What to Wear: St. Patrick's Day

Ahhhh St. Patrick's Day, the day everybody wants to be Irish! Sometimes it can be hard to decide what to wear, so I've put together a day time and night time outfit that steers clear of any tacky 'Kiss Me I'm Irish" paraphernalia! 

Jeans**Hat**Blazer**Clutch**Shoes**Top

This is my daytime look, suitable for chilling in town watching the parade or going for a spot of lunch. I know Saturday is promised cold and showery (What, in Ireland? Now that's a shock!) so I've thrown in a woolly hat for good measure! This is the perfect occasion to wear bright coloured skinnies that are in all the shops at the moment and I know that I'll be rocking my bright green pair from Vero Moda. I absolutely love this combination of mint green and blush pink! ♥♥♥

Necklace**Earrings**Clutch**Shoes**Dress

Now onto my night time look where I've gone for a classic dark green dress. I adore this colour and need to inject more of it into my wardrobe! You could easily team bright colour accessories with this look if you want to rock some colour blocking, but I've kept the accessories nude and muted for this look so as not to distract from the beautiful emerald colour. How cool is this necklace? Well it is a Holy Day after all!

I'm afraid I won't get to see any parades as I will be coming back up from a wedding on Saturday morning. I'm hoping to "drown the shamrock" with a few friends in the pub in the evening while we watch the rugby and hopefully see Ireland slaughter England! Will you be celebrating St. Patrick's Day wherever you are in the world? What are your plans?

All together now....With a shillelagh in me ear and some shamrock up me nose, I'll be off to Connemara in the morn-in'!!


HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!
 

30 Day Shred: Days 3 & 4

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DAY 3: LEVEL 1

My legs were definitely the sorest they've been today. Once again I struggled at work with the pain. I struggled again in the same spots during the workout. I still haven't managed the advanced push up and I'm not sure if I will. I've never been able to do them properly! Squats really got to me today and I even found the sit ups got to me. I was a sweaty mess when the 20 minutes were up! All my good intentions to go for a run went out the window. I'm mad at myself that I haven't ran since Sunday, but maybe it's best to build up strength in my legs first.

DAY 4: LEVEL 1:

When I woke up this morning, I barely had any aching in my legs. FINALLY!! I thought it was going to be there forever. I still haven't managed to get through the jumping jacks/skipping rope repetition without having to stop for a couple of seconds but I endured it for that bit longer today. I'm not sure if I found the workout a little bit easier today or if it's just that I know what's coming and I'm mentally prepared for it. Either way, I'm finding that the 20 minutes fly.

I'm not going to get to shred on Saturday and possibly Sunday, and combined with two days of drinking, I'm worried that it's going to put me back at square one the next day I do it....time will tell I guess! On a side note, I go through phases of eating breakfast and for the last year or so I had got into the habit of eating a cereal bar and a piece of fruit around 10am (after being up since 7:45) and I'd be starving within the hour, consequently snacking more throughout the day. So this week when I started the shred, I've been having a small bowl of porridge at 8am and I haven't felt hungry until nearly midday, therefore eating less as the day goes on. I also find I'm not hungry for hours after I do the shred.

I've created a Fitness Inspiration board on Pinterest to keep me motivated!

 

Kate Middleton: Style Icon or Queen's Protégé?

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This piece was originally posted by me on Studenty

Every little girl dreams of becoming a princess. Living in a castle, all the beautiful dresses you can dream of and of course, marrying a handsome prince. Little less than a year ago, Kate Middleton lived out this fairytale for all the prying eyes of the world to see when she wed Prince William in a lavish, breathtaking and televised ceremony. But is being a princess all that it’s cracked up to be, or is it really just a fairytale?

When it comes down to it, it seems to me that being the Duchess of Cambridge isn’t quite as glamorous as it sounds. Personally, I don’t think I’d like to be separated from my husband for long periods of time while he is deployed to various parts of the world, or having to spend so much time on my own hanging out with his Granny and Granddad. Although, as bad as all that is, the thing that would completely send me over the edge is the fact that said Granny is dictating what I wear! That’s a step too far in my book!

However, last week it appears that Kate Middleton chose to ignore The Queen’s stellar advice to “keep her hemlines low” when they stepped out together for a royal engagement in Leicester regarding the upcoming Queen’s Jubilee tour and Kate donned a dark teal skirt. Nonetheless there was outcry as, SHOCK HORROR, Kate flashed a bit of thigh not once, but twice as she exited the limo and as she bent down to accept flowers from a young boy. The skirt reached just above her knee and to me, looked classy and elegant, but apparently this flash of skin is not acceptable for a member of the royal family.

