2015.

New Years is probably one of my favourite festivals. After all, who doesn't like a fresh start?
For the last few years I've avoided making resolutions, thinking that life was too hectic to actually follow through.

2015, bring it.

1. Get back into blogging and blog once a week.
I enjoy blogging. However, I let myself feel overwhelmed by all the other, bigger bloggers I looked up to and wondered why anyone would want to read my rambles. Now I'm just blogging for myself. If anyone wants to have a read that's a bonus.

2. Complete the 50 books challenge.
I'm a complete book worm and this year I joined Goodreads. Best idea ever! It really opened my mind to new authors and even new genres that I'd never considered before. I'm hoping this challenge will keep me on a roll!

3. Complete the couch to 5k programme.
Sadly I do not have a natural love for exercise. Sure, I love the endorphin rush and the smug self satisfied feeling I get after I do it but I find it pretty hard to motivate myself to actually start exercising. Please help me Couch to 5 k.

4. Travel to at least 2 new countries this year.
Self explanatory.

5. Make a real effort to keep my room tidy by tidying it for 20 minutes a day.
This is an incredibly childish resolution, I know. I ,somehow, create mess wherever I go. My room gets the worst of it. I recently did a massive clearout so this resolution is to keep me on track!

6. Wear lipstick every time I leave my house.
Another weird one. I own about 54 lipsticks. Seriously. I need to actually use them.

7. Save 30e a month.
I'm a disaster for spending money. I am (kind of) a grown up now. Grown ups save. I figure this number isn't so small as to be insignificant but not big enough to keep me from livin' mah life. Which leads on to the next resoltuion nicely....

8. Get out more. At least once a month!
This is the only resolution that I find it hard to express in concrete terms. Point is, I've become a bit of a hermit. I started this resolution off well by going to the New Year's Festival in Dublin and ringing in 2015 with Kodaline and I'd like to keep on doing fun things like that. Seeing Dylan Moran in Belfast, watching a play and a musical and going to visit the Father Ted house is wrapped up in this!

9. Grow my hair.
I got a pixie cut in 2013. I think it's time to move on!

10. Buy a new laptop.
This one celebrated its sixth birthday in December.

I'm going to try to do a review of these resoltions and my progress every three months. 

Pray for me!

Did you make any resolutions this year? Let me know :)

A long and winding road....

Over Christmas and New Year I was preparing for some important work experience relating to my future career.

Now that I am three weeks in, I can honestly say I have never worked so hard in my entire life.

A furry friend keeping me company as I work!

I have found this experience to be challenging, stressful and hectic but also rewarding in ways I cannot even put into words.

I struggled with the big question of  'what I wanted to be' for years and it actually caused me a lot of stress and at times,worry. That may sound silly but it was an important decision for me. I feel that a career can be an extension of who we are as a person. It something we are (hopefully!) interested in, something we dedicate time and effort to and is an area of our lives we want to achieve in.

We spend a lot of our lives working and I want to enjoy my work.

I am now certain that the path I chose is the right one for me and this knowledge is, in my eyes, invaluable.

One word: Yum

Yes, I'm really being good to myself...

All the serious stuff aside I had a great Christmas and New Year, and I hope you did too!

I will be back posting again next week with some beauty-ful reviews. Happy February! xx

Ramble #1

Occasionally I like to share things I'm liking, in real life and on the interwebs... 

Introducing ramble numero uno. 

Because it's nice to share! :)

 I love the 60's vibe of this video. It's my new make up inspiration. Lashings of eyeliner, false lashes and nude/ pale pink lips. I think I'll be giving this look a go on my next night out! :) 

The song is pretty damn catchy too!

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Florence and the Machine is probably my favourite band. 

I love Florence Welsh, she is a real icon in my eyes. I'm bored of flesh flashing pop stars that are everywhere. She always looks different and unique, with this Vogue shot being one of my favourite images of her.

link to picture

 Again, I love the vibe of this song... very Motown or something? 

