All Things Irish - My Top 3 - Fashion Special

Hi Ladies,

We've got more exciting news!!! We have been asked by the fabulous Sinéad from Yummy Mummy Fashion and Lifestyle Blog to join her brand new network for Irish Bloggers! The idea behind Into The West Blogger Network is that each week a theme is selected and all the Irish bloggers that are involved write a post related to that theme, then they are all put together and promoted on one platform to make it easier for readers to find new blogs and posts to enjoy!

It is a really lovely way to unite bloggers and to help us to help each other. Blogging for some has turned into a sort of cat fight, stealing each others content and intentionally being nasty about one another when in reality, blogging is a platform for your personal views, stories and more, and so we aren't really in competition with each other.

 I love to read blogs and when I find a new blog that I enjoy, I certainly don't stop reading the other blogs that I previously enjoyed. If your work is your own and you write it yourself for your love of the topic or for your love of writing itself then that speaks to your audience and people will read more than one blogger's work. I love the idea of bloggers helping each other out and supporting each other in any way they can. 

Personally I have had nothing but nice experiences with bloggers such as Aoibhe Devlin from The Secret Obsession and Nicole and Shauna Spain from Flutterby Fashion Styling/Custom Flutterby all three of these girls are more than supportive and have given me great advice about blogging! I have also had the pleasure of meeting some other lovely Irish bloggers and I've had the same response from them all!

Anyway, without going on too much of a rant (bit late now)and sounding like an extra on the Miss Congeniality movie wanting world peace, lets get down to business. This week's theme for the Into The West Blogger Network post is 'All Things Irish' so I have decided to write a post about three of my favourite Irish Shops/Companies!

1. Flutter On By / Custom Flutterby

Nicole and Shauna Spain are a mother and daughter duo that have taken the industry by storm! Nicole has worked in the fashion industry for the past 12 years and daughter Shauna began hair styling at a young age, in 2010 they decided to come together to bring you, what is now one of the best out there, a blog that keeps you up to date with all things fashion, beauty, hair, celebrity, fitness, a very successful fashion styling school and if that wasn't enough they also own www.customflutterby.com a site that allows you to order customized levi's shorts, jackets, converse and more!

Their shorts are amazing and are favourites of tv babes such as TOWIE's Lauren Pope, Lauren Goodger, Billie Faiers, Jessica Wright even Bobby Cole has some of the men's ones! Corrie's Brooke Vincent is also a FlutterBabe!

TOWIE's Lauren Pope (above) and Corrie's Brooke Vincent (below) in Custom Flutterby Shorts

These girls are amazing as if they weren't busy enough blogging, teaching and making all their customized products, Nicole still works as a stylists and is regularly out on shoots and Shauna runs her own business Shauna Spain Hair Styling and they are often working as a team on shoots too!

There is no stopping these girls and we couldn't love them any more than we already do, make sure to follow them on twitter (@flutterbystylex @ShaunaSpainHair) and check them out on Facebook too!

2. Gorgeous VIP

Gorgeous VIP is a young, fresh, Irish, online fashion boutique that was set up by Jessica Kelly in 2011 (formerly known as DropDeadGorjess). Since then  Gorgeous VIP has fast become the first port of call for hundreds of style savvy young ladies in Ireland, the UK and now all over the world!! 

Jessica Kelly - Owner - Gorgeous VIP

Jessica saw a gap in the market for an online boutique that is inspired by the catwalks but with prices that suit practically every budget and the reputation she has built for herself is phenomenal!

Gorgeous VIP also sells a range of accessories!

Not only is Gorgeous VIP a one stop shop for dresses and accessories, Jessica also runs Gorgeous VIP Blog where you can read about all things fashion, beauty, celebrity and lifestyle! Jessica is also great for advice about all things fashion, beauty or blogging related so make sure to follow her on twitter (@GorgeousVIP_com) and be sure to like her Facebook Page too, she's definitely one to watch!

3. Fi Bourke Fashion

If you haven't already heard of Fi Bourke Fashion then you must be living under a rock! But fear not, we're here to fill you in anyway! Fionnuala Bourke founded FiBourke Fashion, and as she says herself her grandparents were costume makers ('the Bourkes of Dame Stree') making it a natural progression for her to begin making costumes! Now she is one of the best in the business and has made costumes for Katherine Lynch, Davina Devine and Victoria Secret (two of Dublin's most famous drag queens) Miss Ireland Rebecca Maguire, former X- Factor contestant Rebecca Creighton and many more!

