Lovely Gifts I Got for my Birthday

As you probably know last Friday was my birthday, I was the big 23. It was such a lovely day from start to finish, it couldn't of been better. I thought I'd share with you the presents I received this year. I really wasn't expecting so much as I didn't celebrate a milestone birthday or anything but I'm really grateful for everything I got.

My lovely boyfriend Paddy bought me a new camera which I'm in love with. It's a Fujifilm Finepix S4300 and I absolutely adore it. It's a bridge camera so in simple terms it's half way between a standard digital and SLR. It is just perfect for me and I've already started using it so much. He got me the carry case to go with it too, so I'm basically sorted. I'm still trying to figure out how it works and such but expect to see a lot of pictures in upcoming blog posts. I've wanted a new camera for ages but saying that I'm still going to hold on to my old school pink digital. It did me well for the past couple of years and I know I won't be bringing my new one on nights out. Paddy also picked me up some beauty related bits, a Philosophy and This Works gift set. I haven't tried too many products from the latter so I'm looking forward to giving them a go as I've heard very good things. On the other hand I absolutely love Philosophy, their shower gels are amazing and smell incredible. This set contains four minis so it will definitely keep me going for a while.

My Nanna picked me up a new pair of runners and some workout clothes. I'm started jogging and going to the Gym more so I was really happy with this present. She did well picking out the runners  as purple is my favourite colour. I've been wearing these runners pretty much everyday since I bought them. There just really handy for walking to work, I definitely have a spring in my step when I wear these. Nanna also bought me three gorgeous notebooks which are so pretty. She knows all about my blog so I think this was a really special touch. I'll get a lot of use out of these, I'm forever jotting down notes. My Aunty picked me up a Philosophy gift set too. This one contains a shower gel and body lotion. Needless to say they both smell heavenly. 

My little brother Gerard bought me two books, I'm sure a lot of you have heard of Blog INC already. I'm delighted he picked both of these up for me as I love a good read. I have a feeling my Mom helped him pick out The Wah Nails Book of Nail Art as its probably not something he'd pick up himself. Some of the nail looks in the book are amazing so hopefully I'll be able to recreate some. I'll show some on the blog if I can, fingers crossed.

My lovely friend Sinead was on holidays in Florida recently and she brought me back some lovely makeup goodies. I LOVE Wet n'Wild so I was delighted to see two of their eyeshadow trios as a part of my gift. Both are so pigmented and make lovely eye looks. I just wish we could get this brand over here. She also got me one of their lipsticks which I haven't tried before so I'm intrigued to see what there like. I've heard so much about CoverGirl's new mascara Clump Crusher on numerous blogs so I can't wait to see what it's like. I heard their mascaras are similar to Maxfactor, I'll let you know my thoughts on this. Lastly she picked me up a gorgeous Essie polish in the shade Big Spender which I'm wearing on my nails at this very minute. It's so pretty, this will definitely be getting a lot of love in the coming months.

My Mom picked me up this cute Minnie Mouse makeup bag and filled it with these lovely goodies. I adore Nivea lip butters so I'm glad I have the full collection of them. They smell amazing and are so moisturising on the lips. I did get another present which I'm beyond excited about. I'm going to New York with my family at the end of the year!! I've never been before so this is going to be a trip of a lifetime. I'm going to start saving for it now as I have a feeling a lot of shopping will be done. There's so many different touristy bits I want to visit, like the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building etc. I also want to go to see a show on Broadway. I really can't wait it's going to be such an amazing trip! If you have any recommendations on places I should visit definitely let me know, I'll be making lists.

Until the next post,

Laura<3

23..

Today I celebrated my 23rd birthday! I had such an amazing day, the weather was fairly nice out which was a big change from the rain we've been getting by the bucketful lately. Thanks for all the lovely birthday messages you guys sent me on Twitter so nice to wake up to them. I got some really nice presents this year from my family, they were far to good to me! Paddy also got me a new camera that I'm completely in LOVE with. I can't wait to start using it, I'll probably have to read up on the manual first as I've never had such a fancy camera before. If you'd like to see a post on what I got for my birthday let me know in the comments.

I had a pretty relaxed day, Paddy and I headed out on the Dart to Dun Laoighre. We the nice weather and walked from Dun Laoighre to Killiney. It was a bit of a trek but I really enjoy this walk everytime I do it. Walking down the coast road is so nice, I love looking at all the scenery. I think we Irish can take them for granted sometimes. Saying that the horrible weather we've been having lately doesn't really help either. Throughout the walk I spotted lots of seats facing the sea, I would happily sit there and take in the view all day. On the way to Killiney Dart Station we walked by Bono's house so of course I got a snap of that, that being the big green gates outside. I forgot to take a photo the last time I did this walk so I didn't want to forget this time around. When I got the bus back home, I met up with my Mom  and went for dinner to Milanos which is kinda like Pizza Express in the UK. I think they're the same company but I'm not a 100% sure. After all the walking I did I was starving so this really hit the spot, so yummy! I didn't get to picture the food I got, let's just say it disappeared almost immediately.

I have such an amazing day, I can't believe another year has come and gone. I'm looking forward to seeing what life has in store for my 23rd year! If it's anything like the last it will definitely be a good one.

Laura<3

28 Days of Kisses - Day 15 (My Bday) = Rouge D'Armani Sheer Lipstick in Brown

Seeing as it's my birthday today I thought I'd go for a luxurious lipstick and Rouge D'Armani Sheer lipstick in Brown ticked all the right boxes with me. This is definitely one of the more pricier products in my collection. I know they retail for around the €30 but it's true what that say you really do pay for the quality. The sleek black packaging is so luxurious with the signature Giorgio Armani design in silver around the bullet, I love taking this out of my makeup bag. When you replace the lid it snaps with a magnetic click which I love hearing the sound of, right assured this won't open in your bag anytime soon.

This lipstick is amazing and one of my current favourites for February. 202 brown is a subtle pinky brown colour, that extremely wearable. On my lips it's more on the pink side of things and will go perfectly with any makeup look, a definite 'my lips but better' shade.It's applies beautifully to the lips and doesn't get stuck in any fine lines. I'm already planning out my next Giorgio Armani lipstick purchase, I'm definitely going to go for another lipstick from their sheer range. Now all I need to do is pick the shade which may be a difficult task. I'm off to start my birthday celebrations,the boy and I are going on a bit of a Dart trip but I don't know where to yet. Don't worry I'll bring my camera with me and show you all what I get up to for the day.

What do you think of Giorgio Armani lipsticks? What's your favourite shade?

Laura<3