What I got for Christmas 2013!

I can't believe Christmas 2013 has come and gone. What with training and working non stop it went by in a blink of an eye. I feel like I haven't blogged in ages but that will definitely change in 2014. I thought I'd start off showing you some of the lovely gift I received this Christmas.

2013 was definitely the year of the Yankee Candles everyone knows how much I love burning a nice candle in my room. My favourite scent at the moment is Fireside Treats, it smells amazing! If you haven't smelt it yet in store I suggest you do. From my parents and brother, I got two gorgeous sets that each contain 12 votive size candles, one has all the traditional winter scents while the other has yummy sweet scents. I'm really looking forward to burning the latter.

My Aunty Val picked me up two books that I really wanted. I've read all the Pretty Little Liars series so I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next. The book series has been going on for a while but I haven't got bored of it yet as its a really good quick read. Gayle Forman is a new author for me I already have the first book in this series, I haven't read it yet but I'm delighted that I have the sequel to look forward to aswell.

Paddy completely spoiled me, I was a really lucky girl this Christmas. He also had to carry all my presents over on the bus on Christmas Eve so I'm sure he got some strange looks here and there. I'm really happy with everything, I get a Soap & Glory box every year and I especially love the one that was released this year. The bag that everything comes in is beautiful, I'm definitely going to use it to store all my makeup products in. Staying with beauty products, Paddy surprised me with two Molton Brown hand creams. I used to work for the company two years ago and my favourite scents are Heavenly Gingerlily and Pink Pepperpod, I don't think that will ever change. So far I've been loving these handcreams alot and there the perfect size for my handbag. Loads of people are surprised to hear that I've never watched Downton Abbey before, I usually just forget when a new episode is on and just fall behind. Paddy bought me season 1-4 so hopefully I can catch up as I hear it is a really good show. Bastille and Kodaline are two bands that I've been loving lately, I've already put both of these cds on my Ipod. I love Bastille's songs, Poet & Laughter Line and Kodaline's High Hopes & Brand New Day. Both albums are amazing in my opinion and definitely worth a listen. Of course I was also given two Yankee Candles Christmas Cookie and Christmas Cupcake, there's no fear that I'll run low on candles anytime soon. A present that was really special to me was the Disney Mickey & Minnie 2013 Christmas snowglobe, I love Disney movies so this was such a perfect gift. I've already made space on my new desk for it. He also bought me another couple of bits and bobs that you can see above, I clearly have a boyfriend that knows me very well as I'm super happy with everything!

My Aunty and Uncle gave me this beautiful Pied a Terre purse which I adore. It fits all my basic cards, a good thing as I always carry too many around with me and this will definitely help fix that problem. I know I only ever use my Boots, Brown Thomas, Tesco and Debenhams reward card so there's really no need for me to have a bulging purse.

Of course it wouldn't be Christmas without pyjamas and festive slipper boots (I'm rocking a pair as I type this). My Mom and Dad also got me a gorgeous new jumper and boots, I've been wearing the latter to death. I'm sure you'll see them both in an upcoming post. Keeping with fashion my sister bought me a gorgeous scarf, snuggly headband and other bits and bobs. My Nanna gave me a giftcard for Dundrum Town Centre, of course I've used it in the Sales already so expect a post really soon on my purchases.

At the end of the day I really love chilling out with my family and friends over Christmas. On Christmas morning we called over to my sister, Lisa's apartment to see her and the family. Throughout the whole month of December my nephew Ryan was so excited to see what Santa would bring, of course he wasn't left disappointed. Above is a picture of Ryan and I playing with some of his lovely Christmas gifts. He is the cutest child ever, it's so nice to have a baby again in the family as it brings all the fun back into Christmas again. He didn't want me to leave and I have a feeling he would of been perfectly happy for me to stay all day playing with his new toys.

What did you get surprised with this Christmas?

Laura<3

Bioderma Sensibio H2O on Farmaline!!