Singer (and former X Factor contestant) Rebecca Creighton in a Fi Bourke Dress

The fabulous Fionnuala now makes the best custom made phone covers in the business, with prices ranging from €15 to €45 there is something to suit every budget! Fionnuala can create personalized phone covers for any phone along with passport covers, photo frames and more!

Here is an example of some of her amazing work!







Here at Recessionista HQ we love to find celeb style at high street prices, and with Fi Bourke fast becoming a celeb favourite, you can literally get almost the exact same phone covers as some of your favourite celebs (I say almost the same because if you are ordering your phone cover, it is meant to be custom so you should just use the celebs choices as inspiration and choose your own pieces).


Charlotte from MTV's Geordie Shore with her Fi Bourke Cover


Former Miss Ireland, Rosanna Davsion with her Fi Bourke Cover



Model Rachel Wallace with her Fi Bourke Cover


Corrie Babe Michelle Keegan with her Fi Bourke Passport and Phone Cover

TOWIE babe Maria Fowler posted her Fi Bourke Cover on Instagram this week!

So why not get ordering now for the perfect Christmas pressie to yourself or for you girlfriend, best friend or sister! Check out her facebook page facebook.com/fi.bourkefashion or follow her on twitter @fibourkefashion but hurry, Christmas orders must be in this week!


Although choosing my top 3 was very difficult as there are so many amazing Irish companies/services/brands/products I will hopefully get to showcase many more when our new site is launched!

Have a great Tuesday and keep an eye out for Sam's next beauty post coming later this week!


Meg
Recessionista HQ
xxx

What I wore..Halloween Edition!!

Hi dolls, 

I hope you're all enjoying the midterm (if you're lucky enough to be on midterm) or that you are now fully recovered from the Bank Holiday Weekend!

This is Recessionista Styling's first ever 'What I Wore' post and I'm not too sure if it will become a regular feature on the blog or not but please be nice to me as I'm not used to writing this kind of post 

(I feel a bit awkward writing about myself as I still feel a bit like 'sure who'd be interested in what I'm wearing) but here it goes.....

Halloween (aside from Christmas) is one of my favourite times of the year, making costumes is so much fun and if you don't have time to make it, you can always find time for a bit of online shopping for one! I love heading out in fancy dress and I am always so excited to see what everyone else is dressed up as too!

This year, I made the last minute decision to dress as Posion Ivy, from my childhood favourite Batman & Robin movie. Uma Therman wowed audiences as the flame haired villain way back in 1997 and was one of my all time favorite movie villains!

Image: www.batmanwikia.com

This costume has been re-created for Halloween for many years now and I couldn't wait to have my turn! Even celebs such as Queen of Reality TV: Kim Kardashian and US Dancing With the Stars favourite Julianne Hough (pictured below with brother Derek) have turned from tv stars to villainess in two very different style Poison Ivy costumes!

Image: www.daily.mail.co.uk (Copyright: Kim Kardashian /Twitter)

Image: www.dailymail.co.uk (Copright: Derek Hough/Twitter)

I wanted to keep my costume simple and cost effective (they don't call us Recessionistas for nothing!)

I chose three key pieces for my look, a bodysuit, disco leggings and a wig!

Long Sleeved, Deep Green BodySuit

 €8.83

www.missguided.eu

Green High Waisted Disco Pants

€15

PrettyLittleThing.Com

Long Curly Red Wig

€14

www.partyworld.ie

I got my hands on some fake ivy and stitched it onto my fab new purchases too!

The mask I originally wanted (see pic below) was sold out but I luckily found one in a local newsagents for just €1 and all I had to do with it was spray paint the feathers green!

Masquerade Mask

€3

www.partyworld.ie

So here's the result....

I has such a fun night and everyone loved the costume, I'm already thinking about next year!

I hope you enjoyed my first 'what I wore' post.

In case any of you read my last Halloween post last week (read it here) and are wondering what my mother (aka the Queen of Halloween) wore this year, here is a lovely little picture of herself and my step dad before they headed out....enjoy!

Happy Halloween!!

xx

Looking for the perfect Red Lipstick?

