12 Things I bought in 2012

Guess who's back? Back again? Shadys back..... lol jk it's me.

Did I actually just say that?!...God help us.

Greetings earthlings,

Apologies for my absence and the fact that I completely failed Blogmas, now you really know me! I could continue to apologise and explain my absence but where is the fun in that? 

Seeing as its New Year's Eve I thought I'd look back at 2012, in the most superficial way possible. I'm going to show you 12 things I bought and enjoyed in 2012. Life is too short not to be a bit superficial sometimes :P 

                                                             1. Gosh Primer

 This bad boy is brilliant. Put it on before your foundation and your skin will look smoother than a baby's bottom. 

                                                 2. Johnson's baby soft cream

 Speaking of baby's bottoms, this will make you smell like one! A clean one that is. I used to use Johnson's baby lotion but found that it took ages for my skin to absorb it cause its so rich. This is perfect because its rich enough to moisturise properly yet light enough for your skin to absorb it quickly. 

 

3. Clinique Pore Minimizer

 If like me you have pores that rival the moon's craters this is the stuff for you. As  you can see I ended up cutting the top off to make sure I used the entire tube! 

4.- Trevor Sorbie Beautifully Straightened 

Smoothing Balm

This stuff is so good, simple yet so good. I put it in my hair when its wet and boom, manageable hair, something I have struggled to achieve in the past! The bottle is  pretty small but it lasts a good while and only costs 2.69 in Boots :)  

5.One Day by David Nichools

Such a good read! I used to be quite the bookworm when I was younger but over the last year or so it seems the internet has replaced books in my life. Thankfully this book managed to get me back into reading, at least for a little while! Not going to lie, I read the book because I saw the trailer for the movie. I love going to see movies after I've read the book, most of the time,the book is better. The book is definitely better in this case. I thought the movie was SHOCKING. Maybe thats just because the book was so good or maybe its because I don't particularly like Anne Hathaway, either way, I didn't like the movie. Book is great though!  

6.Lana Del Rey's Album-Born To Die

If you've read my other posts than you know that I love Lana Del Rey, alot. It takes alot of convincing for me to buy a physical cd. This was the first cd I had bought since 2004 when I bought Britney Spear's greates hits album(perfection). I love every track on this album, I love her style, her voice, I love it all. There are so many different versions of her songs that its defo worth buying the album so you get the actual album versions. Especially her track 'Diet Mnt Dew' the album version is sooo much better than the one that comes up online. Also, I wanted to support Lana, might as well give her 20 bob! The actual cd itself is pretty too, its white with red roses on it :P 

 

7.Special K Cracker Crisps

Nom nom nom these are so good! Only 95 calories in 21 crisps, sounds good, except that they're a bit like Pringles in that 21 crisps soon becomes the entire box. They're also available in Sour Cream and Chive Flavour and Sweet Chili. I'm a salt and vinegar gal, these bad boys have a particularly strong vinegar flavour making them right up my alley. 

8. Retro glasses case

 I know the actual case isn't retro but the design on it kind of is? Seeing as I am ridiculously blind I rarely use the case because my glasses have to stay on my face at all times! However, if I'm out and about with my contacts in I have to bring the case with me as my eyes get dry and sore and more  often than not I end up having to take my contacts out and put my glasses on! I bought this in a little shop in Cambridge, it was one of the most random shops I have ever been in, it sold British Monarchy paraphernalia , toy race tracks, notebooks and this glasses case. It cost me £10. 

9. New Look Jumper 

I bought this for college a few weeks ago and basically haven't taken it off since. Im a huge fan of Marina And The Diamonds so I had to buy it. Those of you who are fans of hers will know her latest album is called Electra Heart. She wears a black heart on her cheek(drawn on with eyeliner) and the heart on this jumper reminded me of it. It was 18 euro in New Look, nice wan! 

10. Oxo Wall Sign 

Ok so I'm not that into Oxo and I definitely can't understand why a child would drink it but hey, different times right? I love all things retro and I thought this was so cool, especially since its tin. I hang it up on my bedroom wall and it makes me happy :) I bought it in a small shop in Cambridge that I cannot remember the name of but I'll make sure to write down the name of it next time I'm there! 

11.Jack Wills Laptop Case

 Sorry this photo isn't the best, I was too lazy to think of a creative way of showing you the case. Ok so this was like £45 but he its Jack Wills, a pair of knickers there will set you back a week in groceries. I saw it, fell in love and bought it. It has served me well, its sturdy and pretty and I hope that it shall continue to serve me well for many years to come. It has the Jack Wills label on the inside of  the case which I like, I don't like products that shove brand names in your face. Now, let me think of some more good points about to justify the price... 

