Amsterdam

Finally, I’m putting this post up. I’ve been saying for ages I was going to upload a post of my recent trip to Amsterdam, and by ages I mean about 2 weeks! So at the end of March we headed off to Amsterdam. I had always wanted to go, so for Valentine’s Day I booked the flights for myself and Stephen (this was more a present for myself!). I’m a wagon for choosing the earliest flight so we flew out at 6:16 am and arrived in Amsterdam at about 9 am. The issue with this is that you can’t actually check in to most hotels until after 1 pm.

Location…

By the time we got out of the airport and onto the train, it was about 11 am by the time we got to Amsterdam central. From here we got a bus to our hotel which was literally up the road. Thank god for google maps because otherwise we would have been completely lost.

Top Tip: If you’re getting the train from the airport to Amsterdam Central, you will need a lot of change, as the ticket machines don’t accept notes or visa debit cards.

We found our hotel, which was literally a door in between a row of shops, and chanced our arm at checking in, or at least dumping our bags somewhere! I was completely taken a back by the fun house stairs up to the reception (these stairs really weren’t fun), there was no mention of this on the website or booking.com. Luckily when we got to the reception we were told our room was the only room unoccupied last night and we were able to check in straight away. Unluckily, we were told to get to our room we had to go back down stairs, turn right and find the other door about 5 shops up. This had MORE stairs up to it and we were on the fourth floor. I was so out of breath and tired by the time we got upstairs that I needed a little nap. I think I ended up sleeping until about 4 pm when Stephen woke me up and said we had to go exploring. Our room was fine, a bed, a bathroom, a TV – by fine I mean this was the deluxe room and there was nothing deluxe about it, the TV didn’t work and it was a little cramped. Other than the stairs, the cramped room and the TV that didn’t work (who needs a TV anyway), we were in the perfect location. If you don’t mind walking up 4 flights of steep stairs everyday then I would recommend this hotel, it is in such an ideal location and didn’t break the bank (€300 for 3 nights). If you want to find out more information you can visit the website here.

Things to do…

We had been told by a few different people to pick up a tram card because we’d need one… we didn’t, we walked everywhere, like literally everywhere. The weather was perfect and its mainly all flat (apart from walking over certain bridge’s) so it’s easy to walk wherever you want.

There’s so much to do in Amsterdam, there’s museums around every corner. Everything from cheese museums to sex museums. We tried to fit as much in as we could. We ended up doing Madame Tussauds, the Ice Bar and the Sex Museum on Tuesday. We were out for the whole day, but we were kept so busy. I wasn’t a massive fan of Madame Tussauds, I had been to the one in New York and Stephen had been to the one in London so I think we both had high expectations. I think the best part of our trip was the Ice Bar. For €16 you get two drinks inside and one cocktail in the lounge area, and the cocktails are delish.

On the Wednesday we went to the Heineken experience and then walked back towards the Anne Frank house. The queue was massive so we couldn’t go in unfortunately. We had been to the Guinness Storehouse at Christmas and we both felt that the Guinness tour was better, even though the Heineken Experience was really interactive. It cost €16 each and I had booked the tickets before we left Ireland. That night we went for a stroll down the red light district and went for a drink beside the canals.

Top Tip: if you want to go to the Anne Frank House book it in advance, like 3 months in advance.

Our last day was the Thursday, and our flight wasn’t until after 9 pm that evening so we left our bags at the hotel and went off to do a bit more exploring, and shopping. We ended up doing the prostitute museum and taking another stroll up the red light district during the day. It felt like we were literally trying to kill time and there really wasn’t anything else for us to do. I wanted to visit the zoo while we were here but we couldn’t do this on the last day as it would take too long to do and get back from.

I really felt like we had done everything we wanted to do (apart from the Anne Frank House and the zoo), so if i was coming back I wouldn’t be going back to do sightseeing.