Bioderma is one of those products that us beauty bloggers can not stop talking about. I love removing my makeup with this as it's not harsh on my skin and it's fragrance free. I think it's great for after nights out as my face is makeup free in a matte of seconds. I myself wish they would start stocking it in some stores in Dublin but alas that is not the case yet. When I was in Spain in September I seen a bottle in a pharmacy and they tried to charge me the extortionate price of €28 for one bottle! Of course that wasn't going to happen. I resorted to checking out online when I came across a website called Farmaline. The Belgium based site sells so many beauty products from numerous brands some that are well known e.g Nuxe, La Roche Posay, Vichy etc. and others that are completely new to me. I was delighted that I came across Farmaline as they have so much on offer, they also do pretty good promotions too.Two bottles of Bioderma (500ml) comes in at €25.92, considering I'm a bit of a bargain hunter this gets two thumbs up from me, I love making a saving. The website is really straight forward to use and laid out really well. If your like me you could have your basket filled up really quick there's so much to choose from. I'm already checking out some more products from Bioderma as I write this post.

Everything came packaged really well so I wasn't concerned that anything would be damaged in transit. If you live in Dublin you'll know what I'm talking about, some postmen have no regards to what way your post turns up. I was really impressed with the delivery time, my parcel arrived exactly a week after I placed my order. I've had some bad experiences shopping online and I was expecting it to take way longer so this was a welcome surprise. Now the postage and packaging to Dublin is rather expensive at €13.95 but with so many mailing service now like Parcel Motel that shouldn't be an issue at all. I'm not too worried about these running out anytime soon as I know that there's a website where I can repurchase it anytime without paying an arm and a leg for it.

Have you heard of Farmaline before? Will you be checking out their website?

Laura<3

My Surprise Trip to Manchester

Something I wasn't expecting on my graduation day was a trip to Manchester. My boyfriend Paddy really did surprise me with this one, he seriously is a keeper. He had everything all booked and the whole weekend planned out for us. It was so nice not having to worry about flights, that was already sorted. We flew over to Manchester with Ryanair, from past experiences I repacked my bag a million times to make sure it wasn't overweight. Thankfully it wasn't, I downsized my makeup bag so much for the trip, I literally brought the necessities and I'm glad I did it freed up so much space.

This was my fourth time going to Manchester and it is one of my favourite cities. There's so much to do over there and the people are extremely friendly. Of course the shopping is amazing too. It wouldn't be a trip to Manchester without visiting the Trafford Centre. Thankfully Paddy is one patient guy and he didn't mind strolling through all the shops with me. We must of spent pretty much the whole day there and himself being the gentleman carried all my shopping. Luckily we also came to Manchester at the right time as their Christmas Fair had just started that weekend. I've been to a couple of Christmas fairs in Dublin but this one was so much better. Walking around town made me feel so Christmassy! I really enjoyed checking out all the different stalls, I could literally do that all day. I was really impressed with this sweet stall, I couldn't leave without a picture. 

On Sunday we went to the Phones4U arena (will always be the MEN to me) to see Vampire Weekend and Noah & the Whale. Paddy and I love both of these bands and it was so amazing to see them live. I've been to this venue twice (Taylor Swift & Morrissey) and it's my favourite. It's really easy to get to and we've always had amazing seats everytime we've gone. The gig lasted for about two and a half hours, for the whole duration we didn't stop singing along to our favourite tunes. Paddy introduced me to Vampire Weekend and Noah & the Whale when we started going out almost five years ago so this gig was really special for us.

I couldn't pick one highlight from this trip as there was so many of them. I had such an unbelivable time, I'm so lucky to have such an amazing boyfriend. It was such a nice break from work, kinda sad to be back now. I definitely came back with a much heavier suitcase than what I went with. I guess somethings never change eh? I'll be putting up a haul post really soon on here as I did pick up some gems whilst I was there. I'm really hoping to take another trip to Manchester in the New Year I always have such an amazing time in that city.

What is your favourite holiday memory?

Laura<3

My Graduation Day!

Last Monday was a huge day for me, I graduated from college. For those of you who didn't know over the past year I did a Part-time Diploma in PR, Sales, Advertising and Marketing in DBS. I went two evenings a week for eight months which was pretty difficult at times. Some days I was working from 8am-4.30pm and rushing into college for 6 so it did get somewhat stressful. Even after all that though I don't regret going back to college again, I did a course that I absolutely loved and I met some amazing people that I'm going to keep in touch with. On the day of graduation the weather was supposed to be pretty horrible (typical Dublin) but the skies stayed clear which was a relief. I was a bit apprehensive about wearing the robes at first as I seriously thought they'd be too long and I'd fall over but I have to say once I put them on over my dress they weren't as bad as I though they'd be. My Mom and Dad treated me to professional graduation pictures that were taken on the day so I can't wait for them to arrive in the post. I'm already picking out photo frames to put them into, I think a trip to IKEA is definitely needed soon.

