Christmas Gifts For Her

Christmas is fast approaching. Some of you may react to this news with joy and others with dread! If you are at a loss as of what to get the lovely ladies in your life I have a few suggestions that might help. I love doing my Christmas shopping on-line,  not only can I stay in my pj's but you can also find unique items on-line you otherwise wouldn't find in your local high-street shops. Here are a few of my favourites.

1. Eye catching glass pendants made in Donegal by Louise Spokes. Simply beautiful pieces suitable for family and friends for any occasion. 2. Elegant handmade silk clutches from Bag Noir made in Dublin. These clutch bags are made from the best quality fabrics and can be made to order, how great is that! 3.Stunning handmade hair clips from Astrid Crafts made in Co Wicklow. Another fantastic quality accessory that's a sure winner with someone on your gift list this Christmas.

4. A lovely subtle fragrance suitable for men and women. The energy of the sea by Inis is an Irish fragrance, they do not test on animals and they also contribute to the protection and conservation of Whales and dolphins. 5. Where There's a wool is a delightful shop on Etsy based in Dublin and owned by Angela Carr. 6. A new find that I am super happy about is House of Ismay, this shop sells wooden badges with text from your favourite books. My personal favourite is the Black Beauty badge. 7. My last gift suggestion is a lovely vintage handmade cake stand by My Grandfathers Clock. The owner Susan also makes home made candles using vintage tea cups, it's just pure genius really! I love the idea of re-using the old an making something fun and if you like cake as much as I do, noting gets more fun than a cake stand full of....well cake! mmmmmm!

Those are my Christmas gift suggestions. Of course it depends on the personal taste of the person you are buying for and there are plenty of pre-wrapped gift set options in the shops but don't underestimate the power of on-line Christmas shopping this year...you could give someone the best present they have ever received.

Happy Shopping,

Sarah x

LUSH FUN Bath Times

 FUN - Blue 200g €6.50 Suitable for children and adults!

What is FUN? FUN is basically a play-dough like substance which can be used in the exact same way in that you can make all sorts of fun shapes and models with it but unlike playdough when you are finished having all your fun you can use it in the shower or bath to wash. How cool is that! To wash your body and hair you only need a small amount. These big 200g bars of FUN go a long way.

FUN Blue has a lovely lavender and chamomile fragrance which makes it perfect for kiddies bedtime bath. It will send those kiddies right to sleep....if you can get them out of the bath that is!

If it's bubbles you are into then all you have to do is crumble a chunk under hot running water from your tap. You don't have to use the whole bar, as I said before it goes a long long way and you can continue to store what's left in the biodegradable wrapper it comes in.

Fun is also available in Pink, Yellow, Green and Red and they all have their own fragrance. Having problems getting your little monsters into the bath? Well then present them with some bath time fun that is preservative free, against animal testing and FUN

Not only is this product really fun, 10p from each sale with go towards grants and projects which help provide fun and recreational activities for children living in Challenging environments. This Friday myself and Aundrea will be heading to a primary school in Athlone to raise awareness and funds for the children affected by the Fukushima disaster. Aundrea came up with the idea and after she got the go ahead from LUSH she approached the primary school that she went to as a little monster!! We will be heading into a pre-school class armed with thirty fun bars for the children to shape and mould into what ever creations their imaginations can muster up.

I am really looking forward to it. I can't wait to see what the children think of FUN and hope we can raise some well needed funds for the children in Fukushima.

Have you tried FUN yet? Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Love,

Sarah

This months Ultimate Advertiser is Carter Beauty. If you would like to find out more about advertising on this blog click HERE

Buy Irish Day 8: Precious Prints

Precious Prints is a unique company based in Terenure, Co Dublin. They specialise in personalised pieces of jewellery which capture your child's footprint, handprint or fingerprint. All their jewellery is hand crafted using pure silver. Precious Prints also works exclusively with Dublin Crystal to make the most beautiful Christmas decorations. 

How to Order your Christmas Decoration:

Ordering could not be easier. There are three options to choose from, round, star and angel. Once you have selected which decoration you would like all you have to do is enter the child's name and a date if you would like a date to be placed onto the crystal. Add the item to your cart and complete payment.

Within a few days you will be sent an inkless kit in the post. It comes with all the instructions you will need to create your prints.

