning french. I learned it for a short time in Secondary School, and I forgot how hard the grammar is, but I am still doing the lessons everyday and I do get a bit proud of myself everytime I finish the lesson. I mentioned to the people I work with that I was and one of the guys said I should be learning some IT stuff instead. So I literally googled 'HOW TO HTML' and came across Codecademy and I am learning about how websites are created and how to edit them. I may never use these skills again but I have been learning things since I was 4 years old and I have no intention in stopping.





On Wednesday I scarpered up to the Big smoke to go out and visit my brother and my best friend, who is off to London in a few weeks. We had a lovely time and headed to The Old Oak where we had a huge heart to heart as the band played 'Wagon Wheel'. Then we headed to Fast Al's for pizza and we got a Rickshaw back to her place, we were chased for a while by a slightly drunk 19 year old but that only made the night more funny. 

And lets not forget Cafe Depeche. Hands down the best Chai Lattes in all of Cork, its also where my friend used to work so she knew everyone there. I finished the visit to Cork with a visit to Wagamamas. I believe I had the Nikujaga from their new lunch menu. I do love their Lemonade! 


I
have been appointed house cook it seems. Last week I eased myself into it with carrot and parsnip soup and cheese covered Cauliflower, and I really only made them because carrots, parsnips and cauliflower happened to be in the house, they turned out nice so whoo, never mind Jamie Oliver,









Two fairly random purchases this week. The first is
a Panda cross stitch. I did cross stitch for my Junior Certificate Home Economics project and I enjoyed it, so I picked this up for 2.50.
The other purchase was Dylons Colour Renovator. I have a pair of High Waisted Jeans from River Island and I've worn them quite a bit and they are getting faded so I  thought I'd try and revive them a small bit. I have only ever tried to dye something once and that was........unsuccessful so I'll let you know how that goes.



I've also discovered George Ezra via spotify this week. Glad I stumbled upon him. Really catchy song, not too shabby looking either  :)

Hope your week went well :) Are you learning anything outside your comfort zone ??

Thursday 9 January 2014

My favourite Running Apps

Up until the summer of 2012 I had absolutely NO interest in running at all at all. Then I ended up coming home from London earlier than expected a I had to study for repeat exams (Learn from my mistakes, and pass first time round!!). In the first two years of college the lbs had started to creep up on me too.
So there I was at home studying basically non stop, and my mother suggested I join up with the running group which had a beginners class starting that week. Then I got the bug a little bit, running three times a week was clearing my head after the study and the running and considerate eating helped with the college tum too.

When I went back to college I did consider joining a running club there too, but with a college schedule that changed basically every week as well as placements in different places, I decided against it as I wouldn't be able to definitely say I was going to be available every week. In the end I downloaded some apps and tried them out and ran when I was able and that way kept my sanity a little bit.

The app I've been using the longest is the app RunKeeper . This is a brilliant free app that helps you keep an eye on aspects of your running such as distance, the time you've been running, your pace. It also provides training regimens if you want to run 5K,  lose weight or speed your running up. It also allows you to post your runs on facebook and twitter and connect with your friends to compare your runs. I like this app as you can see the progression you are making easily and the report you get after your run about the breakdown of the run is always interesting.










The second app I discovered and love is the app Zombies, Run!. I discovered this after seeing reviews on tumblr and I thought I'd give it a go.  You are Runner 5. Hundreds of lives are counting on you. You've got to help your base rebuild from the ruins of civilization by collecting critical supplies while avoiding roving zombie hordes. Can you save them and learn the truth about the zombie apocalypse? 

If you enjoy things like The Walking Dead you'll really enjoy this app. You have the option of turning on zombie chases or not. I recommend you keep it on, the sound of zombies behind you really spurs you on. As you run you collect objects, which can be used to improve your base, which you can see on the open menu, but if you do get caught by the zombies you lose the supplies. This app also monitors pace and timing and with both apps your own running playlists are used. I love using this app as the chases help improve your overall pace in general and you do feel extra special having outrun the zombies and helping the township. The missions are 30/60 but if you choose to run for 40
minutes for example, radio mode kicks in. Two citizens from the township
have set up a radio station and you can listen in to them chattering away.
Zombies chases and collection of items still happen too

If as part of your New Years Resolution have decided to get more fit or either or these apps appeal to you, I thoroughly recommend you downloading these apps. They help my desire to run and keep me spurred on to keep doing what I am doing.I wont  be running any marathons anytime soon but anything that makes me enjoy my runs more is good in my book

These are only two of countless running apps. Have you any favourite running apps??

Monday 6 January 2014

Show and Tell 1

The first week of January is already over and so far the year has been interesting indeed.
I rang in the New Year in the Nightclub where I work with some champagne with my coworkers, and my New Year kiss (on the cheek) was my first ever crush.....from when I was like 6 yrs old. 
  


That blue dot is my brother
After eating our weight in turkey, ham and other assorted Christmas time goodies and making some resolutions (wearing jewelry and make up more frequently, taking better care of my skin and nails, not eating pasta, reading everyday) The fam and I headed to Mahon falls which is in Co. Waterford about 40 minutes from where I live. I don'k know why its been 23 years to get there. A lot of leaving certificate Geography words such as scree, U shaped Mountain, meanders were all mentioned. It was really fun walking, and climbing up and just being outside. And talk about fresh water :)




So Professional looking






To finish off the lads Christmas holidays the three of us and our cousin went bowling. I was slightly apprehensive about going as my name in secondary school was gutterball because I was just horrendous at the game but I didn't do to bad and we all had a grand aul time at the alley.











Home made Face scrub
Coffee and sugar scrub





















I've gone through all my Honey and Sugar scrub (which honestly has done great stuff to my legs and I highly recommend making it) but I wanted to try one with coffee grounds as caffeine is supposed to do wonders with the toxins that build up in the legs. I found the wake me up scrub here but honestly if I was to do it again I would add more sugar and oil and decrease the amount of coffee (I'd maybe do equal parts brown sugar and coffee and use more than also increase the amount of oil) and DO be prepared to wash your shower down a few times. I also wanted to make a face scrub and the oatmeal face scrub appealed to me because of the porridge and also egg is good for shrinking pores, but with the milk and egg it only lasts a few days and does dry out but I just added water. I wasnt sure weather or not it worked well, but in the words of Ingrid AKA missglamourazzi  I had a zombie pimple and the scrub in combination with some sudocream dealt with it! I also thoroughly enjoyed the new episode of Sherlock. All in all not a bad week, start as you mean to go on and all that :)


How was your week???? Did you make any resolutions??