The little black dress rip off.....

Okay, So I have a new 'issue' to rant about.

I wont name names here but I noticed a familiar item popping up on one of my daily website trawls today. The item is familiar because its a plain black dress which I want for work. However, the store sells the dress for €45 and frankly, its not that stunning for that money.

So I was surprised to see on the website that the dress is being sold for £18. I checked the current exchange rate and the dress would be €21. I then added on postage and packaging for it which was....oh wait, the store website wouldn't display how much it costs. So even if you added a further €10 to the amount for shipping then that still makes it €31... So how does the same dress become €45?

I know that stores have to pay rent and costs of employees etc, but the same dress is being sold on the website above cost price which allows for some amount of profit to be made. If you added another €5 to every dress (keep in mind this is a HUGE retail store which branches all over the country and €5 for every dress would mean a lot) to go towards the wages/etc....then it doesn't make sense. It's still more expensive......

........Which can only mean one thing - VAT. VAT on that dress accounts for over €10 of it. No wonder people are shopping online and going to the UK to shop. Thats insane.

I have decided to conduct a little experiment when I go shopping next. I am going to pick three retail stores with online stores and pick products to see how the VAT is and what the store are charging....because this is insanity.

I would buy that dress. I would wear that dress. However I will not part with €45 for it. It's nothing special  - just a black dress.....but I just refuse.....

Bird Print PJ Jacket

How cute is this?
I am in love with this bird print jacket from Topshop which they describe as a Pyjama jacket. Sorry, but since when do we need a jacket for our pjs??? I would so rock this outside with a pair of skinnies - unless its a fleecy material which I can't see if it is online or not.....still...its cute!
£40

JAYSUS i want this

Look at how bad this has gotten.....

My collection of MAC lipsticks....I took this at Xmas and its gotten worse since.....

Here is a list of the colors I have :

Cyber
Saint Germain
Ruby Woo
Girl About Town
Lady Danger
Rebel
some hot pink hello kitty stuff

I think thats it!  I am about to add the following to the collection :

Snob
Darkside
Diva
Smoked Purple
Up the Amp
Russian Red
MAC Red

WHAT I WORE TODAY : Summer sun in March

Yesterday I got over my deep hatred of hot weather to brave the Spanish Arch with my friend E. I was aided by Diet Coke and Crunchie ice creams, which meant I was insanely hyper all day. So here is my first outfit post in ages....sorry about the delay but I have become all about the work photos lately!

T-shirt - Urban Outfitters
Jeans - Urban Outfitters
Scarf on my head - Vintage
Glasses - Pennys
Boots - Kurt Geiger
Bag - Awear

I don't know what look I was going for but some old lady told me I look like Paula Yates! Didn't have the heart to tell her that Paula Yates was dead.......But I was delighted she thought I was that skinny!!!!

I also loved Paula's style and have listed her before on this site as a style inspiration so that was good!

MAKE-UP TRICKS : Learning special FX

 As I mentioned, I work with some seriously talented ladies at MAC. One of the great things about this - apart from the training - is the inspiration you get to try new things. An area that I have always wanted to try but never had the chance to is Special FX make-up. I always wanted to and spend most of the time wondering while watching movies, what things they used to get that effect. I am literally learning so I am going to post the pictures and a how I did this kinda thing to the blog so you can either learn along with me - or howl with laughter at my mistakes!

 So a recent trip to Make-Up Forever on Claredon Street in Dublin 2 made me take the plunge and just do it. I bought some latex and some fake blood and decided to teach myself. Well, experiment myself. I tried to start with burn marks. I didn't really have any intention of trying this out last night but then I found myself sitting in a semi clean room and bored and staring at the bottles going.....well....I suppose....so I did. The above photo is the first layer of latex which I applied and brushed onto the skin. I then rubbed it and pulled bits of it away to create this layer of peeled skin.

 I grabbed my foundation and painted over the latex which smudged it into the skin and blended it. I also noticed that my foundation (nc15) is lighter and more cool toned then my skin on my arm! Weird!

