Todays Dream Home

This Swedish summer house is ringing my bell today...

So fresh and full of wonderful light. I love the low hanging light over the table and the chairs and the flooring...everything really!

Great use of feature wallpaper against the pure white...

Sun Worshipping Gone Wrong

Three years ago, shortly after Ivan and I became an item we went to Thailand on what we called our honeymoon ( we've done everything out of conventional order; honeymoon, baby and now we're getting married!)

It was a blissful holiday in every respect...amazing place, amazing food, and unfortunately, amazing sunburn.

Now, you would think that someone like me knows all the risks of being in the sun, and indeed I do. However on the second last day of our holiday, I set out for a long walk along this fabulous beach while Ivan read his book in the shade...

I returned an hour later and Ivan's face was priceless; basically he was trying to tell me in the nicest way he could that I looked like a lobster. I had slathered myself in factor 30 but hadn't felt the heat as there was a strong wind blowing that day...disaster. We spent the night with me in a cold bath after a trip to the doctor to get anti-inflammatory tablets for my chronic sunburn.

The long flight(s) home were Hell as my poor skin didn't like the faux leather seats and the heat at all...

The after effects on my skin haven't been pretty. I notice so many more brown spots, wrinkles and slightly worrying brown moles that I have yet to get checked. I realised I was always a little lax with SPF in our notoriously dismal Irish summers but not any more!

I have found a facial SPF that I dearly love and I apply it daily without fail. It is the Anti-oxidant Daily Face Protector by Jan Marini. It is applied over moisturiser and under makeup and it has lot's of nice skin benefits as well as a good high factor. I was given it by the totally fabulous skin guru Peggy Stringer in Monkstown Laser Clinic who is now in charge of my skin; I do whatever she tells me to do!

For my body I am devoted to La Roche Posay's Anthelios suite of sun protectors. They are great for sensitive skin like mine and don't go all greasy and white looking so you can still look half decent in your bikini. The Anthelios XL 50 was jut voted best cream by Cosmopolitan Magazine and they know a thing or two.

Let my cautionary tale be a warning for you sun worshippers on this coming holiday weekend. Lobsters are for eating with a cool glass of white wine...not for having as a skin tone!

Enjoy the sun, my friends...

Ethereal Kate

These are my favourite shots of Kate Moss EVER. When they were published in Vogue a few years ago, I cut them out and framed them! They are still gracing one of the walls in our bedroom. I love them...

Beautiful ghost...

Like some sort of fashion angel...

Check out the rest of this amazing photographers work here.

Cheap and oh so cheerful

I used this Lippin' Large lip gloss for the first time at the weekend and was I happy? Was I ever! It's from a range called N.Y.C which stands for New York Colour and it's available in lot's of pharmacies across the land.

It's glossy, not tacky. Comes in gorgeous shades (the one I used is the Peach Parfait shown above) and it promises to help with lip plumping. I can't stand over the latter claim but at the very gorgeous price of €2.99, I'm love, love, loving it...

The packaging is a little cheap but who cares? It's what's inside that counts... isn't that what your Mother always told you!

Pretty As A Picture

I love collecting vintage prints and old postcards and now I've found the perfect way to display them...

(image via etsy)

Really Cute Wedding

Another great short dress...Perfect for registery office weddings don't you think?

Again with the yellow! I so love yellow for a bouquet...

Great accessories. I'm totally loving this San Francisco bride's vibe...

(images via green wedding shoes)

PhotoReady?

The Great Foundation Challenge is continuing unabated here at Ellie Loves...! The latest that I'm loving and one of the greatest so far is this excellent offering from Revlon. PhotoReady foundation is a star product in my eyes and I'm delighted to have found it. For years I was quite devoted to Stila's Illuminating foundation and then, as you know, the brand has left our fair isle. Up to this point I haven't come across a product that has come close to it in terms of dewiness yet with decent coverage. Well, fret not; here it is!

I have to admit to not using many of Revlon's products at all apart from the odd lip colour or nail varnish and I am an avid hater of their big seller ColourStay as I find it too heavy and dense.

However, I am so pleasantly surprised to see how the brand is changing into a real treasure trove for makeup artists. Makeup guru, Gucci Westman has taken over the helm as creative director and last winters deep violet-y plum tones were the best on offer in my opinion.

So, when PhotoReady arrived through my door I had high hopes. They were fulfilled!

It has a medium to medium- well coverage (to use some cooking terms!) and it's level of illumination is perfect; not too glittery, not too oily, just right. I think it is appropriate for all ages and can be used with a brush or with fingers to apply. A little goes a long way, so your bottle will last you a long time. One pump should blend well over your entire face; using too much of this product will result in it not looking good, so remember, as with all makeup...less is more.

I found it to last very well over the day as long as it is set with powder.

I also like that it has a high SPF of 20 and it doesn't negatively affect the coverage. Some other high level SPF foundations can cause the product to separate on the skin giving an uneven look.

Colour-wise, there are 12 shades including some true pale shades for our celtic complexions, so you will find your colour here.

Revlon, you rock!