Makeover Surprise - Before and After -Girl Cave

It was my mothers birthday recently and myself and my nan brought her out for afternoon tea which was amazing and she loved the gifts I got for her. I didn't feel I had done enough for her, she deserves so much more. When my dad told me they would be going on holiday the week after her birthday I found this the perfect opportunity to do something special.

IKEA Throw: €3.75

IKEA Pillows: €5 each

Hello Window seat!

Hooks: Pack of 2 for €1.40. A bit pricey but bought last minute.

Left and right bookshelves from IKEA €26.

Shoe storage sorted!

Watch the video above to see Before and After results.

Hope everyone has a great week.

Love,

Sarah

x

Holographic Love - GOSH Holographic Hero

A few weeks ago Louise Manning posted a picture on instagram of O.P.I's DS Original nail polish and it was love at first sight! At that moment I knew I wanted it and went on a mission to find it. Alas it has been discontinued and would cost an arm and a leg to get my paws on it.

On a recent trip in Mc Cabes pharmacy to stock up on my favourite teeth whitening product I also came across, grabbed and ran to the tills with GOSH Holographic Hero. It retails at €8.50 which is cheaper than O.P.I but GOSH that's still a good chunk of dosh!!

Gosh Holographic Hero without base or top coat. (I just wanted it on my nails and couldn't wait!)

I hadn't heard of Holographic Hero before and according to a quick google search it seems this product was released on the market before but was discontinued because it received so much negative feedback about chipping. Gosh have re-released it but have covered themselves this time by mentioning on the packaging "One night wear". 

The consistency is thin and needs two coats to get the results as seen in the photos. I like that it dries really fast and the brush is small so you won't waste product when applying. I have fallen completely in love with the holographic effect. I can't stop looking at them and shouting "THEY LOOK SO AWESOME".  

I personally would repurchase this product even though its over my €5 budget when it comes to nail polish. I have been wearing it for nearly 24 hours and have not experienced any chipping. Considering I haven't used a base or top coat I am very impressed. 

What do you think of the holographic effect and do you know any other brands that produce such a varnish? 

Love,

Sarah

36 hour update

Artdeco V's Lipcote - Lipstick Sealers

I'm sure like myself and thousands of other women you are obsessed with achieving the perfect look when applying your make-up and with making it last as long as possible once you have. We use Primers, setting powders and setting sprays. Today I'm here to review lipstick sealer's. 

I have to be honest, up until just under a year ago I never knew such a product existed. I found myself in boots on more than one occasion looking at Lipcote pondering over whether or not I should buy it. It took me quite a while to take the plunge. I remember when I first heard about using eye primers I thought it was just another money making product that wasn't necessary. How wrong was I?! Now I use it every time I apply my eye-shadow. While I was in Portugal I came across ARTDECO Magic Fix for €4.12 which was reduced from €16.50, a 75% reduction. I had to make it mine!

I used this for the first time on my birthday. I wanted to wear my red Ruby Woo lipstick by M.A.C but didn't want to worry about fading or lipstick on my teeth throughout the night. I applied the product to my lips and it dried within seconds. When it fully dried I applied another coat just for good measure. The tingling sensation which is expected because the product contains alcohol was not uncomfortable at all...because I'm a raging alcoholic obviously...duh!! 

I was shocked throughout the night, not a single lipstick stain on any of my glasses. I was mingling like a mad thing and kept misplacing my drink, I must have had five on the go. Not a single lipstick mark on any of them! And also not a single lipstick mark on any of my guest's cheeks! Mwah mwah!

The product lost its magic powers when I tucked into a hearty beef burger at the end of the night and my lipstick transferred onto the bun a bit! 

Not too long after I purchased Magic Fix I received Lipcote in my GlossyBox. 

I wore this on a night out where there was going to be no food. Just drink....awwwww yeah! 

I was wearing Bloody Red by Catrice which is a very deep red. I felt Lipcote to be a bit runny when I applied it so the first time I used it I used a bit too much and it affected the colour of my lipstick.

The alcohol in this product was very overpowering, the smell was toxic for me. Never the less Lipcote did prolong the wear of my lipstick.

I really wanted to fall in love with Lipcote, especially because it's an award winning product that has been around for over fifty years but because of the smell and consistency I personally would not repurchase it. Usually I'm not afraid to sacrifice quality for value but in this case I would not. Magic Fix by Artdeco is the all round winner for me even at €16.50 for 5ml of product. That's how much I love it.