I picked up my dress from Awear in Dundrum Town Centre and I couldn't be happier with it. I love this style of dress and I have quite a few in my wardrobe. I went for a floral print as I know it would be something I'd wear again. I hate nothing more than buying a dress and knowing deep down that it's just going to be sitting in my wardrobe right after the event gathering dust for god knows how long. I did my makeup quite simple on the day with a neutral eye look and of course lashings of mascara. I've been using YSL's Baby Doll mascara lots recently, definitely my most reached for mascara at the moment. Another product I have to mention is by a brand called YoungBlood and it's their Liquid Mineral Foundation. It's wasn't a brand I was familiar with before but after I went to their launch a couple of weeks ago I was really looking forward to giving their products a go. I'm not one for mineral powder foundations they just have never really worked for me. This is something completely different from the other mineral foundations I've tried as it's a liquid. After using this a couple of times this is hands down my favourite foundation. It doesn't cake on my skin and it literally feels like I'm wearing no makeup at all, it's unbelievably lightweight.  I'm so glad I used this on my graduation day as you can see from the photos it photographed amazingly well and it didn't budge all day.

My graduation will definitely be up there as one of the best days of my life. It was so nice to spend the day with my family, to see my parents and grandparents cheering while I was going up on stage to collect my diploma will definitely stay with me forever. Unfortunately Paddy couldn't come along to the ceremony but he came up to my Nanna's house in the evening for some nibbles. Paddy got me the most amazing gift, last weekend he brought me over to Manchester to see two of my favourite bands, Vampire Weekend and Noah & the Whale. I had such an unreal time over there, it's one of my favourite cities and I'll definitely be going back over sometime in the New Year for sure. I'm going to be popping up a Manchester Trip post on here soon and don't be surprised to see a sneaky haul too. 

Laura<3

My Personal Training Diary - Week 2, 3 & 4

I would have liked to do weekly personal training updates, but as of late I've been getting more hours in work so it didn't really allow it. I've decided to combine the last three weeks into one big update to share my progress so far with you guys.

As the weeks goes on training has been getting tougher and tougher. No session is the same which is great as I find myself doing something different every day. When I started four weeks ago the thing that worried me the most was situps. I was so bad at them at first but over the course of the last couple of sessions I've gotten really good at them. This is such a huge deal for me as this time last year I could never imagine myself doing 1 situp let alone 40. Every week my trainer Sophie turns things up on notch so whenever I feel like things are getting easier they get so much harder. I was worried at first when I started training that I wouldn't be able to do what was being asked of me but I've been doing everything that has been thrown at me so I really couldn't be happier. Since starting training twice a week with Sophie I've made a lot of progress. I'm having an assessment next week which will show how many inches I've lost so far. However since I've started training I can see a big different in how my clothes look on. My college graduation is tomorrow and I was delighted to see that I had to go down a dress size which was amazing! I'll definitely let you know in my next update how my assessment goes.

When I started training at No.17 I switched to the Paleo diet. I know when I mentioned to people I was doing this they said it was really hard to stick to and for me I have to say it hasn't been the case at all. I didn't find the change to difficult at all, I have a feeling it could be down to the fact that I had already cut out a lot of food that you aren't suppose to eat on the Paleo diet. Having completely given up dairy products I can see a huge different in my skin, it seriously has never looked so clear. I've also started taking vitamins and supplements everyday which is new to me as I hadn't taken anything like that before. Instead of buying everything in capsule form I picked up this handy Better You Vitamin D oral spray in Nourish in town. It's perfect to throw in my handbag and this small little bottle contains 100 sprays, great considering I only need one a day. Seeing as I'm steering clear of dairy products, Vitamin D not only supports your immune system but its also good for bones and teeth. I know from my school science class we also get Vitamin D from the Sun, I can't say we get much of that this time of year in Ireland. I've also been taking 2 Omega 3 Fish Oil capsules a day which are huge and not going to lie they can leave a nasty aftertaste in your mouth. I've found this offering from MorEPA better than other brands I've tried as they are orange flavoured and I'm not left with no horrible taste in my mouth so these definitely get two thumbs up from me.

