The Voice of Ireland

I'm assuming most of you watch the Voice of Ireland? If not it is an Irish show where singers from all over Ireland perform Blind Auditions where the judges cannot see them, therefore they are judged solely on their voice. The auditions started a few weeks back and if you were watching them you would of seen my friend Erica O'Hara audition! She plucked up the courage to apply for The Voice this year and made it through to the Blind Auditions (not as easy as you think). I'm so glad she did  go for it as she is such an amazing singer, I always get slightly jealous when I listen to her sing ( do not have a single note in my head!!!). I know I am late with this as the live shows are now starting but as I said before I just could not find the time to blog! Anyway her audition aired on the 10th February @ 6:30p.m. and here it is:

Erica O'Hara's Blind Audition

It is so weird typing your friends name into Youtube and seeing that she s trending worldwide! She was so nervous ( as were we watching it!!!) but Jamelia spotted her potential and turned her chair around. You can clearly see how happy Jamelia is to have Erica on her team and how proud her Mum and Dad are! She goes on to the next round which is the Battles where she goes head to head with Roisin Carlin, who is also an amazing singer. Erica looked so comfortable on stage and really gave it her all, they both put on a great performance which was very entertaining to watch. Check out their battle here:

Roisin vs Erica in the Battles

Unfortunately Erica did not make it through to the live shows but I am so proud of her for having the courage to audition for this show and make it to the Battles. This is not the end for her and I know she will go on to do greater things in the future as she is unbelievably talented and this show has created openings and opportunities for her. 

Our Voice Party

Until next time,

Liz X

More Blogging

I have been slack with the blogs lately as I just cant find the time to write them and take all the required pictures but I have decided to get back into it as I have been told it looks good on your C.V., showing your IT skills are more advanced that just typing a document in Microsoft Word! I will be blogging about topics of interest to me such as celebrity news, my love for Fashion and also my love for books (50 Shades of Grey at the minute!!!) and also finishing some unfinished drafts, so everybody WATCH THIS SPACE!

Until next time,
Liz X

Party Season

As it is coming up to Christmas, we all have different occasions to attend and we want to be looking our best. I always try to keep up with the latest fashion trends and this festive season it's all about metallics and sequins but everyone has their own taste and style and there are party dresses out there to suit every shape. You can show off your curves in glamorous body-con dress or go for a super sexy skater dress. Also keep an eye out for peplum tops to emphasize your waist or choose bold Aztec prints to show off your tan. While I was browsing through fashion sites I spotted some lovely outfits that represent this season's latest trends. I have picked out my top 3 outfits for this party season. Have a look and see what you think, it might even give you a few ideas!

Sarah Sequin Cap Sleeve V Back Dress

Firstly, is the glamorous body-con sequin dress for all those of you who want to show off them lovely curves and be bang on trend. The sequins are not to over-powering and you can't go wrong with an LBD ( Little Black Dress)  in your wardrobe. Team this dress with sky-scraper heels and a glam little clutch and you are ready to hit the town. You can accessorise with some fabulous earrings also for the ultimate glamourista look. This dress is available from boohoo.com for €45.00 with free delivery for the month of December and 10% student discount.

Celine Baroque Print Peplum 

Next up, is the Peplum top which has been a major hit this season. This peplum top features a sleeveless design tat shows off your shoulders while the gold design add glamour to your outfit. The length is perfect for emphasising your small waist and teaming with high waisted black skinny trousers or with black wet look leggings. If desired, pair with a pencil skirt for a stylish silhouette. This top is available from iclothing.ie for €25.00 with standard delivery cost of €4.50. 

Polly Bandeau Skater Dress

Finally, the Skater Dress which is the ultimate sexy look. It will also give you an ultra flattering shape and will bring you to any occasion. Team with a statement necklace to add to the minimalistic bodice and chunky heels or change it up with a fitted blazer and platform sandals. Red is also the perfect colour for the Christmas season. This dress is available from boohoo.com for €30.00 and comes in a range of different colours. 

Until next time,

Liz X

White Chocolate Cheescake

I am not a big fan of cheesecake but when my Mammy came home with this recipe I found a new love for cheesecake. It is truly divine, slightly on the heavy side and not suitable if you are on a diet of any kind as it is so fattening but once you have one bite you can't help but stay eating. I decided I would share this recipe with my fellow bloggers :) 

Ingredients:

Base:

-1/2 pack of digestive biscuits (more or less pending on how thick you want the base)

-80g melted butter

Topping:

-small carton of cream - thickened

1/2 mug of caster sugar

-2 x 200g bars of white chocolate (purple cardboard cover in Lidl is the best)

-2 x 200g Philadelphia cream cheese

To decorate:

-bashed up flake/raspberries or whatever you fancy :)

Method:

1. Prepare base: bash biscuits and mix with melted butter and press into cake tin (line it with clingfilm so it is easy to lift out)
2. Lightly whip cream and leave to one side
3. With electric mixer, mix Philadelphia and caster sugar together until really smooth
4. Melt chocolate and add cream and chocolate to Philadelphia and sugar and continue to mix until really smooth
5. Pour onto biscuit base and refrigerate (over night is best - if you can wait)
6. Decorate as desired and enjoy!

