The White Room, Mullingar & Pretty As A Picture

Working in the wedding Industry I already had lots of idea’s on the different aspects of our wedding and some suppliers that I loved, so with so many of you in the throws of planning I thought I’d share two of them with you which might give you some more idea’s.

When I started looking for my wedding dress I had a pretty fixed idea of what I liked and I didn’t like, so I had a list of shops that I knew stocked the type of dress or particular style I had in mind. It was a short enough list but never being one to go with my first choice we looked at and tried on a lots of dresses (I have a very patient mother!). While all the shops we went too were very helpful and had some of the most beautiful dresses it was The White Room in Mullingar that had the dress of my dreams.

This shop is a must go for any bride-to-be! They are so helpful and calming and while some of the shops we went to were cramped and busy, The White Room was beautiful, spacious and you have the place pretty much to yourself. One thing that really struck me was how pristine the sample dresses were. They were spotless and looked brand new! There was one dress in particular that I wanted to see here (my wild card and nothing like what I thought I’d end up wearing) but when I tired it on I knew. I tried on a few others, just to satisfy my curiosity, but came back to the one I had my eye on and that was it. The girls were so friendly and made the whole experience so easy, it was a pleasure dealing with them.

So how does The White Room link with my second supplier, Pretty As A Picture? Well, as a gift from my mum on the morning of the wedding she presented me with the most beautiful sketched drawing of my dress! Now I have worked with the girls from Pretty As A Picture before so I knew their talents with designing wedding stationery and always adored Ailbhe’s wedding dress drawings, so when I saw the picture of my dress I was so thrilled! It was perfect, even down to my shoes (which Ailbhe hadn’t seen). It was just the perfect gift, especially since most of us never get to wear our dresses again and if you decide to sell your dress this is a fabulous way of having it forever. I just think this is such a unique gift for any bride and would be perfect from bridesmaids, family members or best friends.

Below are some pictures of my dress and the gorgeous drawing.

Thank you so much to both The White Room and Pretty As A Picture for being a part of our big day.

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Photography by We Are The Mastersons

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Christmas Gift Idea’s

So, you’re a little stumped on what to get the woman in your life for Christmas? Well here are a few gift idea’s she’s sure to love!

1. First off (and it’s no surprise really that this is on my list) is the try me kit from Liz Earle. Well in fact any or her gift sets make the ideal gift for any of the women in your life from your mum to your sister, wife or best friend. They will LOVE these! The only stockist of Liz Earle in the country at the moment is Wild & Green in Milltown in Dublin so ordering online is the next best option. I have always found the delivery very fast and the packaging is beautiful, you might even get a free gift thrown in! There’s a set to suit everyone and the ‘Try Me’ kits are a great way to test whether you like the products before you buy them full size and are perfect travel size. They’re very reasonably priced and look beautiful too.

2. Next is the quartet eye palette from the Clarins Odyssey collection for Winter 2012. This eye palette has the most fabulous colours including a stunning gold that will suit pretty much anyone and I have to say the packaging makes it even more gorgeous.

3. I don’t know about anyone else but my nails are always in terrible shape this time of year, chipping and weak so I tend to wear my nails quite short which is the ideal opportunity to wear all the dark, gorgeously rich nail colours on the market. Opi are one of my favourite brands and they brought out a limited edition Skyfall range to celebrate the Bond films. There are some beautiful colours in the range perfect for the festive season and would make great stocking fillers!

4. Sigma Beauty do amazing individual brushes and travel sets perfect for the make-up lover in your life. These sets come with gorgeous holders and are available in a range of styles and colours.

5. I’m a big Cath Kidston fan and these sets of towels and face clothes not only feel super soft and gorgeous they look so pretty and would looks fabulous in any bathroom. You’ll find them in House of Fraser or the Cath Kidston store in Dundrum Town Centre.

6. I try to buy Irish when I can, especially in todays climate, so if the woman in your life likes gorgeous body products, packaged beautifully and you want to support Irish businesses then Voya is a great option. This company, based in Sligo, produce gorgeous products from moisturiers to hair treatments and all made from seaweed farmed off the Irish coast. They smell divine too… what more could you want!

christmas_gift_ideas_17. If you’re really not sure what products your special someone would like or maybe she’s just very fussy, then why not get her a years subscription to her favourite magazine. There is such a great selection of Irish magazines to choose from such as Tatler or Image and it’s something she’ll enjoy for the whole year!

