thriftylilpixie

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

To get into the Christmas spirit last week we decided to go for a little iceskating after work. We headed to iSkate at the RDS, it's one of Ireland's largets iceskating rinks, it's easy to get to and can be booked online. They restrict the number of people on the ice at a time, so while it's quite busy it's still manageable to skate around if you're not a natural. I am far from a natural and fell 3 times in less than an hour, pulling 2 people down with me, oppsie! Despite a few bruises it was so fun and quite the workout, who needs the 30 day squat challenge when you can skate instead. They offer off peak and peak prices, you also get a discount if you book online, I paid €13.50 for an online peak ticket. It's open until January 11th and you can buy your tickets here. When you're finished iceskating there is loads more to do as Winter Funderland is also there. There's Fossett's Christmas circus, amusements and you can visit Santa too! We've really embraced our Christmas celebrations this year with iceskating, 12 pubs and Secret Santa, not a scrooge in sight. Check out the little photo of a super festive house we spotted on the drive home, it gave me serious lights envy.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve so I hope everyone's diving into their PJs and chocolates!

xox

My Favorite Bloggers & Youtubers of 2014

There are so many amazing, varied, inspiring blogs and vlogs out there at the moment. There are endless longtime favorites to enjoy and countless new bloggers/youtubers to discover. I thought I'd do a compilation of my personal favorites of the last year, you'll probably be familiar with most but maybe you'll discover a new gem to read or watch.

Bloggers

-Martina's Mark One of my favorite blogs this year hands down. Written by a fellow Irish 20 something blogger, Martina's Mark is a treasure trove of outfit inspiration. Crammed full of budget friendly buys styled flawlessly, you'll find plenty of outfit inspiration to fill up your pinterest account.

-The Londoner If you're looking for the Queen of lifestyle bloggers, look no further. Rosie's documents her life, travel and wares in the most magical way. Travel back through old posts for dream travel destinations, countryside charm and mouthwatering recipes.

-Llymlrs Lily Melrose's fashion blog has been on my reading list since I first started reading blogs. I love her highstreet edge, she has incredible style with a slight grunge vibe that is right up my style street. Her beauty blog etcllymlrs is another great read if you haven't checked it out.

-The Little Magpie If I could pick a fashion bloggers wardrobe to raid it would be hers. Major boots, jacket, sunglasses...everything envy! Check out her incredible instagram here for dream outfits and deserts galore.

-She Wears Fashion Kavita's fashion blog has really skyrocketed in success this year, the beautiful blogger styles highstreet, ebay and budget friendly buys into effortlessly stylish looks. She also shared some incredible travel posts this year to New York, Moscow and Cambodia to name a few. Can't resist a blog that combines fashion and travel!

Youtubers

-Helen Anderson I came across Helen's youtube and daily vlog channels this year and I loved her style, humor and personality. Her videos will inspire you wardrobe/interior choices and make you smile. Major pink hair envy!

-Lily Melrose I love her blog and I LOVE her youtube channels in particular her vlogging channel Lily. Her videos are honest and authentic and she smashed it at vlogtober. Loving her vlogmas videos too.

-Zoella This youtuber needs no introduction, I've been reading her blog from the very beginning so it's amazing to see her youtube channels go from strength to strength, with a beauty line and debut book this year alone. Watch her vlogs to see her document her life as her star continues to rise.

-Hey Claire A beauty and lifestyle vlogger with a dream wardrobe, flawless makeup and uniquely edited videos. Her videos really stand out thanks to her editing talent and striking look. So many leather jackets I'm so jealous.

-Essie Button Vlogs Essie Button has a main channel but her vlogging channel is my absolute favorite. She is just hilarious, watching her videos are like listening to a chatty, witty friend. She shares her day to day life with Aslan and Reggie, very cute and fun.

These are just some of my favorites, there are obviously many many more, if you have any recommendations of bloggers or youtubers to check out in 2015 let me know, I love discovering new favorites!

xox

November Favourites

Gingerbread ladies lipgloss is on point

Left: The Next Big Thing, Right: The Wild Thing

Ned Stark is torn between shades

Left to right: Hypnotist lipgloss, Lip crayon, Hoopla and Sensational eyeshadows

I always love reading other bloggers monthly favorites and have been meaning to give it a try myself for ages. It is a little late for November favorites but better late than never! The things I've been loving for the last month are a mix of beauty, fashion and chocolate. I'm pretty sure a month (even day) won't go by when some kind of chocolate isn't top of my list of things that made me happy. Lindt's dark chocolate strawberry excellence bar is my go to treat when I want 'fancy' chocolate. I love fruit combined with chocolate, but their salted caramel dark chocolate version is also amazing if you don't. In terms of fashion items, I've been living in huge scarfs, last year I obsessed with snoods this year it's blanket scarfs. My mum bought me this pretty aztec print blanket scarf from ONLY as a present for me, there's a grey side too so it's really versatile and cozy. While planning my outfit for 12 pubs of Christmas, I was faced with a shoe dilemma; flats seemed too casual but heels seemed too likely to end in injury. When I spotted these chunky heeled Pina Colada boots by Pink Soda they were the perfect solution. I got them marked down to €45 in Bank Liffey Valley but they're still available online here.

On to makeup: My favorite products for November, and basically all year, are predominately from bareMinerals. I love their products, excellent coverage without feeling caked on and unlike so many brands it doesn't irritate my skin. My very generous sister gave me these limited edition eyeshadow quads in super bright blue packaging. The Wild Thing eyeshadow quad contains Sensational (pale aqua), Icon (yellowy green), Elitist (bronzed taupe) and Controversy (deep marine blue). I've been using Sensational on the inside of my eye to brighten them. The Next Big Thing eyeshadow quad contains Rising Star (gold), Smash Hit (vibrant peach), Hoopla (coppery brown) and Ensemble (smoky plum). I love Rising Star and Hoopla because of the lovely metallic finish they give. The pigment and longevity of these eyeshadows are just spot on. Even though they are technically spring palettes the colour selection and metallic effect is also perfect for winter. My two favorite lip products lately are bareMinerals marvelous MOXIE lipgloss in Hypnotist and a Ted Baker lip crayon from The Great and the Gorgeous set. Hypnotist can be worn alone or layered over lipstick which I do with the lip crayon. It's got an iridescent sheen that shifts from pale purple to peach and gold when applied, and on a side note it smells ridiculously good too.

I promise I'll have my December favorites up before January!

xox

Ciaté Mini Mani Month Advent Calender: TKMaxx 2014

I dropped into TKMaxx in Stepehen's Green Shopping Centre, Dublin, a week ago and was so excited when I spotted this advent calender. My sister had been wanting a beauty advent calender this year but they sell out so fast. The minute I saw the stacks of Ciaté advent calenders I knew it would be the perfect pre-Christmas gift for her. This is actually the Ciaté 2013 Mini Mani Month Advent Calender, so it was priced at a bargain €26.99 (RRP €61). Who cares if it's last years though, it's still just as pretty as it was last year! It comes in 3 different covers, this one, a red with bell print and a blue one. This 24 piece manicure set comes with a mix of Mini Paint Pots, Glitter Sprinkles, Sequin Blends and Caviar Pearls. I opened a few windows to give a sneak peak, but it will all be opened over the course of December. I love the little sayings inside each window so cute! Buy as a treat for yourself or the nail polished obsessed in your life, it's such great value and the perfect bargain to get you in the Christmas spirit. Time to go put up my Christmas tree at last!

xox