Have you tried Lipstick sealer's before? Let me know in the comments below.

Love,

Sarah

Blog Meetup (Picture Heavy)

Hi Girlies,

I went through my phone and discovered to my horror that I had over 1,600 photos on my phone! I'm not a big fan of clutter so while I was clearing some of them up I came across photo's I had taken at the #DublinBloggerMeet and I wanted to share them with you all. It really was an amazing day and I enjoyed meeting all the girls so much. If you would be interested in hearing about the next meet-up which will probably be around Christmas time please leave your name and blog link in the comments below.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all the companies who made our day extra special and contributed to the lovely goodies bags.

Stephanie and all the staff at LUSH

Rachel at Obsessed Jewellery

Fiona at N.Y.C

Gemma at Benefit

Oona & Paul at La Splash/Cinema Secrets

Audrey at Hair-Removal-Shop

Fiona from Fragrances of Ireland

Jeroen & Caoimhe Human + Kind

I can't wait for the next one! A big thank you to all the girls for coming. You are all so brave and amazing for putting your thoughts on-line everyday and sharing them with the world. 

Lots of Love,

Sarah

Most Worn *SUMMER* Things

Hi girlies

I was tagged by @SmokeyEyeSurprse to do the Most Worn Summer Things tag and I finally got a chance to do it this week. You can check it out HERE.

I have to say I look forward to the winter months more so than the summer months. Something about wearing fluffy socks and sitting on front of the fire with tea and a few squares of chocolate always appeals to me. This is the first year I really got into summer, my whole wardrobe is fit for a sun goddess so I have no idea what I'm going to do this winter. I haven't a jumper in sight.

I hope everyone is having a great week and is looking forward to cosy nights in as much as I am!

Sarah
x

Micro-Pedi Tickled Pink Giveaway

I recently tried out the Micro-Pedi system. It was easy to use and I had immediate results from the first time I used it. It was in no way painful. I was a little nervous at first but as soon as I applied it to my feet and it began to buff away I was reassured that my foot wasn't going to fall off! The Micro-Pedi has become very popular with a few people I know who want to get perfect salon results at home. I know a lot of people hate the thought of anyone else seeing or touching their feet so this might be the answer to all your prayers if you suffer from Dry skin on the soles or heels of your feet.

• Comes with two interchangeable rollers.

1. Blue: Extra course roller for dry, cracked and hard skin.
2. Pink: Course roller for dry skin on sensitive areas.

• Works on two AA batteries which are not included.
• Easy to use with only one switch, the on/off button.
• Easy to clean.

Emjoi Micro-Pedi have given me opportunity to hold a giveaway on my blog and on my YouTube Channel. Enter on both platforms for a better chance of winning. They have created a limited edition Pink Micro-Pedi to raise awareness for Breast Cancer Awareness month. Micro-Pedi in association with The Pink Ribbon Foundation aim to raise £10,000/€12,000 for breast cancer charities in Ireland and the UK. Proceeds of every Limited edition Micro-Pedi will go towards charities such as The Marie Keating Foundation an the Irish Cancer Society.

Retails at €45.95 and can be found in Boots or online at www.micropedi.ie.

To enter:

You must be a follower of my blog.

You must LIKE Micro-Pedi's Facebook Page

You must comment below this post telling me that you have done both of the above.

Giveaway ends: 23rd September 2012

Winner will be announced on my Facebook Page 

For an extra entry you cant tweet: "Win a Tickled Pink Micro-Pedi over on @Adoreabubbles blog http://adoreabubbles.blogspot.ie/2012/09/micro-pedi-tickled-pink-giveaway.html "

Make sure you leave the link to your tweet with your comment below.

Best of luck to everyone.

Love,

Sarah

Top 10 Blogging Tips

Iv'e been meaning to do this post for a while now but I didn't because I thought I wasn't qualified enough. Have I been blogging long enough to give tips?

What the heck. This is my blog and I'll do what ever I want! That's more like it!

So in no particular order of importance (I just wrote these down as they came to me) here are my top blogging tips.

