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

Love/Hate

I have been reading reviews in The Times about the most talked about series on RTE today, Love/Hate. When Love/Hate first aired on RTE, it didn't get good reviews. "More Westlife than Westies" was the verdict from The Times which wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement for a drama series aimed to depict organised crime in Ireland. However with the final instalment of this years second series, Love/Hate has found it's feet with over 660,000 viewers tuning in to watch the gangland drama. Stuart Carolyn, the creator, writer and executive producer of the series said the idea of Love/Hate was building in his mind for years. He says he was profoundly affected by the death of journalist Veronica Guerin in 1996; his mother's working as an emergency department nurse also gave him an insight into the human stories behind gangland violence.

Stuart Carolyn

Love/Hate is the first Irish production to properly explore gangland activity and get a glimpse of what life is really like for drug lords in Ireland. The show is centred around Darren Tracey, played by Robert Sheehan, who decided to come back to Dublin from Spain and is forced to stay as he is seduced by the large sums of money to be made by working for John Boy Power, an intelligent ruthless operator. His life spirals dangerously out of control as he gets sucked further and further into the drug world which he had attempted to leave behind.

Actor Robert Sheehan

In the world of Love/Hate the gang characters can have the weddings of their dreams,  the money to buy what they want but all this can be taken away instantly. The crux of the matter is that their prosperity is built on sand and constant fear. At any time a strong wind threatens to blow and leave them with nothing, not even their lives and the worst part is that they are aware of this. The characters of Love/Hate smile earnestly at their colleges all the while waiting for their fate to catch up with them. 

Fran, Darren, Nidge & Tommy

The cast of Love/Hate all have a natural ability on camera and make their characters come alive. The Times say " Love/Hate young actors may leave an indelible mark in future years to come". Love/Hate is certainly an ensemble performance and unusually for a TV series there doesn’t appear to be any weak links. The realism of the production is mainly due to two things, the scriptwriting talents of Stuart Carolyn, and the wonderful camera-work. The cinematography of the series is extremely faithful to the Irish climate. The outdoor shots are harsh and dark, something all too familiar to people who have frequented Ireland. The dark palette creates a foreboding sense of dread as the Irish landscape imposes itself, dominating the setting in the process.

The show intends to depict the drug addiction, squalor and violence of organised crime in post boom Ireland. It is not easy viewing and not recommended for a younger audience as there is a lot of strong language, scenes of violence and sexual scenes. It keeps you on edge throughout and gives you an insight into real life events that are happening in the gang world today. Catch Love/Hate on RTE1 @ 9.30p.m on Sunday nights.  

Until next time,

Liz X

Fake €50 Notes

I was working over the weekend and it was crazy busy on a Saturday. I was on the tills all day and the queues were all the way back to the front door, with people buying over €100 worth of stuff. As you can imagine a lot of money is taken in on these days and as we are responsible for the cash we are handed we are supposed to check every single note with a money tester, especially €50's and €100 notes if we are given them. As it was so busy we were all under pressure and someone wasn't paying as much attention to the notes being handed in as they normally would on a quiet day because there was two fake €50 notes found in one of the tills when a cash lift was done. It was clearly a mistake but it is so easy to be caught out. We were warned when we started working there about dodgy people taking chances and to trust our judgement but I never thought it possible for someone to have the nerve to hand in fake money. It has made me more wary and now I take my time and check every single note as I do not want the company losing profit because I wasn't paying attention. 

This is a picture of a real €50 and circled are the easiest areas to check to determine if it is real or not:

1. A  watermark on the left hand side, should only be seen under light
2. The middle area circled is the easiest one to check in a hurry. Run your nail across this and you should hear/feel the corrugated vertical lines, fake €50 notes are known to have these also so be sure to check everything else
3. On the right hand side there should be a hologram, it should have the € symbol and the number of the note. Holograms are basically two images on top of each other so move the note around so you can see both images.
4. Also when you hold it up to the light you should see a straight line running down the middle of the note.

If any of you work on cash registers, just be careful and don't get caught out. Also when you are given change in a shop or supermarket check to see if the notes are real, just to be sure. Our economy is in a bad enough way as it without fake notes floating around!

