The Life Post | The Sorrento Photo Diary

Hello, and welcome to a depressing post about a sunny country that you are not in, not just you, me also. I was there, but right now I am not and this makes me just as sad as you are reading this on a rainy Monday. 

We arrived in Sorrento (that's in Southern Italy, just in case you didn't know) early on Saturday the 5th of August, and spent a week exploring this beautiful town. Well, less exploring more sitting by the pool eating pringles, but you catch my drift.

Without going into too much mundane information, we arrived in Naples Airport at around 11am and took a shuttle bus from Naples to Sorrento, which took about an hour. And if you are familiar with the Italian landscape, was absolutely terrifying as I was certain we were about to plummet to our death, recklessly whipping around Amalfi mountains. 

Having survived the journey from Naples we soon found our hotel in the blistering heat and quickly checked in. We stayed in Hotel Dania which I was particularly excited about having seen pictures of it, however I would NOT recommend staying there.  Although our time spent in Sorrento was wonderful, our choice of hotel put a real dampener on the trip. Much of the staff were rude, our room was basic, the website lied about a 'complimentary shuttle bus' and the chlorine from the swimming pool turned our swimsuits, hair and skin green. So yeah, not exactly the best. 

However, following putting in a complaint to the hotel staff and determined not to allow any of the above to ruin our stay, we booked a boat trip to the Island of Capri. This quirky little island seemed like a hidden gem, somewhere that is almost never spoken about. With the perfect pebble beach and colourful buildings, we were sad to say goodbye to it after just a few short hours.  

The remainder of our days were spent relaxing by the pool (and turning green) during the day and exploring the beautiful town of Sorrento and everything it has to offer, by night. While in the town we also did what any true Irishman does, and found the nearest Irish bar to drink our money. 

The town of Sorrento is charming with it's rustic architecture, and is full with the hustle and bustle of tourists from all parts of the world. We visited a number of restaurants in the town over the week and being totally honest, I was disappointed by the food Italy had to offer. Maybe my expectations were too high, or maybe the food from home is so good that I am now spoiled, but I failed to find a restaurant that did not serve oven chips and frozen bolognese, no matter the price.

But the tan I got on the trip was so worth the soggy chips, just sayin'. 

Coming near to the end of our trip, both myself and my boyfriend were sad to say goodbye to this scenic town, but simultaneously we were looking forward to eating some Irish potatoes. 

Arriverderci! 

Adele x

The Beauty Post | Lush's Brazened Honey Face Mak Review

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you may or may not know that I am a sucker for a good face mask. I have pretty much tried and tested every mask available under the sun. And so it is only fair that Lush's 'Brazened Honey' now gets it's 15 minutes of fame. 

I picked up the product while on the hunt for a mask that would be both gentle on my skin, while giving me a moisturising glow. My skin has been going through a phase where it has been oily and congested one day, and dry and flaky the next (absolute first world problems, I know). So I took to Lush to try and find a solution to this. Advised by the slightly overly friendly workers that this was the one for me, I took their word and made my way to the counter. 

The exfoliating formula, is a blend of fresh fruits, warming spices and moisturisng honey. With a very distinct smell and texture, the mask is easily spreadable and does not have to be left on your face for long for it to work it's magic. Claiming to lightly exfoliate and moisturise your skin while simultaneously leaving you with a fresh glow, the mask appears to be perfect for both dry, oily and combination skin. 

  

So, on to the good stuff. Does it work? Yes. it leaves my skin feeling softer, while brightening it up just a tiny bit. Of course, as with most Lush products, I find that it does not work miracles. But hey, maybe sometimes I expect just a little too much from skincare products. The whole it's good, but not that good seems to be a regular ending to most of my Lush review posts. 

Overall Brazened Honey gives my face just that little bit of a boost it needs during this dull Irish Summer. I can most definitely see this product becoming a go to of mine as we approach the cooler months also, giving me a little pick me up whenever I need it. 

