Hello all,
As of Monday July 26th I will be moving to my new home on WeddingsOnline.ie. My new link will be weddingsonline.ie/ideasandinspirationblog (yep, it’s long enough). Come over and join me cause we’re about to take over the wedding world, and I’d like to have you along for the ride.
Taraa.
Kx
PS That there image is from our last shoot with the wonderful Darren Purcell. It will appear in the Winter 2010 edition of B. It’s marvellously good. Check it out.
12:00
So, I’ve started the first of three detoxes today for part of a ‘Bridal Body’ Special in the next issue of B. My two main enemies this week are carbs and dairy, and my friends are fruit & veg, lean meat and water. Not neccessarily in that order. It’s 12pm and so far I’ve had one cup of green tea (a replacement for my regular cappachino and two mounds of sugar) and some melon and grapes. I’ve also managed to force down 500ml of water. I feel nauseous (probably from the weekend of heavy drinking, to be fair), but I’m doing it. So full of good intentions today and spending hours on the WOL Health and Fitness Forum for encouragement!
I’ve cracked it. I really, really have. So here I was, wasting my time on lotions and potions, drinking copious amounts of water (bleugh!) and squeezing my face until it bled (well that might be an exaggeration, but at least until it was fairly sore). I have blackheads. Lots of them. They took up lodgings about a year ago on my nose and my chin, and sat there, laughing at me as I tried in vein to evict them with nose strips, facials, sandpaper and even, I’m ashamed to say, my own, horrible fingernails.
I didn’t know what to do.
Who to turn to.
Where to go.
And then, one day I had a bit too much time on my hands (Pamper Sunday I called it), I decided have a hot shower to open my pores and cracked out my new Clarins Gentle Refiner to give it a whirl. This is my fave of the three (the set also includes a gentle exfoliant and gentle peeling cream) cause I just love when I can feel exfoliators working. Trick with this one is not to rub, rather just massage it lightly into your skin. The Gentle Refiner is a rich cream formulated with two types of perfectly spherical microbeads, one exfoliating, the other refining. It lifts off all impurities and dead cells and makes your skin super sparkly and smooth.
Then I took my Boots Blackhead Remover and the Magnifying Mirror I stole from my mom during the week and just went for it. Honest to God I was stunned at what came out of my skin when I pressed the remover to it, stunned and weirdly satisfied.
After about an hour of (careful) prodding and shouting ‘LOOK AT THIS’ at himself. I finished my mini facial off with my current moisturiser obsession; Origins A Perfect World. It smells amazing and is a fab anti-oxidant with White Tea (great for detoxing the skin).
And I’m gorge! Seriously my pores look the best ever (and I’ve had my fair share of facials) and my skin feels a lot smoother than it has done. Overall I’d give my discovery a 10/10!
Yep, we’ve set one up. Only about three years after the rest of the world. Not to worry aye? No time like the present. Become our fan and we’ll love you forever. And ever….
So, as usual I’ll be challanging myself to something health and fitness-y for the Autumn edition of the magazine. After wading through several of the new diets and fitness regimes on the market at the moment I decided not to do any. Mmm hmm. Noda one. I’m very picky about taking on diets as I’m quite sensitive when it comes to not eating -namely cause I don’t like not eating, it’s really just not for me to be honest. So, that rules out at least 80% of ‘diets’. Also on the fitness side of things, well honestly, I don’t want to cheat on my Powerplate. I love it and we’ll be together soon I’m sure.
Sooooooooooooo, on Sunday I was thinking, as I was holding my head and swearing myself off the vino, What should I challange myself to this month? and wiping my brown and praying for death to come quickly I landed on it: detox. One month…detox…. Wait, a month…. Hmm… Ok, maybe not a month, how about a new detox, for five days a week, for four weeks? Can it be done? SHOULD it be done? I dunno, but I’m doing it anyway.
If you’ve any suggestions on what detoxes I should take on, or have a favourite one yourself. Do tell. Leave me a comment here or email me on karen@bmagazine.ie
And wish me luck suckas!
Julie Hewett Lip Lush in Chloe.
I got this earlier this year at the launch of Dylan Bradshaw’s new place on South William Street and like a lot of the lipsticks/glosses I recieve I threw it into my make-up bag and didn’t think about it again. Until this week. The fact is is that Chloe isn’t a winter friendly tone for the face. And that’s why it’s so perfect for the sunny summer months! It’s been a life saver to me and I’ll explain why: I like to emphisise my eyes, it’s a habit more than anything, but I REFUSE to leave the house unless my eyes are lined with black and sinking into my head. Only some mornings I simply don’t have the time to put into it, and that’s where Julie Hewett’s Chloe comes in. A sweep of liner on my top lid, a swash of mascara and top it off with this fab colour -it says fun, young and modern without a ‘look at me’ overtone.
