An Evening in Dillisk, Aughrusbeg, Connemara

Last Wednesday, my family, grandparents, family friends and I ventured to a pop-up restaurant in Connemara called Dillisk. The 'seaside food project' is only open for several days through August and September every year. It is a must-eat-at place when visiting the West of Ireland!

The food was very unique and adventurous, as I ate things I had never heard of before. The main ingredient throughout the set meal was seaweed! Yes, seaweed, from the nearby Cleggan harbour. The young staff at the restaurant are foragers, so the food served could not get any more natural.

 My favourite bits were the Dillisk crisps and the Greenhouse Tomato Broth. The toilet was quite interesting - I won't spoil anything about it in case you go next year! I definitely recommend it.

Here is a selection of photos from our evening - enjoy!

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MAKEUP | Face of the Day - Pink, Pink, and more Pink

Summer really is rolling to an end, as it is less than a week till school starts, and I'm back home from Connemara. On our last night, Thursday, we went out for food, and I opted for a pink-ish look for my eyes, cheeks and lips. 

Starting off, for a smooth finish on my skin, I applied my Smashbox Photo Finish primer, and then my Covergirl stick concealer under my eyes and around my nose. Something I neglect a lot is translucent powder; this Covergirl TruBlend one works wonders for me, as it is the perfect shade for my skin. Back is this Flormar eye shadow palette which I was originally just going to use for a neutral smokey eye, but then decided I should add a bit of colour - the colour pink to be precise. Two light shades from the Flormar palette was applied, then Alchemy from the Urban Decay Vice Palette was put on to my lash line and I blended it out. To my waterline, I drew on the Urban Decay pencil in Glitter Rock. I lined my eyes with my NYX The Curve Liner, then amped up my lashes with the Urban Decay Perversion mascara. I filled in my brows with the Eylure eyebrow pencil. I used the Seventeen Stay Pout lipstick in Audition for my cheeks and lips, and that was my Face of the Day! 

Do you like pink make up?

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FASHION | My Favourite Looks of the Teen Choice Awards 2015

The Teen Choice Awards took place last Sunday night, which means I get to tell you about the outfits I loved! It is my third year writing posts about the TCA Fashion, and as usual there were some beautiful looks from actresses, singers and, actually, one violinist slash YouTuber! Wonder who that could be?

Beginning with Little Mix above, they definitely rocked it at Sunday night's blue carpet! Only kidding, but even though the were taking the mick and wore their outfits from "Black Magic", they still looked stunning!

Lucy Hale, the winner of Choice TV Actress Drama, wore a Julien McDonald dress with a very deep mesh neckline - wow! Her simple strappy heels and black purse complemented the blue design. She kept her hair neat and and tied back for that clean, modern and mature appearance.

This is my absolute favourite! Lindsey Stirling went playful and casual, yet stylish and classy, with the playsuit and chunky boots. Her hair looked gorgeous in this up do, and the bow added to the fun ensemble. This look stood out to me the most, and Lindsey killed it!

I'm in love with matching two pieces, and Sarah Hyland's Christian Siriano set is no exception. The sunny colour suited her, and the Stuart Weitzman heels and vintage style purse accessorised the look fabulously. 

Nina Dobrev never fails to be on my Teen Choice Awards Best Dressed! She wore a glitzy mini dress from Zuhair Murad. The colours should have clashed, but didn't, and Nina showed how it should be worn with barely there heels and a shiny purse. The messy side parting gave the glamorous look a chill vibe.

Victoria Justice must have had so much fun spinning around to move the fringing of this emerald Hervé Léger dress. Detail was key in this poised design, with abundant texture. Victoria definitely showed off her tanned stems with the complementing gold heels. Love love love!

(P.S. Happy birthday to my brother Mark :D)

What was your favourite look of the TCA 2015?

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STYLE STEAL | Melanie Martinez

Melanie Martinez is a new-ish gem in the music industry, first making a statement on The Voice (USA) in 2012. Since then, she's made a place for herself with her quirky music and hauntingly beautiful voice, only a few days ago releasing her debut album "Cry Baby". I would'nt be surprised if she takes the world by storm.