8. I am obsessed with hand cream and I carry one with me at all times, especially during the winter months. One of my all time favourites is the L’Occitane hand cream for dry skin. It’s super moisturising and smells gorgeous. They do beautiful sets which include a Foot Cream or they have smaller tubes with different scents which are perfect for your handbag. The ideal gift if you’re on a tight budget and she’ll love it! See their website for stockists.

9. I received one of these Laura Mercier Soufflé sets for my birthday a few years ago and I fell in love! They are so beautiful and luxurious and a real treat for someone special. They’re not cheap but they will last for ages and once you try them you’ll see why – heavenly!

10. Another Irish product that I always have at home are the scented candles from Max Benjamin. These candles, produced in Wicklow make a beautiful gift and are perfect to have in the house for a special evening or when you like to unwind. There’s a wide range of scents perfect for every taste but my favourite is the Lemongrass & Ginger!

11. Lastly, another product which I haven’t managed to get my hands on yet but lust after every time I pass the counter in Brown Thomas is the limited edition Caviar & Oyster Palette from the Bobbi Brown Winter collection. To be honest, I do have similar colours to those in this set but I just love the presentation and packaging and combination of colours. A really pretty collection of shimmer and matt eye shadows together with a gorgeous pink highlighter. Again, not the cheapest item on my list but gorgeous all the same.

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So that’s just a few of my idea’s that might help you with your gift shopping this Christmas.

Enjoy the build up to the big day and wishing you all a very safe and Happy Christmas!

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Karla Powell Make-Up Artist

I first discovered the amazing work of Karla Powell Make-Up Artist when a hair stylist friend of mine sent me a link to one of her projects about 2 years ago and I’ve become slightly obsessed with her work ever since.

Based in London but working internationally, Karla is living every make-up artists dream. She has worked on New York and London fashion week, been featured in countless publications, worked with amazing photographers and other industry names, is now head of make-up artistry for Make Up Academy and was voted BEST BEAUTY TWITTER of the year – 2012 by Marie Claire.

Her work and the passion she has for her job is so inspiring. I love following her blog, seeing the research and detail that goes into one of her shoots and watching her develop as an artist. I dream of one day being able to work the way she does and it’s artists like Karla that drive me and push me to be better at my job.

Below is a very small sample of her stunning work – the page isn’t big enough to show all my favourites 🙂 , and to read more about Karla, follow her blog and see her full portfolio of work go to http://www.karlapowell.co.uk.

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Karl Lagerfeld for Shu Uemura

Karl Lagerfeld has just launched a 17 piece makeup collection with Japanese beauty brand Shu Uemura.

The collection features “Mon Shu Girl” which Lagerfeld sketched using Shu Uemura products. The colour selection, package design and photography behind the visual campaign was entirely directed by Mr Lagerfeld himself and the title ‘mon shu uemura’ means ‘my darling Shu Uemura’. The special edition packaging is featured on the key Shu products – cleansing oil, uv under base, and the eyelash curler, along with limited edition eye shadow palettes, lipstick, brush set, and 2 pairs of eye lashes.

This is one of my favourite holiday collections so far this year. I love the illustration and packaging and I can’t wait to get my hands on the eye palette… my palette obsession continues 🙂

The entire collection is available on Shu Uemera’s site from today or you can find it in Brown Thomas

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W Magazine Anniversary Issue – Nov 2012

The W Magazine Anniversary Issue – Nov 2012 will have 4 different covers, each featuring a top Hollywood actress who will help recreate the fashion decades that W has covered from the 1970′s to the 2000′s.

Actress Keira Knightley portrays 2000′s, Scarlett Johansson the 90′s, Mia Wasikowska is 80′s and Rooney Mara the 70′s.

They’re each wearing designs from top international fashion houses:

Keira is wearing Chanel braided tweed jacket. Scarlett wears a Dolce & Gabbana silk lace dress and silk and lace bodysuit. Mia is wearing Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquière wool jacquard bustier and Rooney wears Prada silk and wool coat and dress, embellished cotton poplin shirt and an Albertus Swanepoel hat.

W Magazine always do something a little more out there when they do celebrity shoots and I love the make-up in all these shots. My favourite is definitely Keira though. She looks completely different and so striking! The short peroxide hair, the strong brows, the contouring on her face that really highlights her fabulous bone structure and the lip colour… it’s very Hollywood icon but with a modern twist and she looks amazing.

For more information on this issue, visit wmagazine.com.

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Photography by: Steven Klein, Styled by: Edward Enninful

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