After you have created your prints you just pop them into the envelope which is also provided and send it back to Precious Prints in Dublin. While there your print will be cleaned up if there are any smudges, fifth fingers or extra thumbs! You know how wriggly little children can be! Thankfully my little friend Rian was very good while taking his prints with his mummy. The process took less than two minutes and he didn't mind me wiping the applicator over his hands before pressing them down onto the paper. 

After that your prints are sent off to the engraver. voilà! your precious gift will be sent to you in the post in a lovely gift bag and box. Precious Prints will stop taking orders for Christmas on Friday November 23rd so that they can ensure delivery before Christmas. All prints must be returned by Decemeber 6th. 

For more information be sure to check out their website . They also have a Facebook where you can stay up to date on all new products and offers.

Christmas decoration, Star with name, date and print €28.95

Phone: 087 0562925 - Web: www.PreciousPrints.ie - Email: info@PreciousPrints.ie

Let me know how you are getting on with your Christmas shopping below. I would love to hear if you are an organised snowflake or a laid back, last minute Christmas cracker!!! 

Love,

Sarah

This months Ultimate Advertiser is Carter Beauty. If you would like to find out more about advertising on this blog click HERE

Buy Irish Day 7: Caribbean Christmas

A few days ago I mentioned the Caribbean Christmas on my blog. It's a Christmas pop up shop made up of over 20 different craft businesses based in Ireland.

It's been going since Thursday and the last day is tomorrow. I got a chance to stop by this afternoon and was   taken aback by all the different items on display. I told Fiona, one of the girls responsible for setting up the shop that I wanted to take everything with me but alas my bank account would not let me!

I was given some delicious Hibiscus Juice and had a look at all the wonderful creations on display. I bought some handmade glass Christmas decorations which have been made by students from the NCAD Glass department, all money made from these will be going back into funding their department.

I also bought myself a lovely Murano glass beaded necklace from the vintage jewellery stand for just €6. Planet Purple where there and I treated myself to one of their lovely felt brooches.

I enjoyed meeting Sara Furlong during my visit, I did a post on her handmade Christmas cards a few days ago you can check it out HERE. She was also selling her own Christmas wrapping paper for €2.

                                                                                                   
I would really recommend you visit the Caribbean Christmas shop as after tomorrow (18th Nov) it will be gone. I hope it comes back next Christmas. It really was a great idea to have all these small businesses under one roof. Check out their Facebook page for more information.

Hand made glass Christmas decorations by the NCAD students. Large €3 Smal €2 and they also had others to choose from at three for €12

Check it out! 33 Charles Street West. A short walk from O'Connell bridge situated beside the four courts. You really don't want to miss out on the unique items they have for sale.

Love,
Sarah

This months Ultimate Advertiser is Carter Beauty. If you would like to find out more about advertising on this blog click HERE

Urban Decay - Vice Palette - Guest Post by Sarah Lowry

Hi there! My name is Sarah (also answers to “Mike” to avoid confusion when there are a few Sarah's around!) & when Sarah asked me to do a guest post on her blog I jumped at the chance as I am trying to get some blogging practise in so I can start up my own blog – something I have wanted to do for ages – and as Sarah’s blog is just awesome what better place to throw out a post & get feedback?! So thanks so much to Sarah no.1 as I like to call her, it’s a brilliant chance for me, you’re a wee gem m’lady!

So, for my guest post I am going to be reviewing the Urban Decay palette that was out for Holiday 2012 season – the VICE PALETTE!!

Just look at this beauty – even the packaging is so swish & swanky (I am a sucker for nice packaging!) Also, what I love about it is that it is a sturdy, hard cased palette, so flimsy cardboard in sight, which makes it travel proof, added bonus! PLUS, the mirror is the full size of the palette, which is awesome as pokey wee mirrors are just more hassle than they are worth. Cherry on top of an insanely tasty cake? Urban Decay kindly include one of their Good Karma brushes!

I love this as them flimsy sponge applicators in palettes are actually AWFUL at applying shadow. But the brush here is actually pretty decent quality! Now, I would be sticking to my trusty Sigma brush but for travelling its handy to not have to pack my Mrs Bunny’s!

Then, what we all want to see really right – the GOODS!! Just look inside this baby!! All new colours, not one shadow is a copy or repromote from another palette. I love this, as I am a HUGE Urban Decay junkie, with more UD palettes than you can shake a stick at but UD has this habit of repeating the old & having very little new till NOW! So yay for new-ness!!

