The Lo Down - Lisa Fitzpatrick Enjoying Style and Fashion

Hey Guys and Dolls,

As I've been losing a substantial weight over the last two months I've been reading alot of fashion related books to get some tips and tricks. One of my favourites have been Lisa Fitzpatrick's Enjoying Style & Fashion, it's soo good and so informative I love it!

Again this book is separated into easy to read sections which you all know at this stage that I like.I love the section Style Tips from the Icons, I definitely need a trench coat in my life after reading this. I also really like the section on Body and Beauty as I picked up a lot of tips and of course I'm a beauty blogger at the end of the day first and foremost. There's also a section on Consumer Rights which is always good, I haven't seen that in many books but there great to know as we are all shopaholics at heart.

I'm not too sure how much this book retails for but I presume it retails for €20 as much books like this do. I really enjoyed reading this book, it's another great one for the coffee table that's for sure. I love the imagery and it was such a interesting read. I'm looking forward to reading more books from Lisa Fitzpatrick soon.

Laura<3

The Last Days of Summer!

With September just around the corner, I've been trying to enjoy the sunshine as much as possible. Here in Ireland, people tend to give out about the weather regardless of what it is. When it's a heatwave you'll hear people saying it's too hot but on the flipside of the coin when it's miserable you hear people complaining that it's way too cold. What I've learned from this is that you can never please everyone. All that out of the way I have to say I love the Sun. I seriously don't think we get it enough so when we do finally get the odd ray of sunshine I never take it for granted. Both Paddy and I have been extremely busy with work lately so any spare minute we get we've been spending outside. Over the past few weeks the weather has been extremely changeable so it's hard to know what to wear at times. When we recently headed to Trinity College for a walk this is the simple casual outfit I put together which I think is perfect for the weather we're currently having.

Hoodie - New Look

Vest - Yoursclothing.ie

Shorts - Penneys

Aviators - H&M

Flower - Accessorize

Sneakers - Penneys

When I finish work I like nothing more than to wear clothes that are comfy and this ticks all the boxes for me. I picked up these shorts in Penneys at the start of the Summer and even though they are miles too big I solved the problem with a belt from Dorothy Perkins. My favourite item of clothing from this picture is my hoodie from New Look. I have it in Navy, Burgundy and Grey, I just think these are handy to have as they do tend to work well with any casual outfit. New Look is my favourite store, they have such a good range of clothes and there's always something to suit everyones tastes there. Not going to lie their student discount is pretty good too and I always take advantage of it. With my holiday to Spain right around the corner, I know the coral vest from YoursClothing will work perfectly with a lot of the shorts I picked up recently. There's lovely frill detail around the next which does make it kinda dressy and I think it would look lovely with black shorts. I have to admit I have been finding it super hard to find holiday clothes I'm guessing I left it to way too late to pick anything up. The vest itself in my opinion is a tad bit long which honestly doesn't bother me too much as I usually just tuck vests into my skirts/shorts anyway. Working in Retail I've learned that what doesn't bother me may bother someone else though so I just thought I'd add that in. My pink sneakers from Penneys (Primarks) have definitely seen their day I've had them for ages. They were less than €10 when I bought them so they were such a bargain. I want to pick up another pair soon as I got so much wear out of these.

Before I wrap up this post I just thought I'd tell you guys I finally got Instagram. I've had the same Samsung Young for nearly two years now and I literally only found out today I could get Apps on the thing. The phone may not be the best but it still takes fairly alright pictures in my opinion. I can see myself getting addicted to Instagram really quickly like everyone else that uses it, so if you want to see what I've been getting up to on a regular basis you can follow it here. I've already posted quite a bit on there already and I've only had it for a day.

What have you guys got up to over the Summer? 

Laura<3

What's in my Bag? - Updated

I haven't done a What's in my Bag post since May last year, when I started blogging. Obviously the contents of my bag have changed so I thought it was about time to do another. Like all girls, I tend to carry way too much in my bag. I like to think everything I carry is a necessity but I may be fooling myself a little.

Messy I know but isn't everyones bag?  If they say it isn't you know their lying.

I love this scarf, I bought it along with some matching gloves in Accessorize before Christmas. Unfortunately I lost the gloves, I was so disappointed as they were so pretty. I've worn this scarf probably everyday since I bought it. We never get nice weather in Ireland so it's needed.

 I always have a deoderant and a Impulse body spray in my bag. I'm still not too keen on the Lynx Attract For Her packaging, but seeing as I bought it I might as well use it up. A new purchase of mine is the Avene's Eau Thermale Thermal Spring Water. I've been using this to set my makeup lately, so refreshing.

Nothing too interesting in this picture. Basically there's my keys, battered old purse, glasses, umbrella (it's Ireland), Ipod and Muppet's Cardholder for my Age and Travel card.

A mixture of beauty products I found throughout my bag. I'm surprised at how many were in there. I had a lot of "so that's where you went to" moments. My mom bought me the Nivea Pouting Princess tin, it contains two lipbalms. I really like it. The Chocomania Body Butter (travel size) and Soap & Glory's A Great Kisser lip balm are recent purchases. I'm going to do a review on both of them soon.