 I then mixed some pink pigment, brown shadow together and colored in the peeled section. You can see here where the NC15 doesn't quite match my skintone on my arm. Which sucks. I then dotted the fake blood over the ''wound''....I decided to add some blacktrack eyeliner (don't ask) to the wound to give it some dark areas around the lower part of the wound.

 

 This was a bit later on when I had removed some of the blood. The artist in Make-up Forever told me that if you want transparent blood to look darker then you should mix it with coffee granules! Something about the granules makes the blood look as if it has clotted - thanks for the tip!

 I love this shot - it looks as if the flesh is literally weeping!

This shot was as the blood had dried a bit and I added more pigments (as described above) to the wound to make it appear more real.

I don't think this is a bad attempt given that I have never worked with latex before. I have so much to learn but I am delighted with how it went so far! Let me know what you think!

WORKFACE : Fruity

 Today I got into a bout of madness for bright colors. It had been bothering me all day as to what my eye make-up reminded me of - but I couldn't think of it. I chose bright pinks and oranges since red is out of the question with my hair at the moment.

EYES - Barry M neon pink pigment, MAC in Orange blended at the edges of the lid and in the socket line with a 217 brush, eyeliner is Blacktrack by MAC using the 266 brush, underneath the eye I added NARS in a dark brown and a bit of the pink pigment in the corners - I then underlined the eye with Smoulder by MAC.  I also added a bit of the dark brown to the edges for definition.

 It is the end of the day so I looka bit tired but I am LOVING how my skin looks in this picture!

SKIN - Prep and Prime by MAC, Rimmel 25 Hour Foundation, Rimmel highlighter and concealer in one under the eyes and on a nasty blemish! I added Mineralise Skinfinish powder by MAC throughout the day to remove shine. I have taken to spritzing myself with MAC's new charged water spray throughout the day as well to prevent dryness which plagues my skin. It really works. It's charged with the ions of Brazilian diamonds and gives your skin a well needed boost through out the day without causing your make-up to slip. It's great on a hot summer day where your dying in work and need a quick fix! (side note - it also works in your hair - as does FIX+ spray!)

 EYEBROWS - Rimmel pencil with browset from MAC

I have been wearing no lipstick all day but a slick of the new lip conditioner from MAC - Ricky from Viva Glam. I also added vaseline rose tint at the start of the day.

It finally dawned on me what my eyes made me think of - A FRUIT SALAD BAR! With their neon orange and pink packaging!!! Make-up inspiration comes from the oddest of places!!!! I've been taking inspiration from odd places lately - my pink eyebrows were inspired by unicorns. No word of a lie - I used pinks, lavenders and sparkly blue glitter to get the bubblegum princess effect. I loved it but I am definately more into my color. Tomorrow I think I am going to go goth. I like to mix it up!

I also want a fruit salad bar now. Just sayin'......

SAMPLE SALE

Another sample sale is happening in Dublin this weekend and the deets come to us via a reader - thank you!

27 Wicklow Street in Dublin 2 is home to an Irish designer sample sale with delights from Caoimhe Keane, Sinead Doyle, Jennifer Rothwell, Heather Finn and Claire O' Connor. This will range from dresses to jewelry with huge discounts - so get stuck in!

The sale starts at 11am and finishes at 7pm tomorow!

WHEN BAD CLOTHES HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE : Beyonce

It's been a while since we have had a celebrity wear a complete stinker of an outfit - but Beyonce has graciously stepped up to the mark to allow us something to complain about.
I will forgive her a little because she has a small child and no time to be picking out her best Prada get ups right now - but seriously.
What the fuck happened that she left the house with those trousers?????? Was everything else in her wardrobe covered in baby puke? From the waist up - the top, hat and glasses are okay. I mean I actually really like the glasses - but from the waist down...where to start?

Bobo the clown called - he wants his pants back.

She looks like the 70s crawled up and died on her.

This looks like something that the village vintage shop lady gives you for a fiver because she can't believe someone is that stupid that they would actually buy it. I hope Beyonce got one hell of a discount!!!! It looks like a home economics project for a bunch of stoned transition year students....