Since my last update I got membership at my local gym, they had really good student rates for the year so I snapped that up. I haven't gotten around to going as much as I'd like to go, work seems to always get in the way of things it seems. I'm still trying to work out the best time to go as it always seems to be so packed whenever I go. I guess I'm just so used to having the gym to myself in No.17. I'm hopefully going to start going to my own gym in the mornings before work which means I'll have such an early start considering I'm in work at 9am. I'll just have to time everything very well. The only thing I'm missing is nice workout clothes, I can't wait for Payday to come around as I'll be paying a visit to Lifestyle and Elvery's Sport for sure.

After working out at No.17 for the last couple of weeks, I'd definitely recommend going to a personal trainer. I find it totally different to a gym as you have someone there guiding and motivating you every step of the way. As I've been really happy with how the last few weeks have gone I've already decided to sign up for another 10 sessions at No.17. I know €450 is a lot of money but I feel that its totally worth it. I could think of lots of things I could be wasting my money, sure a night out in Dublin alone would set me back €100. I know some people have gone to a trainer in the past and it hasn't worked for them but for me its all down to sticking to the plan. If you spend money it's so important to follow the program that your trainer has set out for you. If you don't it's just pointless and it will be a waste of money, I've been sticking to mine and I can definitely see the results.

Until my next update,

Laura<3

The Body Shop Honeymania Range

Vanilla and Coconut have always been my favourite scents, I can now add honey to the mix. I'm a huge fan of The Body Shop and the work they do with Community Fair Trade, sourcing raw ingredients from all over the globe. Their new range Honeymania is a winner for me, not only does it smell amazing but it also contains Community Fair Trade honey from Ethiopia. The Beza Mar beekeepers receive a regular income as well as knowing that with The Body Shop is helping to the preserve the beautiful rainforest. If your lucky enough to have a smart phone (I need a Iphone!) you can scan the QR code at the back of any product and you can read about the Community Fair Trade ingredients. I think this is a brilliant idea as it's always interesting to hear the story behind the product.

The range consists of seven products ranging from a yummy shower gel to a Honeymania soap. The latter is shaped like a honeycomb so it looks pretty cool. As always with The Body Shop I love the packaging. the eau de toilette comes in a handy 30ml bottle which would be ideal for travelling. I have another eau de toilette from the brand and they do last for ages as the staying power is quite good. I definitely want to pick up some more new scents soon.

My favourite product out of the range is the body butter of course! Did you even need to ask? It's really luxurious and I love slapping it onto my skin when it needs a bit of TLC. It's a lovely thick cream great for all those dry patches that come creeping up over the Winter months. All in all this range has something for everyone, I'd definitely recommend popping into your local store and giving it a sniff. I think it's the ideal scent for this time of the year to give us a lift from the Winter blues.

I'm already super excited to see what The Body Shop's Christmas collection is like if it's anything like this one I'll be very happy indeed. I can't believe November is finally hear need to start looking for Christmas presents.

What do you think of the new Honeymania range? Any products catch your eye?

Laura<3

Blog Sale!

Hi Guys,

I've been cleaning out my room the past few days and I've decided to do my first ever blog sale. Considering I've been blogging over two years I'm surprised I haven't done one before now. I have quite a few bits and bobs put together for this Sale so I'm sure you'll find something that catches your eye. I don't use this stuff anymore and I'm sure one of you guys out there will get way more use out of it then I will.

 Sleek Blush By 3 palette in Lace - €9- unused

Sleek Ultra Matte V2 Eyeshadow palette €8

Selection of China Glaze polishes- €12 for all five or €3.50 each

Angel Wings

Glitter All The Way

Swanky Silk

Champagne Kisses

Techno

Topshop Louise Gray Pinch Punch Nailpolish - €5

All 4 Essie mini polishes - €6

Topshop Louise Gray lipstick in Legend - €6 - unused

Bourjois Rouge Edition lipstick in 17 Rose Millesime - €6

Topshop Cream Blush in Flush - €5 (used only a couple of times)

Topshop Cream Blush in Head Over Heals -€5 (used only a couple of times)

No7  Stay Perfect Eyeshadow in Beachshine - €5

Yves Saint Laurent Pink Celebration Highlighting Powder - €15 - swatched a couple of times.