The Food…

I love food, but it doesn’t always love me. I always get weary about eating abroad as it might not react well with me, and to be honest it's not just aboard I get that fear at home also. The food in Amsterdam is sort of like at home, there seemed to be a lot of Italians and steakhouses. On our first day we went to a little café and I had salmon which was delish. The second day we had a pizza which was fine, but I couldn’t finish it. And on our last evening Stephen found this lovely Argentinian restaurant. I was so weary, because I thought I wouldn’t like a thing on the menu, but it was a steakhouse. It was delicious, really really well done and the perfect cut.

If you’re like me and eating abroad scares you, there is nothing to worry about in Amsterdam. Plus they seem to be mad about pancakes, pancakes everywhere (their version of pancakes are our version of Crepes).

Overall I had such a lovely trip and was knackered once I got back. We ended up doing so much walking and fit in so much more than I could have ever imagined. I would 100% recommend you visit, but book stuff in advance as it can work out cheaper and look at the reviews before you book accommodation! In terms of cash, it is expensive, but that was because we went to so many different sights.

Have you been to Amsterdam? What was your opinion?

Too Faced Original Hero Product...

 

I recently was gifted the Too Faced Shadow Insurance to try and test. I've tried big brand primers before, including Smashbox and Dermalogica. I was doubtful as to how long this product would last, as other eye-shadow primers (and primers in general) have let me down after a couple of hours.

I put it to test for my sisters 30th birthday. First thought was it was a bit too wet for my liking and would probably crease my eye-shadow straight away. It's tinted, so I didn't need to apply a little bit of colour to my lids, like I usually would need to. The primer instantly dried onto my lids and I was able to apply my shadow straight away. I've been using a Revolution palette ever  since  I purchased it in London at the start of the year, and using it with the Two Faced Shadow Insurance really made the colours pop... like really. The colours blended really naturally also, which usually takes a good bit of blending to happen. 

I was rushed out the door at 8pm (so I never got to take a before picture), we had dinner and drinks in a crammed, roasting hot pub (the rugby was on so it was even more jam packed), and my eye-shadow lasted all night. I was very surprised, as big name brands haven't been as successful with me. I have extremely sensitive eyes, and the slightest breeze makes my eyes become a tap! I came home with perfect lids, and not a single crease or white patch. The rest of my face wasn't so lucky. 

Picture taken at 2:30am - after one too many glasses of wine

 Overall, I would definitely recommend this! At €20 it's a bit pricey, but if you want to ensure your eye make-up stays intact all night I would highly recommend you head down to your local stockist and pick this up. Now if I could find a primer that make the rest of my face last all night as well. 

Let me know if you have any recommendations for good primers or if you have tried the Two Faced Shadow Insurance...

xXx

Christmas Time

Happy Christmas! I hope everyone had a fantastic day spent with family and friends. I know this year may have been tough for many families, but trust me it gets better. I had such a quiet day spent with my family and dogs. As we've all grown older, Christmas sort of becomes another day, with an amazing dinner. This year was no different, we went to Mass, then onto the grave and then back home for way too much food. Have you ever eaten so much you feel drunk....from the food? Well, that's what happened to me! I literally spent the day in my onsie (it's a Minnie Mouse one by the way), watching TV and eating a tin of heroes. I also napped a good bit during the day.

On Stephens Day, myself and the girls had planned to go to the races in Lepordstown, but did anyone else see that weather? It was disgusting. We ended up leaving it and went for lunch, had wine and played board games all day instead. Now this is where my rant begins, we went for lunch in a local pub and all that was being serving was pizzas and toasties. This was fine because obviously it was Stephens Day whats the point in bringing in a chef for a few hours? So we ordered a pizza each.... €10... TEN EURO for a Dr Oetker pizza... You know the ones they sell frozen in Tesco for €2.50? Yes those ones. The boy that served us was also extremely rude. Needless to say I was severely unimpressed! It didn't ruin my day though. I had a fantastic day with the girls and we exchanged our Christmas presents. I was off work on the Saturday and back in Sunday morning, so I took it fairly easy. It was so nice to have a few days off and spend it with the people that I love, as cheesy as that sounds! 

Did you have a nice Christmas? What's everyone's plans for the New Year?

