Fabulous Friday (The Wonder of Xmas)

With "silly season" fastly approaching (4 more weeks 😄), I've been thinking alot about Christmas and what makes me LOVE it so so much. I think it inspires me to be a nicer person, to give more, to spend more time with friends and family (and to spend more money 😉) and of course to think of those that are less fortunate.

It can be such a magical time of year especially if you have kids. Being a parent the excitement and lead up to Christmas is the best part. When I was young it was the such a memorable time in our home. My parents didn't have much but they made sure each Christmas was as amazing as the last of us. I've never seen as much food, tins of biscuits ( the good ould USA biscuits 😅) chocolates, drinks etc in our house. Always a bottle of sherry, brandy, whiskey, baileys to name a few to drink for those who would call around. Gifts for everyone you could think of even down to the postman. Endless Xmas cards from neighbours, friends and family with well wishes and best wishes for the year ahead. People took time out to visit each others homes, it was a real family time for us. These are my memories as a child. Oh and I almost forgot obviously there was the toys.... I cannot forget about the toys, you really appreciated what you got because you only got toys on your birthday and Christmas. I will be forever grateful to my Mam and Dad for making it such a special time for us as kids, for those feelings I get each year as Xmas approaches, all because of a very happy childhood.

I look at my own kids now and my only wish is to be able to make them as happy as I was as a child. Christmas movies by the fire, hot chocolate, going to see Santa and the Christmas lights etc. No money can buy those feelings, they are created from a very young age. You have to believe in the magic of Christmas. Even though it can be such a sad time of year for alot of people, for children it is so important to keep that innocence and belief in them as long as possible.  Memories and happiness is the greatest gift you will ever give them.

Xx

Lisa Loves.....

Welcome to what will become a monthly edition of Lisa Loves.... a series of items I've spotted from the previous month. I'll be busy creeping on everyone's news feed and if you notice me staring at you on the street, it's just because I think you look fab and I'm wondering where you got your coat/handbag/boots etc. So just a small list to start off with, as I've been super busy with work this month (retail fever in full swing) 

Left: Alva wearing Boohoo €14 (yes I said €14, it looks so much more expensive)

Middle: Hannah Tkmaxx €40

Right: Arel (dress is from austailia)

Dark grey nails with a touch of glitter. Perfect for Xmas but not overbearing

Lauren looks amazing in this jumpsuit from ASOS. A black jumpsuit is my go to piece at the moment. Very sexy yet very classy

Karens top reminds me of that dress Suzanne Jackson wore to the Dublin Fashion from River Island but I actually thing this pattern stands out more and the colours just pop. It's from a store in Dublin called Catch for 29.99

If you'd like any more details on anything featured please let me know. 

Thanks a million to all the girls in the pictures

 Xx

One of those days....

I woke up today and like any other morning I went about my daily (day off) routine. Made the lunches, brought the kids to school, came home, walked the dog and cleaned the house. However I was having one of "those days", absolutely no reason for feeling like I was, I just was....I try to be a positive person as much as possible, but the truth is I have days where I don't even want to talk to someone (maybe that stems from a life in retail 😅)
When I get like this I start to over think and over analyse pretty much everything. I have nothing majorly worrying going on in my life at the moment, aside from the usual things people worry about (bills, work, etc) Maybe it's just "crazy lady hormones" that make me feel like this.

Since I've set up my page/blog, yes I have found its a great release to be able to express myself..I have prided myself on how honest I try to be (without disclosing every detail of life) but am I really just like the majority of some of the bloggers out there showing you what I want you to see or believe. In reality if I'm sharing details of my life my "OOTD" today would have been a picture of me, hair up in a mess, old pair of leggings on with a baggy jumper (because I'm always cold) and a pair of grey socks and no make up. Not exactly what you would call Insta-perfect.. but reality all the same. But who wants to actually see that? Yet I've put a gorgeous picture of our Xmas tree up on Facebook creating the illusion of a perfect day/evening.

Don't get me wrong, yes I enjoyed putting the tree up, but to be honest I also got frustrated with the kids for putting the decorations on, where I deemed to be "the wrong place". I also had a plumber in my house fixing the shower pump, this put me in an even worse humour, because it didn't fit in with how I perceived the "joyous magical event" of putting up the tree should go.

