The Dublin Travel Diary

Morning guys!

So it's kinda tradition round here that when I go on a trip I put together a little montage to share with you all and Dublin was a seriously cool place to visit so it was only natural for me to give you all a glimpse into my trip and what I got up to.

Before we get into the exciting stuff I thought I just had to add this little bit of info in! So, the night before my sister and I were due to fly, we were both finishing off our packing and stuff, when my sister hits me with the fact she lost her Passport. At first I thought it was a joke so I just laughed it off but after searching the house from top to bottom we were convinced someone had stole her Passport or something. Anyway to cut a long story short - we did find the Passport but guess where it was - in the green bin outside! How it ended up in there we have no idea, however as I'm sure you can imagine we were both pretty pleased it was found especially since our flight was only 7 hours away and well the clock wasn't going to stop ticking!

Anyway, so fast forward a few hours, my sister and I got up at 3:30am to catch a 6:30am flight. Upon arrival at the Airport we'd both worked up a bit of an appetite. I don't know what it is about Airports, they're a bit of a strange place. It seems that in an Airport it is acceptable to eat and drink alcohol no matter what time of day it is! Our flight was only an hour long, which I found surreal since I seems to take an hour to get to the closed city to me in the UK. The flight went so quick and it seemed that as soon as we had just got up in the air we were on our way back down.

Getting from the Airport to central Dublin is SO easy, like the majority of Airports it has a bus that runs every 15 minutes or so called Airlink p.s its only 6 euros each. We got dropped off at O'Connell Street then made our way to the hotel which was located in Smithfield by the Luas - Dublin's version of the tram. They're super cheap to catch and really convenient when you just can't be bothered to walk. Well, I say this but on each day of our trip we actually walked over 10 miles during the day so in the evenings we just caught the Luas in as our little legs could carry us no further! We stayed at the Maldron Smithfield by the way in case you were wondering and it was lovely. The room is contemporary, very clean and the beds are so so comfy.

So once we'd checked in and had a snoop around the hotel we had both worked up quite an appetite. Being the organised woman I am, I had already written down a bit of an itinerary. One of the places on my list that I was desperate to visit was 'Queen Of Tarts'. When perusing my Pinterest feed and looking up places on Trip Advisor, this little tea room dominated the fort and appeared to be a 'go-to' place to visit if you're in Dublin. It was a miserable old day in Dublin and was pouring with rain but that couldn't stop us! We made our way into the city centre and headed straight to Queen Of Tarts - a quaint little Patisserie style cafe in the heart of Dublin. Both my sister & I loved it there, it's the sort of place where you could nestle up on a miserable day and still feel content and cosy? Know what I mean? You could take your Grandma or your boyfriend there and still have a wonderful experience. The interior is old fashioned but iconic and the cakes just look simply amazing. They're homemade and are just as delicious as they look. Tea is served in wonderful floral delicate tea cups and if you're in the mood for cake then you will not be disappointed with Queen of Tarts as the portions are enormous!

Might I add since we'd had an early start we both took a power nap to make sure we were revitilised ready for the evening. Once we'd slept, got organised and made our faces up we made our way into the city centre. This time we caught the tram as our poor little feet were aching. We wandered into Temple Bar and had a quick peruse around. The pubs were all so cute, intricate and typical traditional Irish. The attention to detail was amazing and really fascinating.

For our evening meal we decided to visit the Dublin Hard Rock Cafe. I had never been to one before but my sister has been to quite a few all over Europe and used to always rave about them so I thought it would be cool to see what all the hype is about. First things first, the music is loud, very loud but the atmosphere is great and the staff are super friendly and attentive. For my main meal I had a Sweet Potato Burger which wasn't the best burger I've ever had and perhaps a little over price for what it was, but it was still very tasty none the less. The Cocktails however are incredible and also a very decent price. My sister & I both had a couple of Cocktails each and then a baby Guinness each (after eights shot) as I don't actually like Guinness!

That night we also went for a wander around the Irish bars and went to watch at band at The Temple Bar which was lovely, the atmosphere was brilliant and the music was great.

In the morning we visited Yogism for breakfast - (full review here) which is a Vegan Self Service Cafe that does the Froyo & Pancakes. This place really stood out to me, it has such a brilliant concept and niche, I will definitely revisit.