1. Contact Details: Make sure the 'contact me' section of your blog is up to date and that you use an email address that is checked on a regular basis. It has happened to me quite a few times where I have contacted a blogger only to be told a month later that they don't use that email address any more. 
2. Promote: Don't be afraid to promote yourself. Unless you have a billion followers or blog about a topic that a many people will be searching for you are not going to get many visitors reading your post. You have to build your audience and the only way to do that is to promote yourself. Here are a  few places you can promote your blog: Twitter, Facebook, HelloCotton, Instagram, Pinterest.
3. Update: Check the links in your posts every couple of months. Sometimes I may link another blog or an item on a website and then three months down the road the owner of the blog might have deleted it or the item I have linked doesn't exist any more. This means you are diverting your readers to noting which is a waste of their time and might lead them to unfollow...ek
4. Turn it off: Most people know what this is about. I'm here to tell you that word verification is THE most annoying thing on the planet! Turn it off, stop it...take it away! The amount of times I have written out a comment, pressed comment and the page then refreshes. In my mind my comment has been posted but OH BLOODY NO the word verification pops up. Sometimes I see it and attempt to fill it in and other times I forget and think my comment has been posted and I close the page. Ever wonder why you don't GET many OR any comments on your posts?? 
5. Follow: The previous tip leads me onto this one. PLEASE do yourself a favour and follow Ellie. Her blog can teach your everything you need to know about making your blog the best it can be. She has a fantastic post showing you step by step how to turn off word verification HERE.
6. Adverts: This is more of a personal preference. I don't know about you but when I see a blog with adverts under the the banner, down the sidebar, under each post, at the end of the post and in-between each post I get a bit dizzy. I don't like clutter and not only that they are designed to catch your attention so its only natural that they can be distracting. Do you want your readers to read your post or an array of adverts. It's up to you but try keep them to a minimum. 
7. Communicate: Make an effort to get to know your readers. They take time out to read your blog so you should take the time to check out there's. If that don't have a blog find out if they are on twitter. They obviously share the same interests as you if they follow your blog so communicating will not be a problem. 
8. Strenghts: Find out what your strengths as a blogger are and use them to their full potential. I know I have the worst spelling in the world but I take good quality photos so more often than not you will notice I write very little in my posts and my pictures do most of the talking. I tend to say what I need to say without waffling. Less waffle = less spelling/grammar mistakes!
9. Comfort Zone: Don't be afraid to step outside your comfort zone. Just because you consider your blog to be all about fashion that doesn't mean you can't blog about anything else! I love seeing what other interests the people I follow have. In saying that I'm not a fan of people setting up numerous blogs for each interest, it gets confusing for me. Why not have it all on one blog?! 
10. Have fun: Don't get caught up in views and stats. Blog because you want to. Don't feel pressured into posting so many times a week/month. One thing I will never understand is when bloggers constantly apologise for not posting in so long (most of the time its only been a few days or two weeks). We know you have a social life its okay to take a break. 

There you have it, my top ten blogging tips. Let me know in the comments below if you found any of them helpful.

Love,

Sarah

Leopard Print ASOS Dress

Necklace: Market in Portugal

Dress: ASOS €24.88

Tights: Penneys 

Shoes: Penneys €15

Bracelet: A gift from Bex

I have been seeing a lot of animal print in the shops recently. Pictured below are two photos I took in Marks & Spencers on Grafton street in Dublin. Iv'e never worn animal print before and when I seen this ASOS Skater Dress on-line reduced from €63.98 down to €24.88 I had to get it. It's available in a sizes 6-18 and has good stretch in it for cake lovers such as myself!

I themed the dress up with this gold necklace I bought in Portugal, a black velvet clutch from Penneys with animal print detailing on the inside and a wooden beaded bracelet.

Have you embraced animal print yet?

Love,

Sarah

A NEW BLOG

In may this year I started up a second blog called S.H.E which stands for Support, Health and Encouragement.

I wanted it to be a blog where anybody could come, contribute and gain something from. Anyone (Oops, Women only!) can post about their encouraging stories, they can share their experiences in hope that it will help someone else out there or they can simply let their inner thoughts loose and see if any of the readers can offer advice.

For me it has been a place where I can share my new diet/healthy lifestyle changes and your kind words have been a great source of encouragement for me. I did a post recently on how I'm getting on with my latest healthy kick up the backside and its called It's not over yet.

I would love for you to check out this exciting new blog and we also have a facebook page which makes it easier for everyone to stay in touch.

