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24 December 2015

DIY Christmas- Decorations&Gifts

Hey guys!

Now I am about as unartistic as you can get. Drawing and painting and I just do not mingle well. I even have problems drawing diagrams in biology, seriously it’s that bad! However something I’m not too awful at is crafts. I still wouldn’t really call it my thing but I can handle a few artsy bits now and again. If you just go on Tumblr or Pinterest (I don’t use Pinterest but I’ve heard it’s great) you can find a ton of ideas and most of them are pretty easy. If you’re often broke, like me, then it’s a cheap way to Christmas up your room and give cool gifts for cheap.

If only I could make some this good!

13 December 2015

OOTD- Trip to Scotland

Hey guys!

At the start of this week myself and my dad went to Scotland for two nights. I am applying to two universities there so I wanted to check them out and also the areas they're located. I would describe Scotland as a bigger version of Ireland. It is fairly similar in that it's pretty grey and freezing in these winter months and also the Scottish language actually looks really like Irish because they're both Celtic. Anyway I really enjoyed my time there, the people were so friendly and it's a really nice place so fingers crossed I get a place in a university!


6 December 2015

My Christmas Wishlist 2015

Hey guys!

So first off, bit of a disclaimer- I don’t plan on asking for all these things for Christmas! For one, my birthday is 5 days after Christmas (I’ll finally be 18 eek!) so the presents will be spread out over Christmas and my birthday. As well as that I don’t necessarily want to get all these things as gifts from other people, I might buy them myself, gotta treat yourself too right?

Adidas Superstars/ Nike Air Force
Here’s the thing- I kinda have a shoe obsession.

27 November 2015

My Top 10 Songs of 2015

Hey guys!

Music is a pretty big part of my life. I play the piano, take it as a subject in school and listen to my favourite songs pretty much every day. Whenever I’m feeling really stressed, I listen to some music and it helps every time. It also gets me pumped up if I’m listening to some rave tunes (haha, what?) with my friends, pre night out. Basically, music makes me happy. My favourite songs change quite often because I do listen to a lot of chart music and the Top 40 change all the time. So, I put together a list of my Top 10 favourite songs of 2015 (so far anyway!)

Beyoncé- 7/11
What a queen right? Around Easter I suddenly got really into Beyoncé. I’d liked a few of her songs before and liked them but was never a huge fan. But then I started listening to more of her stuff and she really is amazing, I especially like her more upbeat songs like 7/11 and she’s very women empowering which love!

15 November 2015

My Dressing Table

Hey guys!

Today I thought I would share with you a place where I spend time pretty much every morning. In my room I have two big wardrobes and built in between them is a dressing table. I have a lot of makeup, hair products and beauty tools so trust me when I say this really comes in handy. I thought that ye might like to see how I arrange everything so ye might get some ideas for your own makeup etc storage!

30 October 2015

5 Things To Do On Halloween

Hey guys!

One day until Halloween, yay! Is there a name for this day? I’m going to call it pre ween night. Preen? No, ok I’ll stop now. Anyway as it’s Halloween tomorrow I thought I’d write about some of the things you could get up to on the spooky night.

Party it up

26 October 2015

Vampire Makeup

Hey guys!

So, Halloween is this Saturday and I'm really buzzing for it this year. Usually I don't get into Halloween that much but I'm really excited for it. I've been watching lots of YouTube tutorials lately trying to get inspired. I've decided that I'm going to keep it quite simple and be a vampire so here's the sort of make up gives you that vampy vibe!

19 October 2015

Appreciation

Hey guys!

So this is going to be a different post from my usual kind. I’m gonna steer away from the beauty stuff and just ramble. I haven’t even really thought about what I’m going to say at all but this is just something I’ve been thinking about lately. Basically, I think that sometimes people, and I’m 100% guilty of this, get caught up in life and forget to appreciate what they have. I mean of course I realise that my life isn’t that difficult and things could be worse but when I really think about it, I’m so so lucky.

It’s especially when I hear about living conditions in developing countries, natural disasters and wars that I realise how easy I have it. Because I live in a “first world” country it’s easy for me to almost forget these things even exist. I think sometimes I just don’t want to think about horrible stuff going on in the world so I can forget about it. But it’s really important for us to care about these things because we are the ones who can make a difference. Of course there are many problems in Ireland too and I’m just so grateful that I’ve been lucky enough to experience such little hardship in my life.

