'A Picture Says a Thousand Words' Tag :)

Hey everybody! Back again with something that I've been thinking about doing with a while :) So I see people with scrapbooks and photo albums, or photo collections on Blogs, look books etc, and I was thinking, What memories do I have from any of my pictures? So I decided on a blog tag, to try remember something that happened when such a picture was taken :) Random I know, but I thought it would be fun :) I will select about 15-20 pictures at random from my computer and say what I remember :)
So here goes,

1.

What I remember of this, is that it was one of our last days in secondary school, I think it was our last P.E class, our teacher was so sound, he went out and bought us cornetto's as there was only a few of us in class :) Simpler times!

2.

Well this is a few years back! I was on school holidays in Transition year and went in to stay with my sisters in College in Galway, this is my oldest sister Aisling and I :) in my other sisters house :) Felt like such a grown up! :P

3.

This was taken in Paris, in front of the Louvre :) Myself and my boyfriend Stephen :) It had started out as a lovely day, so I wore a white shirt from Penney's and when we finished walking down the Champs Elysee, it started to rain, luckily enough Ste had a new hoodie bought for himself so I stuck on his old one :D I also put this up on Instagram and got about 50 likes haha! 

4.

This Picture was taken in November 2012 :D My friend had booked tickets to Michael McIntyre for our other friend so four of us went up :) After this night myself and my boyfriend got back together after a few months apart :) <3 Great memories of this night in Dublin <3

5

This was a picture taken of Old man/gender transformation makeup I did in college :) I thought I looked so funny and pretended to be a member of Clare County Council :P 

6.

This is a picture take of me and Stephen literally just after we started going out :) I love this picture :D We went to Fibber Magee's in Galway :D

7.

This is slightly embarassing :P this is one taken of me when I was about 15, I was Sister Margaretta...or 'Margie' in the school musical of 'The Sound Of Music' Our choreographer told us how we were picked according to our most suitable roles :P me a nun??

8.

This was the last day of secondary school, we all signed our school shirts, messages and private jokes :) ahhh the memories!! 

9. 

Love this picture :D this was a night out after I finished work summer 2012 to start college :D I was told I looked really well in this :) and I remember Stephen liking this on fb when we weren't even friends on it!..ooooh scandal lol ;) good times :D

10.

Love this! This was my 19th birthday :D had such a great night in Galway :) and another memory of the boyfriend liking this when we weren't going out ;)

11.

hahaha this was from the night we got together November 12' :D great night after Michael McIntyre in Dublin :D I think we were dancing to 'Sexy Bitch'

12.

Cheeeesy but had to put this in :) My Communion day! May 2001 :) I remember feeling like such a princess haha!

13.

Love this! This is from my Debs :D me and Caitie :D this was taken on the bus journey to Balinasloe where it was being held and we had such craic :) 

14. 

Another photo I love taken from a hilarious night out in June 12' :) had such a good night in Galway and love that maxi dress! :O 

15.

Christmas 12 :p This was a photo taken in what was 'The Bentley' in Galway, now closed :( had such a good night, as you can probably tell :P finished work and off I went out with my friends :D Great memories!

16. 

Had to add this picture :D This was taken the night Ste and I got back together after only being friends for months :) Was such a funny yet romantic night ;) 'but you work in a hotel?? haha! Signs on 2 years later and we're happy out :) 

Ok so guys that is my tag done and dusted, really hope this catches on as I thought it would be something fun :) 

Whoever wants to do this next, feel free! :)

Thanks guys :)

Sandy.S

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Top Summer fragrances!

Hey guys ! : ) So this time I'm going to write something about my favorite fragrances, which is new for me! I will show you which ones I cannot leave the house without, most suitable fragrances for certain occasions and of course how to make them last longer! :) Perfumes are something I cannot live without, literally. I remember being in School and all my friends use to tell me that whenever I walked onto the bus or in to class it was like being in a perfumery haha! I can't help it I like to smell good! My favourite thing to do when shopping is to pop into a pharmicy, perfume shop or somewhere like Debenhams and go straight to the Perfume! It's no shock that I have loads and would like to share them with you :) 

♥The fragrance I am going to start with is Britney Spears 'Fantasy' 

Now this perfume has been one of my favorites for years! I think it was the first proper perfume I got (not including the Barbie perfume I had years ago :P) This perfume is a blend of Jasmine Petals, White Chocolate Orchid, Red Lychee, Golden Quince, Kiwi, Musk, Orris Root and Sensual woods. It is a very seductive scent and I always get compliments when ever I wear it, it is strong enough that you need only a a spritz or two of this and it WILL last all day! This is a fact! I would wear this for a date or a going to the cinema or something. This is a perfect summer scent! The bottle is pink with little green crystals on the bottle and is perfect to carry in your bag! 

♥The next scent is another Britney Spears! This is called 'Believe' I wore this one of the first dates I went on with my boyfriend and he loved it so I keep going back to it :) It has notes of Guava, Tangerine, Honeysuckle, Lime Blossom, Praline, Amber and Patchouli...it even just sounds delicious! My sister bought this for me for christmas a few years ago and keep going back to this also. I like to wear this even just for going around the house, going for a walk or to the shops. It's long lasting and has an amazing 'fresh' smell to last throughout the day. It comes in a lovely glass bottle in a kind of halfcut diamond shape and a green liquid. I highly recommend this if your looking for something simple but sweet!

