Beautiful Trees...

I just thought I'd post some beautiful examples of Nature's best decoration today... Just look at the amazing colours!

Japanese Maple...

Yellow ceiling!

Wouldn't you love to walk through this forest...

Now that's a road I wouldn't mind driving down...who cares where it leads!

{Wedding Wednesday} White, Stone & Taupe

The week is running away with me, my dears! So here is yesterdays wedding post - today! I'm loving all these stone, taupe and natural tones at the moment and I swooned when I saw these gorgeous mis-matched bridemaids...

Isn't this so pretty! Light up the night with fly away lanterns...

Totally love this tablescape... linen and burlap sacking dressed with candles, glass and books.

Love the mix of fabrics here...

What a great idea - tear up a book (preferably a classic romance novel!) and fill with lavender for throwing...

Pretty detail...

Back to the white linen and sacking...do you love it too yet?!

Fabulous flowers... such pretty soft tones.

Could there be more perfect flower girl dresses!

(pics spotted on pinterest)

Luminosity In A Bottle

Can your skin be in love as well as your heart? Well mine is. I was sent this Vital Light Serum by Clarins to try a few weeks back and I feel I've waited enough time to ascertain it's effects on my skin. So without being overly effusive (I hope!) - it's bloody brilliant. I don't actually have a huge issue with dark spots, just a few larger than average freckles and a bit of pigment around my chin that I keep at bay with my SPF so I guess I can't really vouch for it's totally transformative powers in that department. But what it has done for me is make my skin look a lot brighter and plumper. Clarins say that it helps with 'deep luminosity' and you know what? I believe them! It contains the wonder ingredient Hyaluronic acid to help you skin produce collagen and Cangzhu extract which helps with cellular metabolism. So basically it plumps up and gets your skin turning around quicker so there is less time to look haggard as it is repairing itself all the time. Bear in mind that this is aimed at people in their mid-late thirties plus, so all you fresh faced readers can skip this one for now (or take notes and buy it for your Mum for Christmas!)

It's a pricey serum at almost €70 but a little goes a long way, I'm expecting mine to last months.

The Perfect Words At The Perfect Time

You know when sometimes the right words have a way of finding you right when you need them? Well today, this poem called The Laughing Heart by Charles Bukowski came my way... My friend Paul posted this poem as his Facebook status and like a heat seeking missile it went straight into my heart and made such a difference.

Thank you Paul!

(image from work is not a job)

Makeup Days

Good Morning my lovelies, how was your weekend? I've had a hectic few makeup days with lot's more to come; it's a bit exhausting hauling this bump around with my giant makeup kit but fun nonetheless.
I was making up some lovely ladies at The Great Rail Sale in Dublin yesterday and got to meet so many nice makeup fans (including some readers of Ellie Loves!) Here I am applying a beautiful burgundy lip shade to Nicola. I am crazy about this shade on someone with her colouring - it's a strong statement lip that feels a bit more fashion forward than the classic reds...

In case you are wondering, I kept her eyes very clean and bright with an oyster toned shadow. I shaded into the socket with a pale grey and lined with a black gel liner. The cheeks are warmed slightly with a pale matte peach tone and on the lips I lined with a Stila lip liner in no 12, I then added the Revlon matte lipstick in Wine Not and Lancome's Raisin Juicy Tube on top to give it a lift.

What do you think?

Upstairs Downstairs...

Too often the humble stairway can be overlooked when it comes to flooring and just covered with the same carpet that runs over the hall. Why not make them a feature!

Timber and white - clean and classic yet contemporary too...

I love this burlap runner...

Gorgeous pop of orange with white - love the stripe too...

Just pretty paintwork...

Discoball stairs anyone?

Add some words to enhance the journey!

I love this hallway! White and stripes and old piano... lovely.

Numbers?

Sweet painted bannisters...

So simple to do and so interesting...

Don't overlook your stairs - give them some decor love too!

(all pics spotted on pinterest )

Oh Honey!