We did a whole load of shopping in the city centre, I was very impressed with Brown Thomas, it was beauty and fashion heaven, definitely worth a visit. Read my Dublin Make Up Haul HERE. We walked for miles that day it seems and on our way back to the hotel we actually passed a cafe, just down the road from the Penny Bridge - I can't remember it's name unfortunately but I had a Chai Tea & Toblerone Cheesecake was delicious.

All in all it was lovely trip and I will definitely be returning to Dublin, maybe in the summer. It was so nice to spend some quality time with my sister, sip one too many Cocktails and drink gallons of tea! Oh and the shopping was pretty good as well!

The Dublin Make Up Haul

Morning guys, so although it wasn't my original intention to go on a bit of a shopping spree whilst in Dublin, it just kind of happened. Well actually, me discovering the wonders of Brown Thomas is actually what happened. Brown Thomas is Ireland's equivelent to Selfridges and Harvey Nics. It's all super expensive but all so glamorous and mesmerizing.

This isn't a huge haul and it is a combination of products I picked up whilst in Dublin and in Duty Free etc.

So I thought we'd start with the product I am most excited about - the Clinique Chubby Stick Sculpting Contour. Ever since this product was released I have adding it to my bag online then closing the window by the time I get to check out. Like most ladies who have a love for make up, I'm a massive advocate to Contouring. Any product that claims to define my face more and make me look ever so slightly like Kim Kardashian - I'm there. This is actually my first ever 'Chubby Stick', so perhaps this could be the start of a soon to expand collection. If you've ever watched those Youtube tutorials and been left scratching you head as to how easily the MUA's seem to 'map' out the face with such clean lines- this product is the answer. You can literally draw on your face with this product and with precision. Using the Chubby Stick I put the product down the hollows of my cheeks, either side of my nose and on the end of my nose, a touch across the jaw line and a little on the forehead...so not much then?! This product is for days when you want a pretty heavy make up look, one for evenings out I'd say. I would definitely recommend this product. It seems to make the whole idea of contouring so much easier, especially since the concept seems to baffle a lot of people. I am now on a mission to get the Highlighter Chubby Stick as well!

The Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Lip Protectant was a bit of an impulse buy in Duty Free, it was in one of them baskets on the way to the till and I just couldn't resist. It was only 7 euros as well which I thought seemed a very cheap and reasonable price, especially for an Elizabethan Arden product. This was actually my first Elizabeth Arden purchase and I am really pleased with it. I've heard many Youtubers and Bloggers swear by this product. If my lips are in need of an urgent rescue this is my new go-to product. It's pretty heavy duty but is so hydrating on the lips!

I was always a massive fan of the Topshop Beguiled Lipstick, it was my most reached for Berry shade at one point. It still would be if  I hadn't of accidentally lost it, ooops! This time I decided to go for a similar shade  - Depth accompanied with the Lip Liner in Partition - I  couldn't find this one on the website sorry. One thing I had made a mental note of  about Topshop lipsticks in the past is that although they have a fantastic selection of shades, they do have a tendency to go a little patchy therefore I thought if I lined my lips before applying the Lipstick is would make the final look a lot more smoother and flawless - my instincts were correct, it did! This duo is my new go-to look for an evening.

Last but certainly not least, the Charlotte Tilbury Wonder Glow. Now this was a pretty spontaneous purchase. Whilst perusing the halls of Brown Thomas I let out a little squeak of excitement when I noticed that they had a Charlotte Tilbury counter. I spent around half an hour pacing up and down the counter, determined to buy something but unsure what to buy, simply because I wanted everything. I was then approached by one of the Beauty Advisors who showed me a swatch of the Wonder Glow and I'll be honest it looked insanely beautiful. The Wonder Glow is a quick miracle fix for dull, dehydrated and tired skin. It transforms the skin so it looks healthy, glowing, luminous and effervescent. Charlotte claims this product to be one of her seven wonders for the skin. It's no secret that this product is a much loved skin secret for the celebrities neither. I love this product, it definitely does what it say's on the tin. I mean, I wouldn't say it completely transforms my skin because well, my skin isn't going anywhere anytime soon but it does make it look so much more healthy and glowing. You can use wonder glow either on its own, combined with Foundation or over the top of Foundation. It's best used with the Charlotte Tilbury Foundation  I imagine but at an already hefty price of £38.50 I didn't want to part with any money that day! I find it works a dream with my YSL Touche Eclat Foundation!