♥My next favorite is Becham 'signature' from the famous Beckhams :) I honestly don't know why I love this so much because it's not my usual scent, but when I smelt it first I had to have it because I thought it was so unusual! My friends boyfriend got this for her as a present ages ago, she let me have a spritz and a few months later I went out and bought it myself! It has notes of Orchid, Heliotrope, Vanilla, Star Anise, Green Apple, Patchouli, Amber and Musk. It's a very musky floral scent but I keep going back to it. I actually bought this for 11€ in Boots! I would wear this for going out with my boyfriend or to dinner or something. I recommended this to a lot of people as I really think for such a a cheap price people would think it was a Chanel, or DKNY perfume. I really recommend this for somebody looking to impress their partner with something different :) 

♥I have always loved DKNY perfumes (I actually currently have my eye on the Be Delicious pink fragrance) and my long term favorite has either been Be Delicious the green bottle or 'Women'. I love DKNY perfumes because they are so fruity and citrusy. 'Women' is noted with Daffodil, Orchid, Water Lily, Blood Orange, Tomato Leaf, Vodka, Birch and Tulip. This is a very warm scent, it smells like warm oranges and I like to wear this at Christmas as it's a very festive and warm scent. Be Delicious 'Green apple' is a very summery scent. It has notes of American Apple, Cucumber, Grapefruit, Candid Magnolia, Tuberose, White Muguet, Rose, Violet, Sandalwood, Tender Skin Accord, Blonde Woods and White Amber. It is so refreshing and unique. I would wear this to a festival or even to the beach! 

♥The next scent is Juicy Couture 'Viva La Juicy' I have loved this scent for years! I got it as my 16th birthday present off of my friends and then last Christmas off my boyfriend. This is an extremely floral, flirty scent. One spritz of this and the scent can be smelled across the room, which they say is a great perfume. The notes in this beauty are Wild Berries, Mandarins, Honeysuckle, Gardenia, Jasmine, Amber, Caramel, Vanilla, Sandalwood and Praline. As Sephora says 'The Viva la Juicy girl never turns down a glass of champagne or the chance to get into the tiniest bit of trouble' You could wear this on a night out and it would last all night long! 

♥My second most favorite is Georgio Armani 'Armani Code' I absolutely adore this perfume! It's the type of perfume I'm afraid to use all of because I'll miss it too much. I wore this perfume a lot when I started going out with my boyfriend and always wear it on a night out since. Just because it makes you feel elegant no matter what your wearing! It is another warm scent with notes of Blood Orange, Ginger, Pear Sorbet, Sambac Jasmine, Orange Blossom, Seringa Flower, Lavender Honey, Precious Woods Complex and Vanilla. It is extremely Seductive and Femenine.

♥Wait for it...(drumroll please...) My most used and favorite fragrance has to be Alien eau Extraordinaire by Thierry Mugler. This is something I only discovered recently but has already made it to the top of my list! Another perfume my boyfriend got for me (I'm spoiled rotten by him the monkey) after I showed him a tester I got in Cara Pharmacy and he loved it! So ladies, men love this! I love this perfume not just because of the scent but it's an 'eco fill' bottle also, meaning when you have used it up, you can just go back and buy the refill bottle for cheaper, amazing right? The notes alone sound intriguing, with Tunisian Neroli, Bergamot, Tahitian Tiare, Cashmere Wood and White Amber. The bottle is beautiful, a simple clear bottle with a gold lid. According to Sephora it's based on a 'celestial goddess from a world of brilliant light that radiates sensuality and absolute serenity' ...right, it sounds pretty though! I wear this everywhere! Going on dates, outside, beach, walking, going out... I just love it this much. So, as you've guessed I defenitely recommend this! 

♥Now come my tips on how to make sure any perfume you use is long lasting :)

We've all heard about Cleopatra, the famous Egyptian Queen. Legend says that when she wanted to wrap Marc Anthony around her little finger, she dressed like the goddess Venus and sailed in on a barge bedecked with gold and silver and so redolent with fragrance that "perfumes diffused themselves from the vessel to the shore." So, she must have known that of all the senses in the body, smell is the most powerful to enticing passion. Smells are perceived by the brain's limbic system, the same region that's involved in mood and emotion. Aroma and emotion flow like two streams that converge. But how do you make it last long enough? 

♥Applying scents to the body is actually more effective than on clothes or fabric. If you locate any pulse points in the body (anywhere you feel your pulse) these are most effective for applying scent. Areas such as below the earlobes, temples, throat, wrist, even behind the knee. But do not rub in the scent as this damages the molecules of the fragrance.

 ♥Another area I have been told is your hair, if you spray perfume into your hair after washing and styling it, it will last longer. 

♥If you have dry skin, make sure to use a moisturizer on the skin before applying perfume as the alcahol in the scent evaporates quicker on dry skin compared to oily skin. If your afraid of the moisturizer's smell overpowering the perfume look for one with the same scent or a non smelling one. I've heard Burts Bees do a great non smelling skincare range. 

♥Try to keep Perfumes in a stable temperature that's not too hot, if you cannot escape the heat then use a fridge! If they are exposed to too much heat or sunlight they degrade and develop "off aromas". It could even damage your skin :/ So make sure to keep them in a dark area with a stable temperature

♥Last but not least, ever get a perfumed body lotion with your perfume? Make sure to use this before you put on your favorite scent. It works better after a shower, so I advise to exfoliate your skin first and then apply this lotion in the shower as it already has the scent on your body, which will double when you apply the perfume.

So everyone, there you have it, another update from me on my favorites, tips and tricks!

As ever, hope you enjoyed :)

Thanks for reading! 

Sandy.S

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