12. Keep Calm Notebook

My Mama bought this for me yesterday God bless her. Recent yes but still in 2012! I don't actually like cupcakes(weird I know, cakes aren't my thing) but who couldn't love this notebook?! It has one of those elastic things to keep it closed and a handy built in folder at the back. So far I've been using it to attempt to organise my life, including this blog post! So far its been good at its job, but looking back at my blogmas fail, I don't think the notebook realises the size of the job it has. 

13(Baker's dozen!). Last but not least, Tiny Dancer-A Song For Lily-Mae. 

This is by far my favourite purchase of 2012. This cd represents human kindess, particularly that among the Irish. I'm lucky to have been part of the choir on this amazing song. If you haven't already, please read my post 'In which a 4 year old teaches me how to live' click here to find out more about Lily-Mae, the amazing little girl behind the cd. Tiny Dancer was an amazing experience, I made alot of new friends, it was great to be a part of something incredible. The single was at Number 1 for two weeks and Number 2 for another two weeks, including Christmas week. Although we didn't get the coveted Christmas Number 1 spot we were the Christmas iTunes Number 1, it was only in shops that the XFactor single outsold us. Despite the fact we didn't get the Number 1 spot we did make history, Tiny Dancer is the biggest selling Number 2 in Ireland, EVER! 

Chart positions aside, we raised important funds for Neuroblastoma research a nasty childhood cancer. Our aim all along was to make as much noise as possible about Neuroblastoma as not many people have heard of it. We definitely did that, we made it into charts and headlines all over the world. 

Tiny Dancer was definitely  the highlight of my 2012, one of the highlights of my life in fact!

2012 has overall been a good year for me. Like every year it had its up and downs but I'm blessed in many aspects of my life so I have to appreciate that. I want to end 2012 the way I want to start 2013.......s**tfaced. I'm joking, I want to end it HAPPY! 

If you're happy then life is a breeeze :) 

Until next year! 

Stay classy, 

Lxx

Listen to Max.

Before you read this post, please click here.
I hope that made you smile. Bring out your inner penguin today!

Greetings earthlings, 

Ever heard of Jenna Marbles? Jenna is the most watched female youtuber on earth with nearly 5 million subscribers and over 870 million views. To many Jenna is a hilarious entertainer, nothing more. What people tend to forget about famous people is that they are infact, PEOPLE. People feel pain. It is evident from Jenna's latest video  that she is feeling a lot of pain at the moment. She doesn't tell us what the cause of this pain is but because she didn't have the capacity to make a funny video we can assume its bad. Having watched her boyfriend Max's latest video my guess is that someone close to them has died as a result of suicide.

Max has put his message across very effectively: Take Moments. 

'Take a moment and think about all the blessings you have and all you can appreciate about your life. Think about the people you love and who love you. Think about the joys and beauty you're exposed to every day. Let go of your worries/sadness/jealousy/anxieties/insecurities for a moment and let them be replaced with happiness. You deserve happiness.'  

I am so glad Max has made this video.Obviously not because of his reasons to make it but because of the positive effect i believe it will have, especially on young men.

The rate of suicide is significantly higher in young men than woman. I believe this is partly because from a young age, boys are taught to be 'tough'.  It is often drilled into them from a young age that being emotional is what girls do, crying is what girls do, asking for help is what girls do. To be honest this sickens me. Judging by the suicide rates amongst them young men need to ask for help to. Max is very manly looking, he's a 'cool' guy. I'm hoping that young men will respond to his advice because of this.

Male or female,I'd advise you watch Max's video if you are reading this, even if you feel great today. In my eyes, there's no such thing as too much positivity. Eventually we will all die. Morbid as it sounds, its the truth. That's why i believe we need to make the most of every second we have on this earth. I believe the best way to do this, is to be happy. I know no one can be happy all the time, but when you do feel down, experience the pain,except it, and keep going. If the pain doesn't go away, tell someone.

If you don't feel comfortable talking to someone you know, why not ring the Samaritans? Samaritans are there to listen 24/7, in confidentiality,they won't judge you, doesn't matter how big or small your worries may be.

ROI- 1850 60 90 90 

UK- 0847 90 90 90

For those of you in the USA- Max has a list of organisations and numbers in the description box of his video. 

You can visit the Samaritans website by clicking here

Here's a picture of a baby elephant playing with ducks to make you smile :)

You can watch Max's video here

Be happy earthlings, cause you deserve it. Life is worth living. 

Stay classy (and happy!),

L xx 



PlanetLo has gotten a Facebook page, very fancy altogether! Click here to visit PlanetLo's facebook page

#FAIL

Greetings earthlings, 

I had big plans for today’s post, big plans.

