Sunday 24 June 2018

Some favourite make up products for a day time look

I filmed this short you tube video talking through some of my favourite make up products to achieve a nice glowy day time look! I have shared it below & I would love if you would check it out! Let me know if you try any of these products or if you have any tips using them!

Love Arlene 
x




If you enjoyed this video please give it a like on you tube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DX63J1xGXqY and don't forget to subscribe to my channel so you will get notifications when I post more videos. Thanks so much for watching x
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Friday 15 June 2018

A Summer trip to Kinsale

So we are back home now after an amazing short Summer trip to Kinsale. I had never actually been in Co. Cork & now I definitely want to go back & see more. Kinsale was really one of the prettiest & most picturesque places that I have ever seen.







                                                 Kinsale Harbour in all its glory!


I literally could not stop snapping pictures - Ireland really is the most beautiful place when the sun shines! 




So we arrived in Kinsale around lunch time on Thursday & we checked into our hotel - The Trident Hotel https://www.tridenthotel.com. This hotel is perfectly located on Kinsale Harbour. We honestly would return to this hotel if we are ever in Kinsale again - the views were spectacular - I have posted some pics below;








Our hotel room was really nice, bright & airy with a large window overlooking the harbour. I really loved the views & you can see more of that & my reaction in my insta story highlights (Kinsale 2018) over on the blog Instagram www.instagram.com/thestyleflamingos/. There is also more insta stories saved there on our trip. The hotel is also perfectly located & central to the town of Kinsale, the shops, pubs & restaurants. We had some lunch at our hotel & I had the battered cod & chips!! It was delish :) 

I also sampled Gordan's pink gin for the first time ever!! I know, I know..I am the last one to join the pink gin fan club!! but I am literally obsessed now - its my new drink!



From there we walked with Isabelle in her buggy & explored around Kinsale. We were simply blessed with the weather - the sun was shining for the entire trip & the heat was like we were in Spain! We were packing the baby with sun block & she had her sun hat on all the time to shade her - so she was nice & cool in the buggy! She loved looking around & smiling at everyone!

I just took so many pictures in the pretty streets & near the harbour - it really was so instragramable! Everyone around the town was so friendly & welcoming. We then found a really nice pub called "Hamlets" - find it here http://hamletsofkinsale.com/. We had a few drinks there & of course I enjoyed a couple of pink gins in the sun!! After a little while we headed back to our hotel with the baby but not without grabbing a bag of chips & onion rings at the famous "Dino's" on our way back - that was a must!! :)  Just the perfect way to end a lovely summer day. 





The next day we enjoyed a gorgeous breakfast at our hotel & all of the staff there were so friendly & helpful. It felt so comfortable having Isabelle with us in the dining room as sometimes certain places may not be so baby/child friendly! The environment at The Trident was so relaxed - it made us really feel at home. We got extra coffee & sat outside on the balcony to take in the view & catch a few extra rays! We chatted there for ages & then had one drink - mine was a prosecco :)  we just had to soak up the Irish sunshine as you never know when it will decide to leave!!




After we went for a walk & then to our hotel's sister hotel Actons Hotel https://www.actonshotelkinsale.com/en/ where we brought Isabelle swimming for the very first time! This was such a special moment for the 3 of us as Isabelle is growing so fast & the time is going so quickly! We really embraced this moment - one of her many "firsts" & we took several pictures!! :) It was a good job we had the pool mostly to ourselves! LOL 





Later we sat out in the sunshine in the terrace of Acton's Hotel - that was so lovely. 




We were starving then so we went to a beautiful Michelin star restaurant called "Fishy Fishy. Before our trip a couple of people recommended that we try here so we said, 'why not'?! 



OMG this place is incredible - girls, you were so right!! This is probably one of the most amazing places that I have ever eaten! The food was incredible. They served us gorgeous tasty breads to start & Michael enjoyed a Murphy's while I had a lovely chilled glass of pinot grigio! 



I ordered Billy Lynch's pan roasted hake served with creamed beetroot, courgette tempura, salsa verde & crispy potatoes. 



This was simply devine, just cooked so perfectly! I love fish - I just wish I could learn to cook like this!! Maybe some day! :) This dish was definitely 5 star. The flavours of salsa verde & beetroot really complimented the hake in just the right amount. Of course the compliment of ice cold pinot grigio sitting on the restaurant's out door terrace made the whole experience complete. Even reviewing this now makes me want to go back!!

Anyway, Michael ordered Billy Lynch's pan fried monkish on spinach risotto, tomato salsa, sweet potatoe crisps & rocket oil. He absolutely loved it & I tasted his too & it was definitely 5 star!




The staff were so nice & the restaurant itself was so pretty. I snapped some pictures of the interior & the quirky quotes which were dotted around the place really added to the overall charm. The terrace where we sat was surrounded by high greenery which made it so private - you can see it here in this picture of Isabelle & I. It was so pretty! 








I honestly cannot recommend this restaurant enough - if you are visiting Kinsale this is a must place for something to eat. If you try it out I would love to hear what you think! Check it out at www.fishyfishy.ie. 

