Paris mon Amour

Coucou tout le monde!

As you may or may not know, I am currently in France, enjoying the sweet summer heat and devouring hunks of croissants at the breakfast table while birdsong dances through open French doors (terrible pun so not intended). So, being only one hour from Paris, I recently grabbed the opportunity to take a trip to the big city, where I ended up as a typical Instagrammer in its natural habitat (not as bad as it sounds, mind you - I did manage to snap quite a few Insta-worthy shots). Every street, every corner, every square meter was alive and pounding, and I was unconditionally in love. 

As the heat of the afternoon began to dim softly and cigarette smoke trickled through blunt orange streetlight and restaurants filled up with hungry tourists and dinner-eaters, I, along with my little family decided that it was time to creep back home to a cool shower and a bite to eat. On the way, however, my lovely mom stopped to return something to a shop, and, without my realising, also picked up a little vial of perfume (as well as a teeny tiny pocket of sweets) as a gift for me. On arriving home I didn't even notice the tiny bag tucked into a larger containing my day's purchases. I was so exhausted that I simply sunk into cool cotton sheets after a relaxing rinse and closed my eyes until the next morning. However, when I did eventually uncover it I was overcome by joy and a simple citrus essence. The scent was such a lovely delight (who doesn't love surprises?) and I can't wait to wear it! 

Makeup Photoshoot à la Pro

Hey everyone!

Here's something that I would absolutely love to share with you and really hope you enjoy!

If you've taken a peek at my recent makeup review and June favourites blogposts you may have noticed that I mentioned the blooming Irish makeup brand Maison d'Anu quite a few times. And why, you wonder (this is the exciting part, start buzzing)? Well, I had the thrill of assisting my dear papa, photographer extraordinaire (website here!), at their photoshoot, complete with models, maekup, stylists, the lot. And it was incredible. Being my first photoshoot, I found this to be a wonderful experience, and not only did I thoroughly enjoy it, it also opened up my mind to a world of style and creativity all around me. 

The setting itself was magical - a crumbling house reeking of decay and mystery, soft red brick and ivy clinging to its walls, the whisper of ghosts lingering in each corner. Torn linen curtains twitched, not solely due to the icy wind trickling through open sash-windows, and lights flickered faintly every so often. I may not be the biggest fan of the damp, but that doesn't stop me from saying that I enjoyed every second I spent there, be that thanks to the enchanted ambience and history of the place or the energy of the people working alongside me or even the trailing princess dresses and stashes of powder and creamy lipsticks scattered around the floor. Everything about my very first photoshoot (à la professionnel) was wonderful and I am really happy to have participated in such an amazing project!

Healthy Fruit Parfait | food

Hey everyone!

So I was recently scrolling through Soap and Glory's Instagram page and came across a heavenly-looking photo of an iced cupcake, sugar and cream trickling down the crisp paper case, thick clumps of frosting laced with sweet pink powder and dusted with a thin coating of sprinkles layered perfectly on top. Drool legit (I feel like such a hipster using that word) dribbled down my chin as I read the caption cake for breakfast! and began to imagine the endless dreamy concoctions I could bake and devour in the early hours of the morning, watching the sun spread its wings over the horizon; gentle gold and runny egg yolk nibbling on the pale, pale sky .

But it was then that I remembered what season it was. And it was then that I died a little inside. Cake smothered in towers of frosting and the expression beach bod do not go hand in hand. However, I soon resurrected when I remembered that I could create something just as (if not MORE) delicious and mouth-watering myself with healthy, in-season ingredients I could find lying somewhere underneath a huge pile of I-don't-know-what in my fridge. And that made me très, très heureux!
  
Ingredients:

• Healthy, in-season fruits you can probably find lying somewhere underneath a huge pile of I-don't-know-what in your fridge (I used strawberries, bananas, kiwis & raspberries for all you Nosy Parkers out there)
• Organic Greek yoghurt (I used full-fat because YOLO but you can use whatever type you like)
• A cheery summery disposition

How to make this magical bad boy:

• Using your super Fruit Ninja skills, dice all of your fruits into bite-sized chunks 
• Spoon one type of the fruit nuggets into the bottom of a cute little sundae glass because good presentation can change your mood
• Layer a small blob of yoghurt over the fruit
• Repeat with all ingredients until ta-dah! your fruit parfait is, well, parfait!

Enjoy under a sweet summer sun and the sound of waves nibbling the shore.