As you can probably tell from the title and pic, my big plans did not….dare I use this pun….go to plan!

However, I have committed myself to blogmas, so i had to show my face!...or in this case, about a third of my face...

Hopefully I’ll sort out my fail of a post and have it up for you all soon.

Really sorry about this!!

Hopefully tomorrow’s post will go a lot better, see you then, without a refill pad page infront of my face!

Stay classy,

Lxx  

Lets be twitter friends xx

Blogmas Day 3= Ombréd Hair For Me!

Greetings earthlings, 
Let me start by saying...sorry sorry sorry! 
Im ashamed to be posting this so late in the day, am really chancing it! 
I've been busy working trying to ensure i pass the semester at Uni. It won't happen again! The tardiness that is, hopefully i will continue to attempt to pass my exams..

Anyhoo....

I ombréd my hair!

Ombré is a fancy term for dip dyed, I was trying to impress you.

Spontaneity, one of my many attributes….

I decided on a Wednesday evening about 3 weeks ago that I wanted to ombré (still trying to impress you)my hair. An hour later I found myself with half a head full of dye cursing like a sailor. I was cursing  cause it suddenly dawned on me how very, very wrong this could go….

One word…

Ginger.

Not that ive anything against gingers, I just didn’t fancy myself with half a head of ginger hair.  

 

I used the L'oréal Ombré kit, not a chance was paying a fortune to get something potentially disgusting done to my hair! I had to use two boxes because I've so much hair. Each box was 9.95 euro. Sorry i couldn't take a pic of the kit myself, it went in the bin three weeks ago! 

I realise that trend is a good year old at this stage but i  needed to get this small amount of rebellion out of my system. Usually people just dye the ends of their hair, hence the term 'dip dye'. I however, was feeling particularly brave that night and went hell for leather on,dying about half my hair. I figured, I've lots of hair so why not? I'm hoping it looks ok? People at college have told me they really like it, but maybe they're just trying to be nice? No going back now regardless, its permanent  dye. My hairdresser is going to kill me! I'm in desperate need of a haircut and can only put it off for so long! 

Thankfully the dye hasn't made my hair really dry. I've been taking extra good care of it since i dyed it and it looks like its working. I've a full post on hair care so have a gawk at that if your curious as to how i care for it :) 

Here's the 'before'shot. Apparently i was very happy? 

Then again, I've a lot to be happy about! :)    

Aaaaand after! Excuse the frizzy hair, am just in the door from college so my hair is a bit 'windswept' :P

I must include that my expression in this one is a joke, i was sending the pic to a friend. Although i was happy! For some reason one side of my hair looks a lot blonder in that pic. One side is slightly blonder, because i did it myself but its not as obvious as in that pic! 

I hope you enjoyed reading this post :) If you ever been tempted to ombré you hair I'd recommend you do. Its good fun and sure its only the ends of your hair, you can grow it out soon enough! 

Stay classy, 

L xx 

Let's be twitter friends xx

Blogamus day 2.....a royal baby for you!

Greetings earthlings, 

So....

ROYAL BABY....YAAAAAAAAAAAY!!

It has officially been announced that Kate Middleton is pregnant, preggos, up the duff.....there is a bun in that Royal oven. Shes even good morning sickness...proof she is infact, human! :O
I will be the first to admit that I am VERY excited about this news.
Apparently she has been hospitalised because of this morning sickness....if its twins I will lose.the.plot.

Why am i so excited? Is that not a bit silly? You're not even British!
 No, I may not know them personally nor is it likely that I will ever meet this child. However, what i do know is that I shall eventually be perched on the sofa with a mug of hot chocolate and a copy of Hello! magazine oooh-ing and ahhh-ing at the photos of the new parents with the little one. And that my friends, is reason enough for me.

The happy parents to be....just  in case you  didn't know what they look like!

I know lots of Irish people have no time for the Royal Family considering our countries past with England. That said, in my opinion the countries relationship has come along way, why dwell on the past when we can move forward? Besides, at this stage id rather pay tax towards the Royal Baby's wardrobe than to the people running this country...

Sorry if this post wasn't to your taste but it is a big deal here on Planet Lo :P
I'll be back tomorrow with a more normal Blagmas post :)

Stay classy,
L xx

On the first day of Blogmas my true love gave to me..

Greetings Earthlings, 
I heard about Blogmas today and decided i'd give it a go :)
Blogmas= blogging everyday in December until Christmas!
And yes,today is the 2nd of December...wouldn't be my blog if it was perfect!