Hey ladies!!! 

My next review is on an amazing lipstick that will make you want to throw away every other lipstick in your make up bag!

Stila-Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick. (Shade: Beso)

I had a wedding coming up and I needed a good lip product that was going to last as I didn't want to be nipping to the loo every half hour to redo anything. I also wanted a specific red. There are so many shades of red available that I was feeling a little overwhelmed by all the choices but I wanted a "true classic red". I was searching through many brands like Dior and Mac and I liked some of the lipsticks but I didn't love them.

 I discovered this product after seeing a friend wearing it. It stood out to me as a creamy, matte and bold lip colour that was just so flawless. I had to find out more.

It is without doubt the most amazing lipstick I've ever tried!! It has the look of a lipstick with the staying power of a lip stain. Its nourishing on the lips too with vitamin E and avocado oil so it doesn't dry like other stains or lipsticks can do, and it softens and hydrates. Its weightless, has full coverage and has intense moisturising qualities.

 It states that it lasts 6 hours and that's very true as when I wore it I only reapplied it once throughout the (roughly) 12 hour day. Also when I ate and drank it didn't bleed, fade or even transfer onto anything! Once it sets it doesn't budge so I had to be quite neat when applying. 

The only negative was that it was matte and I didn't want that finish on that day so once it dried (which was almost immediately) I applied a clear gloss over it. I loved the finish and feel of this product. I am definitely investing in the other shades!

Available in 5 shades (in Ireland)

Rate: 5/5

Price: €19.50

Stockist: Harvey Nichols

Love Sammy

xx

Halloween!!

Halloween is one of my favourite times of the whole year (aside from Christmas that is) and there is nothing I love more than choosing/creating/buying my costume!!

There is a huge campaign this year to encourage women to go scary not sexy with our costume choices, but to be honest I think as long as you're comfortable in your costume choice and it leaves enough to the imagination, Halloween is the perfect time to steer clear of your norm, take a risk, dare to bare or go as ugly as you want (and I mean that in a good way!) 

Us girls spend practically spend the entire year trying to look our best and Halloween is the one night of the year that we can embrace our inner ugly! We can be witches, zombies, vampires, animals, movie characters, or even food, you name it and there is a costume to match. The joys of not worrying about your tan or make up or hair is quite liberating! Unless you're my mam that is, we call her the Queen of Halloween as her costume planning and prepping usually begins in June!!!

Here are some of my costumes from the past couple of years!

Myself (on the left) and my best friend playing Cops and Robbers!

Home made Zombie School Girl Costumes

(Very cheap and easy to do!)

This year I am once again making my costume and I have ordered some supplies from Partyworld.ie (Tramore Co.Waterford), Missguided.eu and PrettyLittleThing.com but I won't be revealing my costume until I'm wearing it on Sunday night! Don't worry, I'll do a full post what I wore and how to make it on Monday!

For now, here are my top ten favourite costumes available online this year!

www.littlestarparties.ie

Zombie Prom Queen €39.99

Batgirl €45

Zombie Scrub Nurse €28.99

Sexy Cop Costume €36.99

www.costumecorner.ie

Make A Wish €39.50

Miss Scissor Hands €43.50

Till Death Do Us Part Bride

€49.50

www.partyworld.ie

Dark Knight Cat Woman €48

Cleopatra €39

Katy Perry €41

So sorry for not having the direct links to the costumes tonight, for some reason it just won't work! :(

I cannot wait to share my 2013 costume with you all on Sunday!

I'll leave you tonight with a couple of pix to explain why my mam is the 'Queen of Halloween' in our house!

Enjoy!

Megan

Recessionista HQ

xx

My mam and step dad as a knight and Princess Fiona from Shrek!

Mam as Mrs.Doyle from Fr.Ted...Ah go on ;)

Reviewed: Double Wear VS Fit Me

Ok guys, here's my very first product review. I decided to review under eye concealers, for dark circles and imperfections. If your lucky enough that you don't have dark circles or imperfections, this review can still be beneficial to you, as using a concealer in this area will always brighten the eyes and can be slightly contouring too.

Estée Lauder - Double Wear Stay In Place Flawless Wear Concealer SPF10

(Such a long name)

Have you ever spent a fortune on a concealer - only to bring it home and realise it doesn't do a thing it claims to and you still have dark circles like a woman who has been awake for 365 nights straight?