Dawn 

xXx
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Mondss Underarm Wear Review

A few weeks ago a bronze envelope arrived through my post box. I knew exactly what it was and I was so excited to use my new product. Mondss Underarm Wear is a breakthrough product helping you to wear the clothes you love without sweating all over them (basically). The product itself is the strangest looking thing ever and when I first heard about it I was extremely skeptical. All I can say is this product reminded me of a sanitary towel, and the girls and I had a good giggle about attaching a sanitary towel to my arm pit. 

I waited for the perfect day to try these out... One that I knew I would be a sweaty mess. My day off from work arrived and I had planned on washing my hair, changing my bed sheets, cleaning my car and scrubbing my room. All things I hate doing because I get to hot doing them. The application seemed pretty easy but my left pit took a bit longer than expected and I had to use 3 different pieces before getting it perfect.  After doing all my tasks though, I didn't have any sweat patches which I was happy with and I didn't smell which is alway a positive. I met the girls for lunch and they were so inquisitive as to what I was wearing on my arm pit. The fact I wore these out of my house shows how discrete this product actually is. 

Unfortunately the removal part is a lot harder than expected. I was left with "plaster" marks on my arm pit... I used everything recommended to remove the adhesive residue but nothing has worked. Even now, almost 3 weeks after using Mondss I'm still left with a slight residue. 

Overall, Mondds is a completly different product, one that I would never have considered before. Unfortunately you can only wear Mondss for 4-6 hours, so if you're out and about all day you'll need to bring a change. You also need to wait a few hours after shaving before use, and you must be shaved to use, so if you're in a rush not very ideal. These cost €9.99 for a pack of 10 so probably not ideal for everyday use, but they're  more so designed for special occasions, job interviews, if you're wearing something you don't want to be ruined by aerosols or a horrible yellow sweat patch. Unfortunately the adhesive residue was a huge turn off for me so I probably wouldn't rush back to using them. 

Have you heard of Mondss underarm wear?! What is your opinion of them?!

Dawn 

xXx
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Boots Time Delay Toning Water

So, I'm really into my skin care regime at the moment... and when I say I'm into my skin care regime I mean I cleanse, tone and moisturise every night. So, yeah I'm really into my skincare regime! I recently bought a Boots own brand brightening toning water, mainly because it was half price... I do love a bargain! This was also a time delay product, so I of course had to buy it, I don't want to get old. It was only €3.34 so I didn't mind paying for it, but if it was €6.68, full price, then there would be no chance.

The product itself doesn't smell really harsh, which is good, but then again it doesn't really smell like anything. It just pores out as apposed to most liquid skin care products which squeeze out, so the majority of this ended up on my bedroom floor. On the back of the bottle it states that it contains antioxidants that help protect the skin against signs of aging, it evens skin tone and even tightens pore leaving "skin looking healthy". So the tightening pores part; it didn't tighten my pores and more so blocked them. After about a week of using this product every night I realised how spotty my skin had become. I wanted to reduce the signs of aging, not go back in time and become a 14 year old. I thought maybe this was the products way of getting the bad stuff out of my skin... wishful thinking right? But I continued to use it, until my skin became really itchy all the time and the spots never cleared. This was a clear sign that it didn't suit me and I had to stop using it.

One thing that sort of freaked me out at first was that on the back of the bottle it says that it contains alpha hydroxy acid or AHA which can increase your skins sensitivity in the sun and that if you are using this product be sure to limit sun exposure. Now it was mid-March when I bought it so I thought nothing of it, Ireland only gets sun one week a year and I'm indoors the majority of the time anyway. This AHA thing might not freak other people out but it does freak me out. Being very fair anyway the slightest bit of sun and I become some sort of lobster creature so I like to keep my skin protected. That and the fact my mam recently had to get a sun damaged spot on her chest removed by laser, also freaks me out. The fact that Boots have a product that can increase damage to your skin from the sun irritates me. Especially a product which would be aimed towards older ladies. I may be taking this the complete wrong way but it still annoys me!