The thing is though, that it’s fine to say all these things when I’m actually thinking about how fortunate I am but most of the time I just get caught up in stuff and forget these things. When something bad is happening in my life, I get really down about it and of course that’s natural and that’s ok but some of my problems aren’t really that awful and I’ve still got it much better than so many other people. I have a loving family and we're all healthy and happy, I get to go to school and university and I always have warmth and shelter. In the same way there’s lots of things that I think I need, like new clothes, shoes, make-up and all these stuff are great but I don’t actually need them. There are some people who can’t even afford food and shelter and here I am complaining because I don’t have enough money for new autumn clothes!

Of course I don’t mean to be annoyingly preachy and I have to be honest some of these things rarely even cross my mind. But I do think it’s important to remember to appreciate what you’ve got. Think about it, even if you’re reading this it means you’ve got internet access, a computer/phone and electricity. That already makes you better off than millions and millions of people. So those are just some thoughts I’ve been having recently, do you agree that sometimes we get to absorbed in our own lives to remember how lucky we are?

I’m sorry that this post was a bit random but I wanted to discuss the topic with ye because I think it’s important!

Join me next time for more “Catriona contemplates life”.
Joking, but that would be a great series. Or book. Watch out for this exciting phenomenon..

Catriona xo

11 October 2015

What's In My Night Away Bags

Hey guys!

Sometimes if I'm going away for just one or two nights I don't want to have to pack all my makeup, face stuff etc. So I have these two little overnight kit bags which I bring with me, and they are just so handy. One of them has all the stuff I might need for the bathroom and the other one is beauty bits. My sister actually made up the beauty bag for me and I just added a couple of things to it. Goes to show these little bags make great presents too because I use mine all the time!


6 October 2015

How To Live A Healthier Lifestyle

Hey guys!

Alright let me first start off by saying I don’t wanna be getting all preachy. I am not an extremely healthy person, nor do I claim to be. I do however try to live the healthiest lifestyle possible. That definitely doesn’t mean that I always achieve that. There are times when I’m not very healthy at all, but that’s ok too. Today I just wanted to share a few tips with you guys about how I attempt to live a healthy life. Phew, disclaimer over, let’s get on with the post!
Exercise as often as possible
I try to exercise every day of the week, except Friday when I give myself a day off. The key to getting a lot of exercise is doing something you enjoy. If you have to force yourself to go to gym it’s much less likely that you’ll actually go. Two years ago I was really into running, I would go about 4 times a week and even ran a relay marathon! However last year I stopped enjoying it so much but would still make myself run once a week. It’s much harder to get exercise when you’re dreading it. Joining a sports team/exercise class is a great way to keep yourself motivated. Things I like to do at home are YouTube workout videos and dance workouts (check out Dance Fitness with Jessica and Refitrev!). Just find something that you like to do and can look forward to.

Buy attractive workout gear
Another great way to keep yourself motivated is to have nice clothes to exercise in. I know that whenever I buy some new workout stuff I want to exercise asap so I can try them out. You don’t have to buy the best highest quality stuff, you can get pretty good workout gear from Primark/Penneys.

Take time to prepare healthy food
Sometimes it’s just so much easier to grab a packet of crisps or heat up a pizza instead of making your own food. I know that that option always seems appealing to me. But if you just spend a bit longer you can make yourself some tasty and healthy meals. Breakfast is probably my favourite meal so I don’t usually mind taking a bit of time to prepare it. The picture above shows my breakfast from the other day and something I make quite often.I mixed honey and chia seeds into greek yogurt and then topped it with goji berries, strawberries and a little granola, mmmm.

Snack less
Now I definitely struggle with this one. Because I only have small snacks I don’t think they count as much but if you count together all the snacks from one day it’s probably quite a lot! My tip is to try and cut out one at a time. For example I usually have a snack when I get home from school and later at about 8 o’clock. So I’m trying at the moment to cut out that evening snack. Obviously treats every now and again are fine though.


