No Day Like A Snow Day

I am typing this post looking out the window to see thick snow falling on the depths and drifts that are already there. I honestly cannot remember this much snow in my lifetime; Lulu is transfixed by it and I have to admit that I am too. Granted, there is commuter chaos and I feel so sad for the people trying to get home for Christmas, but I also feel a childlike excitement too and must admit to throwing open the curtains each morning to see how much more fell in the night!

So today, I'm lucky that I don't have to travel anywhere and will be taking it very easy... I'll take Lulu out to play and teach her to make snow angels...

....then we will retreat indoors, get warm, light a scented candle like one from the fab Miller Harris...

Snuggle up under blankets in front of old Disney Christmas cartoons...

....and eat some warming butternut squash soup!

I hope your snow day is ok too...

***the winner of The Friday Freebie is Kate - Congrats on your wedding!***

(images from here and here )

It's a Rockstar Friday Freebie!

My lovelies, because it's Christmas and because I love you, I have a fabulous Friday Freebie for you today!

May I introduce Rockstar Tan. This organically sourced, natural toned tanning range is the brain child of Irish actress and self-confessed tan fan, Rachel Kavanagh. Having spent years wearing other tans but never being happy with the orange colour and hideous smell, Rachel enlisted the help of a tanning expert in LA and Rockstar Tan was the result. Sounds good so far, right? Well it gets better....

Rachel

A lot of you may know that I personally prefer to be my natural whiter shade of pale in the winter and rely on very gentle tanning products in the Summer for a slight glow, so I am very harsh when I test tanning products as my expectations are high. I had to judge the entire false tan category for Image magazine's beauty awards a few years ago; it was the bane of my life for the few weeks that I had patches of various different colours all over my body!

So what I look for in a tan is a realistic colour that is not too many dramatic jumps in tone from what God gave me! I also, like most people, can't bear the smell....at all.

So when Rachel kindly sent me some of the products to try, I was intrigued but not sure they could deliver something that looked good on my pale skin.

So I tried Entourage which is a body moisturiser with small amounts of DHA that can build tan over a period of time. My friends, I love it! I've worn it on three occasions over the past few weeks and I'm very impressed. It leaves me a warmer honey tone that suits me for the Winter (and it smells OK - really!)

So with huge thanks to Rachel, I have three products from the range to give away, plus a fab tanning mitt (why did I never own one of these before? they change everything!)

You can win one of the Entourage tans, one of the Groupie tans which is a light mousse that develops over 2-3 hours. It contains Aloe Vera with essence of raspberry and almond , so no smell. Also in the giveaway is the very forgiving Rehab which fixes any mistakes and brings you back to your normal skin tone. The three products and mitt have a retail value of over €90!

So to be in to win please leave me a comment below and also vote for me to win Best Irish Blogger here too...

I will pick the winner at random and announce the result on Monday.

Have a happy and cheery Christmassy weekend!

Lauder Nail It

I'm feeling so Christmassy yet have one eye towards Spring. I'm a typical Gemini - one foot in either camp! So when I spotted these new nail polishes from Estee Lauder's Spring Collection I came over all excited.

I love the shades. This deep coral is called Tempting Melon (the one on top is Sizzling Taupe). The finish of Lauder's polishes are always excellent and really professional. Super makeup artist, Tom Pechaux, is at the helm at Lauder Towers, so you can rely on great strides from this previously unexciting colour brand.

This is Purple Passion - dubious names but delightful colours! Bring on Spring-like prettiness for our nails!

But back to my Christmassy reds for now. Patience is a virtue etc etc...

(images via British Beauty Blogger )

Chic Alert

Ok, so I think we're all agreed that Danni came first in the sartorial stakes in this year's X Factor. Admittedly, I'm quite happy it's over to be frank. Was it just me or did this years competition drag on for seemingly eons longer than before?

I digress! I was curious as to which designers Danni was championing as I really liked her grown up, ladylike yet still fashion focussed ensembles. Perhaps her glamorous confidence comes from her new motherhood or her age (sometimes feeling older has it's benefits!) because she certainly beat Cheryl in my eyes.

I discovered that she favours the young designer Emila Wickstead who is based in an atelier in London's Chelsea where she dresses Samantha Cameron and many other stylish Sloanes. I went on to her site and what a treat lay in store...

I really fell for her aesthetic. Her clothes are tailored and simple in beautiful fabrics. This girl can cut cloth!

This black dress is from New Zealand born, Emilia's current collection features pieces in lace, leather, jersey and cashmere in muted tones with some leopard and red thrown in for the thrill.

Her lines are clean and classic but with a twist of modernity. Still in her 20's, Emilia's star has risen high and fast. Her training in both design and fashion marketing from Central St Martins means she is perfectly in tune with how to move forward with success in busy flurry of the fashion world.

Her day dresses are excellent examples of a polished silhouette and her evening gowns are visions of sophistication...

Emilia pairs her dresses with pulled back hair and a red lip for uber-chic. Take a look at her site and be ready to swoon!

I Need A Push!

I've slipped to third place..would you? could you?

Please help me rise up a little in the Best Irish Blogger stakes here...

Thank you my lovely readers.

Beauty In The Detail

My dream home would contain elements of all of these pictures. Not the piles of washing and crayon splattered walls that my actual home contains! I really like the fashion shots in the black frames above...

Gorgeous collection of perfume bottles displayed on a mirror...so very feminine

Cute brass dog standing guard over the cool books...

Love, love, love this chair...

I always liked hanging my prettiest things outside my wardrobe, what's the point of hiding them away only to wear them a couple of times a year... get them out and admire them!

Great art wall and collection of Buddhas.... right up my street.

(images picked from here )

The Anti-Veil

Isn't this a nice option for brides who don't want to walk the aisle trailing tulle! I think it's so pretty and the unstructured braided hair beneath is just lovely...