Gift Guide - Dad

Hello everybody ! Continuing on with the gift guides, today's guide is all about fathers. Dads can often be hard to buy for, in the past I've usually always gotten my dad a sports book or a good jumper. This year however I've gone down a different route and gotten him something completely different, something that he'd never of thought of, it came in the post the other day and I literally cannot wait to give it to him. I won't share it just yet in case he sees this, but after Christmas I will share what I got everyone, I promise.

Personalised greatest dad jigsaw - I personally love this (nothing to do with my obsession with jigsaw I swear). A personal gift to remind him that you love him.

Engraved Cufflinks - This would be a lovely little gift, they're not too expensive, yet they're personal and add great sentiment.

Handy Man Personalised Mug - I think most dads are the handy man/ maintenance guy at home. If my bulb blows, it's dad who fixes it, if the washing machine breaks, it's dad who fixes it. My dad is a mechanical engineer and spends a lot of his time at work fixing machines, so a personalised handy man mug is just ideal. 

Tickets - Get him tickets to a rugby game or a football game, and while you're at it get one for yourself and go with him for a daddy daughter day out. 

Personalised Wallet - If your dad is anything like mine then he's probably had the same wallet since the last time he was gifted one. Come Christmas time it's probably due an upgrade, so why not get him one with his initials or name on. This one here is so nice and because it's leather so it's quite strong !

Cycling Book - My dad's biggest hobby is cycling. He's is actually a great cyclist and does loads of big cycles all throughout the year. This is why a book about cycling would be perfect for him. This one in particular is a mix between facts and stories from other cyclist's experiences. I'm not suggesting you all get your dad a cycling book, but something to do with their hobby is always a great gift.

 What have you gotten/ intend to get your dad this year for Christmas ? 

Erin x

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How To Deal With Burnout

Tired ? Unmotivated ? Stressed ? Are you dealing with burnout ? I only recently found out that after months of doctors appointments and constantly feeling sluggish, that I was in fact burnt out. At first I thought great, a few nights of good sleep and I'll be grand. Unfortunately I've learned it doesn't quite work as easy as that. 

So what exactly is burnout ? Burnout by definition is a state of prolonged emotional, physical or mental stress that results in exhaustion that can go on for months. Burnout while it's not actually a medical disorder, it's still very dangerous and something you do not want, trust me. 

So what causes it and what are the tell tale signs ? Putting yourself under a lot of pressure on a regular basis, high levels of stress, not giving yourself a proper break etc will definitely cause burnout. There are many symptoms and people often confuse it with the symptoms of depression. Some symptoms include; Anxiety, loss of appetite, forgetfulness, insomnia, chronic fatigue, increased illness(because your body is depleted, your immune system is weakened therefore you're more vulnerable to colds or the flu etc), depression and anger. 

Is every day a bad day ?  Are you exhausted all the time ? Do you feel like everything you do is a waste of time or unappreciated ? Do you find tasks you do during the day to be either mind-numbingly dull or extremely over whelming ? If you're sitting there nodding, then you too might be burnt out. This is not the be all and end all. There are many ways to stop burnout in its tracks and prevent/ avoid it.

Cut down and start saying 'no'

Every time you say 'yes' to something, you're adding another thing to your workload and never ending to-do list. It will eventually end up either half done or not done at all and causing you to stress out. Start saying no, the world will go on. I promise.

Break up projects

Break up a project into bite sized pieces. For example, If I have a uni project, I'll download all relevant lecture slides one day, research the topic of the project and make notes another, plan the layout and timeline and eventually do the actual project. But by breaking it up, a huge project suddenly doesn't seem so bad and is a lot easier to attempt. This can be applied to many things, not just uni projects.

Stop trying to be perfect

Sometimes it's ok to do something that's not 100% perfect. Try to be satisfied with what you can realistically get done in your time frame, otherwise you'll end up exhausted.Set yourself boundaries for acceptable work and stick to them.

Give up on getting motivated 

If you're properly burnt out, you'll be too exhausted to stay positive and motivated, so don't try. Give yourself a break. Listen toyour body and your body needs. If you're too tired to run, walk. If you're too tired to walk then sit, take a little nap if you want to.