I would also like to point out that I can't see her shoe but I don't want to. I really really don't want to. It looks suspect.

Burger King advert really works!

As a nerdy make-up artist - I love this. It's the new Burger King advert in Holland! I LOVE it. I just think its clever as it makes me not only want a burger but green false lashes.....

......BK - A good marketing ploy would be to include false lashes in your meals! No? Just me then.....

Jean Paul Guerlain fined for making racist comments in 2010

Well this is.......wow.

Jean - Paul Guerlain was fined $8,000 today along with a further $5,750 to Movement Against Racism, SOS Racism Association and the French Representative Council of Black Associations - the three organisations.

Basically, the perfumer used the French version of the N word on French TV - TWICE. This is what he actually said as he spoke about one of his perfumes :

“One day I told her — and I still called her Madame — ‘What would seduce you if one was to make a perfume for you?’ and she told me, ‘I love jasmine, rose and sandalwood,’”

“And for once I started working like a [racial epithet]. I don’t know if [racial epithet] ever worked that hard,”

 That is insane. I can't believe someone could actually just throw out a statement like that. It wasn't widely reported on at the time - 2010 as this is the first I have actually heard about the case. However, it sounds like it was extremely justified and I am glad to see that attitudes like this have not gone unnoticed and that people are standing up against it.

He apologised immediately but it was too late. LVMH who own the company were quick to point out that the perfumer retired in 2002 and is no longer associated with the company. Although, if he is being interviewed talking about his perfume on TV then yes, he is still associated with the company - sorry lads. LVMH took a much more drastic line with Galliano later on in 2011 when he used racial slurs - oddly enough also in France.

Guerlain also used this as an excuse during his trial : “These remarks were common in my day, and thankfully they no longer are. I am anything but racist.” - erm, sorry but not good enough. I accept that there are certain words which have changed meaning over the years but no one is that stupid. It's offensive and people are well aware the meaning of these certain words has changed. You cannot use that as an excuse - unless you had been in a coma since the 1940s....

VOTE

I decided to have a little poll this morning to find out what trend you hate the most this summer - you can find the poll over on the sidebar!!!

H&M confirm rumors of new retail store

H&M have confirmed rumors that they are opening a new retail chain  - but not for a while yet - before anyone gets excited!

The store will be modelled on COS as a slightly higher then H&M price and hopefully the clothes will be better made too. Just sayin'....

“We have many different projects in progress and already next year we will be launching a completely new store chain. Like COS, which today is very successful with good profitability, the new chain of stores will be independent and complement the other offerings from the group. We have great faith in this new brand and we see considerable potential for further initiatives.”

Hurrah!

The stores look set to go in 2013

Cat on a hot tin....ned dinner

 Sorry the image is sideways but I cannot make it move! So tilt your head and enjoy cat plates from Urban Outfitters which I spotted last time I visited the store! I WANT ONE!

My new Cafe

A place of great calm....I just wanted to share some pictures of the Morgan Hotel smoking area. Since the demise of my usual cafe - the Bell Cafe on Claredon Street in Dublin - I have become something of a coffee shop whore.

I have wandered the streets high and low looking for something to take its place. So far nothing has come close to it. I like a place with a nice secluded smoking area, comfy chairs and a good laid back vibe. Somewhere where the staff don't glare at you if you hang out for longer then half an hour.

So I have some photos to share with you - the new cafe I have chosen - well technically, its not a cafe - its a hotel. But anywhere that has beds you can sit on it instead of chairs - wins. Hands down.

THE BEAUTY SPOT : The weirdest ingredients and treatments available in skincare and hair care.....

Beauty treatments can sometimes be....well....a bit odd. In the name of research I have used some weird creams and lotions in my time but there are some that even I, as someone with nothing to loose, won't even try....here is a list of some of the weirder beauty ingredients /treatments available.....