MAC Mineralise Eyeshadow in Rare Find - €15 (swatched once or twice)

MAC Mineralise Eyeshadow in Smoked Ruby - €15 (swatched once or twice)

MAC Cream Colour Base in Seaside - €10 (just swatched)

MAC Cream Colour Base in Take Root - €10- (just swatched)

MAC Mineralise Skinfinish Natural in Light Plus - €16 (used once)  SOLD

Essence Breaking Dawn Highlight Powder - €4 (used once)

Essence Breaking Dawn Blush - €3 (used once)

MAC Metal X Cream Eyeshadow in Palladium - €10 (used a couple of times)

MAC Metal X Cream Eyeshadow in Gold Carbon - €10 (unused)

Nars Blush Bronzer Trio  includes Orgasm, Albatross and Laguna - €25

MAC's My Paradise Cheek Powder - €15 (gold overspray still intact)

Urban Decay The Vice Palette - €25 (used only a handful of times)

Laura Mercier Mineral Powder in Natural Beige - only used twice - €25

2 Laura Mercier Body Cremes in Fresh Fig , Creme de Pistache & Almond Coconut 100g- never used - €30 for all three or €12 each.

 Jean Paul Gaultier & Diet Coke Limited Edition Collectors Box - €18 (bottles unopened)

Karl Lagerfield & Diet Coke Limited Edition Collectors Box - €16  (bottles unopened)

Blog Sale Terms & Conditions

Opened Internationally

Prices above do not include postage & packaging

First come first serve

If your interested in purchasing anything from my Blog Sale leave a comment below telling me what product you'd like to purchase and your email address so I can contact you regarding payment. I'm sending my first batch of products that I sold through my Instagram Sale tomorrow, if your quick I'll be able to include your purchases too.

Laura<3

My Personal Training Diary - Week 1

If you read my last Slimming World update you would of heard me mention that I was going to start going to a personal trainer. I've already completed my first week out of five so I thought I'd share with you how I got on. Before I started last Monday my Mum was ever so nice and picked me up these gorgeous beauty goodies from Nivea. I love the shower gel it contains bursting beads and my skin feels so soft after I use it and it smells amazing!! She also ordered me a Adidas Gym bag which I really need so I can't wait for that to come in the post!!

Since starting Slimming World over a year ago I hadn't once set foot in a gym so I was starting fresh plus I had no idea what to expect, of course I was beyond nervous Sophie my lovely trainer from No.17 put me at ease straight away, after chatting about what I wanted to achieve from training, we got right to work. What I personally like most about No.17 is that it's one one one, if I went to a gym myself I  seriously wouldn't have a clue what to do or where to start. The workout itself lasts thirty mins which is made up of a mixture of cardio and weight training. Having never done anything like this before I did find it pretty tough but after my first workout, I definitely got into the swing of things. Thirty minutes may seem like such a short period of time but it's so fast paced and intense that I'm nackered afterwards.

On Wednesday Sophie wrote me up a food plan that I have to follow and it's not that bad at all. The diet I'm doing is called the Paleo Diet which in a nutshell means you have to eat like a caveman eats. Basically if it wasn't around 2,000 years ago its out. There's a variety of foods that I can eat that are yummy and also great for my body which is even better. Of course there is a certain things I have to avoid e.g fizzy drinks, dairy products, salt etc. but that doesn't bother me at all. Over the past week I've been keeping track of what I'm eating by jotting everything down in a food diary. In general I find these really useful as it can show you were you've gone wrong or if your taking in enough.

My goal over the next four weeks is to tone up and hopefully lose more weight too. I'm glad I chose to go to a personal trainer as I'm getting guidance which I may not have necessarily got at the gym. I#m really looking forward to seeing what the next few weeks have instore.

Of course as always I'll keep you guys up to date,

Laura<3

September Favourites & Giveaway!!

