Moving Apartment!

We are moving this week!  So exciting, stressful and hectic all at the same time!  Probably the least stressful part of moving was packing my wardrobe...I keep everything super organised so it was pretty easy.  Above is a picture of the destruction!!

I did however find the time to film a make-up tutorial, amidst the chaos of our messy apartment!  It's a very simple, quick and easy neutral look for work, school or just everyday make-up and I used mostly drugstore products.  You can check out the video here.

Because we had so much stuff, we actually ended up leaving some of it in my future MIL's house which was very kind of her!  Cork is about a 2hr 20mins drive from Dublin so we'll probably collect it next week once we've properly moved in.  Jonathan's mom got a new deck and totally revamped her back-garden, which I thought looked very pretty so I twitpic'd to show you guys!

And finally, here's our last picture outside our old apartment...sooooo many of you have been asking since we moved in last December where it was, which part of Dublin it was in, etc. etc. and I can finally reveal that yes, we were indeed living in Dalkey, Co. Dublin. This is a totally awkward picture of us outside our front door...we were parked right outside and the parking ticket guy was hovering around us as we were about one minute over-time.  Hence the very uncomfortable faces!!  Grrrr....  So now you guys know our exact address and are free to rent the property if you wish, ha ha!  So many of you said you loved it and wanted to take it after us so keep a lookout on Daft.ie and it could be yours!!

Hopefully we'll get settled into our new apartment in Cork soon...and when we do I will of course film some kind of "Apartment Tour" video for your entertainment!

Stay Stylish!

xoxo

Dulce's Visit

Breakfast at the house

UCC Campus

Cool Skull at Glucksman Art Gallery

Storm Troupers in Patrick Street (town)!

Yesterday (Friday) my lovely friend from YouTube Dulce, from DulceCandy87 came to visit us in Ireland!  I was so excited (and nervous) to meet her as we have known each other for about a year and a half now but we had never in real life before! It's always a little daunting when you meet an online friend for the first time because even though you may get along on the internet, you never know what they're really like in person! But I can tell you Dulce was soooooo sweet and exactly how I expected her to be.  Actually, Jonathan and I agreed that she is even more gorgeous in real life!  She came with her 5 friends from college in London who were all so kind and nice.  We couldn't have asked for sweeter guests! 

I'm so happy we got to finally meet up and I can't wait for Dulce's next visit!  We all got along so great and had so much to talk about...also she and Jonathan chatted about cameras for the longest time, ha ha!  Albi took to her in instantly, they bonded extremely well and I think he misses her now she's gone!  Hope you enjoy the pictures from today, when we hung out at the university campus (UCC) and town!

Thank you so so much to my amazing photographer boyfriend, Jonathan for taking all of these photos!

Stay Stylish!

xoxo

My Decorating Style

A lot of people ask me what my decorating style is and unfortunately, being that we move around a lot and live in rented accommodation, I hardly ever get to express it in my own home.  I look forward to when we move into our own house and I can start decorating it the way I want!  One thing I cannot stand about rented accommodation is the standard black leather sofas...eww!  I don't like leather furniture much anyway but especially not the cheap kind!  

Overall my style is quite classic and simple, much like the way I dress.  I absolutely LOVE blue and white together and I adore aged Persian rugs, Turkish tiles and clean lines.  I'm not into florals as I favour ethnic prints and I have completely gone off the Damask print...I feel it's so overdone and in some cases, can look tacky.  I also love lots of light, high ceilings, wood floors and big windows...sigh...I want it all!  Above are some inspirational pictures that best illustrate my decorating style.  So tell me, what is yours?  How do you decorate your house/apartment or how do you plan to decorate your dream home?

Stay Stylish!

xoxo

Albi's Oral Care!

What is wrong with this picture?  Look closely and you'll see what an idiot I am...  First of all, let me explain.  When my fiancé and I were first told about brushing our dog's teeth we thought it was total rubbish and completely disregarded it.  However, on our walk a few days ago we met another two Maltese and their owner who told us that one of hers had lost three teeth already and that their breed is prone to having bad teeth and gums.  She also explained to us how she had recently started brushing their teeth each day as she was advised to by the vet.  

Well, I certainly don't want Albi's teeth falling out so we quickly nipped to PetStop and got him a new tooth-brush and doggy tooth-paste.  On opening the box, I then discovered the "No Brushing Necessary" logo on the tube...oops.  What a waste of money!  I ignored this and decided to try brushing Albi's teeth this evening, using a tiny amount on the tooth-brush and to put things simply...it was a bit of a struggle.  I don't think Albi appreciated me groping around in his mouth!  But there is a lot of hard yellow stuff on his back teeth which I feel can't be good.  Any tips?  I'm thinking it's probably best to just consult our vet and perhaps take him for a cleaning.  Do any of you guys brush your dogs' teeth or do you think it's a silly fad?

xoxo

Casual Sweats

A lot of people have been asking me this question, specifically since Jonathan started making the daily vlogs, whether I stay dressed up around the house and do I ever wear sweats!  Because he normally would film during the day, you would often see me dressed up because we were going out somewhere but in the evening time and when I have nothing to do all day and I'm not leaving the house, I definitely do dress down!  This is a typical outfit I would wear at home.  It's very comfy and casual and much more appropriate!