So to lay it out straight. Nothing is ever as perfect as it seems...
Life isn't always as fantastic as it seems in pictures....

It's okay to have a bad day, your only human and it could always be so much worse xx

Fabulous Friday (When a community comes together)

Recently I was invited to a Charity Coffee morning through an event set up on Facebook. Everyday since I have been following the event and I'm completely astounded by the response it has generated from the local community. Of course any charity is a worthy cause to say the least, but as a mum myself any charity that involves children or families really pulls at my heart strings. In the world we live in today, with all the anger, sorrow, and heartache, it is beautiful to see so much kindness, compassion and generosity from so many people.

Here is the story so far.....

A group of friends set this event up in support of another friend, after they had went through the unspeakable. These girls felt that words were just not enough, and they wanted to do more to help. A few of the girls suggested that they set up a coffee morning, to help raise money for the charities, that had helped their friends through such a difficult time in their lives. They never expected it to snowball into what it has become today. The support and generosity that they have received, has been truly unbelievable.

Alison and Eddies Story...

"Some people may not of heard of Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, we hadn't either until at 32 wks pregnant we were given the devastating news that our little girl Mae had Edwards syndrome and that she would possibly be stillborn or die shortly after birth. NILMDTS are a group of professional photographers who  will come to the hospital incases like ours to capture the most precious moments after birth your first moments with your baby which sadly in some cases are also their last. These are the most treasured memories for families to have.Then there is Jack & Jill who provide home nurses to families in situations like ours. They were always there for us for support and had nurses ready for if we had of got to that stage, for us we were happy to do everything for Mae as we didn't know how long we had! We got 7 wonderful weeks with our little girl which we didn't think we'd have. But for the families in these situations the support of Jack & Jill nurses ensure sometimes a full nights sleep or being able to do simple tasks like have a shower, do the washing, the shopping etc. So please keep giving people every cent raised for these charities is used in supporting these families"

The event itself....

The coffee morning will take place this Saturday in the Arklow Bay Hotel. Tickets are available to purchase from Devereux's Dental and Aisling's Playschool. They will also be sold Saturday morning up to 11:15 and the draw will take place at 11:30am. There is such an array of prizes, so many I couldn't possibly name them all, but here are a few; vouchers for dinner, the theatre, beauticians, the barbers, the local shopping centre. Gift sets such as perfume, beauty products, hampers, a night in a B&B. Even 2 tickets to the sold out Kodaline concert.

Locals have also given donations to the directly to the charity, the generosity has been beyond belief. If you would like to contribute (no matter how small) you can donate via the below link

https://www.justgiving.com/lyn-o-rourke/

Please support this fantastic cause in anyway you can. Xx

Lisa Loves...

Not so long ago I had an idea for a post that I've been dwelling on ever since.

We all have those moments when we see something on another girl and we think to ourselves "oh that's nice, I wonder where she got that". Some of us are brave enough to ask and others not so much. My idea was based around this thought!

As a woman I get really inspired by other girls and how they dress themselves or what products they use, hence the passion for blogging. Sometimes when you see something in a shop or online it can hard to visualise how it might work as an outfit, or how you would wear it. From my 8 years in retail I've learned that sometimes the things you would never even dream of trying on, actually end up being the nicest. So many things we normally wouldn't look twice at, then we see someone we know wearing them, and they are amazing on. So who better to get inspiration from but us everyday girls.

So my question is, would you girls be interested in a post each week like this? It would feature pictures and details of items I have seen on other girls throughout the week. (I'll be stalking girls everywhere I go :))

It would be called Lisa Loves....

Please let me know what you think, I really do appreciate any feedback whether it's good or bad xx

Thanks a million for all of your support so far x

Fabulous Friday Nov 13th

What an amazing response to last week's Fabulous Friday. It's fantastic to see so much support and positivity towards these posts and to the ladies envolved. I absolutely love writing them and getting to know the person and their story. Thank you to each and everyone of you for taking the time out to let me do this and for those of you who have read the posts.

Well another Friday is upon us and I cannot believe we are half way through November already. As some of you may know last Friday I got my eyelashes done, (a little treat to myself) and I cannot believe, the amount of people that have noticed, commented and complimented them. Because of this I thought it only fitting to do this week's Friday post on the fabulous and talented lady that worked her magic on me. So this week's feature is all about Pille from Crystal Lashes @ High Glamour.