Investigate

Try and figure out what caused you to be burnt out, so that you can prevent it in the future. If it was a long event or work or lots of high pressured deadlines, whatever it is figure it out so next time you'll recognize it and be able to take a step back.

Make downtime a daily ritual

Build time into your daily schedule for downtime. Even if it's half an hour of reading or going for a walk with the dog. Studies suggest if you do something every day for two consecutive weeks, it becomes a habit. After a while you won't need to remind yourself to do it, you'll just do it naturally.

Most importantly treat yourself every now and again, you deserve it !

Erin x

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Gift Guide - Mothers

Hello everybody ! It's now only a few weeks before Christmas (YAY), so I thought I'd share some ideas on presents for your mammies. This year I was super organised and actually got my mam's present in October, I won't say what I got her as she will probably read this post before Christmas day. They say a good gift is made up of three elements, something funny, something sentimental and something useful. When I'm brainstorming what to get someone for Christmas I usually keep that in mind, and a lot of the time you can get one or two items that have all of these characteristics.

I usually find my mam the hardest person to buy for, because if I had the money I'd love to treat her to a weekend away in New York or a sun holiday in France (that's what she really deserves). However at the moment I'm a student which means if I did have money like that it'd be going straight into fees *sad face*. So until I'm rich I'll stick to getting her smaller gifts, many being a DIY job. Here are some of the ideas that were floating around my head when I was brainstorming, hopefully it'll help you too.

First up is the Mother and Daughter Infinity Necklace Set. Who doesn't like jewelry ? I love this as it's something we could both wear everyday and it's quite sentimental.

Second is the Tea Spoon Bookmark. If your mam loves reading as mine does but never has time to read a lot at the one time, then a bookmark is perfect. It's a small token but I think it's a lovely little gift.

Next up is a DIY job. If you're in any way creative this is a relatively easy but personal gift. If you're not creative, then there are plenty of sites like photobox that do stuff like this for you. I think this would be a lovely gift for anyone, not just your mam.

Next is whatever you know your mam will love, her favourite thing. For my mam that's the Dior Addict perfume. She loves it and only treats herself to a bottle once in a blue moon. This is the safe present that if all else failed, and it was the 23rd of December last minute shopping, I could get this and she'd only be delighted.

Next up is a photo cube, put pictures of the two of ye or the whole family in it, and display it somewhere where she'll see it everyday. A great little present I think.

Last but by no means least, a funny, personal and useful gift. A mug. A funny mug that reminds her of you is always a good gift.


So what do you think ? What have you gotten your mam ?  I'd love to hear in the comments.

Erin x

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Sick Day Essentials

Hello everybody ! So if you've read any of my weekly wrap ups or follow me on Twitter, then you'll know I've been feeling poorly recently. If you haven't then basically I got a cold/flu,  half recovered from it but pushed myself too hard too quick and ended up completely burnt out. So this got me thinking about how grateful I was for certain items in my life, the ones that are my essentials when I'm sick.

The first is a big fluffy blanket. I got this lavender/lilac blanket in Pennies for €12. I am so in love with it. It's so soft and it's absolutely massive !! I can literally wrap it around myself like three times.

Next up is a hot water bottle. I'm in college and can't afford to have the heating on all day so a hot water bottle is essential. My mam got me this cute one when I started college.

Hot drinks like lemsip, tea or hot chocolate in your favourite mug is crucial. I love my Little Miss Naughty mug. I got it last year at Christmas (yet again from my mam). For me it was hot chocolate with little marshmallows that helped me through the week !

Next up is entertainment. Lying in bed all day can get pretty boring so to keep myself occupied I read, watch netflix and try to plan blog posts etc. Some of the books on my bedside locker at the moment are Allegiant by Veronica Roth, Paper Towns and Let it Snow by John Greene. Netflix wise I've recently been obsessed with Orange is the new black, and just in case all of that didn't pass enough time there's always the Harry Potter box-set. Who doesn't love a HP marathon ?

If like me, it's a head cold  that's keeping you glued to your bed, then you more than likely have a case of the sniffles and you probably resemble Rudolph from using so many tissues (I know I did), then keeping you're skin hydrated is key. I used my Nivea moisturizer.  I found it great,it has jojoba oil and vitamin E in it which is always a plus. Vaseline for my lips, this huge tub has three smaller tins inside. Great for chapped lips !