I haven't decided on a particular theme for my blogmas yet so for now i'll do diary type posts.I was thinking of '23 things i love' for the 23 days of blogmas that are left? Feel free to throw any ideas my way.

On the first(second for everyone else) day of Blogmas my true love gave to me......two jumpers from a vintage clothing shop :) Btw, by true love i do of course, mean me. #foreveralone ......apologies for the hashtag, I won't let it happen again.

Today i decided to brave the bad weather and head into town for a sale that was going on in a vintage clothing shop in Galway called Public Romance. It was an unusual sale in that it was priced per kg. The clothes were weighed at the counter and every kg cost 18 euro.

To be honest it was the novelty of the clothes being weighed that attracted me to the sale, i am three.
My friend and i were the first over eager shoppers to arrive. We stood in the rain for about 10 mins with about 10 other girls before the doors opened. Once in the shop everyone raced to different racks. Everyone was obviously feeling a bit competitive and flustered. Although it was tempting to raise around the place like a mad woman i decided i'd try and keep my calm, it worked. I ended up getting an  entire rack to myself because i was calm and going through the clothes so slowly that no one was willing to stand there and wait for me when i wasn't willing to fight over a jumper with them.  It was nice to experience a Black Friday type thing all the same seeing as i've read about 50 'Black Friday Haul' blog posts.

I ended up coming out of the shop about half an hour later with these two items.

Im Disney obsessed so this was a must have!











                                                                                                                                                             

I'm thinking this one could work with black skinny jeans and the right accessories?






I was surprised that they weighed a kg together, it cost me 18 euro for the two of them.
Then again, trying to imagine the weight of a bag of sugar in clothes terms had my mind blown so I didn't really have a notion of how many items of clothing i'd get!


So thats Day 1 of Blogmas! Sorry if it was a bit short, I know its only the afternoon but i don't think the rest of my day will be worth blogging about as i shall be chained to my desk!

Im on study week atm as I have exams next week. I think i'll do 'things i like' posts up until my exams and then go back to diary type entries after my exams. This is because my diary type posts up until the 12th(the day i finish) would be really boring because all i'll be doing is writing essays and studying. Hopefully after my exams i'll start doing lots of fun Christmassy things! :) Sorry im literally just typing out my thoughts here!

12 days of Christmas up until the 12th (aka things i like) then diary type posts from there on out? We game? Let me know which you would prefer. Sorry im literally just typing out my thoughts here!

Thanks for stopping by!
See you tomorrow :)
Stay classy,

L xx


Ps- The Official Irish Music Charts came out on Friday and Tiny Dancer by A Song For Lily-Mae is officially Number 1!! Please continue to spread the word so we can keep it there until Christmas :)

In which a 4 year old teaches me how to live.

Oh, my friend, it's not what they take away from you that counts - it's what you do with what you have left.  ~Hubert Humphrey

Cancer. Lots of people think cancer=death. They think that once you've cancer, you're a gonner. It is a  deadly, horrible disease that pities no one. I imagine it would be easy to give up and let it take over, to retreat into a world of sadness, anger, frustration...to think nothing but 'why me?' 'what have I done to deserve this?' 'what has she done to deserve this?'  Cancer is hard to face under any circumstances, especially when it involves a child.

Dealing with cancer is engaging in war. Once you agree to fight cancer you are agreeing to go to battle, to give everything you have to make it out the other side. Lily-Mae Morrison is fighting this battle at the tender age of 4.

Lily-Mae was diagnosed with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma in June 2012.

Its important that I include a bit of info on Neurblastoma because as it is so rare, very few people know what it is. It is important to make as much noise about Neuroblastoma as possible so that a cure can be found.

Neuroblastoma is a malignant (cancerous) tumour that develops from nerve tissue. It usually occurs in infants and children. Neuroblastoma effects 1 in every 100,000 children in Ireland every year. It is very rare, and very agressive. Doctors don't know as much about Neruoblastoma as they do about other cancers because it is so rare.

Everyone thinks the same thought: 'Why?'. Why does an innocent child have to fight such a battle just to get a chance to live? Is it divine purpose? Was she chosen to fight this battle because shes the only 4 year strong enough? Unfortunately, that question will never be answered for us. We'll never know why she has to go through this battle but theres one thing we do know, shes braver than most adults could ever hope to be.

As Humphrey says 'it's not what they take away from you that counts-it's what you do with what you have left.'. Cancer has already taken a lot from Lily Mae, but one thing it hasn't taken is her spirit. What she has done with this spirit is phenomenal. She has already managed to inspire thousands of people. This little girl has changed the world. She has shown us what it is to brave and what it is to enjoy every minute you have on this earth.

