Freak Out!

"Before I go on stage I always have a freak out that lasts about 5 minutes. I scream, I jump up and down and I beat my chest.  It always seems to help." Josh Groban

Stills blue Tshirt

Benetton Navy midi skirt-similar here

Zara orange necklace-similar here

 

 

I am having a slight freak out.  Not a freak out exactly, I am maybe just in a hyper mood. I am like Owen Wilson in Armageddon  "I'm 90% excited and 10% scared or is it 90% scared and 10% excited. I don't know. That's what makes it so intense." Maybe it is the lack of social contact, I have literally only really had long social contact with my boss within the last week.  Connor is away, my 2 housesmates were away over the weekend, I meet up with zoe for dinner on Friday night but only for 2 hours.  My boss is now my best friend.  Maybe it is the fact I worked for 6 days straight last week, had yesterday off and the weather was crap so I slept all day till I went to have my picture taken with my mum & sister.  I just need to do some to expel my energy. Feel like I am energetically rambling.

 

 

Ok, and breathe.  Yesterday after promising my mum for 6 months (it was actually her xmas present and birthday present which was on the 31st of December all rolled into 1), I finally got around to sorting out, a lovely girly photoshoot for me, my little sister and mum. Cue Kelly McAllister, amazing photographer for taking our photos, putting up with Carla's squeals that something was on her leg, my mum arriving in wedges to a forest as she is the smallest out of all 3 of us and my non stop talking & hyperness. Absolute Legend. Check out her website here: Kelly McAllister Photography

 

Here's a sneak peek of the shoot! I love it! So nice to do and have!

 

My mum wanted us all in matching white shirts and blue jeans. Hell no!!!! I wanted us to wear something nice and simple that showed our style.  I caved a little bit when I rung her and learnt that Carla and mum were wearing black and white.  Nice that we were matching but matching in our own way. Don't we all are just look like sisters???? Mum had me as a teenage pregnancy! Hahaha she wishes!!!!

 

 

I wore a gorgeous white jumper from Zara that Connor got me for my birthday. And a simple black skater skirt from Topshop.  I was trying to wear something that in 10, 15 years time I wouldn't look back and think oh jesus what am I wearing. Hair & make up I did myself! Really simple, rollers in the hair for an hour and plain make up. No eyeshadow or anything. Really proud cause I am usually crap at make up & hair!!!  Cant' wait to see the rest of the images!!!

Tomorrow I am off to London for 12 hours to support Connor in the final of a big modelling competition. Can I buy a new dress?? No. No I can't. Who thought of this stupid challenge?!?! More info on that tomorrow. I am home tonight to hunt for an outfit that I can wear from work straight to airport straight to final venue to after party to airport at 5am in morning back into work at half 9.  If anyone has any idea what to wear, please do help me out. I refuse to carry a massive bag around London. Rumour has it from my twitter stalking at Made in Chelsea cast will be there. Starting to freak out again.....

Copy Cat

"Switch my hair, they gon' copy her. Switch my gear, they gon' copy her. Look at how they stare, just a copier. Roger that. Did you copy that? Copycat." Nicki Minaj

Dress/top Urban Outfitters-similar here

River Island Khaki snood

Alex and Ani L bracelet & key to heart bracelet

They say that imitation is the first form of flattery, well I have an album devoted to that on my phone. Instead of buying magazine & going oh I want to buy that, I have photos on my phone & Ipad so I can go Oh I have something similar in my wardrobe, let me try that.  It is copying but for someone who wasn't very good at styling outfits, it's a stepping stone in the learning process.  I have noticed that I am getting better at thinking outside the box, trying looks that I never would have before & they have worked brilliantly.  

This is what I wore yesterday. A shirt, I haven't worn in about a century.  I sorta went through a phrase of buying these maternity style/painter style shirts for a while, I don't know why but I have a few. I used to wear them with leggings, don't know why I haven't worn that outfit in a while may try it soon.  Any who. It is a shirt but I wore it as a dress. I am not a slut, ( well debatable lol JOKES) I wore a black body con skirt underneath it, you cant quite see it but it is there! I copycated this outfit. Oh yeah, I am not afraid to admit it. 

The girl I copied it from it from is the gorgeous Ashley Madekwe. (That is the fit british girl from Revenge) Not only is she stunning, not only does she work on a hit tv show & gets to wear amazing clothes but she also does one of my favourite fashion blogs called Ring my bell 

The blog is great, she doesn't blog that often but when she does, I love it every time.  She wears normal people clothes like Topshop & Forever 21.  She also wears things twice so it is completely relatable to real life instead of so far out in the celebrity unattainable atmosphere. 

So this is the look I copied but then added the northern ireland twist to it aka its not LA so thus still cold & have to wear tights. I also wore a lovely snood that I got as a Christmas from my ex housemate Ciara who is now enjoying co-inhabitatint life with her ginger lover. So I wear this in memory of her. 