SNAKE VENOM :
Where : Ultra Luxe 9 by Sonya Dakar Skincare
Who uses it :Drew Barrymore, Fergie and Gwyneth Paltrow
How much : $185
What does it do : Anti Aging
How does it work : It blocks the neurotransmitters that tells muscles to contract - AKA - you are paralysing your face....

SNAIL GEL
Where : Snail Gel by Detuinen Skincare
Who uses it :--------- but apparently the Dutch love it
How much : £25
What does it do : Cures scars, wrinkles, burns and acne
How does it work : It supports the skins elasticity apparently and the snail emits soothing secretions....gross....seriously....ew.

SHEEP EMBRYO INJECTIONS
Where : -------
Who uses it : Debbie Harry
How much : ----- Expensive I would imagine
What does it do : Anti aging
How does it work :  God only knows how this one works. Seriously, but apparently its embryos from black sheep that are injected into the skin.

HUMAN PLACENTA EXTRACT
Where : EMK Placenta - available in hair masks, eye gels and face masks
Who uses it : Eva Longeria, Jennifer Lopez and Madonna
How much : $90 for 30ml
What does it do : Smooths skin and reduces wrinkles
How does it work : Apparently the website claims it is no longer using human placenta but is now using plant placenta extracts instead as they are just as effective. (plants have placentas???)

LEECHES
Where : Salon treatment
Who uses it : Demi Moore
How much : Varies
What does it do : Blood detox
How does it work : The leeches are meant to suck the badness out of your blood. Riiiiiight....

FISH PEDICURES
Where : Everywhere
Who uses it : Does anyone actually use them?
How much : €10 -€15
What does it do : The fish eat the dead skin from your feet
How does it work : Read above - so far this and the placenta thing are the only trends to make it to Ireland. I have seen tons of these places all over Ireland and to be honest - they freak me out. I have issues with how clean the tanks and the hygiene aspect of this. I mean.....really? They are banned in a lot of places in America - 14 states to be exact.

CRUSHED DIAMONDS
Where : America - where else? Salon treatment
Who uses it : Mila Kunis
How much : $7,000 if you believe the rumors about how much Kunis paid
What does it do : Scrub
How does it work : The body is scrubbed with a handful of crushed diamonds and rubies. This is meant to have loads of antioxidants in it.

BULL SEMEN CONDITIONER
Where : Haris Salon in London
Who uses it : So far no one has admitted to this one.....
How much : Judging by the price list on the website - anything from £15 - £45
What does it do : Rehydrates the hair
How does it work : Apparently it's protein rich and does the same job your Moroccan oil does. But with a lot less ick factor involved.

BEE VENOM
Where : Manuka Doctor in New Zealand
Who uses it : Kate Middleton, Victoria Beckham and Kylie
How much : Varies
What does it do : Skin renewal
How does it work : Skin renewal that regenerates skin cells and promotes cell regeneration.

- So there you have it. Weird and disgusting beauty ingredients - always read the label....

Things I want

 I am feeling these long T-shirts from Bitching and Junkfood. I spend  a lot of my time on their site playing fantasy shopping list with my fantasy credit card - sadly the clothes never arrive......

 Like this bowtie dress which would look rather amazing in my wardrobe or with my leather jacket. I want it. I want it now.

Or one of the long T-shirts......£35
Perve on them : here

Rollasoles : How has someone not thought of this sooner?

This is genius.

We've all had that moment where in a nightclub, our shoes don't just hurt us but are actually trying to kill us slowly. I recall my graduation in particular where a lovely pair of Vivienne Westwoods were kicked off under a table as at this point I had actual cuts.

However, nothing fills me with fear faster then the idea of walking home barefoot. It bothers me seeing other girls do it. My route home from work is on a street where most of the chippers are situated and I see a lot of things I would rather not. Note girls - if your going to wear short skirts without tights then make an effort to pull the skirt down if you bend over. It's not clever.
I have often seen girls wandering around completely out of it and carrying their shoes. This means your walking on cigarette butts and broken glass. Classy.

Apparently these are already on sale in the UK but I haven't seen them. Something about the situation sounds familiar so I may have already blogged about it - but this is a vending machine - THAT SELLS EMERGENCY SHOES.