So the shadows… the first thing that hit me was the quality of them, so creamy & butter smooth, super pigmented and no chalky effect (no one likes looking like a blackboard after all!). Urban Decay managed to have a good mix of colours in this palette, and different finishes too –from the matte Chaos (the AWESOME cobalt blue!) to the shimmery shades we know & love UD for –Penny Lane comes to mind here- that stunning shimmery copper.

Here is a quick break down of the shadows in this wee beauty –

Desperation – a taupe brown with a satin finish

Muse – a deep brown with a sparkley finish

Jagged – black with HUGE chunks of red glitter

Blitz – a metallic gold that has a shimmer finish to it

Penny Lane – a metallic peachy bronze

Junkie – a turquoise shadow with a slight golden shimmer

Chaos – cobalt blue

Occupy – metallic steel grey with multi coloured sparkle

Unhinged – a silver/baby blue

Blackout – matte black, great to use as liner!

Provocateur – a light metallic pink/mauve with pink & white sparkle bits!

Rapture – a dark grey/purple

Vice – a dark matte purple

Noise – shimmery fuchsia with gold sparkle (GIRL POWER!)

Armour – a light metallic grey with small silver glitter

Nevermind – a frosted metallic bronzy brown

Echo Beach – a pale gold with a frosted finish

Anonymous- a matte almost-white shadow – can only describe this shadow as an ivory shade

Freebird – a pale pink shadow, baby pink, with a tiny bit of gold sparkle & a metallic finish

Laced – A matte pink-beige shadow

If I had to find fault with the shadows here in this palette it would have to be that some of glittery ones had some fallout, I am looking at Jagged especially when I say this!

However, since Urban Decay redeveloped their shadows, their glitter shadows have definitely improved in staying power. Also, a really good eyeshadow primer will help this problem dramatically!

Which shadow is my favourite you ask? I am actually adoring Blitz – haven’t seen such a shimmery gold in a long time, it’s the shadow of queens!

So, there you have it! My quick low-down on all things Urban Decay & Vice! Thanks again to my lovely lady, Sarah no.1 for having me on her Adoreabubble blog! (bad pun I know I know!) You, are a LEGEND!

If anyone has any questions or comments please don’t be afraid to give me a shout – tips on blogging are always welcome too!

My blog is a shell at the moment but you can follow me on Blogger – RaraGiggles

My Twitter is @RaraGiggles

This months Ultimate Advertiser is Carter Beauty. If you would like to find out more about advertising on this blog click HERE

Buy Irish Day 6: Pixy Natural Skincare

PIXY natural skincare have you covered this Christmas. Their range of products made  from natural ingredients include bath bombs, body oil, lip balm, cuticle balm, soap, bath salt and oils, shower mousse, foot scrubs and the list goes on and on! Having an Irish brand that offers variety is brilliant but it doesn't stop there. The entire range is hand made by local people in Mallow, Co Cork. That's what Love Irish, Buy Irish is all about this year. Supporting Irish business which in turn support the local community. 

I discovered Pixy not too long ago at the Pro Beauty Exhibition show in the RDS. I was attracted by the magical aroma that surrounded their stand and I also got to talk to a lovely lady who's name I believe was Eilish. Her excitement for the Pixy brand was so obvious that it in turn made me excited to learn more about it. She told me all about their experience on the Dragons Den and suggested some of her favourite products.

The child in me could not leave without getting the Hidden Surprise Pink bath bomb €3.70. It's pink, covered in glitter and has a toy inside. What more can you ask for really? Oh wait, it also smells like sweet candy! 

Blue Sapphire, my favourite! A bath bomb good enough for royalty! 

Pixy also have a range of Gift Sets for you to choose from for Christmas. They also over free shipping in Ireland to orders over €50. Also for this week only they are giving you 20% off their Pixy Dazzle gift set, it usually costs €49.95 but you can snap it up for €39.96 and comes with eight amazing products. 

I think Pixy individual products would make fantastic stocking fillers. They also make these Pixy Pedi gifts sets which you can buy on their website for €16.95.

I know too many people with foot phobia's so for their sake I will re-frame from showing any picture of my feet. I will say this though, my feet felt so smooth and smelt great after using the Pixy Pedi set, good enough to eat you might say! The first time I used it I went a bit mad on the peppermint cream and smelt like an after eight which I didn't mind! I'll know better next time, plus the instructions say to apply a small amount but as per usual Sarah no patience got too excited and had to learn the hard way! 

