The Jewellery Edit

Necklaces
I love statement necklaces. Give me a chunky chain and a bit of bling and I'm a happy bunny. These three necklaces are a few out of my (admittedly too) large collection, and the three that I wear most.
The jeweled Accessorize number is my ultimate fave. It goes with so much because of the range of colours, and the fact that it makes something simple, like a black tank and jeans or a LBD look better.
The chunky gold chain goes with literally EVERYTHING. it was a bargainous £5 from H&M and 6 months after purchase it still hasn't tarnished at all. Fabulous.
The black bow necklace is in my favourites list for sentimental reasons probably. My sister bought it for my 21st, and it also looks pretty good with my favourite Célfie tee.

Rings
As you can probably tell, I love a good set of stacking rings, and midi rings are my newest jewellery obsession. Most of these are H&M which is my ultimate favourite jewellry stand on the high street, but my absolute favourites are my Pandora stacking rings.
The crown ring was also a 21st present from my sister and the other two were christmas presents from Mum. My family have very good taste!
The two arrow midi rings have got a little tarnished, but I quite like how that has made them look, so I actually wear them more now.

Bracelets
All of these were birthday presents, and all are now items I can't imagine not having to hand when accessorising.
A Watch should be an essential item in everyone's wardrobe, and I love the simplicity  of this one. A few diamonds without too much bling, and nice neat face which doesn't look too chunky on my wrists.
My Pandora bracelet was a 21st present from my flatmates, and the charms were both for my birthday as well. I much prefer the rope style bracelets to the original chain style, and the colour matches my rings perfectly.
My final favourite piece of jewellery is my rose gold Swarovski bracelet. Its one of those items which I don't wear everyday, but I know that I'll pull out for a special occasion for years to come.

15 pictures of kids so well-dressed you'll rethink your entire wardrobe

So much style. I need a shopping spree.

1) The breton/trench combo of your dreams

2) The best suit you've ever seen

3) You wish you could do urban style like this. I know I do.

4) The beehive/pearl combo that is ON POINT!

5) The gingham playsuit I need in my life

6) This floral dress and statement necklace combo

7) Tulle skirts. nothing else needs to be said.

8) The cutest blazer and white jeans you've ever seen

9) I wish my hair looked like this in a relaxed bun

10) This Beanie hat and DM's combo

11) The child that wears lace tights better than I've ever seen

12) Some of the best mini Sartorialist choices ever

13) Braces and a flat cap. How very hipster.

14) One of the best examples of scarf draping I've ever seen

15) And a kid who looks like they've stepped straight out of MIC

Strap on your running shoes...

Anyone that has known me my whole life will probably describe me as the most unathletic person ever. I've never stepped foot inside a gym and haven't done sport since I was about 13 in PE. I'm not an unhealthy person, I eat pretty well, apart from the odd chinese takeaway and icecream night, but a little while ago I started noticing that I was actually really unfit. I couldn't walk long distances without getting out of breath and running for the last bus? nearly impossible.

I decided to get up off my sofa, press pause on the netflix, and go running. yes, I know, I was shocked too! I've only been for a few runs at this stage, and although I was massively struggling at the start, I'm still not going anywhere fast, but I find I can get much further before I have to stop and take a breath, I feel much better on a day to day basis, and I find the little things I struggled with before much easier to do.

It's almost like I didn't realise quite how bad my fitness was until it got better. I'm starting to eat a little healthier, but I'm not dieting or anything, I just want to be able to walk up a big flight of stairs without getting breathless and I've also had a bit of bad skin recently so I'm hoping a healthier diet will help that.

Like I say, its early days but I'm trying to set myself targets so that I actually stick to a resolution for once in my life. Also, I never thought I'd be the girl who got excited over new trainers and gym stuff, but I bought some new nikes last week and I swear they're my new favourite thing. So in order to make myself less freaked out over what I've become, I decided to make a little wishlist of sport clothes. Well, Some things never change!

1) USA Pro galaxy print sports bra £9

2) H&M Running tights £14.99

3) Nike Logo vest top

4) Adidas Floral running shorts £35

5) Primark palm tree crop top £6

Prettiest Wishlist

I have a major Pinterest addiction, like I genuinely think I need to go to some sort of pinboard rehab. But the one major thing I dislike about it is the fact that it just makes me screenshot a massive list of things I want.

So now I've decided to do a monthly post of all the things I love on Pinterest. Mainly so I have an excuse to use it constantly.

1) This amazing cookie Ice-cream cake

2) The cutest desk area ever

3) A beach picnic table that makes me want a holiday

4) The Make-up storage giving me envy

5) THEE dress. Like, The ultimate dream.

6) And finally, these embellished shorts

Follow me on pinterest here.

The Perfume Edit

Perfume is one of those things that are totally personal to each person. scent can evoke strong memories in you in a way that none of the other senses can.

The first designer perfume I owned was Jean-Paul Gaultier classique. It was fresh and young, but made me feel oh-so sophisticated. I wore it all the time, and the smell still takes me back to being 16 and trying to sneak into bars, and spending time with friends.

Since then, my perfume collection has grown, and I no longer need to wear the same fragrance everyday, but i can still remember the situations that brought each beautiful bottle to my dressing table.

Lacoste - Touch of Pink £19.99-£29.99
I first got a bottle of touch of pink when I was about 17, and to my minimum wage self, it was a more purse friendly addition to my collection. I was able to feel like I had a designer input into my wardrobe, and it felt good to not have to sport a cheap celeb fragrance. (Who knew I was a snob even back then!)