Have you tried this mask before? What are your thoughts on it?

Adele x 

The Fashion Post | Ruffled Mini Skirt and Flared Sleeves

Ruffle Skirt  | Stripe Top  | Denim Jacket | Gold Block Heels (Similar)  

On a scale of one to a bazillion how much of a blogger dick do I look in these pictures? I think I far surpass the bazillion tbh. But I just could not resist throwing this denim jacket over my shoulders instead of wearing it like a normal human. I can't help but be reminded of that 'don't touch me i'm famous' girl from Drake and Josh every time I look at these pictures. I swear i'm not that much of an arse in real life. 

But may I just point out this skirt?! I have a little hang up about my legs so I rarely get them out, but this skirt makes me actually not despise my pins. The jacket I picked up in the men's section in Forever21 and I am so glad I did. I am hoping that it will see me through the winter months and add a little pop to any outfit I wear. As you can see I have been on a little splurge as of late, and there is even more to come in future outfit posts.     

Have you been on any shopping sprees lately? 

Adele x         

The Life Post | Where Have I Been? Meet Ringo

So when I stated in my last post on the 11th of June, a month ago, that I would be 'back next Sunday', I lied. Not intentionally, in my defense I really did think I would be back, but in between now and then life kind of got in the way. And in this case 'life' comes in the form of a miniature dachshund named Ringo.

I have wanted a dog for as long as I can remember, and Ringo unexpectedly popped into our lives at the perfect time. However the joy and happiness this little puppy has brought into our home has come at a price. As any dog owner will know, four legged friends are a lot of hard work, and the time that I would usually have to invest in my social life and blog has been spent looking after this furry baby. But I have been loving it. Yes, majority of my time has consisted of cleaning up wee and poo, giving out to, and feeding Mr. Ringo, but the morning cuddles and daily giggles make up for all of this tenfold.

As I have spoke about in my last post, my motivation for my blog has been non existent this past while and Ringo's arrival has simply added to that. BUT, having took a few weeks out to get my shit together I am feeling back to my normal self and have a number of posts lined up to share with you over the next few weeks.

So that is my big news. If anyone has any advice on training puppies, or if you have a dachshund of your own and have any advice for me please please let me know, leave me a comment, email me, message me on social media, I will take all of the advice I can get.

Thank you all for bearing with me during my little blogging break.

Adele x

An Honest Post | Life Update & Losing My Blogging Mojo

Do you ever get into one of them moods. Where you feel down in the dumps - apathetic and idle, and you aren't entirely sure why. This has been me for the past month and a half. 

You may (or may not) have noticed my lack of posts this past while. At the beginning of May I made a promise to myself to post at least twice a week, and keep a blogging journal along the way in a bid to keep myself motivated. This lasted for approximately two days and was then forgotten about. I am unable to pinpoint exactly what it is that has me feeling so lackluster when it comes to my blog, and this is probably the most frustrating part of it. 

Without going into too much detail, my Nan, whom I live it, has been unwell in hospital the past month or so during my college exams, and while she will be totally fine, this has still been a huge strain in my life and is set to continue. With all of this going on at home blogging naturally became less of a priority. Other than that, everything else in my life has been going well for me. I have recently got myself a part time job in a clothes shop, which means I will have that little bit of an extra income to plan trips and splurge on shopping sprees. I also found out that I did surprisingly well in my college exams for this year, and I will be sailing on into 3rd year come September. So with things somewhat settling down and going in my favour, why can I not find my blogging mojo again?

I have exhausted every possible reason as to why I have lost my motivation. Maybe it's the gloomy weather. Maybe it's because I have been so broke lately that I can't afford to buy new clothes that force me to make outfit posts. I have tried looking at other blogs to reap inspiration from. I have tried to change up my look and even got a fringe. But nothing, nothing seems to be working. 