Until next time,
Liz X

Bargain Buy

I work in Penneys so I usually know what stock is on the floor and where everything is but they change stuff around on a daily basis so its hard to keep up! So I decided to get a bit of Christmas shopping done on my day off ( organised or what?!) and while I was browsing around I came across a new sale rail that had been put out on the floor with a mark down price of €3. Now I am the type of person who will root through a sale rail no matter how messy it is just to find something I like, especially when it is only €3. So you can imagine my excitement when I saw a dress with an original price of €19 had been marked down to €3! It is one of them dresses that you either love or you hate and I loved it the minute I tried it on and I got so many compliments that night when I wore it out. I teamed it with blue platform shoes and black jewellery but there are so many different colours throughout the dress you could wear any colour shoe/bag with it.

Pictured here with my friend Kellie

Until next time,

Liz X

iPhone vs Samsung

As it is coming up to Christmas, I have been considering trading in my current phone (Samsung Galaxy Ace) for a newer version as I feel it is too slow and the memory is crap on it, I have tried bringing it back to the shop but they have been unable to do anything for me so I want to invest in a new phone. I have been asking people for their opinions and have been getting mixed reactions. Some people have told me that the iPhone is amazing and others tell me that the Samsung phones are streets ahead of  them. To be honest, from using my friend's iPhone for a day and my boyfriends Samsung Galaxy S3, I personally think the Samsung was a lot nicer, not just to look at but the graphics were much better and you could customise it yourself. The only advantage the iPhone has on the S3 is the wider choice of quality apps. Their is a lot of hype surrounding the iPhone and I think people just crave the ability to say "I own an iPhone". I'm not saying there is anything wrong with them, personally I just prefer Samsung.

iPhone 5

Samsung Galaxy S3

With all this new technology been updated constantly it is hard to know what to choose!

Until next time,

Liz X

Irish or Not?

I read an interesting article on the journal.ie website lately with the heading "7 things you think are Irish but are in fact not at all". As you can imagine this caught my attention and so I kept reading. A survey was done recently by the Love Irish Food campaign and they came across some interesting facts which shocked a lot of Irish people, including me. There is widespread belief among many people that some products are Irish made, when in fact they are nothing off the kind. What shocked people even more was the fact that it's not just food products:

1. Lyon's Tea. 77% of people believed this product was Irish when in fact it's not.

2. Siúcra. 80% of those surveyed believed this was Irish.

3. HB. 71% believed that HB is produced in Ireland.

4. Cully and Scully. These ready-made food products were originally Irish but are now produced in the UK

5. Boyne Valley Honey. This is packaged in Drogheda but the honey is produced in the EU.

6. The biggest shock of all; St. Patrick. It was discovered that not only is he British, he only came to Ireland because he was forced to. It is believed that he was either brought over as a slave or he fled to avoid taking a nasty job.

7. Neither Sally O'Brien or they way she might look at you( Harp Lager) are made in Ireland. The actress, Vikki Michess is English. So the Harp LAger guy's yearning's are totally misplaced.

Sorry to burst anyone's bubble about us Irish but believe me I was as shocked as ye are now reading this! Does this country even exist any more?

Until next time,

Liz X

Disco Pants...OTT or Not?

I have to admit, when these first came out I did not take a shine to them like most people did as I thought they were a bit OTT but they are after growing on me in the past few days. I have seen so many people wearing them, not just on a night out but also walking down High Street on a normal shopping day and I was amazed to see how good they look on everybody, including Sophie from Geordie Shore who was rocking a red pair last night on the show.They are so flattering and make such a fashion statement, so I have decided to spend my wages wisely this weekend and purchase a pair of these ( or 2!) for my next night out. Boohoo.com have a great range to choose from ranging from prices of €12-€17 but when I came across these on the Penneys facebook page I fell in LOVE.........

Penneys Disco Pants, €17 in Metallic Blue

I will post photos of the final look in a later blog so you can see how they look and what is best to team them with but dont' be afraid to give them a try, from what I have heard you won't be disappointed!

Until then,

Liz X

Bronzed Beauty

Ok so because of the lack of sunshine we get here in Ireland we all need something to give our milk bottle skin a healthy glow,especially in the winter, and that is where we enlist the help of fake tan! We are all guilty of faking it as there is nothing worse than standing beside someone who has been on holidays and looking like we havent even left the house all summer. My skin tans very easily in the sun but I still love using fake tan to give me a more bronzed look. There is such a variety of different fake tans out there, from instant to overnight, pale skin to dark skin, you are bound to find one that suits you. I have been using tan for a few years now and have had the opportunity to try most tans on the market but I always end up coming back to the same 3:

From L-R: L'oreal Sublime Bronze, Sally Hansen &Tan Organic

Allows prep your skin before applying fake tan by exfoliating, shaving and moisturising at least 24 hours beforehand.

