Another Little Haul!

I went to Dublin recently to go see Two Door Cinema Club who are one of my favourite bands. If you haven't listened to their music go do it. They're awesome and you have no idea what your missing. Of course I can't go to Dublin without doing a little retail therapy so I had made sure I had plenty of time on Saturday. I was so disappointed and came away with very few things. Maybe it was the fact that it was the end of the winter sale and possibly that they just didn't get their new stock in but I was very disappointed!

I did however pick up these amazing shoes from Office. I adore the perspex heel with it's ombre effect. And even better that they were in the sale. A super bargain at only €15!

Forward a week later and I was busy rushing through Cork when I decided to spend a very quick 10 minutes browsing through Penny's before the store closed. I was in my element when I saw this very cute denim shirt with chiffon sleeves. Like the blue shirt I bought the same day, I was extremely surprised to see how much Penny's have improved the quality of their clothing. The fabric feels fantastic and the denim is so soft.

This outfit is quite a mix of high street. The shirt and tights are from Penny's. The skirt is from TRF in Zara and the shoes are from Office.

My Little Hair Rant!

This is a post where I just want to vent my frustration! I am so disappointed with the hairstyles at all of the 2013 red carpet awards so far.

It started off as a classic, glamourous look at the Critics Choice Awards and when I saw the same trend appearing at the Golden Globes I got a little bored I must admit. But oh my goodness when I saw the exact same hairstyles appearing at last nights Screen Actor Guild Awards I was just so frustrated by the lack of vision and imagination from Hollywood hairstylists!

I am so over this deep parted waved hair to one side. I'm hoping that the trend will change for the upcoming Oscars. Say a prayer or my rant may continue!

Mr Tom Ford

I've been hearing quite a bit about Tom Ford makeup lately. Mostly from my twitter friend Susan Fulignati, who is possibly the love child of Tom Ford himself and Carine Roitfeld. Although this is yet to be confirmed. Tom Ford is a divine luxurious brand and as I was in a divine luxurious mood I knew where I wanted to go!

After my recent hair colour change I decided that I needed a new lipstick colour. The shades I usually wore with my lilac hair just look all wrong with my new balayage locks. So a trip to the Tom Ford counter in Brown Thomas was a must.

A very lovely male make up artist greeted me as I approached and asked me to take a seat while showing me the luxurious selection of lipsticks. I was asked a few different questions. Including my name, which was a lovely change! Is it a daytime or nighttime look I was going for? Do I like matt or gloss effect? We both chose a fabulous bright coral shade. Perfect for spring/summer daywear but also a strong enough shade to wear at night.

I completely love the colour. I was wearing minimal make up on the day I tried it and it brought the right amount of brightness to my face. The texture is pure divine. It's a matt look lipstick but it doesn't feel dry. It's creamy without being too glossy. I was initially shocked by the price tag but I can honestly say that I wore it all day and it didn't fade. It's staying power is amazing, even after eating a huge bowl of creamy pasta! So I can justify the cost if it. Anyway I'm totally worth it!

I must say I've never had any make up applied by a man before and it was especially different have lipstick applied. Almost intimate. There's not many times in a woman's life where she can say she's had her lipstick applied by a tall dark handsome man in a suit. I can see you all running to the counter now! He was so lovely and helpful too and I didn't feel like I was pushed into buying anymore products even though I was shown quite a few different glosses that can be applied over my lipstick to give it a different look. I'll definitely head to the Tom Ford counter when I want to treat myself. It's definitely a treat! Otherwise I'll try and stay well away. I feel another luxury addiction coming on!

Aaron's Birthday Weekend!

It was my son Aaron's birthday last Saturday. He's now 11 years old. I'm still in shock. I had a mini meltdown in Tesco last week because I realised that they only go up as far as 10 years in the age cards. I was honestly considering buying a card for a 1 year old and then doing a DIY job on it myself by adding another "1"! I don't think that would go down too well.

Thank god we are beyond the birthday party stage and Aaron decided that he would prefer to go to Smyths to buy his own present and we would then go to his favourite restaurant Gambinis for lunch. Followed by a quick detour to Brown Thomas for me.........thinking of the pain I was in 11 years ago people, I deserve it!