It should turn out something like this:

Enjoy!

Until next time,

Liz X

Law&Order:SVU

Law & Order: SVU has started its 14th season this year and it is even better than ever with new detectives and new cases to investigate. I first came across the episodes when I was up late one night flicking through the channels and saw that there was an episode of SVU just after starting so I decided to watch it and have been addicted ever since. I have the series recording on Sky+ and I think I have seen every single episode at this stage. The detectives investigate rape cases in New York so as you can imagine the scenes are graphic and the storyline are brutal but they keep you on edge throughout. Just to give you a glimpse of how this season started:

Picking up where the thirteenth-season final left off, Special Victims Unit boss Captain Cragen (Dan Florek) has woken up with a dead woman in his bed - the witness who previously approached Detective Amaro (the still vastly under appreciated Danny Pino). Cragen can't remember how she got there, but we learn through flashbacks that she wasn't as innocent as she wanted him or Amaro to believe. It's a classic setup, one that we've seen on cop shows before, but what holds our attention isn't the "what happened" but the "how is he going to get out of it?" 

Cast of Law & Order:SVU

It was a pleasant surprise to see Dean Winters reprise his role as Detective Brian Cassidy. He is an entirely different person now and the only thing that rings hollow with his return is Benson's renewed romantic interest in him, which seems more like a knee-jerk reaction than anything else, and doesn't add anything to the story. We've seen a number of short-lived romantic partners for Benson over the course of the series, most recently David Hayden (Harry Connick, Jr.) last season, and it feels as if the show ought to finally allow her a long-term romantic relationship.

Actors Mariska Hargitay & Dean Winters

Amongst all these strong performances, though, the winner here is Dann Florek, who continues to add more and more to the character of Captain Cragen. Cragen is probably the shows most stable character - both in terms of time served and how he is always there for his detectives through all the drama they have faced.  Having played him for the better part of twenty-two years, it's amazing that he hasn't tired of the role or run out of places to take the character.

Actor Dan Florek "Captain Cragen"

SVU​ writers do a good job of refreshing the audience's memory as well as keeping all their plot threads in order. With two major antagonists and characters coming in and out of the narrative, there's enough information to need a flowchart, but the two episodes never feel cluttered. The plot moves along at a fairly steady pace, and even though it doesn't always ring true, it's consistently entertaining and hints at places the season could take all of the characters. 

Detectives Benson & Stabler

While there's a lot of talk about the ​Law&Order​ formula, ​SVU​ it has still managed to flesh out 14 seasons without losing momentum or the interest of their audience. There is still plenty to explore with these new characters, and Season 14 should continue the momentum established by its predecessor. I know I am looking forward to the exciting episodes ahead. 

Catch Law& Order:SVU on Universal at 9:00p.m on Sunday nights. 

Until next time,

Liz X

Piranha Promotion

Last night me and my friend were asked to do a promotion night in The Field Bar, Kilkenny. We were asked to promote the drink Piranha, I was delighted when I heard this because I'm a big fan of this drink and I also love doing promotional events. The Field is a pretty small pub in Kilkenny and we weren't sure what to expect but when we got there it was packed with people of all ages, there was live entertainment and a great buzz in the place. We were given outfits which consisted of a blue and black body-con dress, belts to hold the drinks and a pouch for our money and also a sash to hold the shot glasses in. You never know what you have to wear till you get there so luckily enough this wasn't too much of a shock! I done a promotional event for Centra once and I had to dress up as one of the Centra family with a big bobble head and massive shoes, it was hilarious! We were also given free merchandise for the customers when they bought a drink, piranha t-shirts and Santa hats! We got to work straight away selling shots of piranha for €2 and even though there was already free shots been given at the bar a lot of people still bought the shots of us which was good news for us because we were promoting the brand and making profit for the bar. I think these promotional nights are a brilliant way of promoting brands and making them more well known, it is also a great way of socialising and interacting with different people and it's a very easy job to do! 

Free Piranha t-shit & the bottle of Piranha

I got into this job through a friend of mine who was doing it for a good while, so if you know anyone and you are interested in doing it just get them to have your name mentioned, they are always looking for people because there is promotions going on all the time, not just in bars. Also keep an eye on the jobs.ie website as they do be advertising it under the merchandising section. 

Until next time,
Liz X

British Fashion Awards

Stella McCartney was told by a former boss that she would fail. Her previous employer in French fashion house Chloé warned her not to leave because she would never succeed on her own. She has clearly proven him wrong, bagging two awards at this years British Fashion Awards. The fashion designer was named both Designer Brand of the Year & Designer of the Year. During her speech she made a tribute to Team GB as she created their London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic kits. I am delighted she was honoured for the incredible work she does, she is a role model for all budding fashion designers out there. The British Fashion Awards represent the culmination of talent, creativity and innovation across the whole industry. It has been an exceptional year for British fashion and this event is a great way to conclude the year and honour such incredible talent.

Stella McCartney showing off her awards

Dresses from Stella McCartney's SS 2012 Collection

Until next time,

Liz X