My New Baby Mulberry Bayswater

My new love....there are no words!! 

Trend Lovage: Window Pane Print

I spotted this beautiful window pane print all over NFW! I think it is such a cool statement print. This oversize check print gives a new bolder look to your average check clothing. I am lusting after this J.W. Anderson sweater HERE....perfection!!

September Inspo

Guest Blogger: Sugar Fix Makeup Step By Step Guide To Red Lip And Winged Liner

My very talented best friend and fellow blogger Ger has kindly done a guest post for all my readers. She is a trained make up artist who runs her own freelance business "Eye Candy Makeup" and she has just started her own blog sugarfixmakeup.blogspot.ie. Go check out her page, she has loads of look, tips and reviews! I love a good strong lip and flicked liner, it is my go to look. Here Ger gives you a guide on how to achieve this look yourself. Enjoy :)

Ger rocking the finished look

Step One: Foundation

Moisturize and prime the skin first. I used Bobbi Brown Hydrating face cream and Garniers Perect Blur as my primer. I then applied a light layer of Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Even Finish in the shade 2.5. 
I then began contouring my face. To darken the skin I used like a pan-stick formula from UNE in the darkest shade I could find. Its called a BB Cream Bronzer in the shade S05 and I got it in boots. 
To lighten I used a contour cream from MAC pro store that I don't think are available anymore. Maybe use MAC studio sculpt cream in a few shades lighter than your everyday makeup. 

I'm sure you have all seen photo's of how to contour. I used a MAC 130 (smaller than your normal foundation brush)  to apply the darker colour just below my cheekbones down the sides of my nose to make it appear slimmer and on the outer edge of my forehead. Last just a little under my jaw.

Dont be afraid to put a good bit on, it will all be blended in later. The lighter colour is applied under my eyes,  right down to the end of my nose and diagonally to the outer corner of my eye. Fill in this whole area with the light colour. Add another little bit just on your brow bone and a thin line down the center of your nose. Lightly blend the edges so there is no harsh lines on show. Apply dots of Benefit Sun Beam across the tops of your cheeks and lightly pat in with your fingers. Apply a little blush and dust on some translucent powder anywhere that's very shiny like your T zone. (I use LA makeup academy translucent powder) 

Bobbi Brown: My Fave Foundation

Step Two: Eyes and Eybrows

I always do my brows first. I don't have a lot of filling in to do in mine. I just simply use MAC's Eye Brow Crayon in the colour Lingering. Using light strokes, I go along my natural brow and emphasize the arch. Don't go as heavy handed with the pen the closer you are to the inside. They can look quite harsh then. Keep them really defined at the edges and gradually getting slight lighter on the thicker inside. The outer part of the brow should be winged out and slightly down and NOT down and slightly out. Make sense? 
Now for the eyes, I kept it really simple, cover lid with a light cream/nude colour. I used a paint pot in the colour Painterly. I just gave my crease a little definition by blending a small amount of texture into it. For the winged liner I dipped my eye liner brush in Inglot black gel eye liner (this stuff is gooood, stays on so long without smudging) and draw along my lash line, drag the brush out past your lash line and curve slightly up. This part is totally up to you of how far you want it to go out and how thick do you want your flick. I would personally avoid the Amy Winehouse look, keep it simple, always keep the flick pointed at the end. Play around with it for awhile, sometimes it can be a little tricky to get both eyes the same. Just start of small and work your way up to bigger flicks. And to finish off the eyes apply loads of mascara to the top and bottom lashes, I used Rimmel's Scandal Eyes.... but I have to say its not my favourite one I have ever purchased so I am on the lookout for a new aaaammmmaaazing one. Let me know of any recommendations. I also had a applied false lashes but thought it really took away from the look so I took them off for the photos. Less is more here. I have no eye liner on the bottom lash line just keep it simple. 

Inglot Gel Liner

Step 3: The lips 

Whenever in doubt, pout!! Adding some colour to your lips is a quick way to finish off an unfinished look. Woke up late for work, grab your bright lippy and mascara and head out the door. Can be put on in two minutes and you're all done. Try mix your looks up and try different colours. In these photos I lined my lips with a MAC burgundy lip pencil and filled in with MAC's Russian red lipstick.



And that's it, give it a quick spray with fix + spray, Add some loose curls to your hair and you got the look. Here are some Celebs rocking the look. Hope you liked it. 
Ger x

Fashion Inspo: July

Loving: Tassel Necklace

I am lusting after a gold tassel necklace at the mo! It is a great statement piece and will add to any outfit.....they add a bit of flair. Saint Laurent have a dream one.....if only I could win the lotto....sigh! 