I wore a fabulous new shirt I got in Pennys last week. It's the most gorgeous shade of blue. It's almost lavender really and the fabric is actually fantastic. It was a massive bargain at only €15. I am a bargain queen after all. I wore it with wine coloured skinnies from Topshop. I find their denims are a fantastic fit and they don't go out of shape like most other brand do. Leopard print courts from Dune and my Gucci tote finished off the look. I will admit I wear head to toe high street majority of the time. I love Pennys and H&M! But when it comes to accessories I'm a designer freak. It's worth investing in a fabulous bag as you will have it forever, never be to heavy or thin to wear it and it will never date!

I left my makeup bag at work so it was a nice change to be nearly makeup free and give my skin a break. Although I did feel a bit naked so I ran into Brown Thomas to pick up a few bits and pieces I really needed....any excuse!

Here's some photos of the birthday boy and my husband Alan. Also some photos of my outfit. Follow my account on Instagram for more photos!

Hair Dare

I recently took part in hair dare week where I wore my hair in a different style every day for seven days in a row. The wonderful Austrailian blogger Andrea of Fox in Flats set out this dare to help all us lazy women who have a basic, quick and sometimes boring hairstyle that we always wear because it's convenient. Even as a hairdresser I am completely guilty of this! Rushing out the door to work with a ponytail flowing in the wind is an all too common occurrence with me!

Fox in Flats surveyed 150 women and of these a huge 77% mostly wore their hair in a ponytail! Does this sound familiar to you?

This was a great dare, even for me, to encourage us all out of our regular styles and I must say I picked up a few new tricks that I've incorporated in some of my clients updos over the last week or so! I did find it quite difficult towards the end of the week as I was heading away for the weekend and I was super busy at work trying to fit my clients in before I left. There were a few 6am styles that thankfully stayed up all day!

I have tried to do small picture tutorials of each style I did and I was astounded by the response I got, especially on my salon page on Facebook. It's definitely even made me rethink my whole approach to blogging and I'm going to concentrate a lot more on the hair side of things. Expect a lot more tutorials this year. Maybe even a few videos. Let me know what you think and also if you have any suggestions.

I know that I haven't covered tutorials on every style but I'm definitely going to post another few blogs on simple ways to do these so hold tight ladies, they're on the way! I'm also going to cover all the products I used as they're a must for making hair stay up.

Here's all the photos from hair dare week and also the web addressfor Fox in Flats should you like to participate in any of her style dares. Go on you know you want to!

http://www.foxinflats.com.au/2013/01/hair-dare-different-style-for-7-days/

Glamfactor

It's day 2 of hair dare and since I've received loads of positive feedback from my mini tutorial yesterday I've decided to continue and try to do tutorials on each style I do.

I'm super inspired by the hairstyles at the Golden Globes and we are recreating these looks on models over the next few days at work. I really liked the glam waves to the side which most actresses wore on the red carpet. I especially loved Nicole Richie and Megan Fox's hair. This style was worn by an awful lot of celebrities at the awards and after awhile I was screaming for someone to jump out of a limo with a really edgy updo! But it's such a glam look so I decided to wear my hair in similar fashion today for hair dare.

For my own look I started with a deep side parting. I then curled my hair all in the same direction. I curled all my hair in large sections. I curled my hair forward on the parting section. This gives a glamourous finger wave look if curled tighter but I was going for a smoother effect. I pinned these curls so they set. This helps the style to last longer. After they cool I take out the pins and then I start brushing with a bristle brush. Keep brushing until hair is smooth. The trick to this look is to continue brushing the hair until it all falls into one wave. I pinned one side behind my ear so it looks like the one shouldered look that a lot of the celebrities were wearing. I finished off with a spray of Semi di Lino Alfaparf hairspray for hold and shine.

Here are some photos of celebrities who inspired today's look and some of my own look.

Dutch Braid

This week I taking part in a hair dare by the amazing Australian blogger Fox In Flats where you wear your hair in a different style every day for seven days in a row. This is a great way get out of those style ruts and to try something new. To be honest I'm partial to a boring ponytail even though I'm a hairstylist and should make more of an effort. I actually have a confession to make.....I hate getting my hair done. I hate washing it, having blowdryed and even getting it coloured. I can think of better ways to spend my time! So no excuses for me not joining in in hair dare week.