Drink more water
Now, I don’t have problems with this one because I drink lots of water. I don’t know why, I just get dehydrated really easily I think! My tip for you if you want to start drinking more water is too carry water bottles everywhere. I always have one with me, in school, in the car, wherever I go. If you’re not a fan of the taste of water then try adding things like lemons, limes, oranges, mint leaves, cucumber. Infused water tastes really good and supposedly is good for weight loss which is an extra bonus.

Try herbal teas
I love herbal teas and have at least one mug a day. They’re a great alternative to orange juice in the morning or a sugary drink in the evening. Also, they’re a great way to take in more water! There’s so many different types you can get, some calm you, some energise you, some make you sleepy. My favourite is definitely peppermint but the fruity varieties are really good too!

De-stress
I think people often forget that part of a healthy lifestyle is a healthy mind. Try not to get too worked up and worried about things. If you’re feeling stressed out take time to relax, do some yoga, read a book, have a pamper evening (tips here!). Practice positive thinking, if you feel happy and good about yourself, you’ll look good on the outside too. In many ways a healthy mental state is more important than a healthy physical state.

Well that’s it guys, I hope this helped you and maybe got you motivated.If you have any tips for staying healthy please don't be shy and share below!


Catriona xo

3 October 2015

A Very Small Candle Haul

Hey guys!



Today I wanted to share with you a few things I picked up in town recently. It really is a tiny haul but I decided I would write a post on it anyway just because I love everything I got. Also if you’ll believe it the whole lot came to just under 7 euro so I’m pretty proud of that too! Not much beats the feeling of picking up some great bargains does it? Everything is candles or candle related because I’ve burned up my others and wanted some new scents in my room.


27 September 2015

My Top 4 Lip Balms

Hey guys!

So yeah lip balms, bit random but my lips have just been soo dry recently, because of an acne treatment I'm on, and I have to apply lip balm about 493902836 times a day. Luckily I actually have loads of them so I’ve been able to switch it up lots. I have them stored everywhere, my locker, pencil case, beside my bed, it’s like I’m leaving a trail of lip balms or something. Anyway, I decided I would narrow down my fave 4 so enjoy!

24 September 2015

4 Outfits for a Night Out

Hey guys!

As a 17 year old teenager I do enjoy a good night out. I know going out partying isn’t for everyone and that’s totally fine. I love sitting at home watching Netflix on my laptop but I think it’s really fun to dress up, go dancing with my friends and talk to new people too! So I thought I would put together a few outfits that you could wear to “go out on the town” as they say (I don’t think anyone actually ever says that). They’re categorised because different occasions call for different kinds of outfits and sometimes you might just want to switch it up!
Comfy

20 September 2015

How To Have The Perfect Pamper Evening

Hey guys!

So you know when you have a cold and a cough and you’re throat is sore and you’re just completely exhausted? Well I’ve been feeling like that the past week. I think something’s going around and everybody’s picking it up cause we’re all worn out from going back to school. Well as I’m feeling as bleugh as I am, I decided to have a little pamper evening  for myself. I need to start doing more of these, especially as I’m bound to be stressed out this year with exams. I think everybody needs to take a little time out every now and again to treat themselves and make themselves feel refreshed. So today I thought I would share my tips on how to have the best pamper evening ever.


Run a bubble bath
Few things are more relaxing than a hot bubbly bath. Just run some hot water, add bubbles and sink into the warmth. If you had bath bombs they would make it even better. I spied some Lush bath bombs my sister got for her birthday recently while I was running the bath and was tempted to steal one but decided it was better not to!

17 September 2015

Beauty Essentials for Autumn

Hey guys!

I realised in the last few days that I’m actually quite excited for it to be autumn. Normally I think autumn is that forgotten season in between summer holidays and the Christmas season. But since it hit September first I’ve been looking forward to wooly jumpers, fires and dark colours (I mean like burgundy, khaki, burnt orange y’know?) Don’t worry I’m not gonna even mention PSL, because I’ve never actually had one (am I even a white girl??) But really it must be my Irish soul that secretly loves rain pattering on the pavements and the sun going down at 5 o’clock. Autumn and winter pretty much roll into one big winter in Ireland by the way, so that’s why  it sounds like I’m describing the middle of December, not the start of September! Anyway enough with the rambling on with the ambling (through my autumn essentials).




