Birthday Books

I really am such a lucky girl to have such wonderful friends and family. I was made to feel so so special the whole day of my birthday, which included receiving some wonderful presents. One thing I'm trying to do this year is read more which is why when anyone asked my what I wanted for my birthday I said books! Here's a few of the ones I was gifted by the lovely people in my life for my birthday.

I've wanted Orla Kiely, Pattern for as long as it's been released. My friend Lisa got me the mini version which I didn't even know existed. It's so much easier to hold than the original larger version. I love this, it's great to take a look at when you're in need of some inspiration, or if you just want to look at something pretty!

Lisa also got me this Paperblanks Charlotte Bronte Note Book which is actually funny because Jane Eyre is one of my favourite stories and I actually bought the book a few years ago and haven't read it yet so I will definitely be adding it to my list to read as soon as possible. I love stationary, I would seriously browse a stationary shop longer than any clothing shop. I adore this notebook, it is so gorgeous it's almost a shame to write in it!

Donnacha got me Pawnee: The Greatest Town in America by Leslie Knope as one of my presents.
If you don't watch Parks and Recreation then you won't understand what this is (it's written by a fictional character). So instead of telling you about it I will urge you to watch Parks and Rec right now and then buy this book because it's amazing! 

I've mentioned before my recent enough discovery of the Nancy Comic Strip. Donnacha also got me this Nancy is Happy Collection. It is so cute and funny, I am obsessed with Nancy, I can't believe how funny it is after 70 years! 

Also pictured is Chuck Palahniuk Survivor and Paul Auster The New York Trilogy, I can't wait to read both of these as my friend got them for me because they are two of his favourites. 

What books have you read recently? Do you have any recommendations for me?

Emma x

Shiny Happy Sunglasses

For the past few Summers I've made myself a little wishlist of items to buy to complete my Summer wardrobe. Despite the fact that Ireland's weather is inconsistent at best, the one thing that is always on my Summer wishlist is a pair of proper sunglasses. Every year I contemplate the idea of splashing out on a classic pair of Ray Bans as they're relatively inexpensive compared to designer sunglasses like these amazing Prada Baroque ones or the Tom Ford Nikita style.

Sunglasses are an accessory that are in my bag all year round (yes, even in Winter). I honestly feel naked if I don't have them with me. They are essential during the Summer months and are a great way of avoiding sun damage to your delicate eye area! I really should just bite the bullet and save up to buy a pair instead of spending money on cheap pairs that break after a few wears and spending hours doing online window shopping and bookmarking all the contenders.

I was recently invited by smartbuyglasses.ie to check out their selection of designer sunglasses and I was so impressed by the selection and the prices. They also offer world wide shipping which is an absolute must for me if I'm to consider shopping with an online retailer.

I thought I would share with you my dream wishlist of sunglasses if money were no object;

 

You can't really go wrong with the Ray Ban wayfarer in classic Black. These really are timeless, after being around for decades, the Wayfarers have been firmly cemented in popular cultured and even name-checked in Don Henley's 80s classic song Boys of Summer. They are a bargain at just over €100 here, you can even get them with prescription lenses if you need them!

I adore the Clubmaster in Khaki and Orange. These are another classic Ray Ban shape and are available in five different shades including black and gold, black and red, tortoise shell brown, brown yellow and multicolour with pink, purple and blue. They are just slightly more expensive than the Wayfarers at €112.95.

The Erika are such a gorgeous dainty pair of sunglasses, I love the thin rim and in white they are just that bit different but yet still classic and would go with any outfit! These are currently €85.95 on smartbuyglasses.ie which is cheaper than the other Ray Bans, so they are bit more affordable!

When I saw that these were called Emma I could not believe it because they are so "me". I love the Transparent Honey colour, they are so pretty and feminine and are that slightly cat eye shape that I really love. They also come in black, brown, blue, violet and light brown. These are also €85.95 on smartbuyglasses.ie so another more affordable style.

Finally, I am officially in love with these red glitter Miu Miu sunglasses. I saw Dianna Agron wearing them at a film festival in Italy recently and they are so beautiful on! One of my favourite bloggers Elsa Billgren also bought them recently and that fuelled my love for them even more because I love her style so much. If you feel like treating yourself they are currently €213.95 on smartbuyglasses.ie. The are also available in black, silver glitter, gold glitter, and yellow/black print. 

So those are my picks for sunglasses. I think there's something for everyone there, especially considering Wayfarers and Clubmaster are unisex. Hopefully I'll have one of these pairs for next Summer! Which ones are your favourites? Do you own any designer sunglasses or would you consider buying some?