For my first day I decided on an easy braid style. A lot of people really like and complimented me on Instagram where I first posted the photo. Many people asked me how I achieved this look so I decided to do a mini photo tutorial.

I started with a deep side parting and started to braid. I did a Dutch braid style which is basically a French braid done the opposite way. Instead of bringing section over and into the middle I brought them underneath. I continued going around the head and braided it down the opposite side. I then slightly pulled out sections of the braid to give it a chunky look as I have very fine hair. I secured the end with a go-go and then I secured it to the opposite side from where I started.

Some products I find really helpful when doing this style is Batiste XXL dry shampoo spray. I love this product and it's especially useful when hair is silky. I also find that curling the ends makes it easier to braid and stops the straighter bits sticking out.

I hope this little tutorial helps and if you have any questions please feel free to ask me! X

Heavenly Waves

I wasn't really blown away with the hairstyles from the Golden Globes last night or the Critics Choice awards a couple of days ago. It was a little bit blah and boring. There was however a huge trend following through all the awards so far. Deep parting with waves. While it is such a classic glamourous look and totally suitable for any awards ceremony, I was praying for someone to really go for something a bit edgier and blow them all out of the water! There was a few actresses that looked divine and went for something slightly different but it still had a waved style.

Here are my favourites from the Golden Globes.

Michelle Dockery, from the drama Dowton Abbey, has recently cut up her hair in a cropped bob style. It's such a bold change and I adored the waves in her hair. It was classic with a little edge to it.

Amy Adams sent me to hair heaven with her gorgeous textured finger waved updo. The side bun really worked this style to make it more interesting. I really thought she was perfection from head to toe.

Jessica Chastain has the best hair I've ever seen on a red carpet. You know by the look of it that it's in excellent condition and her colour is luminous. Even though I really thought that the style was very classic, I also felt that it was quite different as I haven't really seen it on the red carpet before. Definitely a winner for me.

Naomi Watts hair was to die for. I was able to see a close up when she was being interviewed and as you know I'm a hairstylist I can tell you her hairdresser is a genius. There wasn't a hair out of place and it was smooth and silky. Definitely the best I've seen at an awards show to date.

Even though these women were beautiful looking and they're hair was great, I felt that everyone else was a little boring and I'm hoping that there's a mad rush to the salons for last minute changes before the Oscars next month!

Woof

My bff and partner in crime Vera works for Kooples in Brown Thomas so therefore I'm getting quite an addiction for their clothes. I recently picked up this top in their sale. It is the best fit ever. It's quite slouchy but falls beautifully. I think the dog print in the front is very cool. For this look I wore it with a plaid shirt with stud detailing from Zara and gorgeous leather look denims from Verso. Verso is a fabulous boutique in Douglas, Cork. It stocks brands such as French Connection and Hybrid. One word covers this boutique.....divine!

Boo!

Last Sunday my family and I were going for lunch when we found this little stray kitten on our doorstep. It was so tiny, soaking wet and completely neglected. It couldn't really see very well as it had an infection in its eyes. The boys are complete animal lovers and I, while not being a cat lover, can't handle seeing any animal in distress.

We brought the kitten into our house, fed and bathed it and then decided to put the word out in the locality in case someone lost their kitten. To be honest we would have been very slow in handing it back to any person that claimed the kitten as it was so malnourished and neglected.

After a trip to our local vet we gained more info about the little one. It's a little girl, she's about 8 weeks old, has a belly full of worms and was infested with fleas.....vomit! She also has cat flu which is why her eyes are weeping so much. She has been worm and flea treated and is now on antibiotic drops. There's a major improvement after just one day.

One major concern of ours was our dog Roxy. She is a massive part of our lives and from the start we could see she was very upset at having a cat in the house. She was acting very territorial and was even put out with us for petting the little kitten. She was constantly growling and licking her lips which was worrying. Things have improved though and Roxy in particular is much more at ease. They were even playing a little earlier on.

I would like to thank all my followers on twitter and Instagram for the advice and suggestions on how to care for a sick little kitten. With it being New Years we were really in a bit of a pickle!

Today we got supplies from a pet shop. A litter tray, some food and a scratching pole so the furniture won't get destroyed and we are hoping that we can work around keeping her. Although she was already ours for keeps the minute named her!

So let me introduce to you all the newest member of the Hill family........Boo!