Don't get me wrong, I have ideas for posts, but it is just getting these ideas into writing, and writing that I am proud of that is the problem. The idea that I am too hard on myself is a possible reason why I have been avoiding writing posts lately, for fear that I won't be completely happy with them and will beat myself up over it. 

Constantly comparing your blog and it's progress with others is also a sure fire way to end up in a downward spiral in the blogging world, and this I have most definitely been doing as of late. While my following has been steadily growing, my daily page views has been rapidly declining and I can't seem to pick them up again. I have lovely blogging friends constantly commenting on my posts and sending me inspiring messages on instagram, yet I still can't help but feel that my blog and it's following is just not where it should be and that in and of itself is disheartening enough to want to stop posting. 

But I won't stop posting. While I am not going to make unrealistic promises to myself that I will have new posts up multiple times a week, I will have one new one up once a week. And in the meantime I will try to build up my motivation again to keep going with this wonderful little hobby of mine, because deep down I know it is all worth it.

Now enough of this pity party. I will be back next Sunday with a new (hopefully more interesting) post. 

Please do let me know in the comments what you do to keep you motivated with blogging or anything else you do in your life.

Adele x

The Beauty Post | The Battle Of The Highlighters - High End vs High Street

As someone who suffers from generally dull and lackluster skin, I rely heavily on highlighters to give my face the glowy boost it needs. Since the term 'highlighter' has made it's way into the average, make up wearing girl's vocabulary some years ago, I have accumulated a small army of different highlighters. This small army ranges from highlighters that cost nothing more than a fiver, up to instagram's most sought after products which cost the equivalent of 3 Domino's meal deals. 

With all this in mind, naturally through trying and testing, I have chosen my favourite highlighters and my not so favourite. In this post I have decided to choose 4 completely different highlight products, with completely different price tags and rank them in order of my least favourite to ride or die, 10/10, could not live without, favourite.

So is a product's price tag equal to the quality of the product? Or are we simply fooled by more expensive brands that their products are superior? When in fact we can find equally as good products on the high street for a quarter of the price.

Sleek - 'Precious Metals Highlighter Palette' - High Street 

My least favourite on the list would have to be my Sleek highlighting palette. For roughly 15 Euro this products just does not tick the boxes for me. If you are looking for an extreme, over the top highlight maybe for a festival or special occasion, this may be the one for you. However on an average, day to day kind of basis this is just too much. The glittery pigment is a little too much on the heavy 'I look like a five year old who got hold of my mother's make up' side, rather than natural and dewy. 

Benefit - 'High Beam Highlighter' - High End 

In third place is Benefits 'High Beam' highlighter. The most expensive on my list, this product comes in at almost 30 Euro. For me, this product does the job yes, it gives me a natural, subtle highlight, but for this price, I be expectin' miracles and unfortunately Benefit does not deliver that. Am I glad I tried it? Yes. Will I buy it again? Probably not. 

TheBalm - 'Mary-Lou Manizer Highlight Powder' - High End 

The only powder highlighter on my list, TheBalm's Mary-Lou highlighter is a sure favourite of mine. Costing roughly 20 Euro, it is on the cheaper side of the high end products. I use this product not only as a face highlighter but also as an eyeshadow, the perfect product as this does not crease. In my opinion I feel that there is probably a drugstore product out there which is just as good, but chances are, it will take a bit of dedication to find that. 

Collection - 'Speedy Highlighter Stick' - High Street

Coming in as number one on my high end vs high street highlighter list, is Collection's 'Speedy Highlighter'. Costing 5 euro, this product is a hidden gem that many are yet to come across. This little stick is perfect for throwing into your handbag when you are on the go, and not to mention lasts forever. This product I reach for on an almost daily basis, and it never fails to liven up my complexion whenever needs be. Easily build able, I would recommend giving this a go if you have not already. Here is a review I wrote on it quite a while back for anyone wanting to know more information about it. 

So there you have it, once again the high street is proving that you don't need to spend the big bucks to find a make up product that really works. 

Let me know in the comments what your favourite highlights are.

Adele x