September went by for me like a whirlwind, I had so much going on! The highlight for me was going on holidays to Spain with my family. It's true what they say nice weather really does make you happier. You can check out pictures from my holidays on my Instagram and in this post. Hard to believe we're in October!! It's freezing here in Ireland and I've already stopped off at Penneys to stock up on my winter woolies. Halloween wasn't my favourite time of year growing up but now I love it. I like the fun atmosphere and of course all the spooky goodies in shops that goes along with it. I can't wait to bring my nephew out tricker treating, he already knows what he wants to dress up as, a train driver. Random I know! I'm doubtful I'll be going out on Halloween night as it falls on a Thursday this  year and unfortunately I will be in work on Friday. I'm not going to dwell on it for too long as I have more important thing to talk about like my September favourites. Most of the products I have to share with you are ones that were used alot by me on holidays, some were purchased there aswell. I'm going to start with the two products I bought in Spain.

During my time in Spain I took a trip to Gibraltar which I loved. Whilst I was there I came across a MAC counter, I picked up two of their new release Pro Longwear Paint Pots. Quite Natural is my favourite shade out of the two. It's a gorgeous matte neutral shade which I think is perfect for everyday. One thing to bear in mind is that it does look alot lighter in the the pot than on your skin. I literally put this on my eyelids, blend, slap on some eyeliner & mascara and voila I'm good to go. Couldn't be more simple! I'm not one for matte shades normally but this product has definitely opened my eyes to them. Another product I pick up in Spain is this makeup remover from Klorane. I did come across Bioderma but the chemist was trying to flog it off to me for €28! No thanks! This 400ml bottle cost me a more reasonable €17 which I could live with. I'm new to the brand Klorane but if this makeup remover is anything to go by I'll be checking out their products online. It takes my makeup off beautifullu plus it's nice and gentle on my skin, what more could I ask for?

Now for some of the products that made the journey with me to Spain!

At a recent Harvey Nichols Press Day I was given this deluxe sample of Ginerva's Green Tea Nude Cover BB Cream. I seriously couldn't get enough of this stuff on holidays. It was great for those days when I didn't want to lash on makeup in the heat. It gives a really nice even coverage which I like, sometimes I find BB creams can be a bit dodgy on my skin and can go patchy throughout the day. When set with a bit of powder I didn't have this problem at all. The tube may seem small but it got me through my whole holidays and I still have a far bit left. I may take a trip to Harvey Nichols soon to pick this up but I'm dreading to the thought of reading the price tag.

Another MAC product I dug out of my collection to bring on holidays is MAC's Mineralise Skinfinish, Soft & Gentle. I've had this for ages and I seriously don't use it enough. It's such a lovely product that definitely came in handy on holidays. I used it in two ways as a blush and highlight. It gives a gorgeous glow to the skin. Some people use it as a eyeshadow too but I haven't tried that yet.

Lastly I have a nailpolish favourite from Wet n'Wild's Megalast Salon Nail Colour (mouthful) in I Need a Refresh Mint. This polish certainly lived up to its name! I applied it to my nails the day before I jetted of to Spain and bar one or two minor chips it stayed intact for the full seven days. It's such a pity that we can't get this great brand over here, I know I along with lots of other bloggers would keep them in business.

To keep with the holiday theme I have a little giveaway for you guys. The lovely folks at La Roche Posay have given me some goodies from their suncare range. If your heading on a Winter Getaway these will just be perfect for you. If you are heading away I'm already super jealous! I haven't tried some of the products myself so you'll have to let me know how you get on. 

Here's all you have to do to enter, let me know in the comments what your favourite products are at the moment. I'd love to know as I'm always looking for new beauty buys and of course it's great to hear them off fellow beauty bloggers. I'm going to announce the winner via Twitter so don't forget to include your Twitter handle in there too.

Hope you enjoyed my favourites!

Laura<3

Slimming World Update #13

Sorry for the serious lack of Slimming World updates lately guys. I've come to a bit of a stand still weight loss wise over the last couple of weeks. I guess I've plateaued which I knew would happen eventually after losing so much weight in such a fast period of time. I'm by no means saying Slimming World isn't working for me after achieving so much. I'm still an avid member, never in a million years did I think over a year ago that I would have embarked on such a successful weight loss journey. I have so much to thank this programme for and I'm so glad I got the encouraged by my Mum to do it. She is my rock and always has my back, I couldn't ask for a more supportive Mum!

Over the past month I've wanted to try something different and after hearing great things about No.17 Personal Training I've decided to give it a go. I start on Monday so I'm pretty nervous. Having not worked out in forever I don't know what to expect. My goal is to tone up and get fit in the process *fingers crossed*. I've signed up to train twice a week for five weeks straight. I know I can already tell that I'm going to be nackered after it. On my free days I'm going  to go to my local gym to workout and do some classes too. As I'm still a student the gym has a really good offer on so I'm going to take advantage of that of course.