"Cry Baby" has a toddler, childish theme, with song titles replicating things associated with kids, like "Carousel", "Training Wheels" and "Play Date". However, her lyrics are twisted and dark, touching the tricky topics of love and perfectionism in today's society. Her music videos are just as creepy and memorable. You know what's just as unique as Melanie's tunes? Her style, 

of course.

Melanie styles her two hair colours and colourful make up with puffy dresses and skirts, lots of pastel shades and big hair bows. To capture her fashion sense in just one outfit, here are five essentials - a hair bow, a peter pan collared dress, chunky boots, a funky phone case and an accessory that is out of the ordinary.

Not only do I adore Melanie for her music, but I love how she's making experimental and 'different' fashion her own. 

Do you like Melanie Martinez? Do you like her style? Would you steal it?

If you would like to see where the items of clothing are from, then click here.

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OUTFIT | Black and White Gypsy

 Top - Miss Selfridge

Gypsy Pants - TK Maxx

Sandals - the Walking Company

Sister's Bag - Calvin Klein 

 Last night, I went out for dinner with my family and family friends to a seafood restaurant - pretty appropriate when you're right by the sea! 

I've been planning to sport this festival-style outfit here in the West for quite a while now, and finally got the chance to wear it. You have no idea how comfortable these pants are - I wore them while studying for my exams a lot; they're so nice to wear that you'd think you're wearing pyjamas! But this night they had a more formal purpose, paired with my gorgeous off the shoulder top from Miss Selfridge. This bag that I borrowed from Emily is super convenient when I am only bringing a few things with me when going out, like yesterday evening. It really added a more chic look to the 'chill vibes' outfit. The beautiful bright nail colour I wore was from Flormar - 'Turquoise Green'.

The food was lovely - I had a seafood chowder for starters and then the traditional fish and chips. When I got home, I was tired but I had to finish the book I was reading - All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. I'll be reviewing it here soon as well as other books I've read this summer, but for now, you must know that the story was touching and has changed my perspective of things. A must read!

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MAKEUP | Face of the Day - Simple Summer

Minimum make up has been my go to this past week, even no make up at all most days.
In Connemara, the vibes are relaxing and chill, and I feel natural make up or none at all is appropriate for the natural landscape of the West of Ireland. However, yesterday for Sunday Mass, even though it was still minimum with no foundation whatsoever and few products used, my look for it was that bit more out there with the eyeliner. This is probably the maximum amount of make up I wear during my summer days in Connemara - it is quite simplistic.

First, I applied my Covergirl stick concealer under my eyes and around my nose as my base and blended it in. Next I, lightly, put on a neutral Flormar eye shadow shade on to my eyelid, and then created a thin cat eye with my NYX The Curve Eyeliner. To my waterline, I applied an Urban Decay pencil in Stargazer, and then mascara to my lashes with the Urban Decay Perversion mascara. I filled in my brows with the Eylure eyebrow pencil. For my cheeks, I simply dotted on Posie Tint from Benefit. For the lips, a Benefit lipgloss in Kiss You.

What's your summer look?

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MUSIC | Sunny Summer Days and Starry Summer Nights Playlist

There is less than a month left of summer for me. It sure went by quickly! To try and take your mind off the end-of-summer blues, I have put together a playlist for your remaining days and nights to enjoy. Click here for the playlist on YouTube.