On September 30th 2012 a charity single was recorded for Lily-Mae in Galway, Ireland. It is a cover of Elton John's classic 'Tiny Dancer'. As the daughter of two professional ballet dancers and a lover of dance herself, Lily Mae is our Tiny Dancer. The single was released last Friday the 23rd of November. Its number 1 in the Irish Charts at the moment. I was lucky enough to have been part of this amazing act of human kindness.

This single has shown me how much one person can change the world. It has reassured me that we as humans are still kind. A choir of over 200 voices(one of them mine) assembled to sing a song for Lily-Mae along with a host of acclaimed Irish singer-songwriters including Paddy Casey, Declan O'Rourke, Mary Black and many, many more.  I  can honestly say it was one of the best days of my life. We sang our hearts out for Lily Mae and were rewarded with her beautiful smile and the humbling tears of her Mother.

I could sit here all day writing about Tiny Dancer. As many articles have already been written about this amazing experience and have been read by many, I will instead try to sum it up in 3 words:

1. Moving-Lily Mae's parents's gracious response at the recording was enough to humble the most conceited.

2. Necessary- We need to raise vital funds and awareness of Neuroblastoma.

3. Magnificent- We have come together for a Tiny Dancer. She and her family are not fighting this battle alone, we are all here to support them and catch them if they fall.

The beautiful Lily Mae and her Mum Judith listen as we sing Tiny Dancer for them at the recording of the single.

Lily-Mae’s story has had a particularly strong impact on my life because I knew Lily Mae before she became ill. Not on a very personal level as she was young but I was aware of her existence from when she was a mere baby bump. Lily Mae's Mother taught me ballet since i began dancing at the same age Lily Mae is now, 4. Her Dad also taught me in later years.  Having witnessed Lily-Mae bopping around the ballet studio as a baby and a toddler her story really pulled at my heart strings. I had to stop dancing to sit my exams etc so i hadn't seen Lily Mae and her parents in a few years. In my mind Lily Mae was the cute little baba in the studio. She was the little girl we all envied because we knew she was going to be one heck of a dancer with those genes.I can distinctly remember the photos of Lily Mae up on the notice board in the ballet studio after her birth. I did not know it at the time but the next photograph I would see of Lily Mae would be of her in Crumlin Children's Hospital fighting the battle of her life.

Lily Mae's Mum professional ballet dancer Judith Sibley is someone I have looked up to from a very young age. I can honestly say she is one of the strongest women i have ever seen in my life. From what I have seen, she is handling this ordeal with exceptional dignity and strength. She is a true representation of what a Mother should be. She was obviously destined to be a ballet dancer as she is an exceptionally talented dancer but what has become apparent to me is that she was obviously destined to be a Mum too.  Lily-Mae's Dad Leighton, from what i have seen, has been very strong also. I admire them both and can only ever wish to be half as good at being a parent as they are. 

Lily-Mae may not realise it now but this little girl has shown us how to live. Constantly smiling she doesn't let cancer get in her way of enjoying life. She still laughs and plays with her toy dinosaurs, because thats what she likes to do. Cancer thinks it can take away her spirit, sorry cancer but if Lily Mae wants to play dinosaurs, you are not getting in her way!

Lily Mae is touching hearts all over the world. Tiny Dancer is Number 1 on the itunes vocals charts in the Uk, Austrailia and Luxembourg. The music video on Youtube has over 100,000 views in just a week. The single is Number 1 on the Irish Singles Chart at the moment and we need to keep it there. The aim of the single from the beginning has been to be this years Christmas Number 1. It will be a great Christmas present for Lily-Mae and her family. It will also raise awareness and much needed funds for Neuroblastoma. We need a cure to be found so that Lily Mae can grow up to be whatever she wants to be and so that no other kids have to go through what Lily Mae is going through.

What I  want anyone reading this to take from Lily-Mae's story is to never give up, and to live your life to the fullest. Do what you want to do before its too late. Smile during the tough times and maybe they won't seem so tough. Enjoy every second you have on this earth because you never know when your time may be cut short. Don't be thinking of yesterday or even of tomorrow, think of right now, live in the moment, because right now, you are infinite.

Tiny Dancer by A Song For Lily Mae is available on iTunes NOW. All proceeds go to The Sunni Mae Trust and The Neuroblastoma Society. 

To buy the single on itunes search 'Tiny Dancer by A Song For Lily-Mae' 

PLEASE BUY IT!!!!!!!! No matter where you in are in the world, and please tell your friends about it! 

   Here are some links to go to: 
  
Facebook Page

 Music Video

   Nationwide-Watch the first 10 mins for Lily Mae's story

Thanks for taking the time to read this :) 

Stay Classy, 

L xx 

Melted Crayon Art!