People say if you’ve a pale skin tone you won’t get away with oranges but I just love this colour with my dark hair. It’s modern disney princess stuff. Plus, it’s himself’s favourite look on me so it must be alright?
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Yes, I’m very late with this, but as I said before, things have been HECTIC! Get off my back already! Anywho, here he is, the man you crowned Groom of the Year:
And here’s the blurb about March MADNESS et al:
The WeddingsOnline.ie forums went completely MAD this March with more competitions then you could count on both hands. The Groom of the Year 2010 was awarded to “Mr. Poppet” who sailed away with the prize of three nights in Paris, a DiamondStar necklace and a pair of stunning silver handmade cufflinks from Precious. We would like to say a big thank you to the lovely people at Precious (www.precious.ie) for these amazing prizes and say well done to everyone who entered!
Loveliness all round…
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So, the mag is finally gone to print, the sun is a shining, I only got to work 40 minutes late (cough) to be beaten to my desk by a MASSIFE Clarins package (I know, I hate me too).
I get a tad over excited with Clarins let me just firstly say. Until I ventured into the world of wedding fashion and beauty I was a strict MAC girl. I could name off each of their eye shadows as quick as you could say ‘exapand your mind, woman’. Don’t get me wrong I still love a good pigment but unfortunately I’ve had to tone it down a bit for the 9-5. Since then, myself and Clarins cosmetics have become very well acquainted. With Wonder Proof Mascara, a long lost sister and their range of Eye Quartet and Liner Palettes, brothas from anotha motha.
But enough about our love, let me bend your ear about their summer make-up collection Instant Sun Light. Firstly let me just holla to an unusual little dealie; Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balm. Now I’ve never seen anything like this before, so Clarins confirmed that it is indeed a first in cosmetics. It’s one of those products you don’t know whether to eat or to wear (thankfully Clarins saw this happening and stuck a warning on the side of it, ta guys!). It’s transparent and based on gelled oils, smells like sweets and makes the lips super shiney as well as diminishing the appearance of tiny lines! This quite possible could be my favourite product of the summer…
I must mention, for anyone who hasn’t picked up the mag in a while, I have found the best mascara on the market at the moment. I know, I know, it’s called DEDICATION. I’ve been championing Clarins Wonder Perfect Mascara for the past few months cause it’s just super for fullness, curl and length. So I’m delighted to say they’ve done a fab waterproof mascara in the same style for teary brides. Woop. The violet is very sexy summer so try it out.
Lastly I have to mention the Instant Sun Light Eye Quartet. Just look at the colours. There aren’t many girls who don’t need this palette. Often you pick up a palett, use one colour and throw the remainder in the end of your make-up bag. There isn’t one you won’t use in this though, and any make-up artist will tell you they’re perfect colours for brides. The presentation package is gorge too.
Available mid May 2010 in selected Clarins stockists. Image of Crystal Lipgloss in Crystal from cosmetic-candy.com
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Hello all,
Well it’s been as hectic as an airport here in the run up to our summer edition but we’re finally done *wipes brow*. It’s been fun and gruelling all in one but we’re very proud to have a whole 230 pages jammed full of fashion, beauty, advice, inspiration and general fabulousness.
In our five page Diet Special we take a look at the most popular (abeit controversial) diets currently sweeping the country, we also show you the survey results from our Health and Fitness survey earlier this year -some of them are shockers! We have more Real Weddings than ever in this issue, shot by the best photographers in Ireland. Also check out our Summer Soiree section where we show you how to get the best from your summer wedding -the outfits, the flowers, the décor…
‘Twill be hitting the shops early next week so watch out for it, and at €4 a piece, it’s bargain central!
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Anyone that knows me knows that I’m fanatical when it comes to teeth. That’s why, when I decided to crack out some whitening strips and have at them right there at my desk this morning, noone really batted an eyelid. And that’s the usp of the new Whizzer Whitening Strips; they’re invisable and disolvable little dealies that you stick on your teeth and leave to work their magic for about 5-10 minutes while you go about your busyness. They also give you minty fresh breath and kill the bacteria that cause gingivitis,which is both gross and great all at the same time! Givin that I had two glasses of wine with dinner last night and have already gone through two cappachinos this morning (it was a long, snowy commute) you can tell I’m in need of a good bleaching, only I don’t have €500 quid to spare at the dentists so these strips are perfect.
I slapped on two strips, top and bottom, and let them do their thing. To be honest it was a bit rotten, my lips stuck to my gums and I felt like there was a guey chalky paste clinging on to my teeth, I couldn’t open my mouth. It was gone in about 10 minutes and we all went back to normal daily life. I think they’ve worked already but Rachel says I should try them out for about two weeks to see a real difference… Now, anyone know where I can get some Cheryl Cole-eque veneers in handy stick-on strips?
Stockists: http://www.whizzerwhiteningstrips.com/retailers.html
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B Blog 