It was about 8 years ago when Pille got her own lashes done back home, and she was amazed that someone had invented something this incredible. Pille fell in love instantly with the idea and the product. So she decided to do a course on eyelash extensions. Back then it was a service that was very new, and there was not that many technicans around. Fast forward a few years later and in 2011 Pille and her friend decided to open up their own salon. Which was a big risk as Ireland at the time, as we were in full swing of the recession. But they had a dream and they were ambitious.  

Just a little information on what they provide; 

Eyelash extensions are Pille's speciality. She does Classic mink lashes costing €50 and also volume lashes at €70. (I got the volume ones and im addicted) They also offer microblading 3D eyebrow embroidery. Its a semi-permanent make-up procedure which has become extremely popular within the last year. It lasts 12-18 months and is perfect for people who have hairloss problems, are dissatisfied with the shape of their eyebrows and/or just want to wake up with instant makeup every morning. Other services include threading, make-up, nails and hairdressing services in salon- cuts, colours, highlights and upstyles. Details on how to contact the girls are below

High Glamour

Add their Facebook page for details on offers, Services and also to book appointments 

Also add Crystal Lashes on Facebook for appointments, offers and more pictures (Christmas bookings being taken at the moment and filling up fast)

On a final note I just want to say that Pille is such a lovely person, a working mum, business woman, entrupenur. I really admire women like her. Not only did I receive fantastic service but for me quality is everything. A week later and my lashes are just as perfect as they day I got them. There are alot of similar services out there but you get what you pay for with Crystal Lashes. I know I'm now officially addicted 

Thanks Pille

Xx

Girls just want to have fun

Every now and again it's good to get glammed up, have a giggle and head out for a ould dance (god I sound old ) with the girls. So Saturday night that is just what I did, I put on the glad rags and headed out with a few friends. We had such a great night, but by far (and I'm sure most of you girls will agree) the best part of the night was 5 girls getting ready for the night out, crammed into my small "princess room" yes don't judge me, but I did say "princess room". Let me explain, in a house full of boys it's nice to have a little girly space to get away from all the testosterone 😅 What I love about these kinda nights is, getting to see what kind of makeup or techniques other girls use, the honest conversations about the everyday things in life, the gossip (gotta have a bit of gossip) and just in general being around other girls, especially when you live with all boys. It's good to get out and have some harmless fun every now and again. Life can be way too serious and stressful, we all need a little release.

So here are some few pics and outfit details from the night for those of you that are interested

I got my jumpsuit/playsuit in New Look, can you believe it was only €30, it honestly was the most comfortable thing I have ever worn out. I paired it with a pair of strappy black heels I got a few weeks ago in Penny's for €22. Again I purchased the necklace in New Look for 9.99 and the jewellery was buy one get one free, gotta love a bargain. Also got this plum lip stain in there for only €4, their make up range seems really good, I even went back in to get a nude pink lip stain the day after because this stayed on all night. Thanks to all the girls who recommended I wear the jumpsuit :)

Now this dear friend of mine doesn't normally wear dresses, not to mind sparkly dresses, but I think you will agree she looks HOT. She got this in New Look for €17.99. Yes €17.99, I couldn't believe it when she told me. I love a long sleeve on a short dress, plus this will be perfect for Xmas as well. The heels again New Look (we do love our New Look) were €29.99, I think the caged heel gives a nice edgy feel to the outfit. Bracelet is Coast. Love her hair and makeup too, she looks amazing. Proper babe x

We all love black and this LBD is gorgeous, Jade got this for €36 in our friends shop in Bray, it's called One Oh Nine. I did a Friday post on it not so long ago. Again a long sleeve, adore! Sexy draped neckline and you can never go wrong with black. The shoes are from TK max  (you see a trend with all the strappy heels) and were only €34.99, the necklace from Penny's €8, love the two lengths on this and how it shows off the neckline. She is a stunner....

Thanks girls for such a great night, it was just what the doctor ordered. There was plenty of LOLs 😂 and some scary flashbacks 😯 today. But the hangover was definitely worth it xx

Already planning the next one, anyone want to join? 😉