My last few sick day essentials include, a big 2L bottle of water to sip my way through (hydration is vital), some lovely candles to set a relaxed atmosphere and notebooks to write down any and all ideas that pop into your mind when you're lying in bed/ on the sofa for hours.

So they were my sick day essentials, what's yours ?

Erin x

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The Liebster Award #3

Another Liebster award ! Wow thank you so much Jasmine from the brilliant Color U Bold ! I love a good tag. If you haven't checked out Jasmine's blog blog yet, you really should it's great ! 

RULES !

> Answer the questions that are sent to you

>Nominate 10 bloggers who have under 200 followers on Twitter

>Ask them 12 questions of your own

>Notify them that they've been nominated

Here are Jasmine's questions for me :

1.If you could go on a road trip right now, where would you go ?

   America ! Without a doubt, I'd go right now if I could !

2.What movie/s could you watch over and over again ?

  Disney Disney Disney 

3. Who are your favorite bloggers right now?

Ooh I have so many favourites !! Ok I'll go with @R_achelMarie, @ABubblyLady, @AWelshBlog @Viviannadoesmakeup and @lilypebbles

4. Who is one person that has inspired you?

My mam hands downs ! Such a strong, passionate,caring, AMAZING woman. My biggest fan and ultimate best friend ! 

5. Who is your favorite singer at the moment ?

Taylor Swift #1989

6. Where do you see yourself in the future ?

I don't know really, hopefully happy. Career/ job wise, I really don't know yet.

7. Do you see yourself blogging for a long time?

Yes I don't think there will come a time when I'll want to stop.

8. What is one quote that has always stayed with you?

9. What is your advice for someone feeling down and out ?

Time heals all wounds ? I don't know really it would depend on the situation.

10. Tell us a secret?

I used to be addicted to the tv series charmed when I was younger !

11. What is your reason/s for blogging?

I just wanted a place that was all mine, that I could make pretty and sparkly but still vent and connect to like minded people !

Here are my questions !

1.What's your favourite A/W trend ?

2.Who is your beauty idol ?

3.If you were to win the lottery and became a multi- millionaire what would you do with it ?

4.What is your favourite thing about Winter/ christmas ?

5.What's your favourite perfume ?

6.Who is your current favourite blogger ?

7.What is your dream job ?

8.What's your idea of a perfect night in ? 

9.Favourite lipstick ?

10. Who's are your fashion idols ?

I've already nominated lots of people in previous posts so if you fancy doing this yourself, give it a go and leave a link in the comments ! 

Erin x

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Manicure Monday

Hello everybody ! This morning I gave myself a little manicure. I used the 298 High Line Green quick dry by NYC. I chose this colour because I think the green is fresh and energetic, which is what I want my week to start off with. I really like this nail varnish, even though it's quick dry it doesn't dry too quick so you can correct any mistakes easily. It applies very well. The only problem I have with it is the brush, I find it to be very thin and it took me a about four of five strokes before a nail was completely painted. Not a huge issue just something that bugged me a little. I picked up this little gem in Pennies/Primark for under €2. I think it's quite good quality for the price and will definitely pick up some other NYC polishes in the future !

What do you think ? Have you tried any NYC nail polish ? 

Erin x 

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A Weekly Wrap Up #3

Hello everybody ! Was it just me or did this week seem to fly by ? This week I've been so tired and burnt out ! As a result of being burnt out , I was super unproductive. Although I did post every day, that was about as productive as I was. In relation to completing last weeks goals I didn't do too badly, I'm getting back into the habit of drinking water, I applied for a few jobs, I stayed fairly positive and did incorporate more exercise into my days. The only thing I didn't do really was take photos ! The weather has been horrible so the lighting was very poor and whenever it was good, I was in college ! Just my luck. 

Found on etsy.com

However this week is all new and shiny and I'm feeling much better. So with some new found determination these are my goals for this week:

1. Exercise : As always, but this week I need to find something that I can do indoors as the weather is really getting bad here.