Autumnal Eyeshadows
I think in autumn I wear less shimmery shades and more rich shades. I love a nice gold or bronze colour, especially since I have blue eyes. I’m also a fan of purple/red shades even though I’m lacking on them, an autumn makeup shop is in need I think!

12 September 2015

How To Make A Homemade Face Mask

 Hey guys!


Two or three years ago I used to be absolutely obsessed with home remedies for acne. I’d always be making weird concoctions and putting half the contents of my kitchen on my face. I’m less enthusiastic about home remedies these days but I’ll still whip up the occasional face mask because if you can make it for free, why buy it? (probably my life’s motto!!) So today I thought I would share with you how to make your very own face mask at home.

7 September 2015

No Dairy, No Acne?

Hey guys!

In my The Acne Struggles post I mentioned that I was giving up dairy to try and clear up my spots. I’d done a lot of research on it but results were quite mixed. Some say dairy is a huge acne trigger (it’s to do with the hormones) and avoiding it is the way to spot free skin. Others say what you eat doesn’t make a difference and acne can only be cleared up using medication or products. I decided to give it a go anyway so for the month of August I went completely dairy free.
Source:Google Images

4 September 2015

August Favourites

Hey guys!

So it’s that time again, when I tell ye all the bits I’ve been loving this month. August was quite a busy month for me, catching up with friends, nights out and lots of sleepovers. I left preparing for school until the very last weekend, just to try and make the summer stretch a little more! So yeah August was fun and this summer was probably one of the best I’ve ever had. Anyway here are a few of my favourite things (during the month of August).


30 August 2015

Simple Hair and Makeup for School

Hey guys!

So.. I start school tomorrow. BLEUGH. What's keeping me going is knowing that it's my last year and telling myself how much I'm gonna miss seeing my friends every day once we're finished. But anyway I thought I would do a little hair and makeup thing for ye of what I do on an average school day.

27 August 2015

The School Survival Guide

Hey guys!

Ok so I’m pretty much crying while writing this cause the thought of going back to school next Monday. NOPE. As usual summer lasted about 8.39937432 seconds. I sorta feel like I did nothing for the whole 3 months but actually I did tons, probably my most productive summer ever. I spent 3 weeks in Irish college, went on a 2 week holiday, had a good few nights out and actually managed to keep in touch with most of my friends the whole summer. So the fact that I’ve had one of the best summers yet combined with the fact that I’m facing my final school year and have to do my Leaving Cert (A levels/Final Finals/you get the point) means that I am not 100% looking forward to it. So as I’m pretty much done with secondary school (high school) I thought I would share my tips on how to get through “the best days of your life”.

Ok look, yes I am AWFUL at Photoshop. But this is the first thing I've ever made on it and I have the artistic skills of a one legged dog so let's just appreciate the effort I went to. Also if you get where this picture is from then we should talk. 

25 August 2015

Mini Clothing Haul

Hey guys!




Last week I bought a couple of things and although I didn’t get very much, I decided to do a haul anyway! I got this stuff on two separate days. The first was in Cork with my friends, one of those days where I was like I WON’T BUY ANYTHING but brought money for travel and food (i.e the essentials) and of course ended up picking up some things in Penneys cause it’s just so hard to resist cheap stuff isn’t it? The second was when I went to Dublin with my cousin to meet up with two friends up there (who I met in Irish college). They’re used to shopping in “the big city” (funny cause Dublin's tiny compared to most capital cities) so they knew a few cool places to go. Anyway, on with the purchases!

23 August 2015

Five Budget Beauty Buys

Hey guys!

Now I am a sucker for a bargain. Sales, special offer, anything cheap that’s usually kinda expensive, I am there! But when it comes to makeup it can get a little tricky. It’s definitely possible to get really cheap makeup but sometimes the quality can be not very good so often you just get what you pay for. However today I’d like to share with you some my fave things that are inexpensive yet also do a good job. I have to apologise in advance for not knowing all the exact prices, I’ve looked them up but the price just depends on where you buy them! I’m pretty sure they’re all under €5. So, on with the products that are good for you pocket AND good for your face..



l-r Wet n Wild, 17, NYX

20 August 2015

OOTD

Hey guys!