I love it. These are to be rolled out across Vegas in the coming months which is why they caught my attention. I think there is a huge market for it here. Along with phone credit machines in pubs, a machine that tells you if your wearing too much make-up and another machine that tones down fake tan.....Anyone? No? Just me then......

SAMPLE SALE

Its been a while since we had deets for a sample sale - but I have some now!

At Central Hotel this Saturday from 1pm - 8pm and 10am to 5pm on Sunday, you will find 90% off brands like Hoss Intropia, Boss, Gestuz and Malene Birger to name a few! It's their A/W 2012 sample stock as well so get it while its hot!!!

You can find the Central Hotel on Exchequer Street, Dublin 2....

...........Happy Shopping ladies!

QUOTAGE!

"Throwing flour on someone is rude! I think Kim should be tarred and feathered! I support PETA. Anyone that wears fur is rude and disgusting! Especially Kim Kardashian. She is rude and disgusting."

- Another reason to love Janice Dickinson - her views on Kim Kardashian getting flour bombed - brilliant

WORKFACE : New Eyebrows

 I decided to have a bit of fun today and jazz up my make-up with some brightly colored eyebrows! This is incredibly simple to do - just grab your lip brush or your angled eyebrow brush and sweep some pink (or whatever color) lipstick and run it through your brows! Pop some powder over the top to set it in place.

I kinda love them.......I love how simple it was to do. The lipstick I used was Barry M No. 52 which is the closest to my neon hair that I have. I am a bit pissed with the pink - this is it after just one week. Its not even one week yet - its five days and it has this white piece coming through.
I will have to re-dye on Friday which is a bit crappy

Summer coat

I tried this bad boy on today!

I fell in love with it. It's €137 from Topshop and I want it. I seriously want it. It has Rick Owens style draping on the collar and looks amazing unbuttoned - which so many of these draped numbers do not.
I have to own it. Sadly, until payday - it shall remain here

Mid Season Sales have started

Just to announce who has gone into mid season so far :

River Island launched today
Topman earlier in the week
Awear about two weeks ago
Oasis launched this week
Miss Selfridge


As per normal - Topshop will be last! Mark my words!

*I have to note that I popped into River Island today for a nose and I was deeply pissed off. Everything I saw, touched or tried on was ripped, stained or covered with fake tan. I had to reason with myself after I fell in love with a long white vest in a beautiful silky fabric - it might have only been 12 euro but it had two small holes in the bottom and a light marking of tan on the collar. This was one of six I rejected for the tan reason. WHY can't people be careful when trying on clothes with a tan!!!!!

Abercrombie and Fitch trouser debate is still upsetting people on twitter

I noticed this story a while ago and decided not to post it.

However Twitter is all in a rage at the moment over this so I decided to post it. Basically a fake Abercrombie and Fitch (an American store - which is why I decided not to post about it since we dont have one over here) popped up with a very offensive pair of trousers. If your wondering how pants could possibly offended someone, then have a look at what someone decided to name the trousers and you'll see why people are getting offended.

A&F have since closed the online store down by threatening legal action since the online shop is nothing to do with the actual brand but rather a series of fakes but the anger rages on. A&F were completely horrified about their brand name being used in this way - understandably.

Apparently its all due to a piece of translation software which describes dark brown like that. It's appeared on a few products from trousers to sofas over the years. Which even as an excuse doesn't make it acceptable.

'A Chinese software company, Kingsoft Corp., acknowledged its translation program was at fault. When the Chinese characters for "dark brown" are typed into an older version of its Chinese-English translation software, the offensive description comes up. (The program's 2007 version does not produce that result.) The software had been programmed with terms garnered from a Chinese-English dictionary.'

The Twitter storm still rages on, the trousers are no longer on sale and the translation software still exists. What a world.

Ah lads have a heart!

Fashion lawsuits range from the funny to serious sometimes and this is one of the sillier ones. Dolce and Gabbana are apparently about to sue a shop in Cape Town for naming their store : Dolce and Banana.
I understand copyright etc....blah blah blah but seriously, this is a shop that sells wooden beads and has three employees. Would a strongly worded letter not be more appropriate rather then a million dollar brand getting legal on a tiny shop????