I've come over all Winnie The Pooh this week with my penchant for honey! I'm eating Manuka honey smeared on toast because it's delicious and also because it's so bloody good for you (said to ward off winter colds like nothing else) I am also washing myself in this Ultra Rich Cleansing Gel from French brand Nuxe which is made up of honey and sunflower oils. It's soap-free so non-drying and the smell, oh the smell! It's divine...

The Great Rail Sale

Hey ladies! What are you doing on Sunday?

The Great Rail Sale is happening at the Radisson Blu in Dublin's City Centre and there will be tons of stylish bargains for sale including items chosen by some super-cool stylists like Rosemary McCabe who writes The Irish Times Fash Mob blog. It's also an opportunity to give away any office type clothes you may have and not need anymore to Sonya Lennon's excellent initiative - Dress For Success which helps ladies to present themselves well when looking for employment.

 I will also be there doing makeup demos and talking about the latest makeup trends and my new courses! There's no entry charge so if you're around, call in and say Hi...

Walk In Beauty

I'm sorry, did someone say HEAVENLY SHOE?!

These nearly took the sight out of my eyes (as we say in Ireland)

From Valentino's 2012 couture show...unbelievably beautiful.

{Wedding Wednesday} Lavender & Grey

Now there's a set of beautiful bridesmaids... look how lovely those dress tones are together!

I love the simplicity of a bunch of plain lavender for a bouquet, and the grosgrain ribbon is perfect too...

A sweet (and fragrant) idea to line an aisle...

I like non-conventional dress tones for brides...why not wear lavender?

Or pale grey? I adore this shot - don't they look so serene...

My kind of place setting...wooden table, real linen, mismatched glass bottles and, you guessed it...lavender!

(images from Style Me Pretty, Green Wedding Shoes and Pinterest)

Wonder Undies

Seriously, how gorgeous are these bras from BHLDN? I think they are the prettiest I've ever seen...

Plum lace - gorgeous colour and so delicate...

Sure, they may not offer the best in the way of support or practicality, but isn't that the point of divine underthings!

Polka dots and ruffles... So cute!

I can just imagine flouncing around some Parisian loft on a sunny morning in this one with a coffee in one hand and croissant in the other while my gorgeous lover reads the newspaper and looks all rugged and handsome!!

Hey! I can but fantasise...

Three Silver Rings

I love stacking rings and this little trio of sterling silver and blue cubic zirconia from Daisy Knights is catching my magpie eye today! And it's on sale at Net-A-Porter.... hhhmmm, dare I?

{Makeup Monday} Max Factor Liquid Effect Pencil

Oh, I love a good quality pencil! Thankfully, the majority of brands are upping their game when it comes to pencils and they are ticking the boxes of requirements. For the record, what you need from a pencil is a buttery texture so it glides on to the skin without dragging or indeed, poking. A deep level of pigment so the colour is strong and lasts long rather than an insipid colour that tends to disappear in a few blinks. 

Max Factor's Liquid Effect Pencils are good examples of pencils in the 'better' end of the scale. They perfom as they should and they leave a lovely, long lasting effect on the eye. (Not sure about the 'liquid effect' though as to me they are just a great kohl pencil)

I am addicted to the Violet Voltage shade which is deep aubergine shade. I use it both as a liner and as an eyeshadow base. It is smooth enough to sketch all over the lid and blend out with the attached smudger at the end of it. Apply a complementary shadow or metallic pigment on top for a gorgeous and easy effect. I think that these pencils can certainly hold their own against top brands and they definitely rival Armani's pencils in my view (and I have been pretty un-swayable when it comes to Armani before now!)

Lulu's Parklife

There is nothing Lu loves more than a park. She doesn't mind which one, she doesn't mind if there are swings - all she needs is space to run. And squeal!

These shots were taken yesterday... they really show off her personality; a scamp!

Hills are climbed...

Rolled down...

Lot's of chasing...

and going through tunnels...

My beautiful girl!