Skin Deep

"Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin.  That or, a kick ass red lipstick" Gwyneth Paltrow

 Asos Navy Skater dress

One day a little girl wrote a blog post about her skin, she sounded moany & whiny but the skin gods took pity on her.  They heard her cries of frustration & answered her.  They directed her to a salon on the Bloomfield Avenue called Medi Cosmetic & all was right in the world again.

If you are a loyal follower of my blog or just a dipper (dipping in & out cause you are nosey), you might have read my blog post about my skin. If not, I have basically hit puberty at the age of 24.  No I haven't finally grown boobs or suddenly become mature, I have developed spots.  My skin was clear the whole way through my teens & then on my 24th birthday, everything went down hill.  It has knocked my confidence to be honest and nothing I am doing or using is helping.  No I'm not stressed, no I haven't change my Pill, no I haven't changed my make up remover are all the answers to the questions you are thinking.  In the great scheme of things, spots aren't that big a deal.  I am now at that stage that I'm just like "meh, there's another one.  Aw well, I haven't lost a leg or I'm not dying, it's just spots." POSITIVE THINKING

So I almost cried when Nikki Marks from Medi Cosmetic contacted me. She had read my blog & wanted to offer me a facial at the Medi Cosmetic salon to help my skin.  Thank you skin god Nikki, thank you.


Homework, not something I am used to anymore but I love being organised so this was just an excuse to research something & take notes. Medi Cosmetic, a salon which offers a range of skincare & body treatments.  Their website advertises everything from cosmetic surgery to non surgical laser to beauty & spa treatments.  No botox or boob job for me, just a simple facial. Well that's what I thought till I started to read about it.  I will be the first one to admit, I'm not girly at all. Yup, I take my make up off, wash my face, brush my teeth but that is the height of my pamper sessions.  I assumed that I was just going to get a splash of water on my face, a good scrubbing, mask & moisture & that was me. Oh no.

I was greeted at the salon by Melanie & 1st thing I noticed was of course her skin. Wow. I was guided to a lovely warm treatment room, soft music playing, wrapped in a warm towel, tucked into the treatment bed and told to relax. I don't know what Melanie was saying as I was still staring at her skin. Flawless.  We then had a chat about my skin. I explained about the change in my skin in the last 6 months and Melanie helped explain what was happening & how spots develop.  She gave me some tips which I greatly appreciated. Did you know that standard exfoilator actually annoy skin & encourage breakouts!?! She recommended a fruit acid exfoilator. This basically takes away the dead skin cells on the top layer of skin where bacteria breeds.  She also recommended a Vitamin A moisturiser as this helps skin to recover faster & promote cell growth which keeps the skin always regenerating rather than bacteria building up & clogging up your pores & skin. I wanted to be taking notes but she had me all tucked me with a fluffy blanket so I just nodded & stared at her skin.

 Treatment Room

The facial I had was an Omnilux light facial.  Developed to help damaged skin rejuvenate & repair, a light is shone over your face for 45mins penetrating the deeper layers of your skin.  Reading up on the website about the facial I was a bit nervous to be honest.  It stated that it was great for ageing skin due to the rejuvenation process...now I'm only 24 but I am willing to try anything at this point to get my skin back on track.  Melanie reassured me that it assists in everything from acne, helps to moisturise your skin to increasing collagen produced in your skin.  Australians apparently love it, why they need more sunlight I have no clue.

 Ominlux Light Facial

So the facial started like any normal facial, she cleansed, exfoliated, moisturised then she put a suncream on my face.  Now the light used in this facial doesn't have any damaging rays. No UVA, UVB or IPL.  (If you have no idea what these letters mean, they simply stand for the bad rays of light that cause cancer & that are used in sunbeds)  This was one of my worries as I had never done a sunbed nor do I want to start so that was my first question to Melanie.  Poor Melanie was assaulted due to all my questions. But she was great and answered all of them & more.

Vitage Products used in the facial

Goggles on, the light was positioned over my face and it was like I was on a beach in Thailand.  Sun on my face, Melanie massaging my hands & arms, waves in the background, all that was missing was a Strawberry daiquiri in my other hand.  Now the light is uncomfortable for the first few minutes as it is quite bright but your eyes do adjust.  My dog used to sneak upstairs to my bedroom during the day when everyone had left the house as my room always got the afternoon sun.  I felt like him, stretched out, enjoying the warmth as much as possible. For 30 minutes, I sunk deeper & deeper in my little fantasy of Thailand, massages & my boyfriend in speedos.  Too soon it was over.  But oh no, wait... My face was cleansed again, a vitamin C antioxidant mask was put on for 10mins then cleansed again & moisturised.

The facial itself was quite expensive at £65 but you really get your money's worth.  I have had facials before that are meant to last an hour but the time you change, put on your gown & lie on the table counts as 10mins, the facial last 40mins then you have to re-dress and that counts as 10mins too.  I was in Medi Cosmetic for 1hr 10mins, counting the chat Melanie & I had at the start. I have also really noticed a difference.  Call me brave, call me crazy but here is a photo of me no make up on. Left is before the facial, right is after the facial.  Now I know what people are like so both photos were taken at the same time a day apart and at the same position/spot in my flat so light exposure was the same.