Well fear not with this product! It conceals perfectly and stays all day! It is thick in consistency but it gives a smooth and flawless finish. It doesn't cake or sit in any lines. I think this is my favourite of all time. I know its a little pricey but it's definitely worth it.

Available in 8 shades

Price: €25.50

Rate: 5/5

I searched high and low for a more affordable version of the Double Wear Concealer

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer

This gel concealer definitely conceals. It blends easy and brightens the eye are. Doesn't cake on the skin. It looks natural and the colours are great too. The cons to this product are that it doesn't seem to last all day and by all day I mean from about 8am-8pm. I think this would be a great option for day time or days when you're not going to work and you don't need an extra magic concealer. Its a great everyday concealer. It's not a wow product but it's not bad for the price.

Available in 6 shades.

Price: €8.99

Rate: 3.5/5

Sammy

xx

Reader Request: Steal Tess Daly's Strictly Style!

Hello and happy Monday to all you beautiful people!

The blog has been a bit quiet of late but that is only because we are working over time trying to get our new site and new format ready for all of you to see! We even have a brand new (and quite fabulous if I do say so myself) beauty blogger on board, you can read her first ever post here. 

But for now, lets get down to business!

From time to time some of you fabulous readers email or tweet us asking if we can help find a particular dress, or if we can find a high street alternative, and seeing as it is what we do best, we're always happy to help!

Last night, our gorgeous reader Collette Walsh, sent us a quick tweet about the dress worn by Tess Daly on the Strictly Come Dancing results show! As soon as we read the tweet we began researching the dress and some budget busting alternatives!

Firstly, here is the beautiful Tess Daly rocking what we can reveal is a navy 50's style Doris Day dress from Suzannah Fashion that will set you back a cool £650!

(Image via Grazia Live on Instagram)

(Image via BBC/Daily Mail.co.uk)

Now don't panic if you haven't got £650 in your bank account just waiting to be spent, we don't either! Check out our favourite high street alternatives below!

We know some of these dresses only resemble Tess' dress but we figured that no matter if you only love the colour, shape or style of this dress, we've got a high street alternative for you!

Oasis £59.95 (approx €70)

Dorothy Perkins €65

Conscious of your shoulders? Cover up with small sleeve detail from Dorothy Perkins.com for €59!

Brighten up the classic navy dress by opting for this DP Crochet Back Dress for €60!

This navy blue dress (also from Dorothy Perkins) has a unique twist with the addition of some mesh panels (€42).

 

Bling it up with this embellished skater dress from ASOS €74.15!

Lace it up with this navy skater dress from iClothing €40!

We know this dress is only really similar in colour but we thought it was a nice alternative skater dress from iclothing and it is only €40!

Our lovely reader Collette mentioned she would like this dress for the Christmas season so we just had to share this fab Sequin detail ASOS Dress with you and it's only €56.61!!

This season, navy is the new black and the old fashioned 'you can't wear navy and black together' rule has been thrown out the window so team any of these selections with some sky scraper black stillettos and you're good to go!

We love these glitter heels for €38 from Boohoo.com

We really hope this post helped you find something you like!

Recessionista Styling HQ

xxx

We're growing!!

Here at Recessionista HQ, I usually refer to myself as 'we' mostly because I have always hoped to expand the blog and actually get a team of people who are passionate about writing, fashion, beauty hair and all things glam! My dreams are finally coming true and we (there is now officially a 'we') are currently building our new website, logo, and designing a whole new format!!! Eeek!!

Although our new site is taking a little longer than we originally thought it would, we figured it would be best to start introducing parts of the new format now, so you guys don't have to wait  much longer!

On that note, I will leave you with a little introductory blog post by my new other half, enjoy!

A big hello to all Recessionista Styling blog readers! My name is Samantha Stacey and I will be joining the team at Recessionista Styling as a beauty blogger. I will be blogging about beauty products and services to include makeup, skincare and hair. I will also compare high street products against more couture priced products.
I have over six years experience in the beauty industry, working with one of the worlds leading designer cosmetics companies. I also have experience in the modelling industry since representing my county in Miss Ireland Universe finals five years ago.

-My first blog will be comparing concealers-

...so watch this space!

Looking forward to blogging for you guys!

Sammy x