Summer skincare

Today a man with a face pinker then my hair served me in a shop. Normally this wouldn't bother me but I had been concerned earlier about my own skin and the sun. In this country, our skin doesn't see a lot of sun. Ireland is a pretty rainy place to live in! So when we do get a bit of sun - usually around this time of year when the exams are starting - we go a bit nuts. It's normally around this time that you start to see very red individuals working in shops and shirtless men in parks - which is not always a good thing!!!!
These are my thoughts on skincare and looking after yourself in the sun!

SUNSCREEN
For the love of god do not forget that even if it is windy outside - we still need to look after our skin. It's difficult to remember because there are so many different products on the market for sun cream, moisturiser, lotion, primers and all manner of things designed to 'sit' under foundation. I hate applying too much cream so I think its worthwhile protecting your skin first and everything else second. Normally MAC foundations have an SPF of 10 or 15 in them which is good but its worth investigating your products and seeing what lies beneath and if your being protected by your product.

PRIMER
MAC also do a primer with an SPF 50 in it from their new Prep and Prime range. This means that you can combine your suncream AND primer in one. I normally don't apply moisturiser under my foundation because I find it slips during the day but I do use a primer and I am considering switching to this for the summer. Mind you, even when it is windy yet the sun is shining - you can still do damage to your skin

CHANGE YOUR FOUNDATION
I have had a few people ask me if they should consider a foundation change for the summer months. This varies with what you feel like. Personally I don't like wearing a lot of make-up during really hot days so I switch my studio fix foundation for something a little lighter. Face and Body by MAC is normally good for this as you can still get your glow but its not going to weigh your skin down. It's up to yourself but if your prone to acne like I am - then maybe changing your foundation might be a good thing while its hot out there!

STEP  UP SKINCARE ROUTINE
When its hot we sweat. This sweat mixes with our foundations and other products and clogs the pore and ta da! Spots are born - the best way to fix this is to keep on top of your skincare routine. Keep cleaning, keep cleansing and toning! I am guilty of sleeping with make-up on from time to time as we all are - normally after a few pints- and I have to admit I wake up feeling awful. But during the summer as we sweat more then normal - it is essential to invest in good quality products which remove make-up, sweat and other horrible things to stop break outs. I love tea tree oil wipes which I have in my bag. They remove everything but have an anti bacterial quality which prevents break outs. The only thing I would add is make sure to add moisturiser afterwards as tea tree oil can dry the skin a bit.

DRINK WATER
It's not that hard. Keep hydrated!

INCREASE CONDITIONER
I don't know much about hair as I hate hair products, toys and hair dressers - I don't even own a hair brush for god sake! But I do know that my hair gets horribly dry during the summer. I increase my conditioner, hair masks and treatments during the summer because my poor hair just cannot cope! Especially if your on the beach for some reason. I would suggest investing in Aussie 3 in 1 conditioning treatments. They cost about 1 - 2 euro and really work. I think you leave them in for about 3 minutes and I advise doing it about once a week if your hair is as crap as mine is!


*Side Note : Incase anyone is interested - try the new Nuts About Caramel ice cream. Which was what I bought in the shop and it was fantastic. That is all.

WATCH THIS : Make Up Tutorials

I work with some seriously talented ladies at MAC. I have to admit that I do enjoy watching make-up tutorials online. One of the girls I work with, Siobhan has a wonderful youtube channel which is fantastic for anyone who wants to learn more about make-up. I think her video (the one above) on MAC foundations is brilliant for anyone who wants to learn the differences between the different foundations and what skin types they suit - since there are so many to choose from!

She has loads of different videos on everything from foundation to smokey eyes to special FX Halloween make-up - those videos are seriously impressive! I can't wait for Halloween! So do check out the video above and her youtube channel, letzmakeup. 