You can clearly see my spots but the photo on the left my skin looks dull and I have a redness across my nose & cheeks.  The photo on the right, my skin looks brighter, healthier and the redness of my spots, across my nose and my cheeks has reduced. I look glowing. I really recommend this facial if your skin needs a kick start like mine did and Melanie at Medi Cosmetic was fantastic.  I will def be back in my quest to conquer late on-set puberty.

For more info or to book an appointment at Medi Cosmetic, call 028 9086 1186 or check the website, http://www.medi-cosmetic.com/ for a list of all the treatments they do.

Medi Cosmetic Salon on Bloomfield Avenue

Standard Friday Night

"The camera photographs what is there" Jack Nicholson

H&M black knit jumper

Tan Leather Skirt - similar here

Topshop necklace

So what did everyone do on their Friday evening? Normal day in my life, I had a half naked photoshoot with my boyfriend after work. Standard...not! Think more Calvin Klein-esqe rather than full blown porno! So why were we posing & making cringe worth yet fab images for? To help out out Northern Ireland's dream team of course!

First up, Mr Paddy McGurgan, the European Make up artist Champion 2012 has opened a Make Up Pro store on Belfast's Royal Avenue. He's trained with Mac, Stila and worked with stars from Mischa Barton, Yasmin Le Bon and me of course! HA! The new store close to the Belfast Telegraph offices provides professional make up applied by professional make up artists who have all been trained by Paddy. Trust me, I've had my make up done by Paddy and many of his angels & every single time I have loved it. From being bodied painted, commercial make-up, fashion make-up, wedding style make up, you name it, Paddy & his Angels are geniuses with a make up brush.

Here are a couple of examples, just to show you the high standard we are talking about:

Not only can you make appointments to be pampered but Paddy is selling make up and skincare brands that haven't been available in Northern Ireland before. Make-up studio, T. Le Clerc, Balance Me and embryolisse are to name a few. My star buy is this little beauty. Does everyone remember this photo of Kim K appearing on her twitter feed?

She looks like she is William Wallace about to go to war! But, actually, she is wearing a yellow primer & Paddy sells the actual one she uses!! It combats redness, brightens the skin and creates an even skintone for your make up to go on. I'm not joking, he used the powder under my eyes & my dark circles were gone! I think all the money I might save this year from not shopping will be spent in this shop!!

Here is the little beauty! It is by T.le Clerc & available in a powder or liquid form depending on your skin type and what you want to use it for.

To take these images all you have to do is climb the stairs to the studio above Paddy's shop & into the lair of the legendary photographer Khara Pringle. If you are a model in Northern Ireland & you get to shot with Khara, you know you have made it. Quirky & striking herself, you can instantly tell when an image has been shot by Khara. They are all stunning & striking! She can make any one look good. Khara makes you feel instantly relaxed & it always turn into a laugh. Honestly, I was nervous about this shot. Of course, I love being in front of the camera but posing all lovey dovey with you boyfriend can be harder than it looks! I felt awkward & angsty & as usual Connor was as cool as a cucumber! But the minute we were in front the camera, Khara made it easy & relaxed. We got some amazing shoots! Can't wait to see them in the Daily Mirror highligthening Khara & Paddy's amazing teamwork! Until then, here are some of my favourite shots Khara has done with me & other models in Northern Ireland.

Last but def not least is the gorgeous Rebecca McKinney, Personal stylist for Victoria Square. Victoria square is main shopping centre in Belfast. It has over 50 shops ranging from House of Fraser, Topshop, h&m, Guess, Hollister, Ted Baker and Cruise to name but a few. Imagine getting to shop, style photo shoots and dress clients in her gorgeous Personal styling booth for a job! She's a lucky girl but she knows her stuff!! Rebecca kept Connor's & my clothes to a casual, chic minimal. Nothing to distracting but the clothes really helped enhance the natural, everyday feel they wanted to get from these images. In one of the photos, I got to wear this outfit from Guess

Now if I was buying clothes this year, I would make a beeline for these nude skinnies! They were an amazing fit and so comfy for a skinny! But sigh, I'm not! Rebecca thinks I'm crazy for this challenge, understandable so. Especially when for £30, I could have a Personal Styling Package with Rebecca in her gorgeous booth & get discounts across Victoria Square to boot!

Well that's the dream team. It is always a joy to work with any of these professionals but together, it was a lot of fun. Don't laugh but here's a wee sneak peak of the images. Standard Friday night.....

For more information on Paddy visit www.paddymcgurganartist.com or call 028 9043 4007

For more information on Khara visit www.kharapringlephotographic.com or call 07979218456 or 028 9182 6000

For info on Rebecca & The Personal Stylist suite, please call 028 9032 2277 / 07850208442 or email ps@victoriasquare.com