I don't know, I just know everytime I hear her voice it genuinely gives me chills in the very best way.

I really recommend checking out her songs Seven Devils and Spectrum, if you haven't already heard them.

~~~~~

Leanne's recent post on her blog Thunder and Threads really struck a chord with me.

I have a fast metabolism, eating like a horse but burning off that food quite quickly. I frequently get comments about being a 'stick' and it can be a little insulting.
 I also agree with her on the 'real women' issue. 'Real women' can be slim too! This doesn't mean we are perfect, not by any means, but it's just a fact that people come in all shapes and sizes. 

~~~~~

I love Ladurée macaroons. I love how they look, smell, taste, everything! Unfortunetly they aren't stocked anywhere near me (sob) so I will just have to make do with this pretty picture!

link

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And lastly, many of my friends have recently gotten puppies. As I live away from home, it really isn't practical for me to have a pet and my landlord certainly wouldn't thank me for getting one. 

A girl can dream however...

It's in a TEA CUP!

Aww!

~~~~~

It's looking like a beautiful day...

All this gorgeous weather is making me daydream about blue skies, sandy beaches and clear,turquoise water..

I don't know what I'm doing this summer yet but I should be going abroad for a little while as part of my course.. Have you any summer plans? :) x

The day the carnival came to town

I love carnivals!
Yesterday a carnival came to my college campus for RAG week and I was so happy! (Yes, I am a child still).
 To me carnivals mean 2 things:
1) The Waltzers.
2) Candyfloss

Yes it's true candyfloss sticks to your face. It'll make a mess out of your hair if it's windy. It will ruin your teeth.

And yet, I love it.

Who else loves candyfloss?



I think this is Katy Perry.. if not, it's someone who looks really like her..



Ryan Reynolds
Enough said.



Pikachu



          This is not an ad for candyfloss, although it's really beginning to look like one!

If only....

Bits and bobs..

News, random stuff and things that have amused or interested me this week!

• I found the dress for my ball! :) I did have an idea of what I was looking for (a deep emerald green dress) but I just fell in love with this one. Also, it's definitely something I'll wear again. I just need to get shoes to go with it and I'm looking for something a little bit different so it could take a while. I'll post a photo of the whole outfit after the ball!
• It's RAG (Raise and Give) week in my college this week coming, hence I'm super busy this weekend trying to get all my college work out of the way! Haha! In all seriousness though, it's a great way to have fun and raise money for some really worthwhile charities. It's been great fun the last two years so I'm really looking forward to it!
• A blog that I really enjoy reading is Girl Without a Plan's http://tuesdaynightblog.wordpress.com/ If you haven't seen it before please check it out, it's well worth the read. Especially this post http://tuesdaynightblog.wordpress.com/2011/02/08/dear-world-thank-you-more-please/ which I found particularly inspiring!
• A song I've been really enjoying this week is Belle and Sebastian's 'I want the world to stop'. I don't love every song by this band (I'm not cool enough for that, I prefer ridiculously bad 70's/80's music haha) but I really liked this one.
• One of my friends mentioned Irish shoe designer Nina Divito and was shocked and appalled when she learned that I didn't have a clue who she was (I love my shoes, me) and rightly so!! I promptly googled her and her creations look amazing! Have a look for yourself here: http://www.rte.ie/fashion/2010/0203/diviton.html ( I particularly love the one with the rose) and check out her website here: http://ninadivito.com/news/
• After all this recession doom and gloom, I personally found the last few weeks even more depressing being continually bombarded with election news and political promises, posters everywhere (Even in my house.. ahem) and watching our politicians taking skelps (official term there) out of each other on the tv. However this video gave me a good laugh in the midst of it all!
• Sunshine! I saw sun this week for the first time in a very long time! And... it was WARM! Not the usual it's-sunny-but-still-the-wind-would-freeze-you-to-death weather we usually see here in Ireland. BRING ON THE SUMMER, I SAY!

Nom!! Because we all know Summer = Ice cream :)