You can check out her youtube channel here

and the blog here

Lady Gaga goes facially nude for twitter

Apparently this is Lady Gaga with no make-up on - according to Twitter. No make up my hole - those brows scream DONE!

Are H&M about to release a more expensive line?

Apparently the fashion world is buzzing with the news that H&M might bring out a luxury label. Basically expensive clothing. I don't know about this as Grazia asked the question - Would you buy luxury clothing from H&M?

The simple answer from me is - no.

I have to be honest here. I know H&M have had an unbelievable year with collections from Lanvin and Versace - not to mention Marni - but seriously,  lets be real for a second.

First point- I don't know how many of you have shopped H&M's website but its AWFUL. It manages to make cheap clothing look even cheaper then normal. I mean the second I log on to see if there is anything worth blogging about - I come off immediately. It's just full of tat and they have a knack for organising TERRIBLE photoshoots which highlight the cheap nature of the clothing. I don't mean the price point - see point number two

Second point- Their clothing is very badly made. I know the high street is not built to last but seriously, the stores are jammed with clothing that is missing buttons, has tears and broken zips. I have two things from H&M in my wardrobe and both of those are tube skirts which to be fair it is next to impossible to break. I would need reassurance that the clothing was made in a much sturdier fabric and wouldn't rip if I was to buy it.

Third point - The layout of their stores. They come second to Zara in terrible design and just before All Saints in my eyes. I cannot stand the gaudy over lit stores in which the staff seem to give less of a shit then I do. I constantly see messy rails, things on the floor and make-up smashed into things. It's not pretty. I remember popping into the store in Dublin to see the Versace collection and being treated to one crappy rail at the back which was half stocked, limp and all the clothes were tangled. I gave up and left. Awful. Just awful. Nothing jumps out at you as a must have and I pretty much buy things like 3 euro tube skirts and leave....

I am sorry if I am being harsh here but I'm being honest. This is just my views on the place. I have problems with Zara as well as their staff look miserable, their suits are awful and the layout of the place is too messy. All Saints also piss me off because of their low lighting in the store which means you can't see anything properly and do not get me started on American Apparel which looks like a sporty discount bin......ggggrrrrrrr!

QUOTAGE!

"The claims regarding sweatshop conditions are completely untrue. In reality, this case was filed by an individual who was let go by the company as a result of serious harassment issues. We stand by our decision to promote a safe workplace environment for all employees regardless of false claims that may be waged against us in retaliation."

- A spokesperson for Alexander Wang comments on the lawsuit in which 30 staff members are suing Wang for running a sweatshop in New York. Jaysus, looks like this one could get nasty. 

Celebrities spend money on stupid shit. Am I jealous? Duh.....

It's depressing to think that there are people out there who can afford to blow a couple of grand on lights when your scraping together the remains of your paycheck for baked beans but there are. Thefrisky.com have complied a list of the 11 most unbelievable celebrity blow outs. So here they are, just so you can feel worse :

1- $20,000 on vintage lights - Jennifer Aniston in New York
2 - Kim Kardashian - $100, 000 on seven Birkin bags
3 -  Victoria Beckham - €1 million on a shopping spree in Milan on handbags, shoes, dresses, luggage, five sofas, 12 sunglasses and a Rolex for David.
4 - Justin Bieber - $3,000 on G-star merchandise in New York
5 - Will I. Am - $23,000 in 30 minutes at Vivienne Westwood in London. (apparently the store had already closed and he made staff give him a 50% discount!!!!!!!)
6 -  Brad Pitt - $10,000 on children's clothes in Paris for Shiloh
7- Beyonce - $10,000 on Balenciaga gold leggings and bra for her tour
8- John Travolta - $12,000 on children's clothes and jewelry for his daughter in New York
9 - Madonna - Rumored to spend up to £60,000 per look book she flips through

I got rid of two celebrities from the list because they listed Britney Spears who bought her mother a house - houses don't count - and some wagon off the real Jersey Shore housewives who go dancing on ice - or something.....