Pixy also don't use ingredients made from animals and only test on themselves so I am proud to announce that Pixy received the Puppy seal of approval. YAY!

You can buy Pixy Online and in Pharmacy's nationwide. To stay up to date on their new products and special offers make sure you head on over to Facebook and like their Pixy Natural page.

Lots of Love,

Sarah

This months Ultimate Advertiser is Carter Beauty. If you would like to find out more about advertising on this blog click HERE

UPDATE - Christmas Blogger Meet-up

Roll up! Roll up! Read all about it.

News just in.... IT'S PARTY TIME!

Firstly thank you to everyone who has been in touch so far. I can't wait to see you all. I wanted to make sure this meet-up was extra special. It's Christmas time and all the bloggers in the land deserve a special day for all the hard work they have done during the year.

@ChannyWallace - @Andie74439 - @Robyntmorton - @MeganRoseMUA -

 @Totalmakeupadd - @SarahDora90 - @Lisa_san - @VonFluffy - 

@fluffyblog - @YellowSunFlower - @Skew.earring - @AliBowring - 

@ConfessionsOAMU - @ClaireCrilly - @Misseblog - @SusanEconley - 

@Makeupmonster_ - @Emilyxo - @Emma_Farrell - @nursefancypants - 

@PrincessLauraY - @TheMakeUpButt - @Sasdothat - @PrettyObsessed -

 @Avril_Murphy - @Fizzsedition - @AllMadeUp21 - @Audrey_Oreilly - 

@EimearByrneMUA - @tehkittehkat - @RoxyOBrien - @MakeUpFairyPro -

@Bow_Fabulous - @Lovelygirlybits - @MakeUpOverMind - @AnitaBeautyBlog -

@LeanneWoodfull - @OrlaBarrett - @llyhope - @adoreabubbles -

@KatieElisabeth - @ItsCherrySue - @Glittermamablog - @TheBeautyDial -

@HanaSaidWHAT - @AMGannonPR - @CarterMarissa - @nimabrush

Venue:  Russell Court Hotel (website), Harcourt Street, Dublin 2.

Click HERE for directions.

When: December 8th 

Time: 12 noon - 3pm

Shooting Shaun Photography will be there on the day to capture every moment, check out his blog HERE. Shaun is a very talented amateur photographer based in Dublin.

I have asked a few bloggers to speak on the day to share their experiences of blogging and answer any questions you may have.

You may already know the girls. Rachelle and Kat are responsible for one of my favourite blogs Dolly Rouge. From beauty reviews, amazing nail looks and an adorable cute animal corner they have it covered. Just be careful you could spend all day on their blog, it should really come with a warning!

Emma has been updating us with make-up news and product reviews on her blog fluff and fripperies since 2010. She recently won Best Beauty/Fashion blog in this years Blog awards Ireland. 

Elaine is a Creative media digital student which must be why her blog miss-eblog always looks so great. Elaine has written so many great helpful posts in the past that I had to get her to talk at the blogger event. I am hoping she can help give some of us much needed blogging 101 tips. 

Check out their blogs and if you have any questions on the day they will be more than happy to answer them for you. If you are feeling shy and don't think you will be able to ask them in person you can email your questions and I'll pass them on for them to talk about on the day. Just put their name and Q&A as the subject to adoreabubbles@hotmail.com.

I am pleased to announce that Marissa Carter, owner of Carter Beauty in Blackrock will be attending our Christmas celebrations to tell us all about the new exciting product hitting the Irish market very soon, Cocoa Brown.

We will also get to meet Niamh Martin the owner of Nima Brush. Nima brush is an Irish cosmetics company specialising in professional make-up tools. Niamh is going to do some demonstrations showing us how to use her new brush sets and if we are very good see might also introduce us to a  new product called the Magic Mitt.

Worried you won't remember any ones names? Don't fret I have you covered, everyone (who confirms attendance by the 25th) will have their own Christmas name badge. These are being made by the lovely Lizziesbadges on eBay.

As well as all that there will be many more surprises in store!! 

Lots of Love,

Sarah

This months Ultimate Advertiser is Carter Beauty. If you would like to find out more about advertising on this blog click HERE

Buy Irish Day 5 Christmas Cards by Sara Furlong

These have to be the cutest Christmas cards I have ever laid my eyes on. I usually buy the most glittery cards  I can get my hands on during the Christmas season but I have to say I love the simplicity of these cards. 