Saint Laurent Tassel Necklace

Luscious Locks: Great Lengths

Happy Saturday guys!! Not only is it the weekend but I have some major hair news. Most of you know I am very much a "long hair don't care" kinda girl. I have had long hair pretty much my whole life, apart from a brief bob phase. I was the girl who went in to a salon to get a blowdry and have two stylist to dry it. I had vast amounts of hair and used to moan I had too much hair. I have been guilty of colour abuse......blonde was never blonde enough! Don't get me wrong I went to excellent salons and used salon products on my hair. However in the last two years I saw my long, thick hair slowly thin out and snap away. I must also admit that some of this is probably due to medication I take daily, heat, styling over load and my love of blonde blonde hair. In the last few months it has progressively got worse. I maintained my length, but my ends were showing major signs of thinning and damage. 

Like many girls I see my hair as my crown and glory. Good hair is the key to any outfit. Long, luscious locks grace the magazines, runways and red carpets. Many of us go to our salons with pictures of celebrity hair hoping and wishing for their amazing hair. What we don't realise is many of these beauties have hair added to theirs. Yes girls, extensions!!! This is where Great Lengths come in. Celebrity names such as Cheryl Cole, Kate Beckinsale, Demi Lovato, Jennifer Anniston, Eva Longoria and loadsssss more are Great Length fans. Click HERE to see more names.

Great Lengths extensions are available worldwide. You can check out their website HERE. The Great Lengths system is unique. They use what is known as a Keratin bond to attach the extension, no glue or beads here! Keratin is a protein from which your own natural hair is made from, meaning it is gentle and sympathetic to your own natural hair. The extension even grows with your own hair, no shedding or snapping and can be easily removed, amazing. You can expect your set to last 3-6 months, depending on care. 

I decided to go and get a consultation for Great Lengths. Through research and word of mouth, I heard about Ceira Lambert. You can check her out on Facebook HERE! Ceira's salon is located in Shankill, Dublin 18. I rang and booked a consult for my next trip to Dublin.

Ceira  Lambert applying Great Lengths to Rosanna Davison

Consult:

I popped in to the salon and met with Edel who works a long side Ceira. The girls are the best in the business and train GL certified stylists. Their clients include Rosanna Davison, Roz Purcell, Georgia Salpa, Georgina Byrne, Katherine Thomas and many many more. Edel talked me through the procedure, history and care of the extensions, my options of length and colour. As I am blonde we decided I should come back and get my highlights done in the salon so they could colour match my extensions precisely. We settled on 40cm length, with three types of blonde and a slight low light. Edel also informed me that they dry in a natural wave, like my own hair, and are quite low maintenance. She also assured me that my own hair would grow and strengthen while I had my Great Lengths in. I was sold!!

Ceira Lambert Salon Clients

Highlights:

The following week I popped back to the salon, where I discussed my highlight options with the wonderful Niamh. We looked at my hair in depth and decided I needed a full head......bubye tell tale roots for a few weeks! Niamh suggested I pop in a slight low light to help it look more natural and thick. I got my mesh put in and a few hours later I had a fabulous blonde shade to my hair. LOVE!

Application:

The day had finally arrived and I was so excited, if slightly nervous. I was assured and told of the process by both Ceira and Edel. I sat there flicking through all the new fashion mags as both the girls worked their magic on me. They are such nice girls and made me feel in safe hands. Each strand applied is made up of a number of hairs. It is then applied with a protein polymer bond. This is attached to the hair using a heated tool and folded around the hair. The bond is so fine and natural you can not see any tell tale signs of their existence. It was all applied in about an hour and a half and to say I was pleased with the result would be an understatement. I couldn't believe how natural looking, thick and light they felt. I imagined they would feel heavy, it literally felt weightless. Thank you Ceira and Edel......I LOVE them!!!!!

My Before and After Pic

After Care:

I bought the amazing Great Lengths paddle brush, as this brushes through the hair without tugging or pulling the hair. I feel this is my new best friend. I also bought the Great Lengths Shampoo as Edel explained how regular shampoos can damage the bonds. In my opinion, if you are going to splash out on GL extensions then they need the appropriate shampoo and care. I slept on my new hair last night and popped it into a low ponytail as Edel suggested. I woke up to tangle free, smooth hair. To get the most out of your extensions you need to follow the girls guidelines and advice. I intend to do so! 

Great Length Care Products

I have to say the whole process was a pleasure. I absolutely love and adore my new hair. Any misconceptions I had about extensions are long gone thanks to GL and Ceira Lambert's salon. Thanks guys!

The Dream Baggage

These are what I was dreaming about last night.............

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