Here we have my 2012 diary, a empty tin of Glee mints (courtesy of my Mom), a pocket mirror, Travalo (Burberry Body smells like heaven) and my makeup bag. Let me know if you would like to see a What's in my makeup bag post. I don't think I've done one before.

Last but not least is the book I'm reading at the minute. Yes I got a Kindle for my birthday, but I still have a mountain of books to read. I've finished all the other books in this series, Vengeance is the last as you can see. I just started it so I can't wait to see how everything pans out in the end.

So that's everything that's in my bag. I sure do carry alot more around with me than I did in May last year.

What's a must in your bag?

Laura <3

My New Bag!!

I've needed a new bag for a quite a while. My old one just wasn't cutting it anymore, finally I decided it was time for a new one. After looking around a few shops, I settled on this bag which was on sale in Accessorize. €59 down to €21... Bargain!!

(Ignore my brother's Trainspotting poster in the background)

I know some people may look at this bag and be thinking that's a beach bag/weekender. I thought the same at first, but then I realised how much stuff I carry around with me for work. I'm starting college soon (post to come later), so I'll need alot of space for my course stuff. So yeah the size isn't a issue at all for me.

I really like the nautical design on the bag and how it also has two little anchor charms. Inside is pretty spacious as you can imagine, which is good as it will fit all my rubbish. I like how there's a small pocket on the outside, this is were I usually put my phone and bus/luas cards. Very happy with this bag indeed!

I'm going to try and do a updated "What in my bag?" post soon. I haven't done one since I started blogging in April so I think it's time for a new one. What do you think?

Laura<3

Christmas Gift Ideas #6 - Custom Gifts

Instead of buying someone one big gift why not buy an assortment of small gifts. That's exactly what I'm doing for my sister's present this year. It's something that you don't need to spend too much on as it's the thought that counts! My sister, Lisa loves getting glammed up for nights out so I decided to get her mainly beauty goodies.

I got this pink quilted cosmetic bag in Penneys/Primark a while ago so I don't know if they still have these in stock. Any bag will do though. I like this cosmetic bag as it's the perfect size for your handbag but also quite spacious.

The Body Shop 4-Step Smoky Eyes Palette in Golden Brown & NYX 5 Color Shadow Palette in I Dream of Jamaica

My sister is alot like me and regularly rocks a neutral eye look. I love these palettes as they both contain wearable shades that would take you from day to night. The Body Shop palette also comes with a eyeshadow brush and eye pencil which would make a great gift on it's own. 

OPI Minis in Russian Navy & Lincoln Park After Dark
My sister wears dark nail polishes all the time. I don't think I've ever seen her wear bright shades. I got these two gorgeous nail polishes in OPI's Best of the Best set. I already own Russian Navy and Lincoln Park After Dark so I decided to pop them in too.

 Charm Bracelet

Like a lot of  people out there my sister adores charm bracelets. I got this one from Accessorize and it's beautiful. With a tonne of charms from dices to wishing bones I think this would look nice with anything. I hope my sister likes it as much as I do!

This is everything I've got for my sister so far! I may pick up a nice mascara and some Soap & Glory products the next time I'm in town and pop them in too. I think a custom gift would be great for a family member, friend, boyfriend, girlfriend as you know there going to find something they'll absolutely love. Plus they'll know you put alot of though into their gift.

What do you think of this gift idea?

Laura<3

Winter Woolies

With the cold Winter weather  fast approaching, I went to my local Accessorize to stock up on some Winter essentials.

I love the Winter woolies from Accessorize, they are super girlie and fun. Recently I purchased this gorgeous scarf and the matching fingerless gloves/mittens. They are also available in a cream colour with bright pink designs. Knowing me I would probably end up getting the lighter colour filthy so I stuck with the grey. I'll get plenty of wear out of these as I'm sure this Winter will certainly be another cold one. I have a sneaky suspicion that we'll be getting more snow this year, I love the snow but it did turn into a bit of a nightmare. I'm happy with my purchases, I'm sure this combination will go with everything and add something extra to my outfits.

Laura<3

Impulse For Lipsy 'Very Pink' Dress

Introducing the Lipsy Very Pink dress, this gorgeous number is a collaboration between the British fashion brand and Impulse. This limited editon creation celebrates Impulse's latest fragrance, 'Very Pink'.

This classic off the shoulder dress has a jewel embellishment to the side, for that added hint of sparkle. I really love this dress and it could be used for a number of occasions.

Lipsy Very Pink Dress is available online and retails for £65.

*For All My UK Followers*


A very special offer is available to all you Impulse fans out there. Until Sunday 11th September, if you show your 'Very Pink' can to the cashier in any of the below Lipsy stores you will be given 50% off this dress.

With this great offer I'm sure it will fly off the shelves, so get it while you still can.

The following stores are taking part:

Metro Centre, Newcastle

Queen's Street, Cardiff

Westfield, London

Trafford Centre, Manchester

What do you think of the Lipsy Very Pink dress??

Laura<3