Later we enjoyed an evening stroll around town & a few night caps (pink gin :) ) in our favourite Hamlets before heading back to our hotel.









We always love a late night snack when we are away so later that night Michael popped out & grabbed us a pizza from Vista - it was so tasty & just what I needed to cure the late night munchies!! :)

On Saturday morning (our last day) we enjoyed another lovely breakfast at the hotel, then we packed up all of our stuff (which was a lot!! we do not pack light especially now with the baby!!). Afterwards we took a stroll around Kinsale to soak up all of the prettiness & enjoyed an ice - cream in the sunshine! Mine was Baileys flavour - just yum!!



Just before we left we drove up Scilly road to capture that view of Kinsale Harbour from a height - def. the money shot!! Oh what a view!! We visited Amalfi in Italy on our honeymoon in 2016 & honestly these views reminded me of the Amalfi Coast. 






We stayed in Kinsale for 2 nights, it was Isabelle's first little holiday, our first family trip away & it was really magical. Kinsale is breathtaking, relaxing, pretty & fun. We will definitely be re visiting Kinsale in the future & I cannot wait to see more of Cork. 

Ireland for a stay-cation when the sun shines is simply the best!

Happy holidays everyone :) x

Love Arlene x 


*OOTD pictures below - all dresses, shoes & the Gucci inspired bag are from my fav. Penny's! Oh & sunnies are Penny's too!! #Pennys #Pennyshun












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Tuesday 5 June 2018

My Current Favourite Foundations

For my first beauty post on the blog I wanted to share my top must have foundations. I have literally tried so many on the market and here are my current favourites;

1. Estée Lauder Double Wear

Anyone who has been following me for a while will know that I am just a little obsessed with Estée Lauder double wear! I am a self confessed beauty addict & I have yet to find a foundation that will match the coverage of double wear! This foundation is described as  medium to full coverage so you can build to tailor your desired look.

The shade I wear is 'Tawny' which is a lovely warm shade so its perfect when I am wearing fake tan. However, there are so many shades in this range so check out https://www.esteelauder.com/makeup/double-wear to find your perfect shade or go to any Estée Lauder beauty counter to get a consultation with a brand make up artist.

I have posted a wedding pic below as this was my go to foundation on my big day! Some Make - up Artists will advise against this product for brides or any big event where you will be photographed, as double wear contains an SPF, as a result you might appear pale in pictures because of the flash! I didn't feel this was the case for me on my wedding day & I have also worn it plenty of times to other events & felt it photographed perfectly. I would definitely recommend this product as it gives that fabulous flawless finish! Find it here; https://www.debenhams.com/sale/beauty/estee-lauder








 2. Illamasqua Skin Base

I have only recently started using these products & the skin base foundation from this range is really beautiful!

This is described as a medium to full coverage foundation & is definitely one that has a flawless finish, perfect for that big event. I believe this may have been the chosen foundation for Suzanne Jackson on her big day!

I consider the coverage of this foundation to be as good as Estée Lauder but it has a much 
lighter consistency & feel on the skin. It is almost like a veil on the skin & leaves a slightly dewy finish. I use a mix of two shades - 06 & 12 so that I can lighten & darken the foundation as I need to depending on whether I am creating a day or night time look or whether or not I have tan on.

This foundation is in the luxury range of foundations so is priced a little higher at €42.90 but if you check out www.debenhams.ie there is a discount available right now (not too sure how long this discount will be applied) but check it out! I also spotted that www.lookfantastic.com are offering a free gift with the purchase of some of their foundations at the moment.

I think it is so worth it as you can create a flawless long lasting look with this product. It is always a good idea to try out a sample first so you get your correct shade & the right foundation to suit your skin. Another amazing thing about this foundation is that there are over 20 shades available so you are bound to find the perfect one for your skin!

                                     
                                     Suzanne Jackson on her wedding day - pic credit
                                     evoke.ie





3. L.A. Girl Pro Coverage HD illuminating foundation 


I haven't been using this product for too long but I wanted to include it as this is such a great budget buy foundation. I would normally assume that foundations with a lower price tag won't work for me but this L.A Girl foundation has such a great coverage & lasting for the price! This is priced at €11.25 on www.beautybay.com. I purchased mine recently on offer for €10 at the Irish beauty show. After hearing a lot about these products & considering its a bargain I thought I had nothing to lose. It has a lovely medium coverage & lasts pretty well if powered correctly. I often use Bellapierre mineral powder foundation over it to set & give extra coverage, however a normal setting powder would be perfect too! It has 
a nice illuminating finish to the foundation which gives you that 'awake' look - great for us new Mammys!!

I think this is a lovely day time foundation & def worth giving a go - it's such a bargain & a great product to have in your make up bag! You can buy this here
on https://www.beautybay.com/makeup/lagirl/procoveragehdlongwearilluminatingliquidfoundation/. 


Pic credit Beauty Bay



As I am completely foundation obsessed there are of course a few more foundations on the market that I want to try including Huda Beauty #FauxFilter & Nars sheer glow! If I try them I will let you know - so watch this space! 

Would love to hear your feedback if any of you try some of these foundations out!

Love Arlene x






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