So it got me wondering, does Kate Middleton have innate style, or is the way she dresses completely influenced by the protocol that comes with being the Duchess of Cambridge? There is no denying she has become a style icon when we see the pieces she wears, whether high street or designer, selling out in a matter of minutes. From the photos of her days in college with Prince William we can see that apart from a dodgy knee high boots with a glittery green halter neck combination and of course that now iconic see through dress she wore in a fashion show that made her Prince sit up and pay attention, Kate has always been elegant and respectable. She quickly transitioned from floaty tea dresses with structured blazers to floor length gowns and coat dresses and she has no problem pulling off items below the knee with her long and slender legs.

Critics may say some of her choices are too safe, but to me her style is not only age appropriate, but also classic and graceful. It can’t be easy to be constantly judged by the masses, try to please the in-laws and still stay true to her individual style. She is an exceptional role model when it comes to dressing like a lady and I think it would be no harm if girls in their teens and twenties paid heed to  the Queens advice to “keep the hemlines” low. 

What do you think of Kate Middleton's style? Do you feel she would dress differently if she wasn't a member of the Royal Family?

 

30 Day Shred: Day 2

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DAY 2: LEVEL 1

My legs were in absolute agony all morning, especially my big 'ol thighs. I pretty much spent the day shuffling around work as it hurt to lift my legs off the ground! You should have seen me trying to walk down the stairs, I was literally gripping the hand rail and walking down sideways going "Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow." Also bending down to bottom shelves was a killer, I wasn't sure if I'd ever get back up!

Needless to say I was dreading doing Day 2 of the 30 Day Shred when I got home from work as I wasn't sure if my poor legs could manage it. I was actually surprised at how much they loosened up in the warm up! I found the transition from jumping jacks to skipping rope and back again the hardest part again today, if not harder than yesterday, and I was nearly crying with the agony in my thighs. Also, anything involving squatting burned like hell. My legs do feel a lot looser now than before I did today's session though. I used two bottles of water as my weights today but I doubt I'll feel anything in my arms from them tomorrow. I'm actually surprised at myself, as I thought the abs exercises would hurt me the most but I'm finding them quite manageable and although I can feel a little knot in my stomach muscles, it's not too bad!

God knows what my legs will feel like tomorrow but I'm ready to face Day 3! Also intending to go for another run tomorrow evening if I'm still anyways mobile.

 

I'm running with wolves and I'm on the prowl...

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Well hello people!

 So you may or may not have noticed that I took a two week break from the internet there! It was actually nice to come home from work and avoid my laptop completely! I think it's healthy to take a break from technology from time to time and boy was it nice not to see a gazillion similar posts about beauty boxes on my dashboard! Anyway, my friend Heather was visiting from Canada for a week so I had some great nights out with her and some other friends, and last week I just couldn't find the time to even think about blogging. I'm back now though!

Yesterday, Sunday, I did something completely out of character. I got up early and went for a run. I have never in my life done that before. Let me rewind a bit. When I was younger I did Irish Dancing so was quite fit from that, but gave it up towards the end of Primary school. In the early years of Secondary school I played some basketball stopped after second year for no particular reason (except I'm 5 foot 2 and at the time didn't have contacts, so it didn't really work!). I spent my PE classes in the latter years of school with my teacher roaring at me and my best friend Mandy to stop chatting at the end of the field and run after what ever ball we were meant to be playing with that day!! (Sorry Mr. Boland!) I did walk absolutely everywhere for pretty much all my life though, which kept me trim but not exactly fit.

I would say the fittest I've ever been was the year I spent travelling. Being on a backpackers budget meant that public transport wasn't really an option and if you have a big city to explore, you have no choice but to spend hours walking to get to certain destinations. Couple that with hiking to glorious views and a lot of swimming, when the year was up I was as fit as a fiddle! 

I've always maintained in or around the same weight and measurements, but in the last six months and in particular the last month, I have put on a little over a stone and my measurements have gotten that bit bigger. I know that it has come from the zero exercise and the increase in takeaways I've consumed. Essentially I feel so sluggish and generally unhealthy and unfit and it's starting to make me unhappy. So I've made the decision to do something about it. 

So yesterday morning, I pulled on my €15 Aldi runners (I couldn't justify spending a fortune on something so ugly and I reckon they'll serve me just fine), grabbed Aidan and we went out to the local beach in Salthill and hit the promenade. I did a combination of walking and running for 45 minutes, and to be fair, there was a lot more walking! For the short bursts I did run, I thought my chest and legs were going to seize up completely. Lads,if you saw me at the end of it, my face so red and puffy and covered in sweat, you would have fallen over laughing at me! I was so envious of all the of the runners overtaking me (more than once) without even breaking a sweat, but I'm not gonna lie, I felt kinda proud of myself after it, just for taking that first step. Jesus did my legs kill today though!