Marc Jacobs - Daisy £23.50-£63.50
I bought this exact bottle of Daisy in the duty free section of the ferry on my way to uni for the first time. it has lasted me pretty well considering I wore it a lot over the last 3 years, but there is something slightly depressing about the fact that it's pretty empty now, just as uni comes to an end, as if it marks the end of my studenthood or something. but this is one of my favourites, and will forever remind me of student antics, and the amazing time I've had over the last three years.

Balmain - Extatic £36-£46
This little mini bottle is so handy to have, and perfect for carrying around in your handbag. The smell is distinctive and has a slight rock chick edge, in the kind of style you would expect from Balmain. I got this in a beauty bag when I worked at Star magazine back in March, which has definitely been one of my favourite placements so far.

Vivienne Westwood - Mon Boudoir £19.99-£38
This was also in my beauty bag from Star, and I didn't use it much at first, but now I have come to love it. It's the perfect spring/summer scent, as it's light and airy, and has some beautiful floral tones. It's one of those scents that's light enough to wear everyday and doesn't get too overwhelming.

Lancôme - La Vie Est Belle £43.50-£69.50
When this perfume came out it was one of those things where I didn't want to buy too much into the hype that it had created. I hate when bloggers and magazines big up a new release so much that I wait to buy it, and then I'm sorely disappointed and left with a big boots-shaped hole in bank balance. However, my mum wanted it, so being the generous daughter that I am I treated her to it, you know, so I could 'borrow' it. I loved it so much I went out and bought my own. Mum still has her own bottle so she's happy I haven't totally stolen her belongings.


All prices: theperfumeshop.com
Images: Niamh Stewart

Total lip saver

I suffer from very dry skin all over, but my lips are also a victim. I've searched for years for the perfect lip balm. You name it, I've tried it! Most of them seem to temporarily combat the problem, but by a few hours later my lips have just dried out again. 

Lately, with the sunshine and working in a heavily air conditioned environment, my lips have been very dry and cracked. This means I can't wear lipstick without it cracking and it can also be very painful. 

My latest - and best- find, is burt's bees beeswax lip balm. 

I know it's not a new product, but I had never tried it before and now it will definitely be a handbag staple. After just two week of daily use, my lips are soft and moisturised and they very rarely dry out on me. 

This little tube is a total lip saver! 

What's your favourite lip products? Comment below and let me know so I can try it out for myself! 

My university experience

I've done it! I've passed my degree and I'm graduating. With a 2:1!!

 I found out last week and I still can't believe it, but I've actually managed it. 

Three years ago I packed up my parents car, got on the ferry and moved across the Irish Sea to start the biggest part of my life so far: university. Now that I've reached the end I thought it would be the best time to write a post giving advice to the soon to be freshers out there. 

1) do what you love, regardless of what others tell you. 

You might get advice at school or 6th form where they might tell you to do specific course because they have better employability or something, but honestly, three years is a much longer time than you think, especially if you're stuck on a course that you hate. 

Doing something you love really helps make the work seem easier and slightly less stressful. 

2) you might not meet your best friend on the first day.

And that's ok. I was lucky that the first person I spoke to at uni is still now, one of my best friends, but apart from that one person, it actually took me until 2nd year to find the people I now consider to be my closest friends. 

3) get a part-time job. Even if you don't need the money. 

Even if you're one of these people who gets a healthy loan that they can survive off easily (lucky you!) getting a part time job can do so many things for you. Weekends at uni can be very boring, so it's nice to have something to do that's giving you a bit extra in the bank too! I've also met some amazing people in my job who I hope to be friends with for a long time, and it's a whole other group of people to socialise with. The possibilities really are endless. 

4) Experience is key. 

Even if your grades aren't the highest in the class, there are ways of impressing future employers by gaining experience in other areas. I've done work experience at several big magazines, and even though I don't currently have a job, my CV looks quite impressive and this gives me confidence when applying. 

5) if you aren't happy don't feel like you have to stick it out. 

If you get accepted onto a course you've always wanted to do, in a city and uni you dreamed about, but then get there and realise it's actually the last place you want to be, that's ok. 

We all suffer from thinking that the grass is greener somewhere else, and then we get there only to find that we were much happier before. Talk about it with someone and don't suffer in silence. It will only make everything harder to deal with. It's most important to be happy, an despite what you think, no one is going to think that you've failed. I had a few moments in second year where homesickness almost got the better of me and I nearly packed my bags for the next flight back to Ireland, but after some long ready phonecalls with my mum or my sister I realised I was exactly where I needed to be. 

6) Network. Network. Network. 

You never know who knows the right person to get your foot in an important door. The right email from the right person can be all it takes to set you on the right path. 

7) Be prepared to make the best memories of your life. 

As cliched as this sounds, some of the funniest moments ever have happened at uni with the friends I've made for the rest of my life. 

8) Party a little too!

This is the one time of your life that you can enjoy midweek drinking and not have to be up early the next day. Embrace it! I mean, if the price of a drink when you're a student isn't enough to convince you then I don't know what will!

9) Take advantage of being a student while you can!

Student discounts, interest free overdrafts, cheap rent with no council tax and long holidays. I'm starting to ask myself why I want to graduate so badly! 

Oh how I wish I was a fresher again!