What new make up products have you picked up this month??

The Froyo Dream: Yogism Dublin

Morning guys!

So a couple of weeks ago I went on a little city break for a few days with my sister. We had the best time. Don't worry, The Dublin Travel Diary will be live on Friday morning for you all, as I know my Travel Dairies are some of my most popular posts.

In the mean time, I thought I would share with you possibly my new favorite Breakfast place - yes it even rivals The Breakfast Club, which you guys I know I have a lot of love for!

So on our last full day in Dublin, we were on the hunt for somewhere wonderful to visit for Breakfast. My sister had done some research so we were pretty sure of where we was going to go, that was until we stumbled across a cafe called Yogism on our travels. Located inside Georges Arcade, Yogism was just too cute to ignore.

Yogism is a cool, contemporary place that is made for those who love Pancakes & Froyo but don't want to compromise their health. Well, I say this - although as you can see in the picture above I opted for some Reeses Peanut Butter Cups as a topping on my Frozen Yogurt. Ooops! Yogism is also Vegan friendly which is something I found very lovely because well, there aren't many restaurants or cafes that cater for a Vegan diet. To all you non Vegans though, don't worry, just because the Pancakes are Vegan it doesn't mean they compromise on flavour - it's all delicious. Believe me, my sister is neither Vegan or Vegetarian and she was in awe of the place.

What I really liked about Yogism was how laid back it was. It was all self service - you choose your Froyo Flavour, you add the toppings and if they don't stock the drink you're after then you can bring your own. We got some Bubble Tea from a Juice bar just a few doors down (it was amazing).  Yogism also place a little game when you buy the Froyo, if you can guess the weight of your Frozen Yogurt you get it for free.

All in all it was a real little gem of a place and I would 100% recommend you go if you ever go to Dublin!

City Break Make Up Essentials

Good morning guys! So I know I recently spoke about my travel plans for the year and well I have just added another destination to the cards. Yep that's right, I've booked a whistle stop trip to Dublin for 2 nights and I fly out on this Wednesday!

Although it was a bit of a spontaneous booking, I have always wanted to go to Ireland and thought when better to go than the present? My sister & I have been talking about going on a girly trip together for some time now so we just thought d'ya know what, lets just go ahead and book it, otherwise it's never going to happen!

So this will be the shortest trip outside of the UK that I've ever been on. I've been to Edinburgh before but we drove there whereas this trip involves me hopping on an hour long flight. Ever since I booked the trip I have been pondering as to what to pack. I'm notoriously known for my 'over packing' for holiday's so I'm sure I will somehow manage to fit a weeks worth of clothes into my cabin case. For this little trip though, I seriously need to be as minimalist as possible and not let my over-packing tendencies creep in. Clothes wise I was thinking of taking 2 casual day outfits such as leggings and 2 jumpers then an evening outfit in case we decide to go anywhere fancy. In the make up department I thought I would agree on one base that is long lasting but not overly heavy. Due to cabin bag restrictions I'm going to have to decant my Foundation & liquids etc into travel containers which I'm a bit miffed about but it can't be helped really.

So here's the plan:

• For the Base I'm taking a little pot of my YSL Touche Eclat Foundation for day time and a little bit of my MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC 25 to contour with in evenings.
• I've managed to agree on one Eye Shadow palette for the 2 days away and I've gone for the Charlotte Tilbury Dolce Vita Palette. It's small, compact and can take me from day time to night time. 
• Concealer is a must for this trip as my flight is at silly o'clock in the morning and I'm guaranteed to have tired looking eyes!
• I'm taking the Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow to add a bit of colour and radiance to my skin. 
• Benefit Gimme Brow & Browzings is a must. I'll use the Gimme Brow but add a bit of the wax from Browzings for evenings to create a stronger brow. 
• For the 'one job does it all' Mascara, I'll be taking a miniature version of the Benefit 'They're Real' Mascara. It's my newest addition to my Mascara miniatures so it would be rude not to use it!
• I've given my self two options when it comes to lips - MAC Russian Red for evenings and the Clarins Lip Perfector to wear in the day - teamed with Pillow Talk of course. 

Keep an eye out over the next week or so because in true WLDN tradition, there will be a Travel Diary popping up on here very soon!

Have you been to Dublin before? What places would you recommend to visit?