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

Magic Moments in Manchester

As you all know by now, I arrived back from Manchester last Sunday. I've been to this wonderful city twice already and I'm in love with it. There's so much to do and see over there compared to Dublin which is a serious plus. I went for 10 days in total and I certainly squeezed alot into that period of time. First and foremost I went to Manchester for a PR Internship. It took place over five days so realistically it was more like work experience per se. I wish I had of worked for a longer period of time as I had such a ball. The people were lovely and over the five days I got a great insight into what I want to do in the future. The hours were indeed long (8.30-5.30), but they actually flew by too fast. I may be heading back to college in September now to study PR & Marketing which I'm rather excited about so as they say watch this space.

When I first arrived in Manchester on Friday I was joined by my lovely Mom. Having never traveled to England herself, when I mentioned I was going she jumped at the chance to come for the weekend too. The hotel we stayed in was the MacDonald Manchester Spa Hotel. It was really nice, even though it was a bit of a trek away from the City Centre itself but this didn't bother us in the slightest.The weather was a dream for the full ten days I was there which couldn't of been better. My Mom and I spent most of are time shopping, there will be a post up on what I bought soon. She loved the Arndale and The Trafford Centre. Everyone we met were nothing but nice to us. The three days she came for went by so fast so when Sunday came I was left on my own. This was a completely new experience for me, even though I know Manchester quite well it felt different in a way as I had no one there with me. I really don't know how the rock stars do it at all, I'd miss everyone too much.

When Wednesday came around, my boyfriend Paddy arrived over from Dublin. I couldn't of been happier to see him. We had lots of stuff planned for the remainder of my trip. The first of which was the Olympic football in Old Trafford. To say security there was tight is definitely an understatement but once that was dealt with everything was plain sailing from there. For £35 we got to see two games, UAE vs Uruguay and Team GB vs Senegal. I like my football so I really enjoyed both games alot and it's nice to be able to tell people I seen a Olympic game I suppose. What I didn't like were the horrible crowds after the match it was such a nightmare walking home. We both did alot of shopping between us as everything seems so much cheaper in England. My favourite shopping centre is the Trafford Centre. I've seriously seen nothing like it over here. If you live in Dublin the only thing I could describe it to is Dundrum Town Centre and at that it's about five times the size and much nicer.

The day before we came home, Paddy treated me to my Morrissey ticket. Being honest before Paddy mentioned this concert I'd heard very little about the singer and never listened to his music. On the day of the gig, we went into town early as it was practically are last full day in Manchester. One of our destinations was the Museum of Science and Industry, if your ever in the city you should definitely take a visit as there is so much to do and see. It's very interesting altogether and I'm glad we went. After killing a few hours in town, we headed into the MEN Arena to see Morrissey. I've been to this venue once already to see Taylor Swift almost two years ago, it's one of my favourites. The concert was brilliant, I enjoyed every minute of it. For someone who didn't know Morrissey before the gig I definitely knew who he was when I left. That man has no filter, I think that's why I liked him so much cause he says what he thinks and doesn't care about people reactions. I said to my boyfriend we'd see him again if he played in Manchester as we both loved the gig. 

I'll probably be heading back to Manchester before Christmas so if you know of any places Paddy and I should visit while we're are there let me know in the comments.

Laura<3

A Shopaholic's Journey #12 - Last Haul Before Manchester!

As you can tell from the title, this is going to be my last haul post for a while. I'm heading to Manchester towards the end of July for nine days which means I have to start saving now. I've been twice already and I love this city. There's actually quite alot to do and I love the Trafford Centre, that place is amazing. From now until I go I'll be focusing more on doing reviews. As always if you see anything in this post or previous ones that you'd like to see reviews on let me know. I didn't buy all these products all at once so this is more of a collective haul. I feel like I've been treating myself more to new products lately as I'm doing so well at Slimming World. I've had another amazing month, so be sure to keep an eye on for my update next week.