2. Study : It's now week 11 ! How did that even happen?? This semester has flown by. Exams are around the corner and some serious work is going to be done in the next 3-4 weeks !

3. Get through my to do list : Try and get through as much of my never ending list as possible.

4. Eat healthier : Nothing spurred me on as much to eat healthier, as the results I seen last week. As I said I was feeling poorly and burnt out, I made some smoothies and  started taking vitamin supplements daily and I've felt much better since.

5. Friends : Another big goal of mine this week is to visit my friends, everything will go a bit hectic with everyone from here on in, until exams are over so this week might be my last chance !

So what's your goals this week ? I'd love to hear them !

Erin x 

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The Disney Tag

Anyone that knows me knows how much I love Disney, so you can only imagine my excitement when I found out that there was such a thing as a Disney Tag !! If you're a frequent visitor on my blog then you'll know that I love a good tag anyway so the fast that it's a Disney tag is just amazing !! So without further a due, here it is....



Favourite Disney Film ?
Without a doubt, my favourite film is Beauty and the Beast. I've watched it countless times and I never get sick of it. It's my go to movie when I'm not feeling well. I just love everything about this film and I always have. I went to a production of Beauty and the Beast in Dublin when I was really small and it was probably then when I fell in love with it.

Favourite Disney Character ?
Too many to choose from but this is the first character that popped into my head, OLAF ! It's impossible not to love him. He's adorable and infectiously happy. Don't you just want to be around him all time ?

Favourite Disney Princess ?
Belle is my favourite Disney Princess and rightly so ! She's strong, intelligent, kind and of course beautiful. Her love of reading is something that I've related with since I was small.

Rather be Aurora or Cinderella ?
Cinderella ! Purely because her castle is the one I grew up with. It's the signature castle.

Hercules or Tarzan ?

Hmm this is a tough one, but I think I'll go with Tarzan. I mean who wouldn't want an elephant as a best friend ?

Rather be Lizzie McGuire or Raven Baxter ?
Probably Lizzie, purely because of the movie and the whole singing thing. I think if I could she into the future I'd get myself into far too much trouble.

Favourite Disney Song ?
Ahhh this is the hardest question !! Too many AMAZING songs that I love. I can't choose so I'm going to cheat.. Some of my favourite include, Under the sea, A tale as old as time, Let it go, I just can't wait to be King, Lets go fly a kite, Prince Ali, I'll make a man out of you, Be our guest, Part of your world, A whole new world and of course, Hakuna Matata ! Sorry I got a bit carried away there!

Which Disney Character would be your best friend ?
Rapunzel, I just love her spirit and find her inspiring, which is what I believe a best friend should be. Good fun to be around but also inspires you to follow your dreams !

Which Disney Character would be your pet ?
Dumbo ! I'm obsessed with elephants and how can you not love him ? He's adorable !!

Have you ever been to Disneyland ?
I've been to Euro Disney twice ! I'd live there if I could. I went with my family when I was about 7 or 8. My mam said the look on my face when I seen the Princess castle was priceless and worth every penny that the holiday had cost. I was just in awe, I've always been a disney kid and especially at that age when I was super obsessed with Princesses (which still hasn't passed btw), it was just the most spectacular thing I could ever of dreamed of ! I went back again with my school when I was in transition year, so I was about 16. Still in awe of everything and enjoyed it just as much. My parents actually spent their honeymoon in Disneyland Florida so I guess I get my love of Disney from them !

So that's it the end of the Disney Tag ! I enjoyed doing this post so much ! Have any of you done this tag ? If so let me know I love reading these tags !

Erin x

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Winter Party Dresses

As the Winter settles in, there seems to be more and more events and nights out. I love nights out in Winter, It's the perfect excuse to go that extra mile when getting dressed up. Add a bit of sparkle and shimmer and no one judges you in the slightest because it's seasonal. With that in mind I've been scouring the web in hopes of finding some new dresses that are perfect for Winter. These are some of my current favourites !

I think red, white, and black dresses are perfect for the winter season. The floral skater dress is one of my absolute favourites, so elegant and classy. Definitely on my wishlist !

Burgundy sparkly Bandeau

Black sequin dress

White sequin dress

Off the shoulder peplum

Floral Skater

Lace Skater dress

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