Oh, did I not mention I was going away?

An organised blogger would probably have let everyone know she was off on holidays and no doubt would then have scheduled a load of posts to auto-publish while she was away, rather than seeming to disappear for a couple of weeks, but regular readers will know that I am not that kind of blogger. (I'd very much like to be that kind of blogger but unless I can squeeze a few more hours into every day or get hold of Hermione Granger's Time-Turner necklace, it's unlikely ever to happen.)

Himself had to go to the States with work (San Francisco one week, then Boston the next) and at the last minute I managed to tag along for the trip. Um, YAY! We spent a couple of days in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, then a couple of days in Yellowstone National Park (I was on edge the whole time, waiting for the place to blow à la 2012) and finished up with a few days in and around Boston.

I am notorious for taking rubbish photos of stupid things when I'm away, but I thought I'd give you a goo at a couple of pics from this trip anyway. Brace yourself for the most random assortment of holiday snaps you're ever likely to see...

first glimpse of the Grand Tetons from the plane

rush hour, Jackson Hole

the closest we came to seeing a bear in Yellowstone

BOOM: Old Faithful geyser (those two almost imperceptible specks to its right are people!)

Grand Prismatic spring, Yellowstone

sunset over Beartooth Pass outside of Cody, Wyoming

super retro cinema ads at the Mendon Twin drive-in, Massachusetts

letting Irish :) breakfast tea brew at the Deluxe Town Diner, Watertown, MA

melting in the 33°C heat and crazy humidity in Salem

windswept en route to the Boston hahbah islands

my only big non-beauty purchase: a grey ombré shower curtain

If anyone needs me, I'll mostly be here.

"Here" being my hotel balcony in Tenerife! Not too shabby, eh? I'm on holidays at the minute, as you will have gathered by now, and before that I was in a total flap about packing for holidays, which is why things have been a bit quiet on the blogging front lately.

I believe the weather is pure awful in the UK and Ireland so I'll try to squeeze some sun into my suitcase for the return journey, and normal blog service will resume next week x

OH. MY. GOD.

If I told you that I have the most ridiculously amazing boyfriend ever... 

... and that our 10 year anniversary is coming up...

... and then showed you these...

... could you guess what we're doing to mark the occasion?

Yeah. I was just going to make him a card, but this ups the ante slightly.


{image sources: 1. Telegraph; 2. Old Tom Foolery; 3. 4. 5. Orient Express}

Did you miss me?

You may have gathered from my extended absence over the last two weeks and the recent fancy beachwear post that I've been away in forren climes. I'm just home from Zambia - it was seven different kinds of amazeballs so I might do a dedicated post on it in a bit - and the post-holiday blues are a sort of swirling, sucking, seemingly bottomless whirlpool of darkest navy at the minute.

The great walloping comedown of landing back in reality after holidays is never fun - especially when your return involves placating a small white dog who is spectacularly pissed off at being left with his babysitter for the duration of your escape - but I'm finding it particularly difficult this time around. As my Twitter followers will know, I am currently iPhoneless and shoeless, clothesless and make-up less (well, almost) courtesy of some light-fingered *insert vicious expletive of choice that would make a fishwife faint here* who pilfered my checked luggage on the trip home.

That definitely hasn't helped matters.

I've reported it to the airline (South African Airways) and started the process of putting in a claim on our travel insurance, but aside from the loss of actual stuff I'm gutted that the hundreds of photos I've taken documenting the last 18 months of my life are gone, most likely forever. So is the protective sticker I got for the back of the phone in San Francisco last summer, which sounds stupid but it reminded me of that holiday and everytime I saw it.

And it was super cute, dammit.

Oh well. At least the dog is starting to gradually warm to us again.

And now we come to the swimwear portion of our competition.

I haven't bought a swimsuit since I was in my teens and actually went swimming regularly in the local pool. That was a black Speedo Endurance Medalist number, with turquoise and white side panels and a powerback for ease of shoulder movement.