Irish designers piece for Near Fm

I recently appeared on Near Fm to talk about fashion. Nothing unusual in this given that I am constantly talking about fashion - but there is one thing I am really annoyed about at the moment. I am annoyed that Irish designers are not being given enough attention and I am really pissed about the fact that we don't do enough to support them here.
So I decided to talk about it. I feel we really don't give our own designers enough reasons to stay here and try. It's hard to make a living in Ireland at the moment and things are quite difficult for young designers. I think there are some solutions - all of which I talk about in the piece.
Have a listen and see what you think!

http://nearpodcast.org/pcast/?p=5694

Work face

 I am finding the new fringe both brilliant and a pain in the ass but another thing it is playing havoc with.....my work face photos. I tried to take a pic of my make up today - it wouldn't let me! I basically chose really bright blues today and then painted a small triangle at the side of my eyes  - which was great until the fringe blocked the entire thing.

I gave up at four and took it all off. I then added simple black eyeliner and a touch of purple instead. It's been gorgeous outside for the past two days which doesn't go with heavy make-up so I seem to be irritated by my make-up choices. I am going to switch to a lighter foundation for the summer - more then likely face and body by MAC or Select rather then studio fix. We shall see how that works out!

THE DREADFUL DIARIES : Mulling it over

THE DREADFUL DIARIES
It's been a while since I posted in the diary as work has really crept up on me! I took two days off this week and came back to a host of emails and had a large selection of photos to rifle through as well. I love taking a few days off from blogging to gather information to bombard people with. However I know it means working extra hard over the next few days to catch up! It's worth it though to have something new to report!
I've been mulling over life at the moment and trying to decide what my next move is. I am happy with the way things are at the moment but I have been making plans to go to London to see friends and I am looking forward to travelling a bit this summer. It brings me back to the summer before last where I hopped on a bus everytime I had a day off. While this wrecked me mentally and physically - it did mean that I had a summer where I managed to be a different city every week!
I'm excited about being back in London this summer - even if it is for just a week! I cant wait to properly shopping and have a blast! I've literally just booked my tickets and I am so excited! I am trying to make a plan of all the places I want to see and all the things I want to do. I will also get some college sight seeing out of the way while I am there too. I am looking to go back to college in the next two years for my PHD.
Dr Dreadful has a ring to it!
In other less exciting news - I now have pink hair which is driving me mental. I cant stand it. I feel like I am constantly washing it and its a pain because I have to wash it in two sections. No jumping in the shower quickly as the back piece has to be tied up to wash the front and the front piece for the back - annoying right? I don't know how long I am going to keep it for as this is getting seriously annoying and even after a week it needs to be re-dyed which isn't fun. I mean, my hair is what people have to get before they dye their hair crazy colors - totally bleached - so the fact that this isn't taking well is irritating. I will re-dye it but I refuse after just one weekend. I literally dyed this on Friday and already it needs it. I love how it looks but seriously! I will keep the pink for April then I am going to focus on getting it out of my hair and getting some purple in! I miss purple hair. I did this pink fringe thing before back in art college in fourth year and its kinda dull....
XOXOXOXOX

Fruits celebrate ten years!

 Anyone  who knows me knows that I am obsessed with Japan. I have no idea how this started - but I am just obsessed with it. I tried learning Japanese when I was about 11 - no luck with that - and then learned how to make sushi aged 21 amongst other things....

When I was younger - I found a series of books which I still have and still love detailing Japanese street fashion. Fruits.

I was delighted to read that the books have celebrated a ten year anniversary!The concept is simple, Shoichi Aoki, a Japanese photographer stalks the streets of Japan and photographs all the wonderful style he sees. There are three books - Fruits, Fruits 2 and Lolita. (which focuses on Japan's gothic community)

 

I used to spend hours looking at this book. I loved the bravery, the colors, the layering and the Japanese obsession with Vivienne Westwood. Something about it spoke to me - a teenager with no fashion sense sitting at home in West Cork bored. While I have never made it to Japan - simple reason that it costs more then four months rent to get there even one way, I hope that one day - I will. 

Until then, I am going to keep on with my obsession which mainly means I read Japanese writers and  eat sushi all the time....