There was a Summer event on in Harvey Nichols were they offered 15% off all beauty products. It was for one night only so of course I did take advantage. I've seen alot of great reviews on Laura Mercier's Mineral Powder, I caved and bought it along with one of their lip glosses in Orange Tulip. I'm sure both products will last me ages so I'm happy with the purchases. I've yet to try Bioderma but I have been using alot of micellar solutions lately. I picked up This Works Clean Skin 5 in 1 water, I've used it a bit so far and I really like it. I do use up micellar solutions awfully quick though so at €26 I don't know if it's something I'd repurchase. I'll have to wait and see. My skin has been acting up lately so after chatting to the Bliss sales assistant, she recommend the Clog Dissolving Cleansing Milk. This is the most popular product in their spa facials so I'm hoping this can sort out my problem skin. As I made a purchase from Bliss, I received there gift with purchase which was their Lemon + Sage Soapy Suds Body Wash. I already have the body butter in the same scent and it smells amazing. Last but not I got a sample of the Dior Forever Foundation. I like this, but I don't like the price tag it's on the expensive side. I'm still on the lookout for a new foundation so if you have any recommendations let me know. I may go back to my favourite Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua but I want to try something different.

These are just a few random purchases from different stores. I found it so hard to find the Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover, it was literally nowhere to been seen in my local Boots. I finally got my hands on it and yes it's brilliant, so much so that I included it in my May Favourites. I got two haircare products from Boots. I'm loving Tresemme's Liquid Gold Perfecting Treatment but I'm not 100% keen on Umberto Giannini's Scrunch Up The Volume Messy Texture Cream. It has a sticky consistency and leaves my hair looking a mess to be honest. At least it was on offer so I didn't spend too much on it. I picked up another No7  Eyeshadow Blend and Contour brush with my €7.50 off voucher. I rate this higher than my MAC 217 brush, it's brilliant. I was on the look out for a new handcream, The Body Shop's Hand and Nail Cream ticked all the boxes, it's the perfect size for my handbag, smells amazing and leaves my hands lovely and soft. I'm getting really into tanning lately, I have no idea seeing as the weather is so miserable out. The Honey Bronze Shimmering Dry Oil is a product from The Body Shop that I've wanted to try for a while. It has a gorgeous scent and I can see myself use this alot over the Summer. I popped back into Moss Cottage which I've talked about alot on my blog. I picked up another Lily Flame candle this time around I got Coconut Grove. From the name you've probably guessed what it smells like. I love this candle it has such a nice summery scent. This candle smells exactly like a macaroon bar, and for me that's the best scent ever.

Have you tried any of these products? What would you like to see a review on?

Laura<3

MAC Goodies From My Boyfriend's Trip To Manchester:)

Those of you who follow me on twitter will know my boyfriend, Paddy went to Manchester last weekend. I really missed him while he was away even though it was only a 5 day trip!!!:) I wish I could of went as I have quite a soft spot for Manchester. I've only been twice but I've had such unbelieveable times there. I hope to go back before the summers ended. Paddy arrived back in Dublin on Tuesday and with him he brought a MAC lipstick and eyeshadow I've been lusting after for ages. Being a typical guy, he didn't want to be seen at the makeup counter so he wrote the products on a page which I thought was so cute. Since he gave me these MAC goodies I've been using them none stop as both shades are so wearable.

Below are the swatches and pictures of the products!!

MAC Lustre Lipstick in Hug Me
I'm such a lipstick junkie I have far too many to even mention! I seen this lipstick on MAC's website awhile ago and I loved the light  pink shade as I love neutral colours.

MAC  Veluxe Pearl Eyeshadow in All That Glitters.

I first seen this on Vivianna's blog ( if you haven't checked out her blog you have to) and liked the colour, I knew I had to give it a try. I must of been living in a hole not to have spotted this lovely eyeshadow. So far I love this it as it's so pigmented and is also very wearable. The perfect neutral eyeshadow.:) I will have to do a full review when I've used it more.

The following our swatches of  both products!!

L2R- All That Glitters and Hug Me

My boyfriend is like the best boyfriend in the world and such a sweetie:)...I'm so happy with these two MAC goodies and they will definitely be used daily!!!:)

Until the next time,

Laura<3