Greetings earthlings,

Because i haven't really selected a particular genre for this blog yet im going to try a bit of everything, so heres my first craft post! 

Melted Crayon Art: just as much fun as it sounds. 

I don't know about you but when i was in school i used to always melt crayons on the radiators for fun(rebel) so my excitement when i discovered something new could be done with them was palpable. 

The great thing about this form of art is that the end result, i think anyway, looks quite impressive for the amount of work that has to be put in. I got the idea from one of my favourite youtuber's Alfie from PointlessBlog. I enlisted the help of my other half(best friend not boyfriend..unfortunately!)It only took us about an hour in total. It was fun to do something so simple and fun together, it was like being a kid again. 

My beautiful friend at work! 

 First stage of melting (design is covered by card and masking tape) That pic is actually from my first canvas which was a complete fail but the second one looked the same at that stage :): 

The end result,purple rain! (Thats supposed to be funny cause theres a song called purple rain...)

What you need: 

One canvas- i got mine for 2 euro in euro2! 

Crayons- i bought two boxes in euro 2 so that id have a good choice of colours 

Super glue- I got mine in my ocal newsagents

Newspaper-to put underneath your canves so you don't ruin the surface underneath 

Hairdryer- to melt the crayons! 

Back paper- you can use what ever colour you want 

A pencil & a scissors- to draw and cut out your design 

Masking tape/newspaper and normal sellotape 

I'll try and explain simply what you need to do. 

Step 1. Glue your crayons along the top of the canvas. 

Step 2. Draw your design on your paper and cut it out. 

Step 3.Glue your design onto the canvas

Step 4. Cover your design in masking tape so it doesn't get covered in wax. If you don't have masking tape you can sellotape bits of newspaper over the design to protect it. 

Step 5.Leave the canvas lying flat on the ground for about 20 mins to make sure the glue holding the crayons on has dried. Trust me, it is not fun when you pick up the canvas and half the crayons fall off!

Step 6.Get out the hairdryer and get melting

Don't have the hairdryer too hot and make sure you don't melt them for too long! 

The canvas i have shown you here was my second attempt at melted crayon art. The first time i attempted melted crayon art, i had the hairdryer on a really hot setting and long story short i ended up with a canvas covered in melted wax, you wouldn't even know there had been crayons on it because they melted completely, It was a hot mess, literally.  

Once you begin melting the crayons you'll pretty much know what to do, A lot of it is up to your own personal taste, some people let the wax melt all the way down to the bottom of the canvas, the others halfway. It also depends on what design you have on your canvas as well. As you can see i have a woman holding an umbrella so i wanted the wax to pour down over her umbrella as if it were wax. Its pretty simple to get the wax to do what you want for the most part. I picked up the canvas and held it downwards or slightly to the side, depending on which way i wanted the wax to run. Once i got the wax to where i wanted it to be i would place the canvas down flat so that particular bit would dry exactly where it was. Once that bit dried, id pick it up and move on to the next bit. When you're finished and you like the design you have its best to leave it lying flat on a surface for about half an hour to dry. 

To be honest unless you do what i did the first time you're pretty much guaranteed to come out with a cool design. This is the type of art where perfection is not needed. 

I hope you guys enjoyed this post, let me know how you get on if you try it yourself! Also, please let me know if you like this genre of blog post or if you'd like me to move on to something new, or maybe return to something old. 

I was going to keep experimenting with genres until i find something that i think works... but what ive been doing so far seems to be working so maybe this blog will just be a bit of everything?? 

Stay classy, 

L xx

I hear the birds on the summer breeze, i drive fast.

Greetings earthlings, 

I must begin by apologizing for my absence over the past month. Turns out this whole 'college' thing can be pretty time consuming once you hit second year! Also turns out that i can be very, very lazy. 
I return to you all with some vital information about me: 


Lizzy Grant aka Lana Del Rey, is.my.gal. 

I love her. 

Yes, one may argue that she is 'fake' because shes obviously had cosmetic surgery on her nose and lips, what of it? She could be made 100% of silicone and i wouldn't care, talk about true love. 

I often wonder what music i used to listen to before i became Lana obsessed, then i remember....and i become even more grateful for her music. 

Whether i've been suffering from Summertime Sadness or i simply feel like i was Born To Die, Lana has been there to pick up the pieces of my cocaine heart. 

Lana Del Rey empitomises glamorous old school America and the troubling realities of that glamorous lifestyle we all yearn for. She speaks of the streets of New York and the men that have screwed her over. Whenever i listen to her music, i stare out the window and pretend to be her. Call my crazy, but i love it.  