Emma x

***Disclaimer- This is a sponsored post. All photos from smartbuyglasses.ie. ***

Gilty Pleasure

I had been wanting to try the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure range for ages! I finally decided to buy a bottle on a recent trip to a pharmacy as they only seem to be available in selected places and I haven't seen them around Dublin much. I went for Gilty Pleasure, which is a shimmery gold. To me this is a great colour as I will wear it in Summer and coming into Autumn as a really nice neutral and something a bit different to a muted nude or mink. 

I actually can't believe how long this has lasted on my nails. Five days to be exact! and that's even with wearing it in work. I rarely get more than two days wear from a nail polish without it chipping even a tiny bit. This lasted so well that I actually only got some wear on the very tips of my nails before I removed it. I am definitely going to get more of these the next time I see them. They retail in most pharmacies for €8.95 which for me is a lot of money to spend on a nail polish, but for anyone who is a bit obsessive about not having any chips in their polish, these really are a must have! 

What's your favourite nail polish at the moment? 

Emma x

Twenty Six

I had hoped to to a more thorough Birthday in photos post with photos of me doing my hair and make up etc. but top be honest I just got caught up in the excitement of the day and forgot for the most part! He's what I managed to remember to take photos of- delicious breakfast made by Donnacha, flowers from my friend, pear, almond and chocolate tart in Queen of Tarts, presents and cards and dinner in Cortina's. 

So that was my birthday. I also had a cocktail party the weekend before and I am never letting Donnacha make me a Long Island Iced Tea again! I was off work last week too which was an extra treat, I badly needed a break from the Summer sale madness. For some reason I seem to take a break from blogging when I'm off work, I'm happy to be back at it (not so much work though)!

How are you all?

Emma x

YSL Le Teint Touche Éclat

I was getting to the end of my Estée Lauder Invisible Fluid Foundation and as much as I love it (I will do a review soon), I wanted to try out something different. There have been several new releases in the foundation world recently that have sparked my interest including the Urban Decay Naked Skin and the Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow or whatever it's called! The one I went for in the end was the YSL Le Teint Touche Éclat. 

This was my first time trying any YSL products. I've never even tried the classic Touche Éclat highlighter. After reading several reviews of this, it sounded like the product for me, according to the insert that came in the packaging "Le Teint Touche Éclat illuminates your complexion, Shadows and imperfections appear reduced while complementing the natural silhouette of the face". It is also "warm and vibrant, highlights the contours of the face for a fresher complexion, full of life". It comes in three shade variations Beige, Golden Beige and Rose Beige with 22 shades in total. 

I was matched to the shade BR20 (Beige Rose 20) which is the second to lightest shade in a rosy beige colour and this is an absolute perfect match for my skin. I don't think I have ever had a foundation match my skin this perfectly! The lady who matched me said that the Beige Rose shades are the best for a more youthful appearance, she was so nice and also offered me and my mam a free make up lesson too.

No make up (and wet hair)

With the foundation applied but no other make up (and if it looks a bit dull compared to the photo above it's because the clouds had covered the sun so the room was darker)

As you can see it just evens out my complexion without covering the skin too much, you can still see my freckles which is a must for me. It has a satin/dewy finish so I would definitely need to powder the centre of my face during summer. I really felt that my skin looked more radiant, I almost didn't apply any of my High Beam when I did the rest of my make up. I used my Real Techniques Stippling brush to apply it and I would consider the coverage to be light to medium. I definitely think you could build the coverage if you needed to in certain areas because the consistency is so light and blendable. 

The packaging it what really makes this foundation worth the money when you compare it to other "high end" foundations including Chanel's Vitalumiere Aqua. It comes in a glass bottle so that you can see how much product you have left and it has a pump which I love! For €38 you get 30ml of product which is the exact same as Vitalumiere Aqua and I definitely prefer this. 

My skin is normal/combination so I'm not sure how this would fare for someone with oily skin. I'm sure with an oil free primer and some powder to set the T-zone, it would probably be fine. 

I love this, the only fault that I can see after using it for almost a month now is that as the day goes on my skin does need some blotting, especially in the hotter weather, but I can imagine in Autumn/Winter this will be ideal for making my skin look fresh and luminous! 

Emma x

PS. It's my birthday tomorrow so I'll hopefully have some photos to share with you later in the week! 

Reckoner, Take Me With You

Photos by Donnacha and I

Dress and Bag- Monsoon

Necklace- Zara Taylor

Bangles- Mixture of Accessorize and Penneys

Belt- Accessorize

Boots- Clarks

Lipstick- MAC Fire Sign

Nail Polish- Revlon Hazy

Donnacha and I discovered this abandoned building when we went for a walk on Saturday in his home town. It's part of a mostly derelict mini industrial estate and we both thought it would make a great place to take some photographs. 

The post title comes from one of my favourite Radiohead songs Reckoner which is used in the amazing film Choke. I am obsessed with this song. 

Two posts in two days? Don't get too used to it!

Emma x