They are made by Sara Furlong, a graphic designer and illustrator based in Dublin city. 

All motifs are cut out by hand and mounted in relief on Kraft to give a 3D effect. All the paper stock Sara uses is also 100% recycled. The inside of the cards are left blank so you can write your own greeting.

Angel Christmas Card €4.50

You can find these lovely cards and more on her Etsy page MyNiceName. Sara also sells other greeting cards for other occasions throughout the year.

If you want to see before you buy, Sara's cards will be on sale this week only at the  Caribbean Christmas pop up shop in Dublin from Thursday to Sunday.

An Post recommends you get your Christmas cards sent by the 19th December so they reach your loved ones on time. 

Love,

Sarah

This months Ultimate Advertiser is Carter Beauty. If you would like to find out more about advertising on this blog click HERE

HelloCanvas.ie - Memories on Canvas

HelloCanvas is one of the largest canvas suppliers in Ireland. They claim on their website that they can deliver top quality for the lowest prices.

 I am one of these people that loves to take photos, if you haven't guessed that yet you probably aren't following me on instagram! Moving swiftly on, I love taking photos, printing photos and placing them all over the house. I just love looking back on fun memories. I think Canvas prints make a lovely gifts because they eliminate the awful process of trying to find a nice frame that the person would like or that you know will go with their home décor.

I have this 50 x 70cm canvas print of my three brothers and I. I was worried when the picture was blown up to this size that we would be all distorted and I was pleasantly surprised how great the image quality turned out. Looking back I probably should have chosen a photo that was not taken after a whole night of merry celebrations but we are still the best looking family in Ireland I say! 

I also liked how the image was carried on around the canvas to the back. I'm a bit of a weirdo, I don't like seeing white on the sides of canvas. Like when a painter paints on canvas and leaves the sides white. Really gets my goat. The canvas is 3cm deep and is made from 100% cotton. 

Check out their website prices range from €19 - €129. They also do a range of services for free such as colour choice, removing date labels from photos, removing red eye and a neat little effect where they make your photo black and white but keep one aspect of the photo in colour. Your child's bright blue eyes for example, a really beautiful effect.

Dispatch time is really quick too. You are sent an email giving you a link to track your order. According to my link my Canvas was made and sent the same day I ordered it. Delivery was very fast. I have not included  this review in my Buy Irish series because the canvas was produced outside of Ireland. However I still wanted to share  it with you because I think it is a neat gift idea for your family this Christmas. They accept Visa, MasterCard and my personal favourite paypal.

HelloCanvas have given my readers 5% off on their website, here is your code LBMAR2012.

Are you all that bit closer to being ready for Christmas?

Love,

Sarah

This months Ultimate Advertiser is Carter Beauty. If you would like to find out more about advertising on this blog click HERE

Buy Irish Day 4: Planet Purple Kids

I don't know about you but I personally love doing arts and crafts with children. I think introducing kids to the joys of being creative is one of the best gift you can give them, so when I came across Planet Purple I was delighted to discover that they make handmade Eco friendly kits for children aged 6-12 years to create their very own pencil cases, felt bags, note books and much much more. 

Planet Purple Funky Flower Bag Kit for ages 8 years+ €18

The Planet Purple kits come beautifully presented and the box can also be re-used for storage which I love. Everything needed comes in the kit, even scissors which is great because I know every time I go looking for ours they are nowhere to be found. Does that ever happen to you?! The Planet Purple kits will also provide a basic introduction to pattern cutting, stitching, sewing, gluing and beading.

The Funky Flower bag kits includes: Felt, scissors, sharp needles, pins, thread, buttons, non-toxic glue, glue spreader, sequins, satin ribbon and the instructions. All very good quality, they really have made an effort sourcing their materials.

Your child might need help with the instructions, which is an added bones I think because getting involved in activities your child will only increase their love for arts and crafts. I also think this would be a great activity for grandparents to do with their grandchildren.

Say goodbye to loud battery operated toys, expensive computer games and say hello to happy, fun memories.

I nearly forgot to tell you Planet Purple is a family run business based in Terenure, Co Dublin. Make sure you  check out their website www.planetpurplekids.com and Facebook  page. They will also be taking part in the Caribbean Christmas  pop up shop in Dublin from Thursday 15th to 18th of November. 

Love,

Sarah

This months Ultimate Advertiser is Carter Beauty. If you would like to find out more about advertising on this blog click HERE