With holidays on the horizon, I'm looking for one that's a bit more fashion than function this time around (although I should probably consider a powerback - after all, I don't want my mojito-lifting arm to be restricted.)

Something like these one of these retro-style lovelies would be ideal, if I could find a nice example for less than fifty quid...

{available from Etsy seller ThomThom Vintage; pic via Tais-toi, sois beau}

{£59.95 from For Luna}

{£59.95 from Anthropologie, size XS still available online at the time of writing}

{£59.95 from For Luna, on backorder}

That last one reminds me of something...

Oh right, it's just the Viv Westwood for Melissa heels that I obsess over in all colourways and designs.

As you were.

America: Land Of The Free, Home Of The Sephora

An American nail stuff haul post has been a while in the planning, but was delayed by my determination to include the shiny new bottle of Poshe topcoat which had been mislaid almost the second we returned home from the States. (It eventually turned up under the passenger seat of Himself's car - perhaps a sign that I should really stop doing my nails on the move?)

Then, even when the Poshe was recovered, I kept putting it off because I'm not sure that haul posts are such a great idea. I feel like they're quite often an exercise in showing off rather than sharing, which bugs me no end. However, being a nosy sort I still quite enjoy a virtual root in other people's shopping bags and am going to go ahead with it in the hopes that it might be of interest or use to you if you're taking a trip Stateside in the next while. 

In that spirit, please feel totally free to let me know if you'd be interested in a review, swatch, or just more info if you see something here that piques your curiousity :)

L-R: Pure acetone, Zoya Remove+, plastic
dispenser pump for nail varnish remover, Seche Restore

Sephora by O.P.I. / China Glaze / Essie nail polish families

Sparkly purples! L-R: Nina Ultra Pro Purple-xing, Zoya Mimi, Milani Hi-Res

L-R: Graham HandsDown Ultra pads, Orly Bonder base coat, Poshe' top coat,
Milani Pink Rocks! (neon), magenta Sally Girl Mini (matte),
Tweezerman cuticle pusher & nail cleaner


Sephora by O.P.I. Chic Prints for Nails in (L-R) Lace, Anchor, and Skulls

Can you tell what it is yet?

Your clues are the below photos and the fact that I'm currently attempting to stockpile nearly three weeks' worth of work to try and get ahead of myself!

Ame Otoko

mkorchia

stevoarnold

John in LA

(nz)dave

vlastula

Wolfgang Staudt

Mona rocks.....not

Al_HikesAZ

I am cool. Mammy - and now Apartment Therapy - sez so.

These are our pebble-stylee salt and pepper shakers from US store CB2, which were featured on Apartment Therapy last week.

Not our *actual* salt and pepper shakers, now, but you know what I mean.

I picked up a set of these get-yer-rocks-off bad boys in New York more than 2 years ago. Himself had sprung a surprise trip to The Big Apple on me for my Christmas-and-birthday present (I felt like all my Christmases and birthdays had come together. Best Present Ever) and I was determined to bring something from CB2's SoHo store home with me.

Me and CB2 go way back, y'see. When Himself and I lived in Chicago (admittedly only for 5 months on the J1 in the summer of 2004, but still) a brand new branch of the store opened close to where we were living in the RANCH Triangle area of Lincoln Park. 

Our Chicago apartment building

While I never actually bought anything there, seeing the CB2 logo always reminds me of our time in Chicago and I just got sucked into the SoHo branch when we were walking past. I couldn't help it.

Who'da thunk I was so ahead of the curve with what was, ironically enough, a nostalgia purchase? Trendpotter extraordinaire, so I am.

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh!

Tá súil agam go mbeadh Lá Fhéile Pádraig shona daoibh.

Anois, go forth and paint your nails and suck down green milkshakes until your brain freezes over!


Pic via Hairy Baby.

Those new Discover Ireland ads really do work!

I mentioned in passing the other day that we took ourselves off to the Cliffs of Moher last weekend. We charged up the iPod, gathered together an armful of CDs, got the car washed on the way out of the town (I do not understand the practise of getting the car washed before a long drive. Sure it's about to get utterly filthy again within minutes, non?) and then we were on our way.