Top Picture - January 2009 Bottom Picture- Holidays Sepember 2013

Don't worry I'm still going to keep you guys up to date. I'm going to do weekly updates to let you know my progress regarding the personal training and I'm going to keep doing Slimming World posts too. This is a new chapter that I definitely want to share with you all. You guys were the first people I told about Slimming World and you've all been so unbelievably supportive. I couldn't ask for better readers, thanks so much for everything.

Until my next update,

Laura<3

My lovely break in Spain!

Sorry for the lack of posts on here lately, I've seriously missed blogging but I seem to have so little time recently. I've just come back from a family holiday to Spain and I had such an amazing time. We stayed in Sabinillas which is a gorgeous seaside town and the weather couldn't of been better. I can't say I got a tan or anything but it was so nice to get away from the dull weather in Dublin and relax on the beach with the sun shining. In Ireland we never get the chance to wear shorts in September (unless you wear thick tights under them that is), I'm so glad I picked up a couple pairs of shorts from the Accessorize Sale. I went for a tribal print as I knew I was bringing a lot of plain band t shirts with me and it would make the full outfit a bit more holiday appropriate. I pretty much always wear tights (even with dresses) as I have a scar on my leg from a bad fall from when I was younger so I was a bit nervous about my milk bottle legs being on show. That was short lived and I didn't care too much once I realised how hot it was in Spain at the time. The weather was in the high twenties everyday which is a change to the weather we have in Ireland. It was the first family holiday I've been on since I was a teen, I was unsure if it was going to get the time of work but I was so glad I did in the end.

Casares

 Gibraltar

My week was spent chilling and sightseeing (you probably gathered that already) with my family. My highlight of my trip was going to Gibraltar, I've never seen anything like it. We had to walk across a airport runway to get in which you don't see everyday I guess. Everything was unbelievably cheap, that said I didn't buy much whilst I was there. I found a MAC counter and bought two of their new release paint pots that I was eyeing up online lately. My brother on the other hand did well and picked up Dr Dre Beat headphones for €150 which he was really chuffed with. I even spotted a couple of monkies which were super cute. I'm not going to lie I didn't get too close as I was a little scared of them, thank god for good camera lens.

Puerto de la Duquesa

Tarifa

 I didn't buy too much whilst I was in Spain which I was a pretty surprised with. I'm going to put up a little holiday haul soon to show you guys what I bought but it won't be huge trust me. I took a little break from Slimming World while I was on holiday and treated myself. We went out for family dinners every evening so it was hard to find stuff that I actually liked on the menu. I wouldn't say I scrapped my healthy eating routine completely as there was so many options on the menu, I had the yummiest Tuna salad at a beachside restaurant one of the days, it was so nice to munch away on my dinner while looking at the waves come in. There was a lovely pizzeria beside our apartment and they did the nicest bruschetta I've ever tasted. I don't eat bread anymore since I started Slimming World so getting one of them was a huge treat. I put up a couple of pictures on Instagram during the week, as us bloggers tend to do! You can check them out here, I'm really new to the whole Instagram thing and I didn't know what all the fuss was about but I love it!

I didn't do too much reading on my holiday like I thought I would. I've nearly finished The Devil Wears Prada which I'm loving. It was a great holiday read and I literally only have another 100 pages to go. Paddy actually bought me this and the sequel while we were in London in June so at least I don't have to rush out and buy that once I finish. While we're on that note Paddy and I are hopefully heading away on holidays in November to Paris. It's not set in stone yet but we've wanted to go for a while but we are both super busy with work. He's been interning for the past few months so it will be nice to get away somewhere. I've been to Paris before, it was actually one of the last family holidays I went on. I remember loving it, we stayed in one of the hotels in Disneyland and it couldn't of been better. I actually have a picture of my brother and I from that holiday in my room and it's crazy to see how different we look but I guess it was ten years ago now.

I went back to work on Monday and it's seriously like I never left. What is that about going on holidays? I'm already looking forward to planning my next holiday! I really enjoy doing these sort of posts as they are so nice to look back on and relive all the adventures through pictures. I really hope you guys enjoyed this post too.

Laura<3