So this is technically not an OOTD because I actually wore this last week!! But I've been really really busy lately so I just had time to quickly snap these photos on the day I wore this outfit. Luckily I already had the Healthy Sticky Peanut Butter Treats post ready to go. Anyway lets just pretend that this post isn't a week later than I meant it to be!



15 August 2015

Healthy Sticky Peanut Butter Chocolate Treats

Hey guys!



I really didn’t know what to call these delicious treats. At first I thought ‘healthy Snickers’ but they’re not really that like a Snicker so I settled for ‘sticky peanut butter chocolate treats’ which is pretty much exactly what they are. The stickiness comes from the date which are really sweet and sort of caramel-y. I know they’re not really really healthy but hey, they’re better than a bag of sweets or a chocolate bar!

12 August 2015

3 Easy Plait Hairstyles

Hey guys!

Look we've all been there, you wake up and your hair is frizzy, knotty and just screaming Bad Hair Day. At this point you have two choices, either throw it up in an artistic messy bun, emphasis on the messy, OR you can take a bit of time to turn your BHD into a GHD (who else just realised where the hair straighteners got they're name from?)

9 August 2015

The Acne Struggles

Hey guys!

So along with the other many great things about being a teenager such as the mood swings, the body changes and generally turning into a woman/man, acne affects a lot of us. It’s definitely something that I’ve struggled with since I was about 11. It was never awful, I always had a few spots but I wouldn’t have called it full on acne until last summer when for some reason my skin thought it’d be fun to start breaking out even more.

6 August 2015

Having a Fifth-Life Crisis

Hey guys!

Ok so in case you’re confused by the title I don’t mean that I’ve been reincarnated loads or something and am now having a crisis in my 5th life. I guess that would be cool but also weird. And if I could choose, I'd be reincarnated as a meerkat or something cause that seems like it'd be kinda fun. ANYWAY, what I mean is that I feel as if I’m having a mid-life crisis but at 17, I think (or at least I hope) a fifth-life crisis is more accurate, because I'm about a fifth of the way through my life. Yeah, doesn’t quite have the same ring does it?


(Ok so this is a pretty cringy selfie thing, but just thought the post looked a bit bare with no pictures. This is my 'omg what am I doing with my life' face.)

31 July 2015

July Favourites

Hey guys!

It’s time for another monthly favourites. I skipped June because I spent 3 weeks of that in Irish college so it would probably just have consisted of biscuits, catchy Irish college songs and insect repellent (I’ve never seen so many midges in my LIFE). But now it’s back, my JULY FAVOURITES 2015 (I don’t know why I’m making this so dramatic)

        

29 July 2015

UK Haul- Makeup

Hey guys!



So this is the stuff that I didn’t include in my last haul post, all the makeup I got in England. Now there’s not that much but I did pick up a few goodies and I’m excited to try them out. I bought most of the stuff in Superdrug (which we don’t have in Ireland, whyyy??) except for the bb cream and nail varnish, which I actually got in Tesco!

25 July 2015

UK Haul- Clothing and Shoes

Hey guys!

On my recent trip to England I did a little shopping. All the clothes I got are from Primark. There were a few other shops there too, just we spent so long in Primark we didn’t really have time to shop in any others! I decided to split the haul into two posts, clothing and make-up, just so I wouldn’t have one super long post.

22 July 2015

A Trip to The Making of Harry Potter Universal Studios

Hey guys!

So if you read my recent posts you’ll know that I went on a 2 week holiday to England with my family. While we were there we visited family and friends, spent a week in Cornwall surfing and beaching but the best part…. HARRY POTTER UNIVERSAL STUDIOS!! So I thought, just for something a bit different you know gotta mix things up, I’d write a post documenting my day.


18 July 2015

10 Things I Love

Hey guys!

Because I’m sitting behind my computer screen typing and your sitting behind your computer screen reading, it’s kinda hard for you to get to know me. So I thought I would tell you 10 things I really love, just to sorta share my interests and who knows maybe we love some of the same things!

Food: CHOCOLATE. Uhh who wouldn’t love chocolate? Actually my dad doesn’t like chocolate but I’ll never understand why. It’s my ultimate comfort food and my ultimate hunger food and my ultimate anytime any mood food. Yeah, I kinda like it I guess.


Colour: Red. I don’t really know why, it’s just always been my favourite colour. I think because it’s so bright and sort of fierce if you get what I mean?