Sweatpants: Zara (a few years ago), cut at the ends.  (Buy similar style here) (And similar style, cropped version here)

Tank top: ASOS Fairtrade (buy it here)

Slippers: Simply Vera Wang for Kohl's (buy them on ebay here)

So let me know, what do you wear when you're lounging around the house?

Stay Stylish!

xoxo

Yummy Salad

This morning I was browsing through my Facebook and caught sight of an article Natalia had posted on the Optimum Nutrition 4 U page.  It is entitled "Super Simple Summer Daily Menu".  This instantly appealed to me seeing as I'm a horrible cook and always looking for something simple and quick.  So I took one of the recipes (dinner) and prepared it for my lunch...and success!  It was yummy, fresh, summery, simple and QUICK to make.  I definitely suggest trying this out if you're not too talented in the cooking department.  I personally struggle with making salads, especially when I'm making it for one (my fiancé doesn't like salad!).  It may be easy for some people but for me it's a nightmare...I just don't know where to start!  So recipes like these that are quick and easy are a godsend!

I moderated the ingredients slightly to suit what was in the kitchen and ended up using:

Leafy salad

Spring onions (two)

Cherry tomatoes

Feta

Olive Oil (about two generous teaspoons)

Check out the Optimum Nutrition 4 U Facebook page for the full daily menu!  What are some of your favourite simple summer meals?

xoxo

Look Sexy Not Trashy!

In Jonathan's words...this is my "Star Trek dress".  He says that because of the distinctive panelling along the front, which you may or may not be able to make out from these pictures!  Please excuse the not-so-sexy background but I'm in my parents' house and these photos were taken in the kitchen.  The Star Trek dress is actually a very pretty form-fitting grey mini-dress from Whistles (belonging to my sister but I always steal her clothes).  I wore this in a video I filmed today on how to look sexy without looking trashy.  

My Tips

1. If you're showing cleavage, cover up your legs with tights or skinny jeans and heels.

2. If you're showing legs, cover up your cleavage with a high-neck blouse or dress.

3. Pick something form-fitting, which highlights the natural curves of your body.

4. If you don't have many curves, use a skinny belt to accentuate your waist!

What I'm wearing...

Whistles dark grey mini-dress

ASOS leopard print flats

Accessorize silver stud earrings

Chloe Paddington handbag

Pure silver bracelet

Let me know if you like the look!  What did you wear today?

Stay Stylish,

xoxo

Anna

Bershka Haul

I popped into Bershka in Mahon Point shopping centre today to check out their sale and picked up this beautiful khaki jacket with gold sequin detail on the shoulders and pocket!  I am in love with this!  It was a total bargain at only €15.99 so I knew it had to be mine!  I got it in a size Small, there are three sizes - Small, Medium and Large and I'm a UK size 8 and it fits like a glove!  I really like the way it ties with a brown leather belt at the waist and the overall shape of the jacket.  They also had this in a tan colour.

Have you picked up any bargains lately?

Stay Stylish!

xoxo

Anna

How To: Classic Bun

A classic, simple bun has become one of my favourite hairstyles this summer.  It's just so hot out and if you have long hair like me, all you want to do is have it out of your face and off your shoulders!  (Great for tanning too ;)  It's just such an easy, laid-back hairstyle and it doesn't have to look severe if you style it the right way.

All you need is one elastic band, 4 bobby pins (depending on the thickness of your hair), a brush and some hairspray.  (I used L'Oreal Elnett for Dry and Damaged Hair.)  If you can put your hair in a pony-tail, you can put it in a bun too.  Here's how I do it:

1. Brush your hair back off your face and make it into a high ponytail.

2. Twist the hair around the elastic band in the middle of your head in a clockwise direction, while keeping the bun flat and in place with your hand.

3. Pin the sides of the bun, working in the same direction as the hair (clockwise).

4. Spray with some hairspray to keep in place and you're done!

So let me know, what are your favourite simple summer hairstyles to do?

Watch the video tutorial here.

Stay Stylish!

xoxo

Anna

Haircare Haul

I went on a haircare shopping spree today as my hair has been very blah lately and I'm getting sick of it.  It's gotten super long, so it's quite difficult and time-consuming to style and maintain properly.  My hair type is thick and dry but because of all the awful chemicals and hair dyes I've used on it it's pretty damaged at this point too.  My split ends are so terrible...thank god you can't see them on camera!  

I know I need to look after it properly so I'm thinking of chopping it to about just below my shoulders and giving it some much needed TLC.  I purchased some items from Sam McCauley (drugstore) today which I've never tried before so I hope they work out.  Here's what I got:

John Frieda Frizz-Ease Emergency Treatment Leave-in Conditioning Spray - €5.65

John Frieda Frizz-Ease Extra Strength Hair Serum - €6.89

I also picked up some L'Oreal Elnett Hairspray for Dry and Damaged Hair (€2.70) and my trusty old hair-dye, Garnier Nutrisse Creme in #10 Chamomile (€6.05).  I know, I know...blonde hair-dye = damage but I miss my light blonde locks and it was time to go back to my roots...kind of!

Let me know if you've tried any of these products before and if they've worked for you!

Stay Stylish!

xoxo

Anna