First of all, L'oreal Sublime Bronze is an amazing product. It is actually the first tan I was introduced to and I have been using it ever since. It takes roughly 3-6 hours to develop properly so it is ideal for a night out but if you want the best results from it I would advise you to exfoliate and moisturise properly beforehand and take the time to apply it evenly the night before you plan to go out (with a tan mitt to protect your hands). You can also top it up the next day if you want a deeper tan. It gives a light colour as you apply it to your skin so you can see any white patches you missed! It retails at approx. €18 but keep an eye out for any offers and promotions as normally in most chemists it can be it reduced to €12 and as you can see I got a bargain in Sam McCauleys one day during a promotional event as they had up to 70% off L'oreal products. Happy Days!

Secondly, Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs is a must have beauty product. It gives a beautiful natural colour that is perfect for day or night, camera ready legs in an instant. I also use it on my upper body and I have read reviews from people who have used it on their face as a foundation. It only takes a few minutes to apply with a tan mitt or you can spray it directly onto your body but you need to be careful as it dries quickly. The most important thing to remember is to BLEND and watch out for tan lines! The one thing about this tan is that it can stain clothing especially whites so wait until it is fully dry before getting dressed. As I have tanned skin already I use the medium/tan glow which retails at approx. €11.75 but Penneys now stock it for €9.25.

I have only recently been introduced to Tan Organic and I am loving it. When I was at the Ultimate Girls Day Out Show in the RDS they had a stand set up promoting their tan and were selling it for only €10, the girl promoting it was wearing the tan and it looked amazing so I have to say that did influence my decision to try it! Also the fact that it is Irish and 100% natural so it can give you a gorgeous summer glow without putting harmful chemicals on your skin. It is reallly easy to apply as it is in a spray bottle and liquid form which blends easily on the skin. Wait at least 8 hours before showering to allow the tan to develop properly and again ensure it is fully dry before getting dressed. This tan normally retails at approx €19.95 but it is well worth it!

 Also to prolong your tan it is good to use moisturiser or oil on your skin, this will also allow it to wear off more evenly without any noticeable patches!

Until next time,

Liz X

Brown Smoky Eye

I know it is all about the dramatic black smoky eyes this season but I have often been told that a brown smoky eye suits me a lot better and I tend to agree. I have hazel brown eyes so by creating a brown smoky eye effect it really brings out my eyes. I spend a lot of time reading the beauty section in magazines or watching tutorials on YouTube and I have tried them all but when I attended a Rimmel master class a while back I was introduced to a very simple way of creating this look by using all Rimmel products. So for any of you who prefer a brown smoky eye here is how to achieve it:

1. I always start by using a concealer on my eyes as I feel it creates a base for my eye shadow and allows it to stay on without smudging. The concealer I swear by is Rimmel Match Perfection, which retails at around €5.95, it has great coverage and brightens your skin ( also great for dark circles under your eyes). 
2. Next draw a thick line using a brown eyeliner along your upper and lower lash line, Rimmel have a great selection of eyeliners for less than €5, and smudge it all over your eyes. 
3. You now need Rimmel Glam'Eyes Mono Eyeshadow in . Apply it on top of the smudged eyeliner and keep blending upwards until it fades out, I use MAC brushes to apply my eyeshadow.
4. Next you will need Rimmel Glam'Eyes Mono eyeshadow in Fancy Topaz (171) . Apply this in the centre of your eye and blend outwards.
5. If you wish you can draw another thick line with Rimmel brown liquid liner along your upper lash line. Apply mascara, Scandal Eyes mascara is amazing.

Rimmel Glam'Eyes Mono Eyeshadow in Fancy Topaz & Dusk, Rimmel Professional Liquid Eyeliner

Should turn out like this :)

Until next time,

Liz X

The Leather Jacket

I am a big fan of reading magazines to keep up to date with the latest fashion trends and one trend that never fails to appear in magazines is the trustworthy Leather Jacket. It has a long history and has never been outdated, so for me it is a staple item in my wardrobe and I think everyone should have one in theirs. Leather jackets are fun, versatile and are on trend no matter what season it is. They are available in a range of different styles and colors, prices vary depending on where you get them. I picked up mine in Heatons for a bargain price of €10 in both black and blue.
You can wear a leather jacket many different ways but these are my Top 5:
1. With a feminine dress
2. With skinny jeans
3. With a pair of boots
4. All leather
5. With red lipstick
Why don't you give it a try?
(Pictures to follow)
Until then,
Liz X