Lisztomania - Phoenix

The Calendar - Panic! at The Disco

What You Know - Two Door Cinema Club

Cut You Teeth (Kygo Remix) - Kyla La Grange

Cool Kids (RAC Mix) - Echosmith

Disconnected - 5 Seconds of Summer

We Move Like the Ocean - Bad Suns

Falling - HAIM

Souvenirs - Orla Gartland

I See Fire (Kygo Remix) - Ed Sheeran
Proof - Paramore

Young Volcanoes - Fall Out Boy

Hometown - twenty one pilots

A Sky Full of Stars - Coldplay

Something Good Can Work - Two Door Cinema Club

Ghost (Lost Kings Remix) - Halsey

I'm a Ruin - Marina and the Diamonds
Pity Party - Melanie Martinez

Papercut - Zedd ft. Troye Sivan

Mr. Brightside - The Killers

Let it Go - James Bay

Reflections - Misterwives

Automatic - DON BROCO

Midnight (Kygo Remix) - Coldplay

STYLE STEAL | twenty one pilots

An American duo from Ohio, twenty one pilots are a big love of mine. Their music is unique and inspiring, with creative lyrics and catchy beats. Tyler, the singer, and Josh, the drummer, both wear impeccable outfits that state their style; Tyler and his florals and Josh and his baseball caps.

I thought it would be interesting to start doing some style steals except with the least expected celebrities. Since I'm a girl, I'm taking the feminine twist on the two band member's fashion sense. (This post is also up to celebrate that in a few weeks I'll be seeing the band live in Belfast with All Time Low!)

Josh's new look includes red eyeshadow all over his eyes, so I included a red eye make up look. Of course, I couldn't not add in a baseball cap, which should be worn backwards to achieve the drummer's look. The outfit choice I went for from Josh was the one from "Guns for Hands"; sports luxe themed, however my style steal here has shorter shorts and longer socks for my own taste if I was to sport it!

Tyler's new signature feature is black paint on his neck and hands. Unless you do want to wear black paint, you could try out his red accessories from "Stressed Out". The outfit choice I stole from Tyler here is from their latest music video "Lane Boy". Tyler's floral shirt in the video is apparently from Forever 21! Unfortunately I couldn't find the exact one on Polyvore, but the cardigan above is pretty similar. 

Do you like twenty one pilots? Do you like their style? Would you steal it?

If you would like to see where the items of clothing are from, then click here.

BEAUTY | Travelling with VOYA Essentials

VOYA - organic beauty from the sea. 

On my way home from Toronto with the fam at the start of July, we flew with Aer Lingus. A make up bag filled with travelling essentials like blankets and a toothbrush was given to us, which also contained exclusive samples of VOYA products (I'm guessing they're exclusive because there aren't any full size versions of these products on their website, lol) - I was so excited to try them out!

Providing a range specially formulated in Sligo, Ireland using nourishing seaweed extracts from the Atlantic Ocean, VOYA aim to heal and leave skin silky smooth and create exceptional beauty and skincare treatments. The following are my opinions of the photographed products that I tried out. It gave me a great insight into what their full range would be like!

Hydrating Lip Balm

This moisturising balm has a wonderfully fresh and natural scent. It smoothes my lips perfectly, and it prevented the irritating chapped feeling from travelling. My favourite of all of these VOYA products, the hydrating lip balm contains beeswax and Olea Europaea fruit oil that helps achieve soft lips.

Refreshing Facial Towelette

On long haul flights especially, this facial towelette is the perfect wake me up. It's like a spa treatment for you to enjoy up in the clouds! I loved cleansing my face with this beautifully scented facial towelette while on flight, it truly was refreshing! 

Refreshing Mouthwash

I didn't particularly like this mouthwash. It had a peculiar taste to it, but it wasn't horrible. I suppose on a flight if you wanted to freshen up your mouth the slightest it is good for that. It could just be my preference in mouthwash that I prefer a more minty taste; this product wasn't for me! I don't think VOYA really specialise in mouthwashes anyway, more skincare, so it isn't a big 

let down.

Hydrating Facial Cream

Skin can become dehydrated from aeroplane air, so a hydrating cream sounds brilliant doesn't it? This cream has a fantastic creamy formula that is satisfying to apply, and the scent tops it all off. It was the ideal moisturiser for my dry skin sky high!

I'm not positively sure if Are Lingus still has samples of VOYA on their flights, or even if it was just for long haul flights, but even so, if you ever get the chance to try these products on a trip, you should - the best thing about them is their fresh organic scents (except for the mouthwash)!

I'd love to see more of what the Irish company has to offer! 

Have you ever tried any of VOYA's travelling essentials or any other products?