Then today I decided to take it up a notch. I'm serious about this thing. . .I'm going to do Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. In the past I have seen bloggers mention it and how hard it is, but never really paid much heed. Until today. For those of you who haven't heard of Jillian Michaels, she's a trainer on the Biggest Loser and she takes no sh*t!! She's an absolute demon! Her DVD contains three intense levels that you're meant to work your way through in 30 days. The main areas I want to work on are my abs, bum and thighs so this DVD is perfect for me. So here goes. . .

DAY 1: LEVEL 1

Now there is a lot of weight training in this DVD and at the moment I don't have any weights so I know I'm not getting the workout to it's full potential but as my arms aren't really a problem area, I'm not overly worried. I still do the movements, just without the weights. My legs were killing me from the run yesterday so even before the end of the warm up I was in serious pain!! The hardest part for me was going from the jumping jacks to the skipping rope and back again, my calves felt like they were going to explode.  It was a tough 20 minutes, and I felt like giving up a few times but I powered through and seriously worked up a sweat. There's no point pretending, IT IS HARD, and this was only day 1!! Right now my legs are like jelly and I'm dreading how they are going to feel in the morning, but all in all I'm feeling really positive and I'm kind of looking forward to doing it again tomorrow (I may not feel that way in the morning though when I can't walk!)

Briefly, in other news, I'm off to a wedding on Friday, I have a job interview next Wednesday that I'm kacking myself about because I really want to get out of where I am now, and I'm off to Edinburgh for a few days in April, which I'm beyond excited about! Oh and as I am currently reading The Hunger Games and absolutely loving it, I thought I'd stick this in for the lolz. . .

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Thanks to anyone who has actually read this far down the post, that was a bit of a ramble! If anyone has done or is doing the 30 Day Shred at the moment, I'd love to know how your finding it? Or if there's any runners out there with some words of encouragement let me know! Right, I've been typing this with my legs crossed and I think I may cry a little when I try to undo them =/ Wish me luck!

No light, No light....

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This is what I would love to spend my weekend at but I don't think the weather will co-operate! Proper Spring days can't get here quick enough...feck off rain! I'm really looking forward to just chillaxing with the boy this weekend and pottering around lovely Galway. As I mentioned before, my friend Heather from Canada is coming for a visit as of Sunday, so I may be MIA next week, but I'm not sure what our plans are as of yet! Oh, I set up a pretty*petite*poppy facebook page this week, so if you want to have a nosy and hit like you can do so here. I'm not sure what I'll use it for exactly, but it'll be updated with recent posts from the blog and other random things I come across. Also you can follow me on Bloglovin here. Enjoy your weekend y'all! X

The BRIT Awards 2012. . .

Last night saw the celebs hit the red carpet once again for the BRIT Awards. When I think about the BRIT awards, it always brings me back to the 'Oasis or Blur' debate of the mid 90's. Ah, them were the days, waiting to see who got the most pissed at the ceremony and what kind of new rift would be sparked between them. Nowadays I'm more interested in what the stars are wearing. Speaking of Blur, did anyone else notice last night they looked like they had just stepped out of 1996?

Here's a few of my favourite frocks. Although Jessie J's sheer red number didn't leave much to the imagination, I loved that she took a risk and I think she looked stunning. I loved her hair as well and that she moved away from her usual blunt bob. Holly Willoughbooby certainly got it right and lived up to her nickname with this plunging neckline. I love the peplum detail on her hips. Adele's red carpet dress wasn't very dissimilar to her Grammy's gown but I much preferred the dress she wore for her performance. I do wish she would wear something other than black for a change.

I loved the colour of Kylie's dress, on a night where a lot of singers chose red or black. I'm not a big fan of the style of the dress though. I liked Lana Del Ray's dress but it didn't blow me away and her acceptance speech cemented the fact that I can not stand her. Florence Welch stayed true to her usual ethereal style in a peach number but in certain light it was hard to distinguish the dress from her pale skin. It contrasted beautifully with her ruby locks.

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First time BRIT winners, One Direction looked very dapper in their suits in various shades of grey. Whoever is styling them is definitely getting a thumbs up from me! I loved the colour of will.i.am's shirt and his little white bow tie! He needs to lose the Madonna gloves though.

I was so so SO disappointed with the outfit choices for Little Mix. Leigh Ann is dressed like she's in her forties and they just looked so mismatched together. Bring back they're cute original style! When I first saw Rihanna's dress I loved it, but the more I see it in photographs, I hate it. Especially the long brown leather evening gloves. Gaaaaaaaaggg. As for Pixie Lott, this dress creates an odd silhouette and does her no favours. She's gone down in my style estimations of late.

Next up is the Oscars at the weekend, red carpet heaven! What were your favourite outfits from last night?

Check out my BRITS piece for Studenty  here.