15 July 2015

My Top 5 Nail Varnishes

Hey guys!

Today I thought I would share with you my 5 favourite nail varnishes/polishes/whatever you call them. I don’t really have a big colour range in these. I swear I do wear other colours apart from blue and red I just happen to have those colours in the products I like!

11 July 2015

Healthy Oat Pancakes

Hey guys!

I looove pancakes, they’re definitely one of my favourite foods. But I am also trying to be healthy at the moment. Actually I’m always trying to be healthy but most of the time I fail because like, chocolate. I know banana pancakes are really popular lately but I hate bananas, like ew gross, they’re the only fruit I don’t like. So I came up with this banana free (but still quite healthy) alternative.





6 July 2015

Holiday Essentials

Hey guys!

As ye are reading this I’ll be on my summer holidays (“vacation”) in England, so the posts for these 2 weeks have been pre-scheduled. I’m actually writing this the night before I head off so I thought I would write a post about what I would think of as some ‘holiday essentials’ . Obviously depending on where you’re going, different things are going to be essential. The weather in England is similar to Ireland but more sunny so I’m being optimistic and treating it as a sun holiday. The second week we’re staying in Cornwall so I know I’ll be spending a lot of time on the beach.
      
       Books/magazines

3 July 2015

Taming a Curly Mane

Hey guys!

I’ve had naturally curly hair all my life and if anything it’s gotten curlier as I’ve gotten older. As a child I hated my hair and always wished I had straight hair but that has changed since. So I thought I would share my tips on how I came to appreciate my unruly mop.


28 May 2015

Weekday Night Time Routine

Hey guys!

Ok so I decided to write a post about my daily night time routine. Personally I love reading blogs and watching youtube videos just to see what other people do at night. It’s such a great way to find new products and introduce new things into your own routine. So anyway, here is what I generally do to prepare myself for the all important beauty sleep!

Once I’ve finished my homework/study/exercise,and all the stuff that needs to get done in the day I like to relax by watching something on Netflix or a couple of youtube videos. As I said in my April favourites, I love love love Suits. I'm also really into Pretty Little Liars at the moment. And youtube videos, I watch A LOT of them.


25 May 2015

Bloglovin

Hey guys!

Just a quick post to say I'm on bloglovin now. If you wouldn't mind giving me an ol' follow I'd really appreciate it!! The follow badge is on top right hand side of the page. Thanks!

Catriona xo





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24 May 2015

My Top 4 Drugstore Concealers

Hey guys!

I was gonna call this post ‘the best drugstore concealers’ but then I thought that I haven’t actually tried all the concealers in the pharmacy so I couldn’t really claim to know the best! So here are just 4  concealers that I really like out of the ones that I have tried.



20 May 2015

Exam Stress and Study Tips

Hey guys!

So with my summer end of year exams looming around the corner ie they’re starting next week!! I thought it would be a good time to write about a post about dealing with exam stress and just a few helpers for how to study. Now, I have to admit that I could be called somewhat of a nerd. I like to do well and I’m only happy if I know I’ve done the best I could have done. Because of that I do tend to get a bit stressed out around exam times, as any member of my family will tell you. So basically these are just a few things I’ve picked up over my years of swotting.

17 May 2015

Fashion Trends to Try This Summer 2015

Hey guys!

So I've recently been looking at the S/S trends from the catwalks and just on other blogs and stuff and I have to say I'm really excited to try some of them out. I think I'm guilty of playing it safe when it comes to fashion even though there's loads of trends I like, I'm just afraid I won't be able to pull them off. I also re-joined Tumblr this week. I've had an account for a while but I found it kind of confusing to work! I've sort of figured it out now and oh my God some of the fashion inspo pics on there. Seriously like the style of  some girls is actually amazing. I can see why there's so many "tumblr inspired outfits" blog post and YouTube videos now! So anyway basically what I've done is found some pictures of trends I like from the catwalks and some pictures from Tumblr with ideas of how to wear the trends.

Boho


I love love love this trend. The colours and patterns are so perfect for summer. There's just something so cool about the boho chic look. I 100% want to get some sort of boho inspired dress/top/kimono. I can see myself wearing this trend on holidays or at the beach.