The Lo Down - What I Got for my 27th Birthday!

Hey Guys and Dolls,

Last week I celebrated my 27th birthday, it was so nice to spend some quality time with my family and boyfriend during the week. I got some lovely gifts and I was so spoiled. I'm going to show you guys what I got on the day.

From my parents I received a Marc Jacobs perfume set. I'm a huge fan of Marc Jacobs perfumes so I was so happy with this gift, it was so thoughtful of them. The scent they got me is called Decadence and it's the latest fragrance from the brand. It came in a beautiful giftbox with a shower gel that I can't wait to to use. I love this gift and I can see this becoming my signature scent.

From my boyfriend I got a couple of gifts. Firstly he got me Season 2,3 and 4 of Once a Upon a Time. A T.V series that I'm really enjoying at the moment I watch it every night before I go to bed I love it. I can't wait to get stuck into these. I like nothing more than cuddling up in my pyjamas and watching this show. I'm actually going to do a review on Season 1 really soon. He also got me a Harry Potter Hogwarts Crest Light. He knows I'm a big fan of Harry Potter so this was the most perfect gift. I'm trying to find somewhere nice to put it in my room at the minute.

Of my sister, Lisa I received the new Nicholas Sparks book, Two by Two which I can't wait to read as I like this author alot. If you don't recognise the name he is actually the write behind much loved book/film The Notebook. If you haven't read/seen this it's definitely a tear jerker so don't forget the tissues, they're much needed. As she knows I love blogging and jotting down my ideas on the go so she bought me a beautiful notebook from Penneys/Primark. I love it she knows me way too well. Lastly she bought me Catrice's Matt Plush foundation. I'm a big fan of this brands foundations so I can't wait to try this one.

From my brother Gerard I got five scratchcards and I luckily won €25 which was great. I bought a few Loreal products which you can see in the picture above. These are just newly launched and they look great so I will be testing them out very soon.

My Nanna and Grandad gave me a beautiful card with €40 in it which was much needed and I got some lovely stuff in Penneys. They also bought me a beautiful Yankee candle in the scent Cappuchino Truffle. This candle smells amazing. Yankee Candles are definitely my favourite candles ever. I have nowhere to put it at the moment in my room but I'm going to take a trip to IKEA soon to pick up a new desk.

Lastly my Auntie Val got me JK Rowling's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Screenplay. I love Harry Potter so I know I'm definitely going to love this. I haven't seen the movie so I'm looking forward to reading this first.

So that's what I got for my birthday I got some amazing presents so I'm very thankful indeed.

Laura<3

The Lo Down - My 27th Birthday Makeup

Hey Guys and Dolls,

Last Wednesday I celebrated my birthday and I had such an amazing day. I actually did a blog post on the day which you can check out here. I just chilled out really and spent it with my family. I'm meeting up with my boyfriend over the weekend though for drinks so that should be fun indeed. I need to relax with a nice Gin and Tonic that's for sure.

My makeup day on the day was quite simple yet a little glam as of course it was my birthday after all. I used some of the products I used for my Valentine's day look as they are just so good and staples in my makeup bag at the moment. I don't think I could be without them even though some of them are newbies.

So the makeup products I used are as follows. On the face I used Loreal's True Match foundation and concealer. I only bought this recently in Boots on offer for 2 for €15 and I'm delighted I did. It gives a nice amount of coverage and isn't drying on the skin one little bit. As I said in my Valentine's day I apply this foundation using my Louise Young foundation brush and it gives the nicest finish. I bought this in Harvey Nichol's Dundrum a couple of years ago now so I'm not too sure if you can still get it there. It is on the pricey side of things at €30 but it's a really good brush to have I use it all the time. It gets into all the really hard to reach areas on your face and it makes applying foundation a dream.

Now on to the eyes, I used two products on the eyes and I absolutely love both of them. For eyeshadow I used the Too Faced Sweet Peach palette, this palette is pretty new to my collection. I bought it back in January but I've been using it alot especially the shade Luscious all over the lid. It looks amazing and I hope I don't hit pan on it for ages. I actually did a review on the palette which you can check out here. Out of all the Too Faced palettes it's probably my favourite one. For mascara I used Max Factor Fusion mascara as I said in my Valentine's Day post this is amazing and works wonders on the oul lashes I have to say. It gives a really nice volume and makes my lashes look a million dollars, now that's saying something. I do know when I run out of this stuff I'll definitely be buying a new one that's for sure.

Lastly I straightened my hair. I have a long bob at the moment and it looks ways better when it's straight even though I do wear it curly from time to time. I feel like the bob is much easier to handle than my long messy mane.

So that's my 27th birthday look in a nut shell. It was very simple and didn't take too long to create at all which is great as I had more time to celebrate my birthday. I'm definitely going to do more of these style posts in the future as I enjoy reading them myself.

Laura<3

The Lo Down - My 27th Birthday

Hey Guys and Dolls,

This week I turned the grand old age of 27. I'm starting to feel old I have to say. In a sort of good way though I have a lot more wisdom and maturity.

Last Friday I went out for dinner to celebrate with the people that mean the most to me my family and my boyfriend. Unfortunately my Sister couldn't make it but I'm sure I'm going to meet up with her and my nephew really soon. We went to a Thai restaurant in Ballinteer called The Blue Orchid and it was beyond yummy. The food was unreal, I got a shared starter with my boyfriend Daragh and for my main course I had chicken and cashew nuts in a birds nest. This is my absolute fave it's so tasty and it was so filling we were all stuffed by the time we were finished.

Daragh and I stuck around after and went to my local pub The Coach House for a few drinks. Gin and tonic for me and a pint of Heinekeen for himself if you were wondering. I like this pub as the atmosphere is always good and the staff are lovely. We all had such a nice evening and it was lovely to have a sit down meal with everyone. That doesn't happen enough in my opinion so it's nice when birthdays come along as we always do something nice to celebrate.

On my actual birthday which was yesterday (Wednesday), I had a skincare event in town in the morning and in the evening I went out for food with my Mom. We went to Chopped which is my favourite salad bar. If you haven't been before I'd suggest trying the Celtic Harvest it's so tasty. I never feel guilty eating here as it's really good for you aswell. Afterwards we went shopping in Dundrum Town Centre which was nice, I picked up a few bit and bobs whilst there.

On Tuesday the day before my birthday I went shopping with my Sister which I haven't done in ages as we've been both so busy lately. She came up to my house with my nephew so we escaped for a while to do our own thing. It was nice to have a catch up cause we hadn't actually spoken in weeks. She's actually coming to a fitness event with me in March so we're both very excited for that. Sure it will be something different.

I also received some lovely thoughtful gifts on the day which I will feature in a post towards the end of the week.

All in all I had a lovely birthday week surrounded by the people I love and care about the most, I had a blast. I was worried about turning 27 recently but I needn't have been as it's not too bad I have to say. I'm looking forward to seeing what my 27th year has in store for me.

Laura<3