Overall the spots and the possibility of sun damage didn't really suit me, but that was just my opinion. I realistically won't be buying any more products from the Boots "Time Delay" range... sorry Boots.

Have you used any Time Delay products? What was your opinion?

Dawn 

xXx
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Vaseline "Spray and Go"

Years ago if you would have said to me that I'd be using a body lotion everyday, I'd say you're crazy. I have... or had fairly good skin back in my day. It's like I hit 22 and my skin became dried out, itchy and flaky, especially on my upper arms. I'm a huge Vaseline lover...like HUGE! I use it on my lips everyday to prevent them getting chapped, I put it on my fingernails and around my hairline when applying tan and I've even use it to help get piercings back in! It's so cheap you really can't go wrong. Vaseline, as a brand, have really made an impact on the beauty market. Think back to your childhood... Vaseline... what do you think? Me? I think of that huge tub that was found in the bathroom, but I never really knew what it was for, and I always presumed it was sort of like sudocream. How wrong I was! When Vaseline released their "Spray and Go" moisturiser I knew I needed it. At this point I already had a pot of Vaseline in every handbag I owned, was using a Vaseline deodorant and had tried their moisturiser. I'm one of these people that the more convenient it is the better. I tend to run late when meeting friends so I needed something like this product, but the price kept putting me off. But one day I bit the bullet and purchased my first can... And I haven't looked back since!

A spray and go.... how perfect! I was so excited to use this, so excited that I basically jumped in the shower when I got home to test it out! As I sprayed I realised it wasn't really a spray and go product. You need to rub it in, as it can disperse a bit too much moisturiser. I was disappointed with this, but when I realised that once you rub it in you can literally get dressed my opinion changed. It doesn't make you feel slimy for the next 24 hours, but you know you have moisturised. I love the smell of cocoa butter too, I always think it's so refreshing and this scent is no different. It's a continuous spray too which means your not trying to squeeze it out of bottle with slippy hands. Honestly, since using this my skin feels so much smoother and my time-keeping has seriously improved! I'm on to my third bottle since my first purchase in May... which is pretty good considering it's 190ml and I'm using it everyday. For just over €6 it's well worth a purchase.

It comes containing three different main ingredients; aloe, cocoa and oat extract. Perfect for everyone out there.

Have you used any of the Vaseline lotion range? What was your opinion?

Dawn 

xXx
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Hello Summer Tan...

I'm Back!

I've been really busy lately with work and other commitments but I'm back now, and I've really missed blogging!

During summer months I hate being pale... I hate being pale any time of the year. I haven't put tan on in over three weeks so I'm ridiculously pale, well at least I was up until yesterday! A few months ago I purchased St Tropez gradual tan, it was on special offer so I'm pretty sure it only cost around €8.00. I love using gradual tans during the summer because it feels like its a natural tan build up, as opposed to looking like Casper the friendly ghost one day and then Nicole Scherzinger the next day. I applied this tan last night before I went to bed and it seemed so easy to apply and dries in really quickly. It's not really a tan you would sleep in and more so one that you would apply during the day and it develops as you work away! It doesn't smell overwhelming so no one would even know your wearing tan. As its an aerosol a few sweeps and your done basically, well that's what I thought anyway. I sprayed this over my chest and arms last night and thought that I got everywhere, but obviously not. I woke up this morning with patches all over my arms. For a gradual tan I thought it would appear more even. It's a bit dark for a gradual tan to be honest, which sometimes isn't a bad thing! It was easy to fix my mistakes this morning with a few more sweeps over the parts that I missed and a bit of blending.

After one application and some careful blending

Overall, as a gradual tan it's up there with one of the best that I've used. Compared to using body lotion with a gradual tan in them this seemed to suit me better. It contains aloe which helps to keep your skin smooth and it has a refreshing smell, as refreshing as a self tanner can be! From now on when I'm using it I'll be using a mitt to ensure its well blended, that way I can avoid looking like a brown zebra. I'm going to keep using this during the week for a natural looking tan... Goodbye Casper the Friendly Ghost!

Have you ever used any St Tropez products? What did you think of them?

Dawn 

xXx
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