It took about a bajillion hours to get there, but I did not mind in the slightest. I love going for drives, especially big long drives, especially when the weather's fine and I'm not doing the driving. One of my absolute favourite things is curling up in the passenger seat with my probably-too-big-for-my-head enormous sunglasses on, controlling the music selection and singing along to The Barenakedladies and other stuff I haven't listened to in maybe 10 years, chatting with Himself and looking out the window and thinking how incredibly gorgeous Ireland can be in the sunshine.

{Himself & the hound at O'Brien's Tower}

{this ledge is now fenced off & inaccessible, which I'm delighted about. some

of my scariest childhood memories involve being on a school tour with us all daring 

each other to look over the edge down to the sea, *hundreds* of metres below}

Q. How much beauty stuff does one bird need for a weekend break in London?

A. Quite a bit, actually.

Unpacking my make-up bag after our weekend trip to London, I decided to take a few snaps to show you how low maintenance I am, how lightly I like to travel.

(Tongue so firmly in cheek am in very real danger of rupturing my mouth.)

Yes, there are two pairs of false eyelashes in that photo. And three hairbrushes.

Less is more, etc.

Now, before you fret yourself silly over the dearth of cleanser or mascara (as you surely will), I better show you what I picked up on the way through Duty Free and in London town itself...

L-R: Eve Lom cleanser, Seche Vite topcoat, MAC Lustre lippie in Surprise Me, Essie Matte About You topcoat, Optrex Eyedew brightening eyedrops, MAC Lipglass in Pink Lemondade, Lancôme Virtuôse mascara. And Liberty bag. And billions of Eve Lom samples!

There. Don't that put your mind right at ease?

By the by, if you're thinking about making purchase of some Eve Lom cleanser, for God's sake get it shipped down from Space:NK in Belfast or get a mate heading to Sterlingland to pick some up for you. 200ml of cleanser (about a year's worth of once-daily usage) costs €120 in Dublin, versus £78 in Liberty of London - I'll update this post when the charge hits my credit card, but that's in or around €88. And while I paid one assistant, another busied herself wrapping my purchase... and stuffing my bag full of Eve Lom samples. 

Without having been asked/begged/grovelled to.

I love London.

It's not Two Thousand And Ten. It's Twenty Ten. (I has decided.)

Happy New Year peoples! I hope Santy was good to you and that 2010 is going well so far.

I really only made one solemn resolution - to take off my make-up every night before going to bed. And, well, I've already broken it once.

In other news, I'll be 28 in a few days time.

Eek!

Lights... camera... action! But not in a good way.

My Christmas kitchen (homemade mince pies etc sadly just out of shot.)

Last week, I made cranberry-studded mincemeat for mince pies and crab cakes following Nigella recipes (for the record, the mincemeat's yum and the crab cakes need a couple of egg yolks to stop them completely falling apart in the pan) and today I got my fairy lights up in the kitchen. Yaysies!

I used Command Strips Decorating Clips, the packaging and leftover bits of which are ably demonstrated here by my glamorous and recently groomed assistant:


I'd none of the isopropyl alcohol mcsomething something that they recommend wiping surfaces with before getting busy with Command Strip products, but sure I slung them up on top of the cornicing anyway - they've worked grand for me before without using it, like.

I left the strips to cure for an hour and a half, admiring how blinvisible they were from the ground and thinking that I'd be able to leave them up all year, before carefully clipping the lights onto them. Everything was lovely and twinkly for about 10 minutes or thereabouts while I took a photee and thought about having some mulled wine. Then I started to hear little "ping!" noises and, sure enough, half the Command Strips had gone AWOL and the fecking lights were hanging down the fronts of the cabinets. (Not quite as disastrous as my first attempt to hang them last week, when I thought that I'd just need double-sided sticky tape to hold them up and they ended up in the middle of the dinner.)

Le sigh.