S.H.E

FACEBOOK

                                                 

If you have an encouraging story to share or want advice on a topic you would like to share on S.H.E please email me on adoreabubbles@hotmail.com or you can contact me on twitter @Adoreabubbles

Previous Posts

A new Beginning

Losing the Baby Weight

Domestic Violence 

Healthy Eating

You are what YOU Believe

NYC Nail Challenge

I was on facebook this morning and seen this photo of Katie Holmes and her daughter which was posted by New York Color facebook page. NYC said "Now all we want today is DOTS and RED...make it happen..." In the picture Katie's daughter Suri is wearing a red sweater around her shoulders and a white dress with black stars on it.

After checking my nail varnish collection I did in fact have the three polishes mentioned in the post which are Pinstripe White, Fine Red Wine and City Blackout. All NYC nail polishes cost €1.99 here in Ireland and £2.49 in the UK.

Here is what I came up with.

Firstly I applies two coats of Pinstripe White. I also make sure the first coat is really thin so the look last longer.

The I created a half moon at the bottom of my nails using Fine Red Wine. 

And finally using City Blackout I created a polka dot design using my dotting tool.

This is an easy, quick nail look that anyone with nail polish and a dotting tool (tooth pick) at home can create. I love doing nail art. You can truly get inspiration from anywhere. 

At home Hair Removal Products Reviewed

Yesterday I uploaded this video about products I have used at home to remove body hair. I don't think I have ever met a women who likes the process of removing hair from their legs, underarms and bikini area but it has to be done. Well I suppose it's a personal preference but that's a whole other story! 

Here are the products I mention in the video above.

http://www.hair-removal-shop.com/PBSCProduct.asp?ItmID=10134853 

You can get 10% discount from this site using the code ADOREABUBBLES

Nair Hair removal cream for dark/coarse hair and Nair facial brush on for Sensitive skin

Satin Pure exfoliating hair removal pads.

Veet Easy Was electrical roll-on kit. 

Veet hair removal cream and Spray on hair removal cream both for sensitive skin.

How do you tackle your hairy bits?! (haha too personal?) Tell me in the comments below. 

Nourish your Hands - Hand Creams Reviewed

 Our hands come into contact with all sorts of elements on a daily basis and it's surprising how many people leave looking after their hands last on their skin care list. I spend too much time worrying about the skin on my face than my hands I have to admit. 

They say (who "they" are I do not know but they say many scary things!) that your hands are a dead age giveaway. Simply explained, the skin on the back of our hands is much thinner than on our face so when collagen or elastin fibers begin to break down the impact is much more noticeable. 

One of the ways younger women can start taking care of their hands and older women can make their hands look younger is to provide nourishment.

L'Occitane Creme, Cherry Blossom Petal-Soft Hand Cream 75ml €14 30ml €7

I love this product for its wonderful sweet scent. Some may find it a bit overpowering if they are not a fan of powerful scents. I am a huge fan of the packaging. You twist the lid and squeeze to release the product. Overall a lovely product, a must have for your handbag. It is loaded with shea butter which will nourish your hands but I have to say I don't think this product would have long lasting results for anyone with very dry skin.

Yes! Nurse, Protect Your Lovely Hands 50ml £5.49

This product is jammed packed with goodness and for a fraction of the cost of other brands. I feel the need to list off the natural ingredients...Honey, Pomegranate seed oil, aloe vera, wheat germ oil, passion fruit seed oil, sweet almond oil, white willow bark extract AND Vitamin E and B5. This is really the hand cream to go for if you want to combat dry, sore or split skin.

SPA Collection by M&S, Ultra Smooth Intensive Hand & Nail Cream. 75ml £3.50 or Spa collection sampler set £6.

Its always good to get a two in one product. Not only does this product protect and nourish your hands it also has Pro-Vitamin B5 which will help to strengthen your nails. 

Elemis Spa@home Pro-Radiance Hand and Nail Cream. 100ml €31.

This hand and nail cream is part of the Elemis body anti-ageing line. I noticed results after a few days of using this product. My hands felt so much softer. It doesn't leave my hands feeling greasy but I do notice a barrier like effect going on when I have applied this product to my hands. I feel like it is continuously protecting my hands after each application. It is one of the more pricey hand creams on the market but as the name suggest you are giving yourself a spa treatment at home. It is one of those luxury products that is worth the price tag.

How do you take care of your paws? Tell me in the comments below.