'Drink all day and we talk till dawn'...... i think alot of us have been there!

For me, Lana takes the ordinary and makes it,extraordinary. 

Unlike many other songs i listen to, her lyrics actually mean something to me. As worrying as this may sound, i can often relate to them.  

And the music videos? My God its like the girl ventured into my imagination, took the colourful stuff, mixed it with class, put in her amazing face and put it on screen! Per.fec.tion. And she makes some of the clips herself! 

She writes all her songs too, kudos to you miss Rey. 

Although i could sit here and all day and talk about my many reasons for loving this girl, i had better leave it at that for now. 
I thought id share this love with you all because to know me is to know that i love Lana. 

Until next time, 

Stay classy, 

Lxx

There's more to life than hair, but its a good place to start!

Greetings earthlings, 

Lets talk about hair. 
I have alot of hair. One of the most frequently asked questions i receive is 'do you wear hair extensions?' the answer is no, im way too poor, and lazy. I have to admit, im really lucky with my hair, ive plenty of it and its pretty well behaved.
However, i didn't always have such a happy relationship with it! 
It used to drive me CRAZY. 
It was defintley a source of constant stress in my life, i used to feel overwhelmed by it, i just couldn't control it! 
Thankfully, i have since mastered how to take care of it properly. 
My hair and i sat down and had a long talk about it. I now realise what it needs to stay healthy and what products it does and doesn't like. Thank god for DMC's.  

Less is more. This is so true to when it comes to caring for your hair. 
When i was about 15 i used to buy every hair product going, i'd have shampoo, conditioner, masks, oils, serums, sprays, you name it, i had it. 
You'd think that the use of all these products would result in film star hair, the reality is infact quite the opposite. I ended up having hair that looked greasy and sticky 20 minutes after washing it. I put way too many different products in at once and it become a hot mess. 

My haircare routine: 

I use 3 products to take care of my hair. 

 1. Head and Shoulders(Citrus Fresh) Shampoo 3 or 4 euro,Dunnes Stores

I love this shampoo. It leaves my hair feeling really really fresh and clean. I used to use different Loreal and TreSemme shampoos but i find this the best at actually cleaning my hair. I used to find sometimes that other shampoos left a bit of residue on my scalp and hair, head and shoulders just gives it a good ole clean and will also keep any unwanted dandruff at bay! At the moment im using the Citrus Fresh version, it says on it thats its for greasy hair so it really does clean it really well. 

2. Mane'n Tail-Deep Moisturizing-Conditioner-8.95(euro)availble in most Irish pharmacies

I will be the first to admit it, the main reason i bought this brand is because Will Ferrel's character in Blade Of Glory uses it. He has good taste, its brilliant. I've only had this conditioner for about 2 weeks but its already my favourite. My hair feels stronger and is definitely softer after only 2 weeks usage. I bought the deep moisturizing(thats how they spell it) one because the ends of my hair can sometimes become a bit dry because its so long. They have a regular conditioner thats about 2 euro cheaper than this one. This one is a bit pricey but the great thing about this conditioner is that i know it will last aaaages. I've only been using teeny tiny amounts and it does the job perfectly. I'd defo recommend this one because its so good, and you gotta admit, its pretty fun to be using 'horse conditioner' hehe. 

3.L'oréal Smooth Essence light-weight protection cream-most hairdressers or ebay, about 22-25 euro 

I know what you're thinking, that is way too expensive! Fear not this bottle will last you AT LEAST 6 months, and thats presuming you use frequently. My sister introduced me to this product. This product is so good for calming hair down. All you need to do is run a blob of through the mid-ends of your hair(when its wet,before you dry it) and your hair will behave really well. It says on the bottle 'for fine hair' but i have really thick hair and it works really well on mine! It helps control frizz, flyaways, and it protects your hair from heat damage. 

I use these three products, then stick my head upside and blast it with the hairdryer, lifes too short for proper blow-drying. I normally dry it until the roots are dry and the rest is about half dry. I then clip back the front, stick the rest in a massive bun on top of my head and let nature work its magic for the rest of the day. I usually wash it in the morning cause it takes an age to dry fully!  
Another thing i find great on my hair is a big plastic wide toothed comb, brilliant for combing my hair out after the shower and apparently they do less damage to wet hair then a regular hairbrush. I think i got mine for about 2 euro in a pharmacy. 


