FaeriWood

I've worn glasses since I was a teenager, or should I say, I've had  glasses since I was a teenager. Unfortunately the allure of geek chic and sexy librarian hadn't quite kicked in the early 2000s;  couple that with the fact they never quite fixed my blurriness, they were abandoned.  Last week I decided it was time for a new pair. The headaches, irritated eyes and double vision had to stop!  Off to Specsavers! I've tried a few opticians over the years, both big name and independent. None of them put me at ease as the girls of my local branch of Specsavers did. I booked my appointment online which is an absolute dream of a process and once I was there I was seen within minutes. A  few quick tests later I had all the answers to my problems, a cure for the irritation (blocked glands are a terrible thing) and the promise of my new glasses within an hour. AN HOUR! I've always had to wait weeks in the past, this was definitely an improvement.  As fo

There's nothing quite like a glimpse of bright sunlight peeking through the clouds to send us scurrying to the supermarket for a barbecue meat pack and some burger buns but at Hillmount they have news for you, you can barbecue all year round, in any weather, and still have the most amazing meals, quickly!  This week I had the chance to attend Hillmount Barbecue Academy, on the outskirts of Belfast, and their three hour BBQ Lesson. In that short time we chilled out, learnt a few recipes and cooked a three course meal! Gone are the days of waiting hours for your coals to heat up and cook your sausages to a crispy black char. Step away from that disposable barbecue and treat your grill like your oven and you'll be having flame grilled delights every week just like our Austrailian and American buddies.  Here are just a few of the things I learnt during our lesson Temperature is key Every dog has it's day and every meat has it'

It's only recently I've begun to experiment with masks that go beyond my normal exfoliation and hydration. Sheet masks have been a revelation and I have much more to say on that matter very soon. For the moment I shall focus on the idea of multi-masking.  Multi-masking is one of the latest trends in skin care and I have to ask, why did it take us this long?! So what is multi-masking?  Ever bought a face mask, used it and found that it helped fix your oily pores but it really wrecked you dry zones? Ever wanted that on trend exfoliating mask (you know the brand I mean!) but were scared that your sensitive areas might be overwhelmed? Well this is where multitasking your precious face mask time comes in.  Now I'm very much at entry level when it comes to multi-masking. Pictured above and below you'll see a very restrained duo of moisturising and cleansing mud masks from Glam Glow. The cleansing benefits of Powermud I am hoping will target some very rece

When I was recommended  Maybelline Baby Skin Pore Eraser  as a dupe for my beloved Benefit Porefessional I was instantly sold. I love Porefessional but I just can't keep up with how fast I go through it! I need an every day budget product to give my purse a break for a while.  Of course when I squeezed out that first blob my heart sank. This was no Porefessional dupe. It's crystal clear appearance instantly ruled that out. But it did have a very similar and pleasing feel and in fact I would compare it to Smashbox Photo Finish . This feeling comes from its silicone base and if you're like me and hate texture or stickiness from your makeup then silicone is your friend. The blurring and mattifying effect effect of both primers (I would say Smashbox wins with this so its not a 100% dupe) leaves the perfect base to apply the rest of your makeup or even just to leave on its own if you're not feeling self conscious.  Having dipped in to the Maybelline range (and w

This week we had the announcement that Kiko Milano cosmetics are opening in the old Pandora unit of Victoria Square and the Internet went mad (locally, at least). Kiko is the latest in a surge of high street retailers to make the jump across the water and open in Belfast. With recent additions like Tiger , Boux Avenue , Stradivarius, and the return of Inglot Ireland and Zara to our streets we are slowly becoming the modern, thriving, shopping city that we wish to be.  There's still room for improvement though, right? With that in mind here is my wish list of retailers. Five high street stores I'd love to see open in Belfast.  Muji Storage Mecca Muji are famous among the makeup world for their acrylic storage boxes which just seem to perfectly fit every product but there's much more to Muji. Instore they have all sorts of wonders in store, not limited to furniture, storage and baggage solutions. With everything having a clean Japanese feel it's fair

Can we talk about how long it's been since I've done a nail post? Too long. Far too long! Well wait no more because I have the cutest little product to show you! I picked Le mini macaron in Sephora. It was clearly over priced at around €30 but completely irresistible to my gel obsessed self (hey, it's sort of my job so I have an excuse) especially in my Sephora daze where I went into shove-everything-in-the-basket mode.  No regrets.  The kit comes in 4 colours, I chose peach because I love saying le péché in French and I LOVE the colour peach. It's the cutest little kit that comes with a usb cable, a little nail file and a cuticle pusher as well as some remover wipes and a European plug. The latter two remain completely unused.  In Sephora itself you can buy stand alone polishes in a huge assortment of colours but to be honest, I wouldn't buy these polishes again. Single step UV polishes (no base or top coat needed) sound great but there is

Each month I've promised to take you through what I've been watching and my thoughts on these things. This month I've had the luxury of some time off work so I was able to get through a bit more than usual. I think I used that time very well! Odd Thomas This month we had the sad news that Anton Yelchin passed away. This led all the movie channels to break out their Anton Yelchin movies and I watched Odd Thomas. It's a fun supernatural movie with similarities to Dead Like Me. It's going to win any awards but if you're a fan of indie movies based in small town America with a Sci-Fi/Fantasy twist then I think you'll enjoy it.  Gilmore Girls This month I set out to re-watch all 7 seasons of The Gilmore Girls and I'm slightly ashamed to say I almost managed it. I finish July mid way through season 7 but super excited for the new mini series on Netflix.  Im also finding my witty remark and random tangents during conversations have taken