For when your hair needs some extra TLC:  
 For those of you that have never seen/heard of it, this my friends is Bearna Natural Care's 100% Argan Oil. Any of you Irish readers may be familiar with Bearna, its an area of Galway. The founder of Bearna Natural Care hails from Bearna. 
This oil is like 50ml of magic. 
Yes 50ml is not alot but I got a bottle for Christmas and it lasted me months. 
When your hair is need of some extra TLC this is the stuff for you. Rub a few drops in the end of your hair, leave for 20 mins, then wash it out before shampooing. It will leave your hair feeling stronger and much softer. 
If you don't fancy that you can put a few drops on dry hair as a serum to calm frizz and flyaways, just make sure its only a few drops or your hair will seem greasy. 
Apart from hair this oil is brilliant for preventing and helping to reduce the appearance of stretch marks, those niggly little lines won't know what him em! 
Lots of cosmetic companies are coming out with hair oils these days, some of them even call themselves Argan Oil yet they only contain a tiny percentage of actual Argan Oil.
Bearna Natural Care's Argan Oil is the only one that is 100% legit argan oil, imported directly from Morrocco and bottled in Galway, Ireland. 
It provides employment in Morocco(its 100% fairtrade) aswell as here in Ireland, so go on, 
buy it! 
Its availble in Evergreen Healthfood stores throughout Ireland or if you don't live in Ireland you can get it online by clicking here

 I will now show you some pics of my hair on an average day, i took this pic today, i washed my hair yesterday so this is what it generally looks like after those 3 products, the wide toothed comb and my head stuck upside down in front of the hairdryer. Apologises for their 'im a 14 year old taking a new profile photo for fb' appearance, forget my expression and the arm reaching out to hold the camera, focus on the hair.Oh and apologises also for the fact that i have so much hair i couldn't fit the top of my head in the photo without cutting off half my hair, the very ends aren't even visible still, maybe i should get a haircut...
 Its not ideal but its not too bad for everyday hair? God that makes me sound pompous, don't worry people i may have gotten the hair gene but trust me, i got the cankle one too.

Heres a photo of my hair tyed up in a ponytail, cause you were so wondering what that looked like!...

 Thats it on hair! Please comment telling me about your favourite hair product/routine. Would love to hear yer opinions, if only to reassure myself that im not talking to a wall here! 

Stay classy, 
LXX




And yes, i did steal the title of this post from an Aussie shampoo bottle.

Justin Bieber's publicity stunt-Clever or just plain attention seeking?

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/10/12/article-2217019-157A7242000005DC-282_634x331.jpg

I just read an article on the dailymail website about Justin Bieber's latest publicity stunt....what do i make of it? I honestly can't decide. 

What did he do? 
Basically the Biebs posted a few tweets pretending that he had his laptop and camera stolen, resulting in the loss of personal footage. 
Im guessing a few Bielebers where concerned when they saw these tweets, but lets face it, they were all probably dying to get a look at his personal footage, maybe hoping for a sneak peek of the unedited, behind the scenes life of Bieber. 

'Since i was 14 i have had a lot of things said about me, from dying, to taking hormones, to dying again, to stuff about my family… to saying i had a baby with a woman i never even met,nude pics, drugs, my family, my character…but today…today i get to be in on it'   This was Bieber telling everyone the whole thing was a hoax, via twitter. He posted a link to his new music video 'Beauty and a Beast ft Nicki Minaj' alongside this tweet.  

Is he proving a point to us by doing this? 

Maybe he's proving to everyone that there are way too many rumours made up about him, and that way too many people believe these rumours.
Fair enough he has a point but it just seems a tad self obsessed to go to such measures to prove a point about yourself. Every celebrity has rumours made up about them, it comes with being in the public eye. I just think it was a bit immature of him to do this. I don't think theres a need for him to hit back at the rumour-starters, he needs to except that these things, have and will continue to happen. 
The entire publicity stunt was aimed at drawing attention to his new music video, but was there a need? History tells us that this video would still have gotten hundreads of millions of views without the help of a publicity stunt. Hes famous enough, only rising stars need to mess around with publicity stunts Bieber, it makes already extremely famous people look bad. How much more attention do you need? 

On the whole, whats being said about him is positive. All one has to do is type in Bieber to Twitter and their page will be full of 'Beliebers' claiming their love for him and discusssing the things they love best about him. It was these people that made him what he is today, a global superstar. 
I think he should be focusing on the love he gets rather than the hate. 


But then again, he does often tweet about how grateful he is etc. Maybe he was right to address the rumour starters? 
Now im just contradicting myself, i don't know what i think anymore! 

All i can say is, this boy could tweet about breakfast cereal and his fans would still pay as much attention to it. 

He is one loved 18 year old thats for sure. 

Stay classy, 

Lxx


-